Warhammer Online Week Two Hands-on

Sep 29, 2008

We're entering the third week of playing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, and if you're wondering where the review is, well, let's just say that like many MMOs this is a massive game. We've invested dozens upon dozens of hours playing it days, nights, and weekends and we are yet still scratching the surface of some features. So the review is still being worked on, but there are definitely things to like and some things to dislike, thus far in Warhammer Online. On the whole, we'd have to say that the experience has had more plusses than minuses thus far.

I've been spending a lot of time questing, mainly curious to see whether it's possible to get through the game playing solo most of the time. That's important if you're a bit antisocial or you like to just play through games on your own. Thankfully, it is indeed possible to get through most of the quests on your own, although you do need to be careful. A significant number of quests often require you to assassinate a target NPC surrounded by minions. If you're partied with a group, it's relatively easy for you all to just battle your way through the layers of defenders, but if you're on your own you need to slow down and infiltrate into the enemy camp to do the job. There's usually a route or way that lets you bypass the majority of the defenders.

Quests that require you to simply gather a certain number of objects are also easily done solo. The only major problem is that every now and then you get the quest that requires you to kill a very high-ranking hero, which is almost impossible to do on your own. In one case I had to take out a dark elf hero to get a nifty piece of class armor for my shadow warrior; however, he killed me within seconds. The only way I could take him down was to join another group of players, help them out on a public quest, and then have them help me out afterward. It took about five or six of us to finally take the hero down, but that was the only way I could see to do the job.

If you're wondering if you'll have enough to do in the game, rest assured that my quest log is overflowing. In fact, there are so many it might seem overwhelming, but one nifty feature is how the quest log ties into the in-game map. Calling up the map not only shows you your location and your surroundings, but your quests are highlighted on the map as well. If you have to kill, say, 10 dark elves, then it outlines the area where you'll find those dark elves. Often, when you're running around the world you'll realize that there's an easy-to-accomplish quest not too far away, and you can make a quick detour to take care of it.

Meanwhile, public quests are turning out to be a fun and interesting challenge, if a bit exasperating at times. The trick is that public quests are a great way to get some really nice loot, like a piece of armor that completely outclasses whatever you're wearing now. The problem is to get that really great loot you have to basically come in first place, a position that's determined by your level of participation in the multi-stage battle that's combined with a dice roll. It is equal parts hard work and luck to determine your final seeding when the public quest is all said and done.

I've been a position where I was the highest contributor in a public quest, which you would think would guarantee me a great piece of loot, but when the dice rolls were added I ended up falling out of the top four, which meant I got nothing. Sure, you still gain experience by killing all those monsters and for completing stages, but if you really need that wicked piece of armor or weapon, you're going to have to try and try again. There is a consolation prize of sorts, as well. The more enemies you kill in a public quest, the more influence points that you accrue. In each chapter of the game, you can cash in these influence points to get a nice bit of armor or a cool weapon or a potion, so you don't go away completely empty handed.

Then there are realm-versus-realm areas. Each map usually has an area where order and destruction characters can go at each other for control of certain points, usually a keep. If you're looking for a lot of fun, find yourself a large RVR group and go romping through enemy territory. Don't wander off on your own, because you'll likely encounter a large group of the enemy and they'll swarm you; death comes within seconds. But if you're part of the mob, and you come upon a few of the opposing side, it's fun. Plus, you can engage in gigantic battles every now and then.

Starting at rank 11 you start earning mastery points, which seem to come at about one point every two ranks. You can go to a career trainer to "spend" and specialize in different fields. In the case of the shadow warrior, you can put mastery points into the "path of the scout," which are long-range bow attacks; the "path of assault," which is hand-to-hand combat; and the "path of the skirmisher," which are short-ranged bow attacks. Putting a point into one of these categories boosts its core abilities, so a point in assault improves your sword abilities. And as you progress higher into a specific path, you can unlock new and special abilities.

At first I dumped mastery points into the assault path, figuring that I needed to improve my shadow warrior's ability in sword combat. However, after watching other players, I realized that there's definitely something to be said about some of archery abilities. Rapid shot lets you release a devastating volley of arrows at a target, while fire arrow sets your target afire and creates area-of-effect damage for about seven seconds. It's awesome, especially if you can target a group of baddies. Thankfully, for a fee, you can restructure your mastery points if you decide that you need to improve archery, sword fighting, or short-ranged bow attacks.

I'm also on the cusp of getting a mount, which is cool, because it will definitely help with the travel times. High elves get a pretty noble steed at level 20 and for 15 gold pieces, which is a fair trade. I also discovered the joys of flight travel; at certain camps and outposts there is a flight master who, for a small fee, will put you on a steampunk helicopter of sorts and you can zip to a different region of the world. I ran through the Empire capital of Altdorf, explored the dwarves' starting area, and took part in a public quest in the Empire's lands. I was impressed with the diversity of the geography, from the cold, muddy climes of the dwarves' mountain home to the pretty, autumn forests of the Empire.

I've still yet to figure out the entire crafting system, so that's next. We're making solid progress on the review, and we hope to have it in the coming weeks. Still, this is a big game, so things could change, but we're definitely having fun with it so far.