AQW News on Mar 2010

Design Notes



Artix
Grenwog-adin


March 31st, 2010
Chaos Beast, Grenwog & Mods!
ON FRIDAY: The Darkovian Chaos Beast Fight

Are you ready for the Chaos Beast showdown this Friday? I think this new boss requires us to do a little Word-Math*...

Vampire + WereWolf = Werepyre
Dragon + Vampire + Werewolf = Dracowerepyre
Cyborg + Dragon + Vampire + Werewolf = GAME OVER!

* New from the makers of Word-calculus, Word-Trigonometry, and Word-Quantum-Physics-for-Bunnies
The Grenwog Returns (Seasonal Special Event)

What is a Grenwog? It is an enormous bunni-cular creature of unspeakable size, strength and stinky bright blue boxing gloves. Gear up in the 2010 Berserker Bunny Armor and questing pet -- and quest for the glory and honor of EGG filled JUSTICE!

Berserker Bunny
"Can I haz Mod pls? + more golds!"

The top two questions that players ask our friendly team are "Can I be a Mod?" and "Can I have more gold?" We have thought about this for a long time and decided that some of you do in fact deserve to be Mods and to get more gold. Therefore, we have made a very complicated and slightly risky change to the AQWorlds game engine. Based on your in-game behaviour, the game is going to automatically select, add, and remove Mods. Remember, Mods will NEVER, EVER ask for your password. We do not have any secret mods, and we ONLY do official work on our staff-characters with gold names. If our system has selected you to be a mod you will know immediately upon logging in. This change is scheduled for Friday, but could go live early.

Can I be a mod?

Remember, Mods will NEVER, EVER ask for your password, e-mail or other personal information.

Nearly there guys!
SockTR




March 30th, 2010
PTR Testing!
Calling all Members

Tonight at 5PM, server time (that's in about 45 minutes from NOW!) We need as many AQW members as we can to cram into the PTR.

This is a big test. We have a whole lot of changes and we want to see how the server and the new engine handle a a lot of people so we need all hands on deck for this one.

Let's see if we can break it!

HERE is a link if you don't know where to go: AQW Public Test Realm

Be sure to use the Report Bug button just below the game screen to let us know what breaks and what you like!

button
Feedback Pls!

This is one of the last steps in the very very long road to getting the PTR engine up on the live servers. Several of the mods, myself included, will be on at that time so see you there!
Choco-Bunny!

Remember, if you use an AE Upgrade Card any time between now and April 11th you get the non-member transforming Choco-bunny pet!
This Week!

Egg hunts and Chaos Beast battles ahead, buckle your seatbelts!

Beleen


March 29th, 2010
Drawing Contest Begins!
The Pencil is Mightier than the Sword!

Unsheathe your pencils, quills, and paper my friends; the time has come for a new drawing contest!

Our last drawing contest took place nearly a year ago (in May or June, to be exact). So I think you’re with me when I say: it’s about time to have another one! The 2010 AQW Drawing Contest has just begun on the Battleon Forums, and is open to EVERYONE who enjoys our games. Which hopefully, you are one of them, since you are currently reading this post =D

The rules are simple, but must be followed accordingly in order for your submission to be entered into the contest. The rules are posted on the Drawings Contest thread as well, so make sure you actually read them before submitting your masterpiece, lol!

* Your drawing MUST BE created by YOU.

* You may only submit ONE (1) picture to be judged.

* Your drawing MUST have your AQW Character Name written and or signed somewhere on the picture to ensure that it really was YOU who drew said masterpiece. Photoshopped names on your drawing will result in an automatic disqualification, along with pictures without any name.

* Your drawing must be “AE themed”. This means you can draw ANYTHING from AQW, MQ, AQ, WF, DF, and even ED, as long as it is affiliated with Artix Entertainment.

* You may draw on any surface using any medium you so choose. Or paint. Or sketch. Or whatever else you can think of to make a beautifully artistic masterpiece.

* Make sure to post a VALID link to your uploaded artwork, or else we can’t view it!

* And most importantly: have fun with your drawing!

This contest begins today, March 29th, and will last for one week until Monday, April 5th. Such a short time? Yes, we know, but the quicker we can get through the judging, the faster we can award prizes!

The GRAND PRIZE will be a whopping 5,000 ACs! Runner ups will receive prizes as well, up to 2,000 ACs! Prizes will ONLY be awarded to your AQW Character, so make sure you post and sign your AQW Character name so that we can award you properly if (or when!) you win =D

We cannot wait to see what artistic talent hides behind that avatar of yours. Head on over to the 2010 AQW Drawing Contest and post your drawing today! Or tomorrow. Or the next day. But definitely before Monday, April 5th! Best of luck to you all!

Contest Entry Thread (Not a dicussion thread)

Beleen


March 26th, 2010
All that glitters…
is the Vampire War Boss!

EdvardJust because the Vampires lost the battle, this doesn’t mean we will lose the WAR! Queen Safiria has summoned her most powerful Vampiric minion, Edvard. A familiar face to some, this War Boss will attack anything that crosses his path (or makes fun of his sparkling face)…. including his own kin!

How DARE he attack us fellow Vampires?! Oh, he has a reason… but you’ll have to talk to him yourself and find out. But maybe… just maybe… if you can defeat this glittering Vampire poster boy, you might be able to unite both the Lycan pack and Vampire Clan.

Need more motivation? Well here you go: he drops a bunch of wicked new items!

* Edvard's Face (Color Custom)
* Edvard's Shiny Face (Color Custom)
* Edvard's Face
* Edvard/Beulah Outfit
* Incandes Fulminatus
* Blade of Discord
* Vampiric Nightshade

You can continue to fight in the War if you want to see the Vampires make their epic comeback. If we Vamps can pull together and get the War Gauge up to 75%, then Brysin will have a Shop available for us on the battlefield! Yup, that’s right—a Vampiric House and lots of house items! But losing the War comes with a price… in this case, the items will cost ACs!

Speaking of house items… a few new Lycan items have been added to Faopaw’s War Shop on the battlefield. You guys won the war, so you should reap all of the rewards… and all of the rewards can be obtained by everyone, member and non-member alike! Congrats!
Choco-Bunny Pet Available!

Beleen & ChocoFor all you chocolate fiends out there… the wait is finally over! If you purchase an AE Upgrade Card from a Store near you and activate it anytime from now until Sunday, April 11th, then the mouth-watering-milk-chocolatey-transforming-mutant-Choco-bunny pet will be yours!

And hey, when you Upgrade and become a Member, there are a bunch of new weapons, pets, capes, helms, and maps that will become instantly available to you! And in tonight’s release, you can start off your Membership with Choco-bunny in tow by exploring the newly expanded zone of….
Twilight Expansion!

The Dreadspider Army is at it again! These creepy crawlies have dug a tunnel beyond Gressil’s nest, leading into the Darkovian Mausoleum! Strange noises can be heard within the tunnel, and Argyron the Arachnomancer believes it to be a ravage prawn-like beast known as the Cadaverous Creeper. Team up with your fellow Members and take down this Creeper! There are 9 “salvageable” parts that drop off the Cadaverous Creeper, including an Armor, a Pet, 3 helms, and multiple weapons! Can you collect them all?

Twilight Expansion
But wait, there’s more!

Geeze, you think that would be enough to complete a release… but no, we still have more to cover! Quibble Coinbiter is staying in town for a bit longer, offering you all the great treasures within his shop. Remember, his items may or may not ever be seen again, so make sure you get the gear while it’s still available! And not to mention, you can store as many AC items as you want FOR FREE in the bank!

Some of you might be wondering about Miltonius’ Secret Map, and when it will return. Well, we *thought* it would be re-released come tonight, but the exterminator never showed up and so there are a few more bugs left to squash. Once the map is bug-free, I am sure Miltonius will release his madness back into the world of Lore. We will keep you updated on our progress, no worries.
Woah, my fingers are exhausted. And I bet your eyes are burning with all of the pink-text that has been burned into them. Enough chit-chat—there is a whole release for you to be playing right now!

And now it’s time for me to introduce Chongo to Choco-bunny =D

Nearly there guys!
Sockbunny




March 25th, 2010
Choco-Bunny is Nigh!
And So Is The End Of The War!

Tonight at midnight, server time (that's 12:00 AM EST) the non-member, transforming Choco-Bunny pet arrives!


The 2 Forms Of Choco-Bunny

And all you need to get one is redeem one of our AE Upgrade Cards for anything you want (renew your membership or buy Adventure Coins!) anytime between midnight tonight and April 11th. Suddenly, POOF, the Choco-Bunny will be warmly (but not too warm or he'll become a melty mess) snuggled inside your backpack!

Remember: The Choco-Bunny will transform into the Hulking Choco-Bunny and back again with a click from his master, and ONLY his master.... and everyone around you will be able to see the transformation!

He is a non-member pet so after your membership expires you will still be able to equip the Choco-Bunny until you decide yo renew your account (which you should do anyway :) )

Also, remember that the ONLY way to get one is to use one of our AE Upgrade Cards. Upgrading or buying ACs through any other method (mail-in, paypal, Cherry Credits Card, SMS, etc) will NOT get you the pet!

Decisions, decisions!
Artix Entertainment Upgrade Cards!
The End Of the First Vampire/Lycan War

It's nearly over, and it looks like the Werewolf King and his army of Lycans will be taking the Valley of Death from Safiria and her Vampire kin.

Once the war has been won, the War Boss will open for EVERYONE, with new member and non-member drops and 2 very informative cutscenes.

We prepared 2 War Bosses at the start of the war and once the war hits 100% the War Boss will be decided the future of the Darkovia storyline will be locked into place for future generations of players.

No matter which side you fought on, you have become a permanent part of shaping AQW. You did battle for your side in AQW's FIRST Vampire/Lycan war.

Again, no matter which side you chose... you represented your faction and did battle for your side. You should be proud.

Beleen


March 23rd, 2010
War Wages On!
And We Won't Go Down Without A Fight!

Never have I seen such dedication from you and your fellow players! The timeless war between Lycan and Vampire wages on…. and in only a few passing days, you have shown the world that Lycans are truly the top-dogs.


This Is WAR!

But it’s not over yet! The Lycans’ feral instinct has kicked in, ravaging the battlegrounds and any opposing rivals that stand in their way. Rivals meaning Vampires. Of which I am a part of.

whack-a-sneevil
Transforming Choco-Bunny!

But we can still win this, my fellow Vampires! Let us join together and take down those Werewolves! Depending on which side wins this war, a mighty War Boss will appear and try to even the odds. So let’s finish this war and reap our well-earned rewards (like new items and slobber-free furniture!)
Loco for Choco-Bunny!

Who here likes chocolate? Pssh, well OF COUSE you all love chocolate! And using my recently honed mathematical skills, I have discovered that Milk Chocolate + Bunny x Transforming Mutant Rabbit of Cocoa Goodness = Amazing Rare Pet! The Choco-bunny Pet will be obtainable by activating your AE Upgrade Card starting this Friday, March 26th. This offer will be valid until Sunday, April 11th.

whack-a-sneevil
Transforming Choco-Bunny!

Wait, so I can’t just buy the bunny with gold or ACs or by becoming a Member using some online method? Nope, sorry! This pet is only available to those who get an AE Upgrade Card from a store and activate it between March 26th and April 11th. However, our gaming Cards are only available in some select countries, and we are truly sorry if there are no Upgrade Cards near your humble abode. But you can always use our Store Finder to see if there is a store near you!
Miltonius' Secret

Some of you may or may not know about Miltonius’ not-so-little secret. Last Friday, Miltonius surprised the entire AE team with one of his best kept secrets: Miltonius’ Playground. This secret map and all of the wonders inside (which I have yet to see for myself… /cry) has been temporarily taken down for some maintenance and a tune-up. So if you’re still lookin’ for his secret map… you won’t be able to find it. But this Friday, his map will be re-released with all the glory and wonder just waiting to be uncovered. And hopefully bug-free.

So, how do you find his secret map? That part, my friend, is a secret. Oh and yea, also because I don’t know either.
COMING SOON: New Drawing Contest!

Attention all you artists out there! A new contest is on its way, and if you happened to have read the above subtitle, then you already know what it’s about: Drawing! So get your pens, pencils, erasers, paper, quills, and finger paints ready… we cannot wait to see your masterpiece!

But not yet. Because the Contest isn’t up on the Forums. It soon will be… right after we finish fighting this war!

And with any contest, you know there is going to be an awesome prize. Well, prizes, since we can never seem to pick just one winner. Because you are all winners to us =D

You can take a look at some of our Past Winners HERE.

See you on the AQW Forums!

Go Lycnas
Sockolate




March 22nd, 2010
Non-Member Choco-Bunny Pet!
AE Upgrade Card Rquired!

Remember Cole? He was a non-member pet that we gave away to any player who used an AE Upgrade Card on their account. You could use it to get your firest membership, extend a current membership or just to buy ACs... and Cole was added automatically to your Backpack.

Well, we're doing that again. Introducing Choco-Bunny!

whack-a-sneevil
Transforming Choco-Bunny!

Starting this Friday (March 26th) and running for two weeks (until April 11th), when you use an AE Upgrade Card on AQW, Choho-Bunny will find his way into your backpack.

He is a NON-member pet so if you just need some ACs you can still equip him and you can keep him equipped well after your membership expires!

The BEST thing about him is the fact that he with a click from his master (and only his master) He transforms into a huge, hulking Sabertooth Choco-Bunny. Unlike the Transforming armors released last Friday, EVERYONE will be able to see him transform at your command!

Remember: to get this non-member pet you MUST use an AE Upgrade Card! Upgrading or buying ACs using any other method will not work, and you must use the AE Upgrade Card on or between this Friday, March 26th and Sunday, April 11th!

Decisions, decisions!
Artix Entertainment Upgrade Cards!

To those of you in countries that do not sell the cards, I'm sorry. The company that prints and distrubutes the cards to stores for us decide what countries they want to distribute in (printing those things cost money and we can't afford to send them to every country on Earth... just the countries with the largest number of players!) and Artix Entertainment has very little control over that.

The transforming non-member Choco-Bunny pet is only availible for a short time and will NEVER RETURN to AQW, so get it while you can!
Miltonius' Secret Playground!

I spent a LOT of this weekend fixing bugs (not uncommon). GUESS WHY!

Miltonius who is the Art Director and one of the lead artist on AQW (as if you didn't know), spoke to me last week about this idea he had for adding a secret maze that was nearly impossible to get through and when you DID get through it, he would be standing there selling some of the rarest most awesome looking and insanely over-priced items in AQW... or he might kill you for moving. It would change all the time, he said, adding that nothing... even the item prices would remain the same for very long.

I said it was a great idea, thinking it would be released later this summer after a fair amount of staff testing of the secret map and all the new items.

Miltonius, being the sneaky whatever-he-is that he is, snuck his secret map and all the secret items in under ALL OF OUR NOSES with ABSOLUTELY ZERO TESTING!

Some of the items and even the map were broken, locked, unlocked, re-released, flagged as Staff-only items, and apprently some of the items REALLY broke on the PTR.

Fun stuff.

Anyway, everything is under control (as much as it ever was) now and most of the fires are out, so if you've found Miltonius' secret maze of insanity, enjoy it. If you haven't... ask a friend!

Maybe they've heard something!
I'm Lycan It!

Actually I'm lovin' it! The Werewolves are SMASHING the Vampires in AQW's first Vampire/Lycan war.

I say first, because there WILL be others.

Some people have said that We're not playing fair. The only reason they've said this is because they are Vampires and don't like the bitter taste of defeat.

The monsters are the same on both sides in terms of difficulty and frequency of mega-medal drops. The Lycans just seem to have that fighting spirit that the Vamps lack.

Decisions, decisions!
The War Meter!

Hey Vampires... are you just going to take this? The war is far from over and you guys have plenty of time to rally your troops and go on the offensive... if you think you can take us, that is.

P.S. Artix, Beleen and several other AE Staff are fighting for the Vampires!

Beleen


March 19th, 2010
Vampire vs Werewolf WAR!
The Ultimate Rival Showdown

For centuries, Vampires and Lycans have been natural rivals, fighting over territory, power, and the last piece of cake. No one has ever had a solid answer as to which faction is stronger. This has been one of those unanswered questions that everyone wants to known. But tonight… the truth will FINALLY be revealed! The ultimate battle between Vampires and Werewolves commences!

Team up with the Vampires and take down the slobbering Lycan pack in War. Or join the vicious Werewolves and take a bite out of the Vampire clan. Whichever side you choose, remember this: your actions will determine the fate of Darkovia, and also the fate of Lore!

Vamp

No one knows how the War will turn out. What will happen if the Vampires win? Or the Lycans? This is not your average war—this is history in the making! Log in now, join your side, and prepare for an all-out assault!

Wolf

*Important Update* When we first planned out this war, we were going to implement PVP (player vs player combat), something only found on the PTR servers. However, due to time restraints, bugs, and time-travel faeries, we are unable to throw PVP into tonight’s release. However, Minimal and the entire team are working on incorporating this feature into the war. We will let you know the moment that it is put in game and made live. So in the meantime, keep on fighting and prove to the world of Lore that your faction is the strongest!
Quibble Coinbiter Returns

Your favorite traveling sales moglin has returned to Battleon, loaded with an arsenal of brand-new never-before-seen Vampiric & Lycan items! Swords, scythes, armors, and bows are available to help your chosen faction prove victorious. There are 12 new items you can arm yourself with, including:

* Transforming Lycan Armor
* Transforming Vampire Armor
* Lycan Runed Blade
* Dactyloscythe
* Lycan Compound Bow
* Vampiric Bow
* Morose Spear

Weapons

Do these items sound familiar? Well, they should, since we got all of these ideas from the Darkovia Designs, Inc thread up on the forums! Thank you all for your wonderful ideas—we could not have made such an awesome release without your help!
NEW DAILY REP QUESTS

Need more Vampiric and Lycan Reputation? Say no more—Brysin of the Vampire clan and Faopaw of the Lycan pack have a new Daily Rep Quest that offers a whopping 2500 reputation boost to your chosen faction. Each quest is pretty difficult to complete and only suited for the strongest warriors in Lore, but the rewards make them worthwhile.

Best of luck to you, Hero! On behalf of the entire AQW Team, we hope you enjoy this brutal release. On that (design) note, I will be seeing you on the battlefield. Hopefully fighting on MY SIDE. Mwahah!

Never give out your password or e-mail!
The REAL Sock!




March 18th, 2010
Facebook Security Update!
Let's Put An End To Those Fakes!

A lot of you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and we are glad that you do! It's an easy way for us to stay in touch with the community and an easy way for us to say No to people who ask for free stuff!

Unfortunately we don't have any control over those 2 social networking sites and we're seeing a lot of fake Artix, Beleen, Rolith and Cysero's pop up on Facebook. These guys are scammers who are trying to con people into handing over their passwords.

Some of you guys are so excited that you ignore the fact that these FAKES are promising you FREE Acs, free Memberships or offering to make you Mods... all all you have to do is give them your password or e-mail. THEY ARE LYING TO YOU.

Handing over your e-mail or password is like giving a robber the keys to your house. AE (Artix Entertainment) Staff members will NEVER ask you for anything other than your character's name. That's all we need.

EVEN IN AQW, if someone asks you for your password for ANY REASON, they are trying to steal your account.

I would like to give you a few links:

* Here is ARTIX's FACEBOOK PAGE. It's got a full 5000 friends last time I checked but you can join ARTIX'S FAN PAGE if you want to! Here is his Artix's Twitter.

* Here is MY FACEBOOK PAGE. It's got a full 5000 friends too but you should join CYSERO's FAN CLUB FAN PAGE! I post the same stuff in both locations, usually. Here is my Twitter.

* Here is ROLITH's FACEBOOK PAGE. He doesn't work on AQW, he's too busy with DF and MQ, but he's fun to follow as long as you've got the real guy! Lots of tasty AE tidbits. Here is Rolith's Twitter.

* BELEEN DOES NOT HAVE A FACEBOOK! If you see a Beleen on Facebook anywhere, even if she's called Beleen AE (Especially if she's called beleen AE), she is a fake and she's trying to steal your account. She does have a Twitter!

Remember that we're pretty busy so we may not get to answer all of your e-mails but we will try.

Remember that if you need help with your account, Player Support is where you should go. Nythera and Zazul are very capable and if you can be helped, they are the people who do it (Thanks guys)!

Remember that anyone can sign up with ANY name and pretend to be ANYONE, so even if someone has AE in their name... it doesn't mean they have anything to do with Artix Entertainment.

Finally, remember that it's NEVER a good idea to give out personal information of any kind to strangers on the internet.

Protect yourselves. We don't want any of you losing your accounts or worse.

Beleen

March 17th, 2010
Happy Good Luck Day!
I hope you’re wearing green…

*PINCH!* OWW! I got cha, Lim—you’re not wearing green today! Everyone knows you love to wear your black and plaid lumberjack shirts… but today, of all days, you have to wear green. March 17th is Good Luck Day, and it’s a world wide web tradition to pinch those who are not wearing green! You have been warned =P

Beleen

Good Luck Day is currently being celebrated in Lore at the Shamrock Fair just on the outskirts of Battleon. Join your friends at the fairgrounds and play 5 of our newest minigames, including Smack a Sneevil, Rainbow Run, Clover Fields, Jackpot ‘o Gold, and the guaranteed-to-get-you-lost Hedge Maze. Each game offers Golden Tickets and when you have collected enough, you can get your hands on some Lucky Prizes that are sure to make your friends green with envy.

Prize Wall

Some of those prizes cost a lot of tickets, huh? Not to worry—we have a great solution! At the Shamrock Fair Entrance, talk to the Fair-y Faeries to purchase the Lucky Hat for a nominal fee of only 150 AdventureCoins. This hat is not only oh-so stylish, it also DOUBLES your Golden Ticket earnings! Get hundreds of Golden Tickets in NO TIME when you buy this super lucky hat.

Hat

But Beleen, I’m running low on AdventureCoins! HALP! Easy, easy… did you know you can use your Cell Phone to get 1,000 ACs for only $4.99? It’s true! First, login to the Membership Upgrade Page and then scroll all the way down until you see "Pay by cell phone SMS text message!" Just click, follow the instructions on the next page, and WHAMMO! You’ve got yourself a healthy stash of ACs—more than enough to get the Lucky Hat! You can also further support the game by Upgrading to a Member; the 3-month membership comes with a bonus 1,000 ACs, yanno =D
Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Ding! My mommy just leveled up in real life! +10,000 XP! My mommy is one of the greatest moms in the whole wide world, and so for her birthday on this incredibly lucky & special day, I wanted to do something extra-special. She’s on this so-called “diet,” so I headed to Publix and bought her this awesome calorie-free Cheesecake! Okay, okay, so it’s not calorie-free, but still, it is too delicious for anyone to pass up! YUM!

StPatty Cake

Beautiful, isn’t it? I am also taking my mom out to dinner at Grill Smith tonight and surprising her with a bunch of odd-ball presents: a pair of hedge-clippers, a big book with big pictures of big dogs in it, a lovely bouquet of flowers, and a half-used roll of left-over wrapping paper (the gift that keeps on giving).

I really hope my mom likes all the gifts I got her! I mean, come on—who wouldn’t love to unwrap a slightly-used roll of wrapping paper?! Best. Gift. Ever.

Happy Good Luck Day everyone! And happy birthday to everyone who was lucky enough to have been born today =D

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March 16th, 2010
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Artix


March 15th, 2010
Vampire vs Werewolf WAR!
Be a part of our games history….

Enjoy the Fair while you can…. because this Friday will be the ultimate showdown. You will be forced to choose sides as the forces of the Werewolves and Vampires clash in an all out assault. A decisive victory in this War will determine the boss, and change the game permanently for anyone who plays it in the future…. yes, that is right. You are about to write history. Also… Quibble Coinbiter (in Shadowslayer "Q" gear) will be visiting BattleOn. Perhaps he will share a little more with us about the recently revealed 5th Lord of Chaos!

Vampire

vs

Werewolf



Artix
Pumpkin-π-adin

Strawberry fest
πsock


March 14th, 2010
Happy Pi Day!
Have your π and eat it to...

There are many ways to celebrate Pi (π) day. Minimal is actually baking a special pie. Captain Rhubarb is teaching it to rats (presumably to make Pi.... rats.) And.... WOAH! Avgg just posted, "Did you ever realize 3.14 backwards spells pie in leet?" I wonder what the whole thing will spell!

π ≈ 3.14159265358979323846264
33832795028841971693993751058 20974944592307816406286208998 62803482534211706798214808651 32823066470938446095505822317 25359408128481117450284102701 93852110555964462294895493038 19644288109756659334461284756 48233786783165271201909145648 56692346038610454326648213393 60726024914127372458700660631 55817488152092096282925409171 53643678925903600113305305488 20466521384146951941511609...

*BIG INHALE*...
9415116094 3305727036 5759591953 0921861173 8193261179 3105118548 0744623799 6274956735 1885752724 8912279381 8301194912 9833673362 4406566430 8602139494 6395224737 1907021798 6094370277 0539217176 2931767523 8467481846 7669405132 0005681271 4526356082 7785771342 7577896091 7363717872 1468440901 2249534301 4654958537 1050792279 6892589235 4201995611 2129021960 8640344181 5981362977 4771309960 5187072113 4999999837 2978049951 0597317328 1609631859 5024459455 ... and so on in that fashion.






March 12th, 2010
Tonight’s Lucky Release!
Going Green, AQW Style

What luck! The luckiest day of the year is next Wednesday (March 17th), but seeing as to how unlucky I am*, we are celebrating Good Luck Day starting tonight! And don’t let the name fool ya’…. Just because it’s called Good Luck Day doesn’t mean it’s only 24 hours long… nope. Good Luck Day will be celebrated all week long! =D
Adorn yourself in green leprechaun attire and wield shamrock blades while searching for the end of the shot-down rainbow with the return of last year’s classic holiday map. Legend (and Artix) says that a pot of gold resides at the end of every rainbow… but there is only one way to find out if it is true or not (and Google’ing it doesn’t count).

In addition to the Rainbow map making its highly anticipated return, Lore’s first ever fair is coming to town! The Shamrock Fair is full of 5 brand-new minigames that award oodles of Golden Tickets. When you have enough of these tickets, you can turn them in for lucky Seasonal Rare Items! Be the first to get the high score in Smack a Sneevil, Jackpot O’ Gold, Clover Fields, and Rainbow Run, four of our action-packed minigames. Or take some time off and get lost in the Hedge Maze, one of the most complicated maps in all of Lore! Trust me… I had to get J6 to come rescue me while Cysero did nothing but lol.

*Artix and Cysero are still working on that BubbleWrap armor for me to wear in real life. I am always slipping, running into things, falling over, or causing myself bodily harm in some unintentional way, shape, or form.

Prizes, Prizes, and more Prizes

There are A LOT of prizes to be won in the Shamrock Fair. 16 of them, in fact! You might have to head to the bank and throw some stuff in, because you don’t want to miss out on getting these rockin’ Shamrock Fair Items! (Sorry folks, they already ran out of Deep Fried Funnel Cake Swords)

* Prismatic Cat's Tail
* Simple Celtic Dagger
* Three Leaf Clover
* Lucky Hammer
* Whack O' Mallet
* Pot of Gold Pet Pet
* Bucket O' Gold
* Sword of Caledonia
* Clown Mallet
* Heavy Celtic Axe
* Box Head Pet
* Snee-Vo the Clown Pet
* William Sneevil Pet
* Shy Mog Pet
* Moglin Wallace Pet
* Mog-O'Rahilly Pet

Prizes
New Darkovian Rep Items

What do Vampires and Werewolves have in common with St. Patrick’s Day? Heh…we have no idea. BUT! We thought it would be pretty cool to use more of your suggestions and create additional weapons and armors for the Vampire & Lycan Rep Shops. Head on over to Darkovia and see if your ideas made it in game! Or you can just cheat and check out the list below:

* Chaotic Vampire Armor
* Chaotic Vamp Faceplate
* Vampire Bat Pet
* Vampiric Gladius
* Spirit Wolf Armor
* Spirit Wolf Hair
* Blade of Twilight

In the following releases, we will be adding more and more of your ideas into Darkovia. So if you want your ideas heard, make sure you post on the Darkovia Designs, Inc Thread!

On behalf of the entire AQW Team, we hope you have uber amounts of fun during this special clover-filled release. We have NO idea how we managed to conjure up this HUGE of a release in only 5 days… but we did have a lot of motivation and support from players like you! And a lot of luck, too. And coffee. Mmmm.

Irish you and your pals the best of luck =D

Reens
A Wiki-er is me!

Got an appointment
Shamsock




March 11, 2010
Wiki Wiki Wiki!
It's a Wiki Birthday!

I can't believe that a whole year has flown by this quickly! The AQWWiki turns ONE today! Over a year ago, we decided to take on the Wiki format for the AQWorlds Encyclopedia. Many people put their hearts and souls into making the wiki as you see it today: Burn, mturf, Hina, Ash and many, many others have spent hours making the Wiki a great place to use for your questions.

I use the wiki on a daily basis to get information that I need on prior releases, items and shops. It wouldn't be the same without the dedicated team and all of the players who provide them with all the information that they need! Thanks again to all the Wiki-ers out there! We couldn't have done it without you!


Happy First Birthday!

The Shamrock Fair!

Good Luck Day is almost here! Good Luck Day is only one day a year but YOU'RE IN LUCK.... the Shamrock Fair will be in town for at LEAST a week so make sure that you meet all the new NPCs, Take a stroll through the hedge maze, play all the new mini-games, and bring home LOTS of awesome Seasonal Rare Prizes!

A rogues gallery if ever I saw one
The Fairmasters!

Llussion has been tirelessly working on each of the new minigames (and a few that you already know with a tartan twist!

Miltonius has been breaking his drawing hand making new rares all week long (including pet versions of each of the Fairmasters pictured above) so you'll have LOTS of great stuff to bring home from your visit to the fair! Other than a tummy ache from all the green colored junk food!

whack-a-sneevil
Can You Beat Beleen's Score of 53?

But remember, you can only EARN these prizes by winning Golden Tickets from each of the fair games! If you're already an AQW Member, then you get a leg-up on the competition (as always). We have a SPECIAL MEMBER'S ONLY FAIR GAME that gives a lot more Golden Tickets than the other games... but you'll want to try the others anyway. They're so much fun!

Also, if you feel like you need a little extra luck, the Fair Fairies who greet you at the entrance to the fair are selling a Lucky Hat for Adventure Coins that DOUBLES the amount of tickets you win at each game!

Decisions, decisions!
What Do I Play First?!

All this, PLUS last year's event with all new tagged versions of the Season Rare drops from there, PLUS new items in the Vampire and Werewolf Rep shops!

Prepare yourselves! The AQW team intends to shamrock you like a hurricane, starting tomorrow!

If you're not there, I'm taking your pot of gold.




March 10th, 2010
Irish You the Best of Luck!
Sneak-peek at this week’s release

March 17th is a very lucky day. Not only is it the birthday to both my Mother and Sister in real life, it also symbolizes Lore’s Good Luck Day (also known as St. Patrick’s Day)! And this week’s release is ganna be all about this special green-and-gold-and-leprechaun laden holiday.


Were you around last year when we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day? No? Well hey, neither was I! Which is the exact reason why we are re-releasing last year’s Seasonal Holiday Event in the “Rainbow” map, full of Leprechauns, shot-down rainbows, fabled pots of gold, and, um, rats with lazer beams attached to their heads. All of last year’s items have gone Seasonal Rare while new 2010 versions have been created, except for the Leprechaun Class that has gone perma RARE! A 2010 Armored version of the Leprechaun Class will be available though, so you can still show your Good Luck Day Spirit without getting pinched.

But wait! There’s more…a lot more, actually. In addition to last year’s festivities, a new one is showing up—cue the Luck Day Fair! As the name suggests, the Luck Day Fair is a festival full of new NPCs and a bunch of fun new Mini-Games that award Golden Tickets. This stackable currency will allow you to trade your hard-earned tickets in for NEW 2010 Holiday Rare items, exclusive to Good Luck Day. What will these items be? What will they look like? Heh… you’re going to have to wait and find out—cuz it’s bad luck to ruin that big of a surprise!


One of our newest Mini-Games… Snuff a Sneevil!
New Darkovian Items

New Vampire and Werewolf Rep Items will also be appearing in their respected shops come Release Day. Because of how successful the Darkovia Designs, Inc thread is doing on the Forums, we just had to add more of your ideas into the game! Cysero also got an overwhelming amount of players wanting the Sanguine Armor and Faceplate to be added, so that too will become available in Brysin’s Vampire Rep Shop.

Want your idea to be put in game? Well tell us about it! Post your suggestions, ideas, and designs on the Battleon Forums and let it be heard… er, read!

Lost Night! WOOT!
Sockgroove




March 9th, 2010
The Bloodgroove and Changes!
An epic weapon and for an epic adventure

SURPRISE! We have a NEW Limited Time shop in Battleon! This will be your only chance to get the Bloodgroove!

Constantine
The Bloodgroove!

This was the long time weapon and only compantion of a barbarian warlord whose clan was wiped out during a battle between the vampires and werewolves. He spent the rest of his life avenging his clan and family and the mighty Bloodgroove served him well all those years.

The timer is ticking and once the Bloodgroove shops closes, it will leave the game FOREVER. Just so you know.
The PTR is coming soon and bringing lots of changes

We are nearing the finish line on the PTR, and when this new AQW Engine is moved to the live servers, some thigss will change. Like the new Shop interface, for example.


Yeah, I have a LOT of gold and ACs.

There will also be a new Enhancement interface that should make the 840 new enhancements a lot simpler to figure out.

Why are there 840 new Enhancements going into the game? Because we will finally have STATS. This means that you will be able to influence how you play the game, including being able to change your own character's "build".

Are you a mage who wants a lot of HP so you can take a lot of hits, or a high DODGE so you NEVER get it? Maybe you don't care if you die because you have so much INT that you have hit the DAMAGE cap!

When you play as a Doomknight, do you need more STRENGTH to deal damage as fast as possible, or more CRIT to deal damage as fast as possible? See? Options.

All of these new, different enhancements will give you different stats depending on how YOU decide to enhance them, but you'll have to play smart. The stats influence each class a little differently!

Finding the right ENH for you will be pretty easy, just go to the Class Trainers in Battleon! They will have new "Smartshops" that will show you the right ENH for your level, but don't stop there... some monsters and rare, hard to find areas might contain RARE ENH that will increase your power even further!

The build options are nearly engless which should make PVP a lot of fun!

Waitaminute! Did I say PVP? Let me check.

YES! I DID! Right up there! ^ PVP is finally coming to AQW and as many of the members who have been helping us test know, it's pretty awesome.

Not only will you get the safisfaction of being your fellow players into the dirt, you will also unlock special PVP only rewards for doing it. It's a win/win situation!

We are also adjusting the XP and REP curves making it eaiser for you to LEVEL UP, AND get reputation with the faction of your choice, but we are also making it faster and eaiser to RANK UP in your desired classes, and speeding up when you unlock new skills!

Artix and I even discussed the possibility of adding new Achievement Badges for getting classes to Rank 10.

Best of all we will be increasing the Level Cap to 30, and the PTR release will enable us to once again add new CLASSES (not just armors but classes with skills) to AQW!

It's a LOT of balancing. A lot of math. A lot of thinking. And thinking is not our strong suit. We are working out butts off for you guys, to make sure that when the PTR goes live it will be the single best release AQW has had since we brought it online! WIsh us luck.

Artix
Grateful-adin




March [[[8th]]]*, 2010
A Cat's Tale
An AQWorlds Player saves my Mother's** Cat?

True story. I love starting Monday with news like this. In addition to the crazy release that Beleen is going to tell you about shortly, I would like to share a personal story with you. That is what friends do, right?


Boca
( ... wait, or is this one Ratton? I cannot tell without their collars. They are twins.)

The team here was sad to learn earlier last week that one of my Mother's** twin Siamese cats, had gone missing. She has had Boca and Ratton for over 10 years. Needless to say, it was heart breaking. You can only imagine the awe when she called to tell us that the cat had been found and recovered... by an AQWorlds player!

To celebrate his act of kindness, we created an in-game version of Boca*** which is now available at Aria's pet shop! Thank you :-)

* Now with super "Triple Layer" anti-time-travel-fairy protection!
** It may come as a shock to some (As we saw on Twitter), but just like all of the singers, actors, teachers, and Presidents... I too seem to have a Mother! (Note: I do not have a Belly button though... how wierd is that?)
*** Because releasing an in-game version of my Mother would just be wrong ... and lead to a lot of "yer mom" jokes!

Reens
Goin' Craaaazy!




March 5th, 2010
Changes to Storyline Quests
One time only!

You may have noticed some changes in the Yokai maps today. The Storyline quests in the Yokai zone have been set to be done ONCE only. In order to gain Yokai Rep, you can use the Rep Tournament or the Yokai Daily quests from the shrines. We've upped the Gold/XP/Rep rewards for the storyline quests, and we may up them again in the future.

We will be adding new Rep Quests to the Yokai area in the coming weeks, and will also be taking a look at all the other storyline zones.

Girls Night Out? WIN!
Weresock




March 5th, 2010
Therewolf!
The Werewolf King and Lycan Rep Shop!

Welcome to Werewolf Week Friday! It's time to enter Lycan Ridge and see if you can convince the Werewolf King to join you and Shadowlsayer Z against Wolfwing... and maybe find out a few secrets about Wolfwing!

Constantine
Constantine, the Werewolf King!

In addition to the Lycan section of the Darkovia Quest Chain, we are also releasing the Lycan Rep Shop for those of you who fall on the werewolf side of the Vampire/Werewolf fence.

Werewolf Armor
Werewolf Armor, and Sanguine!

The rep shop contains:

* 2 New Armors!
* 3 New Swords!
* 2 New Pets!
* 1 New Cape!
* 3 New Helms!

Not to mention several brand new items dropping off of Sanguine and his Chaos Vampire Knight minions!

In addition: due to a large amount of player reuqests, Rep Rewards for the Vampire Rep quests have been increased and the Werewolf Rep quests match them.

Randor also kindly added a few new Darkovia wallpapers to our Wallpaper Site!

Have a great weekend guys! Awooo else.

Artix
Howl-adin




March 3rd, 2010 February 26th, 2010*
Where? Wolves?
His lycanthropic curse is worse than his bite

Below is a behind the scenes sneak peek at the newly remade Werewolf King for this week's hair raising release. (Shhh.... I snuck it from Cysero's computer for you.)

Werewolf King Redo
Werewolf King Redo
New Rare Item Guide

We could use your help creating the categories that describe rare items. It is a very tough decision. The goal is to make it really easy to tell if an item is available, how hard it is to get, or if it will be coming back again. Please let us know your thoughts... especially if you are a rare item hunter... we are getting close to decision time!
Official Item Rarity Guide Thread
THE PTR - Enhancements, XP & Gold

We added 840 new enhancements to the database. Yesterday was "check every item in the game for bugs day". Today, we are going to super boost the XP rewards from one-time-only quests (Example: Story Line Quests.) Also, we are working on a few new daily quests to help you level up when we raise the level cap to 30.
Help test on the PTR (Currently Members Only)

Forum Question: It is time for a new contest.... what kind of contest would you like?

* ... time travel faeries raiding my DNs again!

Girls Night Out? WIN!
Awoooooooo!




March 1st, 2010
It's Werewolf Week!
I'll Make This Quick

So there was a little coding hiccup with the Dire Wolf Limited Time shop (which WILL BE LEAVING tonight at midnight tonight. WE PROMISE). The pets are still going Rare when the shop leaves, so this is still your only chance to get Midnight and Full Moon, but this time the timer is telling the truth. Sorry about the confusion.

THIS WEEK: If you have spoken to Safiria and completed her quests, you will be making your way to the Wolflands to confront the Werewolf King in his land.

Keep checking back here through the week as we will be posting sneak peeks of this Friday's upcoming release!




Book face!

Social Networking Update
Staff Imposters and other oddities

Beware of people on FaceBook, Myspace, and Twitter claiming to be our staff. Never give out your password. The staff will never ask for it, and any one who does is just trying to steal your account. Especially beware of the new imposter on FaceBook claiming to be Beleen.