Warhammer Online at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

I was told there is no actual “tutorial” yet, but that we would be in a demo starter zone. There was a keyboard guide taped to the upper-left of the monitor as well. Very standard and simple controls, and there were some simple quests available right off the bat. This is all standard thus far, so I’ll skip ahead to the more interesting parts. Questing types!

Something not often seen is the appearance of “public” quests, which are basically open and available to players of that region. People can work alone or together, but it all goes toward the accomplishment of the objective, and the rewards are given to everyone. This is also made more interesting due to how they are tying in the PvE to the PvP. Some of the rewards are actually boosts that can be applied to those fighting for your race in the PvP areas! Additionally, there are “conflict” quests in which opposing factions will interact with each other. Moving onto combat, what differs from the usual are “tactics” and “morale.” There’s something neat and new with fighting, too.

Warhammer Online Concept Art

Tactics is essentially a system where people can fill up slots to specialize their capabilities for an upcoming role. If you want to be more effective against dwarves, you can utilize that tactic to deal more damage to them, specifically. The morale system is based upon how much time one spends in combat, or out of combat. Keep on fighting and the meter will increase, and upon reaching certain points, special skills will become available to add intensity and variety to the action. Soon after, Jeremy utilized his developer commands and teleport me right to the PvP action. The mode available in this demo is one in which two sides fight each other over control of an obelisk-like object. Much killing was done and then I backed away, having ganked enough dwarves with fellow greenbacks, and we entered into a short question and answer session.

A few topics were covered before he had to take off, as the booth was becoming quite crowded and apparently they wanted to make sure newcomers didn’t have to wait around too long. How much dependence is there on PvP and the ability for PvEers to enjoy the game fully? How is the progress of development and where do you see things going in a year? How much influence did previous or other works provide? How will the longevity of the game be ensured?  And is the plan to have characters’ physical features change as they progress in their development, such as becoming more muscular or growing longer beards? Unfortunately, some didn’t result in conclusive answers, and others were discussed off the record. While interesting to hear, it doesn’t help you -- the reader. However, this is what we did manage to find out.

Kir playing WAR

The game will support a well developed PvE experience, and if someone never wants to PvP, they can still enjoy the PvE. However, some of the best loot will involve high-end PvP content, such as an invading force storming and pillaging an enemy’s town. There will be plenty of content, but it just happens that their efforts in PvE will also support the PvPers. Release is being aimed for in 16 months. Dark Age of Camelot is an obvious influence, and many of the prior star features are being carried over and expanded upon. There will be some form of PvP for all types of players through the form of a wide variety of options. Thanks for the tour Jeremy!

Personally, being a lover of competition and PvP, Warhammer Online appeals to me greatly. I think as long as they keep on track and follow through, it’ll be the top contender for being king of Player vs. Player oriented fantasy styled MMORPGs. Check out these relevant links from Ten Ton Hammer’s other impressions: Woleslagle and Comeau with another staff impression, Hillman’s E3 Warhammer Online interview, and our community site, Warhammer – Ten Ton Hammer!