Design Notes

May 15, 2015

Can YOU Survive the Forge?

If you can't stand the heat, destroy the FIRESTORM!

Prove your worth as you battle through The Forge - a gauntlet of the Firestorm Onslaught's greatest warriors. If you survive, you'll earn the right to face Tyndarius, Lord of the Firestorm, in head-to-head combat! Winner. Takes. ALL!

If you haven't played through the Firestorm Onslaught storyline yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest zones in AQWorlds! Read more here to find out what you've missed, and how you begin your adventures to save the people of Embersea from the Queen of Monster's fieriest general!

Then battle against the full force of the Firestorm Onslaught before facing down... the Flamewing! This fiery beast is one of the minions of the Phedra, Firestorm's Flame Titan.

Quest to take down each rank of the Onslaught and save up the Forge Tokens you earn! Combine those with Badge drops from the different Firestorm opponents to create some of the hottest new gear in Lore!

May 16, 2015

Blazebinder Class Skills

Blaze Your Way to Victory with our newest Tier II Class!

The Blaze Binder Class is stronger than a Pyromancer, requires more strategy, and you're guaranteed to critically BURN your opponents to the ground Fire Binders control the power of fire and darkness. They are known to burn their enemies to a crisp and bind their souls into service. 

Read on to check out the Blazebinder Class skills. You can talk to Thaumus in Battleon or Caustus in /fireforge to get your gauntlets on the new class!

There are two ways to unlock Blazebinder Class:

• Buy it immediately for 2000 AdventureCoins
• Buy it for gold if you meet the requirements: Rank 10 Embersea Reputation, Rank 10 Doomwood Reputation, and either version of the original Pyromancer Class (of any rank)

Why Choose Blazebinder Class?

Blazebinder is a tier 2 class (the first since original Doomknight), and has more base power under the hood to begin with, since it has such high requirements. It also requires a more thought and strategy to use well, too.

You've got a guaranteed crit on Combustion Blaze, which is awesome because hey - you know you're guaranteed to do damage! But it's also used as a form of damage control; the set value stops oerly-massive spike damage from crits and lets us give the class higher base power without having to worry about excessively-high crit hits unbalancing the game.

In addition to the Blazebinder Class, you'll also gain access to its gear! All of the items are 0 ACs for free storage (awwwww yeah!), and require different ranks of Embersea rep to purchase.

• Blazebinder Armor
• Helms
• Weapons
• Capes
• and Pets!

Auto Attack

Rank Needed: 0
Mana Cost: 0
Mana Cooldown: 2.0 Seconds
Type: Physical
Description: A basic attack, taught to all adventurers

Combustion Blaze

Rank Needed: 1
Mana Cost: 15
Mana Cooldown: 4.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: Unleash explosive flames on three enemies and then watch them burn with a small DoT for 4 seconds afterwards.

Choking Shadow Smoke

Rank Needed: 2
Mana Cost: 25
Mana Cooldown: 8.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: Your smoke is infused with the power of Darkness and causes your opponents to have a reduced chance of hitting you and occasionally stuns them for 2 seconds. Inhaling the smoke also causes a large DoT lasting for 8 seconds.

Fire In Your Skin

Rank Needed: 3
Mana Cost: 35
Mana Cooldown: 16.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: You are so ablaze with flame that it hurts your opponents if they touch you. You also use your darkness powers to restore your life from the ashes around you causing a HoT for 8 seconds.

Dark Fire

Rank Needed: 4
Mana Cost: 35
Mana Cooldown: 12.0 Seconds
Type: Magical
Description: You unleash a devastating burst of Dark Fire on 3 opponents. They all take heavy damage and continue to burn from a reasonable DoT for 8 seconds. The fire may also apply Burnt to a Crisp, causing your opponent’s DoTs to intensify, or apply Shrouded in Shadow Flame which decreases the damage they deal.

Sear Flesh

First passive: 20% Damage to DoTs

Sear Bone

Second passive: 10% Outgoing Damage

Class Notes

Choking Shadow Smoke and Fire In Your Skin are carefully crafted around each other. Firstly, burning ward is something pvping players are not fond of because of the potential power, however for Burning Ward to work your opponent actually has to be able to hit you.

Fire In Your Skin can stop your opponents hitting you, thus stopping reflected damage. Essentially it’s to encourage the idea that just because you can loop something does not mean you should. This combination allows more strategic players to weigh up whether they want to loop Choking Shadow Smoke or alternate between Fire In Your Skin and Choking Shadow Smoke

You'll want to use Wizard Enhancements with this Class. Int is your best friend with this hot number, but End and Wis will also work. All three of those beat out Luck, Dex, and Str when it comes to enhancements.

Class Changes

Originally, we'd planned to require you to have both the Pyromancer and Necromancer classes at rank 10 PLUS have rank 10 Embersea reputation. Then you would have had to rank the Blaze Binder class up in order to unlock its accessories.

Though changes to the game's servers have made that impossible FOR NOW*, I still think that is a really fun idea, and a great incentive to keep ranking up your class. Look for that in future Tier 2 classes as we delve deeper into the Queen of Monsters Saga!

* We are working to rebuild the server better, stronger, and faster... but in doing so, some core functionality (like locking items to a required class rank) was stripped away. We still have the pieces, they just do not currently fit where they used to. By the time we're done with the rewrite, they will fit again!

May 01, 2015

The Phoenix Rises

Defeat Cinderclaw the Ravenous This Weekend!

Pass through the Phoenixrise Gates to enter a restricted area entirely controlled by the Firestorm Onslaught. Tread very carefully and keep your weapons close at hand, because each Firestorm Warrior has pyro-battle magic hotter than their tempers! Battle your way through the maze of corundum caverns and defeat the dread beast Cinderclaw the Ravenous! The fate of Embersea will rest in your hands... IF you survive! /Join Phoenixrise to begin battling!

If you're not caught up on the storyline so far, what are you waiting for? Check out this post for a summary of what's happened, then jump in-game and begin battling!

Even if you're not up to date, you head straight to the gate and talk to Draden; he's got quests for anybody willing to help him out... and he'll reward you with some pretty cutting-edge gear forged by Memet if you do!

Cinderclaw Rares Shop Available until 5/29

Once you're done battling through the Phoenixrise Gate release, check out the rare Cinderclaw gear in the Rares shop in your game menu! This is some of Laken's biggest, best, and FIERCEST gear... like Tony the Minotiger would say, it's GRRRRRRRRRR-EAT!

April 29, 2015

Face Cinderclaw the Ravenous

Face Cinderclaw, Guardian of the Phoenixrise Gates!

Long before the Queen of Monsters was freed, Cinderclaw the Ravenous stalked the molten caverns beneath the Phoenixrise Gates. Mothers throughout the Firestorm Islands threatened to send their children to him if they misbehaved, and many foolhardy adventurers dared to enter his realm... and never returned.

Cinderclaw concept and Flash art by Laken

But that was before the Firestorm Onslaught... before Tyndarius was chosen by the Queen to serve as her Fire General in our world. Now, Cinderclaw has been tamed - barely - but will ONLY answer to those who have formally sworn to serve the Mother of Monsters.

This Friday, brave the deep, dark Fyreborn Caverns beneath the Phoenixrise Gates and face down Cinderclaw the Ravenous! Since the Firestorm Onslaught rose, he has gone without food - because all surplus personnel have been conscripted for a much more terrifying purpose - and he is VERY eager to feed - on YOU!

April 27, 2015

Friday: The Phoenix Rises

Battle through the Fyreborn Caverns this weekend!

Pass through the Pheonixrise Gates to enter a restricted area entirely controlled by the Firestorm Onslaught. Tread very carefully and keep your weapons close at hand, because each Firestorm Warrior has pyro-battle magic hotter than their tempers! Battle your way through the maze of corundum caverns and defeat the dread beast Cinderclaw the Ravenous! The fate of Embersea will rest in your hands... IF you survive!

Find the Cinderclaw Armor set, the Fyreborn Mauler, and the Firestorm Tempest General gear this Friday!

The story so far...

If you haven't played through the Firestorm Onslaught storyline yet, you're missing out on one of the hottest zones in AQWorlds! Read on to find out what you've missed, and how you begin your adventures to save the people of Embersea from the Queen of Monster's fieriest general!

Embersea Isle: Talk to Warlord Kyron in Embersea Islae as he and the townspeople of Embersea prepare for war against the Firestorm Onslaught and struggle to survive the deadly plague they've unleashed!  /Join embersea to begin the adventure!

Pyrewatch Peak: Battle to reach Pyrewatch Peak, where the sick have gathered for protection. With attacks on the rise, your skill and courage are needed to help defend the weak and innocent! /Join pyrewatch to begin the adventure once you've completed quests in Embersea!

Mount ShadowFlame: Join Empress Gravelyn, ruler of the Shadowscythe, her newly-resurrected father, Sepulchure the DoomKnight, and Akriloth the Fire Dragon as they move to take Tyndarius and the Queen of Monsters down! /Join Shadowflame to take part in the ShadowDragon War!

Feverfew Falls: Fight to escape the Blazebinder’s trap in Feverfew Falls! Attacks by the Firestorm Onslaught are increasing, and when the temple is destroyed, a horrible fate befalls many of those who had escaped Tyndarius' army! /Join feverfew to begin the adventure once you've completed quests in Pyrewatch!

February 03, 2015

Quibble's Gear is on Fire!

First Look at the new Firestorm Quibble Gear!

Firestorm gear from the past, present, and future is burning the leather of Quibble Coinbiter's pack... and all of it is ready to blaze into YOUR inventory! AQWorlds' very own time-traveling sales moglin arrives in Battleon this Friday, February 6th, but he won't be there long, so you'll want to dig through his chest of never-before-seen-slightly-used items and rares while you can! Keep reading below for previews of Dage's Firestorm Onslaught Spartan gear!

• Firestorm Knight armor set on the left
• Member-only Golden Firestorm Fury armor set on the right

What's a Quibble Coinbiter?

Not exactly sure who Quibble is, or how he gets all that gear? Neither are we... for sure. But I hear he's got a deal with a time-travel fairy who brings him gear... even if it hasn't been forged yet! The items might show up later in the game or might be Rares that are NEVER seen again!

• Larger version of the member-only Golden Onslaught weapons
• Larger version of the Brightsteel Onslaught weapons

• Red and Gold Crested General helms
• Red and Gold Battle Visor helms
• Goldenfire Battle Visor and Firestorm Fury hair
• White-hot Winged helm

Later this week: MORE Quibble shop previews - Memet's Ashen and Mana Phoenix Pyromancer gear!