It was around this time last year that Pirates, Vikings and Knights II released the v1.1 Beta of their HL2 mod. After 12 months of hard work, they're now very proud to announce that the 2.0 Beta is ready to play!

Now, I know that the age-old question is whether you are a Pirate or a Ninja, but apparently these Knights and Vikings are something to watch out for, too! If you want in on the action, you need a copy of Steam, any Source game installed, and a copy of the Source SDK Base, available if you have the other two bits. Then - of course - grab the 2.0 Beta Client, and you're set!

...there is no incremental file, just this 406MB offering - which has a decent changelog and a whole bunch of behind-the-scenes updates. One of the biggest updates is of course the introduction of three new classes - check 'em out here!

Pirate Captain This grizzled old seadog is a veteran of sending unfortunate landlubbers to Davy Jones' locker. Armed with a powder-packed blunderbuss rifle, he's not afraid to get up close and blow away whoever or whatever stands in his way. As if that's not enough, his vicious man-eating attack parrot is more than willing to peck the eyes out of the nearest bilge rat. For close quarters combat he carries a rusty old cutlass that may not be as effective as the other instruments of destruction, but it sure can cause a bad case of tetanus.

Huscarl Viking Big, bulky, and wrapped in the latest chainmail fashion, the Huscarl is part of elite class of Viking warriors. In addition to carrying an axe capable of splitting a man in half, he has several throwing axes, a sword, and a big wooden round shield. His chain shirt and engraved headpiece are not only the envy of the other vikings, they're also practical!

Knightly Archer The archer carries the most effective missile weapon in the game. Able to target an eyeball at 100 yards, the longbow is deadly accurate in the hands of an experienced bowman. He had better keep from the melee though, as his wimpy little short sword isn't going to protect him from that horde of angry Vikings. That is, unless his special meter is powered up and he fires a volley of arrows in one notch.

Now, of course we do have a Pirates, Vikings and Knights II Server all set up for you - so why not grab the Beta Client and check it out! For some more information, take a look at the Player Guide while the file's downloading - then, once it's all installed, you should be all ready to jump right in!

2.0 Changes:
- Three new classes to choose from (Pirate Captain, Viking Huscarl and Knight Archer)
- Improved combat system: directional blocking, more realistic hit detection
- Two new maps (pvk_arena and pvk_forgotten)
- pvk_island: balance and other changes
- pvk_fort: layout changes (Now Booty Tag)
- pvk_desertruin: Larger territory
- Updated playerguide (playerguide.html in pvkii folder)
- Various other changes and balances

New server commands:
- moveplayer, moveplayerid
Moves a player to a different team
- mp_restartround x
Restart the round in x seconds