Get singed up now at the Bioware / Mythic Social Forums Network.

Bioware Social Network

Been quite busy, and I have a lot in store coming up (great screenies, some cool Tome unlocks, and more), so stick around.

Whats next for Warhammer Online? Stay Tuned!

Ranking….out

With todays news that the Devs at Mythic are discussing the end of Power Leveling in Land of the Dead and removal of access to that zone for those under level 32, major changes are underway.

With this news comes this little quote…

____________________________________

Tier 2

Plague Rat sightings have been reported within the RvR lakes of Troll Country and Ostland. (Developer Note(s): there have been two encampments added within the RvR lake of fast-spawning Core-con monsters. These encampments are available at all times and grant increased experience.)

Tier 3

Plague Rat sightings have been reported within the RvR lakes of High Pass and Talabecland.(Developer Note(s): there have been three encampments added within the RvR lake. Two of these are filled with fast-spawning Core-con Plague Rats with an occassional Packmaster. Another is filled with Champion-con Plague Rats with an occassional Packmaster. These encampments are available at all times and grant increased experience. There is also a Gutter Runner scout who traverses throughout the entirety of the RvR lake. This Gutter Runner is stealthed but will break upon entering combat. Broadcast messages will be sent to all players within the RvR lake as to where this Gutter Runner has been spotted. The Realm who performs the killing blow (it’s important to reiterate that it is just the killing blow) will have all active participants rewarded with Experience, Renown, and Influence equivalent of fully capturing all four Battlefield Objectives from the enemy Realm. The Gutter Runner will respawn somewhere between 30-60 minutes but will not do so if a Keep is currently under attack.

____________________________________

This is major news. No doubt that the overall discussion of the skaven coming is taking shape. I had discussesd this idea in a previous post called “The Skaven are coming, the Skaven are coming” and talked about the viability of PvE styled encounters in PvP zones and how they could be feasible. Looks like we get the answer in the form of some additions to the RvR lakes. So, even though the Power Level features of LoTD will be gone, they WILL be added into the lakes of Tier 2 and Tier 3. Add to this the “Against All Odds” features being introduced, and you have a way to play PvP, but get out of T2 and T3…fast.

People have concerns about this change though, and they are valid. But lets get this straight. A lot of NEW people end up quitting due to Tier 2 and Tier 3 dying off for action. Players learn that the PvP rocks in WAR, then are thrown into a zone where not much PvP takes place, and must power level through PvE to get to more PvP. This just seems wrong. Now, with PvE being hidden inside the PvP zones, drawing more players in, and also locking off a separate zone that people would leave the RvR lakes for…it all adds up to major boon in the PvP areas.

I welcome our Bioware/Mythic overlords changes and will be keeping my sub running to see where this all goes!

Ranking….out.

Lets get this straight. As PvE’ers, we want our characters to look good. I have had issues with some MMO’s in the past that never quite live up to this (examples are Age of Conan and it’s limited selection of clothing syles and LOTRO with their visually unappealing character models). One thing WAR has is oodles of style, which really has shown itself in the PvE section.

We have to keep in mind that as you RvR in WAR, you progress through tiered outfits, which…do not get me wrong…look great, but are the same as others at your tier. Luckily this is alleviated with Dye and mix and match pieces of some dungeon based sets. PvE is another ball of wax. The variety of items, including weapons has proven to be great fun in finding. The randomness also adds to the fun when you find something new.

This will prove to be important come next patch. Version 1.3.6 of Warhammer Online will introduce “Appearance” slots. This will allow your character to don whatever piece of clothing they wish, and hidden behind this can be the armor they NEED to wear for it’s capabilities or stats.

Here are some examples of some new pieces I have found for my Bright Wizard.

How I started life in my Career as Bright Wizard.

I already had done some dye work on the main part of my chest/leg piece (wish these were not so connected…). Unique look. The staff is a standard issue, and does not change much as you level and gain new staves from rewards or Public Questing. I must note, I enjoy the fact that the belt visual can change as you find new ones.

New staff drop from what is called a "Broken" piece and must be repaired.

My first staff I found in Troll Country. Dropped as a “Broken Heavy Weapon”, these pieces randomly drop of creatures. You can take these back to vendors and have them repaired to gain new items. Also, what is really great about these is that any class that uses that weapon style can repair it for THEIR own weapon piece…

Note Axe held by White Lion, also a "repaired" item

In this shot, several things are going on. Each of us has gained our first shoulder pads (Rank 13 to be precise). The White Lion is holding a “repaired” axe, also a heavy weapon piece, and the look is unique. The blade looks to be made of a metallic wing. Several gems line the staff part of the axe. The Warrior Priest is sporting a golden yellow dye job on the bottom cuff work on his robe. What you cannot see is the book being held by the Warrior Priest. A “repaired” piece that looks very different than most reward based books they can hold.

New staff and armor

In this pic, I had found another staff, which I thought looked very cool with it’s morning star style ball top (it also helped that it stacked a large amount of toughness and two empty talisman slots). The armor was a reward for finishing a quest. I enjoyed the flared flame look, and with Dark Red dye, stands out quite nicely. Looking closely you can see the yellow circle badge on my belt, which is a trophy. Will probably not get many trophies, as most are rewarded for RvR. Some can be gained by Tome Unlocks though.

Variety is the spice of life being a PvE’er. The game must provide that carrot, and the carrot must offer the best look for each bite I take. WAR has really been holding out on some pieces, since I have never really done much in the way of PvE. As I collect new pieces I like, I will be storing away old ones and thinking about the next patch with the appearance slots. Exciting stuff.

Anyways, thats all for today…Ranking. OUT!

After some careful consideration, I have decided that weekends will just not be post days for me. I like the idea of a break and refresh as I try to get to grips with what I will be working on for the week. It also allows me to game and relax, watch TV, and more.

So, instead I present the “Weekend Ramble”. Hopefully every Monday I can share what I have done for the weekend, and get myself back into writing mode.

This past weekend was slow as it was another “out of towner” for my family. Our son was doing a “Young Scholars” program, which is for children with advanced skill sets. They have shown leadership and a more mature approach to school and learning. Yes, no doubt we are quite proud of that! So, this weekend we picked him up.

What I DID do was try to catch up on some reading. I started the Genevieve omnibus for Warhammer that I had picked up the previous week. What a great story and a great start to learning more about the Old World. Not even out of the first part of this series and mentions of Reikwald, Altdorf, Karl Franz and Sigmar and his battles with a powerful wizard named Drachenfels. Good stuff.

In Warhammer Online, I have pushed my main right up against Rank 40, and will be pushing him over the edge today or tomorrow. Hope to get there in glory and battle (and NOT PvE…lol). This was my first main, so I had already used the instant level scroll…bugger. But, that was ok. I have done quite a bit with him since he reached 39, and it has been a blast.

As to the PvE characters, this week they are working through Norsca and getting toward Troll Country. We will again be hitting up against some quests and unlocks in RvE there, and I wonder if we can continue to stay at RR Zero for that tier. As to other thoughts on the PvE characters, I am VERY excited about patch 1.3.6, coming soon, which will introduce “Appearance” slots. Like what EQ2 has, we will be able to wear what we wish, while having the best armor available. One of the many features a PvE player wants is to look cool while leveling (something Funcom and Age of Conan does not understand btw). Also, new weapon looks are on the way. Wonder what those will be like?

Anyways, that is enough ramble. This week I look into the Public Quest system, grouping, emotes and unlocks.

Stay tuned….Ranking, OUT!

So, as we prepare to start back up our adventures on the PvE team next week, I have been working on updating my screenshots so you can get blow ups of these babies. I should have all pics since I started posting Old World stories updated on my old posts by the end of the day.

I want to touch briefly on working in RvE…i.e: The Danger Zone. As a dedicated PvE’er for these specific characters, one goal is of course to be 100% ZERO Renown Ranked. But, this could be difficult wandering into the RvR lake zones. Especially Tier 1. Later Tiers (like 2 and 3) could prove to be considerably easier dues to smaller populations spread across hubs.

The only reason to go into the RvR lake in Tier 1 is for unlocks for the tome and gaining updates to your map. There is nothing better I think than having a truly opened map.

Unlocks are cool...

As you can see, I am taking a chance going it alone, but I just need to see what is at that BOAT…

RuhRoh...is THAT a Bad Guys sign for "ENTER"?

I was thoroughly disappointed to find out that there was nothing here though.

I KNEW that symbol meant something wicked this way would come...

Of course, I can only assume these guys ate the fish sandwich on that boat, and look where it got them.

The maps in WAR look awesome.

You can see where I have wandered.

I think it is important that while investigating the RvR zones, I consider the players as VERY WELL DONE A.I. and not be upset if I bite the big one. My only major concern is if I should fight back, as all it will take is one kill to get ranked up in Renown and fail at my mission. I do know there are several tome unlocks for getting killed, and it may just be worth it to stand around and get wasted by some Choppa or WE. I have also tried to look at doing the RvR lakes as “stealth” missions also. To investigate areas and return to Order with my reconnaissance mission reports. Ok, maybe that is a little too Roleplay for my own good, but having goals helps me as a player enjoy what I am doing. Later on I know the RvR lakes actually give us those missions to investigate Battle Objectives and Keeps. Then I will feel like I am doing that recon.

As to the family group, those players have moved into Norsca now, the next zone over. Upon leaving, we noted several entries in the Tome for Lore were still not done. I hope to look into that a little more and discuss noteworthy persons and stories of The Old World next post.

For now, Ranking….out

MATHIAS THULMANN, WITCH HUNTER

One thing that the universe of Warhammer offers, especially over World of Warcraft, is the lore. Deep and engaging, and full of mystery, horror and adventure. Much darker than the brightness of WoW and it’s almost cartoony feeling, it feels more….alive.

Since I knew Warhammer Online has so much in the way of in the know bits and pieces, I felt like discovering more of the world I would inhabit as part of the PvE experience.

So, let me share a bit about some of the recent books I have read and what I plan to read (thanks to my road trip this past weekend offering me a chance to grab some new novels).

In the grim medieval Old World, the dreaded Witch Hunters are feared above all others. These tyrannical individuals are tasked with hunting out evil throughout the towns and villages, using whatever means they find necessary in order to destroy those foolish enough to ally with the Dark Powers. Counted amongst the most zealous of the Witch Hunters is Mathias Thulmann, a ruthless individual whose exploits are recounted to scare citizens of the Empire.

Slightly dark, and the hero is…at times, not unlike an anti-hero, doing what must be done for the greater good. Great stories involving Vampires, Skaven and Chaos. Collects 3 novels and short stories.

THE VAMPIRE GENEVIEVE

The beautiful vampire, Genevieve Dieudonne, has been alive for hundreds of years, and has had a host of adventures in the dark forests and cities of the Warhammer world. Unlike the typical “killer” vampires of literature, Genevieve is a human friendly, adventurer in a manner you may not have seen before.

There are four books in this one volume. I have not started this one yet, but it is next on my list. I am interested in the aspect of the story being told from the side of the Vampire. More as I enter this story.

HELDENHAMMER

This excites me, as it is the history of Sigmar, and the first in a series on the gods of the Old World.

Book One of the Sigmar Trilogy

It is a time of legends. The lands of the old World are wild and untamed, where the primitive tribes of men struggle for survival. In this time of peril, by virtue of his valorous deeds, a young man claims leadership of the Unberogen tribe. His name is Sigmar Heldenhammer, and his actions will change history forever. This is the story of how Sigmar rose to power, culminating in the Battle of Black Fire Pass, where men and dwarfs fought against the vast hordes of orcs in their quest to safeguard the future of the Empire.

DEATH AND DISHONOUR

The world of Warhammer is filled with stories of survival and bravery, and also with tales of death and dishonour. This collection explores those themes with stories from some of Black Library’s leading authors including Nathan Long, Anthony Reynolds, CL Werner and many more.

Of interest is the first story, a tale of Felix and Gotrek, the most famous of the characters from the Warhammer IP. As a whole, the characters do not interest me, but in short story form, I really enjoyed the tale I read. This book will be good for quicks bursts of story from this world.

So, there you have it…the ultimate collection of stories and lore from Warhammer and a great way to learn more about this world my characters will inhabit in WAR.

And I am back. I have been out of town a few days, and have not had much time to play. I have gotten back in and did some RvR, but so far pretty quiet.

Anyways, just a brief update in what is in store for you guys.

The Old World stories have really become quite popular and the visits to those pieces were phenomenal. Thank you to those reading this adventure. As you may have noticed from my last piece, I have involved my family in the game, and they are really enjoying the “No PvP” scenario. Really helps us to have a cohesive goal when playing Warhammer Online, and this PvE venture is paying off for them. One of the family members is out of town still, so I am trying to get stuff together to tell the story of what we have done so far, and no new material will post until he returns. But, I have some stuff in the works about crafting and the adventure of hitting PvP zones with no kills (truly a sweat inducing labor there….).

I hope to start having links to images working in “full size” mode soon. I love the pictures I have posted, but have not had luck in the cross link to full images. So, that is coming soon.

I would like some feedback, so if you are reading…is there something you would like to know about? I will note that right now, we will be doing strictly the Empire story, so I have no plans yet to move to other racial zones (like Elf or Dwarf). Also, I am unsure if I will be doing anything in respects to Destruction. But, that is not to say I won’t…

Another note. Everyone who IS playing is now in a guild as well. I had stated earlier that I was given control of a guild somehow on Iron Rock. So, I have invited all of our newbie PvE’ers to the guild, and they are contributing to leveling that guild. This could be awesome, as it allows a few features like Guild storage, guild hall access and eventually,  Heraldry. Thanks to their efforts, my main RvR character on Iron Rock will have something to display on his cloak and all of the benefits of being a standard bearer.

Anyways, ramble almost over…just tossing some info out. Like I said, I have another large story I am working on in regards to crafting and RvR danger zones for the PvE player, and then next week, regular posting on the continued adventures of the family team.

Ranking….out

Thats right. And it is thanks to my readers. I appreciate you taking the time to check out what I have to say.

The explosion of people who are really interested in PvE has been a mild shock and total pleasure. Thanks to this endeavor on my part to discover what Warhammer Online holds for the player who does NOT want to PvP, I have been able to bring both my wife and my son back into WAR.

And the victory is most sweet. Enjoyment was had by all.

As you can see, I have taken the original idea and brought it to my family to help me learn and adventure in this world. Above, the Bright Wizard is my character…again following the path of playing something I normally do not. Following this plan, my wife has chosen a DPS class, and my son a healer. All abnormal for their archetypes. My wife is normally a tank, and my son is the DPS (after trying EVERY class available at first.).

So, the adventure continues, just with the added bonus of two more that I can discuss with, how WAR compares to other PvE based games we have played.

I shall return soon, as I leave for a brief out of town engagement…but, I will share more of the adventures of the family and the adventures in the Old World.

Yesterday was my first day of a concerted effort in investigating the world of Warhammer Online. I took special care and effort to really see what the game had to offer players…beyond just logging in and grinding and PvP.

I figure as a new player, some or most will try to find out about their world, and what better way than to head to the website. I was duly impressed over what Mythic offers the new player about their systems and the story of this particular piece of Warhammer IP.

To start, there is an excellent new players guide with directions on various aspects of the game. Since I was familiar with the game mechanics already, I did not read through this, and am not sure if it is well updated or not. A lot of the data is there though, and I like the layout.

There is a page of various guides for the game as well, including information on Glyphs (high end gaming) and new player guides. Anyone looking for help can find what they need without resorting to wiki’s, gaming sites, etc. I like this, as a player who just wants to experience the game without “cheating” per se (addons or guides of how to progress or power level for example).

I made sure to take the time and read the actual story of the game before entering. I really like this piece (but wish it was black text on white, as reading after a while made my eyes go fuzzy…old man and all), and think everyone should check this out.

Time to login.

Having run through the starting area before, I knew that it was going to take a bit more of my time to really check it out. I had to slow down, and investigate. What I found was really fascinating.

If you take the time to really look around, there are so many hidden treasures to add to your Tome of Knowledge.

If you go behind the first tent for example, you will find a body on the ground.

I found the “Midnight Rider”. I tried to do a search for more info on this person, but had no luck. All I do know is that this becomes a tome unlock.

The Tome of Knowledge is probably one of the coolest features for WAR and offers something most MMO’s do not have. It’s system of tracking the various finds in the world, achievements of yours in combat, your quests and the overall story as you unlock the chapters in the world, makes this an incredible add to the game. Since most anyone who reads my site is most likely a WAR player, there is no need for me to go more into depth about this. As well, all of my future pieces will not cover too many mechanics of the game. What I DO want to cover is what is happening in WAR and how fun PvE is (or is not). I may also talk about bugs or issues, but as to how the game actually “works”…well, login and find out!!

Anyways, as I progressed through the quest system, I have made sure to keep looking for bits and pieces of lore. Someone said I should try the addon “Tome Titan”…but, I want to hold off on that for now. Like any new player, I need to experience PvE by myself first. I need to know that the game is “fun” without me having to “fix” Mythics issues.

I can state unequivocally, the beginning area is quite fun. A few questions are left unanswered, like rally points (as I said, I KNOW what they are, but does the “other” newer player?). Getting to know your class is also good. I am learning how to use my skills properly, because as I have noted…I have never played a caster yet in WAR.

I continued to introduce myself to various characters within the Old World, like finding this old tavern, and having a drink with Bartolf and Orgni.

I also found Scrivener Elwin, who has asked me to get signatures of those less fortunate in the “brains department. I grabbed the scroll off the table, and checked my tome and found this.

Illiteracy…(smile). Need some signatures it seems?

As I continued to do the quests provided, I helped in the war efforts. Taking out cannons with the Empire siege engines. Fighting the chaos hordes entering the Old World, and then found my first Public Quest.

Poor priest…never knew what hit him, as all the villagers ran for the hills.

Public Quests (PQ’s) I think are an excellent way to team up with others in WAR without all the hassle of forming a group. Invite others close by or join a group in progress. Plus, not all PQ’s require grouping and can be tackled solo…to an extent. Just check the rating of the PQ in the upper right and just get to it.

I still continued my efforts scouring the countryside finding other little hidden gems, so please enjoy my following photo shoot of said finds. Tomorrow, I come to the Grey Lady Coaching Inn and try to find work as a crafter.

Ranking…out

Welcome to day one of “titled” posting. As you may see, I have two titles I will be using to discuss my adventures in Warhammer Online.

The Old World will discuss WAR in the PvE districts and zones. When a post is titled as such, then you can expect some PvE goodness.

The WAR Report will talk about RvR and various other parts of Warhammer Online (game mechanics, etc.).

Figured this would be a good way to help filter stories, and allow me to send you content on who I am playing and when. I have quite a few alts I am trying to play at once due to their need, whether it be for crafting, RvR or PvE. So, let me introduce my PvE character.

Cistarlyn is on FIRE!!

Now, as an insight…first, I chose a class I would not normally play for RvR. I am not a big caster player (except for Guild Wars, where I REALLY enjoyed the Elementalist). Next, I chose a female, which should allow me to go on with my gameplay unobtrusively in the PvE zones. And we also know, most everyone treats female characters differently…period. They seem to be much nicer, and less rude at times.

A few rules I have set up is this; First, no RvR…period. Next, Advice channel is OFF. I really want to avoid seeing Gold Seller spam (which WAR seems to have a lot of, thanks twink gold buyers), and could really do without the political, racist, sexist, religious commentary we normally see there. Finally, try not to “run through” the quests (which is hard to do). I need to not just read what I must do, but study that text and see how it makes me feel.

As a side note, I have really taken to investigating the areas as I adventure. I have found several hidden goodies, which from my understanding, there is a lot of. As a way to learn more about “The Old World”, I also plan to read up on these items in the wonderful Tome of Knowledge. And to go a step further, I will see how it compares to the original IP. I LOVED Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay when I was younger. If I can get that same feel, I think I will enjoy myself immensely.

That is all for now. My further adventures within the Old World shall resume very soon.

For now, Ranking….out.