Warhammer’s first special event is almost upon us. Wednesday for the US, Thursday for Europe.:
A chill is in the air. The twin moons Morrslieb and Mannslieb wax full, bathing the land in an eerie, pale light. The furtive footfalls of creatures unknown crunch on dead leaves deep in the dark woods. Strange apparitions half-glimpsed between the skeletal limbs of trees wander in the shadowy hollows. The souls of men are filled with dread, for the Witching Night approaches!
We are pleased to announce the first live event for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. The Witching Night will bring to life one of the Warhammer world’s most mysterious and dangerous times of the year, when the veil that separates the realms of the living and the dead parts, and tormented souls wander the land in search of a peace they will never find. For some, it is a time to cower fearfully behind locked doors, praying to their gods for protection. For others, it is a rare opportunity to practice forbidden rites of dark power.
New Conflicts
The constant warfare and the approach of the Witching Night have awakened ancient horrors from their slumber, daring brave warriors from the armies of Order and Destruction to conquer them in the name of glory!
Four new Public Quests will be added to the game, spread across all tiers and pairings. Unlike the game’s current public quests, these will be set inside of the Open RvR areas, allowing players to compete directly against each other to earn influence that will earn them rewards offered by one of the new Herald NPCs we’ll be adding to the capital cities.
These new public quests are different in two important ways. First, they’re located in RvR lakes, rather than in PvE areas. In particular, the locations for the new public quests are as follows:
* The Tier 1 Public Quest will be located in Chrace
* The Tier 2 Public Quest will be located in Troll Country
* The Tier 3 Public Quest will be located in Black Fire Pass
* The Tier 4 Public Quest will be located in CaledorAlso, because of the special nature of these Public Quests and the rewards that players can earn by participating in them, the quests will reset less frequently than you might be used to. Expect a few hours to pass after a Witching Night Public Quest is completed before you’ll be able to try it again.
The Ghosts of the Fallen
Keen-eyed players will spot the ghosts of fallen warriors roaming the battlefields of WAR. There one moment and gone the next, these fleeting apparitions are not hostile, but if caught and killed, they have a chance to offer one of the Witching Night’s special rewards
Beware the Witches!
Witches and cultists long in hiding have come out to perform unholy rituals that capture the souls of the dead for some unknown, nefarious purpose. They gather around great cauldrons, chanting the names of blasphemous entities. Those who stumble across these secret cabals can free the trapped sprits of the dead and then claim their rewards for themselves.
Courage has its Rewards
The wearing of masks has long been the custom of Witching Night, and WAR will offer four such costume masks that players can obtain by participating in the event. These masks will be difficult to obtain: one is an Elite-level influence reward and the others are very rare drops on enemy players and the witches and ghosts who will inhabit the land for only this event. All four masks can be worn by each of the game’s playable races.
Also, a special cloak with unique art will be offered during Witching Night, and players can also earn a unique title. In addition, there will be new potions and trinkets to claim. All rewards for the event can be used by players of any level.
OK, here’s my problem with this, as designed. These events are supposed to be a bit of fun. Generally, in MMO holiday events, as long as you take part you can get whatever fluff items are available.
The event is going to last about 4 days, and they’ve given the special Public Quests a reset of several hours. The Public Quests are in the RvR zones, so only one of them will be available to any given character. Not only that but they state that the mask drops are going to be “very rare”.
Here’s the deal, Mythic. If I take part in a holiday event, I don’t want to be told, “No, you can’t have this neat time-limited festival stuff, because you are unlucky, do not play enough, or your server is too low population.”. That’s a fine reason (to me) most of the time, but not for fun holiday events. Seriously, lighten up, and let the folks who are still with you in Warhammer’s second month have some flippin’ masks without having to grind solidly for four days with no guarantee of success.
Not to mention that by using the PQ mechanic, you are once again penalising the classes who don’t rank well.
I can see you’re using the event to try to move folks into the RvR zones. That’s good for folks like me, but do you really want to be alienating the non-RvRers, even if they are a small group. I hope that it is possible to gain the Halloween gear without entering the RvR lakes.
Nevertheless, I am excited about the event, and will certainly be trying to snag myself a set of masks for as many of my characters as I can.