Design Notes

August 30, 2022

Blacksmithing Part 2 Update

Forge Your Own Path

Combat fans, class enthusiasts, and min-maxers... this one's for you! This weekend, we've got another blacksmithing update! Back in July, Cysero’s Forge opened up with a selection of new enhancement traits, quests, and gameplay options. You told us you loved it, so to kick off September, we bring you Blacksmithing Update part 2 this Friday!

As a reminder, in part 1, we revamped the Blacksmithing faction with a new set of farming quests and allowed you to reach rank 10 Blacksmithing- previously unattainable. (Read about that update here.)

By increasing your rank, you unlock quests to permanently unlock access to new enhancement traits, which drastically change how your classes can perform. Now, two months later, we bring you a brand new set of traits along with a makeover to the /Forge room!

What’s New?

The first update to Blacksmithing largely focused on introducing options for soloing traits, with long cooldowns and little multi-target use. It also introduced a brand new category of gear traits- cape traits- allowing you to make your own builds.

This time, we’re rounding off the weapon enhancement traits with multi-target focused weapons traits, allowing you to bring your favorite farming classes up to speed as well! Additionally, we’re introducing helmet enhancements to further give you more building options. And finally, two more cape traits to add more variety.

As a reminder, weapon traits do not need to be unlocked consecutively- they can be unlocked in any order. This time, we’ll be more detailed in what you need to unlock the traits, and what you can expect.

Weapon Traits

Elysium / Weapon
Wizard pattern

• 100% chance to activate on third skill
• 0 second cooldown
• Deals 500 - 2250% Magic Damage to up to 2 targets, increasing the lower your mana is, always hits but cannot crit

Gain a stack of Elysian for every target struck, gaining a small but rapid HoT that stacks to 3, and rapidly regenerating 4 mana per second and increasing outgoing damage by 10%, lasting 8 seconds.

Requires:

• level 100
• rank 10 Blacksmithing
• have the Awe-scention quest completed 
• Quest complete will require you turn in 20 Bones from the Void Realm, 3 Archfiend Essence Fragments, 1 Blademaster Sword Scroll, and The Divine Will (a new misc item)

Elysium is an endgame weapon trait that has strong synergy with multi-target classes. Designed to bring many older classes up to more modern speeds while not entirely eclipsing the most powerful classes, and not affecting progressing players, it allows you to play with some of your old favorite classes once more once you’ve reached the endgame.

Acheron / Weapon
Depths pattern

• 100% chance to activate on third skill
• 0 second cooldown
• Deals 80% Magic Damage to up to 2 targets, always hits and crits

Gain a stack of Stygian for every target struck, afflicting you with a rapid DoT based on max health that stacks to 30, but also granting you an additional 30% damage dealt and Hit Chance for 6 seconds. Stygian also prevents Safeguard and Arcane Shield from applying.

Requires:

• level 80 
• rank 8 Blacksmithing, 
• have the Shadows of War II questline completed 
• have the Dark Box and Dark Key mini-saga completed 
• Quest complete will require you to turn in the Power of Darkness, 20 Dark Potions, and The Mortal Coil (a new misc item)

Acheron is a more offensive but higher risk counterpart to Elysium. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself preferring the safer and risk-free Elysium, but Acheron has moments where it shines as well. Unlike any of the other enhancement traits, this one is only available to players who have the Dark Box and Dark Key from the treasure chest. 

Because weapon traits are not sequential, we’re playing with the idea of using weapon traits (or variants of) as capstone and milestone rewards for specific gameplay branches such as this one. It intends to be uniquely and rewardingly different from Elysium, but not in a way that would upset balance if you did not have it.

Let us know what you think of this idea!

Cape Traits

Penitence / Cape
Forge pattern

• Increases your Defense by 25%, decreases your Damage over Time by 25%

Requires:

• level 90, 
• rank 9 Blacksmithing 
• have the previous cape traits unlocked 
• Quest complete will require you to turn in 100 Sapphire Orbs, 13 Void Scales, 1 Boreal Cavalier Bardiche, and 1 Night Mare Scythe.

Lament / Cape
Forge pattern

• Increases your Critical Chance by 20%, decreases your Haste by 5%

Requires:

• level 90
• rank 9 Blacksmithing
• have the previous cape traits unlocked 
• Quest complete will require you to turn in 3 Bloodless Hearts, 1 Doom Heart, 10 Flame Hearts, and 1 Heart of the Sun

Helmet Traits

And finally, the new helmet enhancements! They will need to be unlocked in sequential order, like the cape traits, and will also have drawbacks when equipped. Each of the helm enhancements are actually a unique pattern, and will focus on different aspects of Core Stats.

Vim, Ether / Helmet
Vim pattern

• Grants you large amounts of Dexterity and Luck in exchange for Endurance
• The Ether trait grants you -33% mana cost

Examen, Ether / Helmet
Examen pattern

• Grants you large amounts of Wisdom and Luck in exchange for Endurance
• The Ether trait grants you -33% mana cost

Anima, Clairvoyance / Helmet
Anima pattern

• Grants you a large amount of Strength in exchange for Endurance
• The Clairvoyance trait grants you +10% hit chance

Pneuma, Clairvoyance / Helmet
Pneuma pattern

• Grants you a large amount of Intelligence in exchange for Endurance
• The Clairvoyance trait grants you +10% hit chance.

Requires:

• level 70, have 
• rank 7 Blacksmithing
• attain a rank 10 class for each of the enhancements: Rogue for Vim, Healer for Examen, Warrior for Anima, and Mage for Pneuma. 
• Quest complete will require you to turn in either 250 Ethereal Essence (a new misc) for Vim and Examen, or 650 Ethereal Essence for Anima and Pneuma.

The Divine Will misc will come from the boss in /celestialpast, The Mortal Coil misc will come from Nulgath in his secret lair, and Ethereal Essence will drop from the monsters in the basement floors of the Tower of Doom.

Future of Blacksmithing

After Blacksmithing Part 2, we’ll have a well rounded catalog of enhancements and enhancement traits that are integrated into gameplay progression and buildmaking. Since we’ve covered all the major bases, there likely won’t be any more large and sweeping updates to Blacksmithing in the future- just traits one at a time.

We hope that the steady gameplay updates like this one have brought enjoyable ways to experience the game without changing the spirit of the game, and can give you new build opportunities, goals to work towards, and fun experiences to be had. 

They take more time and effort than most people would imagine, so I want to highlight the efforts and contributions of the different team members that made this possible.

The Makers:

• Design: Eht
• Map art: J6
• Implementation: Yoshino, Captain Rhubarb, Spider
• Testing + Feedback: Eht, Immortal Joe, Lettuce

Let us know what you think at @AQWClassTeam on Twitter, or on the Official Artix Games Discord!

War Reward Update

Congratulations! Thanks to your tireless effort and steadfast determination, this weekend's war was finished last night. Wars are designed to be a great place to farm and level up. The rewards are intentionally higher than normal events while the war is active, and we'll leave them that way until this Friday, when they'll drop  down to their permanent levels. 

Timestream Medals

• XP 5000 -> 4000
• gold 1500 -> 1000
• Prismatic Seams drop rate 30% -> 15%

Mega Timestream Medals

• XP 10000 -> 8000
• gold 2000 -> 1500
• Prismatic Seams drop rate 100% -> 50% 

These aren't large reductions for the gold and XP. The main change is that the drops have been halved.

August 26, 2022

Now Available: Wicked New August Rare Sets

Available from your Featured Gear Shop Now!

Need a quick /rest from fighting in this weekend's war? Head to your game menu to check out the new rare items in your Featured Gear Shop. The Eden High Formal and Dark Manifestation armor sets will be available for AdventureCoins until September 30th, 2022.

Dark Manifestation Set

• Dark Manifestation Portal ground item
• 1 armor
• 2 helms
• 2 capes
• 1 sword
• 1 dagger
• 1 gauntlet

Eden High Formal Set

• Serenity of Eden ground item
• 1 armor
• 2 helms
• 1 cane
• 1 sword

August 26, 2022

Shadows of War: Fate of the Champions

The Shadows of War Saga Finale Continues This Weekend

Last weekend, Malgor escaped into the TimeStream, the Mana corruption was spreading, and you might just be going insane. Now... things just got worse. This weekend: get ready for WAR! For the Avatars to help you hunt Malgor, four Elemental Champions needed to serve as their shields, but the strain may destroy them completely. The speed of your victory will determine their fate + time is running out!

Log in this weekend, as we continue the Shadows of War Saga finale: 

• Fight the strange creatures of the TimeStream
• Turn in war quests to raise the war meter
• Unlock a war chest at 50%
• Unlock the war boss at 100%

The Elemental Champions’ HP bars will continue to drop the longer the war takes. If they reach 0… the consequences will be real, lasting, and impact the future of the game’s storyline. 

Elemental Reward Gear

Wipe out the strange creatures roaming the Timestream and hunt Malgor down to save your friends, your sanity, and the world... and unlock all-new reward sets! 

Merge Shop:

• Bright Mana Flame set (1 armor, 2 helms, 2 capes, 1 sword, 1 bow)
• Dark Mana Flame set (1 armor, 2 helms, 2 capes, 1 sword, 1 bow)*
• Green Dragon Slayer set (1 armor, 2 helms, 1 cape, 1 polearm)
• Dark Dragon Slayer set (1 armor, 2 helms, 1 cape, 1 polearm)

50% War Chest:

• Burning Void Warrior armor
• 3 helms
• 1 Gauntlet
• 1 orb pet

War Boss Drops: 2 full armor sets 

* The Dark Mana Flame set will go rare September 16, 2022.

The Story so Far...

In the last chapter update, Heart of a Queen, your hero battled alongside Empress Gravelyn to prevent Malgor from escaping into the Timestream as he began his final attemp to his final attempt to conquer EVERYTHING... and destroy our world in a tidal wave of despair, darkness, and shadow. 

Shadows of War: ShadowFlame Finale

• Chapter 1: begin the adventure in /ruinedcrown
• Chapter 2: hunt Malgor in /timekeep
• Chapter 3: battle through the Timestream war NOW in /streamwar
• Chapter 4: arrives next month
• Chapter 5: coming soon
• Chapter 6: coming soon

The Shadows of War Saga

Malgor, Leader of the ShadowFlame army, seeks to destroy our world completely... by corrupting the ley lines of Lore -- the veins of magic running through our world. If he succeeds, he will be unstoppable, and we will all be very, VERY dead.

• The First Encounter: /join shadowwar
• Teja the Pirate Queen: /join granitecove
• Jinx the Cat Burglar: /join junkhoard
• Attack on Arcangrove: /join shadowgrove
• Mahou the Spirit Mage: /join aozorahills
• Attack on Mythsong: /join shadowsong
• Alliance of Evil: /join darkally
• The Chaos Twins: /join chaosamulet
• Chaos & Shadows: /join lagunabeach
• Attack on the Mirror Realm: /join shadowoff
• Shadows of Chaos: /join forestreach
• ShadowFlame Onslaught: /join fireplanewar
• Shadows of War Finale: /join ruinedcrown

See the full Shadows of War Saga Guide here. 

This Week's Class Balance Updates

The AQWorlds Class Balance team has been hard at work reviewing your feedback and the in-game performance our live classes. Just released: another round of balance updates to help you get the most out of each battle!

Read more about our latest updates, balance changes, and improvements to another group of classes in this weekend's Class Balance Design Notes!

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Summer's heating up, and so are our weekly game releases! Check out the release calendar to see what's happening and when things leave so you don't miss a moment, a battle, or a limited time reward. 

Wednesday, August 31: 

• Summer 2022 collection
• rare Daily Gifts from 8/1 - 8/14
• August National Day items
• Rangda, Kala, and Ultra Kala maps

Thursday, September 1: August seasonal set (Urban Samurai) leaves at 12:01 AM EST

Friday, September 16:

• rare Anime Parody items: Howling Wizard of Haven set, Vengeful DragonMage set, and anime-inspired enchanted weapons + cape
• Extra Credit seasonal map and reward gear
• Dark Mana Flame set from the /streamwar merge shop
• rare Daily Gifts from 8/15 - 8/31

Friday, September 30: 

• rare Daily Gifts from 9/1 - 9/14
• September National Day items

Daily Gift Schedule

We've got something new for you every day of the week. Log in each day for a new server-wide reward item, boost, or drop rate increase. Bookmark this page to keep up to date with all of daily gifts! 

And don't miss the rest of this month's update. See the full release lineup here: AdventureQuest Worlds calendar.

Flash is Dead. AQWorlds lives on with the Artix Games Launcher!

Adobe, the maker of the Flash Player plug-in, has stopped supporting Flash. But never fear! We built the Artix Games Launcher so you can continue playing AdventureQuest Worlds and your other favorite Artix Entertainment games. 

Download the Artix Games Launcher at artix.com/launcher  and you'll be able to continue playing all your favorite Artix games right from your computer. No Flash Player or web browser needed.

August 19, 2022

This Weekend: Shadows & Treasure

Dark and Deadly New Armor Sets

Whether you want to tap into your inner darkness or terrify your opponents into submission... we've got new gear for you this weekend!

Find the...

• Featured Gear Shop: Corrupted Mana Guardian set + new anime parody weapons
• Twilly's Treasure Chest Quest: color-customizable Master Terror Guard set
• Wheel of Doom Merge Shop: Apocryphal Destroyer weapons

Featured Gear Shop: Corrupted Mana Guardian

The Mana Core contains the most pure magic available. But with Malgor's corruption... no one can predict what will happen now. Mages around the world wait, fearful, for the outcome of even the most basic spells.

The set includes:

• 1 armor
• 3 Helms
• 1 Cape
• 1 Polearm
• 1 Mace
• 1 Dagger
• 1 Pet

This armor set will be permanently available and can also be found in the ShadowFlame Finale AC shop. Plus, find all-new August Anime parody weapons added to your Featured Gear Shop!

Rare color-customizable weapons

• Enchanted Blade Of Ignis
• Enchanted Knight Slasher
• Enchanted Knight Slashers
• Enchanted Kaharaka’s Lightning Fang
• Enchanted Kaharaka’s Lightning Fangs
• Kaharaka’s and Knight Slasher Daggers
• Vamished Blood Blades of Wrath

Permanent Weapons in the /Akiba Cosplay shop

• Blade Of Ignis
• Kaharaka’s Lightning Fang
• Kaharaka’s Lightning Fangs
• Knight Slasher
• Knight Slashers
• Varnished Blood Blade
• Vamished Blood Blades
• Vamished BloodWrath Blade
• Vamished BloodWrath Blades

Twilly's Treasure Chest: Master Terror Guard set

This relic gives off a very otherworldly aura. Warlic says it comes from another timeline... one very similar - but significantly different - than ours. (This item is fully color customizable.)

Open a Treasure Chest for a chance to get 1 of...

• 55+ armors
• 60+ weapons
• 70+ helms
• 10+ capes
• or 3 house items (including the Altar of Caladbolg)
• Plus 5 new items in the Faerie Guardian set

The color customizable Master Terror Guard set includes:

• 1 armor
• 1 helm
• 1 cape
• Polearm (single + dual wield)

Wheel of Doom Merge Shop: Apocryphal Destroyer Weapons

Dark forces are hungry to feed on any hero unfortunate to wield these weapons. Will you risk great power and great rewards... if the cost is your life itself?!

Find the following set items in the Wheel of Doom merge shop:

• 1 sword
• 1 staff
• 1 polearm
• 1 gun
• 1 dagger

Get your Free Wheel of Doom Spins

Everyone loves to get prizes... and that's why everyone in AdventureQuest Worlds will get at least one free spin on the Wheel of Doom per week.

• Members get one free spin a day while their upgrade is active
• All players get one free spin a week. 

Spin the Wheel, Collect Treasures, Choose Your Prize 

Each time you spin the Wheel of Doom, you'll get a Treasure Potion to spend in the Doom Merge Shop. Save up 1,000 and you'll be able to buy a Wicked Item of Donated Awesomeness. Each WIoDA lets you choose a rare or valuable item* straight from your account manager.

How to Claim your 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

Redeem IoDA tokens to get even MORE bonuses

For each of the first six eligible IoDA tokens you receive , you'll get a FREE Bonus IoDA. The eligible tokens are the Ultimate, Epic, Platinum, Wicked  and Golden tokens. After that, you'll get a free Bonus IoDA for every 3 eligible IoDA you redeem, with no maximum stack. So if you have that dream set of gear you want to create... now you'll be able to.

After you redeem your...

• 1st IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA
• 2nd IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA
• 3rd IoDA, you'll unlock 1free bonus IoDA
• 4th IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA
• 5th IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA
• 6th IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA

Then, for every 3 IoDA you redeem, you'll unlock another free bonus IoDA.

After you redeem your...

• 7th, 8th, and 9th IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA
• 10th, 11th, and 12th IoDA, you'll unlock 1 free bonus IoDA

And so on. The 3:1 bonus IoDA ratio starts after you get your first 6 free BIoDA, regardless of when you received them. (Example: if you've redeemed a total of 21 IoDA tokens, you'll unlock 11 BIoDA total. The first 6 BIoDA at a 1:1 ratio, and then 5 more at the 3:1 ratio.)

* Exceptions include staff personal items, custom weapon contest prizes, HeroMart items, etc

Treasure Chests Details

There is a small chance to get a mysterious Treasure Chest as a reward drop when you battle ANY monster in-game. Have you found one yet?

Treasure chests are a fun - but completely optional - way to get exclusive items in AdventureQuest Worlds. The chests have a less than 1% chance of dropping from ANY monster in the entire game. Each one contains one of over 215 epic items that you can't get anywhere else (and the number will keep growing)!

• All of the items are 0 AC so you can store them for free 
• All of the items are non-member so you can use them forever

There's just one problem. You can't open the Treasure Chests without a Magic Key. The good news is that Twilly (the little red Moglin in Battleon) has a few extras and will happily sell you one for 200 ACs and open your chest for you.

Monthly Membership Perk Arrives Thursday, September 1st

Members, log in and talk to Twilly this Sunday to claim your two FREE treasure chest keys! Collect treasure chests as you battle through Lore, then use the keys to open them for new free items. 

Want to get in on this?

Upgrade your AdventureQuest Worlds character with any membership package to unlock two free Treasure Chest Keys for each month the membership is active.

* We will begin updating the treasure chest rewards again on a regular basis, so if you've already collected all the gear... get ready to unlock more in the near future!

August 19, 2022

You'll Never Believe Which Royal Survives This Week!

Shadows of War: ShadowFlame Finale, Chapter II

Fear is spreading... and so is the ShadowFlame corruption. Malgor has stolen the Queen of Monsters' heart. Why? No one knows. Now the Mana Core itself -- or an entity within it -- has retaliated. You're losing control, and even your allies aren't safe from the Shadows' infection. This weekend, log in and battle alongside Empress Gravelyn of the ShadowScythe to prevent Malgor from escaping into the Timestream as we continue the Shadows of War Saga Finale!

Continue your adventure when you /join timekeep! See the full release lineup here: AdventureQuest Worlds calendar.

Magical Reward Gear

The Mana Core contains the most pure magic available. Any mage drawing from the Core would be flooded with pure magic, overcome in a deluge of power which would burn through their physical, mental, and magical veins. It MUST be guarded to protect our world... and YOU are just the Hero to do it. 

Battle monsters in /timekeep for new drops, then talk to Empress Gravelyn after completing the story quests to unlock her merge shop with even more gear.

Boss Drops:

• Mystical Acolyte armor
• Mystical Acolyte’s Hood, Scarf, + Horns helms
• Mystical Acolyte’s Swords Cape + Wings
• Mystical Acolyte’s Mana Blade (single + dual wield)
• Mystical Acolyte’s Axe (single + dual wield)

Merge Shop:

• Mana Guardian armor
• 3 Mana Guardian helms
• 1 Mana Guardian cape
• 1 Mana Guardian pet
• Mana Guardian Spear
• Mana Guardian Hammer (single + dual wield)

And if you haven't finished battling through Chapter I, don't miss out on the shadowy rewards waiting for you in the /ruinedcrown map!

Battle monsters in /ruinedcrown for reward drops, then talk to Lord Brentan after completing the story quests to unlock his merge shop with even more gear.

The Story so Far...

In the last chapter update, Alliance of Crowns, your hero gathered their allies as Malgor began his final attemp to his final attempt to conquer EVERYTHING... and destroy our world in a tidal wave of despair, darkness, and shadow. 

Shadows of War: ShadowFlame Finale

• Chapter 1: begin the adventure in /ruinedcrown
• Chapter 2: play through the second chapter NOW in /timekeep
• Chapter 3: releases next weekend
• Chapter 4: arrives next month
• Chapter 5: coming soon
• Chapter 6: coming soon

The Shadows of War Saga

Malgor, Leader of the ShadowFlame army, seeks to destroy our world completely... by corrupting the ley lines of Lore -- the veins of magic running through our world. If he succeeds, he will be unstoppable, and we will all be very, VERY dead.

• The First Encounter: /join shadowwar
• Teja the Pirate Queen: /join granitecove
• Jinx the Cat Burglar: /join junkhoard
• Attack on Arcangrove: /join shadowgrove
• Mahou the Spirit Mage: /join aozorahills
• Attack on Mythsong: /join shadowsong
• Alliance of Evil: /join darkally
• The Chaos Twins: /join chaosamulet
• Chaos & Shadows: /join lagunabeach
• Attack on the Mirror Realm: /join shadowoff
• Shadows of Chaos: /join forestreach
• ShadowFlame Onslaught: /join fireplanewar
• Shadows of War Finale: /join ruinedcrown

See the full Shadows of War Saga Guide here. 

Update to Boss Skills

The following bosses will no longer randomly delay their skills after they have have cooled down:

• Epic Vordred
• Huntress Valais
• Training Golem
• Ultra Avatar Tyndarius 
• Ultra Fire Orb
• Ancient Trigoras
• Flibbitiestgibbet

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Summer's heating up, and so are our weekly game releases! Check out the release calendar to see what's happening and when things leave so you don't miss a moment, a battle, or a limited time reward. 

Wednesday, August 31: 

• Summer 2022 collection
• rare Daily Gifts from 8/1 - 8/14
• August National Day items
• Rangda, Kala, and Ultra Kala maps

Thursday, September 1: August seasonal set (Urban Samurai) leaves at 12:01 AM EST

Friday, September 16:

• rare Anime Parody items: Howling Wizard of Haven set, Vengeful DragonMage set, and anime-inspired enchanted weapons + cape
• Extra Credit seasonal map and reward gear
• rare Daily Gifts from 8/15 - 8/31

Friday, September 30: 

• rare Daily Gifts from 9/1 - 9/14
• September National Day items

Daily Gift Schedule

We've got something new for you every day of the week. Log in each day for a new server-wide reward item, boost, or drop rate increase. Bookmark this page to keep up to date with all of daily gifts! 

And don't miss the rest of this month's update. See the full release lineup here: AdventureQuest Worlds calendar.

Flash is Dead. AQWorlds lives on with the Artix Games Launcher!

Adobe, the maker of the Flash Player plug-in, has stopped supporting Flash. But never fear! We built the Artix Games Launcher so you can continue playing AdventureQuest Worlds and your other favorite Artix Entertainment games. 

Download the Artix Games Launcher at artix.com/launcher  and you'll be able to continue playing all your favorite Artix games right from your computer. No Flash Player or web browser needed.

August 17, 2022

AQWorlds Bug Hunter Call

Want To Help the AQW Bug Hunters Smash Bugs?

Artix Entertainment is looking for a few epic heroes to help our Bugs team… as ArchKnights!* We are looking for experienced players of AdventureQuest Worlds who are interested in working more closely with our QA team to report issues inside the game.

Here are a few things you should know before you apply:

• You must be at least 18 years old to apply and participate, no exceptions.**
• Make sure the email address attached to your game account is active and you can access it.

If you like smashing bugs, love AdvetureQuest Worlds, and think you'd make a good BugHunter ArchKnight... read on!***

How to Apply

Fill out the application here: APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED AND IN REVIEW

All applications will be read and considered. If you are selected for consideration, we will email you.

Applications close on August 22nd at 11:59 PM EST

BugHunters vs ArchKnights?

Bug reports are a part of building videogames, and we get them throughout the week!  But with a crew of dedicated and knowledgeable Bug Hunters... and now our BugHunter ArchKnights, lead by Cemaros, we can smash’em all.

AdventureQuest Worlds BugHunters are what we call our QA testers. They are amazing... and more, they all started as members of our player community! They joined our corps of contributors as official team testers with the goal of making the game and community better for everyone.

BugHunter ArchKnights are players who'll work closely with our BugHunters to test bugs on our live game servers. The BugHunter AK group will help us get to know you and see your 'hunting skills in action. Talented BugHunter AKs may be invited to become members of the official BugHunter team. 

Important qualities for Bug Hunters and AKs:

• Able to think outside the box
• Able to follow written directions precisely
• Able to work independently or as part of a team
• Good communication skills
• Experienced and knowledgeable
• Be at least partly insane already.  If you've seen Cemaros's twitter, you already know about this part.

*If you have been a member of our video game community for a while, you might remember the original Forum ArchKnights. These were incredibly helpful forum members who helped our Forum Team Moderators with certain moderation tasks. And like Moderator Pokemon, many eventually evolved into full Moderators and joined the AE community contributor team. 

** If you are not 18 years old yet, we regret that you cannot apply to become an ArchKnight. If you are not yet 18 but have the ability to control time… please use your superpowers for good to save the world, and THEN return to this application after aging yourself several years.

*** BugHunter Knights are not employees, contractors, or official team members of Artix Entertainment but may receive membership, secondary currency, or other in-game perks as a “thank you” for participating.

August 12, 2022

August Anime Parody Gear

Available from your Featured Gear Shop Now!

Residents of Eden City are known for their love of cosplay, parody, and anime. Find all-new anime-themed parody gear -- including the Howling Wizard and Vengeful DragonMage sets -- in the Featured Gear Shop in your game menu for AdventureCoins until September 16th, 2022. 

Howling Wizard Set*

• Howling Wizard of Haven + Howling Wizard's Formal Armors
• Howling Wizard's Hair + So Twee Locks Helm
• Howling Wizard's Fancy Tophat + So Twee Hat Helms
• Night of Dreams Runes Cape
• Howling Wizard's Wings Cape
• Howling Wizard's Cloak Cape
• Howling Wizard's Cane Staff
• Fallen Flame Pet Pet
• Moving Floral Ground Item

Vengeful DragonMage Set*

• Vengeful DragonMage Armor
  
• Vengeful DragonMage's Morph Helm 
• Fated DragonMage's Hat + Locks Helms
  
• Vengeful DragonMage's Visor Helm
• Vengeful DragonMage's Flag Cape 
• Blade of Vengeance (single + dual wield)

* An homage to Jeanne D'Arc of Fate/Grand Order

Plus find the...

• Dominators Touch Cape 
• Anomalous Spirit Cape

August 12, 2022

Return to the Crystallis Saga

This weekend's new game update is here

This weekend, return to the Crystallis Saga in Future Akiba. You've been invited to the vibrant Eden City as an honored guest. Begin your tour with — ***WARNING WARNING WARNING*** Anomalies detected in the immediate vicinity. Threat assessment in progress. —

In an attempt to mend bridges after the Shinkansen incident, The Archivist has invited you to Eden City as an honored guest! But when Apa detects a threat, Eta will need your help to take out the anamalies. 

This weekend, /join eden to continue your adventure! Explore the rest of Kotaro and the Crystallis Administration's story in:

• /onsen 
• /shinkansen

And don't miss the rest of this month's update. See the full release lineup here: AdventureQuest Worlds calendar.

Vibrant Reward Gear

The Crystallis Adminstration requests all citizens ignore the previous warning. Your agenda for the weekend includes a tour of the Capital, meeting its residents, and concludes with a chance to win souvenir rewards playing KotaPon II: Get'cha Gacha Gear!

Complete the story in /eden, then find the KotaPon machine. Complete its quest to unlock a reward. Gotta Collect'em al! 

Eden Monster Drops

• Hero at Home armor
• Smug Hair 001 + 002
• KotaBear 023S
• Totally Not a Killer Face 001
• Casual Surveillance Outfit

KotaPon Quest Drops

• KotaPon Prize A Armor
• KotaPon Prize A Morph Hair Helm
• KotaPon Prize A Morph Locks Helm
• KotaPon Prize B Gauntlet
• KotaPon Prize C Polearm
• KotaPon Prize D Cape
• Klawaii Prisoner Armor
• Klawaii Prisoner Hair Helm
• Klawaii Prisoner Locks Helm
• Klawaii Enlightenment Cape
• Totally Normal Face 001 + 002 Helm
• Smug Face 001 + 002 Helms
• Totally Not a Killer Face 002 Helm
• Math Notebook Mace
• KotaBear 023M + XL Floor Items

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Summer's heating up, and so are our weekly game releases! Check out the release calendar to see what's happening and when things leave so you don't miss a moment, a battle, or a limited time reward. 

• Friday, August 19: Regal Vindicator Titan, Golden Paladin Titan, ShadowFire Prince featured gear sets

Daily Gift Schedule

2022 has been a CRAZY year so far... but Summer is almost here! We've got something new for you every day of the week. Log in each day for a new server-wide reward item, boost, or drop rate increase. Bookmark this page to keep up to date with all of daily gifts! 

And don't miss the rest of this month's update. See the full release lineup here: AdventureQuest Worlds calendar.

Flash is Dead. AQWorlds lives on with the Artix Games Launcher!

Adobe, the maker of the Flash Player plug-in, has stopped supporting Flash. But never fear! We built the Artix Games Launcher so you can continue playing AdventureQuest Worlds and your other favorite Artix Entertainment games. 

Download the Artix Games Launcher at artix.com/launcher  and you'll be able to continue playing all your favorite Artix games right from your computer. No Flash Player or web browser needed.

August 05, 2022

Summer AC Bonus Ends Monday

Get 50% more ACs with any Membership or AC Pack

FINAL WEEKEND! Get 50% more FREE bonus AdventureCoins with any AdventureCoin or Membership package you buy until 11:59 PM EST on Monday, August 8th. Don't miss your chance to top up your AC stash before Summer ends, because Fall is coming soon along with all our anniversary, birthday, and holiday events!

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.

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). 

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

August 05, 2022

Back to School BLAST

Gear up with extra credit and wicked new reward gear

Log in this weekend and prepare to level up! LoreMaster Maya's offering you bonus training time in the /extracredit map as heroes across Lore prepare for their next academic adventures. Battle bullies, smash distractions, and reap the rewards!

/join extracredit now to:

• Battle the Grade A Bully and Meanest Girl to help your friends focus
• Raid the School Supplies locker to make sure you've got the right tools for school
• Defeat distractions and scoree extra points by beating the Evil Console
• And /slay Dogear for your final exam

Back to School Merge + Gear Shops

Complete Maya's lessons in the seasonal /extracredit map to collect merge resources to make all-new gear. Plus, find her Back to School shop with items for ACs and gold. (Four candy canes for YOU if you find all our Mean Girls references)

Gear Shop:

• Dramatic Royal armor set
• Academy Casual armor sets
• Regular + color-custom Academy Tracksuit armor sets
• Spring, Summer, Fall Uniform armor sets

Merge Shop:

• Academy Jacket Outfit armor
• Academy Jeans Outfit armor
• Autumn Days armor set
• Academic Attitude armor, Power Puffs + Curls of Power helms
• Ultra Fierce Outfit, Ultra Fierce Locks, Super Cute Hair
• Becky's Hair + Morph helms
• Ben's Hair + Morph helms

Extra Credit Drops:

• Meanest Bully armor
• Burning Book mace
• Dogged Professor Helm
• Bagged Lunch, Number 2 Pencil, Chair Mace, Backpacks
• Winter Uniform armor set

The Class Hall Expands

Log in and get ready to rank up your classes AND knowledge! The Class Hall expands with two new wings and 60) class trainers, giving you insight and info on even more classes! 

We first opened the Hall of Classes in 2020 as a hub of class information for new and experienced players. Originally, /classhall only opened with its first wing, intended for starter and early-game classes. Now, we bring to you two more wings, intended for mid-game and late-game classes!

As a reminder, each wing of the hall represents a different slew of classes based on when you’re likely to encounter and use them, and how powerful they are. 

• /classhalla: Starter and Early-game classes for heroes just beginning the game and story
• /classhallb: Mid-game classes for people wrapping up sagas and looking for an upgrade
• /classhallc: Late-game classes for people who are diving into the farming and some challenge content and are looking for powerful classes
• /classhalld: End-game classes for people looking to take on the greatest challenges Lore has to offer (not yet released)

Speak to any of the class trainer NPC’s to find out about their class, where to obtain them, and what they’re best used for.

Some classes may be more or less powerful than others in the same hall, and some can be found earlier or later! These halls simply act as a guide for classes you can look towards, and find interest in.

This includes paid and package classes, but not classes with limited availability. Heromart classes are not included either. Classes will all be represented by their most readily available counterpart or simplest name, but you can use the wiki to find variants and reskins of classes when available.

Training Grounds Revamp

Behind the Hall of Classes is where you can find the training grounds. Here, you can fight differing testing dummies to test out your class skills and abilities. This update, we’ve given the training grounds a facelift- adding more dummies, more rooms, and more scenarios.

Classhall Character Page Background

Now, you can use Classhall’s exterior as a background on your character page! Simply find the button in /classhall, and you’re all set.

Additional Changes

Several other smaller changes are also rolling out with this week’s release.

• Binky’s Curse of Blades now works as intended (shared with Doomkitten)
• Curse of Blades now affects up to 4 targets and reduces your Critical Damage by 700%, but only lasts 7 seconds.
• Several monster auras now only function within their respective maps:
• Darkon the Conductor’s Grown
• Doomkitten and Binky’s Curse of Blades
• Ultra Exos’s Chaos Power
• Xiang and Ultra Xiang’s +Chaos Power has been renamed to Duality Power
• Master of Moglin’s skill order has been adjusted, to make it more receptive to enhancement traits
• Absolution’s damage penalty has been reduced to 15% (this change happened two weeks ago, but was missed in the changelog)

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Summer's heating up, and so are our weekly game releases! Check out the release calendar to see what's happening and when things leave so you don't miss a moment, a battle, or a limited time reward. 

• Monday, August 8: Summer AdventureCoin bonus ends
• Friday, August 12: Stellar Royalty + Dawn Duelist sets featured gear sets
• Friday, August 19: Regal Vindicator Titan, Golden Paladin Titan, ShadowFire Prince featured gear sets

Daily Gift Schedule

2022 has been a CRAZY year so far... but Summer is almost here! We've got something new for you every day of the week. Log in each day for a new server-wide reward item, boost, or drop rate increase. Bookmark this page to keep up to date with all of daily gifts! And don't miss the rest of this month's update. See the full release lineup here: AdventureQuest Worlds calendar.

Flash is Dead. AQWorlds lives on with the Artix Games Launcher!

Adobe, the maker of the Flash Player plug-in, has stopped supporting Flash. But never fear! We built the Artix Games Launcher so you can continue playing AdventureQuest Worlds and your other favorite Artix Entertainment games. 

Download the Artix Games Launcher at artix.com/launcher  and you'll be able to continue playing all your favorite Artix games right from your computer. No Flash Player or web browser needed.

August 05, 2022

Become a Mystical Yokai Warrior

Upgrade to unlock the exclusive armor sets

To become the warrior you were truly meant to be, you must tap into otherworldly forces. Get the Mystical Yokai Warrior upgrade bonus pack when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more and unlock over 30 items and a character page badge.

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

Pack Details

 Choose the Mystical Yokai Warrior Pack to unlock the full armor set. 

• 2 armors
• 18 helms
• 4 capes
• 4 daggers
• 1 polearm
• 5 swords
• and a character page badge

Once you've chosen the Mystical Yokai Warrior Pack 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 Mystical Yokai Warrior 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 Mystical Yokai Warrior gear
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts 
• and a character page badge

August 01, 2022

August Spirit Gear is Here

Display the official colors of your country proudly

Our country scarf capes, flag banner house items, and other rewards let heroes across the world celebrate their national holidays. Defeat the Zard in /battleontown to collect all the August spirit gear until Wednesday, August 31st.

House Item Flags and Scarf Capes are now available for:

• Cote d'Ivoire
• Indonesia
• Jamaica
• Korea
• Kyrgyzstan
• Liechtenstein
• Malaysia
• Moldova
• Pakistan
• Singapore
• Switzerland
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Ukraine
• Uruguay

August 01, 2022

Unlock the Urban Street Gear

Available every year from August 1st - 31st

Your toughest opponents don't always wait until you step onto the battlefield, so when they bring the fight right to your front door, you need to be ready to step out into the street and take them down! The Urban Assassin Gear is our August Seasonal Pack. Unlock the full set and character page badge when you buy the full pack, or talk to Garek in Battleon to get individual set pieces.

August Set: Urban Assassin, Yin-Yang + Yokai Street Gear

Starting Thursday, July 1st at 12:01 AM EST (that's server time), unlock the Urban Assassin armor set and the color customizable Yin-Yang and Yokai Street Wear sets.

There are two ways to get the gear:

1) Total package: Buy the entire set directly through the website for $9.99 USD 

2) Individually: Buy each of the individual pieces from Garek the Traveling Gear Merchant in Battleon.

The total cost to buy all of the gear individually is 5,050 ACs, so getting all the gear from the pack is a pretty sweet deal. 

The set includes:

• Urban Assassin armor
• Yin Yang Street Gear (color customizable)
• Yokai Street Gear (color customizable)
• 14 helms
• 3 capes
• 5 weapons
• an exclusive character page badge

Seasonal Set Details

Each month, we'll feature a new set, available only during that month every year. 

Seasonal Sets
January: ArchFiend OverLord
February: Obsidian Samurai
March: Legion Warseeker
April: Bio-War Cultist
May: Lord of the J-Sixth + Lightning Lich Lord
June: ShadowZard Mount + Rider
July: Flameborn + Underworld Summoner
August: Urban Assassins
September: Celestial Naval Commander
October: ChronoStriker
November: Harvest Hunters
December: Northern Wanderer

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as an upgrade bonus? 

Upgrade bonus gear is an extra reward for buying AdventureCoin or Membership packages; new bonus gear comes out roughly every month. Seasonal set packs are bought separately. Just like the Flame Dragon Warrior pack, you can buy the entire set directly, for one price, on our site. You can ALSO buy the individual pieces in-game.

This set will return EVERY August, so if you can't get it now, you'll have another chance in upcoming years.

What if I just want ONE of the items?

You're in luck! Talk to Garek in Battleon. He'll be selling the individual pieces of the set through August 31st.

Where do I get my gear if I buy the full set through the website?

You'll find it in your Book of Lore.