The closed beta servers for Runes of Magic: Chapter IV – Lands of Despair will be online for two more days. Beta participants have explored the expansive range of new content and have tried to take down Annelia the Puppet Master and her father, Lord Grafu, the final bosses of the 6 to 12 player instance - as yet to no avail*.

That’s not to say the raft of new content stops there. In the coming chapter, other hidden battlefields will be revealed, as well as two previously unknown races with a fierce and ancient rivalry: the Dwarves and a merciless tribe of Rhinos. As the chapter unfolds, you will find yourselves entangled in a story that explores the origins of this bitter rivalry and while the new images released today will give a sneak peak at what’s to come, they also raise several key questions.

Why are the two races engaged in such a bitter struggle? And, how will players be able to influence the outcome?

While each race’s disdain for the other is plain to see, there is more to this clash than initially meets the eye as a dark power lies in the shadows pulling the strings of war for their own person gain. Who, or what, is this power? For the time being, it remains a mystery.

Stay tuned as more will be revealed soon...

*This does not include the clearance of the instance for presentations, e.g. for the press.