Design Notes

October 09, 2024

Martial Artist Class Skill Preview

16th Birthday Class Skills Preview

We're kicking (and punching) off AQW's 16th Birthday Event with the release of the new Martial Artist class!

Martial Artist is a late game single target dodge class that utilizes three fighting stances based on some of our most iconic monsters, the Frogzard, Gorillaphant, and Dragon. The stance you take changes the effect of your other skills, meaning there is more than one way to play the class!

How to Unlock the Class

There are two ways to unlock Martial Artist:

• Seek out The Master in /hakuvillage, who will only pass on his techniques if you defeat enough Frogzards, Gorillaphants, and Dragons. How many? That will be up to The Master to decide.
• Talk to Quibble Coinbiter. The rare, color-customizable Master Martial Artist will be available in his Birthday Rares Shop and collection chest.

Important Details:

• You need to be at least level 65 to begin the quests to unlock. 
• Playing around 3 hours a week, it would take a level 65 Hero roughly 4 weeks to unlock the class.
  (Or about 20 days if you do every day's daily quest.)

Your trainer is a very old, very wise, very... overzealous old Master. What he wants you to do maaaaaaaaaaaaaaay not be the most *cough* practical. Do what he asks to begin with, and see where the quests take you. There are many ways a clever hero can achieve their goal and while still adhering to the letter of The Master's requests.

Martial Artist Details

Description: Recommended enhancement - Lucky
Stat Model: Dodge Melee
Mana Regen: All skills (except Pummel) regain 100 mana when used (affected by Mana Consumption).

Combat Skills

Pummel

Rank needed: 1 / Default Attack
Target: Enemy
Max Targets: 1
Type: 105% Physical
Range: Melee
Mana Cost: 50
Cooldown: 0.5 seconds

Strike your target with a powerful punch. Applies different effects based on your current Stance. Can't miss. Must be pressed in order to use.

A non-automatic auto attack! This skill won't fire off unless you manually press it. Your punches apply different effects based on the Stance you're in, but you can only punch TWO times max before needing to swap Stances (unless a certain aura is active). This is also the only skill on Martial Artist that deals damage to your target, so be sure to keep using it or else you won't get anywhere!

Frogzard's Crushing Jaw

Rank needed: 1
Target: Self
Max Targets: 1
Range: Melee
Mana Cost: -100
Cooldown: 4 seconds

Assume a Frogzard Stance, causing Pummel to reduce your target's Damage Resistance by 5%, stacks to 6. Frogzard based Stances also heal you over time while active. If you already have another non mixed Stance active, it's consumed and the applied effect changes:

• Gorillaphant: 8% outgoing damage, stacks to 6
• Dragon: -10% Hit Chance and Crit Chance, stacks to 2

Effects last 20 seconds.

The Frogzard Stance is all about reducing your target's defenses. While in a Frogzard based Stance, you'll passively heal and your Pummel will reduce one of your target's defensive stats. If you already have another Stance active, instead of entering Frogzard Stance, you'll enter a Mixed-Stance, which causes Pummel to apply an effect based on that Stance instead. Any active Mixed-Stances are overtaken when a Stance skill is used, so you can easily alternate between Stances whenever you want.

Gorillaphant Beatdown

Rank needed: 2
Target: Self
Max Target: 1
Range: Melee
Mana Cost: -100
Cooldown: 4 seconds

Assume a Gorillaphant Stance, causing your Punches to increase your Crit Damage by 15%, stacks to 6. Gorillaphant based Stances also increase your Crit Chance by 50% while active. If you already have another non mixed Stance active, it's consumed and the applied effect changes:

• Frogzard: -5% Physical Resistance, stacks to 6
• Dragon: -15% outgoing damage and Haste, stacks to 2

Effects last 20 seconds.

The Gorillaphant Stance is all about dealing damage. While in a Gorillaphant based Stance, you'll have an increased chance to crit and your Pummel will increase your damage based stats.

Soaring Dragon

Rank needed: 3
Target: Self
Max Targets: 1
Range: Melee
Mana Cost: -100
Cooldown: 10 seconds

Assume a Dragon Stance, causing your Punches to apply Spinning Dragon to your target, reducing their next hit to 0. Dragon based Stances also increase your Damage Resistance by 30% while active. If you already have another non mixed Stance active, it's consumed and the applied effect changes:

• Frogzard: -5% DoT Resist and DoT, stacks to 6
• Gorillaphant: 8% physical damage, stacks to 6

Effects last 20 seconds.

The Dragon Stance is all about mitigating your target's damage. While in a Dragon based Stance, your Damage Resistance is increased and your Pummel will reduce one of your target's offensive based stats, with the most notable debuffs being Spinning Dragon, which reduces the next hit your target deals to 0, and you can apply it twice in a row if you delay your punches! 

Concentration

Rank needed: 5
Target: Self
Max Targets: 1
Type: -250% Physical
Range: Melee
Mana Cost: -100
Cooldown: 40 seconds

Concentrate, healing yourself and applying Fully Focused for 7 seconds. While active, Fully Focused reduces Mana Costs by 100%, but each strike from Pummel increases your Mana Costs by 10%.

It has a long cooldown, but it's worth it. After receiving what should be a full heal, you can use Pummel (almost) as much as you want, allowing you to quickly stack your Stances' Pummel effects while also just dishing out a whole bunch of damage. 

Passive Skills

Swift Strikes

Rank needed: 4
Type: Passive
Haste increased by 30%.

Evasive Instincts

Rank needed: 4
Type: Passive
Dodge increased by 30%.

Endurance Training

Rank needed: 10
Type: Passive
END increased by 20%.

Conclusion

Martial Artist is a rather complex, but rewarding class that requires a constant swapping of Stances in order to apply a wide variety of effects and deal large amounts of damage. Each stance has its own use, but when combined, the full potential of Martial Artist can be brought out. Generally, starting a fight with Dragon Stance allows you to set up by first debuffing your target's offensive power, which allows for an easier application of either Frogzard or Gorillaphant based Stances, but if you're feeling dangerous, you can always start with a damage oriented Stance instead. 

As this class requires some strategy and more button inputs than the average class, especially due to its manual auto attack, we want the class' performance to reflect the effort and difficulty it takes to use, so it might perform a bit better than other classes in its category once perfected. 

Can you master the Martial Artist? Hard training pays off, and it's no different in this case.

October 04, 2024

Happy 16th Birthday, Hero!

Log in for gifts, your /birthday party, and more!

This weekend, log in and get this /party started as we celebrate 16 years of legends, lore, and VICTORY! Find all our new holiday and birthday maps in the Event Hub, plus new monsters and rewards. 

New Game Release

• First birthday gift of the month
• New undead adventure in /NecroProject
• Seasonal Mogloween events return
• Birthday event: Talk to NPCs, battle monsters, and unlock new rewards in /eventhub & /birthday
• New upgrade bonus: Mirror Realm Necromancer

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: Double Rep Boost
• Saturday: Battle the Birthday Gifts monster in the /eventhub for a VERY DARK ANNOUNCEMENT
• Sunday: Battle the bosses in the /ChampAzalith map to unlock rare 0 AC statue house items

Necro University: Head of the Class

Get to the head of the class this weekend when you return to Necro University! Talk to Sally in the /NecroProject map and quest to complete your FINAL PROJECT: building Noxus a permanent body. Battle the boss tot unlock his full 0 AC armor set and more!

Mogloween Returns with Tricks & Treatsfor Halloween!

A sliver of moon rises in the darkening sky.... Shadows creep and fog rolls over the land. It can only mean one this... the haunted town of Mystcroft has reopened. Log in this weekend as all our seasonal Halloween zones, bosses, and rewards return. /join mystcroft to talk to the Cauldron Sisters to learn the lay of the land, then /join noxusproject and talk to Sally to take on the Necro University Senior Project: creating a permanent body for Noxus!

Our seasonal Mogloween events are back RIGHT NOW, but later this month, we'll bring you an all-new adventure. Like last year, you'll be able to enjoy trick-or-treating (and monster-beating) at other players' houses. (Time to clean and decorate your /house!)

Spooky Spectral Reward Gear

Even the soul of an underhanded coward can take on the form of a relentless beast if steeped in enough curses and anguish. Death becomes a new beginning. Battle Royce in /crescentmoon and collect his drops, then create color custom versions of the gear in Constantine's merge shop!

Boss Drops:

• Spectral Lycan armor
• Spectral Lycan accessories: 2 helms, 2 capes, 2 weapons
• Spectral Ground Flames (1% drop)
• WitchBlade armor (imported from OverSoul)
• Webbed Blade

Merge Shop: 8 color-customizable versions of the Spectral Lycan gear!

Candied Costume Merge Shop

Bubble (the cat) went on a candy binge and ate ALL of the ingredients Toil and Trouble saved for the Cauldron Sister's super-delicious Candy Batch Deluxe. If they find out, Bubble’s going to be turned into an animatronic, and I’ll have to help. Robots are the CREEPIEST things out there. Even worse than that Necromancer wannabe, Sally.

For helping Bubble (the Girl), you'll be able to pick up a cauldron full of new Mogloween costumes! Just keep completing quests to earn Bubble (the Cat)'s favorite candy, and she’ll let you choose your prizes.

Complete quests to earn the pieces of our seasonal sets:

• Super Scion Ninja
• Force Guardian
• Flesh Ripper
• Fairy Tale Wanderer
• Taco Day Costume gear
• Lady Vayle 

Getting a Head(less) Start on Halloween!

If you haven't joined us for this event before, Mogloween is the fall seasonal event where you Trick or BEAT your way through the spookiest, creepiest releases we've put out over the last fifteen years! 

Returning Mogloween zones this year:

• /mogloween
• /mogloweengrave
• /candyshop
• /voltabolt
• /candycorn
• /pie
• /asylum
• /franken
• /ultrafranken
• /poehub
• /crusher
• /cask
• /wyvern
• /necronaut
• /mystcroftforest
• /bloodmoon
• /chromafection
• /twigsarcade
• /zorbot
• /masquerade
• /that

Check out our Mogloween Event Guide to see all the maps, bosses, and quests waiting for you: Mogloween Guide. 

Log in now at AQ.com.

October 04, 2024

16th Birthday Gifts

Don't miss any of our 16th Birthday Gifts

It is kind of crazy to think AdventureQuest Worlds has been updating every week for sixteen years. O_O That is a LOT of monsters mashed, quests completed, and bosses beaten. After so many victories, we know you've collected enough gear to fill several dragon hoards. So to celebrate another year of adventure,  we want to show our appreciation by giving you the ability to play and store EVEN MORE! 

For the last several years, we've been getting increasing numbers of players asking for more house inventory spaces. We hear you loud and clear... and that's why we've added 25 more free slots to everyone... and upped the max amount of buyable house inventory slots to 275.*

Log in to get your free gift now, and check out what new gifts and functionality are coming next:

October 4: Free Spaces
- Free bank, guild, and house inventory spaces
- Maximum buyable slots increase
- Friends list cap increase

October 11: 500 Free AdventureCoins
Complete Twilly's quest to claim your 500 free AdventureCoins by October 31st**

October 18: Double Ultra Boss Drop Boost I
Battle the first six Ultra Bosses to get double drops for one week!  

October 25: Double Ultra Boss Drop Boost II
- Battle the second six Ultra Bosses to get double drops for one week!
- ??? Work in progress

What About Inventory Slots?

Never fear! We didn't just forget to add them in. In the background, among making progress on AQWorlds Infinity, we've asked Captain Rhubarb and Spider to get gear loadouts ready. The server end of the project is done, and Spider's working on the client end.  The feature is actively being worked on, and we are currently looking to have it go out the last week of the month (aka ??? Work in Progress).

If all goes well, it will be live this month, but I did not want to promise something that we cannot deliver on; having a 2nd week of Ultra Boss boosts would not feel great for players who don't farm them. If we can't get that out on time, the backup plan is to get everyone more inventory slots like in previous years. But ideally... we do not just have to do one of them; it would be best to have both go live the last week of the month. 

* A small heads up: to make sure these free spaces and the increased max don't negatively impact anyone's game session, we're going to lower the max number of items you can have in a single room of your house (currently 200 items) down a bit.

** Quest goes rare on Friday, November 1st.

October 04, 2024

Mirror Realm Necromancer

Upgrade to unlock the exclusive armor sets

Animancers bring heroes back to life, denying them peace in the afterlife, but ensuring the world more justice... if only for a time. Get the Mirror Realm Necromancer bonus pack when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership pack of $10 USD or more and unlock two new color-customizable sets, the Animancer and Reanimancer, their accessories, and a character page badge.

After you purchase an account upgrade, select a bonus set of your choice from a list of options in your Account Manager.

Pack Details

Choose the Mirror Realm Necromancer bonus set to unlock all the gear from the set's badge shop in your Book of Lore. The set includes:

• Color-customizable Animancer armor + accessories
• Color-customizable Reanimancer armor + accessories
• Character page badge

Once you've chosen the Mirror Realm Necromancer pack on the Account Manager page, log in and open your Book of Lore. You'll find the badge shop in the Other Achievements tab.

12000 AC or 12 month membership package rewards:

• ALL the new upgrade bonus pack gear
• 7 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
• 10 Wheel of Doom Tickets (worth 2,000 ACs!)
• and a character page badge

Boosts and Doom Tickets will be added directly to your inventory.

2k and 5k AC or 1, 3, or 6 month membership package rewards:

• ALL the new upgrade bonus pack gear
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
• and a character page badge

16th Birthday AdventureCoin Bonus

Talk about a birthday surprise! Normally, our Holiday AdventureCoin bonus doesn't begin until November, but we've been flooded with requests to start early.* Get your /party on and get 50% more bonus AdventureCoins with any AC or membership package.

October 01, 2024

16th Birthday AdventureCoin Bonus

Get 50% more AdventureCoins as Our Holiday AC Bonus Begins

Talk about a birthday surprise.. AGAIN! Our Holiday AdventureCoin bonus doesn't begin until November, but just like last year, we've gotten a ton of requests to begin the boost early... and this is a great way to get the /party started right! Starting now (October 1st), Get 50% more bonus AdventureCoins with any AC or membership package. 

* If you bought a membership or AC pack between 12:01 AM EST and 11:59 PM EST on September 30th, 2024 Captain Rhubarb has already awarded your bonus ACs, too.

Get 60,000 ACs while our Holiday Bonus is on!

During our 2024 Holiday AdventureCoin bonus, get 60,000 ACs for $99.95 (that's 20,000 ACs more than normal!) and unlock your choice of upgrade bonus pack, 15x Rep, Gold, Class Points, and XP server boosts, and the Mythic Item of Digital Awesomeness (IoDA). 

Mythic Item of Digital Awesomeness?!

The Mythic Item of Digital Awesomeness (or MIoDA for short) is a miscellaneous item you will get by purchasing the 40k AdventureCoin pakage. Like the other IoDA items, it allows you to choose any item in the game when you redeem it through your Account Manager.

How to Claim your MIoDA Prize

Make sure you have a confirmed email address attached to your game account, and then follow these steps:

1. Decide on the item you want
2. Log into your Account Manager
3. Click on the "Awesome Prizes" link on the sidebar
4. You'll see a list of the IoDA tokens you have available
5. Choose from a list of ALL the eligible item rewards  
6. You'll be taken to a verification page to confirm your choice

Wait...AdventureCoin Bonus?!

That's right! Several times each year, we have bonus AdventureCoin offers, where we'll increase the amount of ACs you get with each pack. (example: Summer, Back to School, and during the holidays). Bonus amounts and dates may change from year to year, so keep an eye on the Design Notes and social media for more news of future bonuses.

Support AQWorlds and Become a Legend!

Starting now, upgrade your account with any membership to become a 16th Upholder. You'll instantly unlock a bounty of exclusive items and perks. We always say that we make AdventureQuest Worlds for and with you. It would not be what it is today without the trust and confidence of the original Founders and early Upholders... and we would not be able to build what comes next without your support now.

How to become a 16th Upholder

Starting Tuesday, October 1st, at 12:01 AM EST, we are once again offering the chance to become an AQW Upholder.

• Have an active membership that expires on or after 11:59 PM November 1st or
• Upgrade your AQW account with ANY membership during the month of October

Check out this Design Notes post to see everything you'll unlock as a 16th Upholder!

Note: only memberships count towards 16th Upholder.

October 01, 2024

Become a 16th Upholder

Support AQWorlds and Become a Legend!

Starting now, upgrade your account with any membership to become a 16th Upholder. You'll instantly unlock a bounty of exclusive items and perks. We always say that we make AdventureQuest Worlds for and with you. It would not be what it is today without the trust and confidence of the original Founders and early Upholders... and we would not be able to build what comes next without your support now.

History of Founders and Upholders

16 years ago, in 2008, AdventureQuest Worlds went live. A legion of passionate AdventureQuest Guardians and DragonFable DragonLords joined us on a new game-making journey. The early support of those Founders kept AQWorlds free for everyone to play. In recognition of their trust and confidence, every October we host a new Upholder promotion to reward other heroes who support the game's development.

How to become a 16th Upholder

Starting Tuesday, October 1st, at 12:01 AM EST, we are once again offering the chance to become an AQW Upholder.

• Have an active membership that expires on or after 11:59 PM November 1st or
• Upgrade your AQW account with ANY membership during the month of October

Note: only memberships count towards 16th Upholder.

16th Upholder Rewards

As a 16th Upholder, you'll receive:

This year's Star Swords are loosely-based on a "back to the basics / origins" theme. Inspiration came from the elements that make up Lore, the Good/Evil capital cities new heroes first encounter, and the technological origins of videogaming itself.

DragonRoad Star Swords & Class For ALL Upholders

We wouldn't be here without your support, and we want to make sure you know it! The Sentinel Class will be available for ALL previous Upholders and Founders as our way of saying thanks for supporting us in the past! Over the last several years, we added new Star Swords available to every Upholder. You'll find them in the Star Sword Merge shop in /dragonroad.

Want to know if you're already an Upholder?

That's easy! Just click the Manage Account link on the left under the ACCOUNT section. As soon as you sign in you'll see when your membership expires. 

Thank you, sincerely, for your support

We appreciate every single upgrade and AC that you pay for. We know many of you prefer different types of upgrades, and art, and stories, and battle difficulty. It takes all kinds of people to make a world... and to make a game... and to make a gaming community. For you reading this right now... the entire team is grateful you are here.

Your support makes all of our daily and weekly releases possible. It allows us to keep updating and expanding AQWorlds, and lets us keep most of the game free to play for ALL heroes. Thank you for helping us keep AQWorlds online and updating since 2008, and working on the early development phases that will bring AQ: Infinity to life.

Without you there supporting AdventureQuest Worlds' development, we could not keep the game running. Full stop.

The original AdventureQuest Worlds Founders will always hold a special place in our hearts for believing in us and supporting the game before we even had a game to support. As always, Founders will recieve a special upgraded version of your Platinum Dragon pet. This year is the 0 AC Platinum Armored Celestial Dragon Pet (non-member).