Design Notes

February 28, 2023

Trying a Few Daily Login Gift Changes

Based on your feedback, we're switching things up a bit!

Hello all, and happy Tuesday! Today, Yoshino and I are planning out the March daily login gifts. We're trying out a few changes to the schedule based on feedback we received earlier this year. Then we'll make additional updates for future months based on your input.

The current plan for next month is, each week will have:

1. 3x server boosts (Monday/Wednesday: 48 hour boosts, Friday: 72 hour boost)
2. 1x scavenger hunt (Work with your fellow players to find the right monster somewhere in the world) 
3. 1x resource farming boost (Thursday - Sunday)
4. Rare items drops on the weekend 

We are also shifting the National Day scarves + house items off of the Zard in battleontown. Those will become 0 AC items in a shop / house shop, and they'll be available all year long. That way, no matter when you're able to log in, or what holiday you want to celebrate, the items will always be available.

What else would you like to see us try for Daily Login Rewards + Activities?

February 27, 2023

Monday, February 27th Updates

You've got questions? We've got (short) answers!

With so many players on so many different platforms, the team and I found that our information had become really scattered over the last few years. Last month, we began these "round-up" Design Notes posts make sure everyone has access to all of the same info, no matter which platform you use. 

Weren't you going to do Astrology-based farming sets?

We sure are! I checked in with Neihi on the Pisces set. She's planning to send it in ASAP. We are still on track to release it during the Piscean ascendency.

March Upgrade pack preview

Undead X DOOM arrives Friday, March 3rd with our newest upgrade bonus pack! Our annual Month of Evil event starts March 1st! Tyronius made a fusion animation that got such great feedback, we're turning it into a house item. 

Any set return plan for VoT and/or Darkside in the future?

For the Vindicator of They Class, we have the Collector Class variant that fills the niche in its stead.
For the Darkside Class: we released a rebalanced / buffed version of the class as the Dark Lord, but the original Darkside class remained mistakenly unchanged. Updating it to match the Dark Lord Class's power is on the list.

Did the Daily Gift Go Live?!

Short answer: if it's an item or a boost, yes. Longer answer: all daily gift item drops + server boosts are scheduled to go live at midnight. Images may not always be posted on social media at the same time for various availability reasons, but the item drops / boosts themselves are live!

You can see what's items and boosts have released on our Event Calendar. 

Wait... is Time an Element now?

Last week, I announced the arrival of the Elemental Chronomancer set series, and included a schedule of which Elemental Chronomancers would arrive each month. January was listed as Time.

That lead to questions on Discord about if the team planned to make Time an Element and what the ramifications of that would be. We don't have plans to make an Element of Time.

January: Time
February: Heart
March: Darkness
April: Energy
May: Earth
June: Light
July: Fire
August: Wind
September: Water
October: Chaos
November: Void
December: Ice

Because January is traditionally when we release a ton of Chronomancer-themed gear, the theme for January is simply... Chronomancy. But given that time is one of the fundamental components of reality, just as the elements are a fundamental component of reality in our game world... it fits in.

What about the bonus Nibbleon Plushie Content?

On HeroMart.com, we mentioned that there would be additional content in Nibbleon you can unlock with each plushie you buy. The NPCs with a quest for the house item variant fell off the release to do list, but I'll get with Cylisse and Yoshino so we can get them added in March.

Item Updates

February 25, 2023

Thursday Updates And potentially more?!?

Saturday Updates #4 - February 25, 2023

Haii, it's Yoshino here! (under the Alina disguise...again.. shhh - she hasn't noticed!) As part of the recent updates and bug fixes being made every week, some people may miss out on things, so I will be constantly updating this post over time!

Em-pathetic Connection quest updates:

Mana Residue

• Drop rate increased. (30% -> 100%)
• Max stack increased to 40

Mage's Blood Sample

• Drop rate increased. (30% -> 100%)
• Max stack increased to 40

Warlic's Favor

• Drop rate increased. (30% -> 100%)
• Max stack increased to 5

Prior Updates #3 - February 18, 2023

The following maps will now kick people who are AFK:

• /Archmage
• /Revenant

Prior Updates #2 - February 18, 2023

The Frostval 2022 Gifting Tiers have been updated with their respective items:

• Frostval Giftbox Ebil Moglin Pet
• Frostval Giftbox Ebil Moglin Trophy

The LQS Primal Frost Tiger Shop has been updated:

• Frost Tiger of the Void Pet

Prior Updates #1 - February 16, 2023

The Frostval 2022 Gifting Tiers house shops have been updated with their respective house trophy items:

• Frostval Giftbox Evergreeny Trophy
• Frostval Giftbox Mort Moglin Trophy
• Frostval Giftbox Sage Trophy
• Frostval Giftbox Snowy Moglin Trophy
• Frostval Giftbox Twig Trophy
• Frostval Giftbox Twilly Trophy
• Frostval Giftbox Zorbak Moglin Trophy

Alina note: Noticed more random "info" DNs lately? The team is adding more mid-week Design Notes posts with in-game news and answers to common questions. The goal: to make sure players who don't use social media often can stay up to date as easily as those who do. 

February 24, 2023

Shadows of War Finale: Master of Fate

This Weekend: the Shadows of War Saga Finale!

After years of conflict, battles, and revelations about yourself and our world... the Shadows of War Saga finale is finally here! This weekend, log in and battle through the final chapter of the Saga to face Malgor the ShadowLord and... the TRUE saga finale boss?! O_O. Be careful. Stay strong. You are our hope. You are the future.

The world as we know it has gone silent; Mana Affliction is spreading across Lore. Defeating Malgor once and for all is the only way to save all those who depend on you. Battle alongside Tara, the Champion of Mana, as you race to stop the ShadowLord from finally achieving his goal: the destruction of our world, our future, and the entire timeline.

This weekend, /join manacradle and prepare to:

• Battle alongside Gravelyn as you race to stop Malgor from reaching the Avatar of Mana
• Fight Dark Tainted Mana and Darkness Elementals
• Battle Malgor the ShadowLord before you face... the FINAL BOSS?!?! O_O

Shadows of War Chapter Guide

• Chapter 1: begin the adventure in /ruinedcrown
• Chapter 2: hunt Malgor in /timekeep
• Chapter 3: battle through the Timestream war in /streamwar
• Chapter 4: discover the truth NOW in /deadlines
• Chapter 5: meet the Champion of Mana... and learn about the Old World Order in /worldscore
• Chapter 6: defeat Malgor the ShadowLord to save the world and master your fate in /manacradle

Shadowy Reward Gear

Terror and suffering flourish where conflict reigns. The Vanguard weaponizes fear of their might as an equalizer. Battle the monsters in /manacradle to collect the resources to craft the pieces of the ShadowFlame Vanguard armor set. 

6 Monster Drops in /manacradle:

• ShadowFlame Armet Helm (male + female)
• ShadowFlame Shroud
• ShadowFlame Devastation
• ShadowFlame Vanguard Spear
• Mainyu’s Wings, Tail, and Rune capes
• Shadow DragonMaster armor, helm, blade, cape
• ShadowFlame Dragon Blade

Merge Shop:

• ShadowFlame Vanguard Armor
• Mana Overdrive Armet Helm (male + female)
• Mana Overdrive Shroud
• Mana Overdriven Devastation
• Mana Overdriven Spear
• Mana Surge Gauntlet (single + dual-wield)
• 4 Mainyu capes

Plus, battle the Eternal Dragon in /deadlines for a chance to get the Primal Dragon Guard + Alert Primal Dragon Guard house items.

The Story so Far...

In your journey so far, you've discovered how the Queen of Monsters REALLY died and the truth about WHAT you really are. You've discovered the identity of the Champion of Mana, faced the Elemental Lords themselves, and uncovered the existence of ... something... called the Old World Order. O_O

In c Fate of the Champions, it was WAR! The Avatars were willingto help you hunt Malgor, but to do so, four Elemental Champions needed to serve as their shields. You won the war, but the price was high... maybe too high? It is too soon to tell.

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. 

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Don't miss out on your favorite limited time events, stories, and gear! 

Wednesday, March 1st: 

• February Seasonal Set

Friday, March 3rd: 

• Yokai New Year event maps

Friday, March 10th: 

• Hero's Heart Day seasonal events + featured rare gear
• seasonal Carnaval events

Friday, March 24th: 

• February 24th Featured Gear Shop items

Daily Gift Schedule

Log in each day for a new server-wide reward item, boost, or drop rate increase. Bookmark the Daily Gift 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.

February 24, 2023

Shadows of War Featured Gear

Available for a Limited Time!

After years of battle against Drakath, the Queen of Monsters, and the dark, mysterious opponent who came after her, you've more than proven you can control the Shadows that surround you. Find color-customizable Enchanted ShadowMancer set and more in your Featured Gear Shop in the game menu for AdventureCoins until March 31st. 

Now available from the Featured Gear Shop in your game menu:

• Enchanted Shadowmancer armor
• ShadowMancer's Hair + Locks
• Enchanted Shadowmancer Crown + Diadem
• Enchanted Shadowmancer Staff, Scythe, and Great Scythe
• HeartCrusher Rune cape (changes when in combat)
• HeartCrusher Blade + Daggers (changes when in combat)
• HeartCrusher Mace + Daggers (changes when in combat)
• ShadowFlame Eviscerator Axe
• ShadowFlame Eviscerator Scythe (single + dual-wield)
• Infernal Dark Lord armor
• Dark Lord's Visage helm
• Wings of Wrath cape

Set Available for a Limited Time

Lord Balax'el is a scion of the Darkness, leader of the Infernal Army that invaded Lore to help the Queen of Monsters fulfill her goals. To commemorate the Shadows of War finale, which saw the end of the reign of the Queen of Monsters, we're bringing back the Infernal Dark Lord armor set for a limited time.

The set consists of:

• Infernal Dark Lord armor
• Dark Lord's Visage helm
• Wings of Wrath cape

These items will be available in the Featured Gear shop until March 31st for AdventureCoins... but it WILL come back in the future (just like reoccuring event gear does) as you continue to face off against the shadows that shroud your future. (So if you can't get it this month, keep an eye on the Design Notes for when it will return!)

February 24, 2023

Yokai New Year Event Extension

Event Now Leaves Friday, March 3rd

Earlier this month, our seasonal Yokai New Year event returned for the Year of the Rabbit and was set to leave this Friday. One of the AQWorlds community artists, Ferozakh, loves creating gear for this holiday, and submitted several sets he thought would be available this month. But because of some filename confusion, I scheduled the Colorful Grenwog Garb Set to release during our Grenwog event.*

There is a really easy fix... we release his favorite version THIS week and bring it back in April. This way, his streak of submitting gear for Lunar New Year remains unbroken, and YOU still get all the reward farming gear we planned on. The Yokai New Year event will now leave next Friday, March 3rd. 

The Colorful Grenwog Garb set and several Year of the Rabbit house items will drop from the Elixir Etokoun boss in /yokaihunt starting this week, and will also be available from the Grenwog event in April.

• Colorful Grenwog Garb: drops from Elixir Etokoun in /yokaihunt this week + the Grenwog in April
• Pastel Grenwog Garb: farming reward set in April
• Lovely Grenwog Garb: featured rare set in April
• Lucky Grenwog Garb: featured rare set in April
• Dark Grenwog Garb: arrives for Black Friday in November

* The seasonal Grenwog boss is based on a rabbit, so having a Yokai New Year / Grenwog crossover event works out.

Seasonal Yokai New Year Event

Head to /akibacny this weekend for your last chance to celebratie with Empress Miko in Akiba in 2023. Her special guest this year, Yue Huang, is the Descendant of the Jade Rabbit. Battle to unlock new reward gear, then revisit all our previous seasonal Akiba New Year bosses!

Yokai New Year House Shop

• Year of the Rabbit scroll
• Year of the Rabbit fireworks

Yokai New Year Locations:

• /akiba - Classic Chunin Class
• /akibacny - Ai No Miko’s Merge
• /akibacny - Go 1 Screen Up 
• /dragonkoiz - Imperial Chunin Class
• /shadowfortress - DragonSoul Shinobi Class
• /yokaihunt - Yue's Design + Etokoun Merge shops

Lunar New Year Gear

Battle the Elixir Etokoun to get reward drops + merge shop resources to create rabbit-themed gear and select accessories in Yue Huang's Designer Merge shop.  

Yue's Design Merge

• Lunarian Astromancer Armor + gear
• Oni Hatamoto Armor + gear
• Honored Oni Hatamoto Armor

Elixir Etokoun Drops

• Lunarian Astromancer Trainee armor, helms, and weapons
• Lunarian Asteroid Cape
• Lunarian Mochi Bunny pet
• Elixir Etokoun House Guard
• Elixir Etokoun Companion pet

February 21, 2023

Pancake Day Returns

Grab Your Maple Syrup!

Happy Pancake Day! Oishii the Troll Baker's back and BATTER than ever. Find her and some sweet seasonal treats in Yulgar's Inn until Friday. But keep your shields up; she's flinging flying flapjacks of doom, and you might just get a face full of breakfast.

Seasonal items are returning - like the Pancake Hat w/Butter and the Oolong the pancake bunny pet, and the fan-favorite Pancake Puppy pet!

Oishii's Pancake Goodies:

• Pancake Hat
• Pancake Hat w/Butter
• The Full Stack
• Oolong Pet
• Pancake-Topus pet
• Pancake Puppy pet
• Oishii's Li'l Helper Dragon pet
• Hungry Skull cape and pet
• Hungry Unicorn Foal pet
• The BIG Breakfast Helm

February 17, 2023

Now available: Akiban Koi Sets

In Twilly's Treasure Chest + Wheel of Doom merge shop!

This week, as we continue celebrating all our February holidays, we've got new gear in the Wheel of Doom Merge and Twilly's Treasure Chest. Find the Ancient and Honorable Koi Ningyo sets, inspired by the Ningyo, a creature straight out of Japanese folklore, this weekend! 

Available in the Wheel of Doom Merge Shop:

• Ancient Koi Ningyo armor
• Ancient Koi Ningyo Pompadour + Ponytail
• Ancient Koi Ningyo Headpiece + Headdress
• Ancient Koi Ningyo Tachi (single + dual-wield)

Find all of the set gear in the Wheel of Doom merge shop:

• Honorable Koi Ningyo armor
• Honorable Koi Ningyo Pompadour + Ponytail
• Honorable Koi Ningyo Headpiece + Headdress
• Honorable Koi Ningyo Tachi (single + dual-wield)

And in the spirit of Carnaval, make sure to check out last year's holiday addition to the Wheel of Doom... the Capoeirista gear!

Find all of the set gear in the Wheel of Doom merge shop:

• Capoeirista + Abada armor
• Capoeirista armor
• Dreads de Lutador morph helm
• Tranças de Lutadora morph helm
• Berimbau sword
• Berimbau + Baqueta daggers

Spin the Wheel, Collect Treasures, Choose Your Prize 

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. 

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

Have You Found A Treasure Chest Yet?

Farm for Treasure Chests as you fight any monster in the game, then open them with Treasure Chest Keys from Twilly in Battleon. You'll get one of over 215 exclusive items. 

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

• 49 armors
• 50+ weapons
• 60+ helms
• 10+ capes
• or 3 house items (including the Altar of Caladbolg)

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.

February 17, 2023

Carnaval Returns This Weekend

Carnaval is here...Time to PARTY!

Log in this weekend for to get your /dance on, because Carnaval starts tonight in the real world AND in our game-world! Samba the Party Troll and her students need your help to shake things up at her School of Dance. Head in-game and /join sambaflag to begin this year's new Carnaval event, then /join carnaval and talk to Batista, the King of Carnaval to battle through all our returning seasonal events.

Samba's school of dance* selected a theme to bring to life with their costumes and dance for this year's parade: worldwide samba! With students attending from all over Lore, she wants to incorporate materials from their hometowns into the costumes. Quest to help her gather materials to craft the PERFECT costume and help them win the Carnaval competition!

Event Maps

• /carnaval
• /terradafesta
• /parades
• /firebird
• /darkfesta
• /fezzini
• /danceguru
• /sambaflag - new this year!

* In the real world, schools of dance from around Brasil practice all year long; the best are invited to march in the Carnaval competition in Rio de Janiero's Sambadrome. Each school has a theme, a costume, a song, and can total as many as 3,000 members. Learn more about the history of Escolas de Samba here.

It's Carnaval in Terra da Festa! 

In the town of Terra da Festa, the party is in full swing bringing you amazing party outfits inspired by those seen in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Members will find special bonus quests with special Member Only rewards, but there are shops and other quests for everyone to enjoy!

We've got SO MUCH for you in the permanent Carnaval map:

• Tons of items and quests for members + free players alike
• Multiple storylines
• Monsters inspired by Brasilian mythology
• Day and Nighttime versions of an our own version of Rio de Janiero
• Carnaval music
• English and Portuguese translations, courtesy of Tendou no Mazo

We want to thank all of you for your support! Obrigado Pelo Seu Suporte Have fun and Happy Carnaval! 

Don't Forget Your New Party Clothes

Carnaval is all about transforming yourself into anything you want. Fantasy meets reality in Terra da Festa! Festoon yourself in fabulous Carnaval costumes, headdresses, and weapons, and parade down the streets of the Sambódromo! To help you /party, we're bring back all your favorite Carnaval costumes and rewards, plus the new Sambista set + pets! 

Battle through our seasonal Carnaval zones and through this weekend's new event to collect all the party gear.

Monster Drops in /sambaflag

• Flag Bearer + Master of Ceremonies Houseguests
• Dancing Flag Bearer + Dancing Master of Ceremonies Houseguests
• Samba Moglins house item
• Cavaquinho, Pandeiro, and Tantan weapons

Merge Shop Rewards

• Sambista Armor + Helm
• Encanto Sambista Armor + Helm (color customizable)
• Encanto Cavaquinho, Pandeiro, and Tantan weapons (color customizable)
• 3 sambista Moglin pets

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Don't miss out on your favorite limited time events, stories, and gear! 

Friday, February 24th: 

• Yokai New Year
• Lorebowl gear + /punt map
• Pancake Day gear

Friday, March 10th: 

• Hero's Heart Day seasonal events + featured rare gear
• seasonal Carnaval events

Daily Gift Schedule

Log in each day for a new server-wide reward item, boost, or drop rate increase. Bookmark the Daily Gift 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.

February 14, 2023

Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Heroes Heart Day happening now in AQW

It's the most cute and cuddly and positively 💖 pink 💖 time of the year, heroes! We've got some sweet Valentine treats for you all in AQW, so get ready for an AQWorld filled with love, monsters, quests, adventures, and a whole lot of amazing items!

Today's Heroes Heart Day 2023 update:

• LOVE-ly Battleon + Battleon town makeover! We've given the town a (pink) GLOW UP. The town art will stay super-pink until this Friday's release update goes live. 
•  Valencia's Power Gem update: Valencia's Power Gems will now be rewarded from a weekly quest you can complete right from inside the game. 
•  Reward Gem quests: the Reward Gem quests were changed at some point to be "one-time only" but they should not have been. We've fixed this issue so you can start getting the gems again! 

Here's what went live last Friday:

• Find the rare Kitty Kawaii set there until March 10th, and all our seasonal Hero's Heart Day gear in the /love map
• Beleen’s Newest Adventure: Oh hey, that’s me! Leave it up to the Princess of Pink to write up a brand-new adventure that’s befitting of befriending. I don’t wanna spoil any surprises if you missed last week’s release… 
• Return of Lovely Quests: Complete cupid-themed quests from previous Heroes Heart Day events and earn rewards that will make your heart skip a beat! You'll find these events by clicking on the "Hero's Heart Day" button in your game menu.So be sure to log in and see for yourself all the love, new items, and new adventures happening right now on Heroes Heart Day!

Wait. What is Heroes Heart Day?

Heroes Heart Day is an event that originated in DragonFable but is celebrated in many Artix games, including AQW. Heroes Heart Day (HHD) takes place around Valentine's Day each year where players get to participate in love-themed quests, equip special items, and explore heart-filled events.

HHD is a time for players to show love and affection to their in-game friends, romantic partners, and to themselves as well! And this year, y’all get to do the same to NPCs with the release of the newest game feature! Now you can befriend – or betray – your favorite NPCs with the friendship interface that is affected daily by the gifts you give them, the things you say to them, and how often you visit them.

Jump right into the insanity when you /join battleodium

Adventuring Solo This Year?

And to all of my single heroes out there: never forget that you are loved and valued just the way you are 🥰 Whether you're celebrating with a group of friends or enjoying some alone time, make the most of this day and show yourself some love. Treat yourself to something sweet or go on a new adventure in-game or IRL.

Remember: being single doesn't mean you have to be alone. You have a whole community of friends here in AQW and on Discord who are here to support ya and adventure with you :)

From the bottom of my heart, I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day, my dearest adventurers!

Lots of love,*

Beleen

* True and funny story: back when the internet was just hitting home computers in the mid 1990s, I was talking in an old school chat room while my grandmother cautiously hovered over my shoulder. She became overly worried when the stranger on the other end kept messaging"LOL" to the things that I said. What did "LOL" mean? My grandmother quickly freaked, claiming "that means Lots of Love!" and she unplugged the ethernet cable right then and there and forbid me for going back to that chat room ever again 🙈

February 12, 2023

Superbowl Sunday LVII

Half-time is /Punt time: Chieftains vs Harpies!

Join us this Sunday at during the SuperBowl half-time show to /punt Twilly, battle the Undead Defender, get new gear, and /cheer for your favorite team as the Bloodtusk Chieftains face off against the Darkovian Harpies.

When the Bloodtusk Chieftains* face-off against the Darkovian Harpies, all of Lore goes CRAZY! So, football fans, kick your puntin' foot into high gear tonight, because the /punt map is NOW OPEN! 

When: During the Super Bowl half-time show 
Who: Chieftains, Harpies, the AQW Team & YOU!
Where: Right here... in-game!
What: /Cheer for your favorite team!

Score a field goal AND a rockin' character page badge by punting Twilly across the field and into the end zone!

LoreBowl LVII Gear

The half-time shop sports a stock full of returning fan favorites: Chieftains gear, Harpies gear, and faction outfits! So grab your pompoms and /cheer for your favorite team! Plus, battle the Undead Defender monster to collect all the Lorebowl House Pennants.

February 10, 2023

LOVE-ly New Hero's Heart Day Rares

Available from your Featured Gear Shop Now!

For feline fans or heroes as capricious as a cat, you can't not love these new rares! Find the Kitty Kawaii Outfit and more in your Featured Gear Shop in the game menu for AdventureCoins until March 10th. 

Now available from the Featured Gear Shop in your game menu:

• Kitty Kawaii Outfit
• Kitty Kawaii's Hair + Locks
• Bubblegum Bubble Morph
• Blushing Bandaid Visage
• Kitty Bubblegum Morph + Visage
• Kitty Shades Morph + Visage
• Bubblegum Shades Morph + Visage
• Shower of Affection + Pulsing Affection capes (with animated hearts!)
• Kitty Comforts Ground Rune
• Kitty Kawaii Bats
• Kitty Kawaii Backpack
• Kitty Bat and Backpack
• Wings of Lost Love
• Eternity of Love Key (imported from DragonFable)

February 10, 2023

NPC Friendship Feature + Hero's Heart Day

Log in for love and friendship this weekend!

As we begin celebrating Hero's Heart Day this weekend, we're ALSO laying the groundwork for new functionality: NPC friendships! Log in this weekend and /join battleodium to begin building your friendships with select NPCs. Talk to them and give them gifts to build your friendship levels over time. Eventually, you'll be able to get additional rewards, farming resources, boosts, and more! Plus, battle through an all-new story adventure from returning guest writer, Beleen! 

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

NPC Friendship System Tips and Tricks

A quick TL;DR guide to NPC Friendships! Log in and /join battleodium to begin building your friendship levels with select NPCs. You'll find the Friendship UI by clicking on the Character Icon.

How to build your friendship:

1. Visit an NPC.
2. Talk to them and give them a gift once a day. (Gifts can be obtained by killing monsters in the map) 
3. Use gifts to increase your Friendship Meter.
4. Reach max friendship with that NPC to get a gift from them.

You will get the NPC's reward if you meet the following criteria:

1. Have a good relationship with the NPC
2. Gift them something they like. In return they will gift you their reward.

Remember:

1. Some NPCs are easier to make friends with, some are harder.
2. Different gifts will have a different impact. If an NPC really likes a gift, you'll get more points for giving it. If they really dislike the gift, it'll take away points.
3. Try out different gifts to see who likes what, and which gift will get the best reaction from each NPC.
4. You'll see a green check mark appear in your Friendship List to help you track who you've visited.
5. Regular contact IS important. You'll lose 1 full heart if you don't visit an NPC for 3 or more days.
6. The /battleodium and /greyguard maps are not part of our seasonal Hero's Heart Day events. They will be permanently available.
7. We'll be adding more NPCs to this system over time. Let us know which you'd like to see added in the future!

NPC Friendship Gifts*

*Update on Image Rewards

Lord Brentan - Combat Trophy Rewards
1-2 full hearts for x5
3-5 full hearts for x15
6 full hearts for x25

Xing/Xang - Spirit Orb Rewards
1-2 full hearts for x10
3-5 full hearts for x20
6 full hearts for x40

Sweet New Rewards

Getting the sweet new Valentine’s Day gear will be as easy as falling in love! Find all-new and returning Valentine's themed gear when you talk to NPCs in the /love and other holiday event maps.  Plus, talk to Beleen in /battleodium after you finish all her quests to find a merge shop full of even MORE gear.

New monster drops:

Each of the new monsters in tonight's release drops its 0 AC non-member helm and a member-only pet version.

• Shadowscale pet + helm
• Eclipson pet + helm
• Maulignant pet + helm
• Shadeling pet + helm
• Vileture pet + helm
• Twilighteeth pet + helm
• Carcass Creeper pet + helm
• Widowing pet + helm
• Fearweaver pet + helm
• Darkbark pet + helm
• Diemond pet + helm
• Gloombloom helm*
• Odium Boss helm

New merge shop items:

• Shadow Rouge Armor**
• Shadowed Love Hat**
• Dark, Violent, Ardent, and Passionate Axes of Friendship**
• Lovely Deity Armor (3 variants)
• Lovely Deity Hair, Locks, and Cascade
• Lovely Deity's Winged Halo, Wings, and Winglets 
• Lovely Deity's Bow + Dark Bow
• Dark Lovely Deity Wings + Winglets

* The Gloombloom's pet will release later on this month as a 0 AC daily login gift drop.
** Beleen chose several of her favorite classic Hero's Heart Day items to be "darkened" for this weekend's update.

Seasonal Hero's Heart Day Events Return

In the real world, Valentine’s Day is a holiday full of emotion -- most people either love the hearts, the pink decorations, and the cheerful cheesy romance... or they love to rebel against the idea of it all.  This weekend, log in and get ready to slay your way through (friend)zones full of unloved undead, disgrunted draconians, and long-lost loves as we bring back all our seasonal Hero's Heart Day events.

(Happy endings not guaranteed... but at least you can get some sweet loot out of the deal.)

Event Maps

• /love (event hub town)
• /chateau
• /wheeloflove
• /fezzini
• /lovelockdown
• /necromance
• /wubbles
• /wubblevania
• /arcadia (new this year!)

If you haven't played through last year's event... now's your chance! In Big Mama’s 💖Tournament of Love💖, you'll be transported to farm from your home on Lore to a mysterious new realm where LOVE rules. But on this adventure, YOU aren't the only Hero on the quest... winning a date with you is also the quest REWARD for Sepulchure, Gravelyn, and Vampire Queen Safiria!* 

Now that her most honored guest / Grand Prize is here (that's you!), the final round of Big Mama's tournament can begin! /join arcadia to start your adventure!

* Oooooh yeah, this event's outside the normal canonical time. But the interactions between Gravelyn and Sepulchure make up for ANY oddities. 

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Don't miss out on your favorite limited time events, stories, and gear!

Friday, February 17th: 

• Beleen's Pink items in your Featured Gear Shop

Friday, February 24th: 

• Yokai New Year
• Lorebowl gear + /punt map
• Pancake Day gear

Friday, March 10th: 

• Hero's Heart Day featured rare gear

Daily Gift Schedule

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.

February 08, 2023

Teasing a new game feature on Friday :o

Friday: Hero's Heart Day returns AND a new feature's foundation arrives :D

Heya heroes! Friday is almost here, so that means a new game release is on the horizon – it was written by me, but made possible by your amaaazing AQW team, and includes the first look at a 🌟 new game feature 🌟 that you will all surely love! I don’t want to ruin any surprises… so imma drop some hints here and see what inevitably gets leaked on Twitter. 😆 

Being nice and kind, it's always on our mind,
A smile and a wave, that's how you behave,
With a heart full of love, no matter the darkness above,
You'll make someone's day, with a single display!

When you spread happiness, you light up the room,
With your kind actions and a cheerful tune,
It's so warm and bright, like the morning sun light,
Bringing joy to this rhyme, one kind act at a time!

So be a ray of sunshine, wherever you go,
With a smile on your face, and kindness that glows,
And soon, everyone will be smiling as well,
When they witness the power of your friendship spell!

Feeling the love IRL <3

Heroes Heart Day may be celebrated in-game, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t spread some positivity, kindness, and love in the real world today! I *know* that everyone has the power to make a difference in someone's life, even in the smallest ways. Whether it's holding the door open for someone, offering kind encouragements, complimenting someone on their outfit, or lending a helping hand, every act of kindness counts. We should all work together to create a brighter, friendlier world by being there for one another and spreading kindness wherever we go! 💕

So no matter if you are in-game or in-real-life, go out there and be kind, be helpful, and make someone's day a little brighter. You never know… your act of kindness could be just what someone needs to turn their day – or life – around!

Looking forward to making the world a happier place with my heroes 🥰

xoxo Beleen!

(Alina note: this is the first release to include a new feature the team plans to add onto over time based on your requests and input. We're all excited to see what you think, and very grateful to Beleen for inspiring this latest feature addition!)

February 04, 2023

Clickable Map Items Issue FIXED!

Server Issue is now fixed!

Thank you all for your patience as Captain Rhubarb looked into the issue that occured after the release earlier tonight.*

Investigating current server Issue

Captain Rhubarb is currently investigating the issue where heroes can't recieve map clickable items which is needed to complete their active quest.

* Unfortunately, if you were working on any active map clickable quest during this time, you'll have to re-accept the quest and gather the requirements once more.

February 03, 2023

Yokai New Year Returns

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in AQWorlds

Happy Lunar New Year, Heroes! This weekend, we're celebrating with Empress Miko in Akiba once again. She's got a special guest this year, Yue Huang, the Descendant of the Jade Rabbit. Log in and battle to unlock new reward gear, then revisit all our previous seasonal Akiba New Year bosses!

This weekend, log in and /join Akibacny. Talk to Miko to get the seasonal gear you may have missed out on before now and begin Yue Huang's quests to unlock all-new seasonal items in the /yokaihunt map.

Yokai New Year House Shop additions

• Year of the Rabbit scroll
• Year of the Rabbit fireworks

Yokai New Year Locations:

• /akiba - Classic Chunin Class
• /akibacny - Ai No Miko’s Merge
• /akibacny - Go 1 Screen Up 
• /dragonkoiz - Imperial Chunin Class
• /shadowfortress - DragonSoul Shinobi Class
• /yokaihunt - Yue's Design + Etokoun Merge shops

New Lunar New Year Gear

Battle the Elixir Etokoun to get reward drops + merge shop resources to create all-new gear and select accessories in Yue Huang's Designer Merge shop.  

Yue's Design Merge

• Lunarian Astromancer Armor + gear
• Oni Hatamoto Armor + gear
• Honored Oni Hatamoto Armor

Elixir Etokoun Drops

• Lunarian Astromancer Trainee armor, helms, and weapons
• Lunarian Asteroid Cape
• Lunarian Mochi Bunny pet
• Elixir Etokoun House Guard
• Elixir Etokoun Companion pet

Other Heroes AFKing Got You Down?

We've added the "No AFK" flag to several more maps to help your battle experience. In addition to the Ultra boss maps, the following will now automatically move players when they go /afk:

• /Bludrutbrawl 
• /VoidXyfrag
• /VoidNightbane
• /VoidFlibbi
• /DarkCarnax

Leaving Soon: mark your calendars

Don't miss out on your favorite limited time events, stories, and gear!

Friday, February 10th: 

• Nulgath 2023 collection chest + shop
• Friday the 13th rare gear
• Groundhorc's Day gear
• Holiday House shop in your game menu

Friday, February 17th: 

• Beleen's Pink Shop

Friday, February 24th: 

• Yokai New Year
• Lorebowl gear + /punt map
• Pancake Day gear

Daily Gift Schedule

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.

February 03, 2023

Eternal Hero of Time Set

Upgrade to unlock the exclusive armor sets

Once upon another time, or perhaps in the near past or future, Chaos and the ShadowFlame infect your world. The Eternal Hero of Time is the key to unlocking salvation. Get the Eternal Hero of Time upgrade bonus pack when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more and unlock all 27 items plus 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 Eternal Hero of Time upgrade bonus to unlock all 3 armor sets: featuring Eternal Dragon, ShadowFlame, and Chaos themes. 

• 6 Armors
• 6 Helms
• 3 Capes
• 6 Daggers
• 3 Ground items
• 3 Pets
• 3 Polearms
• 3 Swords
• and a character page badge

Once you've chosen the Eternal Hero of Time 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 Eternal Hero of Time 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 Eternal Hero of Time gear
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts 
• and a character page badge

February 01, 2023

Tuesday Updates

February is already here... and I'm back at the lab!

Last week, I left for a delayed Christmas celebration with family. I stayed completely offline the entire trip (highly recommended). Since returning, have been laser-focused on checking in with the teams, getting caught up, and planning AQW's February / March game updates. Thank you to everyone for the "happy vacation" and "welcome back" wishes! Now... the catch-up work begins! 

And I'm trying a new method to get as much information out to as many players as possible. Rather than just replying to people on Twitter (or Discord, or in-game) I'm saving questions and answering them in blocks on the Design Notes. 

It's been a while since our last ultra boss? Are there any plans for a new one?

Why yes, yes there are! *Eyes the AdventureQuest Worlds March calendar* https://Artix.com/calendar

When is the next Void Aura / Legion Token / Dark Spirit Orbs (etc) Boost?

Glad you asked! The server + farming resource boosts are now available on the February Event Calendar at Artix.com/calendar. Daily Login Gift drops will be added tomorrow.

The calendar shows future updates?! 

Each November, I rough out the calendar for the upcoming year. Flexibility is built in (b/c real-life happens) but having a road map is vital. Since we have fixed dates like holidays, birthdays and other "must-have" events, we can see the shape of the future and plan accordingly.

Now that we've shifted over to the calendar at https://Artix.com/calendar, it will be easier to post those dates in advance. I just need to transfer what's in my spreadsheet to the site. :)

Are we missing any updates from the Nulgath Collection Chest? Like 0 AC versions of the member gold items?

The Nulgath collection chest is complete, and received its final update last week. 

The planned 0 AC versions of the member gold items should all be in the Nulgath collection chest. (Example: the member-gold Abaddon Annihilator Scythes have a 0 AC version in the chest). The battle pet in the chest will remain member-only.

But what about missing Frostval Gifting event rewards + Book of Lore badges?

There are several Frostval gifting additions (ex: pet quests for house items) I'll take care of now that I've returned from vacation.

Each tier's badge was added to the Book of Lore several weeks ago. You will only see the highest badge in the Book of Lore, due to how the achievements were awarded. 

Hornless Morph of the LQS Eternal Cosmic Dragon Set? Where?!

Sometimes artists on Twitter will show preview art that isn't sent in because their plans evolve, or because the art changes between WIP screenshots and the final form released in-game. The helms mentioned were not sent in, so weren't created. They can be added in the future, but there is no ETA.

Where can I submit storyline and single/two week release ideas?

Currently, we aren't accepting these ideas. But if that changes, the best place will be on the AQW Suggestions board on our forum.

When is the next 50% bonus acs?

No AC bonus planned for this month. We'll post when the next bonus begins once it gets closer. Keep an eye on the Design Notes for news.

Lots of Day X of asking for (thing)

My Twitter feed fills up pretty quickly, and I don't always have a lot of time to skim it and/or reply. Tweets like this come across pretty spammy, though I know that's not the intent (I hope O_O). To keep it as easy as possible to read my feed when time allows, I usually mute this type of tweet.

If you have a suggestion for an item, the best thing to do is post it on the AQW Suggestions board on our forum. 

Dage's Birthday Coming Soon: the AQW Art Forge is firing up again

Dage is getting the forge fired up to start this year's Legion set for the Birthday Collection in March. We're rallying all the AQW artists to begin crafting because...

Cylisse: February event scripts all approved

Cylisse, the AQW lead writer, says: All of February's scripts are set and approved! Now I'm rolling my sleeves up for March! That means, it's Dage time! There's a story I really want to write, and hopefully the pitch gets the Ok!
(Alina note: What a phenomenal script review call! Now.. on to DARKNESS. I am a huge fan of the first draft of the Dage event pitch... can't wait to see the final form!)

February 01, 2023

Obsidian Samurai Returns

Available every year from February 1st - 28th

February is a month of celebration... from ringing in the Yokai New Year to the SuperBowl /party all the way to Hero's Heart Day! To help ALL our heroes get in the spirit, this month's seasonal set features a new set straight out of Empress Miko's royal Yokai Court: the Obsidian Samurai.

Unlock the entire set: Buy pack on the website for $9.99 USD* then find all your gear in your Book of Lore badge shop.

Buy individual set items: Talk to Garek to get items from his shop in Battleon for AdventureCoins.

The Obsidian Samurai gear includes:

• Obsidian Samurai armor
• Samurai's Shadow Cape (glow is color-customizable)
• Obsidian Samurai Banners cape
• 2 battle helms
• 4 hair helms
• 5 weapons

* Unlocks an exclusive character page badge 

Seasonal Set Schedule

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