If there is one area where Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning stand outs, it's mobs of fans screaming "Waaagh" like bloodthirsty barbarians. If there is a second area, it is the organized player vs. player combat thjat can vary from a simple spar to a complex assault of an entire city. As one of the core mechanics, it's obviously at the forefront of the development team’s mind, so tweaks, adjustments, and additions are made on a regular basis. It should come as no surprise that right on the heels of a major addition to keeps, the developers have recently suggested providing an alternate reward system for RvR. Currently in discussion on the Developer Roundtable forums it would reward individuals for their contribution to the battle and a secondary route of advancement to the elite armor and other gear we seek. This idea seeks to enhance the current progression, but it might even address a shortcoming of the current system.  

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Ignoring the Renown level, which is advanced through experience earned in battles and sieges, the biggest motivator for players to battle each other is the armor sets that make combatants more formidable in battle. Currently these are only available through reaching a certain level from merchants although some pieces are obtained through the Public Quest loot bags dropped in keeps and RvR based PQ's. The downfall to this current set-up is that you might participate in a dozen keep raids and never see the shiny breastplate you desire. An even bigger problem is the practice of "keep flipping" which has one side take a keep for its rewards then ignore defending it so they can try again.  Some of this will be addressed in Patch 1.2 with the upgrades of keeps, but as long as the items drop, the practice will continue.  

If only there were a way to more frequently compensate players who participate in RvR in a meaningful way…  Enter the Quartermaster System although keep in mind this is still early in development and subject to change. What are they proposing?  It's an interesting mix of "tokens" that can be exchanged for small disposable items or equipment only available from keeps and PQ's. These medallions would be available in every tier and ranked as the following: 

Tier 1 - Recruit

Tier 2 - Scout

Tier 3 - Soldier

Tier 4 - Officer 

In addition to these tokens, there will also be crests that will only be obtained in unique circumstances and necessary to purchase the more advanced RvR items. Some of the examples they gave are: 

Conqueror's Crest- T4 Campaign & Fortress Medallions.

Invader's Crest - Early City Siege Crests.

Warlord's Crest - Advanced City Siege Crests.

Sovereign's Crest - Endgame RvR Medallions.  

Players would also have the option to exchange 5 medallions/crests of a lower tier for one of a higher.  It's good to know hard work wouldn't go to waste.   

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Sounds interesting, doesn't it? But where can you find these items?  The locations of the crests are listed above, but the ordinary medallions are in various locations.  The most common place will likely be the corpse of a vanquished enemy.  According to what Mythic stated, they won't be there every time but it'll be nice to pick up something besides a few copper on a body.  Crests are also possible drops on the bodies of players with a renown rank higher than 40.  Keep captures will grant two medallions just based on participation with an option for more in the PQ loot bag if you win.  Locking an entire zone would grant everyone a whopping five medallions to go along with the Renown experience.  It appears items will create a reward for every person that takes part in the PvP experience, from the elite guild leader to the casual PvPer.  

Many of us travel a road for the journey, but others like to know there is something waiting for them at the end.  What can you buy for these medallions and crests?  The WAR devs mention two types of items available for purchase at the merchants.  The first are disposable types of items in the form of potions for health and action points. Of course you can buy such potions on the open market but these will have separate cooldown times meaning you'll be doubling your healing or AP power.  The second and more exciting option comes in the form of RvR armor sets traditionally purchased from merchants or more importantly dropped in keep raids or PQs.  Remember those Annihilator shoulders you really wanted but could never get to drop? Save up your medallions and purchase them instead. While they do mention not every piece of endgame armor will be available from the traders, it appears the list will be extensive.   

As I mentioned earlier, the system is still in early development and subject to change. It's an interesting addition to an already complex system and could possibly increase the amount of RvR in every tier.  While there are always fears of making any system more accessible when the nicer items are going to cost hundreds of medallions, it seems Mythic is quite understanding.  Be sure to check out everything the developers are proposing, not to mention plenty of player feedback on the official forums.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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