Location, Location, Location

From the Empire to the Chaos Wastes, a view of Warhammer Online’s locales

So for this week’s common content article I was asked to write something about my favorite and least favorite locations for Warhammer Online. Sufficed to say that this is a difficult proposition for a game that isn’t even in Beta yet and only has basic information released for a scattered few zones. Silly things like “rules” have never stopped me before, so I’ve decided to go Chaos on this topic and mutate it into something I like; a discussion of the locales of the Warhammer World and what can be done with them in the context of Warhammer Online.

The Empire poses the best and worst of examples for making solid zones in which players can fight over. Unlike the other races of Warhammer, the Empire doesn’t have any weird or shiny locations that are located within their borders; instead players can expect to find farms, hamlets, cities, and fortresses all within the breadth of the Empire. Does this mean that the Empire will be a boring place to fight over? I highly doubt it, and in fact given the flare Mythic has been able to put into Warhammer thus far I expect to see the Empire done in a very interesting way. Of course if all else fails, the Empire does have access to the steamtank, so there’s really no debates there!

Head due north of the Empire and you will enter the strange and dark place known as the Chaos Wastes. Imagine a frozen land of Barbarians after H.R. Geiger and H.P. Lovecraft were done with it. Tainted by the powers of Chaos, the Wastes are a place with various possibilities for solo and RvR play. With four different gods all imposing their different wills on the Wastes it will likely be a varied land of play with shifting terrain and land. If any of the locations of Warhammer thus far introduced will evoke a sense of dark magic and fear, it would be the Chaos Wastes. With Mythic’s central Chaos god being Tzeentch, there will likely be a more magical feel to the realms of Chaos, and that should add a different element to the standard take on the Wastes. As a counter to the steamtank, there will probably be mammoths wandering about and I would be more then content with that.

The Orcs & Goblins really share terrain with everyone (as they just keep moving), but in Warhammer Online since they are primarily fighting the Dwarves I think the two factions are pretty much bundled together. The Dwarves reside in stone fortresses that are both above and below ground, usually built directly into the mountains that the Dwarves are so fond of inhabiting. In terms of locations and Warhammer background, expect the Dwarves to be engaged in protracted siege warfare with the Greenskins. In terms of defending a single location there is no better race to accomplish the task then the Stunties of the mountains. The dwarves will have some unique items to accompany their terrain such as gyrocopters, a flying device that if implemented will add some distinct character to outdoor battles. The Orcs already have giants wandering about the battlefield for their side, so there’s really not much else to say about their defenses.

The High Elves of Ulthuan are the last major faction on the side of good, and possess their own unique lands in the form of their island kingdom. For those of you who are a fan of Tolkien’s writings, the Elven lands are almost a direct take on the “West”, a place filled with beautiful forests and towering pearly white spires that house the highborn elves of the Warhammer World. As the society of High Elves is based on magic it can be expected that there will be some unique locations and innovations that the High Elves will have access to (and thus their enemies will be able to acquire). From the background of Warhammer it can also be expected that the High Elves will have some of the most visually stunning locations in the game, as they are expert artists and craftsmen. If heavy support is needed, I will take this moment to suggest Dragon Princes and their induction into the Warhammer Online game. Everyone likes Dragons!

To end the list of Warhammer Online races we come to the vile and cunning Dark Elves. As the only in-game race to be located on an entirely different continent (aside from Chaos, but that’s just a bit too geeky to discuss), there is a possible debate to be had about if their lands will even be included in the game. What can likely be expected is the dreaded Dark Elf Black Arks parking themselves off the coasts of Ulthuan and the fight between the High Elves and Dark elves taking place mainly in the lands of the High Elves, with a few battles on the ships of the Dark Elves. If the lands of the Dark Elves are introduced, we can expect to see some of the darkest and cruelest lands in the game, teeming with slaves and debauchery on all levels. I look forward to playing a Dark Elf.

To sum it all up, the lands of Warhammer lend themselves quite well to an online game, especially the style of game that Myhic is going for (heavy PvP emphasis). At this point in development it should be interesting to see the various different locations that will be put into the game and how they will be implemented. The current “starting” locations that have been explored thus far all have a very Warhammer feel to them along with fitting into an RvR setting. Hopefully Mythic won’t drop the ball and throw out a completely out of character zone filled with Dwarf forest fortresses and High Elf underground strongholds. Finally, as long as there’s a steamtank somewhere in the game (that can be later turned to Skaven uses) I will be one happy rat!

-Ratboy Out

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