Dungeons and Dragons Online has revealed its first batch of images for Update 13: Web of Choas that will serve as the prequel to the recently accounced Menace of the Underdark expansion. Update 13 will bring three New Free Quests, Veteran Status, and new items to the DDO Store. 

These new screenshots depict the Lords of Dust as well as environmental shots of the Lords of Dust dungeon base. All the new screenshots can be seen right here.

Remember to check out our 2012 DDO Preview with Fernando Paiz here!

2011 is over, and we’re going to party like it’s the end of the world in 2012. Which it might be, if the Mayans are right! But whatever happens, Turbine has made sure that 2012 will be a huge year for Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO). I had the chance to chat with Executive Producer Fernando Paiz, who gave us a brief overview of the state of the game in 2011, and what to expect in this new year. Big news is on the horizon, including a new class, an increase in the level cap, and the first premium expansion, which will bring players out of Eberron and into the Forgotten Realms for the first time. ZAM has the scoop: read on for more!

Just earlier this month, ZAM's Editor-in-Chief, Chris Tom, went on an in-game tour with Turbine to check out DDO's Challenge-packed Update 12. Now, only a few weeks later, the DDO team is already on the move with a pile of patch changes designed to make Update 12 a little more enticing for all. Include with this patch comes with a bevy of bug fixes and some new prize additions for players of all walks.

Head on over to the DDO forums to take a look at the Update 12 Patch Notes!

Challenges ahoy for Dungeons & Dragons Online! With Update 12: Vaults of the Artificers on the way, I caught up with Executive Producer Fernando Paiz and Producer Erik Boyer to go on an in-game tour of DDO's new and unique content. Originally, During my tour I was told that DDO's Update 12 would be launching on November 9th but, according to a forum post from DDO's MajMalphunktion, the build may still be pending approval from DDO's QA team, so we might see a release date later than the 9th (sorry everyone!). That being said, it's never too late for some Turbine Touring, so let's get on with Update 12!

When it comes to new and breaking information, I'll admit that sometimes I have no idea what to do with it. For example, today I went on a tour of DDO's Update 12: Vaults of the Artificers through all of those lovely challenges (I almost refused to end one portion of the tour because I wanted to shoot for three or four stars...). Now, I know that a lot of tour information has already been released by various other sites, so I cheekily asked my guides, Executive Producer Fernando Paiz and Producer Erik Boyer, if they could tell me something brand new. So they did. They also said they would be telling everyone else very soon, so I panicked and now here I am with my precious information.

Now I can say you heard it here first...ish! DDO's Update 12 will be officially shipping on November 9th. Stay tuned this week or early next week for ZAM's "much more entertaining than anyone else's*" in-game tour of Update 12!

*Higher level of entertainment not guaranteed. Vaguely promised.

In the world of online gaming, no issue has divided the populace more cleanly than the concept of virtual goods and their relationship to real world values. To some, virtual goods are little bits of code, tucked away on some distant server, ready to be changed, rebalanced or even made obsolete at the whim of a bored content designer. To others, however, virtual goods can be just as tangible as any other real-world purchase, as the utility and entertainment a virtual purchase might bring in game can be equated to any real world hobby that requires some sort of monetary upkeep.

Regardless of where you or I stand on this issue, it's clear that the online gaming industry is on the move, as evidenced by the big free-to-play microtransaction shift that has swept the North American MMORPG industry, or Blizzard's recent announcement that Diablo III will feature a real money auction house for players to sell items, gold and even character accounts.

With all of these new monetization models being explored in online gaming, discussion on the topic has become more important than ever before, and this is why GDC Online (Oct. 10-13) is hosting a Virtual Items Summit to explore the ways virtual goods can help studios around the world. Recently, I sat down with GDC Advisory Board Member Gordon Walton, who is also a VP and Executive Producer at Playdom (previously the VP and co-general manager at BioWare), to talk about the monetization of social games, virtual goods, and MMORPGs.

Dungeons & Dragons Online Update 11: Secrets of the Artificers is now live! This patch is one of the biggest updates to DDO this year and features a new Artificer class, a new high-level quest hub, new crafting levels and more. Here's the rundown:

• New Artificer Class: A blend of Rogue and Arcane classes, the Artificer uses specially created weapons and mechanical pets to challenge their foes. Get more details in this new developer Q&A.
• New House Cannith Enclave: Home of the Artificers, House Cannith is a new high-level quest hub where magic and mechanics converge.
• New Content: Born in war, forged in fury, Stormreach faces its most terrible foe yet. The Secrets of the Artificers premium adventure pack includes 2 new high-level raids, a new wilderness area, and 3 new dungeons. Free to VIPs!
• New Crafting Levels: Craft all the way to level 150. Plus, craft Draconic Runestones, a new magical weapon available to all classes.
• More Power from the DDO Shop: +2 Loot Boosts, +3 Gear, Improved XP Boosts and more!

For more details on Update 11, check out the patch notes.

UPDATE, 9/1: We've already given out a bunch of swag, but we still have more! We'll be giving out more prizes next week after Labor Day Weekend. Be sure to check your Twitter messages! While we have only a limited amount of physical things we can ship, we have tons of codes to give away, so keep your eyes peeled.

Gamescom may have come to an end, but the summer convention season isn't over just yet! PAX Prime will be held in downtown Seattle from August 26-28 and we'll have members of the ZAM team on the floor, including Director of Content Cody "Micajah" Bye. He'd love to give out PAX swag to some lucky readers, and all he wants in return is more followers on Twitter!

We'll be giving away PAX gear to people who follow @ZAMOfficial and @CodyBye on Twitter. The more followers the pages get before PAX, the more chances you'll have to win prizes. Check out the constantly updated prize list after the jump to see what you could get simply by clicking the "follow" button!

Turbine just announced that Dungeons & Dragons Online Update 11: Secrets of the Artificers will launch on September 12! This patch is one of the biggest updates to DDO this year and will bring a new Artificer class, a new high-level quest hub, new crafting levels and more. Here's the rundown:

• New Artificer Class: A blend of Rogue and Arcane classes, the Artificer uses specially created weapons and mechanical pets to challenge their foes.
• New House Cannith Enclave: Home of the Artificers, House Cannith is a new high-level quest hub where magic and mechanics converge.
• New Content: Born in war, forged in fury, Stormreach faces its most terrible foe yet. The Secrets of the Artificers premium adventure pack includes 2 new high-level raids, a new wilderness area, and 3 new dungeons. Free to VIPs!
• New Crafting Levels: Craft all the way to level 150. Plus, craft Draconic Runestones, a new magical weapon available to all classes.
• More Power from the DDO Shop: +2 Loot Boosts, +3 Gear, Improved XP Boosts and more!

Turbine also launched a new German DDO server named Wayfinder today.

Turbine announced today that Dungeons & Dragons Online Update 11: Secrets of the Artificers is launching in September! This patch is one of the biggest updates to DDO this year and will bring a new Artificer class, a new high-level quest hub, new crafting levels and more. Here's the rundown:

• New Artificer Class: A blend of Rogue and Arcane classes, the Artificer uses specially created weapons and mechanical pets to challenge their foes.
• New House Cannith Enclave: Home of the Artificers, House Cannith is a new high-level quest hub where magic and mechanics converge.
• New Content: Born in war, forged in fury, Stormreach faces its most terrible foe yet. The Secrets of the Artificers premium adventure pack includes 2 new high-level raids, a new wilderness area, and 3 new dungeons. Free to VIPs!
• New Crafting Levels: Craft all the way to level 150. Plus, craft Draconic Runestones, a new magical weapon available to all classes.
• More Power from the DDO Shop: +2 Loot Boosts, +3 Gear, Improved XP Boosts and more!

For more details on Update 11, check out the new Cannith dev diary entry.