PlanetSide 2 changes revealed: Auraxium axed, three-continent launch confirmed

Like war's penchant for fluidity, PlanetSide 2's numerous touch-ups to its membership benefits and its eternal struggle with gameplay balances make for some interesting developer forum posts. In a new report from the front , Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley revealed a few changes in the scorch-marked pipeline, including the removal of the Auraxium currency and the announcement of a specific release date during the upcoming SOE Live keynote on Thursday.

"After listening to feedback on the forums, this will mean the end of Auraxium as a resource," Smedley wrote. "Keep in mind when we do this (with this next patch), we will be dramatically increasing the speed at which you gain certifications. Something like 4X. Again, folks, we play the game on non-admin accounts. We see the data. We see the issues. We're fixing them."

Smedley also said "large plans" are in store for ensuring the availability of all three continents -- Indar, Esamir, and Amerish -- right at launch. "Also, keep in mind this will involve stuff like base benefits and what happens when people 'lock down' continents," he hinted. We presume this involves enough party hats for everyone back at base.

Check out the rest of Smedley's post for more info, including future optimizations of PlanetSide 2's CPU-intensive load and the formation of a new mini-tutorial for beginners.