The official Hellgate: London website has just posted a community update offering a wealth of new info.

First, comes news that the several month ongoing Beta NDA has been lifted. This means we should start hearing more discussion from beta testers about what the retail game will bring outside what the recent demo has shown.

Secondly, Flagship Studios bring juicy info regarding Patch 0. Patch 0, of course, represents the current trend of rigorous bug fixes and updates released the day a game hits retail. This particular patch, however, will be offering more than just simple bug fixes. For starters, Flagship Studios assures us that DX10 issues will be fixed; or in their own words:

¡°When Hellgate: London hits retail, we expect the framerate of our DX10 target to be as high, if not higher than DX9, including these special features.¡±
Now onto the real meat of the patch: Lots of content updated. We finally get confirmation of what perks those paying the $9.95 monthly subscription fee get. I¡¯ve briefly summarized all of that content below:

Multiplayer Updates For All Players (Even Non-Subscribers):

Buddy Lists - Organize games with your friends.
Guilds - Only subscribers can start one. Anyone can join a guild. Special name colors and tags on characters show their affiliation.
Buddy and Guild Chat - Special chat channels so you can keep your conversations clear.
Bigger Levels in Nightmare Mode - These increase the time players get to spend in each area, giving the game a more expansive feel at higher difficulty levels.
PVP - Players can both duel and elect to enter free-for-all PvP Mode. [info on how to initiate a duel] Dueling can only take place outside of Underground hubs. Those in PvP mode must always always be ready for PvP.
Tuned Game Progression - Level and monster progression¡­ making each act feel more defined and focused.
Gossip - Additional details on NPCs and places throughout HG:L (gives the game more ¡®life¡¯ and back-story)
More Quest Information - Quest NPCs inform you more about what you are fighting an why. Named demons and overall story will flow better as the player gains better sense of direction.
NPC Tweaks - NPC (vocal) responses have been tuned so that they tend more towards the serious and ¡°normal¡±, reserving the twisted commentary for specific player characters or in rare moments for the general populace.
Subscriber Features:

Elite Mode - Makes enemies tougher. Makes the game tougher.
Hardcore - Takes away various resurrection options.
Themed Events and Items - Halloween themed stuff for starters.
Guild Creation - Form your own guild. Do whatever you want with it.
Achievements - Needs no description. You unlock them as you would an Xbox 360 achievement.
Extra Character Slots - Everyone gets 3 characters. Subscribers can bump this up to 24.
Larger Stash - Double your locker storage size - for the packrat at heart.
Founder¡¯s Perks - Name Color, Forum Icon, More to come¡­ (this will be an on-going area, as well)
The ¡°Themed Events¡± sounds interesting. The HG:L community update describes most things listed here in more detail, should that interest you.

Hellgate: London hits store shelves October 31st and is listed as $49.99 at most major retailers