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We received the following update today from JT O'Loughlin, Lead producer Midkemia Online.

Lately we've been working on finishing up Rogues, and coding Magicians.

Rogues:

Rogues are coming along nicely, and getting near to being completed. I'm really pleased with how they're turning out in terms of spying, stealth and infiltration abilities. One of the cool things about Rogues is the ability to construct bombs! There are different types of bombs Rogues can construct (smoke bombs, Quegan fire oil bombs, etc.), and they can be used in 3 different ways: to throw directly at an enemy, to throw at your room for a room-wide effect, or to throw into an adjacent room for a room-wide effect. Rogues can also hide themselves from sight, making them difficult to detect or hit, and launch sneak attacks for massive damage if they are unseen, before launching into a barrage of fencing attacks with their rapier. And, of course, Rogues are able to eavesdrop on nearby conversations or even spy on private communications between other players, making them masters of espionage.

Magicians:

Ok, so a few things about Magicians that may have changed from the original plans: when we release, our Magicians will be Greater Path Magicians!

They are a classic glass cannon archetype, with their most powerful spells only able to be cast at a range, such as hurling giant balls of the blue fire the Tsurani Great Ones use in battle. Of course, one of a Magician's signature spells is the ability to create Rifts -- which are the only "teleportation" or long-distance transport ability in the game (in fitting with Midkemia's theme of low magic). Unlike most teleportation skills in other games, however, enemies (and allies) can follow you through an open Rift, so it's not a perfect escape method. Beyond manipulating magic, Magicians also create a variety of useful enchantments that are usable by anyone. Lesser Path Magicians are more skilled than their Greater Path cousins at creating enchanted objects, however.

So where does that leave Lesser Path?

We are still planning on having Lesser Path Magicians, but they will be released after beta. Why the change? Three reasons. First, there was just more interest in people playing Greater Path Magicians, since they feature more prominently in the series. Second, we had a firmer design in place for Greater Path. And third, Lesser Path Magicians make extensive use of the elements (such as weather) around them, and I wasn't convinced that we could have a really interesting Lesser Path without a completed (and easy to manipulate) weather system. In the future, you can expect that Lesser Path will be less flashy and flamboyant than Greater Path, but arguably more powerful in a meta-sense. Whereas a Greater Path might throw fireballs at an enemy, a Lesser Path might manipulate the weather to make it colder or rainy (and thus cause those fireballs to fizzle out and do significantly
less damage), or create a violent storm with lightning and hurricane winds spread over a wide area.

we have just added the synopsis for the next book from Raymond E. Feist, At the Gates of Darkness. In addition we have also updated the publication information for the UK and Australia.

The good news is that it looks like we will be getting the book earlier than expected, with Australia on the 4th of January 2010 and UK on the 7th January 2010, so remember to save your pennies over the festive season.

This information was retrieved from HarperCollins UK site today, however they still have the title as At the Gates of Chaos.

In response to a question on the Feistfans-l Mailing List today, regarding how Ray feels about ending the entire Riftwar Cycle. Is it a kind of a release? An open door to stories and the like?

Ray replied with the following:-

It's a challenge.  For some of the reasons you state below.  Mostly I think the scope of the concept will work fine in delivering a payoff that's appropriate to the entire cycle, but  you always wonder if you can juggle enough of the elements that worked so far, the smaller personal stories, new characters and old, the big universe shattering stuff, etc.

As for a kind of release?  I don't know.  I won't know until it's over.  We're already talking about "what's next?" and have a half-dozen things kicking around.  One thing, we may at last finalize the concept for the Atlas and get on with that.  We also have an "alternative media" project, and no one has a clue what that really is going to look like.  So, it'll be three or four years before I really know how ending the cycle will feel, and even then I'm oing to be busy.

Best, R.E.F.

The long awaited Signed copy of Rides a Dread Legion from Amazon UK has finally started to be delivered, 16 May 2009. At two months after the UK tour, many fans had started believe the Signed book had been dropped. You can find details of this edition at Rides a Dread Legion.

The book is basically a First Edition , with Ray's signature. 

If your quick, and would still like to have one of these for your collection, or gift, you may still be able to order.

We previously reported UK Rides a Dread Legion Signed/Deluxe - Disappears

All being well, the German edition of Wrath of a Mad God, (Der verrückte Gott), should be available in the shops today. This is your chance to catch up with the conclusion of the Darkwar Saga.

With thanks going to Urban Hoffstetter of Random House Germany, we are pleased to announce that Der verrückte Gott (Wrath of a Mad God), is due for release early. Originally slated for June 2009, it is now due to be available on the 11th of May 2009.