Design Notes

December 04, 2012

Time for Victory

Confront The Span's Chaos Beast AND Chaos Lord!

Crash into the Chaos Beast battle this Friday! In The Span, Chaos Beast Kathool – a near-immortal creatureimmune to Time – has allied with Drakath and rises to confront you!* Victory against the Chaos Beast unlocksthe battle against Iadoa, the Chronomancer Chaos Lord! Summon your strength, Hero; Lore’s existence depends on your success!

Will you have time to defeat the Chaos Beast AND Chaos Lord?

Did You Say Chaos Beast Kathool?

You read right,apprentice Loremasters! Kathool is the first self-aware Chaos Beast, and there's a good reason it was chosen for that purpose. When a new Chaos Beast is raised - or takes over the position of its own accord, in this case - the Chaos Lord's purpose is fulfilled.* And for a creature as power-hungry and self-assured as Kathool is, the temptation to use Chaos - and the Chaos Lord - for its own ends is too enticing! 

Log in this Friday to learn how Kathool chose to become the Chaos Beast, what it plans to do with its new power, and what the Chronomancer Chaos Lord will do to ensure that you fulfill your destiny!** 

* Drakath has never required the Death of a Chaos Beast, just the power gained when each rises.
** Choose wisely and you may also learn the truth of your role on Lore! Who ARE you, Hero? 

Events and Shops Coming and Going!

Make sure you don't miss the following arrivals and departures of our recent releases and shops:

• Previous years' Frostval events (and seasonal rares) return tomorrow!
• The Dark Harvest event leaves tomorrow!
• The Black Friday (seasonal) and Fall Fire (permarare) shops leave tomorrow!
• The Span War leaves on Friday!
• Quibble Coinbiter returns this Friday! See the next Design Notes for previews of available items!

What's Coming in December!

The holidays are here, and that means even MORE is happening in AQWorlds than usual!

• 12/7 - The Span finale: battle Kathool and Chaos Lord Iadoa!
• 12/12 - Not just another day! The time has come for an ancient evil to rise!
• 12/21 - The 2012 Frostval event continues! As the Heroes of Lore, we will NOT let our world end, no matter WHAT ancient evils (or nebulous prophecies) have planned!
• 12/28 - New Year's event! 2013 is here! 

SPOILERS: Get ready to battle on, because 2013 will be the most Chaotic year yet in AQWorlds! Chaorruption floods Lore as Drakath moves to open the Chaos Gate!

November 26, 2012

Fight to the War's Finish

The Chaos Twins have BIG plans for you, Hero!

Shatter the chains that have trapped The Span's golems! War in /TheSpan rages, and your goal is to destroy Drakath's new army... and save the Chaos Lord! Once the war meter hits 100%, use the button on the war meter to go straight to the boss and take it down!

Doing the unexpected is what Xing and Xang do best!

Those who seek out Chaos will be happy with the rewards; for those ready to CRUSH Chaos, hold on to the Chaos Hourglass that drops from the monster. It will come in handy with Friday's release! Speaking of...

Friday: Chaos in Outer Space!

Mecha, monsters, and MASSIVE amounts of super-spaced out rewards await you in Friday's newest Chaos zone update. You'll need to gather and save what you can of Professor Iadoa's mind, battle the final Proto-Chaos Beast, and return home safely or your true destiny will never be realized!

Make sure your energy blades are charged!

NEXT week you will face the Chaos Beast AND the Chaos Lord... but first you'll need to conquer deep space... and an all-new miniboss!

Frostval is Coming in December!

You might have heard warnings that a cataclysmic something-or-other is about to strike, but what we should really be focusing on is... FROSTVAL! I don't know about you, but the AQW team LOVES this holiday!

Have you been a Good Hero... or an Evil Hero?

The cheer, the chill air, and all the presents we get to give!* Nothing's going to stop us from making this the biggest, best Frostval celebration yet! With you on our side, this is definitely NOT going to be just another day!

* Like bringing you Dage's Sword of the Legion Shop!

Treasure Chest Update!

Grab your inventories and check for treasure chests! If you've got any laying around, you'll want to log in this Friday because there will be all-new items available from the Treasure Chest quest. Members get two FREE Treasure Chest keys every month their upgrade is active; you'll need a Treasure Chest key to try for a reward!

Make sure to bring your Treasure Chest Keys!

Remember, you can get more Treasure Chest Keys from Twilly in Battleon with Adventure Coins, or just sell the unopened chests for a little extra gold if you don't want to see what is inside!

September 14, 2012

The Span's First Chaos Beast

Learn from Iadoa before he's fully Chaorrupted!

Take on the ultimate enemy this week in The Span! As Iadoa struggles to battle the Chaorruption infecting him, YOU need to battle the zone's first Chaos Beast! Will he be able to hold on long enough to teach you what you need to know in order to defeat Chaos?

Battle through a reconstruction of the AdventureQuest timeline. Take on a vicious fire dragon, study in the Temple of Hope, and defeat the ultimate Chaos-construct: Carnax, the zone's first Chaos Beast! Of all the creatures and golems he's created so far, Carnax is Iadoa's most EPIC one yet!

Ultra-Carnax drops the Reign Gatekeeper Armor!

After playing through the release, members can access the Member-only Ultra Carnax Challenge Fight! You'll need a whole party, because his knockout LAZAR-punch can hit for 8,000 damage! But that damage is divided by the number of people in your /party! Victory comes with character and Book of Lore badges!

August 17, 2012

Learn how AQW began

By Journeying to the Time Void in The Span!

Return to Chaos this week as Iadoa takes you on a journey across Time itself! If you wondered how AQWorlds was created from 3 divergent timelines, then this is the release for you! But can you trust Iadoa? A Chronomancer who has fallen - even in part - to Chaos? How do you know he is leading you onto your path of destiny?

Time Travel Fairies are dangerous! Don't blink or you'll miss their attack!

Your quest to seek out the Eternal Dragon of Time leads you to the Time Void, but knowledge comes at a cost. Prove yourself to Vaxt Ahas, the Unending, to gain access to the information you seek.

Do not taunt the Eternal Dragon of Time!

And don't miss the new rewards in The Span's rep shop! The Soul Banisher Armor, the Baconing Mace, Glaive of the Orb Staff, Beams of Celeritas Wings... there is new gear for both members and non-members!

And if you take on the Unending Avatar boss and win, there are even MORE rewards to earn!

VIDEO BONUS SPOILER*: Click here to see Samba narrate the final cutscene! Hysterical!

*Do NOT watch under after completing the release!

Quibble Coinbiter Returns to Battleon!

Quibble Coinbiter is BACK with never-before-seen-slightly-used items items** from your past, present, and future! 

Loco Costume with the Glaive of the Orb staff (in The Span Rep Shop)

• Technomancer Armor
• ChickenCow Suit set
• Performing Ubear Suit set
• Kathool Adept
• Loki Mecha
• Dravir Armor set
• Prismatic Galactimech set

• Twig's Fwish Pet
• Gween Pet
• SpaceCat Pet
• Dragonhand Mace
• Mega Dragonblade
• Dew Dancer Wings
• And more!

**Unless you've played AdventureQuest, DragonFable, and Mech

Dark Caster Class is live!

If you're one of the 4,000 people who held onto their Dark Caster armor from Dage's birthday shop a few years ago, then you'll want to /join Shadowfall to begin Dage's Dark Caster Class quest! Brave a terrifying dragon to acquire the priceless artifact Dage MUST have! Bring it to him and the Dark Caster Class will be yours!

You must have the original Dark Caster armor to go on the quest. Dark Caster X armor does not unlock the quest.

Convince Dage to give you a reward!

Dage the Evil has said his Paragon will not be released since his side lost the war. Get the Legion War Meter up to 100% and MAYBE he will change his mind! It couldn't hurt, right?

New Matomy Ad Offer on AExtras!

From August 17th until September 2nd, Matomy is running a special AExtras offer! ONE lucky player who completes an offer will win the grand prize: a combo pack of the black Artix and Sepulchure action figures! You can also win either 3,000 or 4,500 ACs!

Click here to begin participating in AExtras offers! (Make sure you have a separate email just for doing this.)

August 13, 2012

The Dragon of Time

Return to The Span this Friday to learn more!

Very long ago but not so far away, Galanoth slew the Dragon of Time. Very little is known of this creature except that it is vital to your existence... and Lore's. Why did Galanoth slay it and what does its death mean for you? Battle through the TimeVoid across the back of the Vaxt Ahas, the Un-Ending, to find out this Friday!

J6's To-Do List: "Space Snake." Check!

But first, check out Dage the Evil's concept sketch for the Dragon's still art:

Battle-scarred and wise, the Dragon of Time would have taught you much.

Dragon of Time? Wait... what?!

Those of you who have battled with us for a few years may remember the Design Notes post from 2009 where Sepulchure teases you with not-quite-enough information about this timeless being:

The Prologue's Prologue
When Galanoth's blade struck true, he slew the Eternal Dragon of time and destroyed everything... creating the void. A vast empty wasteland of nothingness. Reality was literally, uncreated. They say mortals could not comprehend what happened next. I beg to differ.

I think if you looked inside that slain Eternal Dragon you would find an shattered Hour Glass where his heart should be. The Hour Glass would be bleeding out the sands of time on the floor... but before the last drop of sand fell, ending everything.

Someone (or more likely... someTHING) must have noticed that there was not one hourglass in that Dragon's chest... but three!

Quibble Coinbiter Returns to Battleon Friday!

Quibble has traveled many light-years and alternate-timelines to bring you this gear straight from your past, present, and future! You can see a partial list of what he'll be stocking in this Design Notes post! We'll have more previews of the rest of Quibble's inventory later this week.

Technomancer and Dravir Armors from DragonFable!

But if the above picture isn't enough, and we're sure it isn't, here's a list of what else to look forward to:

• Tonbo-Giri polearm from AdventureQuest
• The Baconing Mace from DragonFable
• Antique Frying Pan from MechQuest
• And more!

Dark Caster Class Release Planned for Friday!

Cysero and Yorumi have designed the skills for the incredibly offensive, single-target Dark Caster Class... and now Dage is working on its art. We WANT to release the Class this Friday. Barring unforeseen obstructions to that, we will.

Remember, you must have the ORIGINAL Dark Caster Armor to unlock the path you'll take to get to the Dark Caster Class. Dage's evil mind is feverishly working on the details of just what price you'll have to pay to get it! We'll announce more details once they're finalized.

The Lorelympics Shop Leaves Now!

Originally, we announced that the Lorelympics shop would be up for a week. In the spirit of fostering healthy competition, and because so many of you asked nicely, we left the shop up until the end of the Olympics. That was yesterday, and so down it comes today.

I hope you got all the gear you were after, because we're not sure when the shop will return! (Possibly in two years.)

Yorumi's Quest to Crush Bugs Continues!

The lag has been better recently - but BETTER isn't GOOD ENOUGH! Yorumi has a list of things to try which should hopefully help reduce lag... or show us what else might! He also fixed one very colorful chat bug over the weekend and another earlier today.

With your help in reporting the botters and cheaters who break the game, we will continue working hard to make AQWorlds the best game it can be! We are very, very lucky to have so many players who want to make the game safe and secure for ALL players. For that, we thank you.

Cyser-notes Tomorrow!

You might have noticed that you haven't heard much from Cysero recently. While the rest of the team and I have been hard at work creating your weekly releases, Cysero has been pushing on some MUCH needed updates to the game. These should hopefully improve your in-game experience.* He'll have more details about his projects tomorrow!

* But are not gameplay functionality. Guilds is still in progress, as are new tradeskills.

PS: More news about the war and rewards tomorrow!

July 24, 2012

More Chaos, Servers, Fixes

This is the week of MORE in AQWorlds!

It's only Tuesday and we already know this is going to be a VERY full week! A lot of work is going into a lot of projects - fixing the lag, getting two new servers for AQW, more chaos, more war items, and more work on future releases!

More Fixes: Attacking the Lag on PTR!

Yorumi has been pushing all weekend, yesterday, and today as we work on getting the servers in shape. We're going to punch lag in its code! Over the past few days, he has worked on inventory load times, login lag (if you see all of the characters in Battleon drawing quickly, that is the reduction of login lag), fixing the friends list, and logging, tracking, and tracing the causes of AQW's lag.

He's spent so much time staring at a wall of scrolling code, we are pretty sure he's devloped the ability to look into the mAEtrix. /Cheer him on!

More Chaos: A new update in The Span!

The Span: A town full of people you don't know, but almost remember. Monsters you are fighting for the first time, but whose attacks seem so familiar. Streets you've never walked in a town that feels like a place you once called home.

This is but one hall in the Library of Time. You will not see them all.

Return to The Span this week to begin the storyline which will teach you much about Time, Drakath... and your Destiny! Meet a stranger you already know. He will send you on the journey of a lifetime - many lifetimes. His lessons begins this week inside the Library of Time, but what you learn will help you prevent the end of Lore!

More War Items: The battle continues!

Dage, Nulgath, and their minions are hard at work crafting gear to drive you towards their goals! This week, we will update each of their war shops with a new item. The rewards keep coming as war rages on in the Underworld!

More AQW Servers: Yorumi and Zazul!

While we're rebuilding our server code to be better, stronger, and faster... we thought we'd add in two more! With more servers, you'll have more room to adventure with your /party and find new /friends!

This week we're working on getting those added to the game. It takes a lot to add a new server. We need the server itself, an IP for it, software licensing, a good deal of new code, and then there's attaching it to the game itself. We are trying to get them to launch this week, but won't release them until they are ready.

More Better Things in the Future: Looking Ahead!

Every week we push on that weekend's release, but there is SO much going on in the background. From making new ads to producing rewards for HeroMart, creating new website graphics (like login screens and homepage banners) to going back and cleaning up old bugs/areas of the game... there is ALWAYS more to do!

Like Cysero's current project: completely re-doing the tutorial area for AQWorlds. We're going to clean it up and make it a LOT easier for new players to learn how the game is played. All of the original intro content will be available, and the intro cutscene isn't changing, but future AQW players will have a much brighter, much cleaner first adventure through Lore!

June 22, 2012

Time For Release!

Golden Plate Promo!

The Golden Rule: Those who have the gold... make the rules. Our special limited time GOLDEN PLATE PROMO is now live!

This has temporarily replaced the standard 1 Year Membership package for the same discounted price, and will only last for a limited time. Once the Promotion ends... this set will go RARE and the 1 Year Membership package will go back to normal.

The Golden Plate Promo comes with:

• 1 Year of AQW Membership
• 7000 AdventureCoins (1000 more than normal)
• The Golden Plate Armor
• The Golden Cape
• The Golden helm
• The Golden Axe
• VIP Armor
• VIP Helm
• VIP Character Page Badge

Like the DOOM Starter Package, this upgrade is NOT retroactive BUT Memberships stack, so if you have 8 months left and decide to support AQW by purchasing this promo, you will have 1 year and 8 months of Membership plus all the extras!

Once you purchase the 1 year upgrade (either on AQW or by using Artix Points through your AE Master Account) here's how you access your new Golden Plate Set:

1. Log in to the AdventureQuest Worlds account that you upgraded.
2. Open your Book of Lore with your Book of Lore button!
   
   
   
   
3. Click the AE Bookmark tab on the left-hand side of the book.
   
   
   
   
4. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the badge list and click on the Sold Gold Badge.
   
   
   
   
5. Click the Get Item button on the opposite page to access your new items!
   
   

If you are new to the 1 Year Membership, you can access your VIP Armor the same way, except you will find that badge in the Badges Bookmark Tab near the top of that badge list. While the Golden Plate Promo does not come with a Character page Badge, you WILL get a VIP badge on your character sheet for purchasing this or even the standard year upgrade.

This amazing set is a re-imagining of the classic Golden Plate armor from AQ classic by our own Dage The Evil. Remember, like the promo package before it, the Golden Plate Package is only available for a LIMITED TIME! This will be your only chance to get these items so don't miss it!

Chaos Returns to Wreak Havoc!

Destiny calls to you, Hero! It is time you learned what your true purpose on Lore is, and what you will need to do in order to fulfill it! A mysterious city has appeared to the west of Chiral Valley, and the townspeople of Swordhaven whisper that strange people and monsters walk its streets. Vital knowledge lies there, but only if you are willing to venture to the ends of space and time to grasp it!

Wastelands do not have cities appear atop them overnight… not unless magic is involved! And you can bet that Chaos is in play, too, especially since strange new creatures crawl, stalk, and float through its streets! Reports tell of a well-known mage haunting this unknown town, though that may be a traveler’s overactive imagination. Rumors fly about this new land; locals call it “The Span,” though they say it has a much more ancient, noble name. Hurry to The Span; it is vital you experience all that awaits in this new zone!

EBILCORP T-Shirts Now On Sale!

EBILCORP is looking for ambitious young people to join its new Young Executives Program. You are now able to show your support for the worlds most EBIL corporation and your disdain for the little guy with HeroMart's new EBILCORP T-shirt!

This shirt also comes with the EBILCORP Executive Armor (exactly like that worn by your illustrious leader, Chairman Platinum) in AQW as well as the EBILCORP Badge for your character page.

C'mon... Everybody likes being the bad guy!

Suggestion Shop Updated!

Today we have also released a very large expansion to the Player Suggestion Shop with a bunch of new armors, weapon and pets all suggested by players just like you!

Like the Armored Royal Prince (& Princess) armor suggested by player Royal Knight, the Shadow Manipulator armor suggested by player DarkonDrago and many more! Check them all out in the Suggestion Shop in Yulgar's Inn!

New Pet 'O the Month!

Head to Aria's Pet Shop to check out the member-only June Pet of the Month! Samba cobbled together a conga line of colorful Hermit Crabs!

June 18, 2012

Time for Chaos

The clock is counting down to Chaos!

There lies to the West an unexplored land... but not for much longer! Journey this Friday to The Span, the hub town for the next Chaos zone. Where a vast wasteland once lay, there now stand the ruins of a town ravaged by a long-ago war. How it got there, no one knows. The people walking its streets APPEAR normal. The monsters roaming the alleys do not; their like has never been seen before in your world.

Night Hunter Armor, sold by a small, strange vendor

The taint of Chaorruption is not strong here... yet. The townspeople in Swordhaven whisper the name "Tibattleonia." It means nothing to you now, but that will change VERY soon. Hurry to The Span, Hero; it is vital that you experience all that awaits you there!

This Friday: 1 Year Golden Membership Package!

This weekend, for a limited time we will be offering a NEW membership package with an incredibly shiny bonus! (And we're not talking about the ACs.) Starting THIS FRIDAY, purchasing a 1 year membership will get you:

• 1 year of AQWorlds membership (and the growing list of perks that comes with it!)
• The Golden Plate set (armor, helm, cape, weapon)
• 7,000 Adventure Coins (that's an extra 1,000 ACs!)

Dage crafted a blindingly bright, super-shiny version of the original AdventureQuest's Golden Plate! Once this offer is gone, the Golden Plate set will NEVER return!

There's only one word to describe this set: AU-some!

Even if you're already an AQW Member, getting 1,000 extra ACs and a RARE armor set for the same price as the regular 1 year membership1 is a pretty good deal!

Suggestion Shop Update!

This is hardly a petty Suggestion Shop update... because we're offering FOUR new pets by Samba! She's created the Unicornasaurus Rex, Draglin, Flame Butterfly, and Chibi Fox envisioned by your fellow players!

Butterfly in the sky, your flame's gonna make me fry!

And to make things even COOLER, Aranx has made some hot gear based on the suggestions posted on the forum. Make sure to /join Yulgar this Friday to pick up a pet or armor of your own!

Srs Mid-week Member-only Update is srs!

HAY GUIZ! Srsly, lolcats? Ya rly, lolcats! If you've only just signed on to the internet, you have missed a crazy cat-based caption sensation! This week's member-only update is based on the lols and lore one only finds when you combine cat-like creatures, horribly-contagious grammar, and the mind of a mad Weaponsmith! Log in Wednesday to experience this rly kewl release!

Design Notes done!  I'm going to go see how much damage Artix did to Rolith's boss in tonight's D&D battle! (Who would have expected him to roll a natural 20?) Have a great night, guys!