This Week in WAR: Slayer/Choppa Footage, Patch 1.2 Notes

by Danny Internets

February 15th, 2009 - 11:53 pm

On Friday at New York’s Comic Con, MTV Multiplayer reporter Tracey John was able to pull aside Warhammer Online creative director, Paul Barnett, and executive producer, Jeff Hickman, for a couple of brief interviews about the upcoming live expansion entitled Call to Arms. The new expansion features two new playable classes (Dwarf Slayer and Orc Choppa) which will be added in the first stage of the release, patch 1.2. As the event unfurls, a new zone and instanced dungeon will be added featuring the Tomb Kings from Warhammer lore.

(You’ll have to sit through a short advertisement before getting to the content)

In-game footage of the new Dwarf Slayer class, a front-line melee career for the forces of Order. In Warhammer lore, the dishonor of breaking an oath drives dwarves to become raging melee whirlwinds constantly searching more powerful and deadly foes that might be able to grant them an honorable death by combat. In terms of game mechanics, the Slayer builds rage similar to the Warrior of World of Warcraft, however with increased offensive potential and unlocked abilities at high rage levels from a scaled decrease in defensive stats and abilities, leaving these berserking midgets very vulnerable to focus fire, but extremely deadly if left unchecked.

In-game footage of the new Orc Choppa class, an offensive melee character on the side of Destruction. Originally part of the game in its beta stages, the Orc Choppa was ultimately cut before WAR’s release due to its uninspired game mechanics and lacking battlefield role. With more time to finely tune the class, the Choppa is now deemed ready to be unleashed on the Warhammer landscape, and hopefully leave a trail of mayhem in its wake. Like the Slayer, the Choppa builds rage which fuels his offensive power while simultaneously increasing his vulnerability to incoming damage. In other words, focus them hard and fast once they get some momentum going.

And to demonstrate that the buzz around the upcoming Call to Arms expansion isn’t all talk, the WAR staff have posted the immense set of notes for patch 1.2. Totaling over 55 pages (!), patch 1.2 includes over 500 bug fixes, 10 pages of career balancing, changes in loot itemization, performance optimizations, server-side stability improvements, and a multitude of other changes too numerous to mention. Without the doubt, the true highlight of the patch is the introduction of the Slayer and Choppa classes to the sides of Order and Destruction, respectively.

In a post on the test realm, Jeff Hickman, WAR executive producer, highlights the major points of patch 1.2:

* New Careers! Unleash the savage fury of the relentless Orc Choppa, or take up the doom-laden oath of the unstoppable Dwarf Slayer. These two new melee-focused careers relish the thrill of fighting on the front lines and laying waste to all foes that come within reach of their mighty blades.

* Bitter Rivals join the battle! Introducing the newest live event for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “Bitter Rivals” focuses on the ancient hatred that burns between the Dwarf and greenskin races. Millennia of conflict in the Worlds Edge Mountains have honed the enmity that exists between the Orcs and Goblins and the stout Dwarfs to a razor-sharp edge, and when these nemeses meet in battle, it is war without mercy.

* Fight for control of the warped Twisting Tower! The battle rages in this new Tier 4 Scenario found deep in the heart of the maddening Chaos Wastes. Here, the warping power of Chaos is at its peak, transforming the very fabric of reality in defiance of all reason. Warriors of Order and Destruction must grapple for control of this ancient citadel, for if the secrets of the Twisting Tower should fall into enemy hands, the tide of battle will surely turn. Like the Reikland Factory, the Twisting Tower will be available for all players for a limited time as a preview to accompany the Bitter Rivals event. Be sure to stake your claim to the Twisting Tower while you can!

* Answer the Call to Arms with new Realm vs. Realm gameplay enhancements! Introducing the new Open RvR Rallying Cry system that summons you to key battles for Tiers 1 and 2. The new Zone Control Domination System for Tiers 2 through 4 rewards a realm that truly conquers the battlefield. Also, many improvements to siege weapons ensure that the mighty engines of war are now more lethally effective than ever. See below for additional details.

* New treasures await! Across-the-board itemization improvements have been made to the Fortresses, world dungeons, and city dungeons of WAR, including better world drops, quest rewards, Influence rewards, and more!

* Crafting System Improvements! We’ve made many improvements to the game’s crafting system, including pairing-off specific gathering skills with specific production skills in order to make crafters more self-sufficient. Also, the leveling curve of trade skills has been improved and fewer components are required to create items. Last, but certainly not least, is the addition of new craftable items!

* Easy Public Quests make their debut in Tiers 2, 3, and 4. Scaled for courageous bands of 1 to 3 adventurers, these Public Quests offer a rewarding PvE experience without a large commitment of forces. You’ll find one Easy Public Quest in each Chapter, so gather a few friends, or venture out alone… if you dare!

* Multiple mail attachments! Now you can send several attached items with a single mail message.

* Two new secret lairs await! Finding the new hidden lairs is only half the battle. Figuring out how to open the door - and surviving the dangers inside - is another matter, entirely!

You can find the full (albeit tentative) listing of patch notes here.

This Week in WAR: Slayer/Choppa Footage, Patch 1.2 Notes

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