Warhammer Online Updated Impressions - Lairs and Interface Updates

By Andrew Park, GameSpotPosted Aug 14, 2008 4:14 pm PT

We explore a few new nooks and crannies in this upcoming massively multiplayer game from the creator of Dark Age of Camelot.

At a recent EA press event, we took the opportunity to squeeze a few new details out of developer Mythic Entertainment on its upcoming massively multiplayer game, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. The game is currently in a beta-test state with thousands of loyal testers from the fan community pounding away at it nightly and with more beta testers to come thanks to the preorder offer that EA Games has attached to the collectors' edition, which will let early adopters into the beta in advance of the launch (and will also nab them exclusive character customization options, quests, and items).

Warhammer Online is in a beta-test state and will be launching in about a month.

In advance of our coverage of the beta, we got a few new details on some of the game's features, such as its fully customizable interface, which lets you click, drag, and resize every single interface window in the game, from maps to chat logs to everything else. Apparently, certain parts of the interface, such as the overland map, have been programmed in the LUA language, and Mythic will encourage you to create customized art for those interface elements.

We also had a chance to take a peek at some of the lair areas that will be hidden throughout the game. These will be out-of-the-way areas where exceptionally powerful and rare foes hide out of plain sight and guard exceptionally powerful loot. We had a chance to see two such lairs; the first was hidden on the border of a competitive realm-versus-realm zone (where players from different factions can freely clash with each other) and was locked away behind a stone gate, outside of which were various shaped stones embedded into the earth just in front of the entrance. The door itself will be locked, and the flat, ground-level stones arranged in a ring around the entrance apparently represent a puzzle that you will need to solve to open the gate. Another lair was hidden in a remote corner of a misty river basin that seemed mostly deserted and was separated by a small set of foothills. However, persistent players who explore every inch of the area may discover the means to climb up the first set of foothills to discover that a set of fallen logs lead the way to a row of shattered tree stumps that can be crossed with well-placed jumps that lead to a final hidden path to the lair of a mighty and ancient foe who summons backup to defend its treasure. Yes, Warhammer Online will have a jumping puzzle.

However, none of the game's lairs will have any kind of duplicate content or puzzles, so there will be no one-size-fits-all solution to unlock all of them. Though Mythic was gracious enough to show the entrances to two of these lairs, the studio was understandably reluctant to comment about the number and location of them in the game. There will, however, be "more than 20" lairs hidden throughout the world, and in addition to offering the opportunity to fight a unique enemy and win an exceptionally powerful weapon or item, finding lair locations will unlock sections of your "tome of knowledge," Warhammer Online's in-game journal. Players who enjoy exploring will definitely be rewarded for their troubles when they discover lairs, but the hidden enemies that lurk within will generally be exceptionally strong, and a stout group of adventurers will usually be required to conquer them.

Players will be rewarded for their curiosity when they discover hidden lairs.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is currently in a beta-testing state and is scheduled for release worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on September 18.

144 Comments

  • VortexMK

    Posted Sep 24, 2008 2:44 am PT

    Best game for PvP and RvR, but when it comes to solo content, storyline and questing LOTRO and WoW are better.

  • WastedOne111

    Posted Sep 23, 2008 6:10 pm PT

    Apparently you care Maxipad. In case you missed THE POINT, Games Workshop ripped off Tolkien. Your sitting here saying Blizzard ripped off Games Workshop. Well that would be true if Games Workshop was original content but lets see elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs....nope bud thats tolkien kthxbye. Starcraft is a Games Workshop rip off but thats why I'll be playing DOW2.

  • maximaxi4eva2

    Posted Sep 22, 2008 2:22 pm PT

    Hey, wastedone, WHO CARES?
    No gives a damn whether or not ppl ripd off tolkein. I just care that blizzard ripped off games workshop
    Im pissed

  • Vasot

    Posted Sep 21, 2008 1:24 pm PT

    Looks better from World of Warcraft

  • WastedOne111

    Posted Sep 21, 2008 11:51 am PT

    Orc (OR'k) is a word used to refer to a race of various tough and warlike humanoid creatures in various fantasy settings, appearing originally in the stories of Middle-earth written by J. R. R. Tolkien and derivative fictions. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and the first two Lotrs in 1925 so the argument is really lame when everyone is actually ripping off tolkien.

  • WastedOne111

    Posted Sep 21, 2008 11:36 am PT

    Actually Anything involving an orc is ripping off Tolkien's lore. Don't believe me? Check the date on when he wrote Lotr or the Silmarillion. Warhammer has existed for 30 years but I assure you those guys were Tolkien fans who adapted some Tolkien lore to create their own hybrid.

  • Shinkada

    Posted Sep 20, 2008 8:24 am PT

    To quote Raphael, WHAT A JOKE.

    For the Who Copied Who argument: Warcraft copied Warhammer, and now Warhammer Online is copying World of Warcraft. WoW didn't rip off Warhammer, Blizzard ripped off Warhammer YEARS ago. And not just Warhammer Fantasy, either. You don't need incredible observational skills to see the corrolation between the Emperium, Eldar and Tyranid with the Terran, Protoss and Zerg.

    But as I said, Warhammer is now ripping off WoW for this game, which blows. WoW sucks and this is going to be a slightly better, but still sucky version of WoW.

    Better luck next time guys; stop being fail and just make an MMOFPS Warhammer 40k game already.

    EDIT: Forgot to mention. For all the people whining about bugs? Yeah. You're right. Compared to WoW's completely smooth and bug free launch, it's pretty bad.

    P.S.: I'm being sarcastic. Blizzard's servers caught on fire and they had to repeatedly reset servers when crap like entire realms of either side completely took over cities and prevented others from spawn camping. The game was buggy, laggy, and overall just unstable, just like every other MMO, even though the graphics engine was over a year old EVEN WHEN IT WAS RELEASED.

  • camar001

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 4:35 pm PT

    Okay...anyone that thinks this game is ripping off WoW is an idiot. Warhammer has been around for nearly 30 years now. The fact of the matter is that WoW ripped of Warhammer, its just that the WoW MMO was released first. And yes, they wanted the rights to Warhammer, but Games Workshop wouldn't sell them, so, Blizzard Plagiarized Copyrighted material. Thats why the two games look the same, but, Warhammer had this look first, decades before WoW was a glimmer in Blizzards eyes.

    As for WoW...that game is quite simply awful. The game is grind from beginning to end, the PvP is poor, there is no atmosphere, unless you count the cartoony, kiddy feel to it an atmosphere. WAR will be something great. The questing systems are far better, from what I have heard there is little grind to have to contend with and the PVP completely blows all other MMOs out of the water.

    So, in short WoW = Copied from Warhammer Warhammer = Originally conceived nearly 30 years ago.

  • Epyx911

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 3:02 pm PT

    Actually, if anything WoW copied from Warhammer. Blizzard tried very hard to get Warhammer licensing for both WoW and Starcraft. If you look closely you will see how blatant Blizzard was in copying races in Starcraft from the 40k universe (Dawn of War). Likewise WoW borrows heavily from the Warhammer fantasy setting.

    Blizzard just happened to publish first with their knockoff and get market share. With that said I love WoW/Starcraft/Dawn of War and I have no doubt I will love this game as well.

  • WastedOne111

    Posted Sep 16, 2008 5:56 pm PT

    I quit wow 6 months ago. Not at all impressed with WAR. I found it boring and the animations cheesy. If you disagree thats fine, enjoy what you play, but my mmo search continues...

  • chaostree

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 6:51 am PT

    I also played Open Beta and was amazed by the class diversity in all phases. The PVP is extremely addictive and I never pvp'd much in WOW. Hated waiting forever in a queue. With WAR, you can wait in a queue while you go RVR at a contested area. PVE/leveling is NOT boring and doesnt feel tedious(yet) so that's all I really ask of that. Endgame is much more important and with the detail that Warhammer has already shown, I am convinced the the game will really flex it muscles with it's endgame content.

  • Darker_JR

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 4:55 pm PT

    lol
    open beta finished today...i played it after 4 days of waiting...and the improvements since the first day where huge...today the headstart commences and i can only say this game has the potencial to kinda beat wow.. although i think it needs a bit more in depth gaming...
    and i played both wow and war xD

  • Oni

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 4:23 pm PT

    The only thing positive I can say so far about this game is the PvP is awesome. Otherwise I still need to play the final version. So far the PvE didn't grab me.

  • Simianjohn

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 3:20 pm PT

    Yes the graphics looks good. But let us just face the fact that it's trying to be like wow. Just as age of conan it's gonna look exactly the same with some few new gimics and stupid combat ideas that is never going to work! If this game actually decides to prove me wrong I'd say that the appocalypse is coming and we should make amense for all the horrible things we have done and get ready to die!!

  • brecht165

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 2:22 pm PT

    Game background seems nice - appealing concept, though an RPG with this colourset is just weird (last I played the witcher and oblivion). I prefer a dark setting to such a bright & colourful one. So the look & feel doesn't convince me.

  • NiteX

    Posted Sep 12, 2008 7:57 pm PT

    I gave up on the open beta. I got tired of all the bugs and server crashes and not being able to play my chaos. I swear I made over 10 chosen guys and each one kept not wanting to load up. I recommend not touching this game for a few months.

  • Styvan

    Posted Sep 9, 2008 3:58 am PT

    I am still waitng for validation of my beta key. 17 (!) hours of waiting... If I just think I had to pay to preorder and get my "bonuses"... Just hope the game doesn't start this bad, else I'll go back to WoW...

  • LordN

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 12:12 pm PT

    US version.. playable.. EU version.. heh it's in GOA's hands. Just read fan sites what are linked on main page for EU and u get the real picture how open beta is proceeding is there.. or actually how it's not running but US one is running very well.

  • Shadow_th

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 6:01 pm PT

    I hope Warhammer Online will be really great. Competition is nice, and seeing as Blizzard is not really improving WoW as it is now, having a competition might be fun for trying this other game and also, losing part of the playerbase can make Blizzard try to actually improve WoW, thus being a benefit to everyone.

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