Design Notes
March 22, 2025
Artix Fanart Spotlight
Show Off Your Artix-Inspired Art
The Artix gaming community has always been overflowing with creativity. Like, seriously, y’all have been crafting epic masterpieces since the days of dial-up internet—aka forever ago in gaming years. From the earliest AdventureQuest fanart on the Battleon Forums to the latest AQ3D digital doodles on Discord, our heroes have brought the world of Lore to life with legendary artistic skills for decades. And now, it’s time to shine a spotlight on YOUR fanart!
Enter the Artix Fanart Spotlight
A brand-new Fanart Spotlight channel has appeared on the Artix Discord, and it’s eagerly waiting for your creations! Whether you wield a pencil, tablet, mouse, or even a potato-powered setup (wait wut?), we want to see your best Artix Entertainment-inspired works!
Just like our Guild Spotlights and Housing Spotlights, we’ll periodically select a player to be featured on the Design Notes. Our community has always been amazing, and we cannot wait to show the world just how amazing YOU are!
How to Submit Your Fanart
- Create anything Artix Entertainment related, from any/all Artix games (AQ, DF, MQ, AQW, ED, OS, AQ3D, or any other Artix game)
- Drop your masterpiece in the Fanart Spotlight Discord channel
- Select one or more tags (like AQ, DF, Artix, etc) that best categories your art
- Include your game name(the one you want credited) and the game you hail from, too
- Give your artwork a title(example: Sepulchure’s feeling cute, might delete later selfie)
- Share any fun facts or a story behind your art. Did it start as a sketch in class? Was it inspired by a cutscene? Did it take 100 layersto get that armor sheen just right? We wanna know!
- Want to show off your creative process? Sketches, WIPs, and ofc final versions are totally encouraged!
- Want to share your artist profile?Feel free to include a link to your Twitter, DeviantArt, ArtStation, etc—just make sure it follows the Rules of Artist Engagement
Rules of Artistic Engagement
This goes without saying, but imma say it anyway ~and~ in bold:
your artwork must be created by YOU, and your artwork must be SFW (Safe for Work)!
If you wouldn’t show it to your sweet old grandma, young cousin, or innocent little Twig, it does NOT belong in the Fanart Spotlight. Just like how every Artix game is family-friendly (unless you’re part of the Akriloth bloodline…), we expect family-friendly fanartthat everyone (excluding dragons) can enjoy!
What Kind of Fanart is Accepted?
We accept all kinds of fanart, so long as it’s SFW and Artix-related! This includes:
🎨 Digital & Traditional Art: drawings, paintings, pixel art, sketches, and more!
🗿 Sculptures & Crafts: clay models, wood carvings, 3D printed thingies, plushies, cosplay props, and handmade items.
💥 Comics & Animations: short comics, animated GIFs, or full animations inspired by your favorite Artix game(s).
👕 Fashion & Cosplay: costumes, armor sets, custom T-shirts, and any wearable creations.
🎂 Edible Art: cakes, cookies, and other themed treats (oh yes, we've seen some amazing Artix cakes & cookies before)!
✨Others: did I leave out your preferred artistic medium? Show us anyway!
If you’ve got a creative, visual tribute to ~any~ Artix game or collection of games, it’s totally welcomed in the Fanart Spotlight!
Heed the Call of Creativity
Whether you’re a Level 100 artist with a million brushstrokes under your belt, or aSwordhaven-scribbler just getting started, we want to celebrate YOUR creativity! So pick up that pen, paintbrush, stylus, or spatula, and join the Fanart Spotlight today! 🎉
Battle on,
Beleen, fanart admirers everywhere, and the Artix Entertainment team
March 18, 2025
Player Housing Spotlight: The Monstrocity by Kuronosuke
A Home Worthy of Legends… and Lagginess
In the ever-expanding world of AdventureQuest Worlds, player creativity knows no bounds. This week, we shine the spotlight on The Monstrocity, an awe-inspiring (and lag-inducing) player house built by Kuronosuke. This architectural marvel isn’t just a house—it’s a testament to patience, determination, and an absurdly high item count!
The Story Behind The Monstrocity
It all started out of boredom—because what better motivation is there? AQW offers soooo many house items, and Kuronosuke decided to take on the ultimate challenge:
farming 99 copies of the Debris Gravestone, an item with a 1% drop rate!! O__O
After grinding tirelessly and flexing the achievement on the AQW subreddit (here’s the proof), the question arose:
“What if I actually used these?”
Thus, The Monstrocity was born. Kuronosuke set out to create a home that not only utilized these gravestones but also tested the limits of AQW’s housing system. However, the dream of placing all 99 gravestones quickly met reality—only around 20 made it into the final design.
“It was just way too many,” Kuronosuke admitted. “I think I only put in about 20 before realizing it was a bit much.”
But that wasn’t the end of the experiment. The next phase of boredom-fueled inspiration led to the creation of additional rooms, each with a distinct identity.
The final product? A three-room masterpiece featuring:
Room 1: The Spotlight Room – The grand entrance, showcasing and foreshadowing the chaos.
Room 2: The Lag Room – A true stress test for AQW’s housing system, packed with over 200+ items and notorious for its insane lag. “It took me four hours to put everything together because of the crazy lag in room 2,” Kuronosuke confessed.
Room 3: The King’s Room – A fittingly grand chamber for the ruler of The Monstrocity.
The Struggle of Creation & Boundless Creativity
Building The Monstrocity was no small feat. The sheer number of placed items pushed AQW’s limits, causing intense lag, especially in Room 2. The process took four hours, not due to design challenges, but because of the game itself struggling to keep up.
“I simply made this house to test if AQW could handle the super lagginess, but I eventually disconnected after /afk-ing in the second room for almost 40 minutes,” Kuronosuke revealed. In fact, that accidental disconnection became a badge of honor in its own right!
Would you call The Monstrocity a house? It’s more like an experiment, a passion project, and a hilarious challenge to the game’s stability. From the grind to the build, Kuronosuke has proven that dedication (and maybe a touch of madness) can result in something truly unique.
Whether you visit to admire the design or just to test how long you can survive the lag, this player house is one for the history books!
Dare to take on The Monstrocity? Drop by if you’re feeling brave… but don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Battle on,
Beleen, Kuronosuke, and the AQW team
January 08, 2025
Housing Spotlight: The Fallen Fortress of Sepulchure by Zenshin
A House Inspired by the Anime “Overlord”
It’s 2025, and y’all are already blowing our minds with your creativity! That being said, you have to check out Zenshin's creation, The Fallen Fortress of Sepulchure on the Artix Server. It is soooo much more than just a house – it’s an actual experience! With inspiration taken from the infamous Great Tomb of Nazarick in the anime “Overlord,” this house brings dungeon-like exploration to AQWorlds. Every room in the house is meticulously designed, incorporating monsters, traps, and stories that unfold as you explore its dark halls. Whether it’s the terrifying Body of Despair or the elusive Throne Room, this house offers all players a deeply immersive adventure!
Overlord Overview: Concept and Design
The Fallen Fortress of Sepulchure started as a tribute to Overlord, specifically the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Zenshin, a huge fan of the series, wanted to recreate the dungeon-like atmosphere of the anime, filled with powerful monsters and relentless NPCs. Every area in the fortress has its own backstory and purpose, creating a living world where visitors can feel the tension of wandering through a dangerous and mysterious place.
Seriously… have you ever seen a place like this before?!
Each room has been customized to enhance the feeling of dread and mystery. Zenshin cleverly uses house items to hide the usual game aesthetics, like arrows and NPC interaction bubbles, to create an anime-like atmosphere. The result is an amaaaaazing environment that feels more like an art piece than a house!
I’m going to let Zenshin take it from here and tell the tale of each and every room…
Area Name: Entrance of Despair
Description: This area is the entry to the castle.
Commentary: This area in the house is nothing special. I just put some items that I think would be best as guards outside. Still, these guards will put anyone into despair just facing them.
Area Name: Body of Despair
Description: An area full of monsters that will rip any intruder that enters the area into shreds.
Commentary: This room is one of the rooms that is difficult to put some non-guard/guest house items on, evident by that unnatural placement of that stone on the pavement.
Area Name: First Room — Lascivia's Domain
Description: After defeating Lascivia, Zenshin copied its soul and turned it into a Room Guardian.
Commentary: One thing I love about this room is the Ebil Corp Jack Sprat Guard that looks like the Death Knights in Overlord. I originally wanted to put a bunch of them for each side, but placements looked unnatural so I decided to just put 3 on each side.
Area Name: 2nd Room — Titan's Garden
Description: An area of infinite space that will trap anyone for eternity and will have to face the Titans guarding the area.
Commentary: This is one of the trap rooms I mentioned above. I didn't like the separation of customizers in this house so I decided to transform them into trap rooms.
Area Name: 4th Room — Leanan's Domain
Description: A beautiful room with a gorgeous guardian. This room can continuously spawn Overdriven Energy Elementals.
Commentary: This room is incomplete and will definitely undergo some changes in the future.
Area Name: 5th Room - The Blood Garden
Description: A room that insta-kills any living things. Any living intruders who enter this area will have their blood sucked dry by the guardians and blood butterflies. This is also a room with infinite space.
Commentary: The second trap room. I love the idea of putting trap rooms in my house. Of course, The Great Tomb of Nazarick also has traps inside.
Area Name: 6th Room — Training Room
Description: The place where Zenshin's subordinates train to level up and acquire new class skill or racial skill.
Commentary: This is one of the areas in the house that I don't want to change very much from its original design.
Area Name: 7th Room — Treasury
Description: A room full of gold. A decoy room for greedy intruders.
Commentary: The easiest room for me since I didn't have to think very much for the placements of the gold items. Also, I could've used Dragons as guard to follow those fiction tropes of Dragons guarding treasures; I went with guards with no hands anyway so they don't accidentally use the infinity gauntlet 😏.
Area Name: 8th Room — Unbalanced Monsters
Description: The Final line of defense against intruders before the Throne Room and reach the players.
Commentary: My 2nd fav room and 2nd most difficult room to make. The inspiration of my house is what made this room difficult. I wanted this room of the house to be the 8th room and I will not have it in any other room — this was on my mind when I built the Throne Room, which is the room next to it. It was difficult for me to look for items to cover the statue of Sepulchure and the undead guards because I've used all my pillar items. I wanted to place the monsters in a way that looks natural to go with the background.
The 8th room is my version of the 8th floor of Nazarick — that's why I bothered numbering the rooms. The monsters residing on the 8th floor of Nazarick are one of Overlord's biggest mysteries. The 8th floor is the strongest and final line of defense of Nazarick, the monsters on that floor are said to be able to rival and beat the strongest NPC created by the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. And that is why I made sure the monsters I put in this room scream POWERFUL.
Area Name: Throne Room
Description: The Players' Area.
Commentary: My fav room and most difficult room to design. Just like the 8th room, this is the room that I don't want to have in any other room. The room it resides in is the perfect place. The throne room in Nazarick is on the Final Floor, so I also want my throne room in the Final hidden room. It's the perfect place after the Treasury and 8th floor.
What made this room difficult to make is how it won't allow me to place the items the way I want. There were so many trials and errors, I didn't even want to touch one part of the design after finishing it. A great example is how I couldn't put 3 midnight pillars close together side by side without glitching. Every time I move some items, it moves on its own, so I was only able to place 2 midnight pillars together.
And although this room is my favorite room, this room is not complete yet. I'm planning to remove the two Sky Obelisk items and replace them with better pillar items in the future. I really hope they turn Dark Marble Column in the Floor Item shop into stackable.
All Hail Zenshin, the Overlord Architect!
As you can *clearly* see, The Fallen Fortress of Sepulchure is a masterclass in house design, blending Overlord-inspired lore with intricate dungeon mechanics. Each room tells its own story, from the despair-filled halls to the final line of defense before the Throne Room. Zenshin’s dedication to detail is evident in every corner of the fortress (and commentary, too!), creating an unforgettable experience for players and visitors alike. It’s crazy to think that this house is STILL evolving, and yet it stands as a shining example of how creative AQW houses can be. And ofc how creative our amazing players are :)
Head on over to the Artix server and be sure to visit this incredible fortress at /house Zenshin —just be prepared for the insanity that hides inside!
Battle on!
Beleen, Zenshin, and the AQW team
PS: Think your house can top this? Prove it by submitting your housing creation here or on Discord!
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