Turbine announced today the launch of Prisoners of Prophecy, the eighth update for Dungeons and Dragons Online. The major update includes a wealth of changes, from an ehanced experience for new players to the addition of Hirelings to help with solo play.

To help ease new players into the game who may not be familiar with the 3.5 Edition rules, characters can now be created based on play style rather than the assignment of stat or skill points. Of course, this is optional and can be skipped by players on subsequent characters once they have a better understanding of the rules system.

The Hirelings system will allow players to hire henchmen at their level or lower to help them out in their adventures. These NPCs are controlled by the player and can be hired for a few hours at a time or until the current adventure is complete. The system will be implemented in a series of live in-game events.

Keep reading below for more Prisoners of Prophecy updates.

From today's Turbine press release:

DX-10 Engine Upgrade: Players can now experience Stormreach like never before with major improvements to DDO’s graphics engine, including DX-10 support for upgraded shaders for water, particle effects and lighting for terrain.

More D&D: A new wilderness area and several high-level dungeons await players who dare to meet the challenge of new monsters including Kobold Archmages, Frost Giants and a White Dragon.