Design Notes

May 31, 2011

Zorbak, the Ebil Blue Moglin!

Visit Zorbak's House in DoomWood!

This weekend, the DoomWood story continues. Artix has discovered that there is a new undead threat in DoomWood and is racing to join you in smashing wave after wave of crunchy undead soldiers... and you HAVE to stop him.

If you don't understand WHY you should be keeping Artix from doing battle what he does best then you should go play last week's chapter of DoomWood right now!

A lot of people have been asking about Vordred the Paladin Slayer. They haven't figured out a way to defeat him.

People have said that if you have 3 Palis or a Pali and 3 healers or if you turn the sound off then you can defeat him. Those folks are either mistaken or they are yanking your chain on purpose.

Vordred CANNOT BE DEFEATED!

You may ask, "Then why add him into the game if he can't be defeated?. Because Artix, Alina and I did not want you to take our words for it. It's one thing to say "Oh, this bad guy is an undefeatable evil. Watch out. OOOOoooOOOOooOOOOoo!" but when you get your rear handed to you over and over again by a guy who is more skulls than anything else, it's something else entirey. Vordred cannot be defeated by any known method on Lore.

This weekend you will journey deeper into DoomWood past the undead Chopping Maul (get it?) to the home of the one and only ebil, blue moglin... Zorbak.

The first time you entered the DoonWood Necropolis (in DragonFable) you couldn't have done it without Zorbak's... uh..."help". Maybe he has some information on Vordred and whomever created him to defeat the Paladin Order.

Oh Yeah...

We are also finally raising the level cap to 40 this weekend!

Quibble Coinbiter's DoomWood Shop!

Once again, Quibble Coinbiter is heading back to Battleon this weekend to set up shop.

He's fully restocked with a bunch of DoomWood, undead and other themed (never-before-seen, slightly used) rares and items. As usual, MOST (or possibly ALL) of his items will be AC items so now is the time to renew your supply if you are running low.

Normally Quibble's arrivals seem to line up with the arrival of a new Chaos Lord or Chaos Beast... but on rare occassions, like this Friday, he's just in the neighborhood and has the goods to sell.

LAST DAY TO GET HEROSMASH FOUNDER!

Tonight at 11:59 PM EST is the last chance you will EVER HAVE to become a HeroSmash Founder!

Remember that once the clock strikes midnight here on (or in this case, several stories below) the east coast of the United States... you will never again have the chance to become a HeroSmash Founder. Do not miss this oppritunity.

Or if you do miss out, Please don't ask me over Twitter if it will be coming back. Cause it won't.

THE NPC's CD Is Back In Stock!

Faith has just told me that after nearly 2 month, we finally have more of the NPC's Critical Hits CD featuring music from a lot of our games is back in stock!

The CD comes with special musical themed items in AQW, AQ Classic, DF, MQ, ED and WarpForce! If you want one of these, head to HEROMART and grab one before they are gone!

...

Again!

NEXT WEEK... (as in NOT this week)... NECROMANCER CLASS RETURNS!

It was one of the favorite parts of the PTR experience for most of those who helped us test. The Necromancer!

NEXT WEEK, it will be returning to AQW with a whole new set of powers... the Tower of Necromancy.Here's the bet part... it will be usable by ANYONE. That's right, Necromancer is for both Members and Non-Members!

We've decided to try an few interesting things with this class. First off it will be a PET class. That means that you will be able to summon a base skeleton pet who will do your fighting for you. You will cast necromantic spells on your pet to deal more damage to your opponent, return mana to you or even steal your foe's lifeforce.

This means that we will also be (eventually, not next week) adding a new type of Item to AQW, Battle Pets. Pet classes like Necromancer (and future pet classes) will be able to equip these pets to attack for them, and use their skills to help their companions or undead slaves fight. Equippable Battle Pets might even have special skills that only that pet can use.

As they are Pets, almost all Battle Pets will be MEMBER ONLY, however the base pet that comes with the class will be usable by anyone. Next week, however, you should be able to summon the Basic Skeleton to fight for you using Necromancer.

Something else that we are trying... 2 different ways to get the Necromancer Class.

The first way will require a LOT of hard work. You will need to reach DoomWood Reputation Rank 10 to get one of the items that you require to obtain this class... THEN you will have to battle your way through the Tower of Necromancy. If you survive the trials you will be awarded the class.

The second way to obtain the class is buying it with ACs. No muss, no fuss, no rank, no nearly-impossible tasks to compplete... just slip the Tower Necromancers their asking price and POOF... the class is yours.

We've never done an AC class before, and I didn't think we ever would due to some complications in the AQW engine but our amazing coding team has broken down that barrier and it has become possible. We know that a LOT of people would rather pay ACS and save the time and effort so we are giving them that option.

Other than the AC/NON-AC nature of the classes they will not be different in any way. In fact, you can even get both if you want to but you will need to rank each class up seperately.

NOTE: All of this could change at any moment. It's currently in production so we could encounter some game crashing bug that sets us back a week or more, and we don't know the AC price for the AC version of the class yet.

Sadly, if you DID test the class in PTR you will NOT be able to keep the ranks that you earned there.

The only reason I'm telling you guys about this is that it's pretty exciting and Yorumi has not encountered any massive roadblocks so far. Fingers crossed!

Keep in mind that DoomWood will ALSO have another MEMBER-ONLY class coming as the zone progresses. Keep reading the Design Notes for more details on that!

May 27, 2011

DoomWood BEGINS!

Book of Lore says, "WHAAAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?"

Why... are you taking me to DoomWood? Down here. It's me. Your book of Lore. You know I can talk, right? Well I can. They say actions speak louder than words, but I can't really move a whole lot on my own, so words are all I've really got.

So, about this Doomwood business... are we really going there? ARE YOU CRAZY!? There are giant man eating trees, legions of undead soldiers, necromancers, undead Paladins, and... (did you hear any of the rumors about the Paladin Slayer?) Don't get me wrong. I like traveling with you... but when I write the legends about you, I'd prefer not to be doing it in the belly of some evil tree creature. Books are made from trees you know. And that's just MESSED UP.

New Paladin Armor and Weapons!

New Necromancer Armor and Items

Just Released!

• The beginning of a brand new storyline!
• 4 new cutscenes
• A dozen Paladin and Necromancer themed armors, weapons, foods and other items!
• 3 new zones: Lightguard Keep, DoomWood & ... um, the final boss of the saga's room? (Wierd!)
• 16 new quests (Including a a "defend until you drop" wave defense challenge with a special achievement "BONEGRINDER" that can be unlocked if you can survive through 100 monsters.)

You can travel to LightGuard Keep in DoomWood by using the "DoomWood (NEW!)" button when you login. Or you can walk there... take the path left out of BattleOn and look for a new road that opened up near Insomniac Beauty.

P.S. To those of you who "get" the LightGuard Keep naming pun and wonder why... it is because Paladins do not stink :-)

ALSO this week!

• This is your LAST CHANCE to get "Founder" in our new game HeroSmash
• Whew! The AQWorlds Battle Card game has been restocked at Toys-R-Us!
• Check out all of our game released at www.Artix.com

May 27, 2011

DoomWood Video

A MUST see before tonight's release

Tonight in AdventureQuest Worlds, the DoomWood Saga begins! This brand new saga takes place 5 years after the events that took place in DragonFable. (You can play the entire story in www.DragonFable.com now.) If you have not already seen the video below... it was created as a trailer for the original DoomWood story. In the in-game version you are fighting along side Artix during this part. It is ultimately revealed that the purple robed Necromantress is actually Vayle -- a childhood friend of Artix, who had became fused with the Darkness Orb. The glowing Spirit Shard in her hand contained the soul of her brother... who she believed could be brought back to life if she followed the orders of her master, the Evil Necromancer, Noxus. Ultimately she abandoned the undead lords of the necropolis and went on her own path... to try to find a way to use Necromancy for good. However, due to what happened to her Spirit Orb in this video, she swore vengence.

Players made some amazing remixes of the video

• Artix vs. Brolly
• Warcry of the Paladin Music mix
• Artix vs the Undead Chipmunk version (Sped up)
• Artx vs the Undead Metal Remix
• Artix vs the Undead Warrior of Ice (Rhapsody)
• Also... A clip from the DragonFable Gameplay
• There are a lot of other cool video remixes (Great job guys!)

Doomwood begins... TONIGHT!

May 26, 2011

Hail to the King... Baby!

A letter to you from Castle Swordhaven

A majestic falcon delivered this letter into your hands, and must have come straight from Castle Swordhaven. It is sealed with the King's royal insignia. It reads, "For your eyes only."

May 25, 2011

I bungled the DoomWood sign!

Bert Boomtower says:

Ain't it tha stranges' thang, Heroes? I tell you what, that ol' Etherstorm Wastes sign...  I found it was where I didn't put it!  An' that ol' DoomWood sign... I coulda sworn that I placed it richt'chere! But where it should be, it isn't. That ain't right, it just ain't right. *grumble*

A body cain't work but their honest labor gets undone.  *mumble* I 'spect it's them Undead I seen lurkin' 'bout. More o' them ever' day, I says! You heroes, you should go and see fer yourselves. And the rumors...

My heart, them rumors can make a man quake! An abomination is on tha loose, and the Paladins are havin' to handle it! But... they're nowhere to be found anymore! They could be HURT! It just ain't right, I tell you what! *spit*

Alina translates:

... Thanks, Bert. Good luck making all the rest of those signs! So, as a quick translation, what Bert was trying to say was that the sign in Greenguard Forest which points to the Etherstorm Wastes should REALLY read "DoomWood."

He also mentions that many Undead have been seen in his vicinity lately, and that the Paladins are missing. That is VERY troubling! If the Paladins aren't around to deal with the Undead, who will save DoomWood? And, more importantly, WHERE have the Paladins gone? They wouldn't desert their posts willingly...

And important news for you Heroes to remember:

• June 1st (next Wednesday!) is the LAST day to become a HeroSmash Founder!*
• This Friday is the last chance to get the Friday the 13th Voltaire and Deady items before they go rare!**
• The DoomWood Saga starts this Friday! Get ready for a tale of Darkness, Light, and the Heroes who love them!
  

* You'll also become a VIP Member, gaining membership in BOTH HeroSmash and AQWorlds!
** The Vorutanian Key Blade may return in the future, so it has been upgraded to "Artifact" status!

May 25, 2011

AQW Action Figures!?

Because Paladins cannot keep secrets

I posted this to my friends on Facebook and Twitter... but, um, it did not remain very secret. So we wanted to let you all in on it the news. We have officially begun work on AdventureQuest Worlds action figures. They are planned for release during the 10th year anniversary of the original AdventureQuest this October. What you are seeing below is a behind the scenes look at how an actionfigure is sculpted from wax. The sculptor is going to widen the chest and then make the arms. I guess... currently.... some monster has "dis-armed" him. This one should be finished in a few days and then work on Sepulchure will begin! (Shhhh.... keep it sorta secret ok?)

Chaos Lord Kimberly is signing her Card for fans

We were just sent a video from Kimberly, lead singer of the band One-eyed Doll (and also surprise-twist AQWorlds Chaos Lord). She took a silly video of herself going into Toys-R-Us and buying our card game! You can get the link to the video on the official the "AQworlds Battle On Battle Card Game" webpage She also has instructoins on how to mail her the card with a stamped, self addressed envelope -- she will sign your "...While rocking out" card and send it back to you.

DoomWood this Friday!

It has been a while since I wrote a zone.... and as everyone predicted I got super carried away with all of the things I wanted to see in this first part of the DoomWood saga. We are in super crunch mode, racing to create as much of it as possible before the release. We are making some very interesting types of quests and some very story heavy cutscenes. I really like that Alina is helping write AQWorlds now -- she is bringing the deep, rich story telling style of DragonFable into our MMO. Nulgath is here at the lab working on the characters, J6 is almost done with the new backgrounds, Cysero is working on the cutscenes, Samba is animating monsters, and Beleen is... at college. Getting smart. Funny story... one of the most impressive brand new characters in DoomWood has A LOT of skulls on his armor. I jokingly told Nulgath that he needed more skulls. Nulgath said.. really? I said, still joking. YES! I just found out that for the past several hours he has been adding several hundred additional skulls to the characters armor O_O. For lag reasons... we might ease back on the skulls... but we will post the full skull version to go for the WORLD RECORD OF ARMOR SKULLS!

May 24, 2011

Nulgath... evolved!

Insider news on AQWorld's Artists new name

Before we return to the upcoming DoomWood Saga, I would like to let you in on the behind the scenes story of Miltonius' name and art evolution to Nulgath which is taking place.... *checks sun dial* sometime after his plane lands and he arrives here at the lab. (Or possibly tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after.) In game his character will be "evolving from it's larval stage" and become the yet unseen being, Nulgath. You are probably asking: Why? The real answer: I legally gave the name Miltonius back to him as a gift between friends. It really is that simple. But if anyone else asks... just tell them. You were there, when the being called Nulgath hatched.

.... "nearly unseen".

P.S. Prepare to see a lot of his monsters, NPCs and armor in the upcoming DoomWood Saga: Starting this FRIDAY!

May 23, 2011

Missing Paladins!?

Trouble within the Order of Paladins

Greetings friends! I come before you with concerning news*. Rumors are spreading that many Paladins from our Kingdom have been reported as missing. While it is not uncommon for a hero of the light to be temporarily side-tracked on an honorable quest to help those in need, it is VERY strange that so many Paladins would go missing at the exact same time**. I fear something grave is underway as you read this. Should you hear or see anything unusual, please let me know. I am deeply concerned for my Paladin sisters and brothers. 

* Even more concering than that time the mutant gerbil escaped the titan monster zoo.
** ...and nope, it is not for a surprise birthday party. NOTE: NEVER tell a Paladin about a surprise party that you are planning. They will blow it. Their whole code of honor & "always be honest and kind" thing makes it impossible for them to keep a secret.

May 20, 2011

1v1 PvP FINALLY!

The Fall of Aeris Battlespire.

True to form we are beginning the Doomwood Zone as brutally as possible... with one on one Player versus Player combat in the Doomwood Arena.

Once King Alteon declared that no blood would be spilled between heroes either on the land or in the seas of his realm... but there are always loopholes. Soon arose the Aeris Battlespire. A massive floating citadel (which was neither on the land or sea) with battle arenas sprouting from its massive arms like ripe fruit.

It quickly became a proving ground for the worlds greatest fighters who would step into the arena for honor and glory and fight tooth and nail for the title of arena champion and all of the rich rewards that came with the title.

When Sepulchure finally stepped out of the darkness and cast his evil shadow across Lore, much of King Alteon's lands came under attack. Sepulchure might have even destroyed the good King if not for Drakath chosing that exact moment to unleash his chaotic influence on the world (what is more chaotic than introducing a new threat at the very moment when two evenly matched foes are facing each other?).

During that long and deadly war Aeris Battlespire chose to side with Good against Evil and they attempted to lay siege to Sepulchure's flying dracolich castle. The battle was short and brutal and Aeris Battlespire fell to the ground in flames.

Since the ruins fell into the cursed lands of Doomwood, not even the most evil of Lore's great heroes has dared set out in search of them. Noone ever heard from the once great arena again... until today.

Are you ready to pit your skills against the greatest fighters in all of AQWorlds?

How 1v1 PvP Works

There are two ways to fight a 1v1 PvP battle.

1) 1v1 Strangers: Use the button in Battleon to travel to the Doomwood Arena. Once there speak with Dumoose, the PvP Master. One of his buttons reads "1v1 Strangers". This will eventually out you in que for a 1v1 battle against a random foe who has also qued up. Our matchmaking system looks for the best possible match for your level and tosses you into a random Doomwood Battle Arena. The fight is over when one of you is defeated. 

2) 1v1 Friends: Right now, the only way to battle a specific friend (or foe) is to use the /JOIN function. Just arrange to face your opponent in either doomarenaa-, doomarenab-, doomarenac- or doomarenad- then type in a room number higher than 1000.

Example: Hey Alina, battle me! /join doomarenac-4132

You will both be sent to doomarenac in the 4132 instance of the map. Be sure to pick a very random number OVER 1000. Chances are arena 1111 and 1234 will already be taken. Use your head.

How Do I Get 1v1 PvP Gear?

Speak to Dumoose to view all of the special PvP gear set up just for 1v1 players. You will need to earn 1v1 PvP Trophies to buy the gear (all designed by Dage).

Dumoose has a daily quest. Accept his quest and gather TEN 1v1 victories. After TEN wins, return to Dumoose and turn in the quest for a PvP Trophy. Come back tomorrow for another trophy, etc. Save up trophies for the item that you want!

Things To Remember:

1) Keep Your Honor. If you're about to lose to someone and you log out (regequit), it doesn't cost them anything. They can get another win from someone else in 1-3 minutes. All it does is make you look like a fool who has no honor and can't take defeat with grace.

2) Keep Your Cool. Nobody LIKES to lose but some people know understand that someone HAS to lose in PvP and there is a 50/50 chance that it will be you. If you get defeated, don't get angry. Equip one of Reens' potions and get even. If someone is yelling nonsense at you, be the better person. Just click on their name and use the IGNORE function. If they are WAY out of line, report them THEN ignore them.

3) Keep Your Forum Login Handy: If you notice a bug (in PvP or anywhere else for that matter), REPORT IT ON THE BUGS THREAD! Please remember that posting bugs on Facebook or Twitter doesn't do anything. we NEEEEED Bug Reports on the forums to fix bugs.

Player Suggestions Galore!

Mennace and Dage went overboard on the Player Suggestions this week. With help from some of the other artists. Visit the Player Suggestion Shop in Yulgar's Inn to view the latest and greatest art suggestions from players like you! Here are some examples:

Here is the Demonic Nemesis set from player Ninjudo.

Or mayne you like the Death's hand set from _Aegis_

Or maybe the Gothika armor suggested by Laken is more your style! These are not the only items going in today either. Be sure to check them out!

Friday The 13th Rares Still Here!

The Friday the 13th event is still alive and going strong. If you missed out on it last week you still have a chance to get some of the great Voltaire and Deady items and drops from the Friday the 13th Event!

Remember that almost all of the items will be rare once the event closes. I say ALMOST because Voltaire has requested that we upgrade the Vorutanian Key Blade itself from a basic rare to an ARTIFACT. This means that it will someday return to the game at random times (probably when Voltaire visits again) but unlike a seasonal rare you will never know when it will return. It may be years before we see it again.

For those of you who have not checked it out you, you can actually BUY the Vorutanian Key Blade that Voltaire himself wears around his neck in real life!

That is some COOL real-life swag. Check out the links at the bottom of the Friday the 13th Events Page to find out how to get one for yourself!

HeroSmash Founder Is Coming To A Close!

If you're not a Founder in HeroSmash yet, TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

SO many people ask us EVERY DAY how to become Founders in AQW. We tell them you need a time machine because ONCE YOU MISS IT, YOU MISS OUT FOREVER!

DO NOT be one of those sad souls. You still have until the end of this month to become a HeroSmash Founder but the end of the month will be here before you know it!

Also, all of you aspiring film-makers out there, don't forget that we are STILL looking for new Player based NPCs to add to HeroSmash.

Here's a tip: Eventually a lot of the really, really, REALLY GOOD movie makers on YouTube will find out that they can actually get themselves inside a video game which hundreds of thousands of people see every week and say to themselves, "Hey, I could get into this video game!".

You want to get in on this before that happens, because when that happens then our standards will go WAY up. You guys have already submitted a lot of great stuff but some of those folks on YouTube are crescent fresh.

Reminder!

AEXtras is still a great way to get FREE ADVENTURECOINS and even FREE ARTIX POINTS, and with new Inventory, Bank slots and Premiere Event rares to buy there's never been a better time!

 Just CLICK HERE to get started!

Or, You can jump onto your Master Account and start earning free Artix Points using AExtras and use those Points to get stuff in ANY of our games!

May 18, 2011

AQW Card Game saves Baby Bird

Must have used a block card!

In real life, last night, Korin (The head of MechQuest) had just exited the lab preparing to go home. He saw that a baby bird had fallen out of a broken nest. It could not fly. The baby bird's mother was feeding it on the ground, but that would not offer much protection. Especially with all of the hungry snakes, hawks, owls and other critters which roam the green wooded area surrounding us. So Korin crafted a new (and VERY stable) bird nest using an AQWorlds Card Game shipping box and a ridiculous amount of tape. We are proud to report that the baby bird's mother has been delivering food to the baby in the new AQWorlds nest. Good luck little fella! (Hmmm, maybe we should name it?)

May 16, 2011

1v1 PVP comes to DoomWood

Wood-n't you know, your opponents are Doom-ed!

Power up, Heroes, because the BATTLE will begin this Friday! Epic 1v1 PVP action in the all-new DoomWood arena will see you fighting for gold, for honor, and for the chance to deal massive damage to your opponents! Do YOU have what it takes to dominate the Arena and receive wicked challenge-rewards? Find out this weekend!

The DoomWood Arena is a lead-in to the upcoming release of the zone's twisted tale- written by Artix. Think you're familiar with the Necropolis and the forces of Light and Darkness from their DragonFable days? Get ready to be schooled.

Player Suggestion Shop Shines

Are you an artist or idea-crafter? Do you just KNOW that your design for a weapon is amazing, and that everyone in Lore should be able to wield it? Then you need to post your suggestions in the AQW Suggestions forum!

This week we'll be updating the Player Suggestion shop with brand new gear, goodies, and equips dreamed up and designed by you and your fellow players! If you haven't shared an idea with us yet, now's the time to get sharin'!

Two Weeks Left to Unlock the Vorutanian Key

Wield the most Owerful-Pay weapon in the Orld-Way, the Vorutanian Key blade! How to get it, you ask? Easy!

• Method 1: Log in now to smash your way through steampunk cowboys and undead aliens in the ultimate battle to save Lore and capture the Key!

• Method 2: Voltaire is selling hand-made copies of the Vorutanian Keyblade as necklaces along with CDs of the music from the event! Check them out on our Event page!

You'd better hurry, because the event will only be around for another 2 weeks! After that, all those epic in-game rares are gone for good,* and we won't have another Friday the 13th event until January of 2012!

* Except the Keyblade necklaces, those will still be on sale through Voltaire.

And if you enjoyed the music from the event (we sure did!), then why not check out the rest of the songs on Voltaire's CD? "Hate Lives in a Small Town" features a WILD world of kickin' country-folk music like:

1 Hate Lives in a Small Town

2 All Women Are Crazy

3 Stubborn As a Mule

4 You Married a Fool

5 When You're Dead

6 Churchyard

7 Fear and Anguish

8 Normal For a Man

9 On the Road

ALSO AVAILABLE from Voltaire

Deady "Big in Japan" and "Urkor Malravenus" vinyl dolls! You saw them in our Friday the 13th event. Now these out-of-this-world vinyl figures are back ready to take action; all YOU need to bring is your imagination!

For us, it's going to be a week full of high-powered planning, rapid-fire arting, and clearing up the last of this weekend's undead invasion (they came with video cameras and stage-lighting, Artix? WEIRD!)! For YOU, though... We're giving you a week to prepare to meet your Doom(wood) in the Arena this Friday! Time to get (stat) training!

May 13, 2011

It is FRIDAY the 13th!

See the Play-by-Play on the homepage

Happening now! Join the all-server-wide Friday the 13th special event featuring musical guest, Voltaire! Get the insider secrets and news by following the Play-by-Play on the www.AQ.com homepage.

Read the Play-by-Play

May 09, 2011

Friday the 13th or Bust!

The Wild West is the Unluckiest

Especially THIS weekend, when our wildest, deady-liest, most ship-shape Friday the 13th event yet kicks off! Featuring music from Voltaire's newest CD- "Hate Lives in a Small Town"- the event will rock ALL your worlds, from the desert you remember to an alien planet you should have never discovered!

So join us at sunset this Friday the 13th for a wild-west country-fest of an event happening RIGHT HERE and filled with out-of-this-world antics, epic rare gear, and the revelation of Deady's TRUE form!

And speaking of epic rare gear...

The Boogie Man is going to get you! (Unless you equip this armor first.) Made by Mennace, the Boogie Man set includes a nightmarish armor, a horrifying helm, and a sword that will slash the creepycrawlies that try to invade your dreams at night.

But that's not all the loot we've got for you! (It's only the gear that was turned in today.) Expect more armors, more items, and more weapons of bad-luck destruction! (That's a weapon that will take down unlucky monsters, don'cha know.) An AC Event Rare shop packed with items will also haunt your dreams- and your log-ins!

Friday the 13th: Warning sign

All good friggatriskaidekaphobics (people afraid of Friday the 13th) should know how to tell when one is coming up! The dreaded day occurs at least once a year in the Gregorian calendar and, at most, three times a year. Any month starting on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th.

The more you know... the more you can plan for undead invasions, unwelcome incursions, and unexpected attacks!

You make your own luck

Friday the 13th might be coming, but we're not going to let superstitions stop us! I've got a black cat and Cysero has broken his fair share of mirrors during his years as a mad weaponsmith, and we're still good to go.

So whether you believe in bad luck or scoff at the superstitious, we'll see you on Twitter, the forums, and Facebook right up until sunset Friday. Once the sun goes down... who knows?*

Play on, pardners!

*Artix knows. He says, "You'll be playing the release, just like the rest of us!" Guess that answers THAT question!

May 06, 2011

Alina's Tale: The Poisoners Puzzle

Alina Finally Arrives In AQW

Someone has poisoned King Alteon and it look like our own Alina might be the culprit.

Just click the Alina's Tale button in Battleon to help her prove that she is innocent of this crime against the throne!

This is the first part of a continuing storyline for Alina. Just our way of saying Welcome to the game! She wrote the story and Samba got to really earn her stripes as an AE animator, with pumping out 2 cutscenes and a brand new monster in less than 3 days!

Just because you guys get to miss all the fun errors that we fix BEFORE we release the event I thought I would show you a little picture of Alina from earler this week. We call her DERPlina.

This adventure features a TON of new drops and shop items available from Alina, including Mennace's Opalescent Blades!

That's me wearing the Stained Aurus Wings (CC) and Alina is also modeling the Aurus Via armor from tomorrow's Limited Quantity Shop.

Limited Quantity Shop, Tomorrow 10 AM Server Time (EST)

Tomorrow at 10 AM the next LQS goes live. Here is a full list of items that can be found there.

• Aurus Via Armor (Qty 6000) - 900 AC
• Aurus Via Accoutrements (Qty 6000) - 400 AC
• Aurus Via Helm (Qty 6000) - 300 AC
• Stained Aurus Wings (Qty 6000) - 400 AC
• Dirge Armor (Qty 3000) - 900 AC
• Dirge Demon Helm (Qty 3000) - 300 AC
• Male Dirge Helm (Qty 1000) - 300 AC
• Female Dirge Helm (Qty 1000) - 300 AC
• Sword Of Sorrow (Qty 3000) - 200 AC
• Energy Disc (Qty 3000) - 150 AC
• Earth Piercer (Qty 20000) - 20,000 G
• Electric Thunder (Qty 9000) - 15,000 G

Plus all of the stuff left over from previous LQS runs.

REMEMBER: This still goes live TOMORROW at 10 AM SERVER TIME (EST). These LQS's items have been going faster and faster so i highly recommend that you be there early and warm up your clicking finger if you want to get any of these.

So long, Farewell... To A Bunch Of Stuff.

Fear Chaser is now GONE, the rare items from the event shop are now rare. The rest of the event is now member only. Grenwog is gone for another year. The HeroSmash Launch shop is gone. Those items are now rare. The Panda Launcher has been moved to a random monster in AQW.

Tomorrow when the LQS goes live, MOTHER'S DAY also goes live (I hope you guys have done something nice for your mom's. I got my mom a tree). Randor's Birthday shop and the Cinco De Mayo shop will also be gone.

NEXT WEEK IS FRIDAY THE 13th!

Voltaire and Deady return to AQWorlds for another musical event. He was out 1st Musical Gurst Star and continues to be a very good friend to AQW. He co-wrote this event with me and hopefully you will have a LOT of fun!

We get to reveal Deady's TRUE terrifying extra-terrestrial form! Should be a lot of fun.

There WILL, as usual, be an event rare shop filled with lots of Deady, Voltaire and unlucky items and the event will give the Friday the 13th Bdage if you have somehow failed to get it so far.

ATTENTION EPICDUAL FANS!

HeroMart has JUST gotten the first round of EpicDuel posters in!

In addition to getthing this awesome wall poster you also get a HUGE load of credits, and as if that wasn't enough you ALSO get the Bionic Bear Bike which increases your move speed by 50% and increases your bearitude by 100%. That's assuming you're not a bear. 

Anyway, head over to HEROMART and grab one OR if you're an extra special kind of person, get the extra special SIGNED poster. (They let me hide my signature on one of the posters randomly. It's tiny and hard to find but if you get that one, let me know!)

May 05, 2011

Celebration-Shop Sensation!

May 04, 2011

Voltaire! This Friday the 13th...

Creepiest new musical event of the year! 

This weekend is Mother's day! (Do something special to show how much your love her!) Next weekend... it will be FRIDAY THE 13TH!!! This is the ONLY Friday the 13th of the year, so we... are going all out! Prepare for a completely insane special event and... oh yes.... as predicted on this card from the AQWorlds Card Game...

...the return of VOLTAIRE and his super-cuddly and evil teddy bear friend, DEADY! But this brand-new Friday the 13th event will feature more than just all-new music, areas, monsters and items... you will get a glimpse of Deady's true form. Dunn dunn dunnnn!

The History of Friday the 13th

Amongst the superstitious, Friday the 13th is a super-unlucky day... ranking up there with breaking mirrors, walking under a ladder, or having a black cat walk across your path. Did you know there is even a fear of Friday the 13th, scientifically called Paraskevidekatriaphobia? Many players have asked me what is the legend and lore behind this day. (And more specifically... how come we do our largest, most complicated releases on what is supposed to be the unluckiest day of the year?)

In real-life history, on Friday the 13th, October 1307, the Knights Templar were completely wiped out by order of King Philip IV. (Sort of like how the Jedi were wiped out in Episode III by the Emperor's order 66.) Other notable reasons involve the combined unluckiness of both the number 13 (Note: Drakath has 13 Lords of Chaos) and day Friday itself (There is probably a good Rebecca Black joke to make here.) In the past 30 years, Friday the 13th was most-popularized by the scary movie series of the same name. This series was also responsible for making hockey masks an icon of spookiness!

In DragonFable, we were running our second undead invasion and it happened to take place on Friday the 13th. Players were surprised and laughing when they found that all 1 million undead were wearing hockey masks. It was our first major in-game parody of a movie. Players were used to fighting a large wave of undead monsters, so it was pretty funny when they eventually got the joke wave consisting of one... lone.... skeleton. His name was Chuckles. (Funny how everything is inter-related!)

Ever since, doing funny events on Friday the 13th became a tradition that our entire community looks forward to. It can happen one to three times a year. Each time we try to top the previous event. Two years ago we did our first live event with Voltaire on Friday the 13th. An article about it even appeared in a gaming magazine about how we crashed the servers. This coming Friday the 13th promises to be the best yet... and not just in AdventureQuest Worlds. DragonFable is doing something that is going to change.... everything! Get ready, friends!

May 02, 2011

Poisons, Potions, and Peril

King Alteon is in danger, and so is Alina

King Alteon's Royal Potionmistress has returned from extensive travelling just in time to see an attempt on her beloved sovereign's life when his foodtaster is poisoned! Her long-time loyalty doesn't save Alina from being a suspect; after all, she IS a master at mixing poisons and potions. 

When her aide is poisoned as well, Alina has to clear her name of attempted regicide AND assistant-assault. An acquaintance well-versed in esoteric poisons is HER chief suspect, but she'll need your help to prove it! 

Friday the 13th is Fast Approaching

The countdown to this year's ONLY Friday the 13th event begins... now! We've got 11 days to finish building our most epic event yet, featuring Voltaire and the wild, wild, wildest music your favorite goth guru has to give! So clear your calendars and make sure to join us next Friday! 

Time to Celebrate

We've got some hot shop-ics to talk about! The Cinco de Mayo shop is returning on May 5th with all the seasonal rares you rave about, and maybe some new collectibles to covet. 

Mother's Day is the 7th of May, and if you love your mom as much as I love mine, you'll want to pelt her with pixellated proof of your gratitude!  And don't forget the most madcap, google-geared wall-paper-maker of Lore, because it's Randor the Red's birthday this week! He'll have a birthday shop full of boss-some goodies for you to buy!

Holiday Shops are Heading Out Soon

We know you love the gear, but the holiday shops can't stay here! The HeroSmash Launch shop, the Windsor Wedding shop, and the Grenwog event will be leaving this Friday, so make sure to shop until you drop! (Your inventory, that is, because it's so heavy.)

HeroSmash Founders are Foundational

HeroSmash is hurtling full-steam ahead into being a smash-tastic MMO of epic proportions! If you haven't gotten your VIP membership in HeroSmash yet, then now's a great time to upgrade! Not only will you get membership in BOTH Artix Entertainment MMOs, but if you upgrade before May 26th, you'll also become a HeroSmash Founder!

The only way to become a Founder is to support HeroSmash with a new HeroSmash upgrade, re-newal, or SmashCoin purchase during the first 30 days of launch. You can upgrade using any method available on the Artix Entertainment portal site: 
http://portal.battleon.com/store/points/  

Have a nifty night, and we'll see you tomorrow when we venture once more into the Secret Underground Lab, land of games, gratuitous nerf-gun battles, and unexpected undead-attacks!