Design Notes

March 22, 2023

Midweek Update Medley

Bits, Bites, and Bytes of News for You

Hello all, and happy Wednesday! As we near the end of the month, we've got a melange of things you may be interested in and/or need to know about before we move into April. Read on for news, and then come back tomorrow for the April release calendar!

Upcoming Gear Sneak Peek

We've got some great gear heading your way. Check out previews below:

• New farmable Underworld Painsaw set arrives this week from Lae
• Tagai's very Good Mage and Rogue of Swordhaven
• Hikari's new Necromancer will teach you the meaning of pain
• Lae's dark new Druids will arrive in the near future

AQWorlds Moderator Call Update

Sora to Hoshi, the lead AQWorlds moderator, just sent the final list of candidates she wants for Wave 3. We're hoping to get emails out to that group soon.

She writes: Thanks to everyone who got the Mod Note in their inventory for being so patient with the gap between wave 2 and 3. With the holidays, the new year, and just STUFF it got pushed back farther than I wanted. Thanks for being patient.

AQW:Infinity + Artix On the Way to PAX East

From Artix in the latest AQW:Infinity Design Notes post: Here is your latest progress report. First up... I posted a video with both AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity and the existing web on YouTube for you.

Since the video was posted, we have replaced the backgrounds with the new higher quality one and added leaf particles and sun rays. It looks absolutely beautiful. With all of these characters on the screen, it still scrolls smoothly at 60 FPS on my iPhone.

Special Convention Item... for everyone?

We are building a special convention item. But we do not want anyone to miss out. So we are creating a code that can be shared. Anyone who gets the code from us at the convention can share it online for anyone who could not make it.

Who from the team will be there?

This is our very first PAX experience! Our current roster includes Dage, Zhoom, Jongaar, Despair, & Artix.  If you want anything signed, a selfie, or just want to say hi we are looking forward to meeting you. 

Ramadan Mubarak Wishes+ Player Request

To all our heroes celebrating Ramadan: the entire AE team and I hope the holiday brings you and your family health, happiness, and peace. For this year, and all the years to come, may you find prosperity and joy in all you do. Ramadan Mubarak!

إلى جميع أبطالنا الذين يحتفلون بشهر رمضان: فريق AE بأكمله وآمل أن يجلب لك العيد لك ولعائلتك الصحة والسعادة والسلام. لهذا العام وكل السنوات القادمة ، قد تجد الرخاء والسعادة في كل ما تفعله. رمضان مبارك!

Once again, many thanks to the very talented Yunashimi, an AQWorlds Hero and guest contributor, for creating this beautiful graphic. It captures the mood and feel of the holiday perfectly.

Player Requests + How an Idea Evolves

Over the years, we've received countless requests from players and team members alike to add in more "real world" items, your in-game hero can reflect who you are offline. A player on Twitter today asked if the hijab in the image above was available in-game, we thought: "No, but it could be!" 

Gathering feedback on the idea, I found:

• The leads loved the idea of giving players the option to wear an item that matters so much to them
• One of our Muslim testers really liked the idea, but was concerned because of a real-world situation happening in Iran where women are fighting for the choice not to wear headcoverings
• Several players on Discord expressed concern about releasing religious-based content / focusing on just one religion / making players feel forced to farm for a drop related to a religion they don't practice

In many other games, hairstyle selections include cultural headgear as an option. This feels like the right way for us to go, too.We are already working on adding more diverse hairs to Bev's Battleon Hair Shop in the near future.

Expanding on that plan by adding headcovering options from different cultures and groups makes the most sense, and gives to most flexibility and freedom of choice.

* Today, I was asked why I make an extra effort to post good wishes for Ramadan/Eid on social media. When I was young, I saw some of my Muslim neighbors experience hatred + abuse. The impact it had on them stayed with me ever since. Sending messages like this is a (small) way I can help people feel welcome.

Badger Byte #9846: NPC Friendship Timer Reminder

The NPC Friendship system uses our standard "clock resets at midnight" just like all the daily quests. (Originally, it used a true 24 hour clock, and reset 24 hours after your last interaction. This was very confusing to players, so we changed it.)

March 21, 2023

Now Available: Shadowy Scavenger Hunt

Log in and fight to complete today's new Scavenger Hunt

Recently, we've been making some changes to the daily login gift lineup based on your feedback. This month, we're trying out some different ideas. One of them is a weekly scavenger hunt; the first one ended last night, and our second one will be available until next Tuesday. The third hunt begins NOW as we race towards a new Ultra Boss battle this weekend!

To make sure everyone can easily find the clue itself, it drops off the Frogzard in /battleontown.

• Read + decipher the clue to figure out where the rewards are.
• Head to the monster you THINK has the new 0 AC rare drop and battle for a chance to get it
• The clue + 0 AC rare rewards will drop through April 3rd.

Check out last week's Lucky Scavenger Hunt in this post. Its clue + reward drop will be available until March 27th.

Note: you don't need to have the clue in your inventory or bank in order to get the reward drop from the monster. If you learn where it is from a friend, a video, or the wiki, that's also fine! Getting the clue just adds to the fun of the hunt for those who want the mental challenge.

March 20, 2023

Monday, March 20th Updates

New News and Updates Round-up

With so many players on so many different platforms, the team and I found that our information had become really scattered over the last few years. Last month, we began these "round-up" Design Notes posts make sure everyone has access to all of the same info, no matter which platform you use. Read on to get all the latest news on updates, fixes, and sneak peeks.

Recent Bug Fixes

The following issues should have been resolved with last week's update: 

• The stray red pixel on Dage's Devastation armor was fixed.
• Dage's requested weapon upsizing was released.
• The missing UW3017 Shield armor is now available in the Dage's Dark Birthday Shop.
• If you were unable to continue the /siegefortress map, that was taken care of very early last week.

Upcoming Gear Sneak Peek

We've got some great gear heading your way. Check out previews below:

• Aranx's Good new gear
• Hikari's new Necromancer is gonna school you in the arts of the undead
• Check out Despera's fairy-ly gorgeous Spring set concept art
• Dino's puns are top notch... and so are these joke helms. 
• Kartos si Botax has a lato-lato pain heading your way with these new animated weapons.
• Mariartix! gonna make you /dance: new collab for Cinco de Mayo from Lae & Dino.
• Mihuri's Chancla weapons are a shoe-in for an April release date!

Dark Scavenger Hunt Leaves Tonight

The Frogzard in /battleontown drops the clue to the Dark Scavenger Hunt reward location until 11:59 PM EST tonight. Use the clue to figure out which monster drops a rare 0 AC daily login gift. (The item also goes rare tonight.)

Each Scavenger Hunt runs for 2 weeks. The Lucky Scavenger Hunt ends next week, and a brand-new Scavenger Hunt begins tomorrow.

Missing Pet Added 

The Original Bean Twilly pet now drops from the Treasure Pile in the /yulgarparty map! (h/t to AQW player Darches on Reddit for reminding me this had not been added.) 

Badger Byte #02865: Book of Lore Badges

Your Book of Lore houses MANY badges, but not all of them are under "Other Badges". Please look in your "Achievement Badges" for badges related to completing in-game objectives.

An EGG-cellent Spring Update: Bird Pets

Did you know... May 4th has been a holiday to celebrate our feather-y friends since 1892! Yesterday, a few players on Discord introduced me to the majesty of the Kiwi bird. AQW will add in a flock of new bird pets this Spring. What other birds should we add?

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoo

AQW:Infinity + Artix Goes to PAX East

From Artix: Anyone going to PAX: East this week? Artix and the AE team will be running a booth there. Find all the info here: https://www.artix.com/posts/pax-east-2023/ We will also have a new convention item. 

In case you missed it: Pisces' Song Set

we added the first set in a new reward series based on Western astrology. As the year cycles through the zodiac signs, we'll release a new set matching its theme. This month: Pisces Song! Get more details + lore in the Design Notes.

Not Released, But Not Forgotten...

Last month, I received another request for more inclusive hairs, since we have only a small selection of them. This is still on the schedule! The assigned artist is currently working on a farming set for early April, but then will get cutting on this project.

Good Intention... of DOOM

Over the weekend, I saw a tweet asking about being able not being able to get a Dual Wield version of the NSoD (IoDA) from the /nostalgiaquest map. My normal response for issues like this is that we'll take a look, investigate, and see what we can do. The request sounded like a reasonable one that many players would enjoy. 

After seeing many responses that were pretty upset, I realized that I replied before fully investigating the details of this item. I assumed it was an issue with the removal of the Dual Wield shop from nostalgiaquest, which we may have been able to address. That is not what was being requested, though.

To help clear things up and avoid any more confusion or concern...

• No changes are planned, and a dual-wield version of the NSoD (IoDA) is not on the schedule.
• Our intent from the beginning was that an IoDA variant wouldn't give you access to the badge or other extras the original item unlocked. 
• The dual-wield shop was removed due to several issues with the shop. Though the merge shop glitch is fixed, having AC items in the shop caused additional issues. Also, multiple copies of similiar items caused more frustration. At this time, there are no plans to return it.

March 17, 2023

2023 Dark Birthday Collection Chest

Dage's Devastation Birthday Gear is HERE

Celebrate darkness, destruction, and Dage the Evil's birthday this weekend! Last week, we released part 1 of Dage's 2023 birthday event and collection; this week, we've added even MORE gear for all you wicked heroes and epic evil-doers. Featuring the Legion Devastator armor set created by Dage the Evil, the full collection includes over 135 event rare items: 13 armors, battle accessories, a quest pet, and a rare exclusive character page badge for 10,000 ACs! (50,000 ACs worth of gear)

There are two ways to get the gear:

• Get the full collection for 10,000 ACs and unlock over 50,000 ACs worth of gear 
• Check the Dark Birthday shop shop in your game menu to buy individual items from the collection

The collection includes:

• Dage's Devastation 2023 Collection Chest (unlocks the full collection shop)
• Proto Dark Caster set 
• Proto Dark Caster ground rune
• Proto Legion Dark Caster armor*
• Undead Adept set 
• Bestial Warlord of the Underworld
• Cyber Paragon set
• Floating Underworld Reaper cape
• Floating Underworld Judge cape
• Floating Evolved Paragon cape
• Dage the Evil's Legion Devastator set
• OverSoul DoomKnight set*
• Legion War Wraith (regular + shielded armor variants)
• Paragon Juggernaut set
• Legion Evocator set**
• Eternal Dark Spirit Flame cape
• Eternal Underworld Flame cape
• ShadowScythe Rune ground item
• Legionarius' Blades ground item
• Underworld Ritual Circle ground item
• Legion Warlord's Dragonblade pet
• Underworld Dragon pet + Bank pet
• Devastation Paragon pet
• Dage's Annihilator Paragon pet
• Dage's Annihilator Quest pet (with quest for exclusive character page badge)

* Armor is also available for Legion Tokens in the Future War merge shop
** Set includes regular + inverse gender armor variants
*** This set was originally drawn by Dage the Evil many years ago but never redone as a game file. The art was translated by AQW team artist, Dominik this year!

Just want a couple of the items listed above? Apart from the exclusive Dage's Devastation Collection Chest pet itself, all of the gear contained inside the Collection Chest will also be available individually in his Birthday Shop.

March 17, 2023

Dage & Gravelyn vs the Light

Dage's Dark Birthday 2023 Event continues this weekend!

Log in this weekend as we continue celebrating Dage the Evil's birthday with Part 2 of our "The Curse & The Blessing" story! The battle between the Shadowscythe and the Legion was interrupted by the machinations of an unknown Light Elemental. Now, you must battle once again as young Empress Gravelyn as she and Dage form a temporary alliance to rend the Light. O_O

Progression note: this is a continuation of the Nulgath 2023 Birthday Storyline, so make sure you've completed the quests in /templedelve first, then last week's update in /siegefortress.

New Dark Rewards

All month long, we'll be releasing new Legion and Underworld-themed reward sets for you to collect. All players can complete this weekend's release to unlock the Undead Parabellum, Underworld Infiltrator, and Young Empress Gravelyn gear!

Monster drops:

• Standing Skeleton Prisoner Floor item
• Kneeling Skeleton Prisoner Floor item
• Reading Skeleton Floor item
• Underworld Infiltrator Shurikens (single + dual wield)
• Underworld Infiltrator Fractal Ground Rune (1% boss drop)

Fortress Delve Merge Shop:

• Undead Parabellum armor
• 3 Undead Parabellum helms
• 4 Undead Parabellum capes
• Undead Parabellum Gauntlet (single + dual wield)
• Undead Parabellum Sword and Shield
• Undead Parabellum Hammer
• Undead Parabellum Blades
• Undead Parabellum Blade
• Underworld Infiltrator armor
• 2 Underworld Infiltrator helms
• Underworld Infiltrator Blade (single + dual wield)
• Young Empress' armor + blade

Undead Legion Gear

Available in the Undead Legion merge shop

• Underworld Parabellum armor
• 3 Underworld Parabellum helms
• 4 Underworld Parabellum capes
• Underworld Parabellum Gauntlet (single + dual wield)
• Underworld Parabellum Sword and Shield
• Underworld Parabellum Hammer
• Underworld Parabellum Blades
• Underworld Parabellum Blade

Available in the Dark Birthday merge shop

• Proto Legion Dark Caster armor
• 2 Proto Legion Dark Caster helms
• Proto Legion Dark Caster Ancient Rune
• Proto Legion Dark Caster Focus Rune

The Proto Legion Dark Caster merge shop gear will go rare next month when the Dage's Devastation Birthday Collection leaves.

Undead Legion Exclusive items coming next week:

• Legion Yulgar's Inn house
• Dage the Lich King house guard (with animation that stares into your soul)
• Dage's Devastation Paragon helm (the same as the one the 2023 Paragon pet wears)

If you're not a member of the Undead Legion, never fear! You, too, can sell your soul to Dage the Evil and become a part of his immortal army.

Happy Lucky Day, Heroes!

Are you feelin' LUCKY today, heroes? You're going to need it if you want to our new Lucky Day armor set. Battle the Pot o' Gold in the /luck map to collect all the pieces of the 0 AC Jackpot Winner armor, helm, and house guards!

March 13, 2023

Now Available: Lucky Scavenger Hunt

Log in and fight to complete today's new Scavenger Hunt

Recently, we've been making some changes to the daily login gift lineup based on your feedback. This month, we're trying out some different ideas. One of them is a weekly scavenger hunt; the first one began last week, and our second one begins NOW as we prepare to celebrate the most RNG-iest holiday of them all... Lucky Day!

To make sure everyone can easily find the clue itself, it drops off the Frogzard in /battleontown.

• Read + decipher the clue to figure out where the rewards are.
• Head to the monster you THINK has the 10 new rare drops and battle for a chance to get them
• The clue + 0 AC rare rewards will drop through March 27th

Check out last week's Dark Scavenger Hunt in this post. Its clue + reward drop will be available until March 20th.

Note: you don't need to have the clue in your inventory or bank in order to get the reward drop from the monster. If you learn where it is from a friend, a video, or the wiki, that's also fine! Getting the clue just adds to the fun of the hunt for those who want the mental challenge.