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

To anyone that's been reading Dalmarus' Vanguard Chronicles over the past year, the fact that I am a tried and true carebear comes as no surprise. For those that are unfamiliar with my ramblings, let's just say The Powerpuff Girls have more PvP tendencies than I do. From the early days of getting continually ganked by the local tools in Ultima Online to the disturbingly sad PvP in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, I've at least tried the whole kill-or-be-killed experience in every game I've played. Only during the early days of World of Warcraft did even a flicker of those PvP yearnings reach my soul, but even a flea couldn't have gotten warm off that measly flame.

But now that fire has exploded into a raging conflagration within my soul. Why? Two words: Warhammer Online.

Ohhh... Sparklies!

While I was finishing up the last of the spell lists for our Warhammer Online community site, I started noticing an interesting pattern - all the classes and their corresponding abilities had massive amounts of counter abilities found in the enemies’ characters. These built-in counters, along with abilities that last for just a matter of seconds, drew my initial interest. Rather than just getting the necessary information for the lists, I finally started to actually play the game. I didn't find a class that fit my mindset until I happened upon the violent potential of the Dark Elf Sorceress. Just the descriptions of their spells began to make me giggle like someone discovering the magic of the words, "Pull my finger".

Surely, this alone couldn't have been enough to turn a diehard carebear into a maniacal sociopath hell-bent on the destruction of all that is Order, could it? In short, the answer is no, but to say it had little to do with it is like saying Helen of Troy had little to do with the Trojan War. The real genius in this bizarre transformation is simple - I can survive longer than a snowball in hell with little skill involved.

For most people (myself included), this would normally be the time I'd have to instantly relinquish my gamer card, title, and all rights held therein. Let me beg the court’s indulgence for a moment; you can bring out the torches and pitchforks later. I have little doubt that there are a vast and wondrous amount of people that play PvP games with such skill that Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel would weep with envy. Unfortunately though, some of us lesser mortals lack the inclination, reflexes, and/or hand-eye coordination to be much better at PvP than a slug playing dodge ball. It could be argued that it's only a lack of trying, but getting slaughtered before you have even a bare grasp of the situation leaves little chance to learn. Now before all the other carebears out there get their knickers in a wad, I'm speaking for myself and myself only... or am I?

I think they just blew up my head.

The Dark Elf Sorceress has a wide range of abilities allowing me to lay the smackdown faster than The Rock in a steel cage match. From a variety of AoE spells, to multiple DoT spells, she has the ability to not only cause enormous amounts of damage, but the ability to survive (some) of it as well. Although I've killed myself more times than I can count with the Backlash side effect from casting my spells, I've had a lot of fun in the process. Maybe not as much fun as the PvP master that slaughters all within their path with the efficiency of a John Deere riding lawn mower, but enough to make me enjoy the game.

So is it the built-in character counters, the destructive power, or the lure of something darker that's made me enjoy the game as much as I have? To be honest, I can't point at any one reason, or even all of them together. Part of the success (or blame) of luring a carebear-loving player like myself into the game has to rest on the shoulders of Mythic Entertainment. Like it or not, they wear the title of RvR Granddaddy. Whether other companies want to admit it is a matter of debate for a different day, but Mythic has been perfecting this particular form of combat longer than most online entities have been around. They've spent more time dissecting the ins and outs of PvP combat than teens [and some adults!—Ed.] have spent trying to go blind. That's a lot of PvP.

I still don't consider myself a PvP'er in any sense of the word, but to deny I've found a distinct joy in slaying the goody-goody types in Warhammer Online would be a crime unto itself. For years, gamers have been crying for a company to actually build an MMOG around PvP. Some have tried, and their success or failure can be argued until you're blue as the corpse of an uppity High Elf Swordmaster encased in ice. Mythic appears to have accomplished this… and more. Not only have they pleased the PvP crowd, but if I'm any indication, their number of carebear converts may be multiplying faster than a field full of rabbits.

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Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Ten Ton Hammer network or staff.

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