Design Notes

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 17, 2012

Dark Caster Class

A Little History

Many, many moons ago when Dage The Evil was still the loyal servant of The Archfiend, he created an armor called Dark Caster. At the time is was the pinnacle of his craftsmanship and many, many people desired it. Through the secret halls and corridors of the internet it was promised to those who obtained this item, that one day in the far-flung future the next evolution of this armor, Dark Caster X would be theirs.

Things happen and plans change. Through many discussions and much planning the idea of Dage's Dark Caster X eventually evolved into a class rather than an armor. But people were still howling for the Dark Caster X so the armor was created and released for all. But Dage had not forgotten his promise to those who bear the original Dark Caster. It would be no mere armor that they would inherit, but a full Dark Caster Class with it's own Legion based skills to better serve their master, Dage.

Nulgath's army proved too much for the mighty Undead Legion and Dage The Evil has failed in his attempt to overthrow Nulgath. A rift was opened to another world rich with possibility and ripe for corruption. Nulgath has tossed aside the war-torn scraps and left Lore to inhabit, spoil, shape and eventually conquer the rich world of Oversoul.

Dage is still nursing his wounded pride and the Underworld is not as enticing as it once was, being given to him a pitiful trophy... a reminder of his great defeat. But his eternal rage still burns a cold, blue flame in what remains of his soul and he has already begun rebuilding his army.

The Dark Caster Class finally arrives today and all those who posses the original Dark Caster armor are called to Dage's service once again. The skills will soon be yours to master.

As we've mentioned before... a lot... ONLY people the ORIGINAL DARK CASTER armor will be able to obtain the Dark Caster Class. There will be no AC version and no other way to get it.

For the most part with AC items like the original Dark Caster armor, you get what you pay for. However, on VERY rare occasions there is an item like this that will allow you to get more than you paid for. You may think it's unfair that you signed up after the original Dark Caster armor had been released or you didn't know at the time that it would unlock anything else but a promise was made and a promise will be kept.

Did you really expect fairness from Dage The Evil?

How Do I Get The Class

There are only about 4000 people left in AQW who still have the original Dark Caster Class. If you're not one of them, you don't need to read any further. If you are one of the very few people (4000 is a very, very small number of AQW players) who still own your Dark Caster then you probably want to know how you will get the class.

Dage tells me that there will be at least one quest and probably some Legion Tokens required to obtain the class from him in Shadowfall. The Dark Caster armor will need to be in your inventory in order to unlock the quest or quests that will grant you the class.

You will NOT be required to turn in the armor. You only need to have it in your inventory.

DARK CASTER CLASS SKILL SET

Dage and I spoke for a while about what he expected out of the class. Obviously it was to be a caster. Single target DPS with some survivability, but not a tank. He wanted some interactivity which requires his Legionnaires to do more than mash buttons to gt a kill BUT he wanted the skills to have fairly short cooldowns so you had to pay close attention and act quickly. He wanted people to use it in PvP so it needed a guaranteed stun but it had to be a stun for which you worked.

Since it is a caster type and all of the skills are magical you should slot this out with Wizard Enh.

I think I designed a class that matches all of his expectations. Here are the skills.

AUTO ATTACK

2 second cooldown

A basic attack, taught to all adventurers.

SOUL GRASP

20 mana, 4 second cooldown

Magically grip your enemy's soul tighter and tighter. Deals moderate damage, also applies Soul Crush which stacks up to 3 times. Each stack reduces your targets damage further. Soul Crush replaces any stacks of Soul Burn.

This class starts off with a moderate damage ability instead of a light one which will make ranking it up a little simpler. The debuff isn't super-powerful but just enough to give you an edge in battle. The real joy in this skill is the 4 second cooldown. The cherry on top comes in the final ability.

SHADOW BOLT

20 mana, 3 second cooldown

A blast of charged spirit hits your target for light damage. Also applies Soul Burn which stacks up to 5 times. Each stack causes your target to take more damage. Soul Burn replaces any stacks of Soul Crush.

Another damage skill with an even faster cooldown, but less damage than the first still. Another mild debuff but now that you have this skill you are forced to decide which debuff you like better. Again, the real value in this skill comes the last ability in the class.

DARK CONVERSION

20 second cooldown

Regain some mana over time at the cost of losing health over time. Also increases your damage output for a short time.

You Necromancers will recognize this skill. It makes sense considering the Dark Caster's close ties to the necromantic magic that keeps the Legion up and walking around. When you use this skill your life slowly drains away as your mana slowly refills. Once again, you need to watch your HP bar to make sure that you don't kill yourself but if you juggle this with the soon-to-be-revealed healing skill then you'll be OK.

SPEED OF DARKNESS & DARK PACT

Rank 4 passives

Increase HASTE by 10%

Increase DAMAGE OUTPUT by 10%

Do more damage more quickly.

LEGION STRIKE

35 mana, 15 second cooldown

A high damage attack with an additional effect. If your target has 3 stacks of Soul Crush applied, they will be stunned for 4 seconds. If your target has ANY stacks of Soul Burn applied, you will be healed over time. Amount healed increases with stacks of Soul Burn. This skill consumes all stacks of Soul Crush or Soul Burn.

Those of you who have gotten this far in Skyguard Grenadier will recognize the way this skill functions.

In addition to the nice high damage that you get from the skill itself, this skill also has additional properties depending on which of the first two skills you've used. If you have three stacks of the first skill then Legion Strike will stun your target for 4 seconds. You can USE those 4 seconds to get one more stack on them and try to stun lock your foe but you will eventually run out of mana.

If you have the second skill stacked then you get a heal which will be progressively larger depending on how many stacks you have of that light damage second skill. Using this skill will balance out dark conversion and you can try to bleed your opponent's life away with light damage (and the rare HIGH damage from this skill) but you lose out on the higher damage from the first skill, not to mention the stun.

Here are a few tips: I find that 4 stacks of Soul Burn is plenty to keep you alive through combat AND Dark Conversion. I won't wast time on the 5th stack unless you're planning something big.Don't be afraid to mix up which skills you use but remember that every time you use one it negates the stacks of the other so think ahead.

SPIRIT DEATH

Rank 10 passive

Rarely, you will focus all of your dark power into one MASSIVE damage attack, but it will consume all of your mana and half of your remaining life.

This is a VERY large attack but it's balanced out by the fact that it pretty much leaves you open to any incoming attacks. I would carry a few potions around if I were you.

That's it. It's pretty fun to play since it keeps you on your toes and it's a good boss class and can be a decent PvP class if you play it right but I don't think that anyone will be complaining that it's over powered.

Don't Forget...

We've got more than the class coming tonight. The next chapter of The Span is coming plus Quibble is on the way with a bunch of items pulled from the timestreams of our other games, and we have a new Matomy (AExtra) offer starting tonight which could win you several thousand ACS OR the grand prize of a set of the rare, collector's edition Black Artix and Sepulchure action figures!

Be sure to come back clear to the release and read Alina's Design Notes on tonight's release for more details!

125 days until Just Another Day

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 30, 2012

This Friday: Evil War Finale

Dage vs Nulgath: Final Showdown!

Ultimate showdown of ultimate EVIL! In the third and final installment of this Summer's Dage vs Nulgath War, we will finally see WHO has the greater army, WHO controls the Underworld, and WHO is the greater Commander of Evil! ... And YOU will decide who wins!

This Friday we'll release a new cutscene introducing the final push to annihilate your opponents, a brand-new area of the Underworld (ish) map to battle in, 2 new monsters, 2 new farming quests, and enough epic reward gear to fill an abattoir! (Look for previews of the new war gear in this week's future Design Notes!)

The decision all comes down to you and your fellow soldiers - Undead Legion, Nulgath Nation... who will YOU fight for?

Changes to the Legion Entry Requirements!

So many recruits have flooded Dage with requests to join the Legion, he has decided to gain entry into his dark, Undead Legion of warriors! Here are the new requirements:

• Undead Warrior Armor - 1200 ACs from the Suggestion Shop in Yulgar's Inn

Dage the Evil is removing the 200 PvP Combat Trophy requirement! Undead Legion, with this requirement removed, new warriors will flood into the Legion... exactly as Dage planned! (What do you expect from someone whose title is "the Evil"?)

Wednesday: Lorelympics Limited Time Shop!

Competition, striving for a goal, and having their athletic achievements recognized brings out the best in many people. That's why we're opening a Limited Time Shop (LTS) with a Lorelympics theme! Grab your color-custom Track Suit Armor, Gymnastics gear, and a whole host of sports-themed weaponry! We're also introducing the member-only Bronze, Silver, and Gold PvP Medals!

Dark Caster Class in Progress!

Players who currently own the Dark Caster Armor will soon be able to gain access to the Dark Caster Class! Dage is working on new art right now while Cysero and Yorumi design the skills! We will release previews of the art, a skill writeup, and the Class itself as soon as they're ready*!

Note: Players who do not have the Dark Caster Armor will not be able to obtain the Dark Caster Class. Owning the Dark Caster X armor does not count for the Dark Caster Class.

* As soon as it's ready-o'clock! **
** This picture is never not the answer to "When will X come?"

Epic Duel's Infernal Infiltration War is On!

BUGS! Battles! And beating up the robotic insects trying to take you down? Sounds like the perfect thing for any warriors, mage, Legionnaire, or Exiles! In Epic Duel's Infernal Infiltration war, Administrator 7 and his Legion are racing to head off The Lawman's Exiles as both sides race to take possession of the Delta Vault!

In the last leg of the war, bikes will slam into blades, Mages massacre Cyber Hunters, and Bounty Hunters on BOTH sides fight dirtier than they ever have! What's in the Delta Vault? ... No one knows! But if the other side wants it so bad, then so do you!

Epic Duel Mechachillid Armor in Battleon this Friday!

Roggark, one of the MechaChillid warriors, is coming to Battleon this Friday to recruit seeking aid for his Queen's army of robotic insect warriors. He's got a shiny Mechachillid Armor and Helm to offer any who wish to learn more!

What Raggork doesn't know is that AQW heroes HATE bugs! Take his armor, learn the deadly details about the war he has to share, then head to Delta V to take his buggy brethren down!

More Yorumi Fixes!

Yorumi spent the weekend monitoring the fixes he rolled to the servers on Friday. He's found some very elegant fixes to a few pretty large problems, but he's not done just yet! He's got a list of functions to clean up and other miscellaneous bits and bytes of code to create.

* You know what goes great while watching two armies battle for the supremacy of their overlord? Peas. Green peas, black-eyed peas, Black-Eyed Peas (Pump It!)... it's too bad that no matter what kind of veggie we offer, neither Dage nor Nulgath can be ap-peas-ed.