Asheron's Call 2: Legions sees gold; Throne of Destiny delayed

Turbine Entertainment had good news for players of its massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Asheron's Call 2, today, as the Legions expansion pack for the sequel has gone gold.

However, players of the original Asheron's Call will have to wait for their next expansion pack, Throne of Destiny, which the company has pushed the release of back to July 18, following a round of savage criticism from beta testers.

According to a letter from executive producer Jessica Mulligan, the Throne of Destiny expansion pack was recently subjected to closed focus testing by a select group of Asheron's addicts.

"It was interesting, if your definition of 'interesting' is having your flaws pointed out in graphic detail," says Mulligan of the testing sessions. "The feedback we got from the players was great, very detailed and specific, and delivered with tough love. What they told us is that we had some changes to make. And we took that feedback to heart and have started to make some of those changes. But it is going to take some time."

Mulligan, an industry vet and expert in the area of online games, also used the open letter to announce her departure from Turbine, though she maintains that her reasons for leaving are unrelated to the delay of Throne of Destiny.

While players of the original game may be upset by today's news, followers of Asheron's Call 2 are rejoicing in the completion of the new expansion pack, Legions. This new infusion of content is slated to hit stores sometime in May.

Legions will include a new continent, called Knorr, which will increase the size of the Asheron's Call 2 world by 30 percent. Also included in this expansion pack are new playable races (one of which is the much maligned Drudge), three new prestige classes, more than 100 new quests, and 10 new monster types.

Turbine is headquartered in Westwood, Massachusetts, and is currently working on The Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Online. The company first announced the Legions expansion pack in October of last year, and the Throne of Destiny pack was announced in August of last year.