TenTonHammer.com - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

by Garrett Fuller

After seeing the press conference today, Jeff Hickman and Paul Barnett of Warhammer Online took some time to chat with us about the new elf classes for Warhammer and how penguins explode at 750 ft. up. Yes, it is true, penguins….Um. Nevermind! Sorry, Paul, no time to discuss penguins as we’d like, we have to discuss High and Dark Elves! So I asked the guys a series of very straight questions and got some great answers about the classes, game play, and how it all fits together within the Warhammer world.

In talking about the High Elf Archmage first, Jeff Hickman gave us a great run down of how the class works. He is a healer and a nuker. He uses life tap style spells to steal magic from others (think DOTs) and uses it to heal allies. I asked Jeff how this would work in a fight; as an Archmage, would I have to stay outside the fight until I stole enough magic from others to use for myself? "Not at all," was Jeff’s reply - every class can fight. Archmages can fight and heal, they just do it better when the steal some magic from foes. This class is shaping up to be nasty! Ranged attacks, healing, DOTs, and oh yeah, they can wield a quarterstaff with the best of them. Keep in mind that the Archmage is not just a healer who can attack, he is a nuker who can heal.

We got to see some in-game footage of the High Elf Swordmaster next. The elf starting zones are very different from any others in the Warhammer world. They are regal and majestic, somewhat like a “fairyland” as Paul described it. The Swordmaster is the tanking class of the High Elves. Again, he is the focused master of weaponry. The defensive side of the class is in avoiding and dodging attacks. With the “Wall of Darting Steel” ability, the Swordmaster can block ranged attacks from archers or shooters. Think of the Chinese sword masters stopping the arrows coming in. Some of the other skills we heard about were the “Phoenix Claw” and “Blade of Leaping Gold.” I did ask the question if players would be able to personalize their swords in the game…and silence. Jeff said, it is very possible and Mark Jacobs wants Glory! Having your own sword would be glorious so you can put that together any way you like.

Moving on to the Dark Elf classes, the Witch Blade is very popular in Warhammer and she will be playable as a class in Warhammer Online. Yes, it will be a female-only class. The guys agreed that they have stuck to the lore all the way through. There are no female orcs, therefore, the girls get the advantage of having an all-female class in the Witch Blades. Deadly masters of death and destruction, these girls are vicious. For lore fans, there will be a Cauldron of Blood in the game! Paul described the class as the Brides of Khaine, they are the murderous deadly fighters who look as good as they kill. Paul explained that the witch elves are not the typical fantasy damsel-in-distress. They are hardened fighters who hit the front lines with a vengeance and keep on cutting through foes until there are none left. Jeff and I agreed that our wives will love playing the class. Fortunately, Eddiemae Jukes from Kohnke Communications was with us for the interview. She handles PR for Warhammer and was happy to share a woman’s view of the class. She said that typical bad guys in games are the ugly types and that the witch blades were the bad guys who look pretty. “They’re looking hot and why shouldn’t they?” Eddiemae said. She agreed that the class was not a cliché for women. The class offers strength and appeals to female players who like to fight and look good. Jeff said that sex appeal is important to any game and the elves are an area where they can bring that out. No one is looking to play an orc or chaos marauder and look good. Here the elves offer a cool chance for players to look good and still kick some ass. Paul was also happy to point out the bras, boots, and slinky armor. He said it makes for some interesting choices in loot. Looks like the Witch Blades will be hitting players with a vengeance come game launch.

The Dark Elf Black Guard was the last class we got to look at. These tanks are the psychopathic killers that Paul was happy to explain as, “the insane version of Neo from the Matrix.” They attack with huge halberds and absorb damage rather than avoid it. They use a hated ability when fighting which gives them even more boosts to damage and attacks. The Black Guard are Malekith’s personal bodyguard and encompass the nasty, vile, brutal world of the dark elves in all their violent glory.

Paul also mentioned the Dark Elf Black Arks. These huge fortresses of destruction are the homes to the dark elf hordes and travel through water and on land to retake their elven home land. The black arks will unleash monsters; Cold Ones and Hydras were mentioned. They are huge fortresses which I am sure will be the area for many dungeons and battle fields.

The guys had to cut it short with more interviews on the way, but we wanted to thank Jeff and Paul for a great presentation about some Warhammer material we have all been waiting to see. Paul mentioned that elves are very easy to do wrong and Warhammer hopes to have elves that are rock hard and kick ass. Hopefully we’ll be hearing about the other elf classes in the near future as beta continues. You will also be able to see the live video of this interview on Ten Ton Hammer later this week!