Design Notes

March 28, 2015

30% War Challenge

Unlock the Reward AND the next section of the war!

The ShadowFlame war is heating up! The Evil side is in the lead, but it's still early in the game! The first side to reach 30% on the war meter will unlock the Blade of Fiery Destruction and the next phase of the war map! The race to the top of ShadowFlame mountain is ON!

60% War Challenge: Pyroclasic Dragonbane Blade

The first side to reach 60% on the war meter will unlock the Pyroclastic Dragonbane Blade! The last phase of the war map unlocks at 75%

March 27, 2015

Vote for One-Eyed Doll

Help Them Become Revolver's Album of the Week!

Long-time friend of Artix Entertainment and guest star in AQWorlds, our favorite rock band, One-Eyed Doll, has a chance to be featured as the Album of the Week by Revolve Magazine! If you like OED's music, pick this up. The tracks are seriously fantastic!

But FIRST go vote, because Kimberly and Jason are pretty awesome people and musicians, and they would really appreciate your support. You can vote as many times as you like until Monday, March 30th, at noon.

One-Eyed Doll: Rock'n'Roll and Chaos

If you don't know who One-Eyed Doll is, then settle in, because it's story time! 

The first time the AE team saw Kimberly, she was being escorded into a metal cage between two tesla coils by a mad scientist/muscian named the Arc-attack. A thousand people looked on as bolts of lighting shot at the cage creating computer controlled frequencies that "shockingly" played the themesong of Back to the Future! Kimberly giggled and danced as lightning struck the metal bars creating the music.

That was "normal" compared to watching One-Eyed Doll play live afterwards. She hypnotized the audience with her sweet and kind voice... and lured us to our doom. There was an explosive energy that we had never seen in real life before. After only 2 songs we were informed that they had run out of time and everyone had to leave so the band could clean the room up.

Cysero's friend Alces stirred the crowd into a chant "YOU PLAY, WE'LL CLEAN!" promising that we would clean the room if One-Eyed Doll would play us another set. They agreed and as soon as Kimberly struck the first chord, the mezmerized audience went to work cleaning the floor, stacking chairs and helping Arc Attack take down their musical tesla coils 

(Cysero proudly brags: I got shocked by the one that wasn't properly grounded!) That place was spottless before the crowd left at 4am!

Since then, OED has guest starred in several AQWorlds events, Dage created an incredible album cover, and they've helped the AE team wreak havoc in-game and out! 

March 27, 2015

Sepulchure Returns

Fight Fire with Fire in the ShadowFlame Dragon War!

This Friday fight fire with fire when Empress Gravelyn and the Dragonbone Necromancers use the body of Akriloth, lord of the Fire Dragons, as a host for Sepulchure's spirit! Unsheathe your blade and prepare for war… because once the Empress of the ShadowScythe and the Queen of Monster’s Fire General come face to face, the eruption’s aftermath will permanently change one of these rulers' lives… FOREVER!

Wait... Sepulchure is returning to AQW?!

He sure is... kind of! As word of the attacks on Drakonus started to reach Shadowfall,  Empress Gravelyn MUST take action. A voice in her dreams reaches out to her... calling, showing her the way to victory. 

Now, her Dragonbone Necromancers have been commanded to summon the spirit of one of Lore's greatest military generals - Sepulchure, the DoomKnight. But what vessel could contain a spirit THAT dark and strong? Only the body of Lore's fiercest Fire Dragon... Akriloth. And when Sepulchure's spirit possesses the body of Akriloth the Red, Empress Gravelyn gains a weapon unlike any other: Akriloth's entire army of enraged Fire Dragons! 

3 Way War in ShadowFlame Spire!

Choose your side and fight for Good, Evil, or the Queen of Monsters: 

• Good: Battle in /dragonspire to defend the people of Embersea from the Dragons, Shadowscythe, and Firestorm!
• Evil: Drive the Firestorm Onslaught out of Embersea no matter WHAT it takes when you /join shadowspire! You must destroy the Queen's army... before you can face her!
• Monsters: Ally with the Firestorm in /queenspire to curry favor with the Queen. If you do well, maybe she WON'T slay you once she takes over the world!

What happens AFTER the war will be determined by the winning side!

ShadowFlame War Rewards

This weekend, /join shadowflame and talk to the representatives of the Embersea Defense League, the Shadowscythe, and the Firestorm.  Head to their respective war camps, accept their quests and begin battling to farm for trophies!

• Good: Crimson Phoenix Warrior armor set
• Evil: Dragonbone Necromancer set
• Monster: Living Flame Phoenix Warrior set and Alienation Ascenion Scythe

Many of the monsters have both rare and permanent reward drops independent of the quests. Battle hard, heroes!

Next Week: Fire Dragons Rise... and Boss Battle!

/Cast Heal on Ghost, who valiantly fought pain as he pushed himself to finish the 2nd cutscene for tonight's war (that would have unlocked at 50%). However, due to some pretty severe pain, he didn't make it in time. But when you look at the AMAZING job he did with the first cutscene, we can absolutely wait! He'll get that 2nd cut to you next week, and then the ones surrounding the boss fight, which will launch NEXT Friday!

And once it does, we'll also reveal where the story goes from here! I'd outlined the full Firestorm Onslaught story several months ago, but after seeing all your ideas and excitement surrounding Gravelyn, Akriloth, and the Firestorm/Queen of Monsters as they clash in Embersea, the story's going to shift focus. 

So. Are you ready to BATTLE?!?!!

March 27, 2015

Daily Server Boost: MORE XP

Today's Server Boost: 50 and 25% MORE XP!

It's that time of the year for fun, frenzy, and FREE boosts! Since so many of our players are on Spring Break this month, log in every day this week AND this weekend to get MORE class points, rep, gold, or XP during our Spring Break Server Boosts Bonanza!

• Monday's boost: 25% more CP on Legend servers, 15% more on all servers
• Tuesday's boost: 25%/15% more Rep
• Wednesday's boost: 25%/15% more XP
• Thursday's boost: 25%/15% more Gold
• Friday's boost: 50%/25% more XP
• Saturday's boost: DOUBLE the Class points and XP on all servers
• Sunday's boost: DOUBLE the gold and rep on all servers

March 27, 2015

ShadowFlame DragonSlayer

Unlock the ShadowFlame Gear with Any AC package over $10 USD

Fight fire with fire in Embersea! When the Shadowscythe and Fire Dragon armies combine to take on the Queen of Monsters, things are going to get HOT! /Equip the ShadowFlame Dragonscale armor to keep the battle moving as you push towards victory! Starting tonight at 6 PM server time, get your gauntlets on the ShadowFlame DragonSlayer gear!

12k AC package: 22 items

Get all 22 items with a 12,000 AC package - 4 items exclusive to the 12k AC package plus every item included in the other AC tier.

• An exclusive set (armor, 2 helms, cape, and weapon) PLUS
• 2 more armors
• 6 helms
• 4 weapons
• 5 capes

2k and 5k AC packages: 16 items

Equip yourself to face down the Lord of the Fire Dragons: get 16 items with either a 2,000 or 5,000 AC package!

• 2 armors: Necrotic ShadowFlame Warrior and ShadowFlame DragonSlayer Armor
• 6 helms
• 4 weapons
• 5 capes

Shadowflame AC Rares Shop

Select items from the Fyreborn Tigermaster sets will also be available for individual purchase from your game menu. The Shadowflame AC Rares Shop leaves on May 1st!

• ShadowFlame DragonSlayer Armor
• 4 helms
• 2 weapons
• 3 capes

March 26, 2015

Daily Server Boost: Gold

Today's Server Boost: 25 and 15% MORE Gold!

It's that time of the year for fun, frenzy, and FREE boosts! Since so many of our players are on Spring Break this month, log in every day this week AND this weekend to get MORE class points, rep, gold, or XP during our Spring Break Server Boosts Bonanza!

• Monday's boost: 25% more CP on Legend servers, 15% more on all servers
• Tuesday's boost: 25%/15% more Rep
• Wednesday's boost: 25%/15% more XP
• Thursday's boost: 25%/15% more Gold
• Friday's boost: 50%/25% more XP
• Saturday's boost: DOUBLE the Class points and XP on all servers
• Sunday's boost: DOUBLE the gold and rep on all servers

March 25, 2015

Gravelyn is NOT Amused...

Empress of the Shadowscythe Vs Queen of Monsters?

The Shadowflame Dragon War begins this Friday! Will you fight for Good (defending the innocent people of Embersea), Evil (attacking the Firestorm alongside Gravelyn and Sepulchure), or the Queen of Monsters? 

This is very much a 3-way war: 

• Evil wants to take out the Firestorm Onslaught, and doesn't care WHO gets stomped on along the way, so long as Empress Gravelyn's rival is taken down. 
• Good wants to make sure no innocents get hurt while the Shadowscythe attack the Firestorm Onslaught, and while the Firestorm fights back.
• Those fighting for the Queen of Monsters want to ally early on with the newest big-bad in town. Get on board early and maybe she won't make a smoothie out of your amygdala once she's done feeding on your fear. 

Tweet to Artix and Alina and tell us who you're fighting for on Twitter or the AQWorlds Facebook page!

March 25, 2015

AQWeekly: March 27

ShadowFlame War, Spring Break boosts, & ShadowFlame DragonSlayer Armor Set

Empress Gravelyn & the Dragonbone Necromancers use the body of Akriloth, lord of the Fire Dragons, as a host for Lord Sepulchure's spirit! Choose to fight for Good, Evil, or... *gulp* … something else...

March 25, 2015

Spring Break Server Boost: XP

Today's Server Boost: 25 and 15% MORE XP!

It's that time of the year for fun, frenzy, and FREE boosts! Since so many of our players are on Spring Break this month, log in every day this week AND this weekend to get MORE class points, rep, gold, or XP during our Spring Break Server Boosts Bonanza!

• Monday's boost: 25% more CP on Legend servers, 15% more on all servers
• Tuesday's boost: 25%/15% more Rep
• Wednesday's boost: 25%/15% more XP
• Thursday's boost: 25%/15% more Gold
• Friday's boost: 50%/25% more XP
• Saturday's boost: DOUBLE the Class points and XP on all servers
• Sunday's boost: DOUBLE the gold and rep on all servers

March 24, 2015

Dates to Remember: April 2015

Mark your calendars so you don't miss out!

Prepare to bare your blades, because we've got a TON of dark and deadly releases coming your way in April! Keep an eye out for MORE releases, activies, suggestion shop updates, and contests coming in April! We'll post news as it comes in.

This week:
March 27: ShadowFlame War, Part 1
March 27: Dage and Laken birthday rares leave, Draconic DoomKnight AC package leaves

Next week:
?????
April 3: ShadowFlame War Boss and Grenwog
April 3: Friday the 13th / Lucky Day rares, DageXNulgath rares, and Bladelord of Vokun leave
April 10: Firestorm Onslaught: Feverfew Falls

April 13th - 17th:
April 17th: Legend-only Firestorm side-release and Earth day

April 20th - 24th:
Dage's Betrayal storyline, Part 2

Dage's Birthday House Items: Rares List

• Legion Weaponscrafter
• Bloodfiend Statue
• Toxic Fiend Statue
• Infernal Fiend Statue
• Dreadfiend Statue 
• Lord of the Underworld Statue
• Dage the Paragon Statue
• Undead Lich King Statue
• Dage Cake
• Legion Blacksmith
• Undead Weaponscrafter
• Legion Anvil
• Legion Mirror 
• Legion Wall Hanging
• Dage's Throne
• Legion Fortress

March 24, 2015

Spring Break Server Boosts: Rep

Today's Server Boost: 25 and 15% MORE Rep!

It's that time of the year for fun, frenzy, and FREE boosts! Since so many of our players are on Spring Break this month, log in every day this week AND this weekend to get MORE class points, rep, gold, or XP during our Spring Break Server Boosts Bonanza!

• Monday's boost: 25% more CP on Legend servers, 15% more on all servers
• Tuesday's boost: 25%/15% more Rep
• Wednesday's boost: 25%/15% more XP
• Thursday's boost: 25%/15% more Gold
• Friday's boost: 50%/25% more XP
• Saturday's boost: DOUBLE the Class points and XP on all servers
• Sunday's boost: DOUBLE the gold and rep on all servers

Class to Armor Conversion Update

Earlier today, we added in armor versions of several classes:

• TimeKiller*
• Chronomancer*
• ChronoCorruptor*
• PaladinSlayer*
• NOT A MOD*
• Elemental Dracomancer (Rep and AC)
• Shaman (Rep)
• Evolved Shaman (Rep and AC)
• Darkblood StormKing (Rep and AC)

We'll continue doing conversions like this as we have time, so those of you who want to keep the look of a Class but use another Class's skills can do that.

* These classes are attached to rare Heromart products, and their armor versions are only available to those who have the original classes.

March 24, 2015

Server Rewrite Update: Combat

Monster Skills, Class Rebalancing, and More!

Alongside the weekly release updates and the other backend projects we're working on, Yorumi made a LOT of progress on the server re-write while I was on vacation last week! He is 70% done porting over the combat system, and 30% done with Phase 1 overall. Staff-only testing of the new combat system is scheduled to begin next week. We're still on track for a player-driven PTR server in September!

Yorumi says:

In the staff testing, we'll be checking to make sure the existing systems all work. Porting combat to the new server will also include some upgrades, which will need thorough testing, too:

• Monsters will get a working AI: they'll use HP, MP, and have indidivual skills and targeting
• General balancing because of changes to the stat system
• Testing to make sure each skill still functions as intended
• War meters will count monster kills directly. No need to turn in quests.

We will NOT testing a possible rank 7 skill yet; that is something the team wants to add in for Phase 2 (which cannot start until after Phase 1 is complete).

Server Rewrite Progress Chart

So that we all have a clear idea of where the server rewrite progress is at, we'll use server rewrite version numbering (SRV) and phases.

Phase 1: Porting the existing game over to proprietary server software (that we built ourselves. This is what Oversoul currently runs on).

Phase 2: Updating core game functionality on AQW 2.0. 

Phase 2 is where we're planning to make the changes you guys want - the buyback shop, better PVP and guilds functionality, bank item previews, friends list syncing, adding rank 10 passives to new classes, cross-server chat, better anti-bot and reporting functionality and more.

• SRV 0 - research begins
• SRV 0.01 - server architecture meeting with Zhoom
• SRV 0.02 - staff-only test of new combat system
• SRV 0.6 - full working Alpha stage
• SRV 0.8 - player live-test on PTR
• SRV 1.0 - full launch of Server Rewrite, Phase 1

Right now, we are less than a week away from the staff-only test of the new combat system. With the current calculations, we expect SRV 0.8 (the player live-test PTR) to begin in September. 

Reminder: Personal Buyback Shop in Phase 2

We've been getting a lot of questions about the personal buyback shop. The goal is to let players get back AC items they had sold or lost. The way we would do that is by reading your account history - the AC purchase log - and putting only those items into your personal buyback shop.

That means no rare items would be returning. You - and you alone - would regain access to only the items you had previously purchased. There will need to be restrictions on this so it cannot be abused, and we do not have finalized details on what items would be eligible, what price you would need to pay to buyback the items, or what kind of wait period would be required.

Because this functionality is so far out (we need to finish all of Phase 1 first), we've got plenty of time to plan the best way to meet the goals while addressing many of your concerns. We'll announce more details about this and other Phase 2 functionality additions as we get closer to the release date.

Keep an eye on the Design Notes for future progress updates! Give us your feedback on the Artix.com Design Notes post!

March 23, 2015

Draconic DoomKnight Leaving

Until Friday, unlocks with any AC package over $10 USD!

This Friday, when the ShadowFlame DragonSlayer AC package arrives at 6PM server time, the Draconic DoomKnight set leaves! You can unlock the Dragonic DoomKnight armor set when you buy any AC package over $10 USD, but after this Friday, it will be rare FOREVER!! 

Dragons + Darkness = Power

How to Unlock Draconic DoomKnight

Once you've purchased your AdventureCoin package, the next step is to get your gauntlets on the gear!

1. Purchase a 2000, 5000, or 12000 AdventureCoin pacakge in-game, through the portal, or on our website
2. Log into your AQWorlds account and head to your Book of Lore
3. Look under the "Other Achievements" tab to find the Draconic DoomKnight badge
4. Click the badge to open your shop and get access to ALL the 0 AC gear (/cheer for free storage)! 

Draconic DoomKnight Gear Details

Made by Memet and Zoshi, the set includes the Draconic DoomKnight armor, helm, cape, and weapon, and are all included with a 2000 AC package. Buy either a 5000 or 12000 AC package to unlock the armor and bonus gear!

2000 ACs

• Draconic DoomKnight Armor
• DoomDragon's Helm
• Draconic DoomKnight Wings
• Dragon's DoomKnight Blade
• Character page badge

5000 ACs

• All four Draconic DoomKnight items plus
• Dark Dragon's Winged Cape and
• Dark Draconic Daggers
• Character page badge

12000 ACs (unlocks ALL the gear!)

• All four Draconic DoomKnight items plus
• Dragon's DoomKnight BackBlades cape and
• Dark Draconic Daggers and Polearm
• Doom Dragon pet
• Character page badge

March 23, 2015

This Friday: ShadowFlame War

The ShadowScythe Fire Dragon Army Invades Embersea!

This Friday fight fire with fire when Empress Gravelyn and the Dragonbone Necromancers use the body of Akriloth, lord of the Fire Dragons, as a host for Sepulchure's spirit! Unsheathe your blade and prepare for war… because once the Empress of the ShadowScythe and the Queen of Monster’s Fire General come face to face, the eruption’s aftermath will permanently change one of these rulers' lives… FOREVER!

Wait... Sepulchure is returning to AQW?!

He sure is... kind of! As word of the attacks on Drakonus started to reach Shadowfall,  Empress Gravelyn MUST take action. A voice in her dreams reaches out to her... calling, showing her the way to victory. 

Now, her Dragonbone Necromancers have been commanded to summon the spirit of one of Lore's greatest military generals - Sepulchure, the DoomKnight. But what vessel could contain a spirit THAT dark and strong? Only the body of Lore's fiercest Fire Dragon... Akriloth. And when Sepulchure's spirit possesses the body of Akriloth the Red, Empress Gravelyn gains a weapon unlike any other: Akriloth's entire army of enraged Fire Dragons! 

3 Way War in ShadowFlame Spire!

Choose your side and fight for Good, Evil, or the Queen of Monsters: 

• Good: battle with Galanoth and Kyron to defend Embersea Isle from the first wave of the Shadowscythe Fire Dragon invasion 
• Evil: fight alongside Empress Gravelyn to thwart the Firestorm, or 
• Monsters: attack the Shadowscythe and Embersea warriors for the Queen of Monsters

What happens AFTER the war will be determined by the winning side!

ShadowFlame War Rewards

This weekend, /join shadowflame and talk to the representatives of the Embersea Defense League, the Shadowscythe, and the Firestorm.  Head to their respective war camps, accept their quests and begin battling to farm for trophies!

• Good: Crimson Phoenix Warrior armor set
• Evil: Dragonbone Necromancer set
• Monster: Living Flame Phoenix Warrir set

Spring Break Server Boost: Class Points!

Log in every day this week AND this weekend to get MORE class points, rep, gold, or XP during out Spring Break Server Boosts Bonanza!

• Today's boost: 25% more CP on Legend servers, 15% more on all servers
• Tomorrow's boost: 25%/15% more Rep
• Wednesday's boost: 25%/15% more XP
• Thursday's boost: 25%/15% more Gold
• Friday's boost: 50%/25% more XP
• Saturday's boost: DOUBLE the Class points and XP on all servers
• Sunday's boost: DOUBLE the gold and rep on all servers

March 20, 2015

Brimstone Steppes

The Bandits of the Heath

Life is hard on the Steppes.  General Kyron knows this better than anyone. That's why he did it, right?  Robbing caravans, holding up travelers, demanding tolls that didn't exist.  One-time Bandit Chieftain Kyron did what he had to do in order to ensure the survival of his troupe.  But that is all over and done with. 

There's a problem, though... recently, reports of bandit activity have made Kyron nervous.  With the war and the plague, he cannot afford any distractions.  It is up to you to help Kyron take down his former comrades, and escape the shackles of his troubled past!

Centaur Tier Package Details

Hold your horses heroes, because one does not simply rock the Centaur morph. Here’s the lowdown on how you can giddy up as Lore’s first-ever four-legged legend! (Click the picture for the full rundown!)

Rumors of Dragon Sightings!

Rumors about of dragons being sighted on the steppes, and over the Fire Islands themselves.  Visit Vasalkar's Lair to take your chance at finding the 0 AC Akriloth's Bane polearm (available for a limited time), and also a hint about what comes next!

Happy Birthday Galanoth!

Gear up to DragOn! It's Galanoth the DragonSlayer's birthday today, so we released a special addition to the Lair map in his honor!

To celebrate, he'll need YOUR help to throw a party for every DragonSlayer on Lore. If there's one thing DragonSlayers do well (besides slaying dragons...) it's PARTY! He'll need you to go on quest to provide all the tastiest birthday treats: Dragon-Spice Cake, Wyrmfire Punch, Dragondoodle Cookies, and more!

Suggestion Shop Update:

Tonight is the first of several new Player Suggestion shop updates we'll be adding in over the coming weeks! We're starting the series of updates with Boxer502's "Rowan's Sword of Will."  One of your fellow heroes, Boxer502 is best known for the many tophat suggestions that have found their way into our holiday event releases!

March 20, 2015

New Flash Player Update: 17.0.0

How to update Flash Player and keep it up to date!

Adobe Flash Player upgraded to level 17 (this comes after last month's update to 16.9). And this has caused some problems for some online games that use the Flash Player plugin—like, for example, all Artix Entertainment games!

From our end, we think we have solved most of the issues, so now it’s our turn to help YOU get rid of some your Flash bugs if you have them!

What is the Adobe Flash Player?

The Flash Player is a plug-in that is required to play all of our games, and is automatically ‘plugged in’ to your browser (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc.). Adobe Flash Player makes our games run, displays the flashy animations, makes your shiny Blade of Awe glow bright, and plays all the epic cutscenes!

Which version of Flash Player do I have?

First of all, you might need to know which version of Flash Player you have on your browser. To find that out, follow these easy steps:

1. Open your browser.
2. Go to www.aq.com/play-now
3. Right click somewhere near the ‘Login’ button.
4. In the menu that then opens, you need to READ the last line, which says something like “information about Flash Player 17.0.0.305…”
5. IF it DOES NOT say “Information about Flash Player 17.0.0.…” and gives another number, then you need to upgrade your Flash Player to the latest version.

How to upgrade Flash Player to the latest Version?

If you do not have the latest version of Flash Player, you‘re in trouble….  O__O ….. because older versions of the Flash Player will cause your game will lag, disconnect, have sluggish animations, etc. So it is ALWAYS better to upgrade. Here is how to upgrade your Flash Player if you do not have the latest version:

1. Open your browser
2. Go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
   • If you have an older version of Flash Player, the page will automatically tell you to upgrade it.
3. Click the link “Download the Adobe® Flash® Player system plug-in”
4. Click “Install now” to download the newest version and install it.
5. Follow the instructions given by the program.
6. Restart your browser and it should be working fine now!

This method should work for any browser you use. Some browsers, like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, automatically update Flash Player when a new version is out. Other browsers do not and then you will have to update Flash manually.

I want Flash to automatically update!

When you update your Flash Player, there is an option in the installation process where you can check the box to make Flash Player update automatically, like in the picture.

However, you may not know if you enabled that for your computer. Or that you are sure your computer has not enabled automatically updating Flash Player. In that case you can still enable it in this way:

1. Go to www.aq.com/play-now
2. Right click near the “login” button.
3. Click “General Settings” in the dropdown that opens.
4. Go to the tab “Advanced Options” in the Settings Manager that opens.
5. Click on the button “Change Update Settings”, this might require administrator rights.
6. Check the bullet/box of “Allow Adobe to install updates”
7. Additionally you can click “Check now” to see if there are any updates for Flash Player.
8. Close the window and you should be fine.

I am using Google Chrome and it does not work like that!

Oh yes, Google Chrome acts a bit weird in that case. Chrome usually updates Flash automatically, unless something (or someone!) disabled it. Here’s how it works for Google Chrome:

1. Go to www.aq.com/play-now
2. Right click near the “log in” button.
3. Click “General Settings” in the dropdown that opens.
4. The browser will bolt you to a help page of Adobe in a new tab.
5. Scroll down till you see a link called “Panel General Notification Options” and click it.
6. Set “Check on updates” in the screen that follows on 14 or 7 days, and check the box “Warn me about new updates”
7. Close the tab and it should be set now.

What if it still does not work right?

Curse technology!! It could be that your computer just refuses to update the Flash Player, or that it keeps messing up because of conflicting versions.

In that case, it is better to entirely remove Flash Player and re-install it. To remove Flash Player, it’s best to do that via your computer’s configuration panel. (Note: this might differ per Operating System)

1. So go to “Start”
2. Open the configuration panel.
3. Go to “Programs and Software”
4. Search for “Adobe Flash Player” (there might show multiple of them)
5. Right click them, and select “uninstall/delete”
6. If you had more “Adobe Flash Players” showing in the list, uninstall these too.
7. Then open your browser and go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
8. Click the link “Download the Adobe® Flash® Player system plug-in”
9. Click “Install now” to download the newest version and install it.
10. Follow the instructions given by the program.
11. Restart your browser and it should be working fine now!

Still having troubles after? Then you might want to check if your Firewall or Security programs are not blocking it. Programs like AVG could still be blocking it. Quick options to change that would be:

1. Open the AVG panel
2. Go to Firewall
3. Go to Options
4. Go to the tab Applications
5. Make sure “Adobe Flash Player” is on the list of allowed applications.
6. If it’s not, add it manually.

This is all we can teach you about Flash Player—a tricky but very good plugin that all our games run and live on. If you have additional questions, feel free to comment below and we will try our best to help you out! Please only write our Player Support team if there is a serious and/or complicated problem.

Thank you, Gjappy!!

When you see Gjappy in game, be sure to give him lots of /cheers for helping US help YOU! We could not have done this without his help, and we cannot thank him enough. So if you want to share your love, be sure to thank him on Gjappy’s Facebook and on Gjappy’s Twitter!

March 19, 2015

AQWeekly News: March 20

Tired of being a human? Become a Centaur!

This is truly a Legendary release! If you’re an upgraded Legend, we invite you to explore Brimstone in this exclusive release that reveals the secrets of the main NPC in the Firestorm Onslaught! Also, get our first-ever Centaur Morph and celebrate Galanoth's B-Day!

March 18, 2015

Front and Centaur!

1st-of-its-kind: 4-legged Centaur Morph arrives Friday

WOAH Nellie! That up there… that’s not a typo, is it? ‘Cuz like… AQWorlds has NEVER had an entire armor MORPH before… *looks over to Memet* Is a Centaur Armor Morph REALLY arriving this Friday, March 20th!?

Yeehaw!! It sure is!!!! But hold your horses heroes, because one does not simply rock the Centaur morph. Here’s the lowdown on how you can giddy up as Lore’s first-ever four-legged legend!

Centaur Tier Package Details

Starting this Friday, March 20, 2015, at 6:00pm EST (server time), when you upgrade with ANY Legend membership package, you will unlock an assortment of Centaur Armors, Helms, Capes, Weapons, and/or Pets.

The more months you upgrade, the more goodies you get—and the more money you save!

12 month upgrade package: 12 items

Our best offer is your best bet for becoming the best Centaur in all of Lore! Note that the names below are subject to change (because ‘Weapon 2 with Mega Bonus’ just doesn’t do it enough justice!).

• Centaur Lord Armor
• Centaur Barbarian Guard armor
• 2 Centaur Helms 
• 2 Barbarian Guard Helms 
• 2 Capes 
• 1 Weapon
• Centaur Kin Pet
• Weapon 2 (with mega bonus)*
• Weapon 3 (dual wield version)*
• Centaur Kin Battle Pet*

* Exclusively exclusive to the 12 month package only

6 month upgrade package: 10 items

• Centaur Lord Armor
• Centaur Barbarian Guard armor
• 2 Centaur Helms
• 2 Barbarian Guard Helms 
• 2 Capes 
• 1 Weapon
• Centaur Kin Pet 

3 month upgrade package: 7 items

• Centaur Lord Armor
• 2 Centaur Helms 
• 2 Capes 
• 1 Weapon
• Centaur Kin Pet

1 month upgrade package: 4 items

• Centaur Lord Armor
• 1 Helm Centaur Helm
• 1 Cape 
• 1 Weapon

I certainly hope these spoilers tickled your fancy (um, are Centaurs ticklish?), and everyone here at Artix Entertainment cannot wait to see screenshots of you and your friends galloping throughout Lore this Friday night!

Giddy Up and Battle On!

xoxo Beleen =D 

March 17, 2015

Unlucky Leperchaun Class

Memet posting for Zereldo!

Unlucky Leperchaun Class Skills Writeup

Something Lucky Has Become Unlucky!

The Unlucky Leperchaun* class us a heavily modified version of the existing Evolved Leperchaun class, which has also returned for (Un)lucky Day. The first two skills have been completely replaced, while the last two skills have been modified. This class also has shorter cooldowns and better mana management than Evolved Leprechaun does.

• This class will be permanently rare. Once it leaves the game, it is gone forever!
• You can buy Unlucky Leperchaun for gold if you are a Legend, or you can buy it for 2000 ACs.

Unlucky Leperchaun Breakdown

Mana regen: regenerate mana in the same way rogues do. Whenever you dodge or crit you willr egain some of your mana. Dodging also gives you some of your HP back.

For Stats and Enhancements: Unlucky Leperchauns are designed to use luck and will benefit from most luck enhancements.

Auto Attack

2 second cooldown.
A basic attack, taught to all adventurers.
You’ve seen this before on many classes. It needs no further explanation.

Rank 1: Unluck of the Irish

10 mana, 8 second cooldown.

Instantly cause 50% weapon damage and alter your damage. Because you are unlucky this will either Increase your damage output by 20% or decrease your damage output by 10%.

Although this skill has an element of risk, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Those of you with a keen eye will notice that with the high level of haste this class has, this skill is loopable. You might also notice that your rank 3 skill Luck Reserves can actually negate the 10% damage reduction, or just take your total damage boost up to 30%

Rank 2: Unlucky Strike

10 mana, 6 second cooldown.

This one is unlucky for your foe, not you. It does 125% weapon damage.
 
This skill gives you what Evolved Leprechaun did not have: a reliable damage dealing move. Although it has no effects, it has a huge damage number from all your other skills influencing it.

Rank 3:  Luck Reserves

15 Mana, 20 second cooldown.

You dispel a portion of your bad luck and deal moderate damage, Also applies Stalic for 12 seconds which causes all attacks to do 110% damage, increases Crit Chance and Crit Damage by an additional 7% each. Also reduces all incoming damage by 40% for 6 seconds.

If your other moves have hit you with a little too much bad luck this is how you make it go away. Those of you who know evolved leprechaun well will be familiar with it. It increases your power but also has some damage resistance tagged on so it can counter the negative effects of Unluck of the Irish and Dark Side of the Rainbow.

Rank 4: Shed Dead Weight & Luck of the Undead

Increases Haste by 15% and Crit Chance by 10%

This increases your haste which means your longer cooldowns don't hurt you as much, and it increases your crit chance which helps with your mana regen.

Rank 5: Dark Side of the Rainbow

20 Mana, 30 second cooldown.

 Increases your LUCK stat by 15%, haste, Crit Chance, and Crit Damage by 10%, and your dodge by 25% for 15 seconds. Also increases your damage taken by 25% for 15 seconds.

Once you unlock this skill, it is the core of your class. It has more dodge power the Evolved Leprechaun, but it also makes you take more damage. Taking 25% more damage in order to increase your dodge by 25% more may not seem like the best trade, but the key lies in your mana regen model. Dodging gives you more Mana and Health, so this does help you deal more damage. Because of your naturally high dodge rate, you won’t be getting hit very often anyway. When you opponents do hit through your dodge, it really will be an unlucky occurrence.

Rank 10: Eirinn Go Brasch

Rarely, your astounding luck allows you to do QUADRUPLE damage on all crits for 10 seconds.

Final Thoughts

As far as this goes, I think it fits the theme of “unlucky” without being detrimental to the class. The self harm effects don’t seem too harsh and are well worth the risk. Playing the class right can also nullify them. My best advice would be to use your 4th skill whenever possible, as it gives you a lot of power and Mana regen. You might want to watch out when using your attack skills. You don’t want to get your mana too low and be stuck for a while unable to use Dark Side of the Rainbow.

*This is not a Typo. It has been purposefully called “Leperchaun” rather than Leprechaun to better signify that it is zombielike.

March 13, 2015

The Dark Carnival is Here

Friday the 13th And Lucky Day Double Holiday!

Better boost your real-life LUK stat this weekend, because the Dark Carnival is in town, and you're going to need every four-leaf clover, horseshoe, and rabbits foot you've got! Voltaire and Zazul are here to make sure you "win" all the prizes you deserve... including some rare, Friday the 13th / Lucky day crossover gear!

Both Zazul and Voltaire have a quest ONLY available while the Dark Carnival is in town: quest for Zazul's FAUXgatorio Coins and Voltaire's Cursed Monkey Cape and pet, but beware... these gifts may not be what they seem. Dark Carnival rares shop and quest rewards will also include:

• Vampire RingMaster armor set
• Evilchaun Pet
• Ultra Ringmaster Top Hat (male and female versions)
• Celtic Disaster armor
• Creepy Cutthroat armor
• Zazul Tent house
• Wheel of BOOM house item
• And more

Friday the 13th And Lucky Day Double Holiday!

Gear up and buff your LUK to make sure your HP stays high... because this weekend, ALL servers have a Double Class Points Boost! You're going to need it, because once you're doing carousing around the Dark Carnival (/join luck to head there!) and punting Zorbak in our new minigame, it's going to be time to battle your way through Lore as an Unlucky Leprechaun!

If the testers' luck holds, the Unlucky Leperchaun Class will arrive this weekend for you rank up, too!

Dage and Nulgath's Dark Carnival Rares Shop

You're in luck! Two of Lore's most evil artists have created new sets to celebrate the double holiday; Dage's Dark Vampire and Nulgath's Necromancer Fiend sets are both release in the Dage X Nulgath Rares shop this weekend!

Unlucky Leperchaun Class

It's so rare that Lucky Day and Friday the 13th coincide that we have released an exclusive (read: going rare) Class JUST for this year! The Unlucky Leperchaun (you read that rot... er, right) Class is a highly modified version of the Evolved Leprechaun Class, and can be obtained from the Dark Carnival Rares shop for 2000 ACs OR for gold, if you're a Legend.

Zereldo's working on a Class Skills writeup as I type this, and that will be posted as soon as possible.

March 13, 2015

AQW's Wiki 6th Anniversary

Celebrate with the Wiki and AQW Team!

"Hey guys, Rickyb20 here (Alina is posting on my behalf).

For those of you who don't already know, the wiki's 6th anniversary was on March 11th. 6 (count 'em, SIX) years of providng help and support to our fellow players and AQW staff (Ed note: It helps out most of the devs on a daily basis. - Alina) It's incredibly amazing how time flies by.

On behalf of the wiki team, I would once again like to thank all of our wiki staff and wiki members, new and old, for helping keep the wiki constantly updated every week. Without all of your support, the wiki wouldn't be where it is today. I would also like to give a huge thank you to all of our former wiki staff, as they all played a huge role into shaping the wiki to how it is today.

To tie in with our anniversary, I have some very good news that I am excited to share with you all. Starting this Friday (or possibly even tomorrow, depending on if the AQW team has time), you can speak to Maya in Battleon Town's Library in order to receive your very own moglin-fied version of Maya!

There will be two versions of the pet (one legend, costing gold, the other version being free player, costing ACs), so that everyone will have a chance to get the pet.

And if YOU want to get in on helping the wiki team update the site with all the new AQW content each week, head here! We'd love to have you help!

Thanks everyone! Here's to another 6 years of helping our fellow players! WIKI-ON! /cheer"

March 13, 2015

AQW Server Rewrite Update

Server Rewrite Progress Report: On Schedule

Alongside the weekly release updates and the other backend projects we're working on, Yorumi is making great progress on the server rewrite. He's currently working on porting over the combat system, and is about halfway through.

Yorumi says:

"While I'm porting over the combat system, we're looking at ways we can improve gameplay and increase the FUN once we hit Phase 2. Ideas include a 5th Class skill (which would probably unlock at rank 7 or 8), and either moving the Auto-attack or making it happen on the spacebar. We also want to add in monster SKILLS in Phase 1 if possible."

The rewrite opens up so many options for gameplay and fun that we are like kids in a candy store! Right now, we are about 2 weeks away from the staff-only test of the new combat system. We are still on track for SRV 0.8 (the player live-test PTR) to begin in September. 

Server Rewrite Progress Chart

So that we all have a clear idea of where the server rewrite progress is at, we'll use server rewrite version numbering (SRV) and phases.

Phase 1: Porting the existing game over to proprietary server software (that we built ourselves. This is what Oversoul currently runs on).

• SRV 0 - research begins
• SRV 0.01 - server architecture meeting with Zhoom
• SRV 0.0015 - map and characters loading
• SRV 0.00175 - stat system
• SRV 0.00190 - 75% of new combat system ported over
• SRV 0.02 - staff-only test of new combat system
• SRV 0.6 - full working Alpha stage
• SRV 0.8 - player live-test on PTR
• SRV 1.0 - full launch of Server Rewrite, Phase 1

New Server Improvements and Defense

In addition to the new gameplay functionality and lag decreases we expect to add and see, we're also building the new servers with an eye towards improved stability and defense. We plan to add in additional anti-botting methods, for example. 

Protecting our servers and making sure we aren't introducing any new vulnerabiities or exploits is one of the most IMPORTANT things we can do while rebuilding the server. To that end, Zhoom, Captain Rhubarb, and Yorumi are combing through the code with a fine-toothed comb.

Additionally, we have a super-group of ex-hackers (aka "the whitehats"*) who have been helping us for over a year now. Individually, some of these talented coders have been sending us exploit reports for over 5 years. These team members have the coding skill and knowledge to detect old issues and check for new ones, then suggest fixes and workarounds. 

Like any other team member, they will never ask you for your password or login information. They cannot affect or access your account, and like all AE team members, they will tell you to take any account issues to the Help Pages, where Player Support will work with you to fix them.

These whitehats are using all the tricks and tools and knowledge that ordinary hackers use to attack our game, but the difference is, our whitehats are working alongside the devs to help PROTECT the game. That makes them part of the good guys, and we are lucky to have them on our side! 

* Wikipedia says: "The term "white hat" in Internet slang refers to an ethical computer hacker who specializes in testing to ensure the security of an organization's information systems."

Artix Entertainment: The Good Guys

Artix often says that in the real world, he's a lot like Artix the Paladin NPC. He's a genuine, real-life good guy, and that's the way Artix Entertainment operates as a company. Though we have been battling hackers and private server creators for years, we would never "take revenge" through illegal or unethical means. 

That means we do not lie, cheat, threaten, or attack the hackers/private server makers (via DDoS attacks or similar methods). And we would never ask any of our players or team members to do those things for us.

Any action we take (and we have taken action in the past) is always through legal channels. That's what being a "good guy" means - operating aboveboard, doing the right thing in the right way. 

March 11, 2015

This Friday: Test Your Luck

Friday the 13th And Lucky Day Double Holiday!

Better boost your real-life LUK stat this weekend, because the Dark Carnival is in town, and you're going to need every four-leaf clover, horseshoe, and rabbits foot you've got! Voltaire and Zazul are here to make sure you "win" all the prizes you deserve... including some rare, Friday the 13th / Lucky day crossover gear!

Both Zazul and Voltaire have a quest ONLY available while the Dark Carnival is in town: quest for Zazul's Purgatorio Coin and Voltaire's Cursed Monkey Cape and pet, but beware... these gifts may not be what they seem. Dark Carnival rares shop and quest rewards will also include:

• Vampire RingMaster armor set
• Evilchaun Pet
• Ultra Ringmaster Top Hat (male and female versions)
• Celtic Disaster armor
• Creepy Cutthroat armor
• And more

Friday the 13th And Lucky Day Double Holiday!

Gear up and buff your LUK to make sure your HP stays high... because this weekend, ALL servers have a Double Class Points Boost! You're going to need it, because once you're doing carousing around the Dark Carnival (/join luck to head there!) and punting Zorbak in our new minigame, it's going to be time to battle your way through Lore as an Unlucky Leprechaun!

If the testers' luck holds, the Unlucky Leperchaun Class will arrive this weekend for you rank up, too!

Dage and Nulgath's Dark Carnival Rares Shop

You're in luck! Two of Lore's most evil artists have created new sets to celebrate the double holiday; Dage's Dark Vampire and Nulgath's Necromancer Fiend sets will both release in the Dark Carnival Rares shop this weekend!

* Note: The Necromancer Fiend on the right in the picture above is not in its final form. Nulgath is still working on placing it onto the AQWorlds base model.

March 11, 2015

AQWeekly Newsletter: March 13

Voltaire, (un)Lucky Day, & rare Dage x Nulgath Armors

What luck! Friday the 13th AND Lucky Day double feature! Join Voltaire and Zazul in the all-new Unlucky Day Dark Carnival and test your (un)luck across a maelstrom of minigames & epic prizes starting this Friday!

March 10, 2015

AdventureCouch #3: Meet Mack Roesch

Watch Artix and Mack Roesch on AdventureCouch!

The newest episode of AdventureCouch, Artix Entertainment's video Design Notes, is live! You can watch Artix and Mack Roesch, winner of Stone Cold Steve Austin's "Broken Skull" TV show, as they review his competition run, excel at push ups (and downs), and plan out his new NPC: PteroMack, DinoWarrior!

Watch the video here!

Then head in-game and begin the hunt for his NPC and quest! Once you complete his challenge, you'll unlock the SkullCrusher mace!