DO: What's Special about the Most Anticipated Expansion of 2010?

Dragon Oath, the free-to-play martial arts fantasy MMORPG, releases its major expansion of the year, titled Age of Destiny, on Tuesday. The expansion client has already been added to MMOSite's download page. Players can log on to the Zion server to experience the wonder of the expansion starting 12 p.m. PST, Feb.2.

This new age in Dragon Oath adds a plethora of new content including new mounts, new weapons, new areas, new pets, new quests, and new skills, entirely free-to-play.

We recently talked with Martin Tan, the General Manager of Dragon Oath's publisher ChangYou.com (US) Inc., about what makes this expansion special and the most anticipated.

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MMOsite: Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Martin: Hi, I am Martin Tan, General Manager of ChangYou.com (US) Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of ChangYou.com Ltd., China's leading online game developer and operator.

MMOsite: You're calling Age of Destiny the most anticipated expansion of 2010. What makes it so special?

Martin: We have over 75 million players worldwide, but that number alone doesn't do the game or its expansion justice. The fact is our gamers are among the most dedicated in the world, and they love the universe in which they play. We first released this expansion in Asia and it soon became a hit. The number of concurrent players jumped from 300,000 to 500,000. So we started thinking we definitely need to bring this incredibly sucessful expansion we had in Asia to the U.S. market to give U.S. players an even more exciting and joyful gameplay experience. What sets our game apart are the various social systems and ways in which our players interact with each other and build online communities and friendships. The expansion, Age of Destiny, is going to add even more social features to an already expansive list that includes Marriage, Kin/Family, Master and Apprentice, Guilds, and much more. In addition, players are rewarded for cooperative play, and some of these rewards are quite impressive, such as a new Dragon mount named Bladewind, available for dedicated Masters and their Disciples.

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MMOsite: This expansion was named after a player's suggestion. Did you get many suggestions and feel great involvement from the community?

Martin: We had an overwhelming number of responses from very enthusiastic players. It was just another example of how dedicated our player base is. In the end, we sorted through the hundreds of submissions and chose the name that best fit the idea of the expansion and all of its new content, content that will allow players to continue to fulfill their desired in-game destinies. We always value our community most, and that is the key element that sets our game apart from other MMOs. I understand players here get the impression that online games from Asia are usually about endless and pointless grinding. But Dragon Oath is certainly an exception. We emphasize players' interaction more than anything else. We do everything we can to make players feel that they are playing with each other, not just with the computer. For example, we have an in-depth social networking platform, in which you can get married, build guilds, and form master/apprentice relationships. In addition, our unique and diverse pet system will also allow you to make friends with other pet owners and become truly connected if your pets create a bond.

MMOsite: The new Dragon Mount "Bladewind" seems impressive. Tell us all about the Bladewind. How hard will it be to get and train it?

Martin: For people who have watched the movie Avatar and dreamed of owning a flying mount, here is your chance to make that dream come true: in Dragon Oath: Age of Destiny, our dragon mount Bladewind looks the same as the one in Avatar and is even more powerful. And as it is in the movie, only the stoutest and bravest warriors are qualified to tame one!

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The dragon mount "Bladewind" is certainly one of the biggest (literally!) additions in the expansion. The Legendary Dragon is an enormous and extraordinary mount with razor sharp claws and a massive wingspan that produces dust storms in its wake while increasing the player's speed by 70%. Players who obtain this creature will certainly get other players' attention while flying across the map, and they can even take a companion along for the ride! It will drastically help players to level because of its incredible movement speed and the ability for it to carry two people. Another great thing about the dragon mount is that you don't need to buy it! It's available to players through Lucky Bingo and Master/Apprentice relationship points. The mighty Bladewind can be captured in only two ways…pure luck or pure determination. In order to catch this elusive beast, you must seek out these rare items: the Claws of Bladewind, the Wings of Bladewind, and the Teeth of Bladewind. This is no simple task. You will need your friends and unparalleled effort to do so. Or...you could be extraordinarily lucky, and Cissy Lau of Lou Yang may let you claim it from her game, Lucky Bingo.