Design Notes

October 21, 2013

Swordhaven Falls this Friday

Face the Chaos Beast AND Chaos King Alteon!

Log in Friday to take on the 3-headed Chaos Dragon AND confront Chaos King Alteon in the 12th Chaos Saga finale! Will you slay Chaos King Alteon... or spare him? And what will be the cost of your decision? As Swordhaven falls, Chaos flames rise high; life in Swordhaven will NEVER be the same!

Chaos rises and Swordhaven falls!

Your battle will begin on top of Swordhaven's castle as you tackle the Chaos Beast while Lady Celestia watches. Then, race through a burning Swordhaven  while Choas King Alteon flees his fate... and more destruction of the home he once loved.

Swordhaven will change... FOREVER!

After that, the final confrontation will begin. Will you save Chaos King Alteon, or will you slay him? And can you live with yourself once that choice is made?

This week is the beginning of the end of the 13 Lords of Chaos Saga! From here, we move into Xing and Xang's Chaos Beast and Chaos Lord battles, then... into the heart of the Chaos Realm itself!

AQWorlds 5th Birthday Gift: 200 Free ACs!

All players active in the last 6 months with an account at level 15 or higher will get 200 ACs for free when they log in! (To get the prize, your account must have been level 15+ before October 21, 2013)

Thank you for playing AQWorlds!

Guilds Phase II PTR badge arrives tomorrow!

Now that Yorumi is back from vacation AND healthy, we're moving onto some delayed projects. The Guilds Phase II PTR badge (and the Guild City Founder Statue) will be awarded to ALL players in a Guild created during the PTR at midnight tonight. (They will appear in the Book of Lore immediately, then on character pages tomorrow.) The servers should only need to shut down for 5-10 minutes. Cross your fingers!

Thank you for founding your Guild City during PTR!

Updates, Updates, Updates!

Work on the Oracle Class, the reward for getting 1 million Likes on Facebook, is almost complete! We've got art, now we just need to finalize the skills, then we'll get that out to you all! Stay tuned for more news on later this week.

Oracle Class: 0ACs for ALL players!

Last week, Dage made some amazing, technicolor Dragon Ninja Katanas for the Wheel of Doom and Destiny! These blades will drop from 1 of the Wheels for a limited time (1 full month) starting this Friday!

Let the glow move you... into battle!

• Tomix's SoulWeaver armor is coming to AQW as soon as he has time to make the female armor.
• The female BrutalCorn armor will arrive as soon as Memet finishes making the art for the ChronoCommander Calendar Class!
• The earnable version of the Dragon Shinobi armor will arrive today.
• Yorumi and I will meet tomorrow to finalize our plan for the new anti-botting system.

March 22, 2013

The Chaos Manticore

Chaos Lord Lionfang's Chaos Beast

Lionfang has set up his new base of operations in the area of Thunderforge known as the Venom Vaults. This mountain keep was once home to a mad prince who kept manticores as pets which is suicidally dangerous. Now the Chaonslaught soldiers prowl the halls while in the locked courtyard, Chaos Lord Lionfang has been training (and empowering) his Chaos Beast to ravage the face of Thunderforge attacking Darkblood and Gravelyn's soldiers from the skies. 

The Darkblood weapon against chaos is now yours to use but will you use it against Lionfang or to save king Alteon? Either way you will find yourself at the gates of the Venom Vaults with Sir Valence of Swordhaven's Pactogonal Knights who has been charged with keeping tabs in Lionfang in his new base. 

The Chaos Beast has a number of Member Only drops and Sir Valence has a shop with Dage's Manticore Assassin set inside...

But in a unique challenge, you will be given the opportunity to storm Lionfang's treasure vault where you will find chest after chest filled with NON-MEMBER armors, weapons, helms, cloaks and wings, all of which can be stored for free (they are all 0 ACs). The only catch is that you need the Treasure Vault KEY which Lionfang has placed on his pet... the Chaos manticore. Check the pictures below for some examples of what you'll find inside. 

Game Menu Button

To help keep up to date with the latest releases we have added the ability to open the game menu (normally in Battneon only) from anywhere in the game. All you need to do is press the small treasure chest button now found next to your backpack button on the game's interface frame. 

What Else Is Going On?

We have a lot more going on in-game tonight. For details check out Alina's DNs Post from earlier today! 

• The new Royal Commander set comes with a 1 Month AQW Membersip Upgrade!

• The Treasure Map has been updates with a new clue which will unlock the Dragon Priest, Shadow Commander and Anonymous Drone gear!

• Galanoth's Birthday Challenge continues with access to the new Prismatic Dragonslayer and Evolved Dragonslayer sets! Head to /lair and wish the big guy a Happy Birthday!

Next week: Chaos Lord Lionfang!

Have a great weekend!

Or ELSE!

December 04, 2012

Time for Victory

Confront The Span's Chaos Beast AND Chaos Lord!

Crash into the Chaos Beast battle this Friday! In The Span, Chaos Beast Kathool – a near-immortal creatureimmune to Time – has allied with Drakath and rises to confront you!* Victory against the Chaos Beast unlocksthe battle against Iadoa, the Chronomancer Chaos Lord! Summon your strength, Hero; Lore’s existence depends on your success!

Will you have time to defeat the Chaos Beast AND Chaos Lord?

Did You Say Chaos Beast Kathool?

You read right,apprentice Loremasters! Kathool is the first self-aware Chaos Beast, and there's a good reason it was chosen for that purpose. When a new Chaos Beast is raised - or takes over the position of its own accord, in this case - the Chaos Lord's purpose is fulfilled.* And for a creature as power-hungry and self-assured as Kathool is, the temptation to use Chaos - and the Chaos Lord - for its own ends is too enticing! 

Log in this Friday to learn how Kathool chose to become the Chaos Beast, what it plans to do with its new power, and what the Chronomancer Chaos Lord will do to ensure that you fulfill your destiny!** 

* Drakath has never required the Death of a Chaos Beast, just the power gained when each rises.
** Choose wisely and you may also learn the truth of your role on Lore! Who ARE you, Hero? 

Events and Shops Coming and Going!

Make sure you don't miss the following arrivals and departures of our recent releases and shops:

• Previous years' Frostval events (and seasonal rares) return tomorrow!
• The Dark Harvest event leaves tomorrow!
• The Black Friday (seasonal) and Fall Fire (permarare) shops leave tomorrow!
• The Span War leaves on Friday!
• Quibble Coinbiter returns this Friday! See the next Design Notes for previews of available items!

What's Coming in December!

The holidays are here, and that means even MORE is happening in AQWorlds than usual!

• 12/7 - The Span finale: battle Kathool and Chaos Lord Iadoa!
• 12/12 - Not just another day! The time has come for an ancient evil to rise!
• 12/21 - The 2012 Frostval event continues! As the Heroes of Lore, we will NOT let our world end, no matter WHAT ancient evils (or nebulous prophecies) have planned!
• 12/28 - New Year's event! 2013 is here! 

SPOILERS: Get ready to battle on, because 2013 will be the most Chaotic year yet in AQWorlds! Chaorruption floods Lore as Drakath moves to open the Chaos Gate!

December 02, 2011

The Chaos Beast Rises

Can YOU face down the Gruaige Baas?

Stare into the eyes of a Medusa-beast straight out of legend and larger than any creature Bloodtusk has seen before!

f you don't take it on - and WIN - then the Alliance's generals will become the first sacrifices in a world ruled by Krellenos and Chaos! Another rune on Drakath's Portal has been unlocked

Save the Alliance Generals, take on the Chaos Beast and prepare yourself for the ending NO ONE expected!* With a Chaos Lord this furious, ask yourself: What will this mean for Bloodtusk, for Lore... and for Drakath?

To do the new release: /join orecavern

And until you get the answer**, enjoy these epically Chaorrupted rewards:

• Madness of Chaos Armor
• Chaos Executioner Armor
• Gruaige Baas Chaos Beast Pet
• Chaotic Halberd
• Chaotic Axeperity
• And more!

* Really! We've been reading your predictions since the first Bloodtusk release to see who'd guess.
** Chaos Lord battle coming next week!

TWO new Bloodtusk Classes! 

Horcs and Trolls have very defined battle techniques,and as a show of gratitude for ALL the help you've given them against the threat of Chaos, they are teaching you their war lore! From the Trolls, learn the mystical battleskills of a SpellSmith! And from the Horcs, capitalize on the aid of a battle pet and epic evasion skills!

Horc Evader Class:

Use this evasion and dodge heavy rogue-type class with your BATTLE PET to show your foes that Horc Warriors aren't just brutes - they're quick on their feet and can kill you before you blink! Smell their fear, smell their blood, and use your pet to take down ANY opponent!

• Whistle
• Shadow Strike
• Smell Fear
• Night Hunter and Shadow Wise
• Hunter's Call
• Smell Blood

Troll SpellSmith Class:

As a SpellSmith, you'll have a wide range of options open to you in battle! Feel like attacking with an AOE and take down multiple enemies at once? DO IT! Want to do a decent amount of damage to single enemies? You can do THAT too! Solo bosses AND self-heal AND buff your friends! So MANY CHOICES!

• Energy Arc
• Frost Flame
• Focus Energy
• Empower and Shift Fate
• Weakness Sigil
• Troll Control

See Cysero's Bloodtusk Class Skills writeup for many more details! You can get your very own Evader and SpellSmith classes by gaining Rank 10 in Horc or Troll Rep respectively OR talking to Itzachi in Battleon and buying them for 2,000 ACs!

Changes in the Bloodtusk Ravine Map!

We've made some changes in the Bloodtusk Ravine hub town map! As you play through the storyfrom here on out, the NPCs in the town will change according to what is happening to them in the releases! (So when the Chaos Lord is discovered, they will disappear from their spot in the town, etc.) This gives the area a more dynamic feel, making the zone seem more fully a part of the action!

Khasaanda has also gotten some new quests that you will be able to do in this week's map OR from the very start of the storyline. They'll give some background information on important things like the Arashtite Ore.

Update to the Treasure Chests!

When things get heated in battle, make sure you have the Heavy Blader armor equipped to keep your HP high! This is the newest addition to the Treasure Chest loot pool! With Treasure Chest rewards dropping from every monster in the game, you're sure to get enough oppotunities to with this armor or any of your other favorites!

And remember, members get TWO FREE Keys at the start of each month! If you've run out of Keys, you can always buy more by talking to Twilly in BattleOn! The Chests will always contain some of our most epic gear, so make sure you treasure those Chest drops when you get 'em!

HeroMart: Get your Gift On!

The shop is still stocked with crazycool real life rares for the holidays at HeroMart! If you haven't gotten a 2012 AQWorlds Calendar, the Doomwood or Chaos Mod Packs, the Artix Logo shirt, or our other awesome swag yet, now's the perfect time! And all our swag makes GREAT gifts for friends and family!

Coming Next Week!

CHAOS is on the move! If you haven't played the release yet (and if you're reading this, we're assuming you haven't), then you have NO idea what's in store for next week's Chaos Lord battle! And if you HAVE played the release... then you STILL have no idea what's coming next! Make sure to log in next week for:

• Chaos Lord Battle!
• Release of past Frostval content!
• Mudluk Update!
• Quibble Coinbiter leaves Monday!

Have a great weekend guys, and enjoy the release!

November 29, 2011

Chaos Beast Rises Friday!

Krellenos sets Chaos in motion!

Good. Evil. And CHAOS! All forces are in play this week as Krellenos reveals his plans for your Hero, the Alliance Leaders, and all of Lore! Oh, and did we mention he just happens to have a 20-foot tall Serpentress at his command? That lowly snake creature has morphed into a Chaorrupted Bloodtusk legend: the Gruaige Baas!

This Friday, journey under the heart of Bloodtusk Ravine through a mystical cavern system to find the Alliance Leaders, Krellenos, and the Chaos Beast itself! If you fail, not only the Alliance but all of Lore will be torn apart by fear and the certainty that their loved ones will betray them... just as Krellenos deceived his!

Your future rests on what these caves contain.

Draw upon your skills as a Hero to DEFY the destiny Krellenos Sees for you!

Horc Evader and Troll Spellsmith Classes!

Whether you prefer Melee or Magic battling, you'll find a class that will stun you! (So you better make sure to put your points in Dodge!) Tomorrow Cysero will post the skill writeups for the Horc Evader and Troll Spellsmith classes! Yesterday Artix posted a tantazling concept sketch Dage the Evil drew up for them. Below you'll find the fully-Flashed art, fully coded and ready for testing!

Both classes are available by repping up to Rank 10 (in Horc for Evader, in Troll for Spellsmith), but we're also offering AC versions of each class! Cysero and Dumoose went head to head today testing the classes' balance in PvP.

With that, I'm signing off to go email Nulgath and Samba the cutscenes they need to animate, then finish off the last of the cranberry sauce I made yesterday. (Who says it's only for Thanksgiving?!) Enjoy the previews and see you in... a few hours!

PS: Make sure you check out Cysero's post on AE's donation to Child's Play! It's all thanks to YOU guys that we were able to become Platinum sponsors! Gamers helping kids... who could grow up to be gamers. It is a beautiful cycle!

PPS: If you're up to date on the Bloodtusk storyline, why not head to Bloodtusk and check out Khasaanda? Looks like Krellenos has vanished and his sister is revealing some all-new information that should tantalize and tease with hints of events to come!

November 22, 2011

Cornycopia 2011 this Friday!

Are Harvest feasts SUPPOSED to be this Chaotic?!

Family, togetherness and... battling CHAOS?! That's not how Harvest festival dinners are supposed to work! But this year, Chaos will chaorrupt each of the 3 harvest feasts to which you've been invited.* Prepare to dine with (not on!) King Alteon and the princesses, feast with Artix and his parents (how has he not slain all the zombies in Lore yet?!), and celebrate Cornycopia with Yulgar, Aria, and Grams (surely Grams will be ok, right?)!

All that's missing is... YOU!**

Too bad Drakath can't let this festival of family and thankfulness pass without making Trouble! Prepare to battle Chaorrupted Pactoganol Knights and Zombies, Bandits, and a special boss that's gone from Feast to BEAST! 

* To meet Artix's parents and join in their Harvest feasting, you'll need to be a member!
** For an awesome large-size family portrait version of our Harvest NPCs, check out this pic by @scrib_ on Twitter!

 Seasonal Rares and All-New Equips!

Cornycopia comes with epic pilgrim equips, nifty native gear, and awesomely edible-looking accessories! 

Returning from previous years are:

• Twigwam, TurkeyDrake, and Butterbomb pets
• Turdraken Scale Sword, Fallen Leaf Sword
• Pilgrim Wizard, Pilgrim Warrior, and Potato Sack Armors
• Turkey Head and Chef Helms
• And much more!

NEW Cornycopia seasonal rares:

• TurkeySlayer Armor
• Turdraken Hunter
• Native Assassin
• And more to fill a Hero's backpack... and stomach!

The Blackest Friday Shop!

Black Friday is a time for real life wicked deals and super-sales, and it's no different in AQWorlds! This Friday's holiday shop will contain all of your favorite gear sold for gold, but colored blacker than Gravelyn's heart!

On sale Friday:

• Dual Blackerris
• Black Ice Reborn
• Black Rune Edge
• Mammoth Crusher Black
• Shade of Aww
• Blackzerker Armor
• J6's Black Handguns

Happy Holiday Deals at HeroMart!

We know you love real life swag (who doesn't like getting +5 to Charisma with an Artix Logo shirt?!), and to show you how much we appreciate your support for the battle-booty we stock, we're excited to offer Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at HeroMart!

• Sale on Black Friday, Nov. 25!
• Sale on Cyber Monday, Nov. 28!
• $102 worth of old merchandise on sale for $49!

Contest reminder!

The winners of the I Can Has Mod Contest and the AQWorlds Membership Giveaway will be announced this Monday! If you like fun and games (and if you're here, you probably do), then these contests are right up your alley! For more information, check out these links:

• The I CAN HAS MOD contest!
• The AQWorlds Membership giveaway!

Chaos Beast preview! (Comes NEXT WEEK!)

Harbingers of death and disease, Bloodtusk's Chaos Lord felt the Serpentress was the perfect symbol of his reign of Chaos! After last week's Bloodtusk release, you were left with only the knowledge that you had to make plans, to strategize. Now you know what you will face!

It is death to look into her eyes, but it is complete and total Chaorruption if you taste her venom! Be on guard next week, when Bloodtusk Ravine comes under assault from the Chaos Beast!

Tomorrow's release!

Get ready for all of your old favorite Cornycopia releases to return tomorrow night! Do you miss the Beleen Balloon? Have a hankering to taste some turdraken? ... Or just take it down?! Then make sure to log in tomorrow night for the first of the Harvest fun!

March 18, 2011

Friday, Friday, Gettin Down On Friday...

Fun Fun Fun Fun

Zahart has finally awoken his Chaos Beast...the deadly Sphinx. Classically the Sphinx is regarded as a wise creature full of riddles, but the only riddle THIS Sphinx poses is how to survive his BRUTAL onslaught.

I will go ahead and tell you that this fight is NOT for lightweights. The level 45 Sphinx monster has unusually high hit points and hits pretty hard. It doesn't take a lot of strategy one of your friends SHOULD bust out their Healer or Acolyte armor.

Bring friends.

You will, of course, earn a Chaos Sphinx Achievement badge in your Book of Lore for defeating yet another Chaos Beast. There are several very nice drops for members and non-members in this release but it might take you a while to get all of them from the Sphinx.

Next week... face the Chaos Lord of the Sandsea!

Quibble Coinbither Is BACK!

And he's got TWENTY ONE all new items for you, like the Celestial Sandknight armor, with matching Helms, Wings, Spear, Sword, Axe and Claws all of which have color custom accents which apply your accessory color to the whole set for your own custom look!

You will also find the Ra Armor from Polistar and a number of Nightshock items and weapons from Xyo so you can impress them with your godly might or shock them with your electrifying power!

Or maybe you are more interested in Xyo's EXTREMELY customizable Agile Racer armor, which you can color customize with your Armor, Trim AND Accessory color. Perhaps you'd be interested in Skyline's Obsidian Katanas which will appear to have either red or blue highlights completely at random!

Maybe you're more interested in some of Lodarazs' Color Custon wings or some of the other items that will vainsh soon and may never return. You never know how long Quibble might stay. May be a week. Maybe more.

Enjoy the release and have a great weekend.

or else.

BUGS UPDATE!

During the live release, we pushed a few client changes live and, as usual, we missed a few items. You may have noticed that the TEMPORARY ITEM inventory and the HOUSE ITEMS shops in /buyhouse will open an old-style shop with nothing in it. You also won't be able to close said dead shops.

We are aware of the issues, know the causes and are working to get fixes in place. It might take some time but we will get these issues resolves as fast as we can. Sorry for the inconvoenience

BUGS UPDATE UPDATE!

A temporary fix has been put into place. Temporary Item Inventory and the shops in /buyhouse should now work as intended. Thanks Minimal!

March 18, 2011

FRIDAY! FRIDAY!

Coming Today - CHAOS BEAST FIGHT!

No, the Chaos Beast is not Rebecca Black. ... dramatic pause for 5 seconds... In tonight's brand new release we will face the Sandsea desert's Chaos Beast. Did you ever wonder what they Chaos Beasts really are? And why a new rune lights up behind Drakath in each cutscene that follows it? Um. Probably just a coincidence. If you are just joining us, or have not completed the Sandsea quests yet... play all of the quests and get ready... for the GRAND FINALE!