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Warhammer Online celebrates third anniversary with bonus XP, veteran goodies
It's time to raise a glass to Warhammer Online, as Mythic's fantasy PvP title turns three on September 18th (time flies when you're WAAAGHing, we suppose). What's on tap for the inevitable celebration? Bonus XP/RP, of course, and a whopping 10 days of it. Starting today, players can enjoy increased advancement potential and loot a few fireworks from the twitching carcasses of their foes. Also, three-year veterans are being recognized for their loyalty, as Mythic is gifting them with a Jack-O-Lantern vanity pet and an endless supply of both chaos black and blazing orange dyes. Don't forget that the 1.4.4 patch was recently deployed, and the Wild Hunt event is currently ongoing. Finally, check in with Massively on Sunday for our three-year Warhammer Online retrospective.
Warhammer Online producer's letter hints at major forthcoming features
The first Warhammer Online producer's letter of 2011 is hot off the virtual presses, and Bioware-Mythic's RvR title has a few changes in store for the upcoming year. First and foremost, Carrie Gouskos has given way to James Casey when it comes to authoring the producer's letter, and Casey states that Gouskos is "still working on WAR, but is looking at a different aspect of the game. This new focus will be revealed in due time." As far as WAR itself, 2011 will see what Casey calls major features in each of its numbered patches. These features include the expansion of existing areas "as well as new concepts to the Warhammer Online experience." No concrete details are forthcoming as of yet, but Casey does hint at further reveals in upcoming producer's letters. Finally, the letter takes a brief look at WAR's live events, upcoming account entitlements, and the ongoing issues with server population. Casey doesn't commit to any news on server merges but does state that "we are actively discussing our plans for lower population servers."
WAR's Gouskos talks Skaven, subscriptions, and RvR
Bioware-Mythic producer Carrie Gouskos recently stopped by the Ten Ton Hammer podcast for a revealing interview regarding changes to Warhammer Online's RvR mechanics, the subscription-based business model, and (of course) more information regarding the Skaven additions coming soon to a server near you. In addition to detailing the mechanics of mercenary Skaven troops and how players will interact and control the popular rat-men characters, Gouskos also dropped a nice nugget of information regarding the new Skaven dungeon that becomes available as a campaign offshoot around renown rank 65. The new area features a 24v24 free-for-all map that is also populated by legendary Skaven bosses. Finally, Gouskos talks a bit about WAR's pricing model going forward, including the decision to parcel out portions of the RvR expansion pack as well as avoid jumping on the F2P bandwagon. "We could spend a lot of time converting the game to free-to-play or we could work on this RvR pack. We chose the latter. So, is it off the table completely? No. Is it something that we want to do in the near term? No. We want to provide content for our subscribers," she said.
Mythic wages WAR in the East
While NCsoft prepares to invade the West with Aion this September, Mythic has their own preemptive RvR strike planned for the East. Both Mythic and Gigamedia are bringing Warhammer Online to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on June 25th. This means people can now play WAR in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. That's quite a global presence.It will be interesting to see what impact this has on WAR's subscriber count in the next quarter. When WAR originally launched in September 2008, they sold over 750,000 copies. That number dropped to 300,000 by December 2008. After a couple big marketing campaigns (recruit a friend and re-enlistment) and a launch in Russia, WAR's numbers held steady at 300,000 in March 2009.Could this Eastern launch propel them beyond the 300,000 mark again? Based on all the Land of the Dead coverage and impressions we've seen, the new live expansion should have some sort of positive effect on the game as well. I guess we'll have to wait until the next EA earnings call to find out, which should take place in August.
One Shots: A break in the WAR
The pace of battle in Warhammer Online can prove to be pretty breakneck. If you're lucky, you'll have a moment like Kyrra got, to stop and survey the tide of battle from a high point nearby. Today's One Shots comes from one such momentary lull during a keep battle at the Well of Qhaysh. Kyrra, a Disciple of Khaine of The Forgotten Souls from the Phoenix Throne server, sent this image in along with the following note: I was in the middle of what was proving to be a very successful keep take, so I stopped to take a moment and appreciate a moment's peace, nestled in between crumbling High Elf walls.We know there are a lot of battlegrounds players out there, so why not take a moment to snag a screenshot of one of your favorites? Feel free to show off peaceful corners, or the heat of battle - we love 'em both! Just email them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, server, and the game it is taken in. You're welcome to add in a note, but it's not required. We'll post it here and credit you for sending it in. %Gallery-9798%
A one-month review of WAR's Tome of Knowledge
Some of us at Massively are fans of "Waaagh!", a Warhammer Online blog written by Syp. He recently put together a review of Warhammer Online's Tome of Knowledge, one month in. The Tome of Knowledge is one of the more interesting features we've seen in an MMO to date, and may well open new avenues for other MMO developers to explore as the industry matures. That said, it's certainly not perfect. Syp breaks down how the Tome of Knowledge alternately exceeds and fails to live up to his expectations. This comprehensive look is broken down by category: Unlock Rate, RvR Unlocks, Secrets vs. Goals, Stories and Quotes, Fluff and Rewards, Titles, Bragging Rights, Nudity and Chickens, Limitations and Absences, Tome Tactics, User Interface, and Out of Game Experience. That's a fairly thorough assessment of the Tome, we'd say. Syp does have one caveat though: "This list isn't a series of 'Why I hate the Tome', but hopefully you've read it as 'I am quite fond of the Tome and want to see it get a lot better' analysis and suggestions." Be sure to have a look at Syp's "The Tome of Knowledge: A One-Month Review" for a comprehensive analysis of one of WAR's most unique features, and see if you agree with him. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Get your Warhammer Online statistical analysis on
If you're the type of person that just loves to eat up statistics like they were infused with more sugar than chocolate-covered chocolate chip pancakes covered in sugar, then boy have we got a site for you. The Warhammer Online blog Waaagh! has taken notice of a website called Waralytics, which as its name suggests is an analytical site dedicated to Mythic's newest MMO. It's interesting to note that it would appear that the balance between Order and Destruction players is pretty much even now, with a ratio of 1.3:1 in favor of Destruction. That's hardly as bad as it was back in the early days of World of Warcraft, when some servers were nearly 3:1 in favor of Alliance.There are a couple caveats to this statistical site, however. The stats are being pulled from guilded characters only, which leaves out quite a few solo-preferenced players. We've gone ahead and made a handy quick list of the stats for anyone that wants to take a glance. You can find them after the cut.
Factors that could make or break WAR's longterm success
Syp over at the Waaagh! Warhammer Online blog looks at the title's 750,000 registered players figure and observes that merely buying the box (or the download) shouldn't necessarily imply that monthly subscription dollars will follow. There are a number of factors involved that will determine how well Warhammer Online does in the long run. There's no doubt that WAR is enjoying its time in the limelight -- even lukewarm reviews of the title still give it decent ratings, not to mention the hardcore contingent of players who are either fans of the IP or simply love that it's not World of Warcraft. But are many of these registered players only in WAR for the time being?Syp writes about this in his "Future Tense" post, and breaks down the factors that could make or break the title's success in the long run, not limited to the upcoming expansions from other titles, word of mouth, and the longshot of breaking the pop culture barrier, as WoW has. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Reviewing the WAR strategy guide
Can we even begin to list the ways in which a printed MMO strategy guide is worthless? We think not, yet they still seem to sell, and Gamestop employees still seem to get us to buy one with that crazy retail faux-bargain voodoo of theirs. So in a recent post by Syp over at the Waaagh blog, he turns his regrettable purchase into an actual review of the Warhammer Online Prima Strategy guide.As you might guess, he doesn't have many nice things to say about these guides. Admittedly, it's just not feasible to create a static guide for an ever-changing game. However, Syp does highlight one aspect of the guide that is semi-useful: the career sections. Apparently, it's the only place "with charts that try to detail abilities, morales, tactics and mastery paths," although they're painfully out of date already. If you've purchased any of these guides, let us know what you think. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
One Shots: I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
If your head explodes with dark forbodings too -- well that's just Chaos. Or more properly, it's an easter egg area found by adventurous Chaos players who fully explore Warhammer Online's Inevitable City. Today's dark screenshot comes to us from Vayn of the guild Tzeentch Hates Standoffs on the Wolfenburg server. Of course, this is not the only place you can get to; we've been sent screenshots of some of the other areas that we'll be showing off as well. You just have to let your adventurous spirit wander, for there are many easter eggs to be found in Warhammer Online!Have you found an easter egg in your favorite game? Perhaps you've traveled well off the beaten path and found some village or monument rarely seen? Whatever your reason, whatever your egg, whatever your game -- we want your screenshots! Just send those to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/guild/server and a quick description. We'll show your adventurous achievement to the world! %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Hidden eagle's nest
This is perhaps one of the more off the wall screens we've seen from Warhammer Online as yet. We see a wee teeny player in a giant nest with floating ships in the air behind it. As Excelsior explained when he sent this One Shots in: the eagles nest pic is in, you guessed it, an eagles nest. But I refuse to give any details of how to get there or even where it is. As such, we'll have to rely on you readers! If you know where this eagle's nest is in Warhammer Online, leave us a comment! (If you don't, now you have something to go hunting.)We love adventurers who find strange and unusual things in the familiar landscapes of games we've seen. For that matter, we love seeing games we haven't seen too! If you've got something new to show us (even if the only real difference is you and your friends in the image) you should send it in. Pop them into an email to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with a quick description, your name, server, or guild if you'd like. We'll post it here for everyone.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Creative RvR
Along with many others, many of the team here at Massively have been enjoying tearing things up in RvR combat. That's why this particular screenshot made several of us chuckle when we saw it. This One Shots comes in to us today from Pablo, who says simply that he calls this shot "how to flag your enemy." Of course, if there was a Dwarf sitting there flipping us off in RvR, we'd probably just try to kill him regardless. The principle of the thing, you know. If you've been playing Warhammer Online, or for that matter, any MMO that isn't Warhammer Online, we'd love to see your screenshots! Just bundle 'em up and send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with a quick description and whatever other info you'd like for us to have about you. (Character name, guild, server, etc.) It's more fun when we have lots of different screenshots to choose from! %Gallery-9798%
WAR Preview Weekend attendees can start playing Friday, September 5th
We'll keep this short and sweet. Anyone who was part of the Warhammer Online Preview Weekend can join in on "Preview Weekend+." Tomorrow. That's right. Friday, September 5th, for North American Preview Weekend attendees. Warhammer Online's Community Coordinator James Nichols made this announcement today:"WAAAGH!!!WAR is Coming and the world is ready. Hundreds of thousands of players will descend upon the Age of Reckoning this Sunday, September 7th. In order to make this world-wide event the best it can be we're welcoming all Preview Weekend attendees back for two more days to rev things up and get the party started. We invite all Preview Weekend players to join us for Preview Weekend+ this Friday, 9/5 and Saturday, 9/6 starting tomorrow morning.This epic weekend will be one to remember as you herald in Open Beta and the Age of Reckoning to the entire world! The tides of WAR are coming...we'll see you on the battlefield!"There you have it. We haven't received word on what time, exactly, the servers will open up, but since they've stated "tomorrow morning"... it might be time to call in 'sick' and have yourself a 3-day WAR weekend. Thanks Tom and Zak.Edit: It seems that Preview Weekend + will not include WAR's European player base. This post will be updated if that situation changes. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
MMO features that haven't made it into Warhammer Online
Among the legions of fortunate Warhammer Online fans that have played through beta and the preview weekend is Syp from the Waaagh! blog. He's always entertaining and it's clear he's passionate about Warhammer Online. So when he writes about features in other MMOs that he'd like to see in WAR, you know he's not bashing a game that's not even out of the gate yet. Rather, he's genuinely looking at ways the game could be better. Syp puts forth his ideal WAR feature set, which includes capturable and trainable pets similar to World of Warcraft's system and the player-created content and sidekicks of City of Heroes. Syp would also like to see WAR include an in-game music player like EVE Online, and other features drawn from Everquest 2 and Lord of the Rings Online. Have a look at the Waaagh! "10 features" post and see if you agree with him on what could make Warhammer Online a better title. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Exclusive WAR in-game item to be released with C&C: Red Alert 3
So you're one of the lucky few -- well one of 60,000 anyway -- who got your hands on the Warhammer Online Collector's Edition, and without any of the order snags people have been reporting. Well congratulations! You've got the Greenskin miniature, the graphic novel, the art book, the virtual items and the exclusive quests. So now you can sit back and relax, secure in the knowledge that you have the most badass collection of Warhammer Online gear ever assembled, both in-game and out.... right? Actually, wrong. For the Warhammer Online player who simply must have everything, there's one more step to go as it turns out. There's another exclusive in-game item called "Korssar's Helm" that allows you to transform into a bear. The catch? You need to order, or pre-order, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 to get the WAR item...
Running down Warhammer Online's open beta with WAAAGH!
There's MMOs to play, plenty of activities and events are happening in World of Warcraft, EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Guild Wars. Even the space cases in EVE Online are tearing each other up in the Empyrean Age expansion. But there isn't always something for everyone, many of us yearn for a new creation not touched before, and the million boxes Age of Conan shipped attests to that. Right now Warhammer: Age of Reckoning is looking like the only real new option on the dinner table, and it may be time to be taking a leap into Warhammer's open beta. Over on the Warhammer Online blog WAAAGH! Syp has gathered and laid out all the facts and the rumors regarding the open beta. If you didn't know you can pre-order the Warhammer Online Collector's edition to guarantee a spot in the beta to beat the launch pandemonium. As for an estimate on when the open beta will start the latest WAR newsletter revealed that the guild beta will be starting in early July. This phase of testing will at least last for a month and it will be the last closed beta phase. Making it more than likely that WAR's open beta phase at the very least wont start until mid-August, if that, making the rest of summer pretty bleak MMO wise if you aren't planning on playing anything until WAR comes out.
"Cliffs Notes" version of the June PC Gamer WAR coverage
Over at the Waaagh! Warhammer Online blog, Syp has reported back from his recent time spent with a copy of June's PC Gamer at a doctor's waiting room (and we agree with him, coolest doctor ever). The June issue featured a whole mess of Warhammer related content, including WAR coverage, and Syp has been good enough to condense this down into note form or us to peruse.The result is a quick but worthwhile read, and might give you an idea of whether you'd like to pick up the mag to check out the articles in full. Some of the topics covered are: the original RvR system versus what is in game now, the guild UI, a races "role call", and some information about Warhammer in general.
EA CEO: Warhammer won't rival WoW
There's been quite a bit of buzz around that whole little Warhammer game that's coming out soon, and while we're not a Warhammer blog or anything, we've at least covered the questions that keep arising over how it stack up to WoW. Will Warhammer Online be the game to beat WoW? Is Blizzard stealing Ideas from them? Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello put his two cents into the kitty recently at an investor's meeting. Next Generation reports that he said the following: "Warhammer Online [will be] a strong entry in the MMORPG space," Riccitiello said at the William Blair & Company's investor meeting Tuesday. "No, I don't think it's going to rival WoW, but no one would ever predict that. But it is a strong game that will ... get our returns for us. We're proud of it."
Is Blizzard stealing ideas from WAR?
Waaagh! is a blog about Warhammer Online (there are a few of them springing up lately, and our sister site Massively is doing a great job of covering news about the upcoming MMO), and Syp, who writes over there, says his blood pressure rose just a little bit when reading the news that achievements might be coming to the World of Warcraft. When news first broke about WAR, which is made by a company called Mythic (the original creators of Dark Age of Camelot, now working with EA), they got a lot of flak for making a game that looked a lot like WoW. But now that details are coming out about Warhammer, including this really interesting achievements-style feature called the Tome of Knowledge (which basically tracks what your character does around the game and gives you rewards for what you do), the allegations of imitation are going the other way. Is Blizzard ripping off Warhammer now?In point of fact, yes. Blizzard didn't start from scratch with World of Warcraft (in fact, many of their designers were actually players of other games, including Everquest and Dark Age of Camelot) -- instead, they (as they've always done with their games) took a formula and tweaked it close to perfection. And of course, since Warhammer is (if you listen to the hype) supposed to be WoW's biggest competitor going forward, it's not surprising at all that the ideas coming out of WAR are also making waves around the Blizzard offices.That said, give WAR a chance.
Take a test, get your Bartle profile
Yeah we used that "test" word, but hear us out! These are the fun kinds of tests that you can take in your downtime or at work when you just feel like slacking off -- you know, when the boss isn't looking. These particular tests are for the online gaming and MMO players out there, which makes them especially interesting for us here at Massively. Whether or not you consider personality tests to carry any real weight, this one is easily one of the better tests we've encountered in the worthwhile department. Plus, it has cool little graphical characters at the end of it!Whether you're a PvPer, PvEer or even an everything-er you'll find out something interesting about yourself from the Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology. Even the WAAAGH! blog seemed to be able to relate their scores to what excites them most about EA Mythic's forthcoming Warhammer Online. We're not saying the test will give a definitive answer about what type of player you are, but it does get fairly close. In our case, almost creepily-so.
