Design Notes
April 29, 2019
AQWorlds Patch Notes
Check the list of bug fixes to see what the team has addressed
Reens, Cemaros and the AQW Bug Hunter team are busy squashing the bugs you submit each week to the Bug Tracker at www.Artix.com/bugs.
Please do not send non-release bugs on Twitter. They will get lost. Make sure you send bug report forms!
Check back weekly to see if the bug you reported has been addressed. Please remember that not all bugs are "easy fixes" so some reported and confirmed bugs from each week may not be on the fixed list as they will require more time or a different person to fix them.
If you would like to know how the reports go from you to fixed, check this page:
http://www.aq.com/lore/guides/BugReportFAQ
Bug Fixes:
- Eternal Juggernaut Armblades have been de-lagged!
- Inquisitor of the Light collar/shoulder area downsized a bit to fit around the player head better.
- DeathKnight Lord went to see the head shrinker. It worked!
- Defender Armour moved from shops to a quest button on each NPC at the Guardian Tower. The quest will require you to have the Defender class from the proper NPC with at least 1 class point on it. (Frozards in /nexus will fill that requirement!)
Art Fixes:
- Snappy Puppy Locks repositioned on head.
- Dark Skyguard Uniform female leg texture added.
April 28, 2019
Become an Infinity Titan
Upgrade to unlock new exclusive gear sets!
The hardest choices require the strongest will, but YOU have the strength to act on those choices and save the Universe. Starting this Friday night, get the Infinity Titan class variant, mount armor, regular armor, house, and more when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more.
After you purchase an account upgrade, select a bonus set of your choice from a list of options in your Account Manager.
Pack Details
Choose the Infinity Titan to unlock two full armor sets, a class variant, house, and more.
- Infinity Titan Class (new skill animations, icons, names + StoneCrusher Class functionality)
- Infinity Titan armor
- Infinity Titan's Throne armor (floating throne morph)
- 7 Infinity Titan helms
- Infinity Titan Fangs cape
- Infinity Titan's Reality Gauntlet daggers (pictured above)
- 6 more Infinity Titan weapons: sword, shield, axe, mace, polearm
- Infinity Titan House (with armor / hair customizer)
- Infinity Titan Gauntlet house item
- Mysterious Stranger NPC house item (with bank functionality)
- Infinity Titan BattlePet (member-only)
- Infinity Titan Pet (with quest for house + house items)
- Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts added straight to your inventory
- and a character page badge
Once you've chosen the Infinity Titan bonus on the Account Manager page, log in and find the set's shop in the Other Achievements tab in your Book of Lore.
12000 AC or 12 month membership package rewards:
- ALL the Infinity Captain gear
- 7 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
- 10 Wheel of Doom Tickets (worth 2,000 ACs!)
- and a character page badge
Boosts and Doom Tickets will be added directly to your inventory.
2k and 5k AC or 1, 3, or 6 month membership package rewards:
- ALL the Infinity Titan gear
- 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
- and a character page badge
Upgrade to unlock your choice of exclusive bonuses
When you buy any AC or membership pack worth $10 USD or more, you'll be able to choose one of the following bonus sets:
- Infinity Titan Class / Throne / House
- Galactic Captain / Galactic Battle Pilot
- Paragon Fiend / Legion Paragon Fiend Rider
- Akiban Defender
- Copper Void ChronoKnight
- Golden Northlands Royalty
With our upgrade pack bonuses, you get even more options and choices in your rewards. Plus, each time you upgrade, you get to choose a new reward!
Important Details
- ALL of the upgrade bonus gear for a set will be available when you buy an AC or membership pack worth $10 USD.
- Each time you upgrade, you'll be able to choose another bonus set. If you've already unlocked all the available sets, once a new one releases, you'll be able to choose it immediately.
If you buy a 12,000 AC or 12 month membership pack, in addition to choosing an upgrade bonus set, you'll also get 7x Game Boosts, a character page badge, plus 10 Wheel of Doom Fortune Tickets (worth 2,000 ACs).
April 26, 2019
Become a Priestess of Monsters
Available in the Wheel of Doom and Merge shop!
The Wheel of Doom spins round and round... and this week, as we battle our way into the Queen of Monsters' castle, facing off against the ShadowFlame Army, we have an all-new set for the Wheel of Doom: the Priestess of Monsters!
Find the gear in the Wheel of Doom merge shop! There are 2 variants of the armor -- one with female-only art, and one with female/male art.
New Gear from the Wheel of Doom!
We know a lot of you are raring to redeem your free spins... so we're adding a full new Legendary rarity set for you, crafted by AQW Community Artist, Lae (and inspired by ideas from fellow AQW player, Verxy)! Each piece of the Priestess of Monsters set will be available from the Wheel of Doom and from the Doom merge shop.
Get your Free Spins
Everyone loves to get prizes... and that's why we brought back back free spins for the Wheel of Doom!
- Members get one free spin a day while their upgrade is active
- All players get one free spin a week.
See the Free Spins Design Notes for more details.
Platinum Item of Donated Awesomeness
We've gotten a lot of really positive feedback after introducing the free spins... but also a lot of you who wanted 1) a way to make sure you got an Item of Donated Awesomeness and 2) kept spinning in a quest to get the Epic Item of Donated Awesomeness to drop from the Wheel... and then not didn't get it.
That's why, earlier this month, we introduced the Platinum Item of Donated Awesomeness. This item is available from the Doom Merge Shop, so even if you don't receive the EIoDA as a bonus prize, you can save up your Treasure Potions and get the PIoDA.
Important Points
- The PIoDA will be a Wheel of Doom merge shop exclusive.
- Cost: 1,000 Treasure Potions.
- You can get both the EIoDA (from the Wheel) and the PIoDA (from the merge shop)
- The PIoDA currently stacks up to x5. We are currently planning to raise the cap later this year.
At a cost of 1,000 Treasure Potions, that means a member who ONLY uses their one free spin per day/week will need to log in every day for about 2.5 years to get it... but they WILL get it eventually.
* Exceptions include staff personal items, custom weapon contest prizes, HeroMart items, etc
April 26, 2019
The Queen of Monsters Saga Finale Begins NOW
Battle the ShadowFlame Army to enter the Queen's Castle
Several years ago, the Champion of Chaos freed the Queen of Monsters from her prison in the Plane of Chaos. Since then, we've battled her minions, her children, and the maniacal villains who've allied with her, with no way to anticipate her next move. The time has come to STOP predicting what she'll do next and ATTACK! But before we can reach the Queen of Monsters... we'll have to go through an army of never-before-seen shadow creatures standing in our way.
This weekend, gear up and head into battle as you and your fellow heroes take on the 300,000 warriors lead by the ShadowLord Malgor.
Shadows of War Rewards
As you fight to raise the war meter, you'll unlock additional quests and a war chest with a 0 AC floating blade pet! Turn in the war quests for a chance to get the pieces of ShadowFlame Warrior sets. Plus find the color-customizable Eternal versions for AdventureCoins in the ShadowFlame AdventureCoin shop.
These sets were crafted for the Heroes of Lore (regardless of whether you ally with Good, Evil, or Chaos... everyone loves looting the enemy!) by AQW Community Artist, Lae.
- ShadowFlame Juggernaut, Warrior, and Slasher armors
- ShadowFlame helms
- ShadowFlame weapons
After the War Ends (SPOILERS AHEAD)
If you don't want spoilers, or if you haven't finished playing the 13 Lords of Chaos Saga, stop reading now.
...
...
Seriously. Read on at your own risk.
Alright. I'll try to keep it to broad, not-so-subtle hints.
You rebels who can read between the lines will know what happens. Everyone else will have to wait until the end of the war.
Let's do this.
The Queen's Finale is only the beginning
This war will change the course of history, and the fate of our world. And you. As the Eternal Dragon of Time, you hold a greater power than most of the beings in this Universe. There are others out there with powers to match yours, and you will encounter some of them over the course of this saga. But not today.
Today, you must fight to reach the Queen of Monsters. We are leading up to a pivotal point in time, where we discover her fate... and yours. Only by entering her throne room can the story REALLY begin.
And, as we've come to expect with the Queen of Monsters... things are getting a liiiiiittle Chaotic. Because we're really starting at the end. As you battle through the chapters of the Queen of Monsters' finale saga that take place over the coming months, you will...
- Fight to learn more about the Queen of Monsters' ultimate fate
- Unlock the powers you've lost, and some you've yet to discover
- Uncover the truth about the Queen's newest adversary
The allies you'll meet, new gods you'll encounter, and the enemies you face -- everything that happens from this moment on will lead you towards your destiny. Towards a decision only YOU can make.
The future is now. It is Time for the Queen of Monsters' Finale Saga to begin.
April 23, 2019
AQWorlds Patch Notes
Check the list of bug fixes to see what the team has addressed
Reens, Cemaros and the AQW Bug Hunter team are busy squashing the bugs you submit each week to the Bug Tracker at www.Artix.com/bugs.
Please do not send non-release bugs on Twitter. They will get lost. Make sure you send bug report forms!
Check back weekly to see if the bug you reported has been addressed. Please remember that not all bugs are "easy fixes" so some reported and confirmed bugs from each week may not be on the fixed list as they will require more time or a different person to fix them.
If you would like to know how the reports go from you to fixed, check this page:
http://www.aq.com/lore/guides/BugReportFAQ
Bug Fixes:
- Acolyte, Warlord, Renegade, and Sorcerer armour versions are now from quests on their respective trainers, that will show if you have the class (with at least 1 point on it!) in your inventory, in the map /trainers only.
- Doomknight plinth in Curio fixed so it appears for everyone with Doomknight class now.
- Greenguard West button on the local map now leads to Greenguard West instead of being spoooooky.
- Map /events is back with a shiny new pole!
- Arrow in /timespace now silver.
Extras:
- Capes tiling when you sit/rest. This is an engine limitation. Capes can be adjusted to a degree for when you stand still and when you walk. Sitting/resting is a different process.
April 19, 2019
This Weekend: Toxic Wanderer Set
Will you be consumed by corruption?
Last week, we celebrated Earth Day, a day where heroes across Lore remember how much the planet means to us. Remember... we only get ONE planet, so if we abuse it, corrupt it, and poison it... we are really short onother options (until colonizing other planets is WAY more feasible). The Toxic Wander is a deadly (but wicked-cool) new set that serves as a warning to your enemies. Find all the set pieces in your Featured Gear Shop for AdventureCoins until April 31st.
- Radioactive Wanderer armor
- 4 Radioactive Wanderer weapons
- 1 Radioactive Wanderer cape
- 7 Radioactive Wanderer helms
* This set will return every April as we celebrate Earth Day.
April 19, 2019
The Queen of Monsters... The Story So Far
Leading Up to the War of Shadows
This week's update is smaller as the team prepares for the start of the Queen's Finale next week. But there's still battles ahead, new gear to grab, and dark tale to discover. Head to Dreadrock Keep this weekend for...
- "The Story So Far," a cutscene reviewing the Queen of Monsters' plots
- Armor variants of fan-favorite classes
- The return of the Infernal Dark Lord set
- The Radioactive Wanderer set
- and our story release: the Infernal Corruption (a tale of what happens when a Good Hero is turned to Evil)
Queen of Monsters: A Pre-Finale Post-Mortem
There are a lot of benefits to updating our game stories on a weekly basis: we can adjust and re-route our stories as you react and respond to them, increasing or decreasing the importance of characters, weaving in ideas, and telling the tales you want to play. We've kept to that schedule for the last ten years, and it's part of what makes Artix Entertainment games special.
Like with any project, endeavour, or undertaking, there are real-world challenges that have to be overcome. That real-world, behind-the-scenes chaos also has an impact on where the story goes. Especially one that updates on the kind of schedule we do.
Staff changes, server limitations, program crashes, illnesses... all of those are a part of life, and a part of the life-cycle of making a video-game. The big difference is that we update our projects every week, and have roughly a week or two to work on each update. That means a couple things:
1) We have a much smaller window to react in -- whether it's to unexpected staff absences or a flood of feedback.
2) We have to get it right the first time, as closely as possible. (So when we have to, on the fly, take the story in a new direction, one we don't have a long-term plan for, it adds even more challenges to our writer and her Lore-Crew).
To be clear -- there's no blame here. Memet (our lead writer), the team, and I can tell how much you care, and we LOVE that you get invested in all our characters. We care about what you want, and your feedback. We always want to take that into consideration because we are making AQWorlds for and with you. If we see we're doing something you guys don't like, we can (and do) change direction. That can -- and has -- had the side-effect of making the story we planned to tell feel less cohesive.
We've never shied away from tackling big projects, but in hindsight, there is a lot we would have done differently with the Queen of Monsters' saga.
Part of the goal of the Queen of Monsters' finale is to rectify that, putting to rest the fragments of the story we started and introducing a new main story with more built-in room to change courses (whether that's a slight turn towards Swordhaven or a 90 degree turn towards Elemental Planes we've never entered).
And to that end, as a team we've done a lot of analysis about what we can do to prevent some of the pitfalls and downturns from the Queen of Monsters saga that weren't as well received.
The War of Shadows is the beginning of the Queen of Monsters' finale, in which we'll discover:
- the fate of the Queen of Monsters
- meet a cast of new characters
- Explore new worlds, realms, and planes
- meet a new opponent who may very well be the Queen of Monsters' deadliest rival
We're committed to moving forward with our weekly updates on the web (as long as feasibly possible), and to evolving our world and its story, because that's what you want, and what we want to give you.
April 19, 2019
This Weekend: Infernal Dark Lord
Set Available for a Limited Time
Lord Balax'el is a scion of the Darkness, leader of the Infernal Army fighting under the banner of the Queen of Monsters fulfill her goals. For those who aspire to be like him, you're in luck! The Infernal Dark Lord armor set is back in the Featured Gear Shop!
The set consists of:
- Infernal Dark Lord armor
- Dark Lord's Visage helm
- Wings of Wrath cape
Infernal Dark Lord Set Availability
These items will be available in the Featured February Gear shop until May 3rd for AdventureCoins... but it WILL come back in the future (just like reoccuring event gear does)! The set will be avilable for two weeks whenever we have a release featuring Lord Balax'el or which takes place in Dreadrock Keep. (So if you can't get it this month, keep an eye on the Design Notes for when it will return!)
April 19, 2019
Class Armors Abound
Find Armor Variants of your favorite Classes
Earlier this week, we released a surprise for all you heroes who want armor versions of your favorite classes. And tonight, we added even more!
Armors added tonight:
- Chunin*
- Mindbreaker
- Acolyte
- Ninja
- Sorcerer
- Thief of Hours
- Warlord
- Renegade
- Darkside*
- DragonSlayer
- DoomKnight*
Find the armors in their class shops, with the exception of the Chunin, Darkside, and original DoomKnight armors. If you have those classes, you'll find quests to get the armors in the Battleontown Curio Shop. Unlock the majority of the classes listed above, the Chunin and Darkside Classes are no longer available, so the armors have been added to quests, and the classes are required to unlock them.
Armors added Monday:
- Bard
- Beast Warrior
- Defender
- Lycan
- Troll Spellsmith
April 15, 2019
AQWorlds Patch Notes
Check the list of bug fixes to see what the team has addressed
Reens, Cemaros and the AQW Bug Hunter team are busy squashing the bugs you submit each week to the Bug Tracker at www.Artix.com/bugs.
Please do not send non-release bugs on Twitter. They will get lost. Make sure you send bug report forms!
Check back weekly to see if the bug you reported has been addressed. Please remember that not all bugs are "easy fixes" so some reported and confirmed bugs from each week may not be on the fixed list as they will require more time or a different person to fix them.
If you would like to know how the reports go from you to fixed, check this page:
http://www.aq.com/lore/guides/BugReportFAQ
Bug Fixes:
- Quests in /pollution will now show again, even if you have completed the story line.
Art Fixes:
- Legacy of Nulgath Helm nose is now properly CC’d.
- Shadow OathKeeper's Cowl fixed - show through part and the not covering face part.
- Acid Rain Mage male waist part put back on.
April 11, 2019
Grenwog + Earth Day Return
Celebrate Earth Day this Weekend!
Be a hero, join the clean-up crew to save the world from the evils of pollution! Captain Lore is back and he needs your help again! /Join pollution to help Captain Lore battle General Pollution, the foulest villain around, free his eco-friendly energy platform from the chaotic clutches of General Pollution! Reduce, reuse, and recycle as many elementals as you can to unlock Captain Lore's shop and gain access to the greenest gear in the game!
New for 2019: General Pollution’s evil knows no bounds. He has moved beyond polluting our world and is now using a new ally to pour his filthy lies into the minds of the good people of Lore. His scientists have created Commodore Core… a super-villain leading the push for deep-lore drilling straight into the heart of Lore’s core under the guise of finding newer, cleaner sources of energy.
Need help battling through the Earth Day seasonal event? Check out the event guide in the Lorepedia
Featured Spring Gear
Last year's Cutsey GrenwogSlayer is BACK in the Featured Gear Shop in your game menu, and is joined by the Lightning Mage armor set. Channel the power of nature as you defeat the villains trying to destroy it!
Our Seasonal Spring Event Returns: Grenwog is back!
Every year, heroes hunt around Battleon for eggs and prizes, and battle the deadly, egg-sucking Grenwog as we celebrate the return of Spring! This weekend talk to Cabdury (the friendliest, most inedible bunny in town) to begin this year's Egg Hunt quests in Battleon.
BattleOn Town Egg Hunt
Collect the eggs hidden around BattleOn and the rest of the town to unlock the Backpack of Eggs and the Vorpal Bunny pet! (Note: Any Vorpal Bunny will be able to access the quests to get this year's regular Berserker Bunny items. Enjoy!)
Cross-Lore Egg Hunt
After whetting your detection skills in BattleOn, TRUE eggsplorers can talk to Cabdury and decipher his clues to find the pink, green, blue, purple, or multicolored eggs hidden around the rest of Lore to unlock all-new rewards: the Steampunk Eggsplorer set!
- Pink Eggs: Cape
- Green Eggs: Helm
- Blue Eggs: Weapon
- Purple Eggs: Armor
- Multicolored Eggs: Magical Shifting Grenwog Egg House
Once you've collected all those, why not try Cabdury's Treat Hunt to unlock the Evolved Berserker Bunny set? The merge items will drop from the bosses in Greenguard Forest. With an Armor, a Helm, a Spear, and a Long-sword, you'll have a bun-tiful amount of items to choose from! The Evolved Berserker Bunny Armor also requires the drop from the final Vorpal Bunny quest.
Battle the Grenwogs
The legendary Grenwog is one of the fiercest beasts on Lore. Each spring, it awakens with one thing on its mind -- FOOD. And its favorite snack is, of course, eggs! (And the heroes who try to steal them. So beware!) Last year's Jurassic Grenwog adventure will return, along with the seasonal boss battle in the /grenwog map!
Grenwog gear, collect it all! (Or as much as you can carry):
- Cyberpunk Grenwog pet
- Evolved Berserker Bunny set
- Berserker Bunny armor, helm, and longsword
- Daisy on your back cape
- Mayflower and Marshmallow Cheep pets
- Fire Egg Staff, Carrotine Cutter, ChickenCow Club
- And much more!
Undead Legion Updates
Underworld General Set
The Eerie Underworld General variant from AQW Community Artist is now available!
- If you have the Dark Caster Collection Set from Dage's birthday event, you will find all the set pieces in your collection shop.
- If you bought the Underworld General armor from Dage's Birthday shop, you can find a shop with the 0 AC set pieces in the Curio Shop in Battleontown.
Undead Legion exclusive weapon
Last month, Dage vowed to craft an exclusive weapon for he loyal members of his Undead Legion. The Blade of the Loyal Legion Warrior is available for 1,000 Legion tokens from the Undead Legion Merge Shop and gives a 20% boost to gold. It's a pricey weapon, but shows that only the most loyal and dedicated legionnaires will possess it.
Legion Castle House Quest
A new quest has been added to the Legion Castle house (available from Undead Legion Merge Shop for 25,000 Legion Tokens and 15 Shadow Shrouds).
Slay 13 opponents in the Underworld Arena to receive:
- 20 Legion Tokens (every time)
- A chance to get the dual-wield, cape, or floating sword pet versions of the Blade of the Loyal Legion
April 08, 2019
AQWorlds Patch Notes
Check the list of bug fixes to see what the team has addressed
Reens, Cemaros and the AQW Bug Hunter team are busy squashing the bugs you submit each week to the Bug Tracker at www.Artix.com/bugs.
Please do not send non-release bugs on Twitter. They will get lost. Make sure you send bug report forms!
Check back weekly to see if the bug you reported has been addressed. Please remember that not all bugs are "easy fixes" so some reported and confirmed bugs from each week may not be on the fixed list as they will require more time or a different person to fix them.
If you would like to know how the reports go from you to fixed, check this page:
http://www.aq.com/lore/guides/BugReportFAQ
Bug Fixes:
- Game Menu buttons are now fixed.
- Farming Quests in /frozentower have been rearranged so they no longer interfere with the story line quests.
- Nightlocke Blade has gotten it’s boosts.
- Travel map should be fully fixed now. PLEASE clear cache first if it is not showing as fixed for you yet.
Art Fixes:
- Legion Lich Lord + Staff hand redesigned to improve weapon gripping ability.
- We took Ultra Vordred’s Santa hat away. Immortal Joe needs stitches, but we got it!
April 05, 2019
Beat the Heat, It's Party Time!
Celebrate the Solar New Year in BloodTusk with a WATER WAR!
Log in this week and get ready for a FLOOD of hot new gear as we celebrate the Solar New Year in Bloodtusk Ravine with the Water War Festival! This weekend's update is inspired by the real-life Songkran Festival in Thailand and other countries, where they wipe the old year clean... with water guns and balloons!
- Fight the heat (and solar monsters)
- Wield water guns and toss water balloons
- Check out the war merge shop
This week's event was inspired by AQ3D and AQWorlds artist, Darkon. We loved his designs and wanted to weave them into the existing world of Lore.
Talk to Aquella the Water Elf (who many of you long-time AE heroes will recognize from AdventureQuest and DragonFable), Keeper of the Water Guns. She'll guide you through the festival... but there is only one REAL goal -- to have fun and get SOAKED!
Find her Water War Merge Shop featuring gear from Darkon and Crulon, then fight the Temple Gibbons to get 0 AC battlepets and regular pets. Raise the War Meter to 100% to unlock the War Boss and even more rewards!
April 1st Surprise War Still Available
On Monday, we launched the April Fool's in-game event -- a war of PUNTASTIC proportions. You can find the rare war drops and shops in-game until at least April 15th. The war map and the Nekomancer armor set will be permanent additions, so if you don't have time to farm the gear, never fear!
PAL 9001's Takeover Event Details
In the April Event Calendar, we called April the "Month of War," and that's no joke! (Even if the event was full of them.) Heroes needed to take out all 40,001 op-pun-ents and turn in war medal quests to raise the war meter and fight for drops:
- Doge the Bounty Hunter Helm
- A Salt and Battery daggers
- A Salt mace
- Rusty is a Lyin’ Pet
- Disarmed daggers
- Catmera pet or Battlepet
Take on the boss for its war drops:
- Hobo HighLord CLASS (using the No Class skills)
- Blinding Axe of Destiny Lite
- Saladbolg
- PAL 9001 Pet
PAL 9001's Punderful Plunder
Talk to Artix in Battleon or in /pal9001 to check out the event rare gear shop and the war merge shop! Find a host of painfully punny items inspired by some of your favorite items and ours.*
Event Rare Gear
- SharkCaster armor set
- Ducky Naval Commander set pieces**
- Baby SharkCaster pet + battlepet
- Hobo Highlord armor
Battle any of the monsters in the event map to get Punadin Badges to use in the war merge shop.
- Nekomancer armor set pieces (will not go rare)
- Even more Ducky Helms and Weapons
- Baby SharkCaster pet (for Legion Tokens + Punadin Badges)
* Shoutout to K0rey, AQW Streamer and player, who theorized that this YARRR's event would be pirate-themed. So, SO close!
** The most appropriate time to release this armor was always going to be April Fools. The idea quacked the dev team up!
A Game of Groans... Before the War
We have a ton of combat-heavy updates heading your way this month - we're starting the Queen of Monsters' Finale Saga with the 2-week War of Shadows. There's going to be darkness, death, pain, and a few new allies. That's why the team wanted this year's April Fool's update to be light-hearted and a throwback to the humor of the earliest days.
A HUGE tip of the hat to AQW Community Artist and player, ShadowSlayer Rei, whose Nekomancer armor suggestion inspired the entire theme of this year's April Fools event. (I am still seriously surprised that we have never done a Nekomancer set before. It is about time!... Ok, no. It is about cats. But still.)
* There are 10 kinds of enemies in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. The combat engine and the AQWorlds servers have not REALLY been infected, hacked, or put at risk... unless you think puns are the most dangerous form of humor.
April 04, 2019
Become a Galactic Captain
Upgrade to unlock new exclusive gear sets!
The Goddess of War needs skilled captains and pilots to BLAST the upstarts in the past, present, and future! Starting Friday night, get the Galactic Captain mount armor, regular armor, and more when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more.
After you purchase an account upgrade, select a bonus set of your choice from a list of options in your Account Manager.
Pack Details
Choose the Galactic Captain to unlock two full armor sets.
- Galactic Captain armor
- Galactic Battle Pilot armor (ship morph)
- Galactic Battle Pilot Helmet
- Galactic Captain Hair
- Galactic Captain Locks
- Galactic Battle Pilot Wings
- Galactic Port Cape
- Galactic Battleship Cape
- Galactic Battleship Guns
- Galactic Captain's Blade
- Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts added straight to your inventory
- and a character page badge
Once you've chosen the Galactic Captain bonus on the Account Manager page, log in and find the set's shop in the Other Achievements tab in your Book of Lore.
12000 AC or 12 month membership package rewards:
- ALL the Galactic Captain gear
- 7 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
- 10 Wheel of Doom Tickets (worth 2,000 ACs!)
- and a character page badge
Boosts and Doom Tickets will be added directly to your inventory.
2k and 5k AC or 1, 3, or 6 month membership package rewards:
- ALL the Galactic Captain gear
- 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
- and a character page badge
Our Upgrade Bonuses Leveled Up... Choose your Reward!
In the past, our upgrade bonus sets would only be available for a single month, and then would become permanently rare. We made some really incredible gear... that no one can get now. I've talked with many of you individually to brainstorm and get feedback, and last month, we took a big step forward: from here on out, our upgrade bonuses will be permanently available. We will continue to add new upgrade bonuses regularly, but the big difference is... now you can choose which upgrade bonus set you want!
When you buy any AC or membership pack worth $10 USD or more, you'll be able to choose one of the following bonus sets:
- Galactic Captain / Galactic Battle Pilot
- Paragon Fiend / Legion Paragon Fiend Rider
- Akiban Defender
- Copper Void ChronoKnight
- Golden Northlands Royalty
Important Details
- All future upgrade bonus packs will be added under this system.
- ALL of the upgrade bonus gear for a set will be available when you buy an AC or membership pack worth $10 USD.
- We will no longer be doing Tier 1 and Tier 2 sets.
- Each time you upgrade, you'll be able to choose another bonus set. If you've already unlocked all the available sets, once a new one releases, you'll be able to choose it immediately.
If you buy a 12,000 AC or 12 month membership pack, in addition to choosing an upgrade bonus set, you'll also get 7x Game Boosts, a character page badge, plus 10 Wheel of Doom Fortune Tickets (worth 2,000 ACs).
Upgrade Pack Changes: Why Now?
As I talked with many of your fellow AQW players about these changes, one question repeated itself over and over: "why do we need to do this? Why now?"
Development for AQW:Mobile is going to go into overdrive. With AQW:Mobile, we will not be able to do nearly as many rare items (this is in large part for game performance reasons, like managing asset loading, just like in AQ3D). It is also a pretty big blow to the artists and future players to lose access to entire sets of gear every month.
We want to avoid that. We want to keep all the incredible art the team makes available for everyone, no matter when they start playing. And as we move into new platforms (mobile devices, Steam, ... maybe consoles?!) we want to make sure that art is available for the new heroes who will join you.
Upgrade Pack Changes: Why These Changes?
The goal with all these changes is to reward you even more -- to give you guys more options and more choices. (Plus, this new method lets people who upgrade multiple times get multiple rewards.) This is a great improvement for players who want to collect upgrade bonus sets (but may not always have the ability to when they first release).
April 03, 2019
Server Crash vs Client Crash
Why did I crash?
Crashes! We all hate them! But what you may not realize is not all crashes are server or game crashes. Today, we will talk about the difference between server/game and client crashing.
A server/game crash is exactly what it implies, the entire server or game is down and none of the players can reach it. The causes of server and game crashes are varied, so we can’t actually say with any certainty at any point that “crash A was caused by reason X” until we are done investigating each crash. Rest assured that we do not want the game down any more than you do. When the server actually crashes we work as hard and as fast as possible to get things back up so you can return to your play time.
A client crash is when something happens that disconnects you from the server, but the game itself was not affected. This is what happens most of the time when we see reports of “game crashed”. There are quite a few known causes for why this happens. Unfortunately, we cannot troubleshoot what you were doing at the time of your disconnection. What we can do is to let you know what causes them so you can compare those to what you were doing right before it happened and know what not to do so you will stop disconnecting.
Common causes of client crashing (disconnections) are:
1. Picking up items. There are 3 possible issues when picking up items.
- The first is clicking the same type of item box twice. When you click an item box, all items of the same type will be picked up. Give the server the half a second it needs to do this for you. It is actually faster in the long run than spam clicking.
- The next is spam clicking. You need to allow the server the fraction of a second it needs to collect the items for you. When you spam click to pick up ALLTHEBOXES, you are not allowing the server to finish collecting “Item A” before you also tell it to collect “Item B, C, D and E”. Server gets cranky at being bullied like this.
- Allowing the items to stack too high before picking them up. When you allow hundreds of items to stack up before trying to collect them, the server gets cranky, much like in the spam clicking scenario. Do pick ups a little more often when farming.
2. Spamming class skills. Again, the cure here is to slow down the clicking. We have found this is more likely to happen to players who use the keyboard and classes with haste boosting skills.
- If you have a haste buff expiring at the same time as you use a skill, you will sometimes disconnect. This may solve itself as you level up and gain more natural haste.
- Another class-related method that causes crashes is by taking damage when your HP is reduced to 0 by an HP cost skill (Void Highlord) or by a reflect (Burning Ward, Temporal Insanity). Be careful of that, too.
3. Lag! Lag is the very bane of every gamer and game everywhere. It can’t be fully defeated, but there are many things you can do to argue it into a stalemate:
- Show Pet - turn to No
- Show Helm - Turn to No
- Show My Cloak - Turn to No
- Hide Other Pets - turn to Yes
- Hide Other Cloaks - Turn to Yes
- Animations - turn to Off
Changing to these settings, individually or all together, can reduce a significant amount of lag.
Another thing you can do to reduce lag is to have less tabs open, and this is especially true when you have streaming services like video or music sites open on other tabs.
4. Spam clicking the quest turn in button. The quest turn in box, just like any other part of the game, can be affected by lag. If you click the button and the quest does not turn in normally, please do not spam click the button. It will not force the quest to turn in. It can force you off the game though. Your best option at that time would actually be to use the back or abandon buttons, give it a few moments and try to turn the quest in again.
5. Your Internet. You can have an amazingly high internet speed, and still have it drop for a fraction of a second and then come right back up. In many cases you would never even notice these types of drops. Sadly, this is enough to disconnect you from the server.
6. Your browser. With changes to how many browsers are handling Flash, you may experience load issues or connection drops with some of them. Because different browsers work better or worse with different systems, there isn’t one that we can recommend. Try multiple browsers and see which one works best for you.
And finally, my favourite thing to remind you of! Always make sure you Clear Your Cache regularly. I recommend no less than once a week, and up to 3 times a week if you play daily.
April 03, 2019
Want to join the AQW Class Tester Team?
Class Tester Team Accepting New Members
Our in-game Class Test and Balance Team is amazing... and more, they all started as members of our player community! They joined our corps of contributors* to make the game better for everyone. We're looking for some fresh new faces to bring new enthusiasm, energy, and awesomeness to the team! And that's why we're here today.
What Do Class Testers Do?
Class Testers / Balancers work with the Lead Class Designer and dev team, giving feedback during the design and balancing of new classes, plus helping as we re-balance existing classes to bring them up to our current power levels.
Important Information
We love when players ascend, and join the ranks of our community team! We offer challenges, very bad jokes, and some pretty sweet perks. Read on if you think you’re ready to apply.
- You must be 18 to apply and join the community team. No exceptions.
- Please do not include attachments. Emails with attachments will not be actioned.
- Only send one email application (so make sure it’s accurate before hitting the “send” button!)
- Your AQW and other AE game account histories will be reviewed, as well as your AE Master and forum accounts, if applicable.
- Participation in the community team is strictly voluntary, and not a paid position.
- You may receive memberships, secondary currency, and/or other sweet loot as a “thank you” for your participation and contribution
- All applications will be read and considered. If you are selected for consideration, we will email you.
- Deadline for applications is Midnight server time April 10th, 2019!
How to Apply
Please follow the instructions below:
- Email your application to [email protected]
- Put AQW CLASS TESTER APPLICATION in the subject line (Note: emails without specific subject lines will not be received.)
Include the following:
- Real name
- Age (18+ only)
- Country of residence
- AQW game account
- AE Master Account (if you have one)
- AE Forum account (if you have one)
- Social media accounts (optional)
- List any languages other than English you read/write
- Include the general days/times you would be available to help test
- Answer question 1: "why do you want to join the class tester/balance team?"
- Answer question 2: "what in-game stat do you think is the strongest and why? (example: attack power, hit chance, dodge)"
It will take some time for Pisces and the tester team to get through all the applications so please be patient. If we do not respond, we want to thank you for being awesome enough to apply!
Community Team Member Traits
There are a few things we look for in all our community team members, regardless of whether you want to moderate the game, test it, fix it, build it, or polish the in-game doorknobs. Anyone meeting the criteria below is welcome to apply!
- Eager to serve and improve the community... while having a lot of fun with your team mates
- Team players with an enthusiastic, positive attitude towards AQW and its players
- Responsiblity, maturity, and coolness under pressure
- Willingness to follow all in-game rules and team guidelines
- Ability to read and write English at a secondary school level
Good Luck!
* Our class testers (and all our other community team contributors) put in their time and effort to help the community and games... but we always stress that real-life obligations have to come first. That means we occasionally lose some team members to outside responsibilities... but we ALSO get to bring on MORE new team members!
April 01, 2019
AQWorlds Patch Notes
Check the list of bug fixes to see what the team has addressed
Reens, Cemaros and the AQW Bug Hunter team are busy squashing the bugs you submit each week to the Bug Tracker at www.Artix.com/bugs.
Please do not send non-release bugs on Twitter. They will get lost. Make sure you send bug report forms!
Check back weekly to see if the bug you reported has been addressed. Please remember that not all bugs are "easy fixes" so some reported and confirmed bugs from each week may not be on the fixed list as they will require more time or a different person to fix them.
If you would like to know how the reports go from you to fixed, check this page:
http://www.aq.com/lore/guides/BugReportFAQ
Bug Fixes:
- Chromium Void Cape and Chromium Void BattlePet added to the Chromium Void ChronoKnight shop.
- Carnaval 2019 LTS Shop returned to the game menu.
- Arch DoomKnight's Edge will now show on character pages.
- /digitalmaintown no longer has an arrow floating in space
- Links to Aria’s Pet Shop should be all updated now to new room. You’ll let me know if we missed any, right?
Art Fixes:
- Explorer Locks ear now understands it really is part of your head. (CC fixed)
- Kityana has had a glow up. (No longer in low resolution)
Not Fixed & Why:
Several item reports came in this week that were not bugs. Please remember that art is subjective, and while we do love to hear your feedback on items we release, we will not be able to make changes that are not bugs. When it is an opinion, the artist is the one who gets the final say.
April 01, 2019
The Puns are HERE!
PAL 9001 Has Infected the AQWorlds Combat Engine*
A message from the REAL Punadin, Artix Krieger: "Greetings, my friend! I am glad to C you so # today. An unknown enemy appears to have rewritten the game’s combat engine, weaponizing the humor we love most. Waves of wea-PUN-ized enemies are headed to Battleon *right now*. Why? I do not know, except they must think we are FOOLS. But we have been PUNderestimated, and I know you will stand with me as we fight back against this onslaught of PUN-ishment. We must regain control of the combat engine. This war will be short, it will be sweet, and it will be PAINFULLY PUNNY."
PAL 9001's Takeover Event Details
In the April Event Calendar, we called April the "Month of War," and that's no joke! (Even if the event is full of them.) Take out all 40,001 op-pun-ents and turn in war medal quests to raise the war meter. Each time you turn in a quest, you have a chance to get one of the following items:
- Doge the Bounty Hunter Helm
- A Salt and Battery daggers
- A Salt mace
- Rusty is a Lyin’ Pet
- Disarmed daggers
- Catmera pet or Battlepet
Once the war meter hits 100%, take on the boss for its war drops.
- Hobo HighLord CLASS (using the No Class skills)
- Blinding Axe of Destiny Lite
- Saladbolg
- PAL 9001 Pet
PAL 9001's Punderful Plunder
Talk to Artix in Battleon or in /pal9001 to check out the event rare gear shop and the war merge shop! Find a host of painfully punny items inspired by some of your favorite items and ours.*
Event Rare Gear
- SharkCaster armor set
- Ducky Naval Commander set pieces**
- Baby SharkCaster pet + battlepet
- Hobo Highlord armor
Battle any of the monsters in the event map to get Punadin Badges to use in the war merge shop.
- Nekomancer armor set pieces (will not go rare)
- Even more Ducky Helms and Weapons
- Baby SharkCaster pet (for Legion Tokens + Punadin Badges)
* Shoutout to K0rey, AQW Streamer and player, who theorized that this YARRR's event would be pirate-themed. So, SO close!
** The most appropriate time to release this armor was always going to be April Fools. The idea quacked the dev team up!
A Game of Groans... Before the War
We have a ton of combat-heavy updates heading your way this month - we're starting the Queen of Monsters' Finale Saga with the 2-week War of Shadows. There's going to be darkness, death, pain, and a few new allies. That's why the team wanted this year's April Fool's update to be light-hearted and a throwback to the humor of the earliest days.
A HUGE tip of the hat to AQW Community Artist and player, ShadowSlayer Rei, whose Nekomancer armor suggestion inspired the entire theme of this year's event. (I am still seriously surprised that we have never done a Nekomancer set before. It is about time!... Ok, no. It is about cats. But still.)
* There are 10 kinds of enemies in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. The combat engine and the AQWorlds servers have not REALLY been infected, hacked, or put at risk... unless you think puns are the most dangerous form of humor.