Hellgate: London details erupt

By Robert Purchese Published 22 October, 2007

Beta NDA lifted.

Flagship Studios has poured out more details about what you will get for your money in the subscription-based Hellgate: London multiplayer mode.

For a start, you will be able to challenge yourself with two extra difficulties: Elite Mode and Hardcore Mode. The first of these makes all nasties stronger, cleverer, and more likely to hunt in larger packs; the latter disables resurrection, meaning you will stay on the floor if your head gets bitten off or your arms go missing.

Subscribers will also get exclusive ongoing content, which will begin with Halloween-themed events and items. Those of you willing to participate can create a mixture of meat and metal called a Zombot, get hold of a unique helmet named the All Hallow's Visage, enjoy treats that have stat-boosting properties and venture off on some unique quests. Further down the line you will be treated to new areas, items, raid content and much more.

Shelling out GBP 6.99 a month will also give you certain perks. You can create a guild rather than just join one, make 24 characters rather than three, have a storage locker twice as big as normal, and work towards Achievements that will reward you with anything from reputation to pieces of armour.

But you don't have to pay to play with your friends online. You can still use buddy lists or join guilds to chat to and organise your chums, or try out Nightmare mode with bigger areas that will take longer to clear.

Flagship also lifted the wraps on how it will handle player-versus-player combat in Hellgate. It will work by either challenging another player to a duel or by turning on a PvP flag. Both of these can only be done outside Underground Station hubs and should give you a level of control over how much you want to participate.

Hellgate: London is due out here on 2nd November, and will come complete with support for DirectX 9 and 10 video cards. Currently the frame rate on the DX10 version is a little wobbly due to the new and fancy features, although Flagship is confident it will be as high if not higher than its counterpart by launch.

Head over to the official website to see what other bits and pieces Patch 0 will be tweaking, or for more information on how the beta test works. You can also try out the recent demo there.

Or pop into our Hellgate: London gamepage for all of our considerable coverage to date.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • spliffhead #1 4 years ago

    The Hellgate beta servers are fubar at the moment, they really need to get it up and running before the game hits stores.

    Hell hath no fury like a gimp scorned!

  • Artemus #2 4 years ago

    Don't forget you also get FREE bonus spyware!

  • swede #3 4 years ago

    Ha glad its not just my machine thats got the slow dx10 framerate probs.

    Thought I may have to tone down all the maxed out settings IT recommended for my rig. Hope they fix it for release.

  • ZuluHero #4 4 years ago

    The single player demo was indicative enough to show me how the game works, looks and plays. Ill wait for the streetdate release now thanks! :)

    EDIT: And all the inevitable bug fixes ofc! ;)
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/07 @ 12:40

  • Darkedge #5 4 years ago

    Lovely lovely Hellgate with free spyware :) nice

  • LonesomeRoad #6 4 years ago

    Tollgate london. no ta.

  • chudders #7 4 years ago

    £6.99 seems a bit steep considering what you actually get - a bigger inventory, two extra game modes (usually free, albeit locked first, in other games), ability to create guilds, and extra characters seem to be the main selling points. Seriously, who in their right mind would actually use 24 characters?

    If Flagship fleshed out the future content, then perhaps it would seem better value. Until then I'll think I'll stick to the vanilla.

    Edited for wrongness

    Yours, cautiously,

    Chudders
    Edited by 2 at 22/10/07 @ 13:29

  • penhalion #8 4 years ago

    can someone tell me what the point of the single payer demo was?

    I managed to get to covent garden (looked exactly like tottenham court road and russel square by the way. Then I go down the steam maintenance tunnels and kill everything and er....and what exactly? No quest, no doctor whatsisname...nothing but some dead end corridors.

  • MaxiSleep #9 4 years ago

    The demo felt really rushed. Whilst not looking like as bad a train wreck as vanguard turned out to be you cant help fealing that they burned all the cash and now need to release.

    I will be picking it up but am unconviced about the subscription model. It looks like fairly rubish value for money.

  • decibel #10 4 years ago

    That's a rather pitiful offering for £6.99.

    No way, I'll be sticking to vanilla, if I even pick up the game. The demo was beyond terrible, and from what I've been hearing, the beta is beyond broken and flakey.

  • MightyPenguin #11 4 years ago

    Yeah, I was distinctly unimpressed with the demo. It wasn't just Diablo-esque... it WAS Diablo. Add to that the highly repetitive environents (the tunnel sections can get away with it I'll grant you, but when you have three "ruined building" layouts and you use them constantly...) and the clumsy character controls...

    Well, it was just the demo, but I'm not holding out high hopes for this.

  • Goffee #12 4 years ago

    "Seriously, who in their right mind would actually use 24 characters? "

    Says someone who clearly never played Diablo II

  • chudders #13 4 years ago

    "Says someone who clearly never played Diablo II"

    Heh, obviously I've missed something. It just seems a bit excessive but I take your word for it that perhaps this isn't the case.

    Is that one for every digit of the average Diablo II player then?

    Hands up to those who've just mentally counted their fingers and toes to check?

  • VMerken #14 4 years ago

    @Artemus, Darkedge:
    Nahh, it's not spyware, it's only EA and all its affiliates and related parties (whoever the gently caress they are) having unlimited access to your system IP, OS, the software and hardware on it, and are totally free to collect data and provide them to whoever they wish.

    But don't worry, your identity won't be disclosed and it's only there to improve the game, really, promise! All this goodness, and the joy of seeing total immersion-conserving NVidia and Nestle posters in subways can be yours for 50 Euros. Because, how else could EA pay their advertisers for appearing in their game?
    Edited by 2 at 22/10/07 @ 18:46

  • Laserbream #15 4 years ago

    Hmm, looking dodgy isn't it? One half of me wants to subscribe and support Flagship, the other half thinks £6.99 is cheeky when you consider the revenue from advertising.

    I love the game itself, warts and all, but I'm having trouble feeling relaxed about giving up my privacy AND paying a sub for it.

  • UncleLou #16 4 years ago

    The demo isn't all that, the beta, however, is great. Yeah, there are a few rough edges, but it's an excellent game at its core. It's only the third game after Diablo 2 and Titan Quest for me where the magic really worked, so I can't wait for the release.

    About the EULA - that does seem to go a bit far. I personally don't really care that much, but I can see why it bothers people. However, it's not like it's anything new - most MMORPGs have such a clause. I remember a big discussion about WoW's EULAs a while ago.

    Apart from that, I don't mind the ads, nor the subscription fee. From what I've seen, you get a lot for your money even if you don't pay the fees, and it's understandable that they use ads to make that possible. Not sure how Guild Wars manages without it, but then they do publish full-priced addon packs from time to time, if I am not mistaken.

  • Luckz #17 4 years ago

    penhalion: the point of the demo was to tell EA and random third parties about your IP address and installed software. VMerken summed it up rather well.

    UncleLou: I wasn't aware that Blizzard has rights to my unborn children just because I played a short bit of WoW.
    "You get a lot for your money and it's understandable they use ads to make that possible"?! Apparently you get one (1) unit of Diablo for your money. I paid less for Diablo back in the day than they'd charge you for Hellgate, Blizzard didn't tell you to pay any additional fees, did not announce any intention to violate your rights in ways simply not legal in the civilized world, etc.

  • JediMasterMalik #18 4 years ago

    Agree with UL, really enjoying (and rather addicted to) the beta. It's very action packed, something no MMO I've ever layed has managed to feel. The simple fact that you're in direct control of your character means it feels very connected and fun. Doesn't run as well as I would have hoped, but it is just a beta.

  • UncleLou #19 4 years ago

    I paid less for Diablo back in the day than they'd charge you for Hellgate

    No, you don't. You can play Hellgate for free, too. And you also paid a lot less for a pint of milk 10 years ago than you do now. Those were different times, and Blizzard was huge even then.

    Blizzard didn't tell you to pay any additional fees

    Diablo also had no MMORPG features, nor additional content (which is what you pay the sub for). What would you want: all the features and additional content of the sub-based model, but entirely for free? Bit unrealistic, no?


    did not announce any intention to violate your rights in ways simply not legal in the civilized world, etc.

    Blizzard did exactly the same. Not approving of it, but Blizzard aren't quite the altruistic angels as which you portray them.

  • Pentadact #20 4 years ago

    Wow, you have to pay £7 a month to have the ability to not respawn when you die? Couldn't you just stop playing when you die in the normal version?

  • VMerken #21 4 years ago

    "Blizzard did exactly the same. Not approving of it, but Blizzard aren't quite the altruistic angels as which you portray them."

    Yup, that's why I'm glad I never went beyond Diablo II single player. At least... I hope the warden isn't contained in any of the D2 update files.

  • Nill #22 4 years ago

    The game is fine ... however I, like others, find it rather hard to swallow that they'll charge me full price, and then shove ads in my face, furthering their own earnings with no benefits for me as a customer. A comparison to Guild Wars may be most suitable in this regard, with Guild Wars being free to play after initial purchase. No ads. No restrictions.

    Regarding the subscription, I'd not had any problems with it if they actually had it for a good reason. They're obviously just restricting non-subscribers in order to obtain more subscribers. I don't understand why they could not have a few more character-slots per customer otherwise - surely it doesn't take up *that* much storage-space, does it? Obviously, having anything closer to the actual amount of playable classes would really do away from their main selling point. That is until they decide to put out something more worthwhile than WoWish holiday candy-bars, face-masks and unimaginative delivery quests as new content. Heh, I thought these guys were the ones that left Blizzard.

    I would've very much prefered expansions however. Always seems more focused and more quality. Besides, feeling free to play just a bit here and there, not having any pressure to make your paid month worth the money or whatever is really nice as well.

  • Empedocles #23 4 years ago

    Been playing the Multiplayer Beta and it is frankly a real blast either soloing or with a group, I'd say don't be discouraged by the single player demo and give it a go, it's perfect drop in and play for an hour or two fodder.