Design Notes

November 24, 2023

Get ready to go DARKER

Our Black Friday 2023 Collection is HERE: Unlock 200+ items

Our Black Friday 2023 Collection got a huge update update at midnight, and we've just added even more!  Log in now and check out the 60+ new rare items in Quibble Coinbiter's Shop in Battleon. Find over 200 dark variants of your favorite gear in Quibble's shop, plus all-new sets created this year. And if you're a collector or rare hunter, pick up the Black Friday Collection Chest to get ALL of the event rares and a character page badge for 10,000 AdventureCoins! 

Quibble's First Shop Update

Get individual items from Quibble's Dark Holiday 2023 gear collection in his rares shop. Get the exclusive Black Friday 2023 Collection Chest pet to unlock the full collection shop

• Vanta Shadow Knight + Shielded Shadow Knight armors
• Chained Chaos in Shadow armor, helm, cape
• Obsidian Highlord armor + helm
• Shadow Ball Formal + Artistocrat armors
• Imperial Lightscythe in Shadow armor, helm, cape, weapons
• Obsidian Samurai armor, helms, weapons
• Shadow Deathfiend of Nulgath se
• Crystal Roses & Royalty armor, 5 helms, 2 capes, 1 sword
• Dark Scientist J6 armor, helms, cape, guns
• Fierce Scientist J6 armor, helms, cape, guns
• Shadow Mayhelm Streetwear armor and weapons
• Lovely Nightmare Plate, helm, and mace
• Shadow Samurai armor

Quibble's Second + Third 2023 Shop Update: 

Color-custom gear:

• Hollowborn Paragon set*
• Shadow Technomancer armor
• Cyber Lycan Transformation armor
• Shadow Druid set
• Cyber Bound Devourer of Gods set

Dark Gear of Shadows:

• Shadow Solrac's Legacy set
• Obsidian Titanslayer set
• Shadow Witch set
• Evolved Shadow Exo Suit set
• Dark Vampire Slayer set
• Warpforce Cyber Sword
• Onyx Legion Wolf set**
• Dark Frost Wolf of Nulgath set
• Dark Frost Fang Katana (single + dual wield)
• Shadow Frost Fang Katana (single + dual wield)

And don't miss what we've got planned for the rest of the collection update! Even more techno-themed gear for Cyber Monday.

* 0 AC Merge shop version available now in the /underworld map for Legion Tokens and Hollowsouls.
** Legion Token merge shop version coming on Monday.

Just want a couple of the items listed above? Apart from the exclusive pets, all of the gear contained inside the Black Friday Collection Chest shop will also be available to buy individually in Quibble's Event shop.

Black Friday 2023 Collection Notes

Read on for important notes about this year's collection.

• All of this year's event rare items are available individually from the Black Friday Shop in your game menu until the event leaves December 8th.
• The Hollowborn Collection Chest is a seasonal item and will not be included in the Black Friday Collection Chest.
• The Shadow Deathfiend of Nulgath Blade (single + dual-wield) are 0 ACs in the collection chest. They are also available from Nulgath's Diamond merge shop until December 8th.
• If you purchased the Jade Samurai Uppgrade Pack (Design Notes) you will find the Obsidian variants for free in your Book of Lore badge shop. PLUS we've removed the member-only flag from the items. SURPRISE!
• Additional items will arrive next week as reward drops alongside our Black Friday update.

HollowBorn Collection Chest Returns

The Hollowborn Evoker set, created for Black Friday by AQW Community artist, Yo Lae, is a Black Friday seasonal collection chest. Unlock a TON of dark, deadly items for 5,000 AdventureCoins when you get the Hollowborn Chest pet (items available in the pet's shop).

The Hollowborn Collection includes:

• Hollowborn Collection chest pet (has shop for all the gear)
• Hollowborn Lightning pet (with quest for character page badge)

The Hollowborn Chest is seasonal, and will return every Black Friday. (Please note, the Hollowborn Chest does not receive new items each year.)

November 24, 2023

Black Friday 2023: OMG UPDATE

Dark New Rewards, Hollowborn Boss, & Very Ebil Boss Battles

It's the darkest time of the year, and that means new Black Friday rewards are here! All heroes can battle monsters in /blackfridaywar for new rewards. For heroes eager to test their might... we've got new boss battles ready for you: Hollowborn ShadowSlayer D's Vampire + Lycan bosses PLUS Chairman Platinum's Very Ebil Mech Dragon. Read on for more details or charge into battle now!

New game release

• Reward drops from monsters in /blackfridaywar 
• Vampire + Lycan bosses in /hbchallenge (level 65+ recommended)
• Very Ebil Mech Dragon Boss in /ebilroof (level 75+ recommended)
• Black Friday 2023 Collection update: 60+ new items

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double Rep, Class Points, Gold, XP
• Resource Boost: Legion Tokens + Binky Rib
• Saturday: Hollowborn Gween from Turdrakolich in /eventhub
• Sunday: Dark Moglin Cape from Executive Vordred in /blackfridaywar

Events + Gear Leaving

• December 1: November daily gifts from November 4th - 19th
• December 8: Harvest Fest 2023 + Black Friday 2023 rares

Hollowborn Rewards

New trials await, born from blood and darkness. The Hollowborn Shadowslayer D guards a Vampire and a Lycan cursed with the Shadow Fiend's gift, waiting for you to test your might against them in /hbchallenge.

ShadowSlayer D's Merge Shop:

• Hollowborn Vampire Knight set
• Hollowborn Lycan set
• Hollowborn Vampire Lord
• Hollowborn ShadowSlayer set

These rewards are permanently available, so if you need to level up to take these evil opponents down, never fear... you've got time!

Hollowdeep update: traditionally, we also update the Hollowdeep map at this time of year. Lae did a lot of the work needed for that, but I delayed the Hollowdeep addition to make sure the team had enough time and focus for each of the sections of the update.

The next Hollowdeep update is planned for March 2024, during our Month of Darkness and Evil. The Hollowborn Paragon set will return to Quibble's Shop + in the Hollowborn Merge Shop next March. After that, it will go permanently rare.

New Black Friday Reward Gear

Over 40 new rewards are now available for you to grab this weekend! Gear up and get ready to unlock the darkest gear of the year, then return on Monday for our Cyber Monday reward items!

Very Ebil Mech Dragon in /ebilmech:

• NeoBattleon Armor + accessories
• Even more drops coming on Cyber Monday

Executive Assistant Vordred in /blackfridaywar:

• Black Skull Cane
• Formal Grenwog Garb
• and more

Deal Bot 2.0 in /blackfridaywar:

• Lovely Celtic Warrior
• Dark Wraps Mummy armor + helm
• Lady Sora's Midnight Gown armor + helms
• Dark Celestial Priest set

Hypnotized Shopper in /blackfridaywar:

• Dark Valkyrie Helm (male + female)

The following Black Friday farming items were added on Wednesday!

2023 Achievement Tracker Rewards Next Week

Every time you log into AQWorlds, you've got some goal: meeting up with friends, ranking your newest class, or farming for the Blinding Light of Destiny. The sense of satisfaction when you accomplish that goal is one of the best things about playing AQW! But we want to give you even MORE rewards for playing... and that's where the Achievement Tracker comes in. 

Every achievement pack is a full item set; when you log in with this gear equipped, you'll have an immediate WOW factor. For now, read on to get a small teaser.

Achievement Tracker Rewards for 2023

1,250,000 AdventureCoins

• Exclusive armor set
• Platinum Trophy Zorbak pet with quest for the Golden Item of Donated Awesomeness
• Character page badge

15 Years Played

• Exclusive armor set
• Platinum Trophy Twilly pet with quest for the Golden Item of Donated Awesomeness*
• Character page badge

14 Years Membership 

• Exclusive armor set
• Platinum Trophy Twig pet with quest for the Golden Item of Donated Awesomeness
• Character page badge

This is the FINAL TIER of the Achievement Tracker; once you've reached any (or all) of these tiers, you've done it. You've WON the tracker!

* The 15 Years Played IoDA quest will require a confirmed email address, 15 years played, and a selection of in-game sagas completed. Details announced next week.

Dark Holiday AdventureCoin Bonus

If you're gearing up for the holidays, this is the best time to check out our Holiday AC bonus so you don't miss a thing. Get 50% more FREE bonus AdventureCoins with any AC or Membership pack.

November 24, 2023

A Feast of Free ACs

Get 50% more ACs with any Membership or AC Pack

If you're gearing up for the holidays, this is the best time to check out our Holiday AC bonus so you don't miss a thing. Get 50% more FREE bonus AdventureCoins with any AC or Membership pack while our holiday AC bonus is on. 

Keep an eye on the Design Notes, because we've got a bounty of rare items heading your way this Holiday Season!

• This week + next Friday: Black Friday collection rares
• Monday, November 27: new Cyber Monday rares
• Frostval + New Years gear

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

During our Summer AC 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). 

Wait...AdventureCoin Bonus?!

That's right! Several times each year, we have bonus AdventureCoin offers (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.

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

November 22, 2023

Announcing Winners Next Week

The Design a HeroMart Poster Contest was a resounding success! The winning entries are testament to the talent within our amazing community… and will also make wonderful gifts to share with the world! 

Hiya heroes! We were overwhelmed by the incredible talent that poured into each submission for the HeroMart Poster Design Contest. A heartfelt thank you to all participants who turned their canvas into a kaleidoscope of creativity! We cannot believe how incredibly talented you all are! The diversity and originality of the entries left our judging panel in awe; even Dage himself was SUPER impressed.

With soooo many outstanding submissions, narrowing down the winners was no easy task. From vibrant designs that caught the eye to emotionally powerful pieces, each poster told a unique story. This is a mere testament to the rich tapestry of talent within our gaming community!

All these artistic endeavors have set the stage (and raised the bar) for a festive indulgence: the winner’s poster will be released just in time for the holidays, AND the runner-ups will have their art pieces made into prints! 
 

We will begin emailing our winners early next week to privately discuss getting their art up on HeroMart. Later that week, we will publicly announce all our winners and special mentions, so stay tuned for that!

A sincere thank you to every participant who poured their hearts and souls into the HeroMart Poster Design Contest. You are all so incredibly talented!! Your creativity made this competition a true celebration of art and our beloved community of gamers. The gift of your artistic expression will be one that keeps on giving, and we can't wait to share it with the world just in time for the holiday season 🎁🎄☃️

Get ready to unwrap the magic and stay tuned for the big announcement next week!

Battle on!
Beleen, the awe-struck judges, and the entire Artix Entertainment team including our lovely HeroMart helpers :)

November 17, 2023

Get ready to go DARK

Our Black Friday 2023 Collection is HERE: Unlock 125+ items

Our Black Friday 2023 Collection, featuring a backpack FULL of new Black Friday rares, is now available in Battleon! Find over 120 dark variants of your favorite gear in Quibble's shop, plus all-new sets created this year. And if you're a collector or rare hunter, pick up the Black Friday Collection Chest to get ALL of the event rares and a character page badge for 10,000 AdventureCoins! 

Check out Quibble's Black Friday Rares Shop to find:

• Exclusive Black Friday 2023 Collection Chest pet to unlock the full collection shop
• Vanta Shadow Knight + Shielded Shadow Knight armors
• Chained Chaos in Shadow armor, helm, cape
• Obsidian Highlord armor + helm
• Shadow Ball Formal + Artistocrat armors
• Imperial Lightscythe in Shadow armor, helm, cape, weapons
• Obsidian Samurai armor, helms, weapons*
• Shadow Deathfiend of Nulgath set**
• Crystal Roses & Royalty armor, 5 helms, 2 capes, 1 sword
• Dark Scientist J6 armor, helms, cape, guns
• Fierce Scientist J6 armor, helms, cape, guns
• Shadow Mayhelm Streetwear armor and weapons
• Lovely Nightmare Plate, helm, and mace
• Shadow Samurai armor
• and more!***

And don't miss what we've got planned for the rest of the collection update! More dark variants are on their way, plus techno-themed gear for Cyber Monday.

Collection variants still in progress:

• Evolved Exo Suit armor, helm, blades
• Mummy armor + mask
• Light Witch set
• Priest of the Ignited Ones set
• Legion Wolf set
• Titan Slayer set
• And more!

Just want a couple of the items listed above? Apart from the exclusive pets, all of the gear contained inside the Black Friday Collection Chest shop will also be available to buy individually in Quibble's Event shop.

Black Friday 2023 Collection Notes

Read on for important notes about this year's collection.

• All of this year's event rare items are available individually from the Black Friday Shop in your game menu until the event leaves December 8th.
• The Hollowborn Collection Chest is a seasonal item and will not be included in the Black Friday Collection Chest.
• The Shadow Deathfiend of Nulgath Blade (single + dual-wield) are 0 ACs in the collection chest. They are also available from Nulgath's Diamond merge shop until December 8th.
• If you purchased the Jade Samurai Uppgrade Pack (Design Notes) you will find the Obsidian variants for free in your Book of Lore badge shop. PLUS we've removed the member-only flag from the items. SURPRISE!
• Additional items will arrive next week as reward drops alongside our Black Friday update.

HollowBorn Collection Chest Returns

The Hollowborn Evoker set, created for Black Friday by AQW Community artist, Yo Lae, is a Black Friday seasonal collection chest. Unlock a TON of dark, deadly items for 5,000 AdventureCoins when you get the Hollowborn Chest pet (items available in the pet's shop).

The Hollowborn Collection includes:

• Hollowborn Collection chest pet (has shop for all the gear)
• Hollowborn Lightning pet (with quest for character page badge)

The Hollowborn Chest is seasonal, and will return every Black Friday. (Please note, the Hollowborn Chest does not receive new items each year.)

November 17, 2023

This Weekend: Oishii vs the Dark Rider

New Boss Battle, New Rewards, and New Rare Items

Greetings and good eatings, hero! Hungry for a Harvest Fest adventure? Log in now and belly up to the bar for Oishii's origin story. No trollin'! Relive her journey with Robina as they fight to defeat the Dark Rider's famine and began the most delicious tradition in Battleon!

New game release

• Harvest Fest 2023: Oishii vs the Black Rider
• Delicious and deadly new rewards
• Black Friday 2023 Collection, Pt 1

Events + Gear Leaving

• December 1: November daily gifts from November 4th - 19th
• December 8: Harvest Fest 2023 + Black Friday 2023 rares

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double Reputation
• Saturday: Sweet Candymera pet from the Overgourd in /fearfeast
• Sunday: Cleavers of Truth from the Abomineater in /feastboss

Harvest Treats for Victorious Heroes

Head to /blightharvest and talk to Robina. Complete this weekend's new story update to unlock the "Fowl Feast" reward farming quest to create a new reward set. Then check out Oishii's Autumn Merge Shop in the /eventhub to see the Spirit of Autumn's gifts for you!

Blightharvest Monster Drops

Robina's Blightharvest Merge

Collect resources to create new items in the merge shop.

• Turdracolich Hunter and Stalker armors
• 6 Turdracolich Hunter helms
• Turdracolich Hunting Gear
• Gold-Touched Carver Blade (single + dual-wield)
• Gold-Touched Rifle
• Turdraken Carving Gear
• Cranberry Imp Pet

Oishii's Autumn Merge

To create the Spirit of Autumn set, you'll need Fallen Leaves, Gold Flakes, and Gnarled Wood. Check out the note in the merge shop for more information on how to get these items.

• Spirit of Autumn armor
• Visage of Autumn helm
• Breath of Autumn Wind cape (animated)
• Autumn Falls ground rune
• Whisper of Autumn blade (single + dual-wield)

Achievement Tracker Update

Every time you log into AQWorlds, you've got some goal: meeting up with friends, ranking your newest class, or farming for the Blinding Light of Destiny. The sense of satisfaction when you accomplish that goal is one of the best things about playing AQW! But we want to give you even MORE rewards for playing... and that's where the Achievement Tracker comes in. 

Every achievement pack is a full item set; when you log in with this gear equipped, you'll have an immediate WOW factor. For now, read on to get a small teaser.

Achievement Tracker Rewards for 2023

• 1,250,000 AdventureCoins: exclusive armor set + Item of Donated Awesomeness (as is traditional)
• 15 Years Played: exclusive armor set + ???
• 14 Years Membership: exclusive armor set + (as is traditional)

This is the FINAL TIER of the Achievement Tracker; once you've reached any (or all) of these tiers, you've done it. You've WON the tracker!

In addition to badges that will be displayed on your character page, each achievement will come with an exclusive armor set. And because these are the ultimate achievement tracker the rewards for each of the achievements will be incredibly shiny (literally and figuratively). Many of you will have been waiting for quite a while for what's coming up.

So whether you've been with us for years, or this is the first time you're seeing the Achievement Tracker update, you're in for a treat... NEXT MONTH! The new achievement rewards for 2023 will arrive next month. 

2023 Reward Release Date

The post above is from last month. We haven't given exact dates so we don't miss it and release them late. The rewards will arrive as soon as they're ready... fully ready. That way, we can make sure the heroes unlocking the final reward tier do not have to deal with major issues, missing art, etc.

Current plans are for the confirmed release date to be announced several days before it goes live. That way, we can be confident they will release as planned, with few (to no) issues. but should anything major change, we will post about that in the Design Notes as soon as possible!