The WAR Herald is full of interesting news today, from City Siege hotfixes to a dev diary on combating hackers. To start things off, Mythic has officially introduced the endless free trial. It should come as no surprise since we reported on it earlier this week, but you can now play the free trial for as long as you like if you remain in Tier 1 content, below Rank 11. Check out the FAQ for more information.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's look at today's hotfixes. According to the notes, Mythic is "making a number of changes that will improve the overall Capital City invasion experience for all players." For example, guild halls, the Emperor's Palace and the Eternal City will now remain open to players at all times, regardless of the city's current rank. You can read all the changes after the jump.

Lastly, Development Manager John Cox has written a diary entry explaining how Mythic deals with hackers. While it doesn't contain and earth-shattering news, it is an interesting read. "Believe it or not, any of you hackers out there, we’re members of your online communities, sometimes silently listening, sometimes actively participating. The best place to figure out what hackers are trying and what they’ve figured out about us is to hide among them," he said.

Unless you've been living under the weight of an ogre's buttocks, you've probably heard of Dragon Age: Origins. Today marks the release of Dragon Age: Origins on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. We're impressed by BioWare's immersive RPG, as can be seen in our hands-on preview and our interviews with the co-founders of BioWare and Executive Producer Mark Darrah. You can now join the Grey Wardens and fight the gritty, dark, violent battle with your swarthy brethren.

And there are even some surprises to be found in your brand new game! If you're a devout purchaser of EA products - or if you just happen to be an owner of Warhammer Online - you'll find a code that unlocks the "Adventurer's Handbook" (which gives you a 10% XP Bonus when used) and the "Skaven Skin Cloak" (allows your to take on the appearance of the ratty Skaven).

That's a pretty sweet deal, especially for folks that own both products. I certainly do, so it was a pleasant addition to an excellent package.

We all knew Mythic Entertainment was getting desperate for new and returning players in Warhammer Online. All the signs were there; massive server merges, "re-enlistment" campaigns, even drastic retail price drops for the game client...but who could have ever imagined the MMO would partially turn free-to-play? That's right, as announced in the latest edition of the WAR newsletter (a footnote in the Patch 1.3.2 article intro), Mythic will be extending its 10-day free trial to unlimited playtime as long as you're still in Tier 1 content, below Rank 11:

"We’ll soon be lifting the 10-day restriction on our Free Trial! You'll be able to enjoy the trial experience and New User Journey for as long as you like!"

This is a pretty drastic move to encourage new player retention, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. The new trial system will undoubtedly allow players to get a better sense of what WAR offers, at their own leisure, instead of trying to get the most informed opinion possible within a mere week and a half. Full details have yet to be announced, but it's safe to assume that some of the restrictions listed in the "Trial Accounts" section of the official FAQ may carry over, such the inability to create auctions or send mail.

Today marks the launch of the official Warhammer Online Mac client in North America. Current subscribers can download the client for free on the official WAR site, while new players can purchase a digital download of the client through GameTree Online for $19.95. You can also try out the Mac client for free by signing up for a 10-day free trial.

The Warhammer Mac client FAQ can be found after the jump. The Mac live client will be available in Europe soon, so keep on eye on the official WAR Europe page for more information.

The recent implementation of patch 1.3.2 brought some changes to the way Action Points work, so Combat and Careers Team Lead Nate Levy has taken the time to answer some questions about the bug fixes that affected AP regeneration.

Basically, the team needed to address a couple of bugs that were causing many players to have infinite AP. The fixes corresponded with patch 1.3.2, which is why some players have noticed a difference in their AP regeneration. "Right now, Action Point recovery works exactly as it was designed: You gain 25 AP per second (and we fixed the issue which heavily tied AP rates to server performance, so that fixes the second bug and means AP will be more consistent), and you do not gain AP while you're in the middle of a combat action (which fixes the first bug)," Levy said.

Levy feels this change should actually have a positive affect on game balance since it should increase the amount of time players can survive in RvR and makes AP efficiency a factor in ability decisions. You can read Levy's full letter after the jump.

Grab Bag No. 23 has been released and Mythic decided to use the oppounity to answer questions about the Daemon Moon Rising live event, which kick off tomorrow, Oct. 23, at 9 a.m. EDT. The team answered 13 questions, which seems fitting for the Halloween festivities.

So what's changed from last year's The Witching Night live event? Well, everything! "In fact, the only thing the same from last year are the masks. This year there's a new, unique RvR Public Quest, a event Scenario, a special daemon encounter, and unique quests, to name just a few."

The full Grab Bag Q&A can be found after the jump. Enjoy the live event! Waaagh!

Mythic implemented four hotfixes today on Warhammer Online servers that include bug fixes and a change to Realm vs. Realm scenario populations. The team has made sure that Action Points and Morale will regenerate at a consistent rate regardless of server load, and Summoning Stones can no longer be used to teleport players into areas they can't normally enter. This will stop trial players from using the stones to leave Tier 1.

As for RvR scenarios, Mythic has listened to players and adjusted on scenario population minimums and maximums. This means players will see scenarios launch more frequently. Also, "players will once again be able to post item links to the Party and Guild chat channels."

With update 1.3.2, Mythic introduced a host of new features.  Today they answered some questions regarding two of those features, the New Player Guild and the Advice channel.

Q. Is it okay for my guild recruit players from the New Player Guild?

A. Yes! And we absolutely encourage you to do so, but we do ask that you do not spam the New Player Guilds with recruitment chat. The best way to recruit from the New Player Guild is to create a Rank 1 character and invite new players to group up for Scenarios, Public Quests, or guild recruitment events.

Check after the jump for the full Q & A.

The latest Dev Diary examines a host of Game Performance changes in the 1.3.2 update, which is now live. Large scale RvR battles are where WAR truly shines, but lag has a way of destroying the experience for many players.  Players have frequently cited lag as the major reason they stopped playing the game.  Why did it take so long to address this issue, and will these newest changes have a significant effect? 

You might ask why it has taken us over a year since we launched in September 2008 to make these dramatic improvements and discoveries. That’s a fair question. The short answer is: we're human and we're learning day-by-day how to improve our products. The longer answer is that WAR has literally hundreds of thousands of lines of code in both the client and server. We're balancing the demands of adding new features and functionality to the game, with a focus on performance and stability improvements.

Read on to see the big steps that Mythic is taking to keep addressing this issue!

Game Update 1.3.2 is now live in Warhammer Online and includes the removal of Fortresses from the campaign, a new Keep difficulty system, and the introduction of the New User Journey and the Apprenticeship system. You can check out the full patch notes in our wiki section. Also, don't forget that the Daemon Moon Rising Halloween event is set to kick off on Oct. 23.

In addition, Producer Jeff Skalski has written a letter about 1.3.2 and beyond. Skalski said the focus of 1.3.3 will be "on career balance, RvR campaign enhancements, and performance, but if I had to pick a theme for 1.3.3, I would go with 'Bugs and Polish.' " For example, players will finally get the ability to walk and sit. Skalski also touches open the upcoming underdog system, which "kicks in on any server to help aid the Realm that’s consecutively being pummeled." You can read the full letter after the jump.