So Far, So Good

Initial impressions are in for 1.4 and the new expansions, and all signs point to go.  With the exception of city sieges actually occurring more frequently and lag from the recent onset of new players, the patch has gone off without much of a hitch.

On Iron Rock, the population boost is a very welcome addition.  We all knew that subscribers would come back, but weren't really sure of the numbers.  I would say that we have seen a near doubling of players on IR, just a guestimate though.

There will be some patches in the near future for sure.  Things to address server stability first and foremost.  I've had a few client crashes when around heavily populated keeps, as have others.  They also must address keep difficulty and the rate of which cities are sieged.  I foresee those changes taking place rather quickly.

I kind of wish another week or two of testing on the PTS would have taken place, but I understand the hurry that EA/Mythic is in with Cataclysm due out soon.  They couldn't risk losing more of a population to WoW again.  It was a good choice.

So with that said, good luck in 1.4 and enjoy the plethora of city sieges while they last.  I'm sure that thing's are going to be changing in the near future, and constant city sieges will be a thing of the past.  

Out with the Old, In with the....Old?

With the onset of the Verminous Horde, there are sure to be more than a few new subscribers over the next few weeks.  Overall, the reviews from the PTS have been on the good side, and forums are giddy with anticipation for the new ORvR content.  Things really are looking on the up and up for the game, and I am very pleased with how things are turning out.

Over the past few months, we have really seen Mythic step up their efforts to lure back old players.  Free T1 play forever, Free 10 days with no cc info, Free transfers for people away for 3 months.  Not to mention all of the press they have been slowly releasing with the upcoming patch.  While I'm sure a there have been a few former subscribers to again pay to play, what about the literally hundreds of thousands that are still out there?  If you all remember, Warhammer Online started with something like 1,000,000 original game sells (please feel free to correct me, this is from memory).....in turn creating that number of accounts.  What is the population now though?  100,000 max?  Obviously EA does not release those numbers, but we are all more than aware of the current state of the realms.

Please don't get me wrong here, I am in no way trying to bash the game.  Tonight I was talking to my brother-in-law who previously played a Rune Priest on Phoenix Throne.  I always try to pressure him to come back, and of course I told him about the new stuff coming in.  Unfortunately though, the beginning of Warhammer really tainted the game for him.  Thus, I truly believe he will never again play.  He, like many others, really hated Warhammer originally.  Justifiably so, as there was not much to offer.  But there is so much more to the game now, and it has grown by leaps and bounds recently.  So much has been added over the past year, and I really feel terrible for those who did not stick through till now.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that my brother-in-law, and others, would surely love the new content.  The RvR is great, and getting better.  The renown abilities will be completely game changing.  Time-To-Kill is slower.  Scenario matchmaking.  More attainable gear.  More customizations.  Just so much more coming into the ever changing world of Warhammer.  How else can Mythic get back a larger part of those old subscribers?

I definitely foresee a jump in the numbers over the next few weeks and months.  Maybe as many as 10,000 even.  How though can Mythic go beyond that, to say 500,000?   What other ideas can they come up with to entice players back?  A free month?  A free rank 40/40?  A free "re-enlistment" weapon?  Maybe something that can be traded between characters on an account?  I know they are doing a lot, but I believe more can be done.  I'm not putting this out there to bash, but putting it out there to garner some positive feedback which is hopefully seen by someone in a position to change things.  So with all that said, all ideas are welcome.  Please leave a comment or send some tweets to @Andy_Mythic with ideas.  Let's get this game the attention it deserves.

The Rise of Warhammer Online, an Account Price Perspective

Example Account Selling

With the announcement of the RvR Packs and 1.4 coming to a near paramount, I think we are about to see a sharp rise in the amount of subscriptions that Warhammer has open.  Obviously this can be surmised from what we have seen recently.  The PTS server being full (no, I didn't get on) being one example the other night.  There has also been a pretty good reception of the price points of the soon to be released RvR Pack, and the Verminous Horde.  One other thing that has led me to believe that Warhammer is again on the rise, is the prices now that accounts are being sold for.  Yeah yeah I know it's illegal to sell / buy accounts, but the fact of the matter remains that it's being done and will continue to be until something is done by Mythic to prevent it. 

Recently on various account buying and selling sites, prices for Warhammer Online accounts has sky rocketed.  Over the past year or so, the median price point for a renown rank 70 character has been $150.  Yes, they could have definitely been found for less.  However over the past few weeks, these sites have boasted accounts of renown rank 80's for upwards of $1,000!  Pretty crazy right?  After all Warhammer is not WoW, where accounts have been sold for well over $10,000.  In my mind in no way does a rank 80 account, let alone any account, justify the price of $1,000.  If you take a closer look at the picture to the right, you will see a total of five accounts for sale, for well over the price of $300.  A price which I feel is more realistic for a rank 80 character. 

No I don't expect most people to believe that $300 is a fair price, but to be quite honest, it is.  In the past I have done plenty of account buying and selling, and can promise you that NO ACCOUNT is worth more than this.  No matter the gear, rank, characters, etc...  If your plan is to just sell an account, never put more than a single character on it.  So what is prompting people now then to ask such absurdly high prices for their accounts now?  Is it what is on the horizon for Warhammer?  I'd like to think so.  One thing you can always break it down to is supply and demand. 

Form w/ Account Selling

Accounts have been selling like hot cakes over the past few weeks.  An account is posted on a site, and usually within 48 hours it is sold.  This was rarely the case over the last year, as near all Warhammer accounts went unsold.  You couldn't give a Warhammer account away until recently.  Now it would seem you would be hard pressed to find a reasonably priced account for Warhammer.  I hate to say it (and do not condone it any longer) but now would be a great time to sell your account, if you're looking for a quick cash grab. 

Another reason I believe accounts have been selling more recently, is that it can most definitely be done now with a sense of anonymity.  The recent addition of $20 server transfers has enabled this.  Someone can go buy an account, transfer servers, and no one would be the wiser now.  There are some that say $20 for a single character transfer is nuts, and I agree.  But for someone who just spend XXX number of dollars for an account, $20 is more than reasonable for a sense of security from other players. 

So be ready to see a bunch of new high ranking players on your server who you don't recognize, because they are coming.  People want to play Warhammer now, and it has been showing in the amount of account buying and selling that has been taking place.  While I don't condone, it selling your account gets you an easy way to several hundred dollars if not more.  If you could make upwards of $1,000 for your account, would you sell? 

Squiggy Update

There is so much taking place in Warhammer right now, and unfortunately it couldn't be happening at a worse time for me.  With so much taking place in the real world for me, I hardly have time to be checking out the PTS at the moment.  I am seeing good things though.  I am really excited to see how it all finally plays out in the coming months.  I highly recommend checking out my blog roll to the right for all the updates. 

One thing I have been focusing on when I have time to play is my wee little Squig Herder, Hobgobblin.  I just took him out of T3 and into the big boy world of T4.  Kind of unfortunate if you ask me.  I really like T3.  I almost feel like there was more balance there than in T4.  As it stands now I run around T4 getting near one shotted by high ranking Bright Wizards and Witch Hunters.  I am only level 32 though.  I would imagine that I will have him to 40 by weeks end.  Honestly I really don't have that much more to go.  I have two Golden Writs I can use to purchase War Tracts from, and the free level quest.  So really only 5 more levels, which I can grind out in either LoTD or PvP.  I have no desire for the free mount from the writ either, if you're asking why I'd use both on a free level.  It was cool when my Marauder was the only one on the server with one, before the free ones were issued.  Now they are completely fotm, and everyone has one.  So I'll pass, and just ride in style on my white wolf of doom. 

T3 is Bumpin Bumpin, Order go Boom Boom

Like any veteran of a game, sometimes we forget just where and when we once had come from in terms of level. If someone sticks around in end game content for a while, often things can become a bit stale at times and a refresher is needed. All too often do I find myself camping a mailbox or sitting around waiting for a queue. So to those of you who are in need of a change of scenery I recommend T3 on Iron Rock.

Over the past week or so the battles in T3 have been tremendous. Much better from what I remember 2 years ago. There is constant action.  It also helps being on the winning side for once. Whether it is skirmishes, keep takes, fighting over champion mobs or a gutter runner assault, there is never a dull moment in T3. I actually found myself not wanting to level out of it last night. While at the champion rat mobs, which you can find over at WAR Aura, I got 2.5 levels in approximately 30 minutes. So now I sit at level 29/24. I could have continued leveling and at that pace would have certainly been in T4 in no time. Why would I want to do that now though? The action is so good, and I have enough T4 characters right now.

I'm also not sure what it is, but everything seems a bit bigger to me. I think it may have to do with the map layout and the keeps in different zones. It also could be that not everyone has a mount; therefore groups don't cover as much ground as quickly. The environment is so much more crisp and clean too. I touched on it a bit yesterday, but I can't believe how much better and more detailed things look in T3. In Saphery yesterday, I could actually count the individual leaves on the trees. That's not something I ever noticed in a T4 zone. The keeps seem a lot more detailed too, and more in depth. After experiencing T3 again and taking notice to all the subtleties, I really wish the game was held off a bit longer before release. T4 could really use a lot of the detail that is clearly prevalent in the earlier stages of the game.

So thank you to Mythic for changing the restrictions on LoTD.  T3 is alive and well, and there are still spots to grind should you choose to.  Go check it out, and revisit some things you may have missed the first time (or few at this point) around.

Highway To The Skaven Zone and Hobgobblin!

Although I completely missed it, Tentonhammer had an exclusive interview with Carrie Gouskos this weekend and some pretty good information was released regarding the new Skaven Zone.  I recommend checking out Bootae as he has all the details.  It appears as if the new zone will be a 24 vs. 24 instance based dungeon.  Much like the current city siege, it will include some Skaven bosses which both sides must fight while dealing with the opposing faction.  Oh, by the way, you'll need to be renown rank 65 to access it.

Zealot vs. Zealot

I wanted to do something a little different today, so I decided I'd pit characters from different games against each other.  This may be a reoccurring theme here, or it may not be.  I guess we'll see how much fun I have doing it.  Clearly this is nothing scientific, just something fun.  I'll do the judging based on four categories.  Looks, Gameplay, Lore and a Community Poll.  I'll give 1 point for Looks, Gameplay, and Lore, with 2 points given to the community.  We will start with a Zealot from Warhammer Online, versus the Zealot from Starcraft. 

Let the Flaming Begin!

Obviously with any potentially good news, there are those who only can see it as potentially bad.  Gamesday has been talked about by everyone now to death it seems and while most are excited and really looking forward to the change, there are others who pretty much have written off Warhammer because of the new information.  Why such hate? 

Yes, I understand the game may not be what you wanted or expected since launch.  It has most certainly taken a turn for the better recently.  Yes, there are sure to be flaws with any new system that is going to be put in place.  Can we at least reserve judgement for the PTS?  I must admit, that I myself am guilty of being frustrated with the information that has come out recently.  Not because the content is bad, but because I just want more!  There are some though that are just trashing every aspect of the information that was released over the weekend.  Saying the implementation of Skaven is terrible, vanity pets are a waste and now required, purchasable mounts are dumb, the new resource system is laughable......etc, etc.  And for anyone to suggest that Mythic ISN'T listening to their customers is just nuts. 

People should definitely be cautious with the new changes.  They should definitely question every aspect of every portion of the information.  That is what makes a game better.  But to completely flame Mythic, the Developers and the game is just absurd.  We all need to take a step back and remember that nothing is certain as of yet.  Let's just wait and see how the PTS is once these changes begin to be tested.  Then we should all do as much praising and/or bashing as we can. 

Iron Rock Update and Account Transfers

So my post this morning left me feeling a bit blah.  Most other WAR bloggers out there are very excited about the release of information this past weekend, as they should be.  I just think I have a case of the Mondays.  The new changes will be good for sure....I'm just so nervous and the anticipation is killing me!  I'm sure the new changes will promote even better action than we have seen over the past few weeks on Iron Rock.  If that's the case be ready for a heavy subscriber increase, and even more RvR action!

Thoughts on the Gamesday News

Well the weekend has come and gone, and here we are back to the grind of real life.  We did get a lot of interesting news though from Gamesday from the likes of Bruglir and WAR Aura.  I suggest you head on over to their sites for all the details.  From Vanity Pets and Mounts, to the Campaign changes and Skaven, there is a lot of information in there.  I'm very interested in and looking forward to seeing what is posted on the Herald over the next month.

Which MMO Has The Best PvP?

In response to the article over on Massively about which MMO has the best PvP, I figured I'd make my first poll.  It's pretty simple, which MMO do you feel has / had the best PvP?  Currently the comments are garnering all kinds of responses.  From Planetside, to EVE, to Darkfall.  If you decide to select other, please leave a comment as to which and why. 

Personally I think Dark Age of Camelot had the best PvP of any MMO I've played.  Three realms, open zones, clear objectives (relics), and small group fighting really made it appealing to me.  Of course back when I played DAoC I had much more time which allowed me to be fully immersed in it.  I'd imagine there are people now who say the same about other games. 

So, go ahead and vote.  We'll see in a week what game will be crowned king of PvP, at least in the eyes of readers of this blog. 

The Week That Was

Not a whole lot of news taking place right now on the Warhammer front.  With the RvR packs and 1.4 coming out soon, people are growing giddy with anticipation.  There has been a lot of speculation as what exactly will take place and rightfully so.  One site in particular that I have come across, Hypothetical WAR, has been doing a lot of talking about what possibilities there are with it.  Check it out.  A lot of Skaven information there, and it really gets you thinking.

• Rank-N-Vile and his wife decided to stick it out.  While his wife isn't a fan of the RvR aspect of WAR, I think they are making the right choice with so much we have to look forward to. 
• League of Legends sounds interesting from Wasdstomps opinion.  I may have to check it out. 
• You're always dressed to kill and you feel like you owe it to the world, but you owe it to yourself to check out Werits blog and the winners of his contest.  By the way, I miss NFG. 
• Solid idea from Bootae about scenario leeching.  I couldn't agree with him more by the way.  The amount of renown a solo healer can earn is absurd.  Not to mention it really hurts the rest of the scenarios groups.
• Who's your daddy now?  Grimnir lets us know.  

I also want to again point out Werit's Arsenal of War.  Such a useful tool that should not be overlooked.  I find myself using it a bunch.  Not much going on by me on Iron Rock at the moment.  Just been out in the lakes on one of my numerous Witch Elves.  I also realised I can't even remember the names of all the rank 40 characters I have in my possession.  Clearly that's an issue, and one for another post. 

The Week That Was

Figured I'd post a bit of a recap much like Werit does for readers of the Warhammer community to see.  As he is the one always doing the recaps, he isn't getting the exposure to his own site that he is due.  As one of the best bloggers for the Warhammer community, I highly recommend checking him out.  To start off the recap I'd like to congratulate WAR Bureau on one full year.  Let's see what else has gone on:

• Werit is constantly updating his Arsenal of WAR for us all, not to mention providing us with some sick pics of peoples characters.  Go and Vote!.
• Bootae's been up to his usual Blorc banter.  Pretty soon you will all fear the Gashcheese!
• Taransula is apparently an end game boss, winning 2v10's left and right.
• Grimgor Ironhide, as seen through Mmmm Gud's eyes
• Backseatdev is sick of spawncamping.  Who isn't?  Let's get this fixed!
• Mobile Siege anyone?  Yes please.

All in all not a bad week.  A lot of opinions and predictions swirling around with the anticipation of 1.4 and the slow release of new information.  It's really keeping everyone on their toes though, which is a good thing right now.  In relatively short time the xpac will be here, and true open RvR will dominate again! 

Royal Crests and Stage Three Gold Bags

Over the past few months, since about April I'd surmise, Mythic has really done a bang up job with Warhammer Online.  They have implemented things like the new city sieges, 1.36, and AAO.  All of which have gone a long way to promote a more healthy and stable player base so the future of WAR will thrive.  There is one facet of the game however that needs addressed, and that is the system we currently have for loot.

Time to Kill

Late last week Rancid had posted his Q&A with developer Nate Levy.  The very first question was that of Time to Kill, which is exactly what it sounds like.  I was happy to see that TTK was a bit to quick in their eyes, as it is in mine as well. 

Keep Sieges

In response to Wasdstomp's, RvR Pack 101: Keeps, I'd like to continue the discussion.  For whatever reason this really seemed to ignite a fire in my pants and I had to get my thoughts out to everyone.  I definitely agree with Wasdstomp in that the current mechanic needs changing, but I disagree about the way he is proposing to do so. 

Eternal Citadel Thoughts

Well, for me the weekend is most certainly over.  I must say that I believe it was a rather productive one, I think...

The Eternal Citadel came and went by almost as quickly as the matches themselves within the new 6v6 Scenario.  Most were happy with it, but there were some who weren't to impressed.  Everyone can agree however that if you needed to farm Insignias, this was the place to do it.  With the average match lasting no more than 5 minutes, it was a prime time to grind out your Royal weapons.

Give an Inch, and They Take a Mile

As I was running in an ORvR group the other night on IR, a funny thing started to happen.  People were complaining about the amount of Renown they were getting, and the state of the Against All Odds mechanic. 

As destruction on Iron Rock, we are constantly outnumbered.  The numbers game is never in our odds, and I would venture to say that it seems to be at a near 2:1 ratio.  With the implement of AAO last week though, the Destruction players hadn't really complained much, till now.  After slowly losing the arduous battles in Chaos Waste and Caledor, the complaints started to roll in:

Here's to Hoping

So the day is upon us with what everyone believes to be patch 1.3.6. I know I for one am really hoping that a lot of these changes being put in go a long way toward the future of this game.

There are several nice changes in this patch, along with the standard slew of bug fixes. I'm hoping the graphical bug that takes place when you change tactics while mounted is finally gona, as it really annoys me.

In addition we will be seeing some Zealot / Runepriest changes, the appearence system, auction house changes, LoTD tweaks, and the Against All Odds system for RvR.

While most of the above seems very nice, I am most interested in the Against All Odds system. What it does is increase the amount of experience, renown, and influence you receive when you are outnumbered in an RvR zone. These increases can be as much as 400%! I am really hoping that this helps promote some smaller scale PvP. I truely believe this game needs more 6 and 12 man RvR content to become more successful. Whether people know it or not, I think everyone benefits from it.


When you have good small man groups roaming the RvR zones, players recognize that. They want to go up against them. They want that sense of "OMG here comes xxx guild". It brings them out to the lakes more than any keep taking or BO humping could. With that it also brings more of a community feeling to a realm, instilling a common goal of defeating those groups, and not just defending an NPC Lord. It also helps promote individual players for their accomplishments, and recognizable faces to everyone. Right now on Iron Rock, sure I know some opposing Order, but not for the right reasons. There isn't a single person or group who I would feel nervous or anxious about fighting. That is a feeling I think most crave for though, in order to prove to our allies, foes, and ourselves that we are more than just another player lost amongst the zerg.

Open RvR in Warhammer

In addition to letting everyone in on the tens of thousands of dollars spent (by me), and alienating your family and friends, I’ll also be throwing out complete banter about Warhammer Online and MMO’s in general. I’m currently playing Warhammer and have been since well before release.

Over at Wasdstomp, a little bit of a rant caught my attention about why Open World RvR “sucks”. This got me thinking, and I feel as if I need to respond to defend what I feel is a solid RvR game. By no means do I think it is flawless, but I do believe that since inception the game has evolved more into what players are looking for in a RvR based game.

I completely understand Wasdstomps frustrations about running for hours with what seemed like the hopes of a city siege, only to have people leave after locking zones. But this does lead to many other PvP opportunities in the game itself that actually promote your idea of not getting to a city every 3 hours. Yes, LotD opened. And just as the hordes of destruction ran there as they obtained access so did the hordes of order when they did. Why not go attempt to clear it for your realm mates? It’s definitely a shift in the monotony that locking zones sometimes brings, and it’s a heck of a good time.

The main actual problem I feel about the ORvR in Warhammer is one thing that you apparently enjoyed more than anything, and that is the zerging throughout the zones. When people think of Open World RvR, I’m pretty sure that they don’t imagine themselves running from BO to BO, and Keep to Keep with 100 other people just to lock the actual openness of the RvR. Yes, people can still go to the zones once they lock, but there is really no incentive to due to the shroud pulled over our eyes of zone flips and the domination system. There are too many zones, too many small maps, and too constrained of routes, and too little consequences for Open World RvR to be perfectly placed in the game of Warhammer as it is today. With such constraints currently enacted, it promotes the zerg mentality that is instilled in the majority of players. It makes small man RvR near irrelevant, and soloing a thing of the past and a lost art. The lack of pride in the game is due to this fact. When you run with 100 people, no real leadership or sense of worth is established. You simply just run to the next point wiping everything in your path. All strategy is out the window and the thought of actually losing something is long gone.

So yes, it is flawed, but I don’t think it should be completely dismissed. The combat is good, things are (for the most part) pretty balanced and there is always action somewhere if you’re looking for it. If some of the things I touched on here are addressed, I really think the community would be ecstatic. And let’s be honest, Mythic/Bioware is certainly attempting to address issues as best they can to improve the game and promote a long and healthy subscriber base.