Design Notes

May 31, 2015

Happy Birthday, Sora

Wish Sora To Hoshi a Happy Birthday!

On the Artix Entertainment team, we don't GET gifts for our birthday, we GIVE them! To celebrate her real-life level up, Sora to Hoshi crafted new weapons for those magic-loving heroes among you! You'll be able to get her birthday gear until the end of June, but if you've got the time now (and I know you Chronomancers do!) wish her a happy birthday on Twitter! 

Sora to Hoshi started out as a player just like you guys, many years ago. We quickly noticed her persistence, helpfulness, and dedication on Twitter, and before our Dark Mage and Mistress of Time could flip a time-turner, we brought her onto the team! Now, she's in charge of the in-game moderators and assists with building the releases each week. Sora is a lot like the mortar joining the many bricks that make up AQWorlds! 

Tweet birthday /cheers to AQW's Dark Mage and Mistress of Time here, and get in there and Battle On for her gear!

May 29, 2015

Synderes is LIVE at Yulgar's Inn

Rock Out with the Band, then Battle for their Gear!

Lead by lead singer Amanda, aka Synder, Synderes is a rock band that formed not far from the Secret Underground Lab back in 2012... and their music is really addictive! They'll appear onstage in Yulgar's Inn starting tonight alongside the Thunderfang Spire release. Before you jump into the dragon adventure, you'll want to /dance to their newest song, then /join enemyforest to battle Expendable Rogues, Evil Elementals, and the Enemy Inside to recover the band's most valuable treasure: the Synderes Sock Monkey! 

Battle Through the Forest of Good and Evil

Talk to Serenity in Yulgar's Inn to watch Synderes' music video, "Enemy Inside," then /join enemyforest to battle through the Forest of Good and Evil! You'll need to fight Imps, Evil Elementals, Expendable Rogues, and the Enemy Inside before you'll be able to recover the Synderes Sock Monkey! As you quest, you'll gain Synderes Souvenir Tokens which you can use to create the merch from their merge shop!

• Sock Monkey Pet
• Sock Monkey Cape
• Synderes Acoustic Guitar
• Synderes Electric Guitar
• Synderes Cape of Shadows
• Synderes Blade of Shadows
• Synderes Groupie Armor
• Expendable Rogue Armor
• Expendable Rogue Mask 
• Synderes Minion Mask
• Synderes Minion Mask and Locks
• No Bots Armor

How We Found Synderes and Who They Are

We first met the members of Synderes last year at MetroCon. Then, last month, they toured the Secret Underground Lab and filmed the latest AdvenureCouch episode. The members of Synderes, led by lead singer Synder first came together in 2012. They began playing not far from the Secret Underground Lab, and quickly got the attention of producers and music lovers around the world. After winning iHeart Radio’s Rising Star contest, they went right back into the studio to produce even more amazing music!

A couple days after they toured the Lab, Artix sent me the links to their Enemy Inside and Expendable videos, and before the first one was done, I was singing along. They reminded me immediately of Evanescence (which is not surprising; it's one of Amanda's favorite bands).

When I met Amanda, their lead singer, I was incredibly impressed by her passion, enthusiasm, and creativity. I got a chance to sit down with her after their tour of the Lab, and she talked about her music, what inspires her, and how much she loves writing. (Then we geeked out over fantasy novels in general, because who doesn't love a good epic adventure?!)  

The surprising thing is how young she is, especially considering how POWERFUL her voice is. Think you can guess? Good luck, because I tried and was WAY off! Check out their appearance on the latest episode of AdventureCouch, where Artix interviews Amanda and Anthony.

Amanda is really genuine and dedicated to her craft; it was easy to see from the stories I've heard that the rest of the band mirrors that dedication and passion. 

They are all SO hyped to share their creations with you (including a sneak peek of their next EP) and that's why WE are so excited about bringing them onstage in Yulgar's Inn!

Update: the updated Synderes Cape of Shadows and Blade of Shadows files were eaten in a massive computer failure. I am rebuilding the fies tonight, and will release them ASAP.

May 29, 2015

Survive the Lightning Dragon Battle

Battle Through Thunderfang Spire!

It has been foretold: 12 VERY SPECIAL eggs are about to hatch, and one day, the descendants of those dragons will be the most powerful of their kind... But right now, the heroes of Lore must battle the dragons who already rule!  To the far north of the Dragon's Lair lies a mountain range ruled by the iron claws of Krenos the Lightning Dragon… and if you are skilled enough to survive the storm… you may find yourself richly rewarded from his treasure hoard! This Friday, face Tonitru the Lightning Dragon, ruler of Thunderfang Spire!

Take on the Storm Draconians, Thunder Wyverns, and more as you hunt for the hidden Storm Cache filled with some of Memet's most shocking gear! IF you have what it takes to survive the storm, go head to head with Tonitru the Lightning Dragon! Riches await those who can master the mountain... will it be you?

Last Chance to Get Rare Gear

• The May Holiday Shop leaves on Sunday, May 31st. Last chance to get all the May Holiday Gear!
• Daimyo's birthday shop arrives on Monday, June 1st! The Daimyo pet is only available once a year, but once his birthday ends, you can merge it into the Space Daimyo pet!
• The Artifact Hunter Class from last year's AQW Birthday event leaves on May 31st!

May 29, 2015

Memorial Day AC Offer Ends Sunday, May 31st

Don't Miss the Hottest AC Offer of the Year!

Get more AdventureCoins with each AC package until this Sunday, May 31st during our Memorial Day sale! The larger the AC package you buy, the more bonus ACs you get as we prepare to kick off our summer of crazy awesome events - written by Artix, Beleen, and Cysero as they return to AQWorlds for the next 2 months! 

This Friday, the Lightning Dragonsworn Rares shop arrives, then NEXT week, the Summer Blockbuster Shop will heat up your inventory, followed by the Fotia finale release (with a beast you only THINK you've already encountered!). Finally... we will blast off the Summer of DEV-estatingly awesome releases with Artix's first release! This is going to be a summer to remember!

Leaving Tomorrow: the Obsidia Necromancer Package

Until tomorrow night, if you buy a 12000 AC package, you'll unlock ALL of the Obsidia Necromancer gear! Plus, because the Memorial Day AC sale is stilll on, you'll get 18000 ACs instead of 12000!

The in-game Obsidia Necromancer Rares shop also leaves tomorrow. That includes:

• Obsidia Necromancer Armor
• Obsidia Hood
• Obsidia Skull
• Obsidia Necromancer Wrap
• Cernunecros Skull Staff

May 28, 2015

AdventureCouch Episode #5: Synderes

Artix Interviews Amanda and Anthony from Synderes!

In our newest episode of AdventureCouch, Artix interviews Amanda and Anthony, the lead singer and guitarist from alternative rock band Synderes! Tomorrow night, their band will appear onstage at Yulgar's Inn, and AQWorlds heroes will get a sneak peek of their newest EP!*

Synderes is the first real-live band to become game characters and play in Yulgar's Inn! Not only that, but they won iHeart Radio's Rising Star contest and have already filmed two extremely impressive music videos for their singles.

At the posting of this video Synderes is in the studio recording. We especially like that Amanda, lead singer and her brother are surprisingly long time players of AE video games. In addition to being the face of the band, Amanda has always played legit, and.. is it just me, or does she look A LOT like Gravelyn on that cover pic of this video?

Become an instant fan of the band:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/synderes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Synderes
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/synderes...

* An EP album is a collection of songs, usually shorter than a full album, that artists use to showcase their talent and to help build their audience.

May 27, 2015

LIVE at Yulgar's Inn this Friday: Synderes

Rock Out with the Band, then Battle for their Gear!

Lead by lead singer Amanda, aka Synder, Synderes is a rock band that formed not far from the Secret Underground Lab back in 2012... and their music is really addictive! They'll appear onstage in Yulgar's Inn this Friday alongside the Thunderfang Spire release. Before you jump into the dragon adventure, you'll want to /dance to their newest song, battle to recover one of the band's most prized possessions, and watch their "Enemy Inside" music video!

Last month, Artix sent me the links to their Enemy Inside and Expendable videos, and before the first one was done, I was singing along. They reminded me immediately of Evanescence (which is not surprising; it's one of Amanda's favorite bands).

When I met Amanda, their lead singer, I was incredibly impressed by her passion, enthusiasm, and creativity. I got a chance to sit down with her after their tour of the Lab, and she talked about her music, what inspires her, and how much she loves writing. (Then we geeked out over fantasy novels in general, because who doesn't love a good epic adventure?!)  

The surprising thing is how young she is, especially considering how POWERFUL her voice is. Think you can guess? Good luck, because I tried and was WAY off! You really need to watch the upcoming AdventureCouch interview with them to find out and also learn how they got started.

Amanda is really genuine and dedicated to her craft; it was easy to see from the stories I've heard that the rest of the band mirrors that dedication and passion. 

They are all SO hyped to share their creations with you (including a sneak peek of their next EP) and that's why WE are so excited about bringing them onstage in Yulgar's Inn this Friday!

May 27, 2015

AQWeekly Newsletter: May 29 2015

Rise to new heights in Thunderfang Spire; claim rare Dragonsworn items

Score 50% more AdventureCoins during our limited-time Summer Sale! Bonus AdventureCoins offered with every AC bundle. Be sure to stock up, because this epic offer ends Sunday, May 31! Thank you for playing and supporting AQWorlds. And, as always...   

Battle on!

Alina, Dage, and the AQW Team 

May 26, 2015

Did someone say, "Living Dungeon Design?"

Sneak-peek at this summer’s blockbuster release

I am writing two (maybe three) releases for AdventureQuest Worlds this summer. Cysero and Beleen are coming back to write special releases too! For this one, Titan Hollow, I wrote a short story about three Titans battle for the tear of a Fairy that turned into an eternal curse. Like the most popular dungeons from Doomwood, this will be a story-crawl adventure with bonus hidden secrets for hard core gamers.

Designed by Dage the Evil

Originally, I wanted to make it a Grimskull dungeon, but for some reason, players hate dying horrific terrible animated deaths over and over again. <_< Not sure why. >_> Really. So instead of animating comical death cutscenes, we will be focusing on heroic acts of how to cleverly get from point A to point B which will provide scores of awesome screenshot worthy moments.

Beware of living dungeons though.... sometimes... they move. O_O

Like what you see? Share your thoughts on my Facebook post here!

May 26, 2015

OMG! AdventureCoins are on sale!?

Score limited time deals on all AdventureCoins bundles

Okay, so, I just came back to the Secret Lab from my 4-day weekend and… what do I find... but an AMAZING deal on ALL AdventureCoins!!

Never before in the history of all history has AdventureQuest Worlds offered bonus AdventureCoins for FREE! And who doesn’t love free stuff?

AdventureCoins allows you to purchase awesome and rare armors, classes, weapons, helms, capes, pets, and various special consumables (like potions, buffs, and food). Buying an item with ACs also lets you store it for FREE FOREVER in your bank. Woohoo!

Now is the BEST (and ONLY!) time to stock up and score up to 50% more AdventureCoins. Act fast—because this amazing offer ends Sunday, May 31, 2015!

Note: this offer is not available when you purchase through Paygarden or use Artix Points.

May 26, 2015

Battle Dragons in ThunderFang Spire

The Hunt for Krenos begins on May 29th!

It has been foretold: 12 VERY SPECIAL eggs are about to hatch, and one day, the descendants of those dragons will be the most powerful of their kind... But right now, the heroes of Lore must battle the dragons who already rule!  To the far north of the Dragon's Lair lies a mountain range ruled by the iron claws of Krenos the Lightning Dragon… and if you are skilled enough to survive the storm… you may find yourself richly rewarded from his treasure hoard! This Friday, face Tonitru the Lightning Dragon, ruler of Thunderfang Spire!

Also happening on May 29th:

• Join Synderes as they appear live in Yulgar's Inn
• Check out Dage's Lightning Dragonsworn Rares shop
• The Memorial Day AC Bonus Sale ends on May 31st

May 22, 2015

Face the Wrath of the FlameLord

Can you Withstand the Wrath of the Flamelord?

The Fire Titan has risen, summoned by the might of an army of fire mages and warriors. The Firestorm Onslaught rules in Embersea now and after demolishing the Forege last week, there's only one thing left to do - defeat their leader at the Lavarun Altar and take over the entire army!

If you haven't played through the Firestorm Onslaught storyline yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest zones in AQWorlds! Find out what you've missed, and how you begin your adventures to save the people of Embersea from the Queen of Monster's fieriest general in our Saga Summary Design Notes post!

Flamelord Rares Shop

Things are heating up in AQWorlds, and the Flamelord Finale rare gear is proof! Find these hot items in your game menu until June 22nd!

But tonight's reward gear is not JUST in the rares shop - each of the boss monsters tonight has drops for you to farm for (and some of them are also available in the merge shop)!

Take on the Phedra and Mega Tyndarius to unlock all the cutscenes in tonight's release and complete the Firestorn Onslaught storyline! THEN unlock the Ultra Phedra battle (with its own drops) and if you're a Legend, take on ULTRA Tyndarius (also with his own rewards)! 

May 22, 2015

Get Bonus AdventureCoins Until May 31st

We're celebrating Memorial Day By Giving More to AQW's Heroes!

Get more AdventureCoins with each AC package until May 31st during our Memorial Day sale! The larger the AC package you buy, the more bonus ACs you get as we prepare to kick off our summer of crazy awesome events - written by Artix, Beleen, and Cysero as they return to AQWorlds for the next 2 months!

Get up to 50% More Free on AdventureCoin Packages

Until May 31st, when you buy any of the following AdventureCoin packages, you'll get tons of EXTRA ACs, and based on what I've heard from Artix, Cysero, and Beleen as they plan out their releases, we're going to have reward gear so cool, you won't even need to turn on your AC (air conditioner)... but you WILL want to stock up on ACs (adventurecoins) to get the gear they're planning to create!

• 12000 AC package + 6000 bonus ACs     $39.95
• 5000 AC package + 2000 bonus ACs       $19.95
• 2000 AC package + 500 bonus ACs        $9.95
• 900 AC package + 100 bonus ACs           $4.95

Note: this offer is not available when you purchase through Paygarden or use Artix Points.

May 21, 2015

New Combat Test Server is LIVE!

Upgrade to get a preview of combat system changes and help test!

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… in fact, we are ready to start getting YOUR help testing the changes!!

Why we need help testing, and what is different

When we set out to rebuild the server, we decided to change the way stats work in order to make the game more fun. But that means the entire balance of combat has changed - which means we have to rebalance EVERY class in the entire game.

It’s a giant task, but one that we can do with your help! (I know a lot of you have wanted classes rebalanced for a long time. That time for that STARTS now, and will need a lot of testing.) We need to make sure each class is working properly, and that the changes to the stat system have not made any single class too over- or under-powered.

Important information 

• This server is still in testing, and not every feature is included in this build. Whatever you see while testing may - and probably will - change in the final version.
• This is a test of the current combat system using the NEW server. The gameplay will be almost entirely the same, functionally.
• Combat, chatting, joining maps, and equipping items work for this first test. The rest will be added later.
• This is primarily a BALANCE test - we want to see if the changes we’ve made to the existing combat system are working on the new server.
• The server does not currently save character data, so if you equip an item and log out (or change to another server), you will need to re-equip your items.
• You MUST use the correct version of the game to help test. If you are not logging on to the right version, you will not be able to log in to the server.

Once this test is over, anyone who has helped test will get a prize as a way of saying thank you!

How to help test

• Upgrade your account. We’re restricting this test to members so we can start testing under load (to make sure the server can handle the strain) but we want to limit just how many players we throw at it to start.
• Log onto the correct server. You can do this here.
• /join testinghub
• On this map you can choose classes to equip, enhancements, and automatically level any class to rank 10. You can even equip legend and AC classes from the list available, so have fun playing some classes you might not currently have. REMEMBER: THESE WILL NOT STAY ON YOUR ACCOUNT.
• Post your comments and bugs in this thread on the forum or on Facebook.

What to do during the test and how

The purpose of the test is to rebalance combat. There is a lot of work to do, and it won’t be over in one week any probably not even one month. Combat on this new server should feel as close as possible to combat on current live servers. Since some things were added like parry and resist it means it's impossible to get things to be exactly the same, but we want to make sure no classes are “broken.”

Warrior Class test example:

1. Equip Warrior Class, with all fighter enhancements at your current level. and
2. Go fight the Red Dragon in Lair on the test server.
3. Record how long the fight takes you, and what damage you are seeing.
4. Log into a regular server in the normal game with all the same equipment.
5. Go fight the Red Dragon in Lair on a normal server.

Let’s say on current servers you can kill him in 1 minute. If you kill him in 30 seconds on the new server, it means the Class is too powerful and will need some sort of nerf. On the other hand, if the Red Dragon kills you on the test server, then it means the Class is too weak and needs a buff.

Another good test is to equip classes, use them on the regular servers to see how much damage you do, mana regen, buff/debuff amounts, and how much damage you take, then compare those numbers to what you get on the test server.

Good bug reports vs Bad Bug reports

The more specific details you can give the better.

Bad report: “Warrior is too weak”  
A report like this gives Yorumi a place to look but does not tell him HOW WEAK it is.

 Good report: “I was using warrior, level 35, all fighter enhancements. I fought monsters in arcangrove. On live servers I was hitting for 100 and taking hits of 80. On the test server I was hitting for 280, and taking 60 damage hits. Monster HP was higher on the test server but they were much easier to defeat.”
Look at all that information! It will help him determine exactly how weak the class is, and how much to change.

Stat changes

• Parry and Resist were added to the game. Both work the same way, but parry is for physical attacks, and resist is for magical attacks. When you parry or resist an attack you reduce the damage done by an amount based on your parry/resist stat.
• Strength increases physical attack power, the amount of damage reduced by a parry, and for melee classes the amount of extra damage you get from a crit.
• Intelligence increases magical attack power, and reduces damage from a resist instead of a parry.
• Endurance still increases HP like before, but also reduces the incoming damage from all attacks. The higher your endurance the less damage you take from attacks.
• Dexterity and Wisdom are largely the same, except Dex works for melees and Wis for mages. These stats increase dodge, hit chance, haste, and crit chance for their respective classes.
• Dexterity increases parry chance, and Wisdom increases resist chance.
• Wisdom has one more effect - increasing all healing output. The goal here is to make Wis a healing stat.
• Luck has been significantly changed. Luck now has a very small effect on hit chance, dodge, and crit chance for most classes.
• Luck has a major effect on Luck-based classes: Cardclasher, Leprechaun, and a few others. (Luck enhancements are designed to work best this those classes. Mages and Fighters will want to use Strength or Int from here on out.)

Final Thoughts: Combat is different, but different can be GOOD

One final thing to keep in mind, as mentioned with the luck stat, sometimes things will just be different. I'm trying to avoid huge changes to the combat system, but there are also times it's better to just try something that's really broken for one reason or another. So again the goal is to get things as close to live as possible while allowing for some differences.

Report bugs and balancing issues to this forum thread or our Facebook post and I'll be reviewing things and making changes as necessary.

May 20, 2015

AQWednesday: Newsletter for May 22 Releases

Attack on a Titan: Wrath of the Flamelord

May 18, 2015

Friday: Firestorm Saga Finale

Can you Withstand the Wrath of the Flamelord?

The Phedra - a giant phoenix-like titan - has risen, summoned by the might of the an army of fire mages and warriors. The Firestorm Onslaught rules in Embersea now, and after you traded your freedom to save the innocent villagers, there is only one thing left to do - defeat their leader at the Lavarun Altar and take over the entire army!

If you haven't played through the Firestorm Onslaught storyline yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest zones in AQWorlds! Find out what you've missed, and how you begin your adventures to save the people of Embersea from the Queen of Monster's fieriest general in our Saga Summary Design Notes post!

Burning Challenger Rares and Lavarun Rewards

The battle's have gotten heated, but the rewards this week are on FIRE! Laken's Burning challenger armor will arrive in the rares shop this Friday along with weapons, capes, helms, and pets.

If you want to get your gauntlets on the hottest gear, though, you'll have to take on the Phedra, Mega Tyndarius, or Ultra Tyndarius battles!

The drops from Ultra Tyndarius are Legend-only, but all heroes can face off against the Phedra and Mega Tyndarius for a chance to get his gear!

May 16, 2015

May Shop Dates to Remember

Obsidia Necromancer, Lightning Dragonsworn, and More!

First impressions are important in the real world and when you're facing down an army of savage fire monsters or the abominably-large phoenix-tiger-dragon they've set free. If you want to look like a Hero and battle like one, we've got the gear that'll help you do that! Mark your calendars so you forget when these items are available!

• May 22nd: Burning Challenger Rares shop arrives
• May 25th: Laken's Adherent armor/helm boss drops leave
• May 29th: Obsidia Necromancer Rares shop and AC package plus the Cinderclaw Rares shop leave
• June 15th: Nulgath's Rares shop leaves
• June 22nd: Burning Challenger Rares shop leaves

May 16, 2015

Blazebinder Class Skills

Blaze Your Way to Victory with our newest Tier II Class!

The Blaze Binder Class is stronger than a Pyromancer, requires more strategy, and you're guaranteed to critically BURN your opponents to the ground Fire Binders control the power of fire and darkness. They are known to burn their enemies to a crisp and bind their souls into service. 

Read on to check out the Blazebinder Class skills. You can talk to Thaumus in Battleon or Caustus in /fireforge to get your gauntlets on the new class!

There are two ways to unlock Blazebinder Class:

• Buy it immediately for 2000 AdventureCoins
• Buy it for gold if you meet the requirements: Rank 10 Embersea Reputation, Rank 10 Doomwood Reputation, and either version of the original Pyromancer Class (of any rank)

Why Choose Blazebinder Class?

Blazebinder is a tier 2 class (the first since original Doomknight), and has more base power under the hood to begin with, since it has such high requirements. It also requires a more thought and strategy to use well, too.

You've got a guaranteed crit on Combustion Blaze, which is awesome because hey - you know you're guaranteed to do damage! But it's also used as a form of damage control; the set value stops oerly-massive spike damage from crits and lets us give the class higher base power without having to worry about excessively-high crit hits unbalancing the game.

In addition to the Blazebinder Class, you'll also gain access to its gear! All of the items are 0 ACs for free storage (awwwww yeah!), and require different ranks of Embersea rep to purchase.

• Blazebinder Armor
• Helms
• Weapons
• Capes
• and Pets!

Auto Attack

Rank Needed: 0
Mana Cost: 0
Mana Cooldown: 2.0 Seconds
Type: Physical
Description: A basic attack, taught to all adventurers

Combustion Blaze

Rank Needed: 1
Mana Cost: 15
Mana Cooldown: 4.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: Unleash explosive flames on three enemies and then watch them burn with a small DoT for 4 seconds afterwards.

Choking Shadow Smoke

Rank Needed: 2
Mana Cost: 25
Mana Cooldown: 8.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: Your smoke is infused with the power of Darkness and causes your opponents to have a reduced chance of hitting you and occasionally stuns them for 2 seconds. Inhaling the smoke also causes a large DoT lasting for 8 seconds.

Fire In Your Skin

Rank Needed: 3
Mana Cost: 35
Mana Cooldown: 16.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: You are so ablaze with flame that it hurts your opponents if they touch you. You also use your darkness powers to restore your life from the ashes around you causing a HoT for 8 seconds.

Dark Fire

Rank Needed: 4
Mana Cost: 35
Mana Cooldown: 12.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: You unleash a devastating burst of Dark Fire on 3 opponents. They all take heavy damage and continue to burn from a reasonable DoT for 8 seconds. The fire may also apply Burnt to a Crisp, causing your opponent’s DoTs to intensify, or apply Shrouded in Shadow Flame which decreases the damage they deal.

Sear Flesh

First passive: 20% Damage to DoTs

Sear Bone

Second passive: 10% Outgoing Damage

Class Notes

Choking Shadow Smoke and Fire In Your Skin are carefully crafted around each other. Firstly, burning ward is something pvping players are not fond of because of the potential power, however for Burning Ward to work your opponent actually has to be able to hit you.

Fire In Your Skin can stop your opponents hitting you, thus stopping reflected damage. Essentially it’s to encourage the idea that just because you can loop something does not mean you should. This combination allows more strategic players to weigh up whether they want to loop Choking Shadow Smoke or alternate between Fire In Your Skin and Choking Shadow Smoke

You'll want to use Wizard Enhancements with this Class. Int is your best friend with this hot number, but End and Wis will also work. All three of those beat out Luck, Dex, and Str when it comes to enhancements.

Class Changes

Originally, we'd planned to require you to have both the Pyromancer and Necromancer classes at rank 10 PLUS have rank 10 Embersea reputation. Then you would have had to rank the Blaze Binder class up in order to unlock its accessories.

Though changes to the game's servers have made that impossible FOR NOW*, I still think that is a really fun idea, and a great incentive to keep ranking up your class. Look for that in future Tier 2 classes as we delve deeper into the Queen of Monsters Saga!

* We are working to rebuild the server better, stronger, and faster... but in doing so, some core functionality (like locking items to a required class rank) was stripped away. We still have the pieces, they just do not currently fit where they used to. By the time we're done with the rewrite, they will fit again!

May 15, 2015

Can YOU Survive the Forge?

If you can't stand the heat, destroy the FIRESTORM!

Prove your worth as you battle through The Forge - a gauntlet of the Firestorm Onslaught's greatest warriors. If you survive, you'll earn the right to face Tyndarius, Lord of the Firestorm, in head-to-head combat! Winner. Takes. ALL!

If you haven't played through the Firestorm Onslaught storyline yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest zones in AQWorlds! Read more here to find out what you've missed, and how you begin your adventures to save the people of Embersea from the Queen of Monster's fieriest general!

Then battle against the full force of the Firestorm Onslaught before facing down... the Flamewing! This fiery beast is one of the minions of the Phedra, Firestorm's Flame Titan.

Quest to take down each rank of the Onslaught and save up the Forge Tokens you earn! Combine those with Badge drops from the different Firestorm opponents to create some of the hottest new gear in Lore!

May 14, 2015

LIVE At Yulgar's Inn: The NPCs

The NPCs, Yulgar's House Band, have Arrived at the Inn!

Log in NOW and /join yulgar, because the Inn has been remodeled! We've added a band stage and the first-ever AQWorlds house band, the NPCs. They've got a permanent spot right in the heart of the Inn and will stay there until Serenity finds guest bands to begin making appearances.

Last month, Artix talked about expanding the Inn - adding in a live house band, quests, and fun new events. The band has arrived and, while they are getting everything set up, Serenity - their promoter - has some rockin' quests for you to battle through. 

• Quest for the VIP Pass
• The Stick of Destiny
• Platinum Album Shards

Each quest will reward you with an item or a merge shop resource. Collect enough of those and you can pick up gear from the NPC's merch shop!

I know some of you have heard the drama surrounding the band that will appear in Yulgar's Inn next week... I spoke with Artix today, and he's giving Synderes' lead guitarist a call tonight. I'll have a full Design Notes post just about that for you tomorrow.

May 13, 2015

AQWeekly Newsletter: New Releases on May 15

Thanks for playing AdventureQuest Worlds, and a special Thank You to all our wonderful Legends and AdventureCoin buyers for supporting the game! You. Rule.

BATTLE ON!

Alina, Dage & the AQWorlds Team

May 11, 2015

Survive the Firestorm Forge

If you can't stand the heat, destroy the FIRESTORM!

Prove your worth as you battle through The Forge - a gauntlet of the Firestorm Onslaught's greatest warriors. If you survive, you'll earn the right to face Tyndarius, Lord of the Firestorm, in head-to-head combat! Winner. Takes. ALL!

If you haven't played through the Firestorm Onslaught storyline yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest zones in AQWorlds! Read on to find out what you've missed, and how you begin your adventures to save the people of Embersea from the Queen of Monster's fieriest general! In the last release, heroes had to battle through the Fyreborn Caverns and take down Cinderclaw the Ravenous... but so much happened before that!

The Firestorm Onslaught story so far...

Embersea Isle: Talk to Warlord Kyron in Embersea Islae as he and the townspeople of Embersea prepare for war against the Firestorm Onslaught and struggle to survive the deadly plague they've unleashed!  /Join embersea to begin the adventure!

Pyrewatch Peak: Battle to reach Pyrewatch Peak, where the sick have gathered for protection. With attacks on the rise, your skill and courage are needed to help defend the weak and innocent! /Join pyrewatch to begin the adventure once you've completed quests in Embersea!

Mount ShadowFlame: Join Empress Gravelyn, ruler of the Shadowscythe, her newly-resurrected father, Sepulchure the DoomKnight, and Akriloth the Fire Dragon as they move to take Tyndarius and the Queen of Monsters down! /Join Shadowflame to take part in the ShadowDragon War!

Feverfew Falls: Fight to escape the Blazebinder’s trap in Feverfew Falls! Attacks by the Firestorm Onslaught are increasing, and when the temple is destroyed, a horrible fate befalls many of those who had escaped Tyndarius' army! /Join feverfew to begin the adventure once you've completed quests in Pyrewatch!

Phoenixrise: Pass through the Pheonixrise Gates and battle to save those taken by the Onslaught. Defeat the dread beast Cinderclaw the Ravenous before it's too late to save them! /Join phoenixrise to begin the adventure once you've completed quests in Feverfew!

May 08, 2015

Survive the Forgotten Tomb

Will You Protect or Destroy Dage's Darkest Artifact?

Battle through The Forgotten Tombs this weekend as we continue the saga of Dage the Evil. Members of the Undead Legion guard one of Dage's most treasured artifacts deep inside the tomb, and Laken's Seraphic Paladins will do anything to possess it - the fate of the Dark Shard depends on YOU!

If you're up to date on the events in the Dage's Betrayal storyline, talk to Darkon when you /join legioncrypt and begin the hunt for Dage's Dark Shard! If you are not up to date but want to jump right into battle, talk to Angelina Rayder, Extraction Specialist and begin her quests!

Dage's Betrayal: the Story So Far...

The First Betrayal

Battle as Dage the Evil through Nulgath’s Shifting Planes cavern in the /darkfortress as you quest to gain your Mark of Mastery and become a full-fledged necromancer! But beware, betrayal waits for you... from the person you least expect!

Undead Legion Infiltration

The Order of Seraphic Paladins are charged with keeping Lore safe from Evil, and the Undead Legion is their favorite target! But something is amiss inside the Seraphic Fortress... Talk to Darkon when you /join seraph and answer the call of the Seraphic Paladins as they seek out the spies sent by the Undead Legion!

This week's other releases

Don't miss the rest of the new content in AQWorlds this week! 

• May the 4th, Cinco de Mayo, and Revenge of the Fifth shops!
• Nulgath's Chaotic Fiend Rares shop!

May 07, 2015

Nulgath's Chaotic Fiend Rares

Nulgath the ArchFiend Embraces Chaos to Create New Gear

If you love evil but are not a fan of the Undead Legion, then you might just enjoy the new gear crafted for you by one of Artix Entertainment's darkest artist-animators - Nulgath the ArchFiend, Lord of the OverSoul! Nulgath took time from his work on the mobile and OverSoul teams to bring his newest, most chaotic gear to AQWorlds!

Find the Chaotic Fiend armor, wings, and blade PLUS the Nulgath's Motorcycle Pet and Battlepet in the Chaotic Rares shop in your game menu starting tonight! The gear will only be available until June 5th, so get your gauntlets on it now if you don't want to miss out!

May 07, 2015

THEY'RE COMING BACK!

Artix, Cysero & Beleen return to AQWorlds this Summer

This is an OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!  This summer, all of AQWorld's former game leads will be returning to work directly on AQWorlds. WHAT!? Yes. We will be kicking our blockbuster summer event off by having Artix (excited), Beleen (fun), and Cysero (crazy) rejoin the AQWorlds team to design, write, and help create brand new adventures. Because each of them have such a dramatically different storytelling and humor style.... we decided to split them up and give each of them a week to do whatever they want. This will also allow them to continue working on their other video game projects while giving AQWorlds a lot of love and creativity. They will be pitching their plots, monsters and adventure areas next week... then fight to the death over who gets to have the first summer release. Anyone else get the feeling that this is going to get a little competitive? Keep your eyes on the design notes for more!

MORE THINGS!

• NPC Band to appear in Yulgar's next week! (Our first musical guest soon to follow)
• AdventureQuest 3D has new monsters, cave map, and combat skills in development
• Script for new AQWorld's storyline video currently being written
• EpicDuel team has a side mobile project: BioBeasts
• Designs for improved AQWorlds interface found on walls at the lab
• Experimenting with interesting ways to boost graphics speed in AQWorlds

May 06, 2015

AQWeekly Newsletter: May 8 2015

Dare you enter Dage's forgotten tombs?