Design Notes
February 28, 2017
Pancake Day is BACK
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 28, 2017
Guess the Monster on Facebook
3 lucky heroes will get 500 AdventureCoins
Head over to to the AQW Facebook Page and guess the identity of this deadly AQW monster!
February 27, 2017
AQW is SAFE from Cloudflare Leak
AQWorlds not affected by CloudFlare security breach
GREAT news from Captain Rhubarb, our lead business programmer / Lore's favorite pie-rate:
You may have heard that ClouldFlare had a major bug this month, between February 13 - 18. Secure data, like web site account passwords, was leaked from some web sites... but NOT from AQ.com! /cheer
Here is part of the official message we received from CloudFlare:
We published a blog post describing a memory leak caused by a serious bug that impacted Cloudflare's systems. https://blog.cloudflare.com/incident-report-on-memory-leak-caused-by-cloudflare-parser-bug/
Your domain (AQ.COM) is NOT one of the domains where we have discovered exposed data in any third party caches. The bug has been patched so it is no longer leaking data.
There is no evidence of any leaked AQW information, but if you are concerned about your own AQW account safety, please consider changing your game account password.
A benefit of updating your password, is that it will be re-encrypted with a higher encryption setting than the default.
February 27, 2017
LAST CHANCE for February Bonus Gear
The Blood Samurai leaves Friday, March 3rd!
Unlock the Blood Samurai set when you buy any membership or AdventureCoin package worth $10 USD or more until this Friday, March 3rd, at 6 PM EST. Upgrade with a 12000 AdventureCoin or 12 month membership to get the Jade Samurai set, too!
Tier 1: Blood Samurai
By decree of the Warlord of Yokai Isle, only the truest, bravest warriors are worthy of equipping the Blood Samurai gear.
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Get the Gear with a
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Tier 2: Ceremonial Jade Samurai
By decree of the Emperor of Yokai Isle, only the noblest, most loyal warriors are worthy of equipping the royal Jade Samurai gear.
Get the gear with a
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Unlock the rewards
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February 24, 2017
Join Nythera's Justice Squad
Quest to sign Nythera's Scroll of Laws and Unlock Rewards
Nythera is the head of the Player Support team. She and her two battle-companions, Neveya and Vidra, are here to help all our heroes whenever they have account issues. But because the world of Lore can be dangerous, we have certain rules all our players need to follow - they help everyone play friendly and fair, and help keep you safe.
To make it easier for everyone to find and know the rules, Nythera is now parked right in the center of town with a basic list of rules, a quest, and an achievement.
Our goal is to make sure EVERYONE understands the rules. That way, you won't break them. (And if you do... it will be intentional. Please don't break the rules. We want you to keep your accounts!)
Nythera's Scroll of Rules
- Enjoy playing AQWorlds! Do not bot, cheat, or use any programs to help you play.
- Keep your account safe. Do not share, trade, give away, or sell your account.
- Keep your password secure. Do not share it, or ask anyone else for their password.
- Be friendly! Do not harass, insult, or threaten anyone.
- Do not upgrade other players' accounts. Buy them a gift certificate instead!
Check out a full list of the rules here: http://www.aq.com/lore/guides/AQWRules
February 24, 2017
Carnaval gets HOT HOT HOT
It's time to get your /party on as Carnaval returns!
/Party with your fellow heroes as we return to last year's multi-cultural parade bash ... but beware - when an old villain decides to celebrate this year... things may just get too hot to handle!
The Party Keeps Going...
This weekend, head to Carnaval for all your favorite party gear!
- Talk to Cysero and Beleen in the /carnaval map
- Find Frevo in /terradafesta
- Talk to Fausto in /parades
Many thanks to AQW team member Ergotth for designing the release and doing the Portuguese translations!
It's Not a Party without Presents!
Head to Terra da Festa to find our favorite seasonal Carnaval rewards, plus a host of new items! Tip your tophats to fellow AQW hero and Brasilian artist extraordinaire, daniel_pp2 - his Caliente Carnaval armor set inspired this year's reward series!
- Paraíso Carnaval Set: available in the Featured February Gear shop, will return each year
- Caliente Carnaval Set: will drop from this week's boss monster
- Rare Carnaval After Dark Set: available for a limited time only in the February Featured Gear shop
- Linda Carnaval Set: available for all players, for gold, from the seasonal Carnaval shop
February 21, 2017
Dage: Past, Present, and Future
The Future is Evil
About "Dage the Evil"
February 20, 2017
Dage's Birthday Finale Coming Soon
Dage's Undead Legion 3017 War Continues Friday, March 10th!
The battle to control the future rages on as Dage the Evil fights to survive aboard the Dreadnaut! Get previews and discuss the event with your friends on Facebook page!
Dage's Undead Legion 3017 event now has a Facebook page! Get previews, discuss the coming war, and invite your friends.
* These are available for both AdventureCoin and Legion Tokens
** Last year's rare gear, including the Arcane Dark Caster, will not return.
A NEW, for-real final Dark Caster Set
For the last two years, Dage has been itching to move on to new designs and start new traditions. But the Dark Caster series has proven to be one of the most popular designs we've ever created. So, to make all our current heroes happy and pave the way for new, future traditions, here's the plan:
- Dage is going to create a 2017 variant of the Arcane Dark Caster set*
- This set will return seasonally each year**
- There will be AC *and* Legion Token versions
- This armor set will likely come later in the month of March. Stay tuned for a release date.
This will be the final new Dark Caster armor set, but it will return each year, along with the Ultimate Dark Caster. Keep an eye out next year to see what insane, new tradition Dage begins!
* He may need to become a Chronomancer to make time... but we are always eager to break the laws of reality to make you guys happy!
** So that all heros now and in the future, are on the same footing, there will be no shortcuts for the pieces in this armor set.
Legion DoomKnight Class: How to Get Yours
Dage's been itching to recruit more DoomKnights into the Legion! And each year during his birthday, the Legion DoomKnight Class will help spread the darkness...
There are THREE ways you can get the Legion DoomKnight armor:
- Buy with 2000 ACs to get it immediately
- Farm for the Class if you have the Sepulchure's DoomKnight Armor by completing the "Become a DoomKnight" quest from Dage in Battleon
- Farm for the Class if you are a member of the Undead Legion by killing Dark Sepulchure. Merge 13 "Sepulchure's Legion Badge" items with 2000 Legion Tokens to create the Class.
Note: The original Sepulchure's DoomKnight Armor is not required to get the Legion DoomKnight Class.
Legion DoomKnight Class Rebalance
As Yorumi works fixing the final bugs before launching the new server/client, our class and rewrite testers have been focusing on its class balance and class bugs. Over the next year, the team wants to do a lot with the older, weaker classes, to revitalize them and make them fun and useful once more. BUT...
Since we've received reports about classes being weaker on the new server AND Dage's birthday is coming soon, we are sending the LDmK to the front of the list for adjustments to make sure it stays as useful and competitive as it is been on the current server. The Legion DoomKnight is a wicked class, and you guys love it. We want to keep it that way!
Are you a member of the Undead Legion?
Death, darkness, and destruction - all are hallmarks of a Legendary member of the Undead Legion! If YOU think you are worthy of the title "Undead Legend" then head to Shadowfall and seek out Dage! Members of the Undead Legion get pretty sweet benefits... FOR ETERNITY (/spooky voice) - including exclusive quests, Legion Token variants for many of Dage's popular new items, and more.
If you aren't a member of the Legion NOW but you bow down to the Darkness (or just like awesome-looking gear), this is the time to join!
Undead Legion Requirements
- Undying passion for the Undead
- Absolute affection towards the dark and deadly
- Total commitment to AQWorlds
- Passion for ridiculously ridiculous quests
- SKULLS!
- And more SKULLS!
If you meet the above requirements, then you are the perfect candidate for Dage the Evil’s Undead Legion!
How to Join the Undead Legion
- Log into AQWorlds
- Travel to the Underworld (/join Underworld)
- Find Dage the Evil and introduce yourself
- Click on “Shops”, then click “Armor Shop” and buy the Undead Warrior armor for 1200 ACs
- Speak to Dage again, and
- click “Quests”
- and then “Legion Quests”
- and complete the Undead Champion Initiation
- If successful, you will be able to complete the remaining quests (Mourn the Soldiers, Understanding Undead Champions, Slay the Unworthy, and Fail to the King)
- After you complete “Fail to the King” quest, you can buy the Undead Champion armor
- In Dage’s speech bubble, click “Shops”
- Then click “Legion Shop”
- Buy the Undead Champion armor for 50,000 gold
- As an Undead Champion, you can now go on Champion Quests
- Speak with Dage, slick “Quests”
- Click “Champion Quests”
- Complete INSANE quests to prove your worth
- Start earning Legion Tokens with every successful quest complete
10. Use Legion Tokens to buy things from the Merge Shop
- Speak with Dage
- Click Shops
- Click Merge Shop
- Get epic loot!
Assuming you’ve made it this far, you can complete lots of other quests from Dage, gain access to Dage’s Soul Forge where MORE items can be crafted, and also be fully prepared for the brand new gear arriving next month!
February 19, 2017
Twilly's Dark Box Fix
Magic Treasure Chest Key AC Refund
Hello! Hidden in various parts of AQWorlds are small, hidden side adventures or battles. We like to build these surprises for you to find because that makes the world feel more full and fun. On Friday, we released 2 surprise bonus quests - one from Twilly in Battleon, and the other... well, you'll just need to find it!
The Issue
The problem was - anyone trying to complete Twilly's Dark Box quest between 6 PM Friday night and Saturday at 1:30 AM had to turn in 2 items from the "Open Treasure Chest" quest to get a reward... but weren't guaranteed to get anythnig, much less the low drop rate reward they were after.
The Solution
Later that night, we adjusted the quest rewards so that all rewards had the same chance to drop. BUT that didn't solve the problem of players who had spent a ton of ACs. So if you were one of the 148 people who turned in more than 5 Treasure Chest Keys before the quest fix went in, your AdventureCoins will be refunded.
Twilly apologizes, and so do I. From here on out, you will need to have 1 Dark Box and 1 Dark Key to begin the quest, but you will only need to turn in 1 Dark Gem to complete it.
For the 288 of you who turned in Dark Keys/Boxes after the Saturday quest fix but before today's change, you'll get an AC refund, too!
(For all those of you who enjoyed part one of the Dark Key and Dark Scroll hidden quest chains, though, the next installation arrives Friday!)
February 17, 2017
This Weekend: Infernal Dark Lord
Set Available for a Limited Time Starting Friday
Lord Balax'el is a scion of the Darkness, leader of the Infernal Army invading Lore to help the Queen of Monsters fulfill her goals. For those who aspire to be like him, you're in luck! The Infernal Dark Lord armor set is now available!
The set consists of:
- Infernal Dark Lord armor
- Dark Lord's Visage helm
- Wings of Wrath cape
Infernal Dark Lord Set Availability
These items will be available in the Featured February Gear shop until March 3rd for AdventureCoins... but it WILL come back in the future (just like reoccuring event gear does)! The set will be avilable for two weeks whenever we have a release featuring Lord Balax'el or which focuses on Dreadfire Keep. (So if you can't get it this month, keep an eye on the Design Notes for when it will return!)
February 17, 2017
This Weekend: Dreadfire Keep
The Queen of Monsters' Saga Continues in Dreadfire!
This month, journey to Dreadfire Keep, where the Queen of Monsters’ infernal allies have made camp - a base from which to continue their invasion of Lore!
Starting Friday, February 17th, /join dreadfire to find:
- Haasheth: Dreadfire Reputation NPC
- Cimzon: Infernal Gear Shop Vendor
- Tasom: Dreadfire Pet Shop Vendor
- Skamedar: Hair Shop Vendor
- Malurach: Militia Leader
Some of you may remember the mysterious shop vendor in Dreadrock city (a home for dark and villainous heroes of all kinds) selling what appears to be Infernal Army gear. Good eye! If you talk to him again, he'll explain that he found that gear left by some pretty shady characters as they scouted the city... but left their gear behind.
Now, you'll get to meet the creators of that gear as you battle through the Infernal Army's home. And the gold you spend on it will go to fund their dark and deadly campaigns.
Fiendishly Stylish New Pets and Hairstyles
Talk to Skamedar in DreadFire Keep to choose from one of six new hairstyles!
And, if you dare, convince Tasom that YOU are the perfect guardian for one of... its (we can't really tell WHAT gender Tasom is)... new pets.
Fans of OverSoul may recognize the monsters above - these three snuck into OUR world from the lands of the OverSoul the last time we opened a portal there. Captured by the Infernal Army, these luckless creatures have been trapped in the Dreadfire dungeons to await tasty HeroSnacks!
Do YOU want to join the Infernal Army?
Make no mistake about it, the Infernal invaders are the BAD guys -- these are your enemies. But sometimes, you've got to make nice with your opponents in order to gain their trust and learn their secrets. If you're up for going undercover and... bending the truth of your allegiance... you'll have the option of ranking up an additional Dreadfire reputation: Dreadfire Militia. Starting this Friday, talk to Malurach in Dreadfire Keep!
February 10, 2017
Heroes Heart Day Rewards
Seasonal Event Items Arrive this Friday!
Love might be its own reward, but we don't think that's not enough for OUR heroes! Find all-new event rare gear in the February Featured Gear Shop in your game menu, plus over 20 new reward items dropping from this year's new quests and monsters!
In the February Featured Gear shop you'll find:
- Red-Hot Swank armor set
- Toxic Swank armor set
- Be Mine Candy Heart Pet
- Ultra Swank Helm
Wheel of Love Quest* Rewards
- Bloody Dungeon Guard armor set
- King and Queen of Hearts armor set
- Wheel of Love house item (comes with Wheel of Love quest)
- Lovabear Mace
- Beloved Vampragon pet
* Complete the release to unlock!
Monster drops
- Grim Dungeon Guard armor set
- Puppy Love pet
- Kiss Me and Love You Candy Hearts
The seasonal event gear will be available until March 3rd (unless you have the Wheel of Love house item, then you can access that quest all year long). The February Featured Gear shop will also leave on March 3rd.
February 10, 2017
This Weekend: Hero's Heart Day
The Game of Love can be Killer...
This weekend, join us as our seasonal Hero's Heart Day event returns! Plus, find an all-new adventure: Swaggy's been hired to put a new spin on the oldest game in the world! Along with Beleen, he'll put on a show like Lore's NEVER seen - and in the end, one very lucky and special contestant may find the best prize of all -- LOVE!
Take note, Heroes: The Wheel of Doom is not returning. But there will be a Wheel... even if YOU aren't the one spinning it... and there will be dungeons and death. Possibly several. O_O
Hero's Heart Day Server Boost: 15% More Gold and XP
To help all our AQW Heroes celebrate Hero's Heart Day, when you log in this weekend, you'll get 15% more Gold and XP!
February 05, 2017
The Superbowl LI In-game Event is ON
Log in during the Half-Time Show to Punt Twilly!
It's the biggest American Football game of the year!* On Lore, the Loyalists and the Doom Phoenixes (what the real world knows as the Patriots and the Falcons) are preparing to face off! After the 2nd Quarter ends, the Superbowl halftime show will begin... and so will our special event! When you've had your fill of watching Lady Gaga rock the stadium, Log in and head to Battleon for our once-a-year PUNT TWILLY minigame!
We've got a stadium's worth of new gear from guest artists, Goddess! So no matter which side you're rooting for, you'll find Loyalist and Doom Phoenix:
- Team Armor
- Away Team Armor
- Rush Team Armor
- Varsiy Team Armor
- Juice Barrels
- Helms
- Pom-poms
- Pigskins
- and a 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!
February 03, 2017
Begin the Mysterious Quest
Hunt through Darkness for Light this Weekend!
A Mysterious Stranger has appeared in ShadowFall with a quest for you - one that requires intellect as well as raw battle skills. Decode his clues to discover where your quest will lead, then take on the enemies there to gain the material necessary to complete the reconstruction a long-lost reward!
Wait... a Lost Reward?!
OOC (Out of Character) Warning - this means that what YOU are about to find out, your in-game hero will not know.
You can talk to this Mysterious Stranger RIGHT NJOW in ShadowFall and follow his clues. Find (or fight) what you need to in order to get the pieces necessary to create a VERY special golden blade... something required to reforge an even MORE important (and powerful) weapon!
We're not looking at a new Necrotic Sword of Doom quest line here. No insane number of reagents. You'll need to battle (possibly quite a few times) but once you reach the end of the 10 quests coming Friday night, you'll have a reward worthy of the darkness... AND the light! (And it may just come in handy once it comes time to slay some monsters!)
Dark and deadly reward drop from this weekend's boss fight!
WHY is the Mysterious Stranger Involved?!
Good question! Short answer: he's not... maybe. Long answer: Mysterious people have mysterious motives.
But really, we have seen a number of Mysterious Strangers over the years -- humans, creatures, or "other" who -- for whatever reason -- don a dark cloak and call themselves "Mysterious Stranger"* (It is pretty hard to see under that cloak to tell them apart!) And hey, you never know. THIS one might be trying to help you, maybe. Probably!
From the Mysterious Brain of Inanitas
Inanitas, a crazy-insane and creative member of the team, came up with the concept for this hunt! If you are *really* stuck on where to go during this hunt, you can ask him gently on Twitter or collaborate with each other on the forum!
Happy 10th Anniversary, Ghost!
Ten years ago, our lead animator Ghost started helping Artix Entertainment. That way WAY back in his DragonFable days. He's crafted some gear for you to celebrate, and it's all in his Featured Artist shop in Artist Alley. Enjoy! (And if you're feeling nice, wish him "Happy Anniversary!" on Twitter!)
* Like the one from last year's Throne of Darkness Saga!
February 01, 2017
GroundHorc's Day 2017 is Here!
If you Live in Australia... at least.
For everyone else, bookmark this post and read it tomorrow. (Or, if you're a rebel, read it now and insert "tomorrow" where the text below talks about the present.) For all you heroes who live in the future... Happy GroundHorc's Day!
On this day every year, Philip, the weather predicting groundhog pops his head out of his hole and peers around. If he comes out to play, then spring is here! If he sees his shadow and vanishes back into his warm, cozy burrow than we know that we are in for SIX MORE WEEKS of winter!
Groundhorc's Day Seasonal Rares!
I'm not a fan of the cold. Actually I kind of hate it. Actually I really hate it. Actually, I'd beat snow up if I could. But if there is one person who HATES winter more than I do, it's General Porcon over in the Horc Fort (you can see it on the greenguard map).
General Porcon!
He has taken it upon himself to kidnap Philip in a desperate attempt to end winter. What he doesn't understand is that if Philip doesn't get to look at his shadow then winter will NEVER end!
Talk to Phil in Battleon and accept the Groundhorc's Day quest to save Phillip and you will recieve at least 1 (possibly all three) of the Groundhorc's Day 1-Day-Only Seasonal Rares!
The clock is ticking on a lot of things: Nulgath's Birthday Shop leaves Friday, the January Upgrade Bonus Gear Friday too, and in exactly ONE MONTH from this Friday, Dage's birthday shop arrives! AND this Sunday is the Superbowl halftime Shop and Punt map (with special rares to celebrate the Loyalists and and Doom Phoenixes).
That's a LOT of stuff!
AQ3D
BattleGems
BioBeasts
Dragons
Undead Assault