Design Notes

February 26, 2024

Game News: February 26 - March 3

Read on for the latest news and information

Don't miss a battle, boost, or boss drop! Read on to stay up to date with the latest details about what's happening this week in AQWorlds!

Tuesday, February 27: Yokai Thief's Heist

While Valencia was traveling around Yokai Island, she learned of a merchant's stolen supply of weapons. Talk to her in the Museum and she'll be able to give you enough information to begin the hunt to recover it. Find them and you'll be rewarded with the valuable Yokai Sky Ripper Kamas!

Rewards include:

• Sky Ripper Kama (single and dual-wield)
• Backhanded Sky Ripper Kama (single and dual-wield)

Rewards will be permanently available. 

Wednesday, February 28: Balance Update Preview

Several balance updates are planned to arrive this Friday, including a rework of the Legion Paladin Class Skills. You can check out the changes in this post, and read on to see what else is on the balance team's list.* 

Class Updates

• Legion Paladin: full skill rework, new icons and animations
• Enforcer / Protosartorium: light rework
• Chunin: Quality of Life updates / buff

Enhancements

• Ravenous: added base damage, MP recovery, small stat buffs for self and stat debuffs for target, slightly reduced Execute damage bonus
• Dauntless: slightly reduced damage
• Smite: damage increase
• Avarice: reduced stat penalties
• Absolution: adjusted stat penalties
• Hearty: removed stat penalties

Monsters

• Ultra Exos: Touch of Chaos skill adjustment

Quest Updates

• Quests in /Crashsite
• Various Forge quests

* List is subject to change.

Thursday, February 29: Legion Token + Rib Boost

Get double rewards from select Legion Token quests and 2x Dark Unicorn Rib drops from Binky until March 13th in this special two-week Legion Token boost!

Legion Token Quests:

• Spring Cleaning
• First Class Entertainment
• Legion Quest: Light vs Dark
• Coal for the Legion
• Hearts and Souls
• Hearts and Souls (Member)
• Legion Castle Quest
• Research Materials
• Suffering is Magic

Dark Unicorn Rib

• Battle Binky in the /binky or /doomvault map to get x2 Dark Unicorn Ribs instead of x1

Friday, March 1: Update Details

Evil takes over Lore this weekend! Dage's seasonal Dark Birthday zones and gear return along with the oh-so-evil RNG-themed minigames in the Lucky Day Fair.

• Holiday Events return: Dage's Dark Birthday and Lucky Day seasonal events return
• March Seasonal Set: Legion Warseeker returns
• New Battles: New Underworld Boss + Rewards
• New Bonus Pack: color-customizable Underworld SoulSeeker upgrade bonus sets*

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double Gold Boost
• Resource Boost: Legion Token and Rib Boost
• Saturday: Futuristic Holographic Guards from the Legionator in /futurewardage
• Sunday: SoulEater's Scythe from Frost Fang in the Event Hub

Leaving This Friday

Seasonal Event Maps

• Hero's Heart Day event maps + gear
• Yokai New Year event maps + gear
• Carnaval event maps + gear
• Superbowl /punt map
• Pancake day gear
• February Seasonal set + Chronomancer
• Nulgath's Birthday Collection Chest

Rare Daily Login Gifts

• Mutou Hong drops in /yokaihunt
• Lovely Mask drops in /yguasu
• Stolen Heart drops in /lovespell
• Paladin Ascendant drops in /voidrefuge + /voidchasm

Stay up to date with upcoming release plans and boosts on the Artix Calendar.

* Note: an earlier version of the text listed Dage the Evil as the set artist. His newest set will be included in the birthday collection, not the upgrade bonus pack. My apologies for the error.

February 23, 2024

Dragons of Yokai Saga WAR

The Blood of the Dragon is Strong in Yokai Isle

The Dragons of Yokai saga continues this weekend as WAR comes to Haku! Danger looms on two fronts: an army of invading dragons threatens the land while the Yokai themselves seek to kill Empress Miko. Battle alongside her loyal warriors to defend the Empress and her home. If she dies at the Shrine of the Great Yokai Spirit, all of Yokai Isle will fall back into the claws of ancient beasts.

Friday, February 23: Update Details

• New Event: Dragons of Yokai Saga WAR!
• Rewards: Yokai DragonSlayer sets (regular + color-customizable)
• Featured Gear Shop: rare, color-customizable Draconic Assassin set 

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double Gold, XP, Rep, Class Points
• Resource Boost: Celestial Dungeon + triple Void Orbs boost
• Saturday: Dragon's Diamond Hoard cape drops from the war boss in /hakuwar
• Sunday: Diabolical house items drop from the Diabolical Hoard in Lost Villa

War Rewards: Yokai DragonSlayer Sets

There are enough enough rewards in the Haku War merge shop to fill a greedy dragon's hoard... you just need to kill it first! Battle through the war to unlock the resources to craft the Yokai DragonSlayer (regular + color-customizable).

Hakuwar Merge Shop

Complete the War Medal quests to raise the meter and collect merge shop resources. You'll use the Village's Grace tokens to craft the pieces of the Yokai DragonSlayer set.

• Yokai Dragonslayer armor
• Noble & Yokai Dragonslayer Helms
• Noble & Yokai Dragonslayer Beards
• Yokai Dragonslayer Quiver Cloak & War Cloaks
• Kisshoten Naginata
• Luminous Mikazuki (single + dual-wield)
• Seven Fang Blade (single + dual-wield)
• Dragonbane Tanto  (single + dual-wield)

Save your set pieces and combine them with even more tokens to make the color-customizable version of the Yokai DragonSlayer set!

Dragons of Yokai Saga Order

1. Prologue: head to YokaiPirate + YokaiTreasure
2. Chapter 1: battle through /HakuVillage
3. Chapter 2: fight through in /HakuWar
4. Chapter 3 + 4 arrive later this Spring!

Featured Rare Set: Draconic Assassin

This weekend's featured rare set combines two of the coolest themes in all of Yokai Isle: dragons + assassins! Find the rare color-customizable Draconic Assassin armor sets & the Storm of Kunai cape in your Featured Gear Shop until April 26th!

This week's set includes:

• Armed Draconic Yokai Assassin armor
• Draconic Yokai Assassin armor
• Draconic Yokai Assassin Ponytail & Masked PonyTail
• Draconic Yokai Assassin Mask
• Draconic Yokai Assassin Sheathed Katana
• Storm of Kunai cape
• Bladed Destiny Circle ground rune
• Dragon's Breath Katana
• Sheathed Dragon's Breath Katana
• Backhanded Dragon's Breath Katana (single + dual-wield)
• Kaminari Kunai (single + dual-wield)

Guide to War in AQWorlds

Battle alongside your fellow heroes to defeat the dragons attacking Yokai; Empress Miko is counting on you to defend her home! For many of you, this will be the first war you've ever fought in, so we've got a few tips to help guide you through this coming encounter: 

• Complete Chapter 1 Quests: if you haven't finished the quests in /hakuvillage, head there now and complete the quests*. Then /join hakuwar.
• War Meter:  Defeat your opponents to earn war tokens, then turn them in to increase the war meter. When the meter hits 100%, it unlocks the war boss.
• War Tokens: There are two different kinds of tokens. Turning in 5 regular tokens to increases the meter by a regular amount. Turn in mega tokens to increase the meter by DOUBLE the normal amount.
• Goals: Raising the war meter unlocks special achievements. Depending on the war, this could be a special shop, challenge fight, cutscene, or the war boss (once the meter hits 100%).  
• War Boss: Defeat the war boss to unlocks the final cutscene, then battle him to earn reward drops

You and the rest of the heroes in Lore will all be fighting together to reach a common goal: victory! With every additional hero who battles in the war, you'll reach the 100% mark that much faster... and that means you'll unlock the rewards and final cinematic cutscene sooner, too!

War Exclusives

During the War event only...

• Completing the one-time only quests in /hakuvillage will also increase the war meter
• Increased gold and XP rewards on non-boss quests in /hakuwar

Commanders: 

While battling in the war, you may notice that a couple of the monsters are notably different than the rest. We're calling these monsters "Commanders," and here's what you need to know about them:

• Considerably stronger than other monsters on the battlefield
• Have increased stats, sometimes skills, and a damage shield* 
• Drop more rewards than other monsters when killed. Any items dropped won't be exclusive to them, and will also be obtainable from regular mobs.
• Have a longer respawn time**

* Adding increased stats and damage shield gives other players in the map time to reach them before they are defeated.
** For this war, Commander mobs will respawn when a new map instance is created, this may change in future wars.

February 22, 2024

Challenges of Hosting a Contest in Today’s Tumultuous Internet

It was a tidal wave of challenges in the Dage vs Nulgath Weapon Contest. Now that we’ve announced the winners, it’s time to reveal the nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes secrets of what went down amongst the sea of 500 entries. 

Hiya heroes! A few days ago we announced the winners of the Dage vs Nulgath Weapon contest! With over 250 participants submitting 500 entries, our judges faced a challenge of epic proportions, casting 7500 votes in order to *uh-hem* “narrow down” the contestants. What we assumed would be like 10 winners tops turned out to be… 55 🤩 

Every entry displayed a dazzling array of artistic passion and brilliance, so choosing winners amidst this typhoon of talent was no easy feat. And if that wasn’t already challenging enough, wait ‘til you see the troubled waters ahead 🌊

Navigating the Sea of Art Theft

The art world is a space for inspiration, collaboration, and, most importantly, donuts respect. Unfortunately, we encountered a hefty handful of contestants who decided to stray from these principles. Art theft, AI-generated art, and commissioned art pieces infiltrated this contest – a contest meant to celebrate individual creativity, artistic passion, and love for AQWorlds. 

Thankfully, we have wonderful players who reached out and let us know if they saw suspicious entries. Additionally, our panel of judges, which included 10 Artix artists, are expertly armed with keen eyes. They know what to look for since they have decades of combined professional experience in everything art related. Our judges took on the arduous task of distinguishing authentic creations from those that betrayed fair play – and of course the contest rules. It was very disheartening to witness such breaches of trust, but rest assured we stand firm in upholding the integrity of our contests and our community. Cheaters never win – not in our contests, and not in real life – and were therefore disqualified. 

Technical Twitter Woes

So. As if judging 500 entries and parsing through possible stolen art wasn't overwhelming enough, we also faced unexpected technical hiccups. Some entries on Twitter mysteriously vanished due to previously collected links leading to an empty page that said, “Hmm...this page doesn’t exist. Try searching for something else.” Naively assuming these Tweets had been deleted by the users (because this happens all the time), our judges moved on to the hundreds of other entries. While I have personally hosted numerous contests on Twitter before (and trust me, I’ve seen my fair share of crazy things on that platform), never once had I encountered links playing hide-and-seek 🙈

Although something like this was totally out of anyone’s control, I take full responsibility for these unforeseen obstacles. Our misplaced entries caused a momentary panic among our participants, and I sincerely hope we've recovered all the entries 🤞 I must give a shoutout to Darkon for having the brilliant idea of posting all collected contestants in order to double (and triple) check that everyone was included.

I had NO idea this contest would explode THAT MUCH in popularity, and I was woefully unprepared. However, this contest has been a wonderful learning experience! That being said: for future contests of this magnitude, we'll be using Google Forms as our primary collection for entries. Posting on socials like Twitter and Facebook will still be allowed (and totally encouraged!) but your entry will also have to be uploaded to the Google Form, which will only take like 15 extra seconds :) 

Thank you for being the greatest gaming community ever!

Despite all the challenges we faced, this was undeniably one of the BEST contests I have ever had the pleasure of being part of! Thank you all for joining us on this contest journey – even if it was stressful at times 😵‍💫 But ya know what: it’s often the things in life that “go awry” that make for the best, most memorable memories... aaand lots of lengthy Design Notes, too. Tehehehe! 

On behalf of everyone at Artix Entertainment, we couldn’t be more proud of you all who played fairly. It is awe-inspiring to witness hundreds of honest artists showcasing their talent with passion and integrity – and THAT right there is what makes someone a good artist AND a great human being. 

Keep being amazing, heroes, and I cannot wait to see what you dish out in our next contest! 💕 

Battle on!
Beleen, our  judges, and the AQW team

February 19, 2024

Unveiling the Winners: Draw Your Weapon Contest

Over 250 contestants submitted 500 entries, making this one of our most amazing contests ever!

Hey there, heroes! The moment we have all been eagerly awaiting is finally here! We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Dage vs Nulgath Draw Your Weapon Contest 🏆💀😈 

With over 250 talented participants submitting a whopping 500 entries, our judges faced an overwhelming challenge unlike any I have ever experienced. Every entry displayed a unique blend of passion, creativity, and artistic brilliance, so narrowing down the winners was no easy feat – even with the help of 15 judges!

Now that 7500 votes have been cast and tallied… it’s time to reveal our wonderful winners!

Feast your eyes on our winners at Artix.com

Battle on!
Beleen, our amazing panel of judges who are most certainly tuckered out, and the AQW team

February 19, 2024

Game News: February 19 - 25

Read on for the latest news and information

Don't miss a battle, boost, or boss drop! Read on to stay up to date with the latest details about what's happening this week in AQWorlds!

Tuesday, February 20: Treasure Hunt

Talk to Samba in the /yguasu map. Complete her quest to choose from one of three Queen of the Waves artifacts!

0 AC, seasonal Quest drops:

• Queen of Waves Mirror
• Queen of Waves Pendant (dual + single-wield)

Once you have the mirror, head to /yguasu to craft the color-customizable Enchanted Queen of Waves Mirror in the merge shop!

Quest and rewards are available until Friday, March 1st.

Birthday Badger Brigade Update

For all you heroes wondering why you haven't gotten the BEST seasonal birthday house item drop, never fear, it's not bugged, it just has a very low drop rate.* As of today, 3 heroes have gotten the item from the Wind Elemental in /fableforest, so it IS dropping for everyone.

To give more people a chance to obtain it, we're extending the time it will be available; instead of leaving March 2nd, it will now be available until June 2nd. (That would be the definition of irony, if the BugSmasher's item were borked.)

Gravelyn's ShadowFall Quest Fix Update

While working on porting over early areas of the game for AQ: Infinity, last week Reens found and fixed an issue for heroes who skipped the second half of the prologue. This meant many heroes were seeing two quests they'd previously missed. There were a few more issues that appeared related to this bug, which lead to another round of fixes.

NOW:If you had not previously done the Recover Sepulchure's Armor or Unlife Insurance quest, you should see them and be able to complete them.

Make sure you clear your cache first, then log back in and /join shadowfall to try again.

Thursday, February 22: Celestial Dungeon Boost

Get double rewards as you battle to create your Greatblade of the Entwined Eclipse until February 28th.

• Temple of the Midnight Sun: 2x Sliver of Sunlight
• Temple of the Solstice Moon: 2x Sliver of Moonlight
• Ascension of the Eclipse: 2x Ecliptic Offering
• All Dungeons: 2x Hallowed Remains

We've heard your feedback and thrown in a surprise Triple Void Aura Boost along side the Celestial Dungeon Boost until February 28th.

Friday, February 23: New Update Details

WAR comes to Yokai Isle! The Dragons of Yokai Saga continues this weekend. 

• Yokai Dragon Invation, Part 2
• New Rewards: Yokai DragonSlayer set and more
• Featured Gear Shop update: color-customizable Dragon Assassin and more

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double EXP, Gold, Class Points, and Rep
• Resource Boost: Celestial Dungeon items + Triple Void Auras
• Saturday: rare Dragon's Diamond Hoard cape
• Sunday: permanent Diabolical house items

Leaving This Friday

Daily Login Gift drops from January 27 + 28

• ArchFiend Stormbringer Eyes + Fiendish Stormbringer Spear from Carnage in /voidchasm
• Fiendish Magus capes from Carcano in /voidchasm

Stay up to date with upcoming release plans and boosts on the Artix Calendar.

February 16, 2024

Dragons of Yokai Saga, Pt 1

The Blood of the Dragon is Strong in Yokai Isle

Log in this weekend for part one of our Dragons of Yokai story: an ancient Dragon with a centuries-old grudge demands Empress Miko face him in combat, as her ancestor did long ago. If she refuses or loses, her people will be slaughtered and her home destroyed; victory will buy their safety forever. Guard the coast while she and her Guard Captain prepare for battle. 

To begin the Dragons of Yokai storyline in /hakuvillage, you'll need to finish the quests in /yokaipirate and /yokaitreasure (which act as a prologue.) Parts 1 and 2 arrive this month, and Parts 3 and 4 will arrive after March.

Friday, February 16: New Update Details

• Dragons of Yokai Saga, Pt 1
• Carnaval and Yokai Reward sets
• New seasonal, rare, and permanent sets in the Featured Gear Shop

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double EXP
• Resource Boost: triple Dark Spirit Orbs
• Saturday: battle the Paladin Ascendant in the /voidrefuge map to get the 0 AC rare Radiant Bloodfiend Capes + Armblades
• Sunday: battle the Wind Elemental in /fableforest for Aelious' 0 AC Birthday Badger house items

New Holiday Reward Drops

This weekend brings enough rewards to fill a greedy dragon's hoard! 

Dai Tengu in /hakuvillage:

• Elegant Changshan armor
• 2 Noble Topknot helms
• Noble Incognito Cloak

Master of Ceremonies in /sambaflag:

• Heartbeat Festa Dancer
• 4 Heartbeat Festa helms + 2 masked helms (member-only)
• Heartbeat Festa Cape, Heartbeat Festa Bow + Glimmer Bow

M'Boi in /yguasu: Yguazu Warrior armor, 2 Yguazu helms, and Spear

Green Rat in /Terradafesta: Back Alley Pancake Thief + Sweet Pancake Thief pet

Sakura Petal Fox in /eventhub:

• Love Kitty Sweater armor
• 3 Love Kitty helms
• Love Kitty Tail and Budding Hearts capes
• Love Kitty Paws gauntlets

New Limited Time Sets 

We've got a host of new rare, seasonal, and permanently-available items available in your Featured Gear Shop this weekend for AdventureCoins.

Rare Gear
Available in the Featured Gear Shop in your Game Menu until March 1st.

• Badger Brigade Morph Armor
• Fairy Tale Romance Dress + Garb armors*
• Enchanted Love Kitty Sweater and Gauntlets*
• Enchanted Budding Love Hearts and Love Kitty Tail capes*

Permanently Available Gear
Find these color-customizable items in the Featured Gear Shop until March 1st, and permanently available in Yue's AC Shop in /hakuvillage.

• Enchanted Stylish Qipao armor*
• Enchanted Modern Trend Bun + Hair*
• Enchanted Dragon's Favor Fan*

Savage Glaceran Warlord Class 
The Savage Glaceran Warlord Class is the seasonal variant of the Glacial Warlord Class. Get more details on the Glaceran Warlord Class and skills in these Design Notes.

• Savage Glaceran Warlord class
• Savage Glaceran Warlord armor
• Glaceran War Axe (single + duel-wield)
• Savage Glaceran Warlord Cloak
• Savage Glaceran Warlord Horns + Helm

If you have the Glacial Warlord Upgrade Bonus pack, good news! You'll find the class in your badge shop for free! 

* Color-customizable

Leaving Soon!

Heads up, heroes! The 2024 Nulgath birthday events, rares shop, and collection chest will be available until Friday, March 1st. New helms went live in the chest and shop last week, along with a fix to the Void Commander armor's leg position.

February 12, 2024

Game News: February 12 - 18

Read on for the latest news and information

Stay up to date with the latest details about what's happening this week in AQWorlds!

Tuesday, February 13: Treasure Hunt

Our Tuesday Treasure Hunt is live! Talk to Beleen in the /eventhub to accept her Heart of the Cards quest. Complete it, and you'll unlock 2 new 0 AC seasonal Hero's Heart Day capes! (The quest and rewards are available until Friday, March 1st.) https://AQ.com

Thursday, February 15: Dark Spirit Orbs Boost

Get triple rewards as you battle to create Sepulchure's DoomKnight Armor until February 21st.

Quests:

• Dark Spirit Orbs
• Penny For Your Fought quests

Rewards: x15, x30, x45 or x60 Dark Spirit Orbs (instead of  x5, x10, x15, or x20)

Friday, February 16: New Update Details

• Yokai Dragon Invation, Part 1
• New Carnaval and Yokai Reward sets
• New seasonal, rare, and permanent sets in the Featured Gear Shop

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: double EXP
• Resource Boost: Dark Spirit Orbs
• Saturday: rare Purified Bloodfiend Capes
• Sunday: Aelious' Birthday Badger house items

Stay up to date with upcoming release plans and boosts on the Artix Calendar.

February 11, 2024

Halftime Show is ON!

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

Join us this Sunday at during the SuperBowl half-time show to /punt Twilly, battle the Undead Defender, get new gear, and /cheer for your favorite team as the Bloodtusk Chieftains face off against the Dwarvish Miners! These two teams last faced off against each other back in 2020 and they're squaring off again!

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

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

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

LoreBowl LVIII Gear

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

The map + gear shop will be available until Friday, March 1st.

February 09, 2024

Carnaval of LOVE

Log in for a Double Holiday Event!

Log in now for our Carnaval x Hero's Heart Day double holiday event! Journey to the Yguasu Falls, where two lovers have been forever separated by a jealous deity. With your help, Samba and Big Daddy may just turn this tragedy into a triumphant love story.

Friday's Update Details

• Double Holiday Event: Carnaval x Hero's Heart Day
• Festive New Rewards in /yguasu and /love
• Chrono ShadowHunter Set: variant added to 2024 Calendar Badge Shops
• Featured Gear Shop: new limited time rare + seasonal color-customizable items

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: Double Gold 
• Resource Boost: Spirit Orbs & Metals
• Saturday: Enchanted Masks from Lovely Masks in /yguasu
• Sunday: Hero's Heart Gear from Stolen Heart in /lovespell

Stay up to date with upcoming release plans and boosts on the Artix Calendar.

Double Holiday Rewards

We know you LOVE to /party, and that's why we're flooding you with new gear to collect this weekend! 

Yguasu Falls Merge Shop:

Gather resources to create the Queen of the Waves items, then fight to earn additional merge resources to make the 0 AC color-customizble variant!

• Vestes da Rainha das Ondas armor
• Rainha das Ondas helms
• Espírito da Mãe d'água Guardian cape
• Leque da Mãe D'água mace (single + dual-wield)
• and color customizable variants

M'Boi's Boss Drops

Defeat this weekend's boss monster to collect new reward items

• Capa das Ondas
• Bolsa da Mãe D'água (single + dual-wield)
• That's M'Boi, the House Guest (stacks up to 6)

New /love Drops

Defeat Kewpid in the /love map to collect new Big Daddy-themed items

• Big Love Formal Wear
• Big Daddy's Hat
• Big Mama's Top Hat
• Big Daddy's Cane
• Enchanted Big Love Formal Wear (color-custom, member-only)
• Big Daddy's Enchanted Hat (color-custom, member-only)
• Big Mama's Enchanted Top Hat (color-custom, member-only)
• Big Daddy's Enchanted Cane (color-custom, member-only)

Festive New Featured Gear

Find all-new 2024 Heroes Heart Day x Carnaval color-customizable rare and seasonal sets + click-to-transform weapons in the Featured Gear Shop through March 1st.

Rare color-customizable shop additions

• Amor e Alegria armor
• 4 Amor e Alegria helms
• Amor e Alegria bow
• Dark Love Gambler
• Dark Love Gambler helms (male + female) 
• Dark Love Gambler Cane
• Lovely Dark Royal Flush Cards (single + dual-wield)

Seasonal color-customizable shop additions

• Amor e Folia
• 4 Amor e Folia helms
• Amor e Folia bow
• Asas do Amor cape
• Love Gambler Armor
• Love Gambler Panama helma (male + female)
• Love Gambler Cane 
• Lovely Royal Flush Cards (single + dual-wield)

Click-to-Transform weapon

• Lovesick Infernal Staff
• Lovesick Infernal Hammer (single + dual-wield)
• Lovesick Infernal Obliterator
• Lovesick Infernal Blades

Find several new Void Commander items from Nulgath in his Collection and Birthday Rares shop! All his birthday zones and drops will be in-game through March 1st. 

Also Happening This Weekend: LoreBowl Returns

Make sure you log on this Sunday for the Superbowl Half-time Show, the Punt Twilly Challenge, and all-new gear!

PS: Icy Vordred Battlepet is live

PS 2: The 0 AC Frostval Crate item drops from December were delayed due to a string of real-life difficulties I had, which made finishing them impossible in a timely manner. At this point, to help avoid cluttering up your inventory or bank, next week we are going to turn the items into bags you can sell back for increasingly ridiculously large amounts of gold... or just destroy if you you are a fan of silver. (These items will never be used for anything, so it is fine to use them to make a profit.)

PS 3: Find several new helms in Nulgath's Collection and Birthday Rares shop! All his birthday zones and drops will be in-game through March 1st.

February 07, 2024

Void Chasm - What If?

Void Chasm - A Peek at Defeat

Hello, Cylisse here again! Hope your week's been good, peaceful, eventful, or whatever you wanted it to be!

Recently, a player on Discord asked me about what would have happened in /VoidRefuge and /VoidChasm, our most recent Nulgath Nation releases, if we lost the Shadows of Doom War. (See Here for what would have happened directly after the defeat in /Camlan).

Had Gravelyn been incapacitated, who would have accompanied you to investigate Nulgath's "Dying Star?"

I wasn't going to make Design Notes for every release that was effected by your victory, which would be all of them, but it made sense to make a post since I already gave the answer to a couple of people. This way, everyone can see it!

Be aware, big spoilers for the events of /VoidRefuge and /VoidChasm!

Note, the events detailed in this post are what would have happened if the Shadows of Doom War was lost. What is currently in-game is the result of your resounding victory in /ShadowBattleon.  

If the war was lost, Gravelyn would not be present. Instead, it's Shakaz that listens to Ana and calls on the Hero to investigate Carcano, Nulgath, and the 'dying star.' Ana and the Hero would go on their own.

Without Gravelyn, Ana is far more pessimistic about why her brother saved her from being handed over to the Nation. She would be more willing to believe Carnage smuggled her to the Lightguard just so he could steal her fate, instead of taking her place in the Nation because he cared about her.

Ana fights more recklessly because it takes a combo of Gravelyn and the Hero to give her hope, and effectively control the situation. In the end, Carnage doesn't form a temporary truce with Ana and the Hero. With his pride and fear of weakness getting in the way, he can't come to terms with how he joined the Nation both to finally be special, and to save his little sister. The Hero has to focus on keeping the siblings from fighting, and does not have time to negotiate with Adimonde.

Instead of a united effort to neutralize Carcano, it's a three-way brawl. Because Ana's attention is split, she's eaten alive by Carcano. Carnage kills Carcano in retaliation, tearing the monster apart as if he'd be able to pull Ana out, safe and in one piece, but it's too late. The Hero couldn't intervene because they needed to neutralize the 'Dying Star.'

Nulgath would have arrived after the Hero and Carnage left the Void. Instead of using these events as a show of good faith to Gravelyn in-game, the entire spectacle was intended to erase what weakness remained in Carnage's heart. In addition, Carnage wouldn't have been given a Fiend Shard. In a Lose-ShadowBattleon scenario, Nulgath will not trust anyone at all after such a huge blow to the Evil Alliance. So, his inner circle remains 'me, myself, and I,' which continues to stagnate the Nation

Gravelyn being incapacitated by the /ShadowBattleon war motivates Nulgath to prioritize ruthlessness instead of trust. This would have also begun to sour the interactions between the Hero and Nulgath, since Gravelyn's absence wouldn't be the only factor. The loss of your character's morale would have also triggered these series of events.

But, none of this came to pass! You guys kept Gravelyn healthy beause you won the /ShadowsBattleon War, and your allies will be more ready for the conflicts to come. The effects of your efforts continue to cascade through the story. I usually trend towards darker tones in regards to the writing, and what better place than a Nation release to do that, but I'm moving towards a lighter mood because everyone worked so hard to get a good outcome in that War.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this was interesting! I'll make more Design Notes like this if I end up sharing other details like these in Discord or X (formerly Twitter) so no one misses out!

Coming up next are the Year of the Dragon four-parter story, March's Legion Story, and the beginning of the next Arc of the Main Story - The Rumbling of Cold Thunder. Thanks for adventuring with us, and we'll see you for the next one!

February 05, 2024

Game News: February 5 - 11

Arm yourself with information before heading into battle

Stay up to date with the latest details about what's happening this week in AQWorlds!

Tuesday, February 6: Aciel's Birthday

Talk to Aciel the Hollowborn Cryomancer in the /Shadowrealm for this week's midweek update! Complete his quest to unlock the new rewards he's crafted for you.

• Floor Items: Aciel Plushie, Birthday Plushie, and GIANT versions
• Weapons: Aciel Plushie Mace &  Birthday Plushie Mace
• Hollowborn Cryomancer's Staff

Plus new 2024 NPC Plushies: Axeros, Cylisse, Eht, Immortal Joe, 133spider, Tyronius, Axeros

Thursday, February 8: Spirit Orbs & Metals Resource Boost

Get double rewards as you battle to create your Blinding Light of Destiny Axe until February 14th.

Spirit Orb Quests:

• Essential Essences
• Bust Some Dust

Rewards: x10, x20, x30 or x40 Spirit Orbs (instead of  x5, x10, x15, or x20)

Minecrafting Metal Quest

• 2x the rewards from the MineCrafting Metal quest

Friday, February 9: New Game Update

• Double Holiday Event: Carnaval x Hero's Heart Day
• New Rewards: festive gear to help you get the /party started
• Featured Gear Shop: New rare items we think you'll LOVE!
• Server Boost: Double Gold 

Stay up to date with upcoming release plans and boosts on the Artix Calendar.

Useful Links + Patch Notes

OMG Client Patch Notes: Most recent client changes + quality of life updates
Class Balance Updates: Latest balance changes to classes and quests
Account Manager: Change your email, update password, buyback items, and more
Bug Tracker: Found an issue inside AQWorlds? Report it here!
Support Site: Having problems with your account? Contact our Player Support Team

February 02, 2024

Triple Holiday Weekend

Get ready to /dance!

Happy Lunar New Year, Heroes! This weekend, we're celebrating with Empress Miko in Akiba once again... and THIS year is special: it's the Year of the Dragon so you KNOW we've got an epic boss battle ahead. Plus, find Beleen and Frevo, our holiday emissaries for Hero's Heart Day and Carnaval, in the /eventhub. February is a Triple Holiday month-long celebration: from the SuperBowl /party all the way to Hero's Heart Day and Yokai New Year! Log in all month long for new holiday events, stories, and gear.

Friday's Update Details

• New Story: Year of the Wood Dragon Boss Battle
• New Rewards: Treasure hoard of new Yokai dragon gear
• Class Updates: Not a Mod rework + new icons, DragonSlayer General rebalance
• Holiday events: the Groundhorc, Yokai New Year, Hero's Heart Day, and Carnaval return
• Upgrade Bonus: find an all-new upgrade bonus set based on the Year of the Dragon

Weekend Daily Gifts & Boosts

• Server Boost: Double Reputation
• Resource Boost: Celestial Dungeon Temple items
• Saturday: Terran Dragon Guards from Mutou Hong in /yokaihunt
• Sunday: Year of the Dragon Houseguests + Dragon Bao Server Guest from Mutou Hong in /yokaihunt

Stay up to date with upcoming release plans and boosts on the Artix Calendar.

Year of the Wood Dragon Rewards

Complete all of Baoyu Lin's quests and battled the boss in /yokaihunt. Then craft new reward gear in Empress Miko's merge shop. Plus defeat the monsters in the /eventhub to collect even more sweet, celebratory seasonal gear.

Seasonal Hero's Heart Day Events Return

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

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

Event Maps

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

It's Carnaval in Terra da Festa! 

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

NOT A MOD Class Rework

 It's been almost 11 years since NOT A MOD first released and a lot has changed since then. We've all leveled up IRL, some of us have started families (or gotten battle cats), and who knows, maybe one of us has even gone to space *eyes the robot* ... But despite everything that's changed, there's one thing that's remained constant, and that is non-stop requests from people asking to become a mod. No, you still can't be a Mod.* ;_; 

You're just a normal gamer like most of us reading this post. However, what you can be is NOT A MOD, a ridiculous, yet deceptively powerful class that won't give you any special mod powers, but can allow you to unleash that inner gamer spirit within. 

Dragonslayer General Class Updates

While making updates to Dragonslayer last year, we knew that Dragonslayer General would also need a few changes to keep up! The updated Dragonslayer General now plays similarly to Dragonslayer, but with a LOT more punch!

Get more details on Not a Mod Updates in this post and the DragonSlayer General Class changes in this post.

* Unless you go through the proper channels, survive 6 rounds against Dage the Evil in combat, and find the real-life Blinding Light of Destiny locked in a box, hidden away deep inside Artix's Artifact Storage Rarehouse. 

Thursday, February 1: Celestial Dungeon Resource Boost

This week’s resource boost is live! Get double dungeon drop rewards as you battle to create your Greatblade of the Entwined Eclipse until February 6th. Log in each day for a new reward, boost, or other bonus.

Tuesday, January 30: Dark Treasure Hunt

Defeat the darkness as you battle monsters to recover a two deadly weapons! Battle Creature 12 in Darkon's Garden to begin your search. Survive, and you may just find yourself wielding the Dark Dragon Summoner's Rifts (single or dual-wield.) This hunt will be available until Friday, March 1st, 2024.

• Get more details on midweek treasure hunts, zone expansions, and star ratings here.
• See what's coming up on our event calendar.

Useful Links + Patch Notes

OMG Client Patch Notes: Most recent client changes + quality of life updates
Class Balance Updates: Latest balance changes to classes and quests
Account Manager: Change your email, update password, buyback items, and more
Bug Tracker: Found an issue inside AQWorlds? Report it here!
Support Site: Having problems with your account? Contact our Player Support Team

February 02, 2024

Dage vs Nulgath Art Extravaganza… and Exposé

Over 250 players entered the Draw Your Weapon Contest, which means we’ve got 500 entries to judge! That's amazing!! However, something sinister emerged that was darker than the deepest depths of the underworld… 

Hey there aspiring artists and doodle-doers! We've just wrapped up the Draw Your Weapon Contest, and let me tell you: it was absolutely overwhelming in the best way possible!🎨✨We are thrilled to announce that 250+ players entered the contest, showcasing their artistic abilities and allegiance to Dark Lord Dage and/or the ArchFiend Nulgath. What's even more mind-blowing is that most contestants submitted not one but TWO weapon entries each! That means our judging panel has the mega monumental task of evaluating 500 artistic endeavors!😱🥵🤩

The A(rtist)-Team

To tackle this colossal task, To tackle this colossal task, we've assembled a dream team of 15 judges, including 10 of our game artists plus moderators and testers. These dedicated and highly skilled beings are armed with keen artistic eyes and are actively delving the depths of our community’s creativity. We HAD to employ this many judges because the contest turnout is legit blowing our minds, and having 15 members is a good strategy JIC of accidental brain-explody. Safety first, right? 😜

Needless to say, our judges are buzzing with excitement as they witness how incredibly talented our gaming community truly is! 

The Dark Side of… the dark side

However *deep sigh* here comes the truly not-so-exciting part. In the midst of this creative jubilee, our judges are encountering a handful of players who decided to let the dark side win – aka dishonesty and flat-out cheating 😢 There's nothing sadder than seeing art theft, AI-generated art, or even commissioned art pieces in a contest explicitly meant to celebrate individual artistic expression and genuine passion for their craft. It's disheartening to witness the betrayal of these core values that make the Artix community a vibrant – and authentic – space for imagination, inspiration, and mutual respect, because, well, you know what they say:

Cheaters NEVER win

This is an important life lesson for everyone: cheaters might *think* they’ve outsmarted the competition, but in the end, cheaters NEVER win. The contest rules (and common courtesy) state that "Your art MUST be made by you (so no copying / stealing / using someone else’s work)" and "Using someone else’s work or using AI art will lead to automatic disqualification."

Our vigilant judges, equipped with superhuman artistic-detection skills, are scrutinizing every entry to ensure fairness and integrity throughout the contest. They're spotting “little details” in some players’ submissions that the untrained eye – or a sneaky contest cheater – would otherwise miss. Kudos to our fantastic judging team for their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to upholding the spirit of fair play in our community 👏👏👏

Happy times ahead!

On a much brighter note, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the honest, dedicated, and talented artists who poured their hearts into their genuine creations! Your passion for art – and devotion to the ArchFiend Nulgath and Dark Lord Dage – shows so amazingly well! The sheer variety of styles and weapon concepts left the entire Artix team in awe, and we can't wait to unveil the winners in order to showcase the exceptional talent within our community. 

To all our participants (who played fairly, of course), thank YOU for making the Draw Your Weapon Contest an unforgettable experience! We are so amazed over how talented you all are, and we are honored to have heroes like you by our side. Stay tuned my friends, for sometime later this month we’ll announce the contest winners and celebrate the incredible world of Dage vs Nulgath weapon art! 🏆💀😈

Battle on!
Beleen, our amazing judges, and the AQW team

February 02, 2024

Become the Earth Dragon's Avatar

Upgrade to unlock all the exclusive new bonus gear

Warriors of legend rumored to possess draconic blood, even the immortals whisper about their incredible abilities.Unlock the color-customizable, transformable Earth Dragon Avatar, Dracomancer, & Guard sets when you upgrade your account any AdventureCoin or Membership package of $10 USD or more.

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 new upgrade bonus set to unlock all the color-customizable gear (including a click-to-transform armor) from the set's badge shop in your Book of Lore. The set includes:

• Earth Dragon Avatar armor
• Earth Dragon Dracomancer armor
• Earth Dragon Guard
• Shenlong Guardian Dragon companion cape
• 8 Helms
• 2 Capes
• 1 polearm, 1 dagger, 1 sword, 1 gauntlet
• and a character page badge

Once you've chosen the new pack on the Account Manager page, log in and open your Book of Lore. You'll find the badge shop in the Other Achievements tab.

12000 AC or 12 month membership package rewards:

• ALL the new upgrade bonus pack 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 new upgrade bonus pack gear
• 5 Rep/XP/Gold/Class Points boosts
• and a character page badge

February 01, 2024

Yokai New Year - Behind the Scenes

Cylisse here, with another behind the scenes look at our latest release!

It's the Year of the Dragon which means big things for us this month. A whole new four-parter story featuring the Yokai Isles is on the way. We've set it up with an update to /YokaiHunt, adding a literal work of art dragon designed by Crulon.

Last year, I made a Writer's Thread on X (formerly Twitter) about the Year of the Rabbit's update. Since we're already here, I've combined those notes with new insights, lore, and references about the Year of the Dragon. That way, you won't miss out!

Want to know more about the in-game lore, see the concept art, and real-life references that inspired our newest release? Read the full post here.