Design Notes

February 29, 2016

This Friday: Seek the Dark Shard

This weekend: return to Laken and Dage's storyline!

Dage the Evil's birthday returns this week... and so does the Dage and Laken storyline! Return to the intrigues of the Seraphic Paladins, the hunt for Dage's Dark Shard, and discover just WHAT Laken, Dage, Ada, and Envy will do next. IF you can discover what the Darkness is hiding… you might just reap the rewards!

If you aren't up to date on the story so far, now's your chance to catch up! 

Conquer Nulgath's Fortress in the First Betrayal!

Battle through Nulgath’s Shifting Planes cavern as Dage the Evil in the final tests to earn his Mark of Mastery and became one of Lore’s most feared Necromancers. /Join darkfortress to take down Nulgath’s most loyal minions to prove that you are worthy of leading the Undead Legion… but be wary, because Nulgath the ArchFiend is deadly, and he will exploit any angle in order to stop his apprentice from ascending!

Save the Seraphic Order!

Dage the Evil, Lord of the Undead Legion and ruler of the Underworld has many plans for this world... and one order of warriors - the Seraphic Paladins - is dedicated to stopping him! This weekend, continue your adventures in the "Dage's Betrayal" storyline when you /join seraph! 

Survive the Forgotten Tombs!

Battle through The Forgotten Tombs this weekend (/join legioncrypt) as we continue the saga of Dage the Evil. Members of the Undead Legion guard one of Dage's most treasured artifacts deep inside the tomb, and Laken's Seraphic Paladins will do anything to possess it - the fate of the Dark Shard depends on YOU!

February 29, 2016

Dage's Birthday is almost here!

Help Us Celebrate Dage's Dark Birthday!

Dage the Evil, leader of the Undead Leader and AdventureQuest Worlds artist, has a birthday this week! If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that means evil gear, dark rewards, and all-new birthday items! The birthday shop releases this Wednesday, March 2nd, with a new Dage and Laken release this Friday!

Wednesday:

• Rare Arcane Dark Caster Armor set (for AdventureCoins or Legion Tokens)
• Rare Arcane Dark Caster Paragon Pet
• the seasonal Legion DoomKnight Class returns (see how to get it here!)
• A TON of new rare accessories - weapons helms, capes, and more!

The armor will be available for 2000 AdventureCoins each! PLUS, members of the Undead Legion can get the armor version for Legion Tokens...so if you're a die-hard Undead Legion fan with a LOT of time on your hands, fear not! You'll need Legion Tokens and some other merge requirements*. 

Friday:

• Legion BladeMaster Assassin CLASS with updated art and skills** (Legion Token-only)
• Legion Castle (Legion Token-only)
• Shadowed Gunner Morph Armor (Adventure Coins, only available during Dage's Birthday)
• New storyline rewards from Dage and Laken

* Including a daily quest component.
** Designed by Sync, one of AQW's epic Class imagineers! 

Update: Arcane Dark Caster Legion Class

The Arcane Dark Caster Class WAS scheduled to release tomorrow with existing class skills (we were already concentrating on the Legion Blademaster Assassin, and wanted to make that an EPIC class for Legion members). But you guys made it clear what was most important to you - a new Dark Caster class- and we are listening!

That is why we will release the Arcane Dark Caster Class with all-NEW skills later this month, to give us the time to craft a well-designed and balanced class.

Keep an eye out for Design Notes about this Friday's Dage the Evil: Queen of Envy release, starring Laken, Ada, and armies of undead!

February 26, 2016

BioBeast Prison Break!

Mayday! Mayday! Distress Signal Coming In From Delta V!

Tonight, get ready to leave Lore and travel to a distant planet: Delta V! The megalomaniacal scientist Alydriah Descarl has been collecting rare beasts from different worlds and performing cruel genetic experiements on them - her own personal BioBeast army! But the Beasts aren't having it, and the Lab's robotic assistant, Plink, wants to recuit YOU to help them escape!

Don't mess with that bunny.

This week's release is based on our newest mobile game, BioBeasts. This makes me incredibly excited and happy, because BioBeasts is my jam. I'm not even just saying that because I did a lot of art for the game, I swear! I've never really been a big mobile player, but BioBeasts has the kind of fast arcade-style gameplay I grew up with, and it managed to suck me in HARD. I play it in bed. I play it in the car. I play it in the shower with my phone in a plastic bag. (Don't try that last one yourself, I am setting a really bad example here.)

Anyway, point is, I love this game.

So, of course when I was asked to create a BioBeasts themed release for AQWorlds, I squealed like an otaku at a pocky factory, and set to work creating a fun dungeon crawl featuring all of our favorite Biobeasts (and enemies!) from the original game.

Be a Toxic Mantis! Or keep one as a pet.

The team has also put together a ton of cool BioBeasts-themed gear, including:

• Toxic Mantis armor with 3 capes and 3 helms
• Bionic Bunny armor and helm
• Monkakazi Bomb Cape
• Hovercraft Boss Cape
• Hatchling, Pillbug and Toxic Mantis pets
• Toxic Mantis battlepet
• Salamancer-themed sword
• Kartherax-themed scythe

Are you excited? I'm excited.

BioBeasts: Now Available for Android and iOS Devices

BioBeasts - from the creators of EpicDuel - is now available for Android and iOS mobile devices! Download it now and become as addicted as I am.

February 22, 2016

Last Chance for February Rare Gear

Don't miss any of the Sweet Rare Items from this Month!

ALL the rare items from February leave game FOREVER next Friday, March 4th! So if you love the Valentine's gear or want to get your /party on with our wicked Carnaval collection... or just can't fight without our Chinese New Year homage items... this is the time to head in-game and check out the rare items! 

This week's Rare Gear Shop update features the Love Hunter set from Goddess!

Carnaval and Yokai New Year Gear!

It’s double the festival fun and twice the number holiday exclusive items as we celebrate Carnaval AND Yokai New Year this week! 

Previous February Rares updates include:

• Fiery Fenix Armor
• 2 Fiery Fenix Helms
• Fiery Fenix Armblades
• Fiery Fenix Plumes Cape
• Oni to Kijo Armor
• 5 Oni Helms
• 4 different Oni weapons
• 2 capes: Oni Rune Cape and Floating Oni Cape
• the Lucky Red Monkey Babies pet
• Love Commander armor set (member-only and AdventureCoin versions
• Battle Q-Pid armor set

Find the February Rare Gear shop in your game menu until Friday, March 4th!

February 22, 2016

BioBeasts: Delta V Prison Break

Journey to a NEW World to save the BioBeasts Next Friday!

One mad scientist. Waves of mutated monsters from Lore. And a prison full of creatures doomed to be experimented on… Next week: gear up for a dungeon crawl based on our newest mobile game, BioBeasts!

This week's release is based on our newest mobile game... (you guessed it!): BioBeasts!

BioBeasts: Now Available for Android and iOS Devices

BioBeasts - from the creators of EpicDuel - is now available for  Android and iOS mobile devices!

Control a mutating beast, fight to escape from a robot-controlled laboratory, and compete with your friends to see who can get the highest score in this action-packed, single-player arcade-survival game!

February 19, 2016

Journey to Dreadrock Citadel

The Gates of Evil's New Home Open this Weekend!

After the Queen of Monsters rose and the Alliance of Good and Evil shattered, heroes across Lore fled the Chaos. The Evil Heroes of Lore founded (*cough* stole) a new home for themselves, created from the ruins of an ancient keep… and they call it: Dreadrock Citadel!

Meet the Denizens of Dreadrock!

This ancient citadel was created by a race of alien beings fleeing... something... but no one alive today knows who they are, what they fled, or where they came from. What we DO know is that Dreadrock Citadel, located on the western coast of Skullholme, is where Lore’s darkest beings gather in the post apo-CHAOS-lyptic world to do business.

No single group controls this city, making this near-invulnerable fortress the perfect neutral meeting place. No one has ever dared to attack it, since doing so could incur the wrath of every evil faction on Lore... not to mention the remarkably (sometimes deceptively) deadly residents who call Dreadrock home!

• Kaiser Vance, the Anti-Hero
• Sirenia, of the Undead Legion
• Shakaz, the Shadowscythe Juggernaut
• Nihillus Rex, Void Emissary, and Enntropy, the Abyssal Translator
• Xisor, Dreadrock Weapons Dealer 
• Deathgore, an... Ordinary Goldfish?!!?*
• And more!

* Spoilers, NOT an ordinary goldfish!

Dreadrockin' New Rewards!

This new Evil town is pretty home-y... if you like stalking through the shadows and making deals for goods on the black market! And speaking of gear... check out the new rewards Dreadrock's bringing to the table! 

In order to earn the items below, you'll need to battle to earn gold AND level up -- the shopkeepers in Dreadrock won't sell to neophyte heroes!

• Dark Elementalist and Dark Merchant items in the Gear shop
• Doomed Mage, Warrior, and Ranger gear in the Rep Shop
• And more!

February 19, 2016

Upgrade to get Darkblood of Nulgath Gear

Unlock our New February Package Bonus Gear NOW!

Get ready to intimidate ALL your enemies! Buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more to unlock your exclusive February upgrade bonus items!

12000 AC or 12 month membership packages: 9 items + Boosts

Get more gear and save more of your real-world gold with our largest upgrade packages! Unlock the following gear with our 12000 AdventureCoin or 12 month membership packages:

• Darkblood of Nulgath Armor
• 2 Helms
• 4 Weapons
• Darkblood Warrior Pet AND member-only Darkblood Blade Battlepet*
• 7 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts added straight to your inventory

* Darkblood BattlePet is exclusively available in the 12 month membership package

2000 and 5000 AC or 3 and 6 month membership package: 6 items + Boosts

• Armor
• 2 Helms
• 2 weapons
• Darkblood Warrior Pet
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts added straight to your inventory

All packages will also come with the Darkblood of Nulgath character page badge, so you can show off your battle prowess!

February 18, 2016

All-Player PTR Test Starts NOW

Log in to help us test the new server!

The server rewrite is making excellent progress! If you read last week's update post, you know that Yorumi is hunting down the last BIG bug, while M finishes building some functionality and they both crush the smaller bugs. But to get as many of the bugs fixed before we release the server rewrite, we need MORE TESTERS! And that means... opening up a free-player server so more people can run around on the new server and find issues.

So RIGHT NOW, everyone can log onto the PTR Testing Server 2! Members can still log onto Testing Server 1. Logging on to either Testing Server or Testing Server 2 will unlock the new PTR badge! (It will start being awarded today or tomorrow if all goes well.)

Yorumi is currently fixing a bug preventing some players from logging on to Testing Server 2. As soon as that's resolved, everyone should log on and /battle on!

What We Need PTR Testers to Do

This one is REALLY simple - just play the game like normal! We need to make sure that all the code we've ported over and changes we've made are working as intended, and that the re-balancing we've done holds up until more stress and load.

Why We Need the Server Rewrite

We have a good deal of control over the game, but the current version of AQWorlds uses server software whose base we did not build ourselves (though we created all of our server-based game functionality)... and that means there are some things we cannot change.

This is one of the main causes of the random bugs some of you are reporting. It's also one of the reasons some bugs (like desynced friends/guild lists) have not been fixed and why some features (like the better botting detection, all-new class skills, and finished Guild cities) have not been released.

February 18, 2016

War Boss Unlocked: Zeuster

The God of the ChickenCows has landed!

This super-short, completely crazy war is OVER! Talk to Lart in Battleon to head straight to the war boss fight or watch the ending cutscene, "A Poultry Future"! Discover what comes next for Lart the ChickenLord and the chickens of Lore!

Take on the Zeuster Projection in /battleontown for a chance to get the Fowl Deathbringer Blade or the Chick Chick Duck (on your head) helm!

The Chicken War is a HIT!

This war is EGG-ZACTLY what the heroes of Battleon have been searching for! Lart the ChickenLord has been immortalized in a videogame* and WE got a crazy-hysterical war. EVERYBODY WINS!

• This is the BEST update you've ever had! - Bradley L.
• AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! The Chicken War is too awesome! XD I think I threw out my Chaos Chicken outfit at some point for lack of space, so nice to have a non-purple version that is AC free storage! In fact, there has been a lot of very cool free AC swag lately, I am grateful for it. ^^ This is the kind of zany event that made me love AQW in the first place. - Inkwolf
• Best event ever! [The team] got us all working together. Brings back the good old days. We all loved the release. ... Most fun had for a while - Warrior Gb1
• We need more wars like these. This felt like a raid - in a good way - that encouraged teamwork and gifted you nice loot at the end - Lyrein

The Chicken Invasion will be moved to its own, PERMANENT map this weekend**, and Battleon will revert to the normal, non-chickeny hometown you know and love.

* /cheers for Lart and his fantastic idea! 
** There will be a few rare items from this war, but they will not leave for at least a week.

February 18, 2016

Chicken War: Wave 2 HAS BEGUN

ChickenCows Invade Battleon to CRUSH your defenses!

Heroes in Battleon hear a mysterious voice BOOM from the sky: "GO! Drive back the heroes of Battleon! Do not let them destroy the chickens. Prepare them for... MY ARRIVAL! " Then BAM! A concussion rocks the town! When the dust settles... CHICKENCOWS have arrived and the war meter is RESET?! O_O

Wave 2 of the Chicken Invasion has begun! Take out the ChickenCows that have invaded to protect the chickens!

The war boss arrives later today!

February 18, 2016

9 AM War Update

The Chicken War is OVER... Or IS IT?!

Last night, ChickenLord Lart split his forces up, sending the left flank off on an unknown mission he called "Project C.H.I.K." while the right flank stayed to fight us in Battleon... but they were a DISTRACTION! The super-smart ChickenLord had a fowl plan, and we played right into his hands.

The heroes of Battleon have CRUSHED the forces ChickenLord Lart left in Battleon. EGG-ZACTLY like he wanted us to! O_O;

He sent out messages to all the servers this morning:

• The war isn't OVER... not yet! Do you feel that mystical chicken-flavored magic? A force is approaching...
• You think you've won but that is EGG-zactly what I wanted you to think! Ahaha! Enjoy your victory...FOR NOW!

What this means for you and me and Battleon remains to be seen. But I would hold your shields up high -- chickens may not be able to fly, but ChickenLord Lart has SOME devious plot in mind!

The war will update soon... once the magical force he's talking about coalesces!

(The war boss is coming, and we better be prepared! Keep an eye on the Design Notes, when we release it later today!)

February 17, 2016

The 10 Million Chicken Invasion BEGINS!

The Great Chicken-pocolypse of 2016

Artix writes: Birds of the father, attack town together... Over the years we have fought back armies of Dragons and the evil undead. We have extinguished pyromancers, and sent creatures from the stars running back to their homeworld. But never… NEVER in the history of our great town… has the pecking order been turned on its head like this. 

Until today, to be called “Chicken” meant the person was a coward…. after this army of 10 Million chickens pours through the town, being called “Chicken” might make you one of the greatest warriors of all time. 

Story Time!

I was hanging out on AdventureQuest Worlds over the weekend. A hero named Lart told me he wanted to attack town with an army of 10 Million chickens. I said, “That is a lot of Chickens.” Thinking it was funny I tweeted it. (MISTAKE.)

A horde of players proclaimed the Chicken-pocolypse imminent. My inbox was flooded with messages like “I, for one, welcome our new Chicken Overlords.”

I called Alina and sheepishly said, “Have you seen Twitter? I think… we have a chicken thing…” She laughed. Then stopped abruptly. I tried to apologize but you could hear the smile through her words when she replied,"It’s OK. We serve the players. I’ll make it happen." And so it came to be…

Hi guys! Alina posting now!

EGG-cellent War Rewards

So, here's the thing. We've got a LOT of chickens attacking Battleon! And there's nothing that makes our heroes rush to defend town more than GEAR! So we've put together some pretty tweet (and cheep!) rewards for you as an incentive to battle. Chick them out in Lart's shop NOW, plus the ones dropping from monsters, and find even more rewards when you unlock the boss fight at 100%!

Chicka-WHAT?!

The big question is: WHY is Lart the ChickenLord's army attacking... and HOW do we stop them? Understanding the answer to those questions is the key to this war. But CAN we stop them? I believe the answer is 100% yes! Will we need a hand to do it? Maybe! It will take COOP-eration and a good deal of pluck, but I know we can do it!

February 16, 2016

Tomorrow: 10 Million Chicken Army WAR

The Chicken Invasion starts TOMORROW!

On Saturday, Artix talked to a player named Lart in AQWorlds. Lart's goal was to raise a 10,000,000 strong army of chickens and attack Battleon. It's not often we get to make someone's dream a reality, but this... this MUST HAPPEN!

And it will. Tomorrow night in Battleon, the 10 Million Chicken Army will attack! (... Anyone ready to make some omelets?)

February 16, 2016

All-Player PTR Test Begins THURSDAY

Last Chance for Member-only Server Rewrite PTR Badge!

The server rewrite is making excellent progress! If you read last week's update post, you know that Yorumi is hunting down the last BIG bug, while M finishes building some functionality and they both crush the smaller bugs. But to get as many of the bugs fixed before we release the server rewrite, we need MORE TESTERS! And that means... opening up a free-player server so more people can run around on the new server and find issues.

So starting this Thursday, the current member-only PTR badge will go rare and the new server code will be added onto J6 server (which will temporarily be renamed Testing Server 2). Logging on to either Testing Server or Testing Server 2 will unlock the new PTR badge!

What We Need PTR Testers to Do

This one is REALLY simple - just play the game like normal! We need to make sure that all the code we've ported over and changes we've made are working as intended, and that the re-balancing we've done holds up until more stress and load.

Why We Need the Server Rewrite

We have a good deal of control over the game, but the current version of AQWorlds uses server software whose base we did not build ourselves (though we created all of our server-based game functionality)... and that means there are some things we cannot change.

This is one of the main causes of the random bugs some of you are reporting. It's also one of the reasons some bugs (like desynced friends/guild lists) have not been fixed and why some features (like the better botting detection, all-new class skills, and finished Guild cities) have not been released.

February 15, 2016

Knight Commander Bonus Gear Leaves Friday

Last Chance to Unlock our January Upgrade Package Bonus Items!

This is the last week to unlock the Dark and Crimson Knight Commander sets when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package worth $10 USD* or more! At 6:00 PM server time on Friday, February 19th, the January bonus gear will leave and a NEW set for February will arrive!

* That's the 2000, 5000, or 12000 AdventureCoin packages and the 3, 6, and 12 month membership packages.

12000 AC or 12 month membership packages: 8 items + Boosts

Get double the items and save more of your real-world gold with our largest upgrade packages! Unlock the following gear with our 12000 AdventureCoin or 12 month membership packages:

• Both the Dark and Crimson Knight Commander armors!*
• 4 Helms
• 2 Axes
• 2 Capes
• 7 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts added straight to your inventory

* Crimson Knight Commander gear is exclusively available in this package

2000 and 5000 AC or 3 and 6 month membership package: 4 items + Boosts

• Armor
• 2 Helms
• Cape
• Axe
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts added straight to your inventory

All packages will also come with the Knigth Commander character page badge, so you can show off your battle prowess!

February 15, 2016

Dreadrock Citadel

The Gates of Evil's New Home Open THIS Friday!

After the Queen of Monsters rose and the Alliance of Good and Evil shattered, heroes across Lore fled the Chaos. The Evil Heroes of Lore founded (*cough* stole) a new home for themselves, created from the ruins of an ancient keep… and they call it: Dreadrock Citadel!

This ancient citadel was created by a race of alien beings fleeing... something... but no one alive today knows who they are, what they fled, or where they came from. What we DO know is that Dreadrock Citadel, located on the western coast of Skullholme, is where Lore’s darkest beings gather in the post apo-CHAOS-lyptic world to do business.

No single group controls this city, making this near-invulnerable fortress the perfect neutral meeting place. No one has ever dared to attack it, since doing so could incur the wrath of every evil faction on Lore...

Isn't Skullholme on the Mainland?

Yes, yes it is. For the last year, most of the releases have been taking place on the island of Drakonus. After the Queen of Monsters was freed, tens of thousands of heroes fled to there to seek a new life. But since the 13 Lords of Chaos Saga ended, we have been listening to many players eager to learn what has been happening to the areas and NPCs they have grown so familiar with.

We've had some incredible (and titanic) battles on Drakonus, but when we say we make our games for and with you, we mean it! If you want our releases to shift focus and go in a new direction -- telling stories about your hero,  the battle companions, and the lands you know and love -- and what their life is like under the Queen of Monsters... then that is what we are going to do!

February 12, 2016

Hero's Heart Day Time!

Log in this weekend for our Valentine's Day Event!

There’s no time for love this Hero’s Heart Day, because you’ve got to free Lore from an emotional puppet-master playing with the minds (and emotions) of your friends and battle companions!

One of the most-loved (and loving) events of the year is BACK! If you're just joining us, you've got a LOT of lovin' to do this weekend! Begin the adventure when you /join love to replay ALL our previous seasonal Valentine's Day events, or go straight to this year's new release when you /join lovelockdown!

When you're a hero, love handles all... but you've got a lot to do if you're going to save the day:

• Take down the Unrequited Love boss monster plus THREE mini-bosses for...
• 7+ new boss, miniboss, and monster drops!
• Complete 13 new quests* to get Merge Shop resources to unlock...
• 2 new armors, 4 new weapons, and a member-only pet!
• Unlock 3 all-new cutscenes!

* Or farm for them from the mini-bosses and boss

We Hope You'll LOVE the New Holiday Reward Items

Getting the sweet new Valentine’s Day gear will be as easy as falling in love!

Starting tonight:

• Find the new Love Commander, Cupid Avenger, and Battle Q-Pid armor sets in the February Rare Gear shop in your game menu until Monday, February 29th!** 
• OR you can turn in Magic Keys to Twilly for a chance to get the Cupid Avenger gear from the Treasure Chest until February 29th!
• Battle through tonight's release to unlock the Pa-LOVE-din armor, Bookswarm Pet, and more from the Love Locked Merge Shop

** See ALL of the gear in the February Rares Shop in this post! (Or just scroll down one!)

February 12, 2016

Weekend of Love Server Boost!

Weekend of Love server boost!

Get DOUBLE the Reputation and EXP on ALL servers, PLUS members get 50% more GOLD, too! (So if you're farming for some of those new Nulgath pet resources, this is the boost for you!)

The boosts end Monday, February 15th -- so until then, get your battle AND your love on!

February 12, 2016

NEW Gear in the February Rares Shop

You'll Love to Battle with our new rare gear!

Getting the sweet new Valentine’s Day gear will be as easy as falling in love! 

This week's Rare Gear Shop update includes:

• Love Commander armor set (member-only and AdventureCoin versions*
• Battle Q-Pid armor set**

* Brought to you from the LOVE-ly mind of Laken
** Thanks to the art and efforts of the incomparable Tana

Carnaval and Yokai New Year Gear!

It’s double the festival fun and twice the number holiday exclusive items as we celebrate Carnaval AND Yokai New Year this week! 

Filled with member-only items and gear for AdventureCoins, the shop includes:

• Fiery Fenix Armor
• 2 Fiery Fenix Helms
• Fiery Fenix Armblades
• Fiery Fenix Plumes Cape
• Oni to Kijo Armor
• 5 Oni Helms
• 4 different Oni weapons
• 2 capes: Oni Rune Cape and Floating Oni Cape
• the Lucky Red Monkey Babies pet

Find the February Rare Gear shop in your game menu until Monday, February 29th!

All Your Rare Shop Items in ONE Place!

To make it easier for all our rare-hunters to see what limited-time items we're offering each month, we're centralizing the "rare gear" location! From here on out, you'll find all the event rare gear in ONE place: [Month Name] Rares Shop in your game menu.

This month, you'll find the following limited-time items in the Rares Shop:

• Carnaval gear
• Yokai New Year gear
• Hero's Heart Day gear

February 11, 2016

Happening Now: Final Server Rewrite Testing

Log on to the PTR Test Server NOW to help us test!

For the last year, Yorumi (AQWorlds' lead programmer) has been rewriting the AQW server* and we are now coming up to the last, BIGGEST push for testing before we release the updated game to ALL players on ALL servers!

Why are we spending all that time to rebuild AdventureQuest Worlds, you ask? Because with those changes, we can make AQWorlds better, faster, smoother, AND introduce new features that you guys have been requesting for a long, long time!

* the backend system that makes the game function, not what you log into each time you want to play the game.

Phase 1: Rebuilding the Current Game (95% Complete!)

We are down to the last BIG bug preventing us from rolling out the new servers, plus a double handful of smaller, quick fixes. 

If you've done any programming, you know it can be hard to pin down the exact cause of certain issues -- because of that, we WANT to say that we'll roll out the new servers at the end of March, but it really does depend on when we lock down the fix for the crash bug.

While he and M do that, we need YOU to help us find all the last small issues so they can rapidly smash them into non-existence.

Phase 1 progress so far:

• Maps 
• PvP 
• Monster AI 
• Combat 
• Inventory 
• Enhancements 
• Stats 
• Chat 
• Quests are very close 

The bulk of Yorumi's time this past month has been spent working on the big crashing bug, plus monitoring the security team's stress tests, but he has made progress on the rest of the feature ports, too. (/cheer!) The rest of this list will go pretty fast once he's able to focus on them.

Phase 1 still to finish:

• Shops - 85% done
• Guilds - 95% done
• Houses - 85% done
• Crafting - 80% done
• Parties - 95% done

Stat changes Design Notes Post

Monster AI Design Notes Post

Combat Design Notes Post

What Comes Next? Phase 2!

If Phase 1 of the server rewrite is porting the game over to the new servers, Phase 2 is where we're planning to make the changes you have all been asking for. 

We cannot even begin working on Phase 2 functionality like the BuyBack shop until after Phase 1 is complete, but once it is, we can start working on things like:

• friends list syncing 
• bank item previews 
• the buyback shop
• better PVP and guilds functionality 
• adding rank 10 passives to new classes 
• cross-server/world chat 
• better anti-bot and reporting functionality and more. 

PS: the level cap will raise at some point after Phase 1 is complete. We don't want to add in more levels now until there are newer, more crazy boss monsters and content for our high-level players to battle. 

February 11, 2016

Last Chance for Assassin Commander Gear

Assassin Commander Limited Time Shop Leaves Friday!

If you are a fan of stealthily creeping up on your opponent and getting the job done NO MATTER WHAT... 

If your alter-ego is a Faceless Man... 

If you can stalk through the shadows without anyone suspecting you're there, maneuver your way into the throne room, take out the King and install a new regime all before Noon... 

YOU MIGHT BE AN ASSASSIN

But even if you haven't done any of those things (YET), we know a lot of you are huge fans of Assassin games, movies, and stories, so...  step out of the shadows and show the world how deadly you can be as an Assassin Commander! 

The shop features:

• Assassin Commander armor set
• Dark Assassin armor set
• Jungle Assassin armor set

February 10, 2016

Hero's Heart Day Returns Friday

The Time for LOVE and Battles is Almost Here Again!

Log in tomorrow and /join love to start playing through all of our past Heroes Heart Day content. Then get your heart set on conquering this year's NEW Hero's Heart Day release: fight to free Lore from an emotional puppet-master playing with the minds (and emotions) of your friends and battle companions! 

The Love map goes live next Friday, along with all of our returning Heroes Heart Day seasonal rares! And don't forget to help J6 and Mia the Mer'Angel in /lovescurse - that map is available all year long, but isn't this the best time to revisit it?

PLUS get DOUBLE Exp and Reputation during our Weekend of LOVE! 

February 09, 2016

The Most Delicious Release is LIVE!

Grab Your Maple Syrup!

The Grand Master Lunch Lady Oishii has returned to Battleon bringing with her a few silly, pancake based items. You can find her in Yulgar's Inn until this Fridaybut watch out, you will probably get hit at random by her flying flapjacks of doom! 

Seasonal items are returning - like the Pancake Hat w/Butter and the Oolong the pancake bunny pet, and the fan-favorite Pancake Puppy pet!

Oishii's Pancake Goodies:

• Pancake Hat
• Pancake Hat w/Butter
• The Full Stack
• Oolong Pet
• Pancake-Topus pet
• Pancake Puppy pet

February 06, 2016

Super Bowl Punt Twilly Challenge

The Superbowl Special Event is LIVE!

It's the biggest American Football game of the year! On Lore, the Broncoliches (what the real world knows as the Seahawks and the Broncos) are facing off against the ShadowCats (relative newcomers on the Lorian football scene)*! The Superbowl halftime show is happening NOW... and so will our special event! 

When you've had your fill of watching Bruno Mars rock the stadium, log in and head to Battleon for our once-a-year PUNT TWILLY minigame! And don't miss the 2016 Superbowl Rare Gear - the Battle Mars Helm (in honor of Bruno Mars' performance) and the Cold Playa armor (to commemorate ColdPlay's appearance)! 

The Superbowl event will be available until Friday, February 12th!

* Though they are the Legion's favorite team thanks to their official colors of black and blue!

Two of Lore's greatest teams go head-to-horc!

Come join the PUNT map to celebrate this day and these two super-teams with the Broncolich and Shadowcat armors, plus the return of other seasonal favorites like the Spiked Pigskin and the Moglin Ref pet! Don't forget that this is the ONLY time of year that you will be able to get the Moglin Punter Character Page Achievement Badge and all you have to do is kick Twilly the full 100 yards!

No matter who wins, we hope you enjoy the Superbowl!

February 05, 2016

February 2016 Rare Gear

Don't Miss These Rare Holiday Event Items!

It’s double the festival fun and twice the number holiday exclusive items as we celebrate Carnaval AND Yokai New Year this week! 

Filled with member-only items and gear for AdventureCoins, the shop includes:

• Fiery Fenix Armor
• 2 Fiery Fenix Helms
• Fiery Fenix Armblades
• Fiery Fenix Plumes Cape
• Oni to Kijo Armor
• 5 Oni Helms
• 4 different Oni weapons
• 2 capes: Oni Rune Cape and Floating Oni Cape
• the Lucky Red Monkey Babies pet

Next week, the February Rare Gear shop will get all new 2016 Hero's Heart Day Rare items, too! Find the shop in your game menu until Monday, February 29th!