Design Notes

July 31, 2013

Nulgath Strikes Back!

Brand New Archfiend Class arrives Friday

When anyone whispers the name “Nulgath,” shivers run down my spine, my hair stands on end, and ermahgerd goose bumps consume my body.

So you can only image how terrified I was when the AQWorlds team told me that we’re releasing a Nulgath Class on Friday: the color custom Archfiend Class!

One can always tell when an Archfiend has dominated the battlefield. A wake of devastation and destruction follows the Archfiend, as if it personally signed its name on every fallen victim!

Drawing its vicious power from the Abyss, every spell the Archfiend casts has a chance to leech life from his opponent. The Archfiend has no compassion for those weaker than him—and, in this case, encompasses just about everyone and everything.

Due to his ruthless tactics and thirst for war, Nulgath was exiled into the OverSoul Abyss last year…but from the looks of things, Nulgath has returned once more to Lore. When the sun sets this Friday evening, the Archfiend will rise, engulfing all who wish to deliver massive damage to the battlefield!

Rumor has it that anyone can become an Archfiend Class with a 2,000 AdventureCoins donation. Upgraded Legends always have the upper hand, though; Nulgath will make Legends an Archfiend in exchange for his Fiend Tokens. How many? …Nulgath hasn’t told us yet, because he is pure Evil and wants to keep us all in suspense!   

Speaking of suspense…

Nulgath is keeping the Archfiend’s Class Skills and Abilities a secret… for now. Our magnificent potions master, Alina, is currently concocting a truth serum to put in Nulgath’s goblet. If successful, Alina will retrieve the list of attacks from the head Archfiend himself.

We wish you the best of luck, Alina!

And I wish all of you the best of luck in your ongoing adventures… even if you DO become an Archfiend on Friday evening… *shiver*

xoxo Beleen

July 30, 2013

Feelin’ So Fly

Vote for J6!

Everyone’s favorite bounty hunter and AQWorlds Artist, J6, needs YOUR help going to Space!

All you have to do is click the above picture to be taken to the Voting Page. Then, click the green VOTE button on that page and help J6 get one small step closer to making a giant leap into Space Travel!

Today’s Featured Artist

It’s Tuesday! And that means it’s time for another Featured Artist Showcase Shop!

Later this afternoon, J6’s Showcase Shop will appear in the Game Menu, featuring a treasure chest of Chess items!

Armors

White Bishop

Black Bishop

White Knight

Black Knight

White Pawn

Black Pawn

White Rook

Black Rook

White Royalty--Legends only!

Black Royalty--Legends only!

Helms

White Bishop Hat

Black Bishop Hat

White Knight Helm

Black Knight Helm

White Pawn Halfhelm

Black Pawn Halfhelm

White Rook Great Helm

Black Rook Great Helm

White Tiara--Legends Only!

White Crown--Legends Only

Black Crown--Legends only

Back Tiara--Legends only

All of these items are permanent additions, because on Friday, you and your royal army can play Enchanted Chess inside the Wizard University!

The 411 on J6

Every bounty hunter has to start somewhere, and for J6, it all began in 2004. J6 worked on the original AdventureQuest doing everything from backgrounds to items to monsters and animation. As the company leveled up, so did J6, moving from game to game as they were being created. But this bounty hunter’s true calling became background art, creating beautiful scenery that filled computer monitors worldwide(web) with breathtaking landscapes.

J6 has virtually made every AdventureQuest Worlds background and still (somehow) finds time to create weapons, helms, and armors alongside his beautiful wife Cinazool. Like most bounty hunters, J6 works on board his starship far, far away in the fabled lands of Canada, but wishes to work in the Secret Underground Lab with the rest of the Artix Entertainment team. Unfortunately, the Lab cannot accommodate for starships… only dragons. (But with your help, we might be able to send J6 into space on a real starship!)

J6 wishes to share a quote that would help inspire future artists and intrepid bounty hunters. After a successful mercenary mission, J6 was awarded with this quote from Scott Adams: "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

Give a shout out to J6 on his Twitter!

J6’s Featured Artist Showcase Shop launches later this afternoon. Stay tuned to my Twitter for more details, and stay epic my heroes! 

xoxo Beleen

July 29, 2013

Mondays are Magical

You don’t need a Crystal Ball to see into the future!

Predicting the future is a pretty impressive skill. I just so happen to be pretty good at it, too. And I wish to share my gift with you in the form of sneak-peek Design Notes! Woohoo!

Tuesday Predictions

Tomorrow is Tuesday—and I foresee that the Featured Artist Shop will showcase a bounty of items from your favorite Bounty Hunter, J6!

Looks like it’s going to be a Treasure Chest full of Chess! Get ready to pwn some Pawns starting Tuesday afternoon!

Perfection Prediction

Upgrading your account to a Legend Membership comes with a gazillion perks, but the deal hits critical perfection with the GameStop-exclusive Combo Breaker Armor Set!

If you’re living in the United States and have a GameStop nearby, follow these simple steps:

• fuel-up the family Dragon (or minivan, whatever)
• fly on over to a GameStop near you
• pick up an Artix Entertainment Game Card
• fly back home (or teleport, if the option is available)
• Upgrade your Membership following these instructions
• Unlock the Combo Breaker Armor Set
• Become Lore’s greatest C-c-c-combo Breaker!

This special offer is ONLY available until August 11th. Click here for more information!

Friday Predictions

Wondering where I got my magical capabilities? From the Wizard University of Battleon! And this Friday night, the University doors will open to the DragonRune Hall, the Academy of Mana Manipulation, and SpellCrafting!

Marvel at the magical miracles and buff your SpellScribing tradeskills so you can craft consumable potions. And there will be a special room where you can use J6’s Chess Items in, too! It’s bound to be MAGIC!

Next Week’s Prediction 

Looks like Quibble is packing his bags and has a direct flight to Battleon next Friday!

Everyone’s favorite traveling sales-moglin always brings the best rare items with him. And next week is no different—Quibble is stocking his shop with some of the COOLEST items I have ever seen. And you’ll need his epic gear if you hope to defeat the next Chaos Lord who is anxiously awaiting your arrival…

Contest Prediction

The Bad Guys & Good Battles Contest was such a HUGE hit! We received hundreds of awesome entries and have finally chosen the top winners.

The top winners are posted at Artix.com, but everyone who entered—and wasn’t disqualified—will receive a Loremaster Character Page Badge! All the entries will eventually be added into the Lorepedia =D Thank you so much for helping us track down and record all those Artix Entertainment monsters!

And this is ONLY the beginning. New monsters are popping up all the time, so in the future we will release another Bad Guys & Good Battles Contest for a chance to win more prizes. Sweet for us… but not so sweet for the monsters you defeat =p

Pretty Pink’s Prediction

Wowza! With so much going on, I predict that this week is going to be the best one ever! Actually, that’s no prediction—that’s a FACT!

See you on the battlefield, my hero!

xoxo Beleen

PS: Last month's SUATMR winner chose to remain anonymous, but wound up choosing the Starsword!

July 29, 2013

MetronCon 2013 Review

"Haha! We did not dissapoint!"

It went like this... members of the audience & Drew Drechsel swordfought Dage the Evil, we did the forbidden zombie dance, talked about American Ninja Warrior secrets, showed random and insane videos, and at some point we may or may not have talked about video game things like Battle Gems. Oh, the audience named our intern, "Hiccup." We had a blast!

 
You can see more photos on my Artix Facebook page's MetroCon 2013 Gallery. (Please like all of the pictures. Unless you do not like them. In which case, like them for not liking liking them.)

Two weeks ago I posted an image of Drew Drechsel, Aersion (formerlly roam) and my characters from AQWorlds in a crazy pose. I said on Facebook that we would take a photo of us doing it in real life the next time we were all in the same place. Haha, after 20 minutes of Drew doing handstands on my slippery metal armor under the blazing Florida Sun.... VICTORY!!! The only way this day could have been more fun is if you would have been here. On that subject... we are FOUR weeks away from our next convention, DragonCon!

July 27, 2013

Guilds, Con, and Legends

So much happening this weekend!

It's only Saturday and already this weekend has been CRAZY! Various members of the AQW team worked through most of the night on either repairing release bugs or preparing for MetroCon. Here's the run-down of what's happened since last night:

Guilds Phase II: Guild Cities is LIVE on the PTR server!

• Stryche sword-danced down the hall at the Lab while I sang showtunes.
• MechQuest Finale Shop items are ALL FIXED!
• Judgement Shop in the Dage storyline finale now opens!
• Solrac's shop opens!
• Nulgath's Acid Orb and Fiend Orb are no longer bugged!
• Guild City buildings have descriptions!
• Equipping the "Home" building no longer breaks your Guild City!
• We had a CRAZY panel at MetroCon this morning!

Wait... That Last One Isn't a Bug?

You are CORRECT! Going to MetroCon is NOT a bug... it is a BLAST! We had a great time hanging out with a room full of players. (And their friends, who maybe didn't really know so much about what we do when the panel began, and were confused by all of the men in armor...)

Where Heroes wear armor and everyone else wears... O_O?!

Candy was thrown, Dage the Evil was bested in 1-on-1 combat by Drew Drechsel, Ninja Warrior, and the entire room zombie-lurched in an all-cast Zomba Thriller dance!

The panel is JUST ABOUT TO BEGIN!

The Release is JUST ABOUT TO CONTINUE!

Between illness, absence, internet explosions, broken-but-not-shattered windows, and an insane amount of things to release... we didn't get everything out to you last night. BUT! Here at AE, we know that the ONLY time you've never failed until you give up trying.

That's why we're finishing last night's release tonight! Expect the following in the next few hours:

• 2 Undead Legion quests in the Underworld WITH permanent rewards
• 2 quests for Nulgath followers in the /tercess map WITH permanent rewards
• 1 quest for MechQuest fans to celebrate their finale

Legendary Hero Badge Fix Coming Tomorrow!

The purpose of a Private Test Realm server for Guilds is to BREAK ALL THE GUILD CITY THINGS (!!!!) and you are doing a FANTASTIC job of that! Yorumi has a loooooong list of things to fix on Monday. Today, in between entertaining a pack of rabid pre-schoolers who tunneled their way into the Ice-Cave to poke at his sword, he's been working on a fix for the Legendary Hero badge.

The Legendary Hero Badge will give ANYONE who has EVER upgraded in the history of AQWorlds access to the Legendary Hero Class and armor set! That is the awesome news. The less-awesome news is that, in order to prevent just ANYONE from gaining access to the gear reserved for Legends, he needs to modify the game engine.

Even Legends enjoy a good beach battle!

Earlier today, he fixed the issue, or so we thought... until we got reports that the shop OPENS, but no one can buy anything from it. Tonight he's been investigating how to make the Legendary Hero shop absolutely unexploitable while still functioning. He's breaking for the night to re-fuel his braincells and will resume fixing this seemingly-simple-but-actually-very-complex issue tomorrow.

July 26, 2013

Dage's Saga Finale Part 1

Battle through the Plane of Judgment to Dage's Palace!

Fight your way through the Plane of Judgment and battle Rhadymanthys, Aeacus and Minos to prove your strength! This installment ends the first half of the Scorned Saga, but it will continue in 2014. Until then, keep battling creatures from the underworld to convince Dage that you're worthy to enter his palace!

This battle's heating up!

Awesome new rare item shops from Nulgath and Dage!

Nulgath is back, and he's got a fiendishly-orange new set for you! Available through the Game Menu in BattleOn, his new Rares shop includes:

• ArchFiend of Nulgath Armor 
• ArchFiend Wings of Nulgath (Cape)
• Toxic Stare of Nulgath (Helm)
• Horned DeathGaze of Nulgath (Helm)
• Dual Toxic Bloodletters of Nulgath (Cape)
• Toxic Bloodletter of Nulgath Katana
• Bloodblade of Nulgath
• Facebreaker of Nulgath (Mace)
• SoulSkewer of Nulgath (Staff)
• JaggedReaper of Nulgath (Polearm)
• SightBlinder Axe of Nulgath
• Acid Orb of Nulgath Pet 
• Fiend Orb of Nulgath Pet (Legend-only)

ArchFiend Gear... if you prove yourself worthy!

And members of Dage's Undead Legion will love his gorgeous new dark archer gear! Talk to Dage in Battleon to pick up these rares:

• Underworld Archer Armor
• Bow of Judgement
• Poisoned Darts Quiver Cape
• Poisoned Darts Hip-Quiver Cape
• Deathstare Helm
• Otherworldly Deathstare Helm
• One-Eyed Archer Drow Helm
• Eagle-Eye Archer Drow Helm

For more info (and more pics!), read Alina's full post here on all the rare gear: 

Dark, Undeadly, Destructive!

New Pets, New Gear, New Shops!

• We've got some new Moglin pets for July! Inspired by the newly released Wolverine and Smurfs movies, you can let Weapon M or Moglette accompany you on your travels through Lore. Or pick up the new royal Moglin baby, Prince Georgie of Lore!
  
  
• There's also a new MechQuest shop celebrating our favorite sci-fi game's finale! Defend Lore and all other worlds with the deadly Shadowscythe Mecha suit!
  
  
• Don't forget to check out Solrac's Featured Artist shop before it leaves! Now accessible from the Shops page of the game menu.
  
  Here's a rundown of Solrac's mountain of sweet gear!
  

Don't forget the new Guild release!

AQWorlds Legends can help us test Guild Cities! Check out Alina's Design Notes post for more information on all of the new Guild Cities functionalities.

Upgrade your account to help us break the game!

Aaaaand here's the new GameStop Combo Breaker set!

When you upgrade to test those new Guild Cities, buy your card from GameStop and you'll get this exclusive Combo Breaker set! Available only from July 25 through August 11, 2013. How do you get this set once you've used your card, you ask? Check out the Combo Breaker Breakdown for full instructions! 

C-c-c-combo Breaker!

July 26, 2013

Break the Guild Cities!

Upgrade to help test Guilds Phase II: Guilds Cities!

When the world is falling to Chaos, it helps to have a few Good (or Evil) companions to battle alongside you... and THAT is why we introduced the Guilds system late last year! But every Guild needs a base to call home, headquarters to plan from and hang out in. So we built a way for YOU to build your Guild a City!

Link the first frame of your Guild City to many more!

Yorumi has been HARD at work on Guilds Phase II since last September (except when he gets interrupted, which is almost all of the time). Tonight, he's finally ready to release the Private Test Realm on Evil Sir Ver!

Guilds Phase II: Guild Cities Breakdown

Read on to learn what the Guilds Phase II: Guild Cities Private Test Realm is all about, and get ready to BREAK ALL THE THINGS (in your Guild City. Don't break the rest of the game)!

• Legends can join the Private Test Realm server on Evil Sir Ver to begin testing – and BREAKING – the new Guild Cities functionality.
  • This is the Alpha release of Guilds Phase II: Guild Cities, and we need your help breaking it to make it AWESOME!
  • More functionality and bug fixes will continue to be added to the Guilds PTR in the coming weeks.
  • Report all bugs to the Bug Tracker at Artix.com/Bugs!

Life's a beach, so build a Guild Hall on it!

• Guild Cities and Halls WILL break, Yorumi WILL fix them
• Guild Leaders can /join GuildHall to create the first plot of land in your Guild City!
• During the PTR, Guild Leaders and Officers can expand their Guild City buy purchasing more plots of  land for gold. When Guild Cities release to all servers, those extra areas will cost AdventureCoins.

• Each area of the City has a customizable path which allows the Guild Leader and Guild Officers to connect extra plots of land to it.
• All Guild Members (Leaders, Officers, and Recruits) are allowed to buy buildings for their Guild City.
  
  Things are heating up in THIS Guild City!
  
  
• All Guild Items (Buildings, plots of land, Guild Hall decorations, etc) remain with the Guild Member if they leave the Guild.
  • Guild Leaders can place Guild Items owned by their Guild Members, but will lose access to those items if the Guild Member leaves the Guild.
• During the PTR, Guild Cities may be reset, but Guild Members will not lose any items they’ve purchased.

• Ownership of a Guild cannot be transferred. Officers can continue to run the Guild, or it can be disbanded and recreated with a new Leader.

A peaceful town... until Guilds Phase III: GvG!

• Guild Leaders can view the Guild Inventories of their Guild Members. (Guild Leader ability only.)
• /Guildreset – only Guild Leader can use, resets Guild back to nothing. We're not sure what will happen... so if you do it, log and and back in to see what happens!
• Leaders and Officers can buy, place anything. Recruits can only buy and use shop items, cannot place them.
• May be some lag when clearing Guild Hall. Lag on PTR is NOT a bug, it is a test!
• If something appears to break in your city, 1^st log out, then re-log in and check your Hall.

This is the COOLEST Guild City!

• Testing parameters:
  • Try to connect Guild Hall paths in as many ways as possible.
  • If it breaks, try to re-create the problem. (Make it happen AGAIN!)
  • If you /join guildhall and your character disappears, it’s broken! Relog and try again.
  • When things break, tell us about it on the Artix.com Bug Tracker with AS MANY DETAILS as possible!

G-ARRRRR-d your Guild Hall!

• Aiming to release next week:
  • Decorating the insides of your Guild City buildings
  • Purchase NPCs for your Guild City with Guild-member exclusive shops and functionality
    • Anything you can currently do by talking to an NPC in the rest of the game, we can do with Guild NPCs!
  • Guilds Phase II: Guild Cities PTR rewards:
    • Guild City Founder Trophy! Show to all visitors that your Guild City was one of the first ever created!
    • Guild Hall Founder Shop! Exclusive Guild Hall decorations!

Remember: Please help us keep all the bug reports in one place. Post ALL Guild City bugs to the Bug Tracker at Artix.com/Bugs!

Be one of the first to found your Guild City!

July 25, 2013

Rare Gear is Almost Here

Followers of Dage and Nulgath: FALL IN!

As Chaos rises, heroes around Lore gather together, massing into armies and swearing allegiance to whichever Dark, Light, or Fiendish power seems strongest. Tomorrow, Dage the Evil and Nulgath the Archfiend rewards their loyal followers and seek out new blood. Each has created a Rares shop full of gear AND new reward challenges for those who have already paid their dues.

New Gear from Nulgath the ArchFiend!

Find Nulgath the ArchFiend (or what appears to be him) deep in his Lair. The first challenge is finding it! You won't have to look hard for the ArchFiend Rares shop, though: it will be in your Game Menu with tomorrow night's release!

Nulgath's Rares shop will include:

• ArchFiend of Nulgath Armor 
• ArchFiend Wings of Nulgath (Cape)
• Toxic Stare of Nulgath (Helm)
• Horned DeathGaze of Nulgath (Helm)
• Dual Toxic Bloodletters of Nulgath (Cape)
• Toxic Bloodletter of Nulgath Katana
• Bloodblade of Nulgath
• Facebreaker of Nulgath (Mace)
• SoulSkewer of Nulgath (Staff)
• JaggedReaper of Nulgath (Polearm)
• SightBlinder Axe of Nulgath
• Acid Orb of Nulgath Pet 
• Fiend Orb of Nulgath Pet (Legend-only)

Find Nulgath the ArchFiend to begin his NEW reward challenge quests* for:

• BloodBlade of Nulgath BATTLE PET! (Legend-Only)
• Dual BloodBlades of Nulgath
• Dual SightBlinder Axes of Nulgath
• Dual Facebreaker Maces of Nulgath

* These will remain in-game permanently!

The ArchFiend Class is in production and will release soon. Watch the Design Notes for more news on our next Class!

New Gear from Dage the Evil!

Hurry to the Underworld, because tomorrow is the finale of Part 1 of the Dage Scorned Saga! This dark and deadly adventure will continue next year... but Dage's rare Underworld Archer set will only be here for a limited time! Find Dage in Battleon to access his rares shop or begin battling through the shadows towards his palace!

Dage's Rares shop will include:

• Underworld Archer Armor
• Bow of Judgement
• Poisoned Darts Quiver Cape
• Poisoned Darts Hip-Quiver Cape
• Deathstare Helm
• Otherworldly Deathstare Helm
• One-Eyed Archer Drow Helm
• Eagle-Eye Archer Drow Helm

Talk to Dage in Battleon to join the Undead Legion, then begin his NEW reward challenge quests** for:

• Legion Archer Armor
• Legion Deathstare Helm
• Otherworldly Legion Deathstare Helm
• Gutripper Daggers
• Legion Deathdealer Blade and Shield

**These will remain in-game permanently.

Friday Release of ZOMG!!!

Battle your way through the Underworld to dominate the darkness in the Dage Scorned Part 1 finale... and take down the 3 Judges of Dage's Underworld! This is the LAST barrier you must cross before encountering the Ruler of the Undead Legion!

And don't miss:

• Guilds Phase II PTR on Evil Sir Ver! Upgrade your account to create and expand your Guild City!
• MechQuest Finale Celebration Shop and quests!
• Moglerine, Moglette, and Li'l Prince Moglin pets!

July 25, 2013

Metrocon 2013

Meet the AE Team this weekend

Want to meet the team and talk about video games? The Metrocon Convention in taking place this weekend at the convention center in Tampa, FL. The Artix Entertainment team & I will be running a panel on Saturday. They gave us a 2-hour time slot. Hahaha, boy are they going to be sorry. Maybe we can have the staff fight to the death for your amusement. Or maybe we will make a game. Or maybe we can... hmmm, we will think of something. We hope you will come join us!

Artix Entertainment Panel at Metrocon this weekend

• This Saturday, July 27th @ 11am
• Panel Room 22-23
• Official Metrocon Website

If you are going, please send me a tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

July 24, 2013

Combo Breaker at GameStop

Buy an Artix Game Card to Unlock the Set!

If you live in the United States and you've got a GameStop location nearby, head over and pick up an Artix Upgrade Card to unlock the ultimate in disruptive gear: the Combo Breaker armor set AND Artix Points (use Artix Points to upgrade your account or purchase Adventure Coins)! 

C-c-c-combo Breaker!

Redeem your card between July 25th and August 25th to unlock the special Combo Breaker Offer! 

With this gear, you can break more than just combos!

How to Get Your Combo Breaker Set!

1. Purchase an Artix Gamecard at GameStop.
   
   
2. Use the game card PIN code by logging in to your Artix Account here: Redeem Artix Card Codes.  You will receive Artix Points and also be given a free Prize Code.
   
   
   
3. To view and use your free Prize Code, use the Enter prize code web page.
   
   
   
4. Select your AQWorlds game account, choose your character.
   
   
   
   
5. You now have the Badge on your character.  To access a special shop, log into AQ Worlds, to play.   Then go to the Badges tab in your Book of Lore.
   
       The Book of Lore is on your task bar.
   
                              
       The Badges Tab in your Book of Lore. 
6. Click on the Other Badges button.
   
       The Other Badges button in your Book of Lore.
    
7. Scroll through your badges to find the Combo Breaker.
   
      Click the Shop button to get your gear!
    
8. Click the Shop button to access your GameStop Combo Breaker set!

 
Game On at GameStop!

July 24, 2013

Interview with an Arch-Lich

Alternate Reality Interview Series #1

The door to my cell opened, flooding it with a harsh, burning light. I covered my face with my arms and made pathetic mewling noises while trying desperatly to move back into the darkness. 

"Come on, Notsgnal. Your interview with Dage has to go up tomorrow."

It was Alina. I had, of course, forgotten all about the interview I was supposed to conduct. Time in the cage flows like a swirling miasma of despair. I could've been told to interview Dage yesterday or 3 weeks ago. For all I know, the enitre assignment could simply be some fever dream of malnourishment and anguish.

I blink rapidly, eyes adjusting to the light. I don my flax potato sack, the only garment allowed to me. Alina brings her inquisitors in, who shackle my hands and feet. They shepherd me with thier cattle prods from the cell I call home into the blinding paradise of the underground lab. Alina is saying something, but its impossible to hear her over the roar of the tropical waterfall that disguises the lab's entrance. I ask for clarification, but this earns me a swift jolt from the cattle prod weilding inquisitors. I'm not allowed to speak until told to. My stomach grumbles as we pass by the Fountain of Infinite Chocolate Fondue. It has been a month since they last fed me. I've had to subsist off of the rats that were clumsy enough to bumble too close to my filthy, grasping fingers. We finally pass through the wormhole that leads to Dage's eldritch office. Everything goes black. When my vision returns, I am seated at a long table. Opposite of my is Dage himself. At the head of the table, Yorumi is idly arguing politics with her sword.

"You ready to do this?" Dage asks

I see a tape recorder in front of me. I push the record button, and pray that I can remember all of the qustions I have to ask. The punishment for failure is too dire to think about. 

How did you come up with your NPC?

Well when I was a kid, I was really inspired by Hades from the Hercules movie. You know, the guy with the flaming blue hair? It started with that, and obviously there’s The Lich King from Warcraft. I got really into that game as a kid. The image of Arthas really had a big impact. But I didn’t want to just clone the Lich King, so I ended up touching base with the Hades route.

Where does the name Dage the Evil come from?

It was actually created in a name generator from Final Fantasy 11. It’s actually been with me for quite some time, I’m not sure how many years now.

So it’s your online handle?

Well it started as a handle, and then it became more…(He pauses for a moment). You know, we all kind of have a second personality inside of ourselves. Dage became what I named that personality.

Where do you get your inspiration from in terms of Drawing?

It’s something that I’ve been pre-programmed to do. I just have these urges, you know, where I  just consistently have to draw. I can only get my head to shut up after the ideas are out onto the paper.

How did you find AE?

I’m not exactly 100% sure, but I think it started with massive amounts of searching the internet out of sheer boredom. I finally came across the Adventure Quest site. When I first started, I only played for about 30 or 40 minutes, and I came back maybe a year later and actually started playing. It reminded me of a 2-D Final Fantasy. At the time, there was nothing else like it.

Can I be a mod?

No.

What did you do before joining AE?

(Sighs) I wasn’t really doing much. I worked at Abercrombie and Fitch, which was a pretty dead-end job. [Working there], I found out that I had no patience for anything except doing art.  When it came to working and stuff I was like “Man, I’m gonna be screwed”. I just can’t keep my mind on anything. I ended up getting fired from that job, obviously, for not working (Chuckles). I was going to go into the army, because, you know, college wasn’t working out, and you gotta make money. I figured the army was the only alternative. But then I found out I was color deficient while I was in the army, so it blacklisted a bunch of jobs. I couldn’t even be basic infantry. At the same time, though, I had an offer from Artix, because I had been doing volunteer work for AQW for quite some time out of my home in Houston. So they flew me down here to see if I would like this better than going into the army. Me and my dad had a talk: If AE didn’t work out after a year I’d go back to doing the whole army thing. Clearly, I stayed. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

What do you like most about working here?

The environment is just perfect for being creative. It’s so open. I don’t really feel pressured. I don’t have horrible bosses breathing down my neck to get stuff done. I feel the freedom to be creative. They unleash me into the art world.

When you were growing up, did you have any idea of what you wanted to be?

From a very young age, I knew I was going to be doing some sort of art. Originally I wanted to be an architect, because I had a real big thing with legos as well. I thought maybe it would translate into architecture, but when I started playing Diablo II at age 12, those images just got cemented into my mind. All the armor, and the equipment, and all the stuff that you could find: I had to draw those things. I had to draw all the variations of different armors. I guess you could say that there was where my love for drawing equipment came from.

What inspired you to pick up Flash?

I was actually never inspired to pick it up. I used to imitate the AQW style through photoshop using the line tool, and I thought I was using Flash. Turns out I was just mocking it. They had offered to take me on to the dev team and use Flah, but I had no idea how. I picked up flash on the job. J6 showed me the ropes for about 2 weeks and from there, I took it upon myself to keep going with it.

Do you hang out after work with other AE team members?

You know, I’m actually quite an anti-social person. Art has made me into a hermit, so sadly, no. I would like to, but there’s certain nervousness, like, I have to get back to art  and there’s no time to hang out with other people and…I don’t know. Its like I’m on a ball and chain with art.

What your average daily schedule?

I do about 8 hours of Flash a day, 5 days a week. Most weeks, I’ll draw every day after work. I’ve been in kind of a rut, but I usually try to get 3 to 5 hours of sketching or digital paint in. So its about 13 hours a day of art.

Wow.

Yeah, it doesn’t stop. Except for the weekend, I try not to draw on the weekends. I have the urge to, but I know I shouldn’t. It’s kind of an addiction, really.

If you could master a different skill besides art, what would it be?

Sword-fighting.

Sword-fighting?

Yeah, I’ve actually taken up an interest in dueling and stuff. I actually have a fitness gym based around dueling and swords, but without the whole renaissance feel to it. Its more like an MMA kind of thing.

MMA sword-fighting. That’s hardcore.

Yeah, that’s the only bad thing about art. I have some physical things that I want to get into, but it keeps you firmly planted in your seat.

Do you ever meet any offsite AE team members?

Well, if they come by the office for a tour, then yeah. There’s some of the fans that I’ll go and hang out with if they're nearby. Like Laiken. Every now and then I’ll meet up with him.

Do you learn things from players like they do from you?

Of course. I get a ton of feedback from them that I try to work into my stuff. I can’t just be creating what I want to see. If I do that, than it only appeals to me and that small niche of people who happen to like my style.  I try to cater to everyone. And that kinda hard to do, because you have to cater to everyone with, like, 2 sets a week. But yeah, I do try to take in their info.

What do you want to do in AQW with Dage next?

I’d really like to do more with his story. I’m not the best background artist, so a lot of the assets I want to create and show the players, I don’t get to put out there. My brain is just spent from trying to create all these different sets and other stuff, it’s like there’s nothing left, you know?

What is your favorite AE release? What about your favorite release from AQW?

The Carnax Saga used to be a huge motivation for me for a very long time. That’s easily my favorite. From AQW, probably the Desoloth saga, cause thats one of the releases I actually had a lot to do with, in terms of planning and creating assets. Plus the dragons were awesome. They weren’t just normal, common dragons that you see all the time. They were embodiments of a certain element. And Desoloth, when it all came together…(he smiles). And that was at a point when I figured out some new artistic techniques that were really making things go by faster. I think I pumped out like 6 armors, Desoloth, and all the other dragons in, like, 2 weeks.

If you weren’t working at AE, what would you be doing? I know that we already kinda covered that-

Yeah, but at the same time, I would still be doing art. That’s my main drive. I don’t want to say where else I would work, but there are other places out there as well. But they’re not in my focus. I’d like to stay with AE as much as possible.

Do you have any ideas that aren’t implemented in the game?

Oh, plenty. But that’s the nature of the beast. Some things make it in, some things don’t.

What is your favorite food?

Uh, I would have to say sushi. I try to get the weirdest stuff possible, you know. Stuff that no one wants to eat.

Can you give me an example?

Sea slugs and stuff like that. There’s some strange attraction to eating the weirdest stuff possible. I also love that Andrew Zimmerman show, where he goes around eating all that weird food from around the world.

Which one is that? Is it Man Versus Food?

Well there’s Man Versus Food and uhh…Do you know it Yorumi?

(From across the room) Know what?

The Andrew Zimmerman show where he eats all that strange food from around the world.

I have no idea. I know it from The Soup, but I don’t know the name of it.

Oh well.

What have you done around the office that you would consider unusual?

Some days I walk around in armor, or with a sword. Any weapon I can get my hands on around here I usually carry around. I’m actually going to have a duel in about five minutes.

A duel? With who?

Zazul. He’s pretty crazy at dueling.

Well, that’s all the questions that I and the players have for you. Thanks for obliging me.

Yeah, I’m pretty curious to see how their gonna react to this.

(We end the interview by engaging in a celebratory fist bump.)

My vision once again goes black. I come to in my cell, woken by the insistent shocks from the inquisitors. Alina nods in approval at my winces of pain.

"The interview was well done.  So well done, in fact, that I'm considering doing more of them in the coming weeks."

Its a trap. If I respond, the inquisitors will shock me for speaking without permission. If I don't, I'll be forced to continue with the interviews. I keep my mouth shut. At least I have a chance to succeed without punishment if I take Alina's way out. After they leave, I take a smuggled Artix action figure out of my potato sack. I managed to grab a defective one out of the Merchandise warehouse trash bin without the guards noticing. I rub it on the rough stone floor vigourously to sharpen the plastic into a cruel point. This will make a fine rat shank. I will not go hungry tonight.

July 23, 2013

So much Solrac!

Today’s Featured Artist Shop

It’s Tuesday! And that means another Featured Artist Showcase Shop will arrive later this afternoon!

Last week, millions of players in your favorite online adventure game ascended into the Archangel tier with Aranx’s angelic items. Today is your last chance at getting the Rare Plate of Hope Armor, the Spear of Ador, and the Wings of Faith. Other items in this shop will return at a later date—but why wait THAT LONG when you can harness celestial power right now?

Awesome shot, Dominic1023 and Friends!!

Log into Battleon, click the “Featured Artist Shop” button in the game menu that pops up, and embrace the divinity of Aranx!

Solrac Spoilers!

Later this afternoon, Solrac’s Shop will replace Aranx’s. Feast your eyes on the sweet Solrac spoilers arriving this afternoon!

• Solrac V2 Armor—Rare!
• Solrac’ Staff—Rare!
• Lil Solrac Pet — Legends
• Singularity TechCannon—Rare!
• V2 Cowl—Rare!
• V2 Swoop Cowl—Rare!
• V2 Visor—Rare!
• V2 Visor—Rare!

• Solrac Devoid Armor — Legends
• Devoid TechCannon
• Devoid Swoop Magitech Visor — Legends
• Solrac’s Devoid Magitech Visor — Legends
• Devoid Magitech Staff — Legends

• Bunny Bonnet Color Custom
• Pink Bunny Ears Bonnet
• Keytar — Legends
• Rainbow Lollipop

Give a shout-out to Solrac on his Twitter!

The Solrac Scoop

Solrac is a hero at heart, relentlessly attempting to defeat forces of evil—most of which are far too strong from him to handle. One such attempt left him mortally wounded, but with the divine healing powers of Aranx, Solrac was given a second chance at life. Solrac was also granted the gift of restoration, allowing him to partially recover from injuries. Turning to technology, he began repairing himself, improving himself, and making himself stronger—but these alterations come at a hefty price: with each new modification, a part of his sanity is stripped away. One of Solrac’s injuries left him mute, although he can still communicate via scroll scribing using his magical abilities.

In the real world, Solrac was born on February 28, 1902 (yeah, he looks dang good for his age) in the fabled lands of Chicago, Illinois. Solrac’s artistic inspiration comes from Hip-Hop and Comic Books, and has always dreamed of being able to pay his bills with his art. In March 2011, Solrac’s dream became his reality once he became AQWorlds’ ‘Maker of Random Stuffs’. Impressive job title, I must say! Solrac also loves Gummi Bears and Candy, and the sugary sweetness of treats fuels Solrac’s equally sweet artistic talents!

Sweet! I can't wait!

xoxo Beleen!

July 22, 2013

Metrocon 2013

Meet the AE Team at our panel on Saturday!

Want to meet the team and talk about video games? The Metrocon Convention in taking place this weekend at the convention center in Tampa, FL. The Artix Entertainment team & I will be running a panel on Saturday. They gave us a 2-hour time slot. Hahaha, boy are they going to be sorry. Maybe we can have the staff fight to the death for your amusement. Or maybe we will make a game. Or maybe we can... hmmm, we will think of something. We hope you will come join us!

Artix Entertainment Panel at Metrocon this weekend

• This Saturday, July 27th @ 11am
• Panel Room 22-23
• Official Metrocon Website

If you are going, please send me a tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

July 22, 2013

The Final Judgment!

Travel to the Plane of Judgment this Friday

You have fearlessly fought across the Isle of Fotia. Then you dove deep into the dark depths of the Underworld and confronted the 9 Guilty Joys. You traversed the River Acheron with Charon the Ferryman, defeated the Styx Hydra, and slayed Dage’s 3-headed hound Cerberus.

The gates leading into Dage’s kingdom will finally open Friday evening! Stroll through the surreal Field of Asphodels, survive the Vale of Mourning, and meet the 3 Judges of the Underworld: Rhadamanthys, Minos, and Aeacus!

The brave heroes who meet Dage’s Judges will be fairly trialed… in accordance to Dage’s understanding of “fair.” You will be judged on:

• your overall performance as a hero or villain
• Dage’s standards as a Dark Lord
• and on your relationship to Dage!

The 3 Judges guard the entrance to Dage’s Palace. Only if you prove your worth to them will you possibly gain admittance to the Dark Lord’s throne!

Oh and OF COURSE there’s going to be epic item rewards for the victorious.

Speaking of Victory…

We’ve got a bunch of sweet loot headed your way!

• Tuesday’s Featured Artist Shop: Solrac!
• Rare Dage items arriving Friday
• Combat Dage’s Rares with Nulgath’s Rares on Friday
• New quests for new gear in Tercessuinotlim
• MechQuest Finale Shop & quests 

Evil vs Evil!

Find the Archfiend Armor (NOT the Class), Blade, and more in Nulgath's Rares shop this Friday! The Legend-onlyFiendish Blade BattlePet and other gear for ALL players will be added to quests in the /Tercessuinotlim map Friday, too!

Talk to Dage in Battleon or in the Soulforge for the Undead Legion Rares shop! Members of the Undead Legion will be able to quest for Legion-exclusive gear (got your Legion Tokens ready?)!

Looks like you’ve got A LOT to do before release Friday night! If you haven’t already, catch up on Dage’s Underworld adventures by /join fotia, travel to /join tercessuinotlim to embark on Nulgath’s insane zone, and head to MechQuest.com and play through the beginning of the finale!

Next Week: Quibble Arrives

Everyone’s favorite traveling sales Moglin has just booked his ticket back to Battleon! Next week, Quibble will bring a bunch of never-before-seen items that will rock the entire (AQ)world.

Keep an eye on the Design Notes later this week for spoiler previews!

Until then… Battle on!

xoxo Beleen

July 19, 2013

Our Heroes: AQW Legends

Unlock the Legendary Hero Class when you Upgrade!

Since AdventureQuest Worlds began in 2008, we have always called our upgraded players "Members." That's pretty easy to understand, because they buy memberships to unlock exclusive gear, content, and bonus extras (like server boosts) ... AND help keep the servers running (and the developers fed)!

Get 15% MORE Class Points and REP all weekend!

Without the support they give the game, we would not be able to stay online or allow free players to enjoy the full main storyline and unlimited access to our servers. That's why we keep releasing new gear, storylines, and challenge fights that only they can access.

Unlock exclusive content when you upgrade!

But earlier this year, we stopped and thought to ourselves... "Hunh. All of our other games have AWESOME names for their upgraded players. We should, too!" As one of my Twitter followers put it, "Member sounds like something you become at Sam's Club." And he was right. So a couple months ago, we started preparing to make the change...

From Member to Legend!

From now on, we will begin referring to our upgraded players as Legends. You'll also hear AQW Legends, Legends of Lore, and Legendary Heroes. Why did we make the change? Because you haven't signed up for a book club... you are here to SAVE THE WORLD! And you need a name that reflects that.

Pictured: YOU! Our Legendary Hero!

That's why we created the Legendary Hero Class! Legendary Heroes favor Strength to guard their allies and Endurance to stay alive. Legendary Heroes gain mana when they: Strike an enemy in combat or are struck by an enemy in combat! So you know that no matter what happens in battle, you've got a way to regain the mana you need to demolish your opponents!

How To Get the Legendary Hero Class!

If you currently have an active upgraded account, then talk to Ragnar in Battleon (he's wearing the Class armor!) to open the Legend-Only Legendary Hero Class Shop! NEXT week, anyone who has EVER upgraded their account will find the Legendary Hero badge in their Book of Lore and can access the 0 AC Class AND armor from that shop!

Upgrade from the in-game payment window, on the web, or through the Portal.

Guide to Naming to AQW Heroes!

So... what will all the different types of players be called now?

• Upgraded players: Legends
• Upgraded players (active or in the past) and AC purchasers: "our supporters"* 
• Free players: either "free players" or "heroes"**

* We've used this term since AQW started, and it won't change.
** We will not be using the term "non-Legends"

Thank you, Legends of Lore!

On behalf of the AQWorlds team and the rest of the Artix Entertainment family, I want to thank you for supporting us by purchasing Upgrades and AdventureCoins. I get to go to an AMAZING job each day, working with people who have become more than friends... and it's all because YOU support AQW. 

A.Q.Double-YOU!

We hope you enjoy the Legendary Hero Class (and all the other Legend-only perks!) because we couldn't keep making AQWorlds without your support! We are so grateful you've battled alongside us through the crazy-awesome releases of 2013, and we can't wait to begin the next Chaos Saga with your help!

So get ready for a Chaotic ride, because whispers are flying, and over the coming weeks, the beginning of the end of the Chaos Saga will start. The 12th Chaos Lord is almost ready to strike... and Drakath is keeping a close eye on you, Hero!

July 19, 2013

MORE Swanky Gear from Aranx

Find His Featured Artist shop in Your Game Menu!

Fight for the Light when you join the ranks of the followers of Aranx! Our Featured Artist for the weekhas just released NEW items for his shop. Find it in your Game Menu this weekend; time is running out before the shop leaves, and no one knows when it will return!

Will you walk in the light or follow the darkness?

#YOLO, so Look Good While Doing It!

Find the White and Black Tailcoat armor sets in your Game Menu now! All of the new items will go rare, so you have until the countdown timer hits 0 Tuesday evening to get your hands on them!

The shop contains AC and Legend versions of:

• Black Tailcoat
• White Tailcoat
• Swanky White Tophat
• Swanky Black Tophat
• White Tophat 'n Tresses
• Black Tophat 'n Tresses
• White Horsehead Cane
• Black Horsehead Cane

And a free-player gold version of the Golden Horsehead Cane!

July 19, 2013

Calling all Legendary Heroes

Help the Druids Defeat the Void Invasion!

Travel back into the past to battle alongside the Druids of Greenguard Forest as creatures from deep inside the Void flood into their territory! The Loremasters know little of what happened, and hope that Lore's Legendary Heroes can find out more! 

Upgrade to unlock this new tale in Greenguard!

Talk to Loremaster Lydia in Greenguardwest, or /join Druids to begin the adventure! Lydia's quests require Rank 3 Loremaster Rep in order to begin; talk to Loremaster Maya in Battleontown to begin training that... and someday YOU will be the master of lore on Lore!

Each of Lydia's quests has a chance to drop elemental-themed weapons, too!

Elder Ironwood's Druid Rares Shop!

All heroes can access Elder Ironwood's Druid Rares shop from their Game Menu! Take on the appearance of an Elk Clan Druid and be at peace with the forest. All of this gear will go rare in a few weeks, so make sure you grab it now or you'll miss your chance to battle au nature-al!

Horns + helm = headgear AND weapons in one!

July 18, 2013

Letter from the Dragon Priestess

Beware the Whispers, Hero!

I am so glad our paths crossed! You do not know me, though you may think you remember who I am. We have never met, but I know you well. I know ALL of you well! And that is why I have traveled so far. I did not think to leave my grove, but when the letter came from Falconreach, I knew I had to travel FAST.

You never know when the whispers will come. The knowledge you need is inside you. The whispers of your past are only heard NOW.

Whispers are floating through the air. Chaos - or something claiming to BE Chaos - has begun talking directly to the Heroes of Lore. 

Bells are ringing over Swordhaven. Bells no one can hear. Ringing ringing... ringing in the change to come. 

They began in Swordhaven, but heroes across Lore have begun hearing them. They spread rumors of Chaos, of fear, of failure.

Dreams and blades and chicken eggs. Soon you will know how they feel.

Lady Celestia has always watched over Lore's heroes.

This has never happened before, and it is NOT a good sign. The stronger the Champion of Chaos grows, the more danger we are all in. I MUST see King Alteon before it is too late!

If you can hear this you have been targeted by Chaos. Your destiny is known.

Though I know the royal family is busy preparing for the coming ceremony, they WILL need to listen to me. The danger is only growing greater, and I fear that no dragon magic - or Dragon's magic - will be enough to save us unless we begin preparing NOW! 

Chaos is like a cat. When you understand why you will be one step closer to conquering me.

You have done so much, and it is only because you have that we have a chance to triumph. We depend on you, Hero. Whatever you do...

I will leave you with one final thought... for now. Beware the doomsayers and nightmare children. Prophecies are only dangerous when they come true.

DO NOT listen to the whispers! 

(It's been too long since I wrote a story Design Notes! Thanks for all the excellent feedback on this one, guys! Glad you enjoyed it. - Alina)

July 18, 2013

Incursion

The Void comes to ancient GreenGuard...

I see you going about your life. I’m just outside. There isn’t a lot to do out here but watch. So that’s what I do. I watch. I’m always watching. I watch you quest and slay, I watch you gather and laugh with your friends. I watch you explore and grow. I watch you eat, and breathe, and live, and die. I watch you go to sleep, wondering what tomorrow will bring. I’m always watching. I’m just outside. It’s cold out here. Cold and so, so lonely.

Let me in.

I can feel that maybe, deep in your heart of hearts, you’re lonely too. Let’s be friends. We’ll quest and slay together, laugh together, eat, breathe and live together. Die. Forever and for always. Until the end of all things. You and I. Just let me in. Let me in. Let me in. LetmeinLetmeinpleaseplease

PLEASEPLEASELETMEINLETMEINLETMEIN-

There’s no specific date for when the Void Incursion began. Spirits and elementals from that eldritch place had been materializing in GreenGuard for quite some time. No one can say when they became organized. It was I who first theorized the concept of a unifying intellect. I took the Elk Clan into hiding. Finding this intellect would be our way of fighting off the invasion.

The Eagle Clan dropped out of contact on the day that I tapped into the hive mind. I have lost count of the days since then. Every waking moment is a battle against the intruder in my head. When I sleep the dreams come, and sometimes, when I wake, the dreams stay. I am left walking through the nightmarish, rotting corridors of my own mind.

I have to stay secluded from the rest of my tribe. To see their Elder in such a state at such a trying time may be too much for them. Now that I have seen into the consciousness that is commanding the void forces, I know that this is a task that must be shouldered, no matter the cost to myself. There are more living, sentient beings besides the druids living on this fragile world, and I would not wish the fate that the void has in mind on any of them.

I can’t confront my tribe until I can keep the dreams under control, or at least competently pretend that I am in good health. But so often these days my mind is not my own. Sometimes I can feel this presence looking at me. It makes me feel cold. Cold and lonely. Sometimes I hear it talk, and I can’t distinguish the sound of it’s voice from my own. The only way for me to fight is to watch it back.

And so I say to this voice, this consciousness, I know you’re out there. And I’m watching you. I’m always watching. There isn’t a lot to do but watch.

Authors note: It isn’t often that I get the chance to speak personally to you all. The support and feedback that I’ve received from this community is nothing short of staggering. Words can’t describe the depths of my gratitude. So thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Tomorrow will be the advent of my first in-game release, and without your comments on the forums and on twitter, the AQ Worlds team would not have let me out of my cage for long enough to write it. Also, if it does well enough, they’ll actually feed me this week. Here’s hoping!

Yours,
Notsgnal

(P.S: To those who want to know how to pronounce my name, don’t worry about it. Just call me Nots or something.)

July 18, 2013

Legendary Hero Class

We need a (Legendary) Hero!

So. You say you’re a Legend in Lore. But can you prove it? Starting this Friday, if you upgrade your account, you'll unlock the Legendary Hero Class, then you absolutely ARE a Legend!

Legendary Heroes stand for all that is good, just, and righteous, protecting the entire world of Lore from Chaos Lords, ferocious beasts, and… bankruptcy!

This unique Class was a special gift to ALL upgraded Legends (formerly known as “Members”) who support—or have supported—AQWorlds. If you are a Legend, or upgraded your Membership at least once, check your email inbox for a special thank-you letter from Artix himself. Then, log into AQWorlds for your free boosts and Adventure Coins. Return tomorrow and begin to master the Legendary Hero Class!   

You know, it’s because of our wonderful Legends that the AQWorlds team can continue delivering brand-new releases for you and your friends to enjoy. You guys and gals totally rule =D

The Legendary Hero Class can now be found on the Lorepedia. Learn all about the Legendary Hero’s Base Stats, Skills, and Passive Abilities! Just click the pic above.

How To Get the Legendary Hero Class!

Starting tomorrow, talk to Ragnar in Battleon (he'll be back!) to open the Legend-Only Legendary Hero Shop! NEXT week, anyone who has EVER upgraded their account will find the Legendary Hero badge in their Book of Lore and can access the 0AC Class AND armor from that shop!

Testers will continue balancing the Class until release tomorrow. Any stat numbers you see are subject to change!

Now take flight into the fight as the Legendary Hero Class!

xoxo Beleen

July 16, 2013

Aranx Ascends!

Today’s Featured Artist Shop

It’s Tuesday! And it’s time for another Featured Artist Showcase Shop!

You will find the brand-new Artist Shop in the Game Menu as soon as you log in. And this week we are featuring the amazing artwork of Aranx!

	Plate of Hope Armor Rare! 600 AdventureCoins
	Spear of Ardor Rare! 200 AdventureCoins
	Wings of Faith Rare! 120 AdventureCoins
	Divinity Bow 17,160 Gold for Members or 175 AdventureCoins
	Good Omen Warhammer 25,160 Gold for Members or 200 AdventureCoins
	Fierce Blessing Cape 13,337 Gold for Members or 125 AdventureCoins
	Wings of Infinity 50,000 Gold for Members or 200 AdventureCoins
	Celestial Warrior 25,500 Gold for Members or 435 AdventureCoins
	Celestial Warrior Cape 2,000 Gold
	Celestial Warrior Helmet 17,160 Gold for Members or 65 AdventureCoins
	Emerald Maripose Wings 13,337 Gold for Members or 100 AdventureCoins
	Twilight Monarch Wings 13,337 Gold for Members or 100 AdventureCoins
	Sunrise Heliconius Wings 13,337 Gold for Members or 100 AdventureCoins
	"No Particular Style" Hairstyle 500 Gold
	Fake Glasses Female 1,500 Gold
	Fake Glasses Male 1,500 Gold
	Windswept Hairstyle 500 Gold
	Hipster Sweatervest 19950 Gold for Members or 425 AdventureCoins
	Galaxy Outfit 19,950 Gold for Members or 250 AdventureCoins
	Wings of Hope 25,550 Gold for Members or 50 AdventureCoins

Who is Aranx?

The Archangel Aranx is shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about this Archangel… and he wants to keep it that way! His angelic attributes are expressed through his work and perhaps one day we will discover the past behind Aranx!

Aranx was born and raised in Denmark, and his artistic inspiration came from the beauty of art, cartoons, and the ocean. He is a huge fan Brenton Thwaites and loves to watch Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, and Nikita. Aranx started playing AdventureQuest a long, long time ago, and has worked with AQWorlds as an Assistant Artist for a year and a half now. Aranx’s favorite thing about AE is the art…and with his help, we are able to bestow unsurpassed beauty upon AQWorlds!

Discover your own artistic inspiration with Aranx’s Featured Artist Shop Items arriving later today!

xoxo Beleen

July 15, 2013

Monday Memorandum

and Member Mania!

Happy Monday! Did you have a fantastic weekend? Just wait and see what fun we have in store for you this week to make things even more fantastic!

Tuesday’s Featured Artist Shop

The Featured Artist Showcase Shop launches tomorrow afternoon! And this week we are showcasing the AMAZING art of Aranx!

Aranx is hailed for his beautiful art style, and come Tuesday afternoon, his creations will take flight into the fight!

Check back tomorrow for everything you need to know about Aranx and all his items with breakdowns of names and prices.

Members have ALL the Fun!

You love AdventureQuest Worlds. And AdventureQuest Worlds loves you too! Show your favorite MMO lots of love by becoming a Member today!

When you become a Member, you unlock amazing perks like:

• Create your own Guild and invite your friends
• 3,000+ items are Member-Only!
• Master more than 20 special Classes
• Wield powerful & rare Weapons
• Don yourself in amazing Armors
• Explore exclusive Member-Only Areas
• Dual-wield Swords & Shields
• Increase your Weapon damage
• Adopt hundreds of Pets
• Receive 2 free Treasure Chest Keys from Twilly at the first of every month
• Earn 50 ACs for each Treasure Chest Key you sell back
• And so much more!

And this week, our awesome Members are receiving:

• Special email with FREE gifts from Artix himself
• Game Testing for Guilds Phase II: Guild Cities
• Legendary Hero Class—brand new Skills!
• Legendary Hero Armor Set
• Name change from “AQW Member” to “Legend”

It is because of our wonderful Members who make AdventureQuest Worlds possible for everyone to enjoy! Without our Members...and coffee… your favorite fantasy game could have never accomplished everything bestowed before you... past, present, and future!

When you upgrade to a Member, not only are you scoring tons of Membership perks listed above, but you are also supporting and fueling the AQWorlds team so that we can continue pumping out new, exciting, and totally epic releases every week of the year. Thank you for making all of this possible =D

If you haven’t already done so…

xoxo Beleen

July 12, 2013

Overkill in the Underworld

Join us later today to take down the dreaded Hydra!

Login to catch up on all of this week's releases, because once the sun sets (and first wave of zombies are slain), you'll want to head back into the Underworld to take on the monstrous creatures that stalk the land of the (un)dead!

The Lord of the Dark Water awaits!

Talk to Charon in Battleon get the Lord of the Dark Waters armor and polearm*, then head straight for the Underworld to begin tonight's release!

In Charon's Dark Waters shop, you'll find:

• Lord of the Dark Waters armor: does 10% MORE damage to undead!
• Dark Ferryman's Scythe +5: does 5% MORE damage to undead!
• Boatman's Hood
• Boatman's Skull Mask

Defeat the Hydra to unlock the Gate Guardian battle!

• Tonight: Continue Dage’s Scorn saga
  • Meet Charon the Underworld Ferryman
  • Travel down the River Acheron
  • Traverse the Great Marsh of Styx
  • Encounter infamous Underworld Beasts
  • Collect unnerving Underworld loot from the merge shop
  • Unlock the gates leading to Dage’s Palace

* The AC version of the armor will go rare. The Member-only version in the release merge shop has different art and will remain in-game permanently!

LIVE: Shadowfire Emissary 1 Month Upgrade Offer!

Talk to Dredur in Battleon, take a look at the Specials Tab inside your in-game menu, or on the Portal site to find the Shadowfire Emissary 1 Month Upgrade package! The Shadowfire Empire is in peril, and if you're going to save it next year, now is the time to prepare! The Shadowfire Emissary 1 Month Upgrade AND the Shadowfire Emperor AdventureCoin packages are available now; will you answer the call of the Empire? 

Shadowfire Emissary Offer:

• Buy a 1 Month Upgrade package to unlock the color-custom armor set Emissary set!
• Unlock a new character page badge!

Shadowfire Emperor Offer:

• Buy any AdventureCoin package for $4.95 USD or more to unlock the color-custom Emperor set! 
• Unlock a new character page badge!

Rare Meme Moglin Pets Coming Tonight!

We love moglins and YOU love memes, so this Tuesday we combined two of our favorite things to make Memet's Meme Moglin shop! Check out Beleen's Design Notes post on all our other Meme Moglins, and prepare to rock it #TwignamStyle**! The Twignam Style pet comes in 3 styles, each with a different move.

Oppa Twignam Style!

If chillin' isn't your thing, then get ready to rage out with our multi-faced rage moglin! Click his head to change his expression!

Trollolololol!

** Pre-release challenge: Lets see if we can get #TwignamStyle trending on Twitter!

Two New Character Page Badges!

Talk to Artix or Vayle in the Necropolis to begin (or continue) the Blinding Light of Destiny and the Doom quest chains to unlock 2 new character page badges! These quest chains are some of the hardest in-game. It takes a truly determined Hero (and many MANY battles) to earn the right to equip the Blinding Light of Destiny Axe and Sepulchure's Armor!

Badges? Badges!!

New Functionality AND New Looks!

• Talk to Bev the Battle Beautician in Battleon tonight for 14 new hairstyles! She'll make sure you look fantastic while you make every fight look easy! This shop will arrive later tonight. Bev doesn't want to release the hairs until they look PERFECT!
• Find Drew the Ninja Warrior in Battleontown and make sure to catch this Sunday's episode of American Ninja Warrior! It's not every week we have a REAL-LIFE Ninja appear in-game!
• Tonight: STAFF testing of Guilds Phase II begins! If the testers don't tear the dev PTR server apart, we hope to get a Member-only Guild Cities PTR server up next Friday! Stay tuned for more news Monday!
• Next week: Member Mania! New Member-only Class, new Member-only armor set, free gifts mysteriously appear in your inventory, AND upgraded players receive a NEW name (we need a cooler title than "member")!

Calling the greatest heroes on Lore! Will you answer?

July 11, 2013

Ready, Aim, ShadowFIRE!

Shadowfire Emissary arrives tonight

Here’s your chance at owning something EPIC. The Shadowfire Emissary Armor Set is flying into your favorite online fantasy game tonight!

Only the bravest heroes who purchase a 1-Month Membership package AFTER 6pm EST tonight are worthy of becoming the Shadowfire Emissary. You can get this special deal using our in-game payment thingy.

Not only does your 1 Month Membership unlock:

• 3,000+ Member-only PETS, WEAPONS & ITEMS
• Access Exclusive areas, stories and boss battles!
• Create and run your own Guild... invite friends!
• Access Member-only servers
• Free membership in HeroSmash
• 20+ Member-only Classes (Including Paladin, DoomKnight, Renegade & more!)
• Special emotes, 2 free keys a month, Dual Wield, Unlock Chat, and so much more!

but you will also receive:

• Shadowfire Emissary Armor
• Wings of the Shadowfire Cape
• Shadowfire Battlecowl Helm
• Shadowfire Character Page Badge

Epic—like I said! And when you DO get your Shadowfire Emissary Armor Set, be sure to Tweet Me a screenshot with you and your fellow Shadowfire Emissaries and have a chance at making it on the Design Notes!

xoxo Beleen =D

July 10, 2013

Crossing Over the Styx

The Ferryman of the Underworld Waits for You

Man has killed man since the beginning of time. Each new frontier brings more ways to kill, and more ways to die. Every man who comes down to me thinks that his civilization, his era, is the most important event the world has ever witnessed. Every single one.

Charon, Ferryman of the Underworld, waits for you.

And where did their strides lead them? What came of all their ridiculous progress, all of their petty atrocities? The knowledge that, in the end, you can’t take it with you. Just hope that you have enough to pay me. Hope and pray that you have enough to pay the Ferryman’s due.

No Fear, No Trouble

Today a stoic passes over. He emerged from the darkness of the riverside and pays his toll. He pays in coin, as he was buried according to the old ways. I let him onto my ferry. He causes no trouble. The stoics rarely do. I’ve always hated that. The recently dead should fight for life, not meekly surrender. No, that comes later.

The Final Defeat

Today a fighter dropped by. He was scared, but also brave. He faces being dead with the same bravado that he likely faces everything else with. The ones with fires in their hearts are my favorites. He has no coin to pay. I heft my oar. I will enjoy this.

No one battles Charon and lives, because they're already dead.

No Answer To Give

Today I receive a philosopher. It is a purely human convention to ask questions that have no answers. I hate that. I’ve never understood the point of ponder quandaries that lead nowhere. He is constantly talking, talking, talking. He asks so many questions. I ask him the only question that matters. As it happens, he doesn’t have the coin to pay my due. Before I give him my oar, he asks me if there is any such thing as eternity. I answer ‘Certainly not for you’. It has been a long time since I laughed like that.

Death Stare

Today an artist creeps aboard the ferry. He has the coin to pay. The artist doesn’t ask questions like the philosopher does, but he seems to be always thinking. The artist looks, studies, internalizes, and all without a sound. He’s looking at me and won’t stop, something I never could abide. I consider lifting my mask, but even I am not that cruel.

Take on the Hydra AND the three-headed guardian this Friday!

Waiting for YOU

In three day’s time, you will come through. You will stop at the riverside, seeking passage. But the underworld is not for the living. No matter how much you pay, no matter how desperate you are, I will never let you through. For you, there is no eternity. For you, there is no fight for life. For you, there is only me. And my oar.