Read on through below the cut for the full formatted notes, but take a gander at these highlights first:
- There have been a number of general changes aimed at removing confusion and clearing up technical problems. Pet pathing and perfomance seem to still be on the dev team's polish list.
- Careers received only a modicum of tweaking; lots of abilities had their tooltips reworded to properly display damage information.
- There's a new help interface for things like CSR assistance, bug reporting, and feedback.
- The biggest changes have been to Tradeskills. Cultivation and Apothecary have recieved a number of tweaks, while Butchering, Magical Salvaging, and Talisman-making have been added into the game.
- Our favorite patch note: We have finalized our character introduction cinemas and narrations. Please note that during Open Beta only, for characters that already exist, you may see the introduction play at a random location upon first log in of each character.
 |
Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR! |
Beta 4.1.1 Producer's Letter - Open Beta
Hello Everyone,
It's great to see all of you enjoying Open Beta! The past few days have been exciting and eventful and we couldn't be happier with the feedback we've been receiving. Even so, it's clear there are still some pesky bugs that need to be exterminated and we will continue working around the clock in order to do so!
Before launch we wanted to get out a final update that cleared up many of the topics we've heard from you about, and put the icing on the cake for many of our features. This update is full of fixes and tweaks that, combined, will make your experience playing WAR even better!
We look forward to your feedback with launch just a few short days away. These are exciting times and we're proud to have you with us. See you on the battlefield...WAAAGH!!!
- The Warhammer Online Age of Reckoning Team
General Changes and Updates
You asked for it!
The Community is a vital part of making WAR a successful game. With your feedback we're able to better chart our course as we move into the months and years ahead. It's important that the changes we make are a reflection of the players that will experience them, and so we are dedicated to listening to all of you along the way.
Below you will find a sample of what we've improved directly based on what we hear in game and on the forums. It is our goal to create a fun, engaging, and entertaining experience every time you log into the game. By continuing to play and provide us with feedback you are helping us to make that happen.
Keep up the great work and thank you for helping us make WAR an even better game...WAAAGH!!!
Loot Sparkles
We've continued to improve loot sparkles and have corrected one last small bug that caused corpses to sparkle even when you weren't able to loot them.
Pet User Interface and Behavior
In the near future we'll be working to make sure the Pet UI stays up for as long as your pet does so that it doesn't on occasion disappear when you log out or zone. For now you can re-open the Pet UI window simply by summoning another pet. One change that hs been made to pets already is that they have grown ever braver and will now listen to their masters' directions. Their responsiveness and pathing has been dramatically improved, and we've made improvements to Magus pets and Engineer turrets.
Continued Improvements to Performance and Crash to Desktop Errors
Your ability to play the game smoothly and reliably is always our most important goal. We continue to work to apply fixes that will make your experience even more enjoyable. To help us out and make the experience better for you, be sure you have up-to-date drivers - including audio! Out of date video and audio drivers are among the highest contributors to game crashes.
'Ability Not Ready Yet'
We've recently improved ability responsiveness which will reduce the chance of you receiving the 'Ability Not Ready Yet' message erroneously. This should help combat feel more natural!
Open RvR Ruleset Change
You've given us your feedback and we've listened! Open RvR servers will now allow you to play one tier below your current level without turning into a chicken. This will allow you more time to experience the PvE content of the first 3 tiers, and it also adds more danger to the mix.
Improved Graphics Options
We've got some great plans for improved graphics options as we continue through launch. Our number one priority is player performance. It's important in an RvR game for performance to be smooth and allow the game to be accessible to as many people as possible. In order to achieve our goals, we had to ensure a certain level of compatibility between devices. With all of the combinations and options available, we wanted to keep things simple and accessible to everyone.
With that in mind, we have a fix that may improve the ability of higher end machines to load textures, and we will continue to smooth out the process of the way textures load on your screen. In addition to this, we are exploring other options to add which will further enhance the graphics for mid to high range computers. If you find that your textures seem blurry or 'popping' visit this site for help.
Improvements to RvR Itemization
We feel that it's important for players to be able to play RvR and PvE without missing out on appropriate loot for their level and career. See below for some of the changes that we're looking into.
From Battlefield Objectives
Battlefield Sergeants will be itemized with the same loot table we use for other 'Rare' spawn champions in PvE. This is to reflect the fact that BO's do not turn over super frequently and have a 15 minute lockout after they are taken. While they won't drop awesome loot every time they will drop much better loot more frequently!
From Keep Siege
We have increased the number of 'loot bags' that drop from a successful keep capture from 4 to 12. We have increased the number of GOLD loot bags that could drop from a successful keep capture to 2 bags. Players should see more high end loot entering through keeps as a result.
From Fortress Siege
We have increased the number of 'loot bags' that drop from a successful keep capture from 8 to 18. We have increased the number of GOLD loot bags that could drop from a successful keep capture to 4 bags. Players should see more high end loot entering through keeps as a result.
RvR - Now With Better Loot
We heard the call and upped your loot! Now, coin gained from RvR kills has been modified so that it scales to be more on par with loot gained in PvE. Also, we improved the item parity between those gained in PvE and those gained purely from RvR. Now you can kill your enemies and reap the rewards!
Thought I Knew Dat...
Abilities will no longer disappear from a player's quickbar when exiting a scenario. Now your quickbars will stay just as you arranged them while zoning.
NPCs Will Behave
Imagine going to work in the morning and knowing it's your job to be pummeled into a bloody pulp by the masses. We wouldn't want to do it either! But we've whipped our NPCs into shape. Now they'll come when provoked, attack back right away instead of flinching and hesitating like wussies, and properly engage the enemy rather than staying stuck at range. Also, they'll no longer fall into an 'Unattackable' state or disappear in mid-combat.
Wait, My Boots are Really Gloves?
Wearing boots on his hands makes it a little difficult for a Bright Wizard to perform his casting incantations, or a Black Orc to swing that axe. All items which displayed incorrect item icons have been fixed.
Mister Who?
We resolved an issue in which Tome titles went missing, so they're there now!
For the Absentminded Newbies
Rally Masters in the High Elf Tiers 1-2 areas will now give you a replacement Book of Binding if you lose, destroy, bloody, or hack your original one into tiny bits.
More Merchants - Less Confusion
Previously, in some locations normal merchants were also selling Renown gear. This proved to be a source of confusion, and so now this gear will be sold by the proper merchants in the first couple of chapters.
Pick That up, ye Git!
Previously when a Guild Standard was dropped on the field, it would fall too far in front of the Standard Bearer which sometimes resulted in it getting lost in the brush or rocky crevices. Now, when Standards are dropped, they will fall to the Bearer's feet making them easier to recover.
Combat and Careers
Melee DPS Archetype
- Jagged Edge: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Broad Swings: The buff window tooltip for this ability has now been fixed.
- Shield Wall: This ability now requires a Shield.
- Shield Wall: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Raze: This ability's effect now plays for every damage pulse.
- Guard: This ability will now display a visual effect when splitting damage. Also, its hate redirection has been changed to 35%.
- Challenge: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Sigmar's Favor: Racial tactic will no longer benefit from Willpower or be able to land a critical.
- Golden Aura: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Save Da Runts: This ability now has visual effects when hitting a guarded target.
- T'ree Hit Combo: This ability now hits 5 times instead of 3, and its damage per hit has been reduced.
- Da Big Un: The damage of this ability has been reduced, but it now has a much longer range.
- Slow Boil: This ability no longer incorrectly plays its debuff visuals on the player.
- Magic Dart: This ability no longer hits before the projectile arrives.
- Annihilate: This ability no longer places an icon in the buff window.
- Funnel Power: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Fireball Barrage: This ability no longer places an icon in the buff window.
- Flame Breath: This ability no longer places an icon in the buff window.
- Suppression: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Thousand and one Dark Blessings: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Chant of Pain: This ability will now properly do damage and heal on each tick.
- Napalm Grenade: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Phosphorous Shells: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Oath Friend: This ability no longer requires the Ironbreaker to be grouped with his ally.
- Oath Friend: The Ironbreaker and the target of the Oath Friend can now remove this ability by right clicking the icon on the buff window.
- Heavy Blow: This DoT will no longer stack with itself.
- Oath of Vengeance: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Earthshaker: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Avalanche: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Skin of Iron: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information.
- Rend Winds: This ability now hits 3 times as intended.
- Daemonic Maw: This ability is now a magical attack instead of melee.
- Scything Talons: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Hulking Brute: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Grungni's Gift: This ability now has an instant cast animation.
- Rune of Shielding: This ability now has an instant cast animation.
- Oath Rune of Sanctuary: This ability now works correctly.
- Spellbinding Rune: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information
- Rune of Immolation: This ability's effect can no longer be removed by right-clicking.
- You Got Nothin!: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Eeeek!: The knockback portion of the ability will not fire if the shaman is stunned or rooted.
- Sharpened Arrers: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Horned Squig: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Gas Squig: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Sharp Toofs: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values, and the ability now functions correctly.
- Wings of Heaven: This ability is now more reliable when it leaps to the target.
- Vow of Silence: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Soulfire: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Weight of Guilt: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Sigmar's Fist: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Castigation: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Declare Anathema: The knockback portion of this ability will not fire if the Witch Hunter is stunned or rooted.
- Confess!: The debuff icons for this ability now display correct timers.
- Burn Armor: The debuff icon for this ability now displays information.
- Fanatical Zeal: The debuff icon for this ability now displays information.
- Sudden Accusation: The debuff icon for this ability now displays information.
- Feinted Positioning: The buff window tooltip for this ability now displays the correct information
- Pounce: The White Lion cannot activate this ability if stunned or rooted.
- Agile Escape: The knockback portion of this ability will not fire if the Witch Elf is stunned or rooted.
- Kiss of Betrayal: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Pierce Armor: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Kiss Of Death: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct duration.
- Masterful Treachery: The tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
- Flash of Chaos: This ability now has an instant cast animation.
- Mark of Remaking: This ability now works correctly
- Chaotic Blur: Zealot now fades out correctly when using this ability, and the tooltip for this ability now displays the correct values.
New Help Interface
- Players may now access the new Help Interface by selecting the Help icon (Question Mark) on the Menu Bar or by pressing H. The following five options are now available to choose from:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - The FAQ includes a number of questions and answers available to players with just a click of the mouse.
- Game Manual - Players may select from various categories to learn more about Warhammer Online. The manual covers everything from game basics and RvR to Warhammer lore.
- CSR Appeals - The Help Interface now contains a very in-depth yet simplified means for players to appeal for assistance from a Customer Service Representative (CSR). Players will be able to easily locate and categorize their appeal based on the issue they wish to report. Players may only have one open appeal at a time; however, players may report an inappropriate player name or game play violation while they have an active request for assistance.
- Players who need CSR assistance should choose the category which their question/concern falls under and add detailed information in the text boxes provided. When a player has an appeal waiting for a CS response, the question mark in the menu bar will display as dimmed. When a current appeal needs further information from the player, the question mark in the menu bar will pulse to indicate their attention is required. Players may always add more information to their current appeal at any time by using the 'Add To Appeal' button. Note: This button will only be displayed when players have an active appeal.
- Report a Bug - To report a bug, players may select the type of bug they are reporting and then enter their bug in the space provided. Please note that bug reports will not receive a response.
- Send Feedback - A drop-down menu is provided for players to categorize the type of feedback they are submitting before entering their feedback in the space provided. Please note that feedback submissions will not receive a response.
- There is now an auctioneer at the Black Market in the Maw who will show up when the Inevitable City is under attack.
- Auctioneers in the Inevitable City once again function properly. Enjoy the wares!
- Armor Set Bonuses: The proc rates of armor sets have been set to their intended values.
- Scorching Blast Potions: These potions will now be thrown at a targeted enemy instead of at a ground target, and will now play a visual effect.
- Sticky Bomb Potions: These potions will now be thrown at a targeted enemy instead of at a ground target, and will now play a visual effect. In addition, the Debuff duration displayed on the icon is now more consistent.
- Emberbreath Potions: These potions will now play visual effect when activated.
- Potions with item levels above 40 will now be fully effective.
- Buff potions will now print to your combat log when used.
- Cheers and Jeers: New cheers and jeers ambiance has been added to Warhammer. Whenever a Battlefield Objective or Keep is taken over by your realm, NPCs will react in a positive manner, shouting for glory along with animations of victory. Along with this, a broadcast message and 'Role Play' chat will be sent out to the entire RvR lake extolling the virtues of the victors.
- Achievements - The following achievements have been enabled:
- Unlocks have been enabled for a few city events.
- Secret achievements involving plungers have been enabled in tier 4 content for each pairing.
- Achievements for salvaging have been enabled.
- Bestiary - The following changes have been made to content relevant to the Bestiary section of the Tome of Knowledge:
- The Bestiary entry for Rogue has been renamed to Bandit.
- The Watcher entry has been moved from the Unmarked Daemons section to the proper section: Daemons of Tzeentch.
- A few bestiary tasks had bugs fixed and polish applied.
- Wights will now properly give kill credit for Wights. This fixes an issue where Wights were giving kill credit towards an incorrect monster type.
- A number of behind-the-scenes changes to treasure indexes have been made to ensure that the drops needed for a number of bestiary tasks have the proper rarity. As well, they have been modified to have a chance to drop as long as someone in the group has need for the item; i.e. have not complete the associated unlock.
- All items that are received and required for Bestiary tasks have been modified to ensure they are bind-on-pickup and indicate they are not trash items.
- Rewards - The following changes have been made to the rewards given by the Tome of Knowledge: All pocket items have been audited to ensure that they indicate they are not trash items.
- The Tome Trainers in the Capital City library have had their titles changed to 'Librarian' from 'Trainer' to indicate their purpose in serving the Tome of Knowledge. The visual icon over their head remains as a training icon.
- Maps - The following map changes have taken place: The Dark Elf Chapter 20 map has been added into the Tome.
- Map points have been added for High Elf and Dark Elf Warcamps in Caledor.
- Old World Armory - The unlock text for a small number of armor set pieces have been updated to fix a bug in which the wrong piece unlock text was being given.
- Tutorial Introduction Quest - The tutorial introductory quest text has been tweaked for content as well as grammatical and spelling issues.
Apothecary
- Players can now create dyes. To create a dye, a player will need a Pigment, Fixer, and a special container. Crafting merchants sell Fixers and Dye containers. Pigments are usually obtained as a byproduct after a very successful Cultivation attempt.
- Players can now create Gold Essence. To make a Gold Essence, a player will need a Goldweed, Quicksilver, Gold Dust, and a special container. Goldweed is grown by Cultivators. Gold Dust can be found by Scavenging or on some humanoid monsters. Quicksilver and Gold-Essence containers can be bought from crafting stores.
- Potions effects have been revised. Healing potions are now more potent.
- Potion makers can now have two types of super success. The first type of success results in the next level up of that potion, which usually has a higher level requirement. The second type of success results in a more potent potion that has the same level requirement (these are very good).
- The UI tooltips regarding the 'yellow zone' on the Unstabilityometer have been revised. Note that if the stability of a mixture is in the yellow zone, depending on the overall stability, the recipe will fail or be volatile.
- Volatile potions can go wrong when they are used. The side effects can either knockdown a player, make them mute for a short time, or make them drop their weapons.
- The stability of Cloudy Water has been increased.
- Soil, Nutrients, and Watering Cans all now reduce the time it takes to grow a plant. These 'additives' also increase the chance of hybrids and other weird items being grown, as well as the chance that a seed will be returned as a product.
- Players can now obtain dye Pigments when they cultivate. For example, Musty Elvish Parsley (used to make restoration potions) can be grown into a hybrid called Trenchant Elvish Parsley, which can be used to make healing potions. Sometimes when Trenchant Elvish Parlsey is grown, you will also get Honeycomb Extract as a bonus product (it rubbed off an insect). Honeycomb extract can be used by Apothecarists to create Yellow dye.
- Stabilizing Apothecary ingredients can now appear as Cultivation bonus products.
- Growth times have been reduced.
- Players with these skills can butcher/scavenge any corpse.
- When a player butchers/scavenges a corpse, the loot that is obtained is dependent on the player's skill level. The higher the player skill, the better the loot. However, monsters will not give loot that is above their level.
- When a player butchers/scavenges a corpse, the chance of a skill-up is dependent on the player's level versus the monster's level.
- The skill-up chance becomes less the closer the player's skill is to 200.
- Players with this skill can break down items that are of uncommon rarity or higher into fragments and essences. Fragments are the main ingredient in Talisman Making.
- When a player salvages an item, the rarity of the obtained fragment is one rarity lower than the salvaged item. There is a small chance that the player will get a fragment of the same rarity as the salvaged item.
- When a player salvages an item, he or she gets to choose which stat bonus to extract from the item. The resultant fragment is of that type.
- When a player salvages an item, that item is destroyed.
- Players can refine essences by right clicking on stacks of those items in their backpacks. Ten Echoes will refine into one Whisper. Five Whispers will refine into one Magic Essence. Magic Essences are used in Talisman Making.
- Tier 1 and 2 monsters can now also drop very-badly damaged equipment (Shattered, Ruined, and Sundered Equipment). These uncommon items can't be repaired, but can be salvaged. Players will be able to skill-up Salvaging using these items.
- There are Salvaging trainers in each chapter 2 and in each city.
- Players can create Talismans by combining a fragment, a Gold Essence, a Curio, and a Magic Essence in a Talisman-Making container. Fragments and Magic Essences are obtained by Magical Salvaging. Curios can be also found on some humanoid monsters and from scavenging.
- Gold Essence is created using the Apothecary skill. To make a Gold Essence, you need a Goldweed, Quicksilver, Gold Dust, and a special container. Goldweed is grown by Cultivators. Gold Dust can be found by Scavenging or on some humanoid monsters. Quicksilver and Gold-Essence containers can be bought from crafting stores.
- Talisman-Making ingredients have 'power'. The higher the skill-level requirement and rarity, the higher the power. The final properties of a crafted Talisman depend on the total power of all ingredients used to make it.
- The rarity of the Fragment used determines the rarity of the crafted Talisman. There is a small chance that whenever a Talisman is crafted it will be one rarity higher than expected.
- There are Talisman-Making trainers (Hedge Wizards) in each chapter 2 area and in each city.
- Some equipment has Empty Talisman Slots. If a player Shift+Right-Clicks on an item with a talisman slot, that player can then drag a talisman onto the slot and fuse it to the equipment. The equipment will then get the bonus from the talisman.
- Common, uncommon and rare talismans have timers on them. The timers begin to countdown when the talisman is fused to an item. Very-rare talismans do not have timers.
- Merchants sell very basic Gold Essences, Curios, Magic Essences, and containers.
- Known Issue: Armor and resistance talismans will not work if they are attached to a weapon.
- Member and Officer notes sections have been added to the guild UI.
- We have reformatted and improved layouts for Public Quest, Battlefield Objective, City and Scenario trackers.
- We have finalized our character introduction cinemas and narrations. Please note that during Open Beta only, for characters that already exist, you may see the introduction play at a random location upon first log in of each character.
- Entry to the Leader's Hall requirements now match in game descriptions.
- Cloak Heraldry is now visible to other players.
- Respawning in a scenario now triggers the zone load screen instead of the scoreboard load screen.
