Vanguard pre-order details

By Tom Bramwell Published 11 January, 2007

Access game three days early.

Koch Media has announced details of its Vanguard: Saga of Heroes pre-order campaign, which is exclusive to GAME stores in the UK from tomorrow, 12th January.

As well as offering access to the beta, the pre-order box will allow you to access the full game three days earlier than everyone else. It'll be available in-store and via the GAME website.

Other goodies in the box include a special account key, which will allow your character to sprint for longer periods of time thanks to an exclusive in-game scroll.

There's also a Guild Mail recruitment tool to help build up a guild prior to launch, as well as various wallpapers, screenshots and other assets to help you enjoy being part of Vanguard's vanguard.

For more on Vanguard, be sure to check out our recent preview.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (17) Latest comment 5 years ago

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  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #1 5 years ago

    Other goodies in the box include a special account key, which will allow your character to sprint for longer periods of time thanks to an exclusive in-game scroll.

    :o

    That's a bit cheeky, like. I wonder how much of a difference it makes.

  • AcidSnake #2 5 years ago

    I like key pleaze...

  • jonsaan #3 5 years ago

    Koch Media. Great name.

  • MrAtheist #4 5 years ago

    I think you should rename the website Vanguardgamer. :)

  • Gurgeh #5 5 years ago

    "San Diego, CA - January 11, 2007 - Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games Online today announced that the upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game Vanguard: Saga of Heroes will be released to retail outlets across North America and Europe on January 30, 2007, for the suggested retail price of US$49.99. A limited edition is also available for a suggested retail price of US$89.99."

    ... which is commercial suicide. The WoW expansion will crush all in its path for a few weeks, especially with the framerate issues in Vanguard and the bland starting areas for some races.

  • bmanula #6 5 years ago

    Gurgeh,

    which starting areas aren't bland? I made 3 characters (orc, dark elf and...something else) and each of the starting areas were flat, featureless and colorless and generally drained away my will to play the game entirely. Can you recommend a starting area that is more developed and has the potential to pull me in?

  • Kami #7 5 years ago

    I agree with this being commercial suicide - and it's not just that it is a bad time to release it. When it's released, it's going to really be seen as a game that is being rushed out to try and compete with a title that they have a hope in hells chance of competing against...

    Just a bad move on this one... I'd wait until it was ready. Because, well, it just isn't yet...

  • Phattso #8 5 years ago

    If that beta is anywhere even near indicative of the final level of quality, Sigil have just fallen on their sword. My gaming rig is a monster, and Vanguard still managed to run at a dismally low frame rate and have objects randomly appear and disappear in the game world.

    Shame really, as the character creation was pretty neat and some of the effects (like the swaying trees and volumetric clouds) are great. No use if you have to turn them off for performance reasons, of course. And lag when typing text? No - I'll stick with WoW I think. By the time Vanguard is patched to a suitable level Warhammer will be with us anyway.

  • ZuluHero #9 5 years ago

    its true - been playing the beta, and although i quite like the game its way to early to even contemplate releasing this at its current end-of-jan release.

    I'll give it 6 months to settle down and when ive lost interest in the Burning Crusade then i will probably take another look.

    I only hope this early release isn't too damaging to the population in the meantime...

    EDIT: just because of the number of bugs and unfinished things like missing collision that should be in place already!
    Edited by 1 at 11/01/07 @ 11:58

  • Kami #10 5 years ago

    Same here - although it looked good, it's so buggy and slow and unstable right now that its in the realms of fantasy itself they can have these issues fixed in a couple of days. Not to mention quests that were still impossible to finish, glaring bugs that halted progress, and just generally an empty feeling all over (Err, enemy camp? CAMP? I see three barrels! That's a CAMP?! Jeez...).

    It has potential - and we CAN wait for a game which has promise... you can't rush these things to compete with what is going to be a huge giant of a release. Especially when the game is so noticably not ready yet - it'll be swallowed alive by The Burning Crusade... and we'll forget about it and think it's another oppertunity wasted.

    I just don't see why they are rushing this to market. Are they strapped for cash or something? Because releasing it in the form we have as a beta is... well. It's desperation.

  • kangarootoo #11 5 years ago

    3 WHOLE DAYS!!

    Imagine how many boars you could kill in that time. You level up into a super being before any noobs turn up. Then they would worship you as their monarch!

    /sarcasm

  • hjarg #12 5 years ago

    Anyways, thanks for the open beta! Now i know to avoid this one.

    PS! Strange thing though, i have an average PC and on balanced, the game run fine. Occasional stutter, but otherwise just fine.
    Edited by 1 at 11/01/07 @ 13:32

  • Gurgeh #13 5 years ago

    Bmanula,

    Last time I checked (which was a while ago) the Kojan starting area was about the best in the game (make a half-elf).

    If you can put up with the ridiculous framerate and have a good book to read while levelling from 12 - 30, the game supposedly has some of the best designed higher level dungeons in an MMO. Whether anyone else will still be playing the game at those levels for you to group up with is another matter.

  • orcane #14 5 years ago

    so they really dare to release this by the end of January - I don't see how anything short of divine intervention can save them now...

  • Quine #15 5 years ago

    SOE pulled the plug on their cash, didn't they? I thought that was why they were releasing way too early.

  • hjarg #16 5 years ago

    Yup, they did. Logical though- the game has been in development for 5 years, eating up cash all the way. And that is no small sum, i tell you. Finally, someone got tired of feeding them millions and came up with decision: game in ready enough to start generate some cash back. If lucky, the sell couple of hundred thousand units, plus gain the same amount of subscribers- meaning cashflow to continue development and get the game finally ready without putting financial strain on Sony. If the game blows, the sales will bring at least some cash back, plus some from garage sale of servers :p.

    Of course, it is means screwing around potential customers, but imho, if you buy this game, you deserve to be screwed :p

  • MaxiSleep #17 5 years ago

    It would a be shame to see a game released in the shape that the beta is currently in. The engine is basicly screwed, with appaling pop up and terrible load times when you turn a character around at any time you have walked a reasonable difference.

    If anyone from sigil/sony is reading this you need to swallow your pride and delay release until you can get the basic game running smoothly, on reasonable detail settings.