Design Notes

March 22, 2023

Midweek Update Medley

Bits, Bites, and Bytes of News for You

Hello all, and happy Wednesday! As we near the end of the month, we've got a melange of things you may be interested in and/or need to know about before we move into April. Read on for news, and then come back tomorrow for the April release calendar!

Upcoming Gear Sneak Peek

We've got some great gear heading your way. Check out previews below:

• New farmable Underworld Painsaw set arrives this week from Lae
• Tagai's very Good Mage and Rogue of Swordhaven
• Hikari's new Necromancer will teach you the meaning of pain
• Lae's dark new Druids will arrive in the near future

AQWorlds Moderator Call Update

Sora to Hoshi, the lead AQWorlds moderator, just sent the final list of candidates she wants for Wave 3. We're hoping to get emails out to that group soon.

She writes: Thanks to everyone who got the Mod Note in their inventory for being so patient with the gap between wave 2 and 3. With the holidays, the new year, and just STUFF it got pushed back farther than I wanted. Thanks for being patient.

AQW:Infinity + Artix On the Way to PAX East

From Artix in the latest AQW:Infinity Design Notes post: Here is your latest progress report. First up... I posted a video with both AdventureQuest Worlds Infinity and the existing web on YouTube for you.

Since the video was posted, we have replaced the backgrounds with the new higher quality one and added leaf particles and sun rays. It looks absolutely beautiful. With all of these characters on the screen, it still scrolls smoothly at 60 FPS on my iPhone.

Special Convention Item... for everyone?

We are building a special convention item. But we do not want anyone to miss out. So we are creating a code that can be shared. Anyone who gets the code from us at the convention can share it online for anyone who could not make it.

Who from the team will be there?

This is our very first PAX experience! Our current roster includes Dage, Zhoom, Jongaar, Despair, & Artix.  If you want anything signed, a selfie, or just want to say hi we are looking forward to meeting you. 

Ramadan Mubarak Wishes+ Player Request

To all our heroes celebrating Ramadan: the entire AE team and I hope the holiday brings you and your family health, happiness, and peace. For this year, and all the years to come, may you find prosperity and joy in all you do. Ramadan Mubarak!

إلى جميع أبطالنا الذين يحتفلون بشهر رمضان: فريق AE بأكمله وآمل أن يجلب لك العيد لك ولعائلتك الصحة والسعادة والسلام. لهذا العام وكل السنوات القادمة ، قد تجد الرخاء والسعادة في كل ما تفعله. رمضان مبارك!

Once again, many thanks to the very talented Yunashimi, an AQWorlds Hero and guest contributor, for creating this beautiful graphic. It captures the mood and feel of the holiday perfectly.

Player Requests + How an Idea Evolves

Over the years, we've received countless requests from players and team members alike to add in more "real world" items, your in-game hero can reflect who you are offline. A player on Twitter today asked if the hijab in the image above was available in-game, we thought: "No, but it could be!" 

Gathering feedback on the idea, I found:

• The leads loved the idea of giving players the option to wear an item that matters so much to them
• One of our Muslim testers really liked the idea, but was concerned because of a real-world situation happening in Iran where women are fighting for the choice not to wear headcoverings
• Several players on Discord expressed concern about releasing religious-based content / focusing on just one religion / making players feel forced to farm for a drop related to a religion they don't practice

In many other games, hairstyle selections include cultural headgear as an option. This feels like the right way for us to go, too.We are already working on adding more diverse hairs to Bev's Battleon Hair Shop in the near future.

Expanding on that plan by adding headcovering options from different cultures and groups makes the most sense, and gives to most flexibility and freedom of choice.

* Today, I was asked why I make an extra effort to post good wishes for Ramadan/Eid on social media. When I was young, I saw some of my Muslim neighbors experience hatred + abuse. The impact it had on them stayed with me ever since. Sending messages like this is a (small) way I can help people feel welcome.

Badger Byte #9846: NPC Friendship Timer Reminder

The NPC Friendship system uses our standard "clock resets at midnight" just like all the daily quests. (Originally, it used a true 24 hour clock, and reset 24 hours after your last interaction. This was very confusing to players, so we changed it.)

March 21, 2023

Now Available: Shadowy Scavenger Hunt

Log in and fight to complete today's new Scavenger Hunt

Recently, we've been making some changes to the daily login gift lineup based on your feedback. This month, we're trying out some different ideas. One of them is a weekly scavenger hunt; the first one ended last night, and our second one will be available until next Tuesday. The third hunt begins NOW as we race towards a new Ultra Boss battle this weekend!

To make sure everyone can easily find the clue itself, it drops off the Frogzard in /battleontown.

• Read + decipher the clue to figure out where the rewards are.
• Head to the monster you THINK has the new 0 AC rare drop and battle for a chance to get it
• The clue + 0 AC rare rewards will drop through April 3rd.

Check out last week's Lucky Scavenger Hunt in this post. Its clue + reward drop will be available until March 27th.

Note: you don't need to have the clue in your inventory or bank in order to get the reward drop from the monster. If you learn where it is from a friend, a video, or the wiki, that's also fine! Getting the clue just adds to the fun of the hunt for those who want the mental challenge.

March 20, 2023

Monday, March 20th Updates

New News and Updates Round-up

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. Read on to get all the latest news on updates, fixes, and sneak peeks.

Recent Bug Fixes

The following issues should have been resolved with last week's update: 

• The stray red pixel on Dage's Devastation armor was fixed.
• Dage's requested weapon upsizing was released.
• The missing UW3017 Shield armor is now available in the Dage's Dark Birthday Shop.
• If you were unable to continue the /siegefortress map, that was taken care of very early last week.

Upcoming Gear Sneak Peek

We've got some great gear heading your way. Check out previews below:

• Aranx's Good new gear
• Hikari's new Necromancer is gonna school you in the arts of the undead
• Check out Despera's fairy-ly gorgeous Spring set concept art
• Dino's puns are top notch... and so are these joke helms. 
• Kartos si Botax has a lato-lato pain heading your way with these new animated weapons.
• Mariartix! gonna make you /dance: new collab for Cinco de Mayo from Lae & Dino.
• Mihuri's Chancla weapons are a shoe-in for an April release date!

Dark Scavenger Hunt Leaves Tonight

The Frogzard in /battleontown drops the clue to the Dark Scavenger Hunt reward location until 11:59 PM EST tonight. Use the clue to figure out which monster drops a rare 0 AC daily login gift. (The item also goes rare tonight.)

Each Scavenger Hunt runs for 2 weeks. The Lucky Scavenger Hunt ends next week, and a brand-new Scavenger Hunt begins tomorrow.

Missing Pet Added 

The Original Bean Twilly pet now drops from the Treasure Pile in the /yulgarparty map! (h/t to AQW player Darches on Reddit for reminding me this had not been added.) 

Badger Byte #02865: Book of Lore Badges

Your Book of Lore houses MANY badges, but not all of them are under "Other Badges". Please look in your "Achievement Badges" for badges related to completing in-game objectives.

An EGG-cellent Spring Update: Bird Pets

Did you know... May 4th has been a holiday to celebrate our feather-y friends since 1892! Yesterday, a few players on Discord introduced me to the majesty of the Kiwi bird. AQW will add in a flock of new bird pets this Spring. What other birds should we add?

Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoo

AQW:Infinity + Artix Goes to PAX East

From Artix: Anyone going to PAX: East this week? Artix and the AE team will be running a booth there. Find all the info here: https://www.artix.com/posts/pax-east-2023/ We will also have a new convention item. 

In case you missed it: Pisces' Song Set

we added the first set in a new reward series based on Western astrology. As the year cycles through the zodiac signs, we'll release a new set matching its theme. This month: Pisces Song! Get more details + lore in the Design Notes.

Not Released, But Not Forgotten...

Last month, I received another request for more inclusive hairs, since we have only a small selection of them. This is still on the schedule! The assigned artist is currently working on a farming set for early April, but then will get cutting on this project.

Good Intention... of DOOM

Over the weekend, I saw a tweet asking about being able not being able to get a Dual Wield version of the NSoD (IoDA) from the /nostalgiaquest map. My normal response for issues like this is that we'll take a look, investigate, and see what we can do. The request sounded like a reasonable one that many players would enjoy. 

After seeing many responses that were pretty upset, I realized that I replied before fully investigating the details of this item. I assumed it was an issue with the removal of the Dual Wield shop from nostalgiaquest, which we may have been able to address. That is not what was being requested, though.

To help clear things up and avoid any more confusion or concern...

• No changes are planned, and a dual-wield version of the NSoD (IoDA) is not on the schedule.
• Our intent from the beginning was that an IoDA variant wouldn't give you access to the badge or other extras the original item unlocked. 
• The dual-wield shop was removed due to several issues with the shop. Though the merge shop glitch is fixed, having AC items in the shop caused additional issues. Also, multiple copies of similiar items caused more frustration. At this time, there are no plans to return it.

March 17, 2023

2023 Dark Birthday Collection Chest

Dage's Devastation Birthday Gear is HERE

Celebrate darkness, destruction, and Dage the Evil's birthday this weekend! Last week, we released part 1 of Dage's 2023 birthday event and collection; this week, we've added even MORE gear for all you wicked heroes and epic evil-doers. Featuring the Legion Devastator armor set created by Dage the Evil, the full collection includes over 135 event rare items: 13 armors, battle accessories, a quest pet, and a rare exclusive character page badge for 10,000 ACs! (50,000 ACs worth of gear)

There are two ways to get the gear:

• Get the full collection for 10,000 ACs and unlock over 50,000 ACs worth of gear 
• Check the Dark Birthday shop shop in your game menu to buy individual items from the collection

The collection includes:

• Dage's Devastation 2023 Collection Chest (unlocks the full collection shop)
• Proto Dark Caster set 
• Proto Dark Caster ground rune
• Proto Legion Dark Caster armor*
• Undead Adept set 
• Bestial Warlord of the Underworld
• Cyber Paragon set
• Floating Underworld Reaper cape
• Floating Underworld Judge cape
• Floating Evolved Paragon cape
• Dage the Evil's Legion Devastator set
• OverSoul DoomKnight set*
• Legion War Wraith (regular + shielded armor variants)
• Paragon Juggernaut set
• Legion Evocator set**
• Eternal Dark Spirit Flame cape
• Eternal Underworld Flame cape
• ShadowScythe Rune ground item
• Legionarius' Blades ground item
• Underworld Ritual Circle ground item
• Legion Warlord's Dragonblade pet
• Underworld Dragon pet + Bank pet
• Devastation Paragon pet
• Dage's Annihilator Paragon pet
• Dage's Annihilator Quest pet (with quest for exclusive character page badge)

* Armor is also available for Legion Tokens in the Future War merge shop
** Set includes regular + inverse gender armor variants
*** This set was originally drawn by Dage the Evil many years ago but never redone as a game file. The art was translated by AQW team artist, Dominik this year!

Just want a couple of the items listed above? Apart from the exclusive Dage's Devastation Collection Chest pet itself, all of the gear contained inside the Collection Chest will also be available individually in his Birthday Shop.

March 17, 2023

Dage & Gravelyn vs the Light

Dage's Dark Birthday 2023 Event continues this weekend!

Log in this weekend as we continue celebrating Dage the Evil's birthday with Part 2 of our "The Curse & The Blessing" story! The battle between the Shadowscythe and the Legion was interrupted by the machinations of an unknown Light Elemental. Now, you must battle once again as young Empress Gravelyn as she and Dage form a temporary alliance to rend the Light. O_O

Progression note: this is a continuation of the Nulgath 2023 Birthday Storyline, so make sure you've completed the quests in /templedelve first, then last week's update in /siegefortress.

New Dark Rewards

All month long, we'll be releasing new Legion and Underworld-themed reward sets for you to collect. All players can complete this weekend's release to unlock the Undead Parabellum, Underworld Infiltrator, and Young Empress Gravelyn gear!

Monster drops:

• Standing Skeleton Prisoner Floor item
• Kneeling Skeleton Prisoner Floor item
• Reading Skeleton Floor item
• Underworld Infiltrator Shurikens (single + dual wield)
• Underworld Infiltrator Fractal Ground Rune (1% boss drop)

Fortress Delve Merge Shop:

• Undead Parabellum armor
• 3 Undead Parabellum helms
• 4 Undead Parabellum capes
• Undead Parabellum Gauntlet (single + dual wield)
• Undead Parabellum Sword and Shield
• Undead Parabellum Hammer
• Undead Parabellum Blades
• Undead Parabellum Blade
• Underworld Infiltrator armor
• 2 Underworld Infiltrator helms
• Underworld Infiltrator Blade (single + dual wield)
• Young Empress' armor + blade

Undead Legion Gear

Available in the Undead Legion merge shop

• Underworld Parabellum armor
• 3 Underworld Parabellum helms
• 4 Underworld Parabellum capes
• Underworld Parabellum Gauntlet (single + dual wield)
• Underworld Parabellum Sword and Shield
• Underworld Parabellum Hammer
• Underworld Parabellum Blades
• Underworld Parabellum Blade

Available in the Dark Birthday merge shop

• Proto Legion Dark Caster armor
• 2 Proto Legion Dark Caster helms
• Proto Legion Dark Caster Ancient Rune
• Proto Legion Dark Caster Focus Rune

The Proto Legion Dark Caster merge shop gear will go rare next month when the Dage's Devastation Birthday Collection leaves.

Undead Legion Exclusive items coming next week:

• Legion Yulgar's Inn house
• Dage the Lich King house guard (with animation that stares into your soul)
• Dage's Devastation Paragon helm (the same as the one the 2023 Paragon pet wears)

If you're not a member of the Undead Legion, never fear! You, too, can sell your soul to Dage the Evil and become a part of his immortal army.

Happy Lucky Day, Heroes!

Are you feelin' LUCKY today, heroes? You're going to need it if you want to our new Lucky Day armor set. Battle the Pot o' Gold in the /luck map to collect all the pieces of the 0 AC Jackpot Winner armor, helm, and house guards!

March 13, 2023

Now Available: Lucky Scavenger Hunt

Log in and fight to complete today's new Scavenger Hunt

Recently, we've been making some changes to the daily login gift lineup based on your feedback. This month, we're trying out some different ideas. One of them is a weekly scavenger hunt; the first one began last week, and our second one begins NOW as we prepare to celebrate the most RNG-iest holiday of them all... Lucky Day!

To make sure everyone can easily find the clue itself, it drops off the Frogzard in /battleontown.

• Read + decipher the clue to figure out where the rewards are.
• Head to the monster you THINK has the 10 new rare drops and battle for a chance to get them
• The clue + 0 AC rare rewards will drop through March 27th

Check out last week's Dark Scavenger Hunt in this post. Its clue + reward drop will be available until March 20th.

Note: you don't need to have the clue in your inventory or bank in order to get the reward drop from the monster. If you learn where it is from a friend, a video, or the wiki, that's also fine! Getting the clue just adds to the fun of the hunt for those who want the mental challenge.

March 13, 2023

New Set Series: Zodiac Heroes

In case you missed it last week...

In addition to all of the Dage's Birthday event quests + rewards that came out last week, we also added the first in of a new monthly farming reward series based on the sun signs of Western astrology: the Zodiac Heroes! We'll release a new set to match each of the astrological signs as the year cycles through them. This month, we're bringing you... the Pisces Song set featuring the silver and golden Pisces Maestro gear! 

Talk to Kylokos the Astromancer, in the Arcangrove Observatory tower. Complete her quest to collect Star Shards; in return, she'll gift you pieces of the Pisces' Song set, available until March 20th!

Complete her quest to choose individual pieces of the set:

• Golden Pisces Maestro
• Golden Pisces Hair
• Golden Pisces Locks
• Golden Pisces Feathered Hair
• Golden Pisces Feathered Locks
• Golden Pisces Cradle Wings
• Golden Pisces Fae Wings
• Golden Pisces Lyre
• Golden Pisces Misty Aura
• Silver Pisces Maestro
• Silver Pisces Feathered Hair
• Silver Pisces Feathered Locks
• Silver Pisces Cradle Wings
• Silver Pisces Fae Wings
• Silver Pisces Lyre 

Our set release dates will match as closely as possible to the date ranges of the Zodiac signs listed below. Next constellation set: Aries the Bull! 

Lore's Astromancers + Western Astrology

On Lore, Astromancers channel their magic through the power of the stars, their movements, and their affinities. They draw in power through the ley lines that surround the planet, then "hook in" to the magic of other planets surrounds ours. To make the most of their power, then, it makes sense that Astromancers on Lore would be adept in the use of both astronomy and astrology*. 

Astronomy is the study of the positions, motions, and properties of the stars. 
Astrology is the study of how those positions, motions, and properties affect people** and events on Earth (and Lore)

The western zodiac is divided into 12 signs, with each corresponding to a section of the sky in the path of the sun as it moves across the "celestial sphere" over the course of the year. Each section roughly corresponds with a constellation it contains.

A person's sign is determined by the position of the sun in the sky (/ which zodiac section it is in) at the moment of their birth. Because the sun occupies each section of the zodiac for about a month, the signs are also known as sun signs.

The zodiac has been used, in one form or another, back to the 1st century BC. From the Romans to today, people throughout history have been fascinated by the idea that the stars can guide our destinies, and even influence our personalities.

* I knew some of this but WOW, I learned a lot while researching this idea. All the above info on the zodiac is courtesy of Wikipedia.
** It is said a person's sun sign can influence their intelligence, personality, temperament, and character traits.

March 10, 2023

2023 Dark Birthday Collection Chest

Dage's Devastation Birthday Gear is HERE

Celebrate darkness, destruction, and Dage the Evil's birthday this weekend! Last week, Dage's seasonal birthday event returned; this week, we've got a whole new collection of gear for 2023 featuring the Legion Devastator armor set created by Dage the Evil! Unlock over 120 event rare items: 11 armors, battle accessories, a quest pet, and a rare exclusive character page badge for 10,000 ACs! (45,000 ACs worth of gear)

There are two ways to get the gear:

• Get the full collection for 10,000 ACs and unlock over 45,000 ACs worth of gear 
• Check the Dark Birthday shop shop in your game menu to buy individual items from the collection

This week:

• Dage's Devastation 2023 Collection Chest (unlocks the full collection shop)
• Dage the Evil's Legion Devastator set
• OverSoul DoomKnight set*
• Legion War Wraith (regular + shielded armor variants)
• Paragon Juggernaut set
• Legion Evocator set**
• Eternal Dark Spirit Flame cape
• Eternal Underworld Flame cape
• ShadowScythe Rune ground item
• Legionarius' Blades ground item
• Underworld Ritual Circle ground item
• Legion Warlord's Dragonblade pet
• Underworld Dragon pet + Bank pet
• Devastation Paragon pet
• Dage's Annihilator Paragon pet
• Dage's Annihilator Quest pet (with quest for exclusive character page badge)
• And more!

Dage's 2023 Dark Birthday Rares Shop and the Dage's Devastation Collection will be updated next week, too, with even more gear! The full collection includes over 120 items, plus a character page badge and the Collection Chest pet! If you buy the chest this week, you'll automatically receive the new items with the next release.

* Set includes regular + inverse gender armor variants
** This set was originally drawn by Dage the Evil many years ago but never redone as a game file. The art was translated by AQW team artist, Dominik this year!

Coming to the Collection and Birthday Rares Shop next week:

• Proto Dark Caster set 
• Undead Adept set 
• Bestial Warlord of the Underworld
• Floating Underworld Reaper cape
• Floating Underworld Judge cape
• Floating Evolved Paragon cape
• and more!

Proto Dark Caster set

Years ago, Dage the Evil created a wicked Dark Caster armor. Sadly, the file was lost... until AQW guest artist, Alvaro surprised us by recreating the files. Dage gave his blessing for the set to release in this year's Birthday collection chest!

Undead Adept set

Pieces of the Undead Adept set will also be available for Legion Tokens.

Bestial Warlord

Just want a couple of the items listed above? Apart from the exclusive Dage's Devastation Collection Chest pet itself, all of the gear contained inside the Collection Chest will also be available individually in his Birthday Shop.

March 10, 2023

Dage, Gravelyn, & Sepulchure Are Waiting...

Dage's Dark Birthday 2023 Event continues this weekend!

Log in this weekend as we continue celebrating Dage the Evil's birthday with Part 1 of our "The Curse & The Blessing" story! Battle as the young Empress Gravelyn as she fights to defend her father's fortress from Undead Legion invaders while he recovers from injury.

Progression note: this is a continuation of the Nulgath 2023 Birthday Storyline, so make sure you've completed the quests at /templedelve first!

New Dark Rewards

All month long, we'll be releasing new Legion and Underworld-themed reward sets for you to collect. All players can complete this weekend's release to unlock the ShadowScythe BladeMaster,  Abyssal Frost Samurai, and Underworld Lich sets! 

Monster drops:

• Underworld Lich armor, helm, and wings
• Abyssal Frost Samurai armor
• 2 Abyssal Frost Samurai helms
• Abyssal Frost Samurai Spirit cape
• 4 Abyssal Frost Samurai weapons
• Sword of the Underworld (single + dual wield)

Shakaz Merge Shop:

• ShadowScythe BladeMaster armor
• 4 ShadowScythe BladeMaster helms 
• ShadowScythe Banner
• Necrotic Katana of Doom (single + dual wield)
• Sheathed Necrotic Katana of Doom
• Necrotic Naginata of Doom
• 3 Abyssal Frost Samurai helms
• Enchanted Abyssal Frost Samurai Spirit cape

Undead Legion Gear

Available in the Undead Legion merge shop

• Seven Circles Beast Warrior
• Ancient Underworld Wraith's Hood
• Ancient Underworld Wraith's Cape
• Legion Bone Crusher Mace (single + dual wield)
• Legion Bone Crusher Mace + Shield

Available in the Future War merge shop

• Legion MK 6 Hood

Drops from the First Class Entertainment quest

• Underworld Dragon Guard house item

If you're not a member of the Undead Legion, never fear! You, too, can sell your soul to Dage the Evil and become a part of his immortal army.

Join us to celebrate in the Underworld this weekend! OR ELSE.

Battle through all of Dage the Evil's returning birthday zones, take on wicked bosses, and check out his seasonal birthday gear shop. Return next Friday, March 18th for the next update in our birthday event: the Master of the Underworld WAR! 

Log in and battle through the following zones to get wicked reward drops:

• /darkbirthday
• /undervoid
• /futurewar
• /futurelegion
• /futurewardage
• /legionarena
• /sevencircles - NEW!

Who is Dage the Evil?

If you're just joining us, you might not know who Dage the Evil is. In-game, Dage the Evil is the leader of the Undead Legion, ruler of the Underworld, and the Dark Weaponsmith. Many years ago, in the real world, the artist behind the NPC started releasing more and more rewards for his birthday until it became an annual, fan-favorite holiday. But the zones for his one, true love... PVP... are availalbe all year long!

Underworld PVP zones:

• Underworld Team PVP: /join dagepvp and choose which team you want to fight for
• Underworld 1v1 PVP: /join dage1v1 and go head to head with your friend... or a stranger
• Collect Legion Combat Trophies in the Team PVP map 
• Complete Dumoose's daily quest in the 1v1 map to get Legion PVP Trophies
• Spend your trophies on all-new undead-themed rewards

March 07, 2023

Now Available: Dark Scavenger Hunt

Log in and fight to complete today's new Scavenger Hunt

Recently, we've been making some changes to the daily login gift lineup based on your feedback. This month, we're trying out some different ideas. One of them is a weekly scavenger hunt... and we're starting NOW!

To make sure everyone can easily find the clue itself, it drops off the Frogzard in /battleontown.

• Read + decipher the clue to figure out where the reward is.
• Head to the monster you THINK has the drop and battle for a chance to get it
• The clue + 0 AC rare reward will drop through March 20th

Note: you don't need to have the clue in your inventory or bank in order to get the reward drop from the monster. If you learn where it is from a friend, a video, or the wiki, that's also fine! Getting the clue just adds to the fun of the hunt for those who want the mental challenge.

March 06, 2023

Monday, March 6th Updates

New News and Updates Round-up

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. Read on to get all the latest news on updates, fixes, and sneak peeks.

Recent Bug Fixes

The following issues should have been resolved with yesterday's server restart: 

• NPC Friendship hearts still missing
• Inability to give gifts to NPCs 
• Bugged guild commands
• Some enemies unable to be stunned

AQW:Infinity + Artix Goes to PAX East

AdventureQuest Worlds: Infinity is going to PAX: East. Read Artix's full post on the game's final (for real this time) name and keep checking back for more updates on the mobile port of AQWorlds: https://aq2d.com/posts/

NPC Art Sneak Peek

New NPC art preview from Hikari of Young Gravelyn. Go back in time and battle as Young Empress Gravelyn during Part 1 of our "Dage the Evil: The Curse and The Blessing" story event. Our Month of EVIL events continues this weekend.

NPC Friendship System update

Dialogue updates: Last week, we added Gravelyn, Dage, and Nulgath to the NPC Friendship map in /battleodium. In response to your feedback, Cylisse wrote the new NPCs’ talk dialogue to be more unique to their characters. In the future, we’ll add new NPCs like this or circle back to give the older NPCs refreshed dialogue.

Player Request: MORE GOOD GEAR!

The message: Last week, AQW Hero TheLynxDev tweeted: "It feels like the past two months have been months of evil. Can Good and Chaos get some love for a change, in new Rares, classes, and stories? I'm pretty tired of every Rare shop lately having nothing but Evil items that wouldn't fit my character."

The reply: This came up at yesterday's schedule + script review. Good-themed items have been coming in as we prepare for Swordhaven's restoration (now that Queen Victoria has time focus on local matters). Keep an eye on the post-March schedule for more info!

Community Spotlight: IRL DragonFable Play

Check this out and give them some love! An English teacher in Istanbul put on a play based on DragonFable's book one. This is incredible! Congratulations to the teacher and all their students! https://youtube.com/watch?v=427ZpO4yf-U

Update: the teacher reached out to me on twitter. "Hello Alina. It's me Kaan.The owner of the project.I play the role of Mysterious Stranger and my students are 5th, 6th and 7th graders.They overcome all the stage fear and English speaking fear just for the sake of AQW and Dragonfable.They love it! Full theatre is coming tonight!"

March 05, 2023

Sunday Updates and Fixes!

Sunday Updates #5 - March 5, 2023

Haii! (Yoshino here under the Alina disguise.. shhh) We are aware of the following recent issue:

Combat Issues

• Some monsters gained the ability to be stunned that weren't previously stunnable.
• Some monsters also lost the ability to be immune to stuns.

Fixes? You got them!

With tonight's restart.. (well, double restarts!), these issues have been addresed:

Friendships Bug

• Resolved the issue between being unable to talk/gift every day which essentially locked the option of only doing 1 of those every other day.

Guild Commands

• Resolved the issue between being unable to use any guild commands while in a guild.

Wanna read more like these? Check out the previous one here!

March 03, 2023

Spring 2023 AdventureCoin Bonus

Get 50% more ACs with any Membership or AC Pack

Your luck is in! To help you celebrate and make the most of all our March and Spring holiday events, for a limited time, get 50% more FREE bonus AdventureCoins with any AdventureCoin or Membership package you buy during our Spring AdventureCoins bonus! 

If you bought any AdventureCoin or Membership package in the 24 hours before the bonus began (at 12:01 AM EST today), good news! Captain Rhubarb ran a query earlier today to give you the extra ACs, so it's like you got the AC bonus, too

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

During our 2023 Spring AdventureCoin 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

Wait...AdventureCoin Bonus?!

That's right! Several times each year, we have bonus AdventureCoin offers, where we'll increase the amount of ACs you get with each pack. (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.

March 03, 2023

Dage's Dark Birthday Returns

Our Triple Update of Evil is now available!

Evil has taken over Lore this weekend! Log in this now because Dage's seasonal Dark Birthday zones and gear are back, along with the oh-so-evil RNG-themed minigames in the Lucky Day Fair. Plus, find Gravelyn, Dage, and Nulgath in /battleodium as we update our NPC Friendship system with your new BFFs (best fiends forever). Then join us on March 10th and 17th for an Undead x DOOM-filled story adventure!

Battle through Dage's Dark Birthday zones to get wicked reward drops:

• /darkbirthday
• /undervoid
• /futurewar
• /futurelegion
• /futurewardage
• /legionarena
• /dage
• /ultradage

Underworld PVP zones:

• Underworld Team PVP: choose which team you want to fight for in /dagepvp
• Underworld 1v1 PVP: go head to head with other heroes in /dage1v1

Dark New Quests + Reward Gear

Rand, Dage's first General of the Legion, could use a hand. And maybe some help with his memories. Talk to him in the /darkbirthday map, complete his quests, and he'llll pay you in gear + Legion secrets!

Monster Drops: /join abysslair

• Urban Underworld Gear
• 2 Urban Underworld Hairs
• Sheathed Underworld Katana cape
• Sheathed Underworld Rage cape
• Electric Underworld Katana
• Electric Underworld Rage blade
• Dark Artist's wrap

Abyssal Merge Shop Items: /join abysslair

• Ripper Blade of the Underworld (single + dual wield)
• Sheathed Soul Devouring Katana (single + dual wield)
• Urban Underworld Outfit
• 6 Urban Underworld Hairs
• Electric Underworld Katanas
• Urban Underworld Rages

Undead Legion Items in the Abyssal Merge Shop

• Ascended Legion Evoker armor
• Ascended Legion Evoker's Hair + Locks
• Ascended Legion Evoker's Staff
• Blade of Malevolence (single + dual wield)
• Legion Malignant Blade (single + dual wield)
• Devouring Legion Rune cape
• Reaping Scythe of the Legion
• Reaping Scythe of the Legion cape

Who is Dage the Evil?

If you're just joining us, you might not know who Dage the Evil is. In-game, Dage the Evil is the leader of the Undead Legion, ruler of the Underworld, and the Dark Weaponsmith. Many years ago, in the real world, the artist behind the NPC started releasing more and more rewards for his birthday until it became an annual, fan-favorite holiday. But the zones for his one, true love... PVP... are availalbe all year long!

Members of the Undead Legion will also be able to craft items for gear exclusive to Dage the Evil's most loyal followers. If you're not a member of the Undead Legion, never fear! You, too, can sell your soul to Dage the Evil and become a part of his immortal army.

Dark Caster Class Series Returns

The Undead Legion is made up of Lore's finest undead (and not-undead-yet) warriors. That is why we made sure to make ALL the Dark Caster Class skills, tied to art created by Dage just for his birthday. Each class is available from Dage's Dark Birthday Shop for 2,000 ACs and will return each year for his birthday.

• Infinite Dark Caster Class uses the Evolved DC class skills
• Timeless Dark Caster Class uses the Arcane DC class skills
• Immortal Dark Caster Class uses the original DC class skills

Original Class owners: If you have the original Dark Caster Class, you get the Immortal Dark Caster Class for FREE. Talk to Dage in the /darkbirthday map to complete his quest to claim your free class. 

Evil NPC Friendship Update

Gravelyn, Dage, and Nulgath have been added to our NPC Friendship system in /battleodium. Talk to your new BFFs (best fiends forever) + give them gifts to build your friendship levels. Earn Void Auras from Gravelyn, Legion Tokens from Dage, and Unidentified 10 from Nulgath. 

NPC Rewards

* Membership in the Undead Legion is required to get Legion Tokens.

NPC Friendship System Tips and Tricks

Track your friendship levels in 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!

The Shamrock Fair Returns for Lucky Day

Do ya feel lucky, Hero? I hope so, because this weekend, The Shamrock Fair returns as we celebrate Lucky Day all month long! Log in for one of the most colorful holiday events of the year.

Lucky Day Fair events:

• Double gold and rep server boost 
• Play minigames to collect Golden Tickets
• Unlock the Evolved Leprechaun Class
• Seasonal items and bosses return

You can access the Fair now when you /join Luck, and then continue to taste the painbow in the /rainbow and /hedge maps!

Don't miss the many minigames you'll find at the Shamrock Fair:

• Clover Fields (Legend-only)
• Jackpot o' Gold
• Rainbow Run
• Ring Toss
• Smack A Sneevil
• Shamrock Smash
• Battle Gems Mini

Save up the Golden Tickets you earn from the minigames to purchase gear from the Lucky Day Shamrock Fair Merge Shop, and if you get a Lucky Hat or Lucky Top Hat from the Fair Token Shop, you'll earn double the number of Golden Tickets from any minigame you play!

The veil between our world and the Fae is thin enough for you to return to the realm of the Fairy Queen. Battle the Trickster in /pooka for a chance to unlock magical fae-themed gear in a story based on the Celtic lore of the Pooka.

The Luckiest Class: Evolved Leprechaun!

Most people find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we found the Evolved Leprechaun Class, and we can't think of a better Hero to /equip it than YOU.

You can get the Evolved Leprechaun Class in 2 ways:

• Buy the Evolved Leprechaun Class with 2,000 AdventureCoins
• Turn in 12 Lucky Clovers, 20 Rainbow Shards, and 2,000 Golden Tickets to the Lucky Day Shamrock Fair Merge Shop, run by Mog O’Rahilly

Make your friends GREEN with envy as you battle through this Luckiest of months filled with LUK, leprechauns, and LOTS of loot!

March 03, 2023

Paragon of Doom Sets

Upgrade to unlock the exclusive armor sets

I am neither Dage nor Sepulchure! I am the one who will defeat you... and everyone else that stands in my way! Undead x DOOM FUSION HA! Get the Paragon of Doom upgrade bonus pack when you buy any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more and unlock both the Paragon of Doom and ShadowScythe Paragon sets, over 30 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 Paragon of Doom upgrade bonus to unlock 2 full Undead x DOOM armor sets: Paragon of Doom and ShadowScythe Paragon

• 2 Armors
• 6 Helms
• 6 Capes
• 2 Daggers
• 2 Gauntlets
• 4 Swords
• 2 Ground Items
• Mini Paragon of Doom Pet
• Mini ShadowScythe Paragon Pet
• Paragon of Doom's Blade Pet
• ShadowScythe Paragon's Blade Pet
• and a character page badge

Plus 2 exclusive animated house items:

• Paragon of DOOM Guard
• Dage x Sepulchure Fusion

Once you've chosen the Paragon of Doom pack 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 Paragon of Doom 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 Paragon of Doom gear
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts 
• and a character page badge