Warhammer Info - FAQ
General Questions
What is Warhammer Online?
Warhammer Online is a fantasy based MMORPG in development by EA Mythic. It is set in the dark medieval world of Warhammer and it plans to deliver one of the best PvP gaming experiences ever available. I am holding them to that claim.
Isn't Warhammer a nerdy board game or something?
Yes. And it has been around since the dark ages (1983) and has a huge fan base. Rather than me typing up some junk, read this crap instead. It's educational. I promise.
Everyone is using the acronym 'WAR' to refer to Warhammer Online. Shouldn't it be 'WHO' or something?
WAR is the acronym for the full title of the game, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. WHO is the acronym of the first Warhammer Online which was cancelled in the midst of production under the direction of a different developer. Plus, WAR sounds cool and WHO sounds gimpy.
OK - so what seperates Warhammer Online from every other crappy fantasy MMORPG out there?
The big difference is that Warhammer Online is actually being designed around, well, a war. For once, the main focus is PvP, not PvE. Players will be able to advance their character solely through PvP combat even. Everything you do effects the ongoing war as each side captures each other's territories leading up to the eventual pillaging of the enemy's capital cities. If you're a lore fanatic, Warhammer is a kickass setting for an MMO too. It is very dark and brutal. No prancing around in the meadow and heaving afternoon tea with the resident glitter dragon like other MMOs. We burn people as heretics on a daily basis and fire mutilated body parts out of catapults at one another.
When can I get my grubby little hands on this game? I want to play!
Mythic has set a projected release date of Q4 2008.
Q4? What does that mean?
Quarter 4.
Quarter 4?
/facepalm
Lore Related and Game Overview
What are the playable races?
There are six major races in WAR. The Empire, High Elves, Dwarfs, Greenskins, Chaos, and Dark Elves.
So, are there alliances?
Yes, there are two major factions in Warhammer Online. The first faction, Order, is made up of the Empire, high elves, and dwarfs. The second faction, Destruction, is made up of dark elves, greenskins, and the forces of chaos.
Can two different races group up and/or create guilds with one another? For example, can a Dwarf group with a High Elf?
Yes, indeed.
If I make a Dwarf and my friend makes a High Elf, how long until we can find each other and play as a team?
If you know where to go and how to use fast travel, it'll take a mere 10 minutes according to Mythic devs. If you take your time and naturally level up, it'll take closer to 10 hours.
What's up with there being no female orcs or goblins?
Technically there are no male orcs either - they are just male-like in appearance. Greenskins are actually a type of sentient fungus that reproduces asexually. For once, I'm not kidding. Plus, female orcs always turn out looking like crap.
What the crap, WAR copied WoW's graphic style!!!
Try it the other way around. Warhammer was designed in 1983 and copied a lot of its style from Tolkien's works. Several years later, Blizzard wanted to build a Warhammer RTS game for the computer. The IP-licensing deal unfortunately fell through at the last minute. Rather than scrap all their work, Blizzard changed its art style and setting a little bit and called it Warcraft, their own unique IP. But even going further back, Warhammer was most likely influenced by Tolkien as well. In the end, everything takes cues from somewhere else, whether it is Warcraft or Warhammer. Them's the breaks.
Gameplay and Classes
What about classes?
Each race has 4 classes associated with it. As mentioned above, there are also 6 total races. You might notice that means 24 classes in total. Anyhow, each race has have a heavy tank, a melee damage class, a ranged damage class, and a healer type class. Each race's classes are unique to them and them only. If you care to learn more, there is more info about WAR classes over here.
What's going on with the healing classes?
There are no "pure" healing classes like most MMOs, or so we've been told! There will be no one standing in the back saying "... and I heal, and I heal, and I heal...", as Paul Barnett is often quoted as saying. Instead, the healing classes have to get their hands dirty in Warhammer Online in order to perform their role. Everyone fights, even the "pansy" healers.
Is there leveling (AKA "the grind") in Warhammer Online?
There is leveling, however, the design and hope is that you will not notice any grind. Characters can progress through public questing and even PvP.
What's the maximum level one can achieve?
Forty. Fourty. Forety. 40.
"Public Questing" ... what the turtle is that?
A public quest is a quest everyone gets and participates in, just by being in a certain area. For example, there could be a band of squigs nipping at the heels of a friendly giant. Everyone in the area can contribute to the Public Quest by taking out the pesky squigs, whether they are grouped up or complete strangers. Upon completion, each contributor gets a chance at some nice loot. The goal is that these common goals will drive teamwork, cooperation, and community. Hooray! There's more information about this over here.
What kind of PvP does Warhammer Online offer?
Mythic has stated that players will be able to participate in solo, group, and large scale PvP scenarios. The entire system is called RvR (realm vs. realm) and the majority of the game is focused around the struggle between the two major factions. I wrote a lot more on this subject on the RvR page. So go there and read if you want to know more.
DAOC Related Questions
Is Warhammer Online essentially DAOC 2?
No - but expect to see several key components of DAOC carried over, such as keeps.
Is there going to be buffbots? Because I'm not playing if there are buffbots, because I hated buffbots in DAOC and I don't want to play a game with buffbots again!
Whoa there, Bessy. There will not be buffbots in WAR in any shape or form. Rest easy.
Pricing Questions
How much is this beast going to cost?
Expect the standard MMO pricing... If this is your first MMO, that translates to $49.99 for the game and somewhere around $15/month subscription fee. From what we know of Mythic in the past, they are not a fan of nickel and diming their customers to death with additional micro-transactions.
Am I going to need to buy new expansions all the time? I hate that.
Everyone hates it, but Mythic has to feed their children just like you and I. EA Mythic is most likely going to follow the model of DAOC here with two expansions per year: a free one and a $29.99 one.
Technical Questions
Am I going to have to upgrade my PC to play WAR?
Of course that depends on how powerful your current PC is. There are no offical specs yet. I'd expect to see heavier requirements than DAOC, but not Bleeding-Edge-OMG-768MB-NVidea-Or-Die-Death-Rape. EA Mythic is anticipating huge, hot, and steamy army on army action in WAR and is designing the graphics load accordingly.
Can I run WAR on my Mac or Linux box?
There will not be Mac or Linux clients at release and there are no current plans to port WAR to these platforms in the future, probably due to the heavy use of Microsoft's DirectX. If you are on a Mac, you can give Bootcamp a shot of course. If you are on Linux, give it a whirl on WINE. There may be an XBox360 version of Warhammer Online someday.
Beta Questions
How can I register for the beta?
Start by heading over to the official site and signing up at the beta center. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter as well. Every month, several people are randomly selected for beta access. There are always other opportunities popping up as well. Keep an eye on the news postings.