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Massively goes to WAR: An overview of Melee DPS careers for Order
You don't have to side with Destruction to do some damage in Warhammer Online. Order has two melee classes that crank out the dps up close and personal in two distinctly different ways. The Empire Witch Hunter uses a combination of rapier strikes to build up Accusations and then uses them to power a devastating Execution shot from their pistols. The High Elf White Lion wades into the thick of combat with his faithful pet lion by his side using it to distract and ravage his enemies.Read on after the jump for a more in-depth class into these two Order melee dps careers. 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!
Massively goes to WAR: An overview of Melee DPS careers for Order - White Lion
Last month we covered some of the early levels of the White Lion career in Closed Beta including levels 1-5, 6-10 and a brief overview of the Mastery Trees. The basic skills for the White Lions remain much the same. From there you gain additional skills in each Mastery Path as well as special abilities in that path.
PAX08: New features coming to Warhammer Online for the open beta
While talking to Mythic's Jeff Hickman at PAX08, he mentioned a rather large update coming for the open beta hitting around September 7th (the date of the Open Beta). Some of the content in the upcoming patch includes player vaults, guild vaults, auction house, tons of fun new emotes, and a lot of general effects cleanup. There's even a new Public Quest and standard quest tracker for the user interface. It sounds like Mythic is making a really big push for the launch of the game. So even if you're in the beta now, expect some pleasant surprises once you hit the Open Beta or Live game in just a couple of weeks.We've got tons more information coming from our time spent with the Warhammer Online guys at PAX08. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates.
Massively goes to WAR: An overview of Tanking careers for Order - Swordmaster
This tank relies on Elven agility and combo moves combined with their enchantable Great Sword to battle their foes and protect their friends. Starting in normal Balance, the Swordmaster can use special attacks to progress to Perfect Balance where they can unleash some of their most powerful moves.
Massively goes to WAR: Character creation video for Destruction classes
We've already posted video of character creation from Warhammer Online's Order races. Now it's time for video of Destruction creation (oxymoron? You decide.) The three vids after the jump show different options for the Goblin, Chaos (Human) and Dark Elf races as well as different gender models where applicable.You'll notice that there are no female choices for any Goblin career, no female choices for the Chaos tank and melee dps career and no male option for the Dark Elf Witch Elf career. We guess Marilyn Manson in a bikini wasn't that appealing when it came down to it.
The Elves of WAR round-up
It's been a busy week here at Massively as we've been preparing for the eventual NDA lift while simultaneously bringing you early looks at the first half of the Dark Elf and High Elf content. With the announcement that the full NDA is being removed today, we've decided to go ahead and gather all of the Elves of WAR content written thus far into one easy-to-access place. Expect to see lots more from the Massively crew as we bring you information on all of the races that will be butting heads in Warhammer Online. Meet the Shadow Warrior, levels 1-5Our overview of the High Elf ranged dps career, the Shadow Warrior, may not be enough for you. So here we are with an examination of every skill from level one through five. Meet the Swordmaster. levels 1-5Maybe the High Elf melee dps and healer careers aren't your preferred playstyle. It's time to look at the High Elf tanking class, the Swordmaster, in our continuing exclusive pre-NDA coverage of the Elves of WAR. The Digital Continuum: Dark Elf days in WARSo we've gotten official approval to speak our minds early and often about the Dark Elf (High Elves too, but bollocks to Order, I say!) experience in tier one and two as much as we like. That led me to decide that it would be fun to give you my personal take on them. Meet the Disciple of KhaineThe Bloody Handed god has priests like any of the other gods in Warhammer Online, only his priests come with a twist. They are known as Disciples of Khaine and they relish dealing death to their enemies like the rest of their brothers and sisters. 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!
The Elves of WAR: Disciple of Khaine levels 11-15
Levels 11 through 15 for the Disciple of Khaine --much like the other classes -- give you your three first Career Tactics. These passive abilities allow you to slightly alter the way your class functions in combat. However, at this level you're only allowed to slot one Career Tactic at a time. One of these first Tactics increases your survivability by improving the effect heals have on you by 10% -- it's shared between the other Dark Elf classes, too. However, the other two Tactics are aimed at increasing your damage output in two very different ways. Divine Fury boosts your overall damage by 25% at the cost of reducing your healing effectiveness by 20% and Khaine's Blessing bumps up your auto-attack speed by 50% every time you land a critical hit.Your rank 2 Morale is much more interesting, though. It hits every enemy around you for 80dmg and then heals your entire group for the total amount of damage dealt. Having no range, you only need to make sure you've got a nice bulk of targets in the near vicinity. Combined with the Divine Fury tactic, you can actually heal a bit more than normal with this particular attack, too.
The Elves of WAR: Witch Elf levels 11-15
For levels 11 through 15 of the Witch Elf class, you'll be seeing your first three Career Tactics come into play. These are passive traits that tweak the way your character will fight. You can only have one Career Tactics equipped early on, which means you'll have to choose just one for now. Our personal favorite is the Tactic that gives you a 33% chance to build on extra Blood Lust (BL) every time you use a BL building ability.Other gains for the Witch Elf class include a particularly nasty rank 2 Morale ability that sucks Action Points (AP) and Strength (for 30 seconds) from its target. This ability effectively solidifies the Witch Elf as a class that can be designed to endlessly annoy and grief a tank. So if there's a particular type of player you want to see suffering, then you'll need to make sure you grab the Force of Will ability. Finally, you'll get a disarm ability at level 14 that will see a lot of use in RvR situations against both tanks and other DPS classes.
The Elves of WAR: White Lion levels 6-10
In the first five levels of this High Elf melee dps career, we got a lion, an axe and an attitude. Time to take it on the road for five more levels and all the new abilities that come with it.Level 6 - Sundering Chop40 AP, Instant cast, 5ft rangeA powerful axe chop which deals 28 damage. If you are behind the enemy, then this attack will ignore 50% of their armor.With you lion set in tank mode with Trained to Threaten, this axe attack replaces Hack as your spam attack. It costs a little more in AP, but does about 50% more damage if you are behind the mob.
The Elves of WAR: Sorceress levels 6-10
The first five levels of the Sorceress class outfitted her with the basics spell-wise. These next five levels, however, add plenty of tricks into the mix. There's still more direct damage to be had, especially with your first morale ability. However, a lot of what you're getting in levels six through ten are buffs and debuffs or Augmentations and Hexes, as Warhammer Online likes to call them. Umbral Strikes is going to be your bread and butter buff for a while after you get it, as the spell gives everyone in your group a 25% chance to cause extra damage whenever they attack. One particularly interesting ability allows you to deal slightly more damage to a target of your choosing over a period of time, but less damage to everything else as a cost. This one seems like an obvious choice for epic monsters or maybe that particularly annoying tank in RvR. Your level ten spell is probably the second most important spell, next to your brand new buff. It's a classic AoE root that no spellcaster should be without, really.
The Elves of WAR: Disciple of Khaine levels 6-10
Levels six through ten for the Disciple of Khaine see you receiving not only your first morale ability (hint: it's a big heal) but also your first revive spell at level ten. The especially nice thing about the Dark Elf healer's revive spell is that it costs no Action Points (AP) to use and it builds 20 Soul Essence (SE) on top of that, too. The only drawback is that it's got a six second casting time, which doesn't make it the most immediate revive in the heat of battle. Another first for these levels is a very nice de-taunting spell that's definitely handy to have for later Public Quests.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Shadow Warrior levels 1-5
Our overview of the High Elf ranged dps career, the Shadow Warrior, may not be enough for you. So here we are with an examination of every skill from level one through five. It's the latest installment of Massively's pre-NDA coverage of Warhammer Online, the Elves of WAR.Shadow Warriors are the quintessential bow-and-blade class, with skills in long-range, short-ranged and hand-to-hand combat. They have three stances they can switch between at a moment's notice that buffs each combat speciality. The first one, Scout Stance, is explained below along with the other beginning abilities.Level 1 - Scout Stance5 sec cooldownA long distance bow stnace that increases your Ballistic Skill initiative by 2 and the range of your bow attacks by 10%.Level 1 - Eagle Eye45 AP, 2sec cast, 5-100ft rangeA well aimed arrow that deals 53 damage.Level 1 - Grim Slash40 AP, Instant cast, 5ft rangeDeals 30 damage to your target.These are your two basic attacks, ranged and melee, with a ranged buff. Encounters are simple as shoot until melee range, then spam Grim Slash.
The Elves of WAR: Witch Elf levels 6-10
We gave you the first five levels of the Witch Elf and hey, that was pretty awesome. However, now we've got the next five levels and they're totally cooler than the last five. We swear! It's within these levels that you'll get your first morale ability for the Witch Elf class, which adds another layer to the combat. Up until this point, combat in Warhammer Online feels somewhat typical, aside from the Blood Lust (BL) mechanic for the Witch Elf. So once you've earned this Rank 1 morale ability, you'll find yourself experiencing a more complete and varied combat system.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Swordmaster levels 1-5
Maybe the High Elf melee dps and healer careers aren't your preferred playstyle. It's time to look at the High Elf tanking class, the Swordmaster, in our continuing exclusive pre-NDA coverage of the Elves of WAR. We've already written up an overview of the class and its chain-combo fighting style, but now let's start from the beginning and work our way up.Level 1Graceful Strike - 40 AP, Instant cast, 5ft rangeLeads to Improved BalanceA swift attack that deals 10 damage and Cripples for an additional 20 damage over 5 seconds. Monsters struck with this technique will hate you more.Throw - 20 AP, 1sec cast, 5-65ft rangeA basic throwing attack that inflicts 10 damage. Has a chance to deal 90 damage to a severely wounded traget if you are behind them.Throw is good for pulling, but Graceful Strike is your bread-and-butter dps plus taunt ability and it starts your combo chain by shifting you from Balance to Improved Balance.
The Elves of WAR: Dark Elf Chapter I Public Quest, Spires of Narthain
The first Public Quest (PQ) we came across while playing our Dark Elves was a very cool experience, especially considering that this is only the first of many PQs. We suppose it's in Mythic's best interest to -- pardon the term -- wow players early and often and the Spires of Narthain PQ does exactly that. Around level four or five, you'll be headed to the area your map has conveniently indicated for you to complete some quests. Suddenly, an objective indicator will show up in the upper-right portion of your screen. What's this? Well, you've arrived at the Spires of Narthain, the last bastion of High Elf defense in this area. Get ready for some action.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the White Lion, levels 1-5
Earlier in the week we gave you a broad overview of this Warhammer Online class based on our higher level beta experiences. Today, we continue our exclusive pre-NDA look at the Elves of WAR with a look at the White Lion class from the ground up.The White Lion career is a melee dps class on the side of Order only available to High Elves. With a loyal lion pet by their side and an enormous axe in their hand the White Lion is very good at taking down enemies, especially small groups of them.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Archmage, levels 1-5
Massively's exclusive pre-NDA coverage of the Elves of Warhammer Online continues with this sneak peek at the beginning levels of the High Elf healer class, the Archmage. The Archmage has an interesting mechanic it shares with the Destruction Goblin Shaman, a ying/yang relationship between his offensive and healing spells. Every time an Archmage casts a healing spell, he gains a point in Force up to 5 points maximum. Every point of Force will reduce the casting time of offensive spells by 20%. That means at maximum Force, your next nuke will be insta-cast. For offensive spells that are already insta-cast, each point of Force will increase that spells potency by 5%. Once an offensive spell is cast, Force resets to zero.The same holds true in reverse. For every damage spell the Archmage casts, he gains a point of Tranquility, resetting the counter when he finally uses his stored up Tranquility to power a defensive spell. Out of combat, any gained points will quickly fade.Level one through five spell details after the jump!
The Elves of WAR: Level 1-5 quests for High Elves
Massively's exclusive coverage of the Elves of WAR continues with a look at the first five levels in the Warhammer Online for High Elves. Whether you roll an Archmage, Shadow Warrior, Swordmaster or White Lion, your High Elf will follow the same quest line, unless you fly to one of the other racial starting areas. Either way, prepare to have it out with Dark Elves from the get go.Upon creating your High Elf you start the game in the outpost of Moonrise on the Blighted Isle. You'll have some basic abilities/spells already slotted in your hotbar. There is only one quest giver in the outpost, Silvshara Greywind. She gives a kill quest for six Dark Sprites in the forest, then five Dark Elf Infiltrators.After completing the kill quests, your High Elf will be level two and be able to train in a new spell/ability by talking to the NPC with the bullseye over their head. If you don't have enough cash, you can kill a few more Dark Elves in the forest for coin and loot you can sell to the vendor.Your next quest sends you to the quest hub in Calumel to the southeast. On the way there, you'll find an Elf who will give you the quest to shoot Harpies with the Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower next to him. This uses none of your spells/abilities, but puts you in shooter mode where you take control of the launcher and aim the crosshairs at the Harpies. This is just training for RvR use of harpoons and other siege equipment later in the game. But don't pass this up as it's easy exp and he will send you on to the same place you were heading anyway.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Sorceress
Do dark magical forces beckon you? It could be that the Dark Elf Sorceress -- Sorcerer for males -- is just the class for you in Warhammer Online, so long as you don't mind being an Elf. The Sorceress is -- for all intents and purposes -- your typical mage-type class. Don't take that statement at face value, though. There is a nice twist to the class that helps keep things interesting while you nuke the snot out of everything in sight. The difference between, say, a Sorceress and an Archmage is the disdain for any adherence to the balancing act with magical energies. Where a High Elf crafts her magic with a careful touch, a Sorceress steals as much as she can and flings all of it at her enemies at once. This doesn't come without a risk, of course.
The Elves of WAR: Meet the Disciple of Khaine
The Bloody Handed god has priests like any of the other gods in Warhammer Online, only his priests come with a twist. They are known as Disciples of Khaine and they relish dealing death to their enemies like the rest of their brothers and sisters. These dark, devoted believers of Khaine deal death a bit differently, though. They take their enemies' strength and give it to their allies in order to bolster the battle towards Dark Elven favor. Typically you'll see a Disciple of Khaine carrying disturbingly-shaped ritual blades, which are the implements used to suck the Soul Essence from their foes. Although, they're also able to carry a chalice in their off-hand as well.For players looking to go toe-to-toe with their enemies while keeping their allies fighting the good fight, this class is a very nice fit. Unlike your typical mace-swinging healer of old, this is a class that wouldn't think twice about running someone through with their twisted blade.
