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GC '07: Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Updated Impressions

Two days after Warhammer Online's GC 2007 press conference, we meet with key members of the EA Mythic development team and grill them for exclusive new info.

By Justin Calvert, GameSpot

Posted Aug 24, 2007 2:45 pm PT

LEIPZIG, Germany--One of our first ports of call when this year's Games Convention opened its doors was a press conference at which EA Mythic talked about Warhammer Online's High Elf and Dark Elf races for the first time. Plenty of good information came out of those 30 minutes but, you know us, we're never satisfied. So today we tracked down a couple of key members of the development team, locked ourselves in a box room with them, and refused to leave until we had enough new information to justify another story on the game. This one.

The first thing we were given during our private session was a more in-depth look at the witch elf career, which is Warhammer Online's answer to the rogues of World of Warcraft. Witch elves can't make themselves invisible like their WOW counterparts, but they're incredibly agile, and appear to be every bit as deadly.

Witch elves--who are all female, incidentally--like to surprise unsuspecting enemies from behind with powerful opening attacks, and then string together rapid combos as they work themselves into a frenzy and build up to a big finishing move. Their skimpy outfits hardly qualify as armor, though, and so a witch elf's best bet when taking a lot of damage will often be to retreat, and quickly at that. One of the ways that you'll be able to do this is using the "agile escape" move, which sees the witch elf kicking back off the enemy, performing a backflip in the air, and then landing a good distance away.

Like WOW's rogues, witch elves will be able to coat their daggers or swords with various poisons. They won't have to concern themselves with carrying around a load of ingredients to make the poisons with, though, because poisons are ability- rather than inventory-based. Furthermore, witch elves will have the ability to buff themselves with powerful elixirs, but we've learned today that elixirs will invariably have negative as well as positive effects when consumed. An elixir that dramatically improves your speed for a short time, for example, might also increase the amount of damage you take if you get hit.

Next up was a guided tour of the Empire's capital city, Altdorf, which dwarfs just about any city that we've seen in a massively multiplayer game to date. Altdorf's architecture has a distinctly European feel about it, and although the sheer size of the city is a little intimidating, there appear to be plenty of landmarks that'll go some way to ensuring that you don't get lost. The Bright Wizard College, for example, is a tower so tall that you can't even see the top of it from the ground. The college is continuously spewing smoke and ash into the air, which means that even on a sunny day, the skies close to it take on a deep red hue.

Other landmarks in the coastal city include a large square where criminals can be seen hanging from gallows, and the docks, from which you can stare across the water at a landmass that won't come into play until one of Warhammer Online's inevitable expansion packs is released. It's a little early to be talking about expansion packs, of course, but it's good to know that the core game is being designed with them in mind. A huge drawbridge that never opens is another example of this kind of forward planning, and we're told that all of Warhammer Online's capital cities will grow as the game does, to ensure that they never become obsolete.

And with that, our EA Mythic captives earned their freedom, though the only reason we kept up our end of the bargain and let them go was because the game will get finished more quickly with them on the team. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning still has plenty of time in development left before its release next year, and every time we see it, we're more excited to get our hands on it. Expect more information on this one just as soon as the current closed beta opens up and lets us in.

– GameSpot

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81 Comments

  • BDANick

    Posted Sep 6, 2007 12:23 pm PT

    Meh i dont care what anyone says really, if your a fan of the Warhammer Universe, your GOING to get the game...

    its a tough choice though, i think for the fantasy id have to be Dark Elf... then for 40k... id love to be Tyrannid but that would be UBER HARD TO PULL OFF!!!!

    you could totally make it so you level up and move through the ranks, ok not for space marines terminators or any of the tyranids but for necrons you could, just move your AI or something...

    that would be funnnn

  • Agermemnon

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 6:45 am PT

    @the_living_god agreed wow ripped of plenty from games worksop and citadel miniatures , i hope war does well i could do with a change from wow and with the warhammer universe i already know so much about and for people that don't there is the tomb for you .

  • the_living_god

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 5:16 am PT

    WoW is a great game, and it even brought a great deal to the MMO genre, it's sweeping and vast andquite polished, that's part of why it has attracted the amount of people it has. But to say WoW is original is simply a lie, Blizzard has blatently stolen many of the races in warhammer (and the science fiction version - 40k /40,000) and adapted them to Warcraft and Starcraft. While all great fantasy realms copy of each other to a degree, it's plain when you look at an Orc in Warhammer and then look at an Orc in Warcraft and tell me Blizzard came up with the idea on their own. Heck, the lead designer on Warhammer 40,000 Andy Chambers has been now hired by Blizzard as lead designer of Starcraft 2. In Warcraft 3 there is a hidden sound file for the Gryphon Rider where he says "This Warhammer cost me 40k", and in Warcraft 3 again there is a Chaos Space Orc model in the World Editor. Chaos Space Marines / Space Orks (Warhammer 40k) anyone?

    That being said, the HUD for WAR looks suspiciously WoW-ish for my taste. WAR will carve out it's own niche, I think, it probably will be fairly large, even, (considering the size of the beta - 400k signups and still going) as long as the support is ongoing - EA has the money to support the game, here's hoping they have the sense as well.

  • PLAYSMMORPG

    Posted Sep 2, 2007 10:45 pm PT

    WoW combat...it only takes like 2sec to kill somebody. yeah that is fast BUT the other guy does not get a chace to fight back rogues . WoW is a endless grind, the Pvp SUCKS, WAR will have much better PVP. WAR combat will be great compare to WoWs

  • cyborg100000

    Posted Sep 1, 2007 8:16 pm PT

    The thing that's putting me off WAR is the combat. The thing that makes WoW great for me is the combat where you can run around while fighting, it feels a lot more free than just standing hitting each other.

    I am deeply appauld at some of the latest MMO's. Lotr for example...they completly ripped off WoW.

    Anyway, WoW is a unique and original game that has kept millions of people entertained (longer than others), because it's simply fun. You think WoW is an endless grind? Go play swg or EVE....

  • PLAYSMMORPG

    Posted Aug 31, 2007 11:12 pm PT

    Noventus why do u even look at other games? Age of Conan is going to be good but Warhammer RvR, lore, public quest, and 24 different classes are going to be Great!!! Age of conan only has 3 different class and i dont think the gameplay is going to be what u think it is... AND IT IS NOT A G0D Damn WoW clone!!!! There might be mounted fighting in WAR but dont take my word on it.

  • Noventus

    Posted Aug 31, 2007 4:02 am PT

    after reading up on this and looking at some of the videos and screenshots it just looks like this is just another soulless WoW clone, Age of Conan looks far more promising than this tripe, great visuals, great looking combat system including mounted combat, creating actual mounted formations with other mounted players, guild cities that you can create and upgrade, single-player intro, an MMO that’s prepared to try and change the genre for the better rather than jus trying to cash-in on WoW formula with a different face to it.

  • McAndrew_basic

    Posted Aug 30, 2007 8:47 pm PT

    Never played Warhammer before. But this game does look promising. I definitely would like a change in scenery other than WOW. Once I kill Arthas I'm hanging up the towel on wow.

  • fbat22

    Posted Aug 30, 2007 8:11 pm PT

    FOR THE EMPEROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 2good2betrue

    Posted Aug 30, 2007 4:59 pm PT

    IM GAY

  • stubbsthe

    Posted Aug 30, 2007 1:57 pm PT

    Geez guys... its a game... and Redstormrisen, why are you trying to compare book/pen and paper WH with a game.. i mean if you want your balance and options like in there, go play pen and paper based warhammer but dont try to compare something that is absolutely different. And about will it be wow killer.. who knows, one thing I know for sure is that ALOT of warhammer fans will go for this MMO, perhaps even stepping over its flaws, its just WH universe, its already cool. Then again, imagine this game to be a WoW killer... all the immature brats will go to warhammer... How "cool" is that? >.>
    But as i said, you just gotta sit and wait, i mean you cant change anything anyway.

  • SquatingMonkey

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 6:36 pm PT

    I have read a lot of the comments about gameplay and graphics, and I must say Erebus' original post says it all. As far as gameplay goes DAoC was the best MMO hands down for gameplay. I played Dark Age for 4 yrs and only recently has WoW come close. If the RvR in WAR is half of what if was in DAoC we should still consider urselves lucky. As far as graphics go, and general visual asthetics, imo, nothing still has come close to DAoCs catacombs engine (I stopped playing shortly after Cata, it may be even better now), not even WoW. For those who care I have played and beta tested most everything from EQ to LoTRO, with the exception of Vanguard. I dont expect this game to be a WoW killer, and if that is their intention over at EA/Mythic, they may have bitten off more than they can chew. BUT, this game is going to offer, and quite strongly I may add, every thing that WoW seems to be lacking in, which is great for MMO players like me. I have a l ot of respect for Blizzards game's, and I hope they succeed in busines enough to make Diablo III asap, but I think they are gonna feel the sting when a large part of their subscriptions start leaving for greener (hopefully) pastures.

  • redstormrisen

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 5:16 pm PT

    A 40K mmo. I'm not sure. It will either be one hive with mutants and psykersfor specilised combat, r it culd be something more like star wars galaxys.

    A Race Vs Race idea would be difficult. It would have to eitherrel on peoles knolage f the 40K universe or butcher the bakground. EG. A tau close combt class wouldn't fit with the bakground.

    Space marines are the pininical of genetic engineering. The are stronger,faster, taller and more accurate than any othe asic troop in the tabletop game. How do you balece that. They also spend alltheirtime fighting or praying. Not very good crafting options there. The imperial gurd relys on numbers alone, howcan yo convay that outside of an RTS.

    If they can pull it off then awsome. But i'm reserving judgemnt on this...

    Oh, and on a sidenote.Has anyone red the Eisonhorn/ravaor series of books. An MMO revolving around an inquisitor and his warband miht be a good angle.

    But concerning WAR. It really seems they'er pulling of the fantasy universe well. One more cash cow for games workshop...

  • My_Name_Is_Sin

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    It definitly looks awesome. I like the idea of a city growing with the mmo. I hope they have all the race. Personally I would have to go space marine

  • Agermemnon

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 10:27 am PT

    I too heard of a 40k mmo but i heard that would only be put into action if warhammer does very well so fingers crossed , as for a 40k mmo being tough to do i would have thought so too but to play as some new inquisitor would be good , being able to hunt down all the tainted scum could lead to some great scenario's , walk softly and carry a big gun as the saying goes

  • Mowgers

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 6:46 am PT

    For a 40k MMO to work it'd ideally have to be confined to one planet. Probably something like Necromunda, in one big old hive city. That'd make more sense than making some vast interplanetary one, because you'd end up spreading yourself too thin trying to generate all those planets, races, weapon types, political affiliations etc.

    Of course, an Iron Kingdoms MMO would be my idea of heaven. But... I don't see that happening.

  • Maximiliator

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 5:30 am PT

    hmm, Inveri, i guess an 40K MMO'd be quite difficult to make. Think about it. It would be more like anego shooter... It got more style, if you slash your way witha a heavy armored Ironbreaker and a nice two-handed hammer !
    I love the DoW series, too, and i hope WAR will RULE WoW !!!
    ---
    Max

  • Inverni

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 5:05 am PT

    This game is going to kick some serious ass, but I'm with everyone on the 40K thing. I'd rather have a futuristic MMO, especially one that I am familiar with. The DoW games were great and I was glad to see a lot of the stuff from the tabletop in it, but I think an MMO would be able to capture the dark, gritty, evil vibe that the 40K universe has.

  • chaos_michael

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 3:49 am PT

    teknocalpyse & dontcare5454 i seen an artical on here a few months back saying that they are making a Warhammer 40k MMORPG so fingers crost. Hopefully when they make the 40k one you can be a grey knight

  • Aurubin

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 12:02 am PT

    I hope this game does well just so Paul Bernett doesn't end up looking like a jackass. He makes me wish I was British.

Latest Videos

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning GC '07 Gameplay Movie 10

Fight, fight, fight... I guess words can only solve so many problems.

Posted 6:20 pm PT Aug 22

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Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning GC '07 Gameplay Movie 9

Orcs and Humies just never seem to get along. Especially in this gameplay movie.

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Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning GC '07 Gameplay Movie 8

War is coming sooner than you think! Check out some new gameplay from Warhammer Online.

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Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning GC '07 Gameplay Movie 10

Fight, fight, fight... I guess words can only solve so many problems.

Posted 6:20 pm PT Aug 22

watch   download

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning GC '07 Gameplay Movie 9

Orcs and Humies just never seem to get along. Especially in this gameplay movie.

Posted 6:14 pm PT Aug 22

watch   download

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning GC '07 Gameplay Movie 8

War is coming sooner than you think! Check out some new gameplay from Warhammer Online.

Posted 6:09 pm PT Aug 22

watch   download
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