Warhammer online - Land Of The Dead Trailer

We're on the cusp of public testing for Warhammer Online's first expansion, Land of the Dead, and while WoW's Wrath of the Lich King has its Arthas, Land of the Dead has a similarly megalomaniacal arch-fiend, King Amenhen... something. We'll just call him the Vulture King, leader of the newest army to grace Warhammer Online (the Tomb Kings). Rest assured that he's just as ferocious as the pronunciation of his name, and this video proves it.

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High Elf Archmage class review

Overview:
The High Elves are known far and wide as the most powerful mages in the world, and the Archmages are the best even among their own kin. Capable of weaving all of the Winds of Magic together in complex and subtle ways, the Archmages can easily turn the tide of battle in their favor.

As the only true experts in the use of High Magic, the Archmages have learned to achieve the ultimate balance between healing their allies, and smiting their enemies. While most commonly classified as a Healer, it would be a grave mistake to keep him from using his magical attacks in a fight. Every cast of a healing ability builds up Tranquility, thereby improving the destructive attacks. Each destructive attack adds to the Force pool, which in turn lessens the cost of the heals.

Strengths:

• Many single and group heals


• Resurrection ability


• Damage wards and buffs

Weaknesses:

• Paper Armor


• Action Points run low often


• Pulls aggro quickly

PvE Overview
For a healer class, the Archmage is really quite an effective soloer. The heals will keep him alive long enough for his magical damage over time strikes to whittle the enemy down. The long range of the damage spells mean that most often, the enemy is near death before reaching melee distance. Remember to use a comparable amount of beneficial spells to attack abilities; achieving a balance between Tranquility and Force makes for a stronger Archmage.

RvR Overview
An Archmage is a strong addition to any group. The heals and group buffs will keep everyone alive, allowing the tank and DPS classes to do their best. The Archmage's heals have a very long range, allowing him to stay at a safe distance during the more difficult battles. Building up Force is necessary to maintain his Action Points pool, so he will need to joust forward to land his own damaging attacks during the fights.

Archmage Mastery Paths
Path of Isha: The Path of Isha is focused on restoring health and life to the Archmage's allies. A skilled Master of this path will be adept at weaving offensive magic in with his healing magic, greatly extending the efficiency of his beneficial spells..

Path of Asuryan: The Path of Asuryan is primarily aimed at bringing forth the destructive side of the Winds of Magic. An Archmage who specializes in this path will become adept at raining down doom upon his foes, while simultaneously manipulating the flows of arcane power to fuel his healing magic as well.


Path of Vaul: The Path of Vaul is a subtle Mastery that focuses on both crippling the Archmage's enemies, and strengthening his allies. The specialist in this Mastery relies on cunning effects to lead his foes to an inevitable doom which they won't even realize is approaching until it's too late.

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Marauder Class Review

Overview:
Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of the weak-bodied souls of the Order more than the grotesque vision of the Chaos Marauder charging towards them. Thought to be blessed by their Gods, these ferocious creatures fight in the name of faith and do so mercilessly. Their strength lends them the ability to cleave through enemies thoughtlessly and their corrupted mutations give power that go beyond mortal capability.

This melee DPS class is not only a blast to play, but also extremely capable in RvR and PvE combat. You'll find the mutations add, not only a distinct splash of flavor, but also an aspect of gameplay that can become a valuable asset when mastered. If you are looking for a hands on damage focused Destruction class, the Marauder is a perfect option.

Strengths:

• Hands on DPS makes for great close contact battle


• Mutations allow for amazing damage and variety of playstyle


• Fast and harsh damage plows through enemies at a high pace

Weaknesses:

• Medium armor means weaker defenses


• High damage makes this class a primary target on the battlefield


• Mutations take some knowledge of class to be properly effective

PvE Overview
The Marauder plays well in the PvP environment whether you go at it solo or hang with a group. Regardless of how you play, the very first order of business is getting to know your mutations. These "buffs" are key in your success as a player and having the right mutation for the right circumstance can be invaluable.

This class has the great benefit of being a powerful melee DPS class and still being able to take a hit, just don't be the target for long because it won't last!

RvR Overview
Prepare for a fight because this class will always be right in the fray of battle! Being a solid DPS class, the Marauder has the unfortunate trouble of being a focus of Order attacks. They want you gone and they want you gone now. The benefit of this class though is the various mutation allow for somewhat of a change up in technique that will keep the opposition on their toes.

Use your tank as your distraction then go in with the mind of playing aggressively and unpredictably. Your best line of defense will always be to kill them before they even know you were coming.

Marauder Mastery Paths
Path of Brutality: The Path of Brutality is focused around the Marauder's ability to warp his arm into a sharpened spike of bone. This blade-like appendage can deal horrifying injuries to an enemy, and a player specialized deeply in Brutality will likely be dealing the most damage possible against a single enemy, especially if the foe is distracted by others.

Path of Savagery: The Path of Savagery leads to a Marauder changing their arm into a monstrous claw, capable of tearing at enemies to cripple and hinder them while they quickly bleed to death. While perhaps not dealing as much immediately obvious damage as his other mutations, a master of Savagery kills his enemies in a more insidious way, weakening the target steadily so that they never realize just how much danger they're in until it's already too late.

Path of Monstrosity: The Path of Monstrosity focuses on the Marauder mutating their arm into a hideous club-like bludgeon of flesh and gore. The master of Monstrosity can use the massive bulk of their warped arm to defend themselves somewhat, and can sweep their limb around in broad, arcing swings, capable of damaging several enemies with each single smash.

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Black Orc Healing bug

Da Toughest

A grand war cry to proclaim yourself da toughest! All your attacks gain a 25% chance to increase your wounds by 57 for 10 seconds. You will be healed by the amount increased.

You may only have 1 War Bellow active at a time.

----

Right now, you can click off the Da' Toughest proc buff.
When it procs, it gives you a 10 sec wounds buff and heals you for the same amount.
Clicking off the buff will remove the wounds buff, the healing obviously stays as it is not a maintained buff effect. This allows it to proc more often than 10 seconds. Likely not intended. It takes a lot of micromanagement to PvP well while clicking off buffs so much, especially as a tank class, but it makes for some nice extra healing if you do it correctly.


Done some nice pvp yesterday exploiting this

p.s

also was first at healing in few scenarios :P


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Witch Elf class Review

Overview:
The Witch Elf dances with death, wielding her two daggers with an ease borne of ultimate confidence and her faith in Khaine. Don't get to close, as those blades bite with more than just their sharpened edge. This lady carries with her deadly poisons that she applies in battle, weakening the enemy's defenses and boiling his blood. Before he knows she is there, she emerges from the shadows and inflicts multiple debilitating wounds.

The longer she fights, the better she becomes as she builds up a pool of Blood Lust. The more Blood Lust she holds, the more damage her attacks deal out as she focuses her strength in one giant blow. Always on the move, looking for any weakness in the enemy's defenses, the Witch Elf never stands still.



Strengths:

• Quick and penetrating damage


• Attacks have potential to ignore armor


• Stealthed movement and sneak attacks

Weaknesses:

• Action Points pool runs out quickly


• Light armor means battles must end quickly


• Heavily dependent on potions

PvE Overview
A Witch Elf is an expert in quick and dirty fighting. Her poisons are her strength, and often several different Damage Over Time abilities can stack to more effectively eat away at the enemy's health. One on One battles should be chosen carefully. A Witch Elf will need to be able to kill the target quickly, or risk taking more damage than her Light (almost nothing!) Armor can protect her from. She will always be using her Action Points pool, and as such will want to carry yellow potions to replenish them quickly, along with health restorers for the longer fights.

RvR Overview
The Witch Elf shines in a group attack. With another to hold the attention of their foes, she is free to move behind the forces of Order, utilizing her strongest abilities from behind. Her expertise with poisons and debuffs creates vulnerabilities that her warband can take advantage of. She benefits her comrades further with her ability to severe a magic user's connection to their magic, and with a skill to regenerate the group's Action Points. With no specific taunts and Light Armor besides, the Witch Elf's place is to aid the tank.

Witch Elf Mastery Paths
Path of Carnage: The Path of Carnage is mainly concerned with quickly and directly slaughtering anything that presents itself to the Witch Elf. Eschewing subtlety, a specialist in this path prefers to confront her enemies face-to-face...or at least, face-to-what's-left-of-their-face.

Path of Suffering: The Path of Suffering focuses more on effects that linger for some time, and a master in this path takes pleasure in leading her victims into a false sense of security. While her attacks may not seem dangerous at first, it's only moments later that the Witch Elf's enemy suddenly realizes that their death is imminent and there's nothing they can do to stop it.

Path of Treachery: The Path of Treachery appeals to those Witch Elves who prefer to stalk their prey, attacking when the target is unsuspecting. A master of this path performs best in the thick of large, chaotic combats, where her victims are kept busy and unsuspecting, and she prefers to strike the enemy at their unprotected flanks.

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Dwarf Ironbreaker Review

Overview:
The Ironbreaker willingly and gladly positions himself in the front lines during battle and holds Grudges against those who harm his allies. In this way, he manages to simultaneously epitomize the role of the tank without being a boring warrior that can only try to control aggro and wait for his friends to do the rest of the work. Despite a disposition that is gruff, quarrelsome and taciturn, the Ironbreaker is your best friend on the field of battle. He is easy to spot in his gleaming and ornately adorned gromril armor. The Ironbreaker often carries a massive shield as well.



Strengths:

• The ability to take great damage and get stronger because of it.


• Oathfriend can make any group last longer when things go bad.


• An integral part in a winning RvR team.

Weaknesses:

• So powerful in RvR that they can be targeted over healers.


• Low DPS depending on build.


• Grudges take time, which makes the Ironbreaker a slow starter.

PvE Overview
Ironbreakers are an asset to any group because of their stalwart defenses and the effect their Grudges have on a battle. Most groups will lean on the Ironbreaker as the main tank over a Swordmaster--if for no other reason--because of the Ironbreakers Oathfriend ability. When the Ironbreaker uses this buff on a healer or melee DPS who frequently draws aggro, the entire group's chances of survival increase.

Ironbreakers who specialize in the path of Vengeance will be able to contribute a fair amount of damage to a single foe, but the Ironbreaker truly shines when he concentrates on pure tanking (Path of Stone) or bolstering his allies (Path of Brotherhood).

RvR Overview
The roles of the Ironbreaker in RvR play is to break enemy lines and to keep distance between the forces of Destruction and her allies. She is hearty enough to survive the assault of several foes at once long enough to disrupt enemy formations, and a Ironbreaker with a reliable healer can outlast many foes.

Ironbreakers who are not focused on damage through the Path of Vengeance may not get many kills, but they'll be able to make the forces of Order last longer as their taunts in RvR battles cause enemy attacks to become less effectively against everyone except for the Ironbreaker. Combine that knowledge with an understanding of Oathfriend and the Path of Stone, and they day could very well belong to Order.

Ironbreaker Mastery Paths
Path of Vengeance: Some Ironbreakers hold their Grudges close to their heart, slowly nurturing them until they are filled with the fury of Grimnir himself. With a single-minded focus, a specialist in this path becomes more and more dangerous with every Grudge he holds, pushing himself to fight more brutally as he strives to avenge the insults that have been dealt.

Path of Stone: As stubborn and unyielding as the mountains themselves, Ironbreakers who master this path are specialists in defense and will expend every last ounce of energy protecting their sworn oath friends. Since an Ironbreaker builds up Grudges quickly when under direct attack, this mastery takes advantage of that by consuming his Grudges to fuel potent defensive abilities.

Path of Brotherhood: A specialist in this path understands the balance between camaraderie and retribution, and is a natural leader on the battleground. Alternately holding and discharging his Grudges, the master of Brotherhood serves as a shining example of the greatest of Dwarf traits, inspiring his allies to push onwards to greater heights. Equally adept at breaking the enemy line or standing his ground and holding back waves of foes, the master of this path has the ability to bolster his Oath Friend as well as himself.


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Swordmaster Class Review

Overview:
With the edge of his glistening blade, death is made beautiful. Nothing could be more true for the Swordmaster and all will know the terrible truth when they see this warrior enter into the blade dance. This class spends their time perfecting the fatal cut of the blade and learning to manipulate their movement to avoid the blows of those who would harm them and their comrades, making them a successful protector of their people and a desired member of any group.
The Swordmaster is a tank class that does more than just destroy the enemy. The elves have touched the base deed of killing by adding a graceful and efficient movement and mindset making the Swordmaster a warrior to be feared and commended. Let the Swordmaster lead the way of your battle and glory will be all that he strives for.



Strengths:

• Heavy armor adds to survivability


• Ranged attacks add excellent mob pull utility


• Blade dance lends ease of play

Weaknesses:

• Weak when consistently interrupted


• Reliant on blade dance coordination


• Low damage output

PvE Overview
The Swordmaster is a tank that has just enough flavor to make them different than many other tanks out there. The typical aspects of this class are the high damage resistance and low damage output. Some of the low damage can be balanced by actively participating in the "blade dance". These coordinated abilities help boost the Swordmaster's output a bit, but make no mistake, this class is meant to be the front lines fellow that takes the beating. As such, you'll find that he works better in groups with extra DPS, but still manages to hold his own when he goes solo.

RvR Overview
This is the guy you want standing in front of you when the Destruction come pouring it. The Swordmaster does quite well in RvR, particularly when coupled with a DPS class or a healer. They can be nearly unstoppable if they are skilled in debuff and the blade dance play style, but they do have their weaknesses. They become vulnerable of losing their place in the blade dance when interrupted or resisted. This can be frustrating if you need the DPS, but patience wins with this class and the key will always be staying power!



Swordmaster Mastery Paths
Path of Khaine: The Path of Khaine focuses on the Swordmaster's signature Elf Greatsword, a massive but exquisite weapon which he can swing with deceptive speed. While no High Elf would ever worship the God of Warfare, a Master of this path acknowledges Khaine as a potent and necessary figure, and the Swordmaster brings swift death to any who stand in his way.

Path of Vaul: The Path of Vaul is primarily focused on defense, and a Master of this path may very well be temped to lay aside his Greatsword in favor of an elegant Elf-crafted shield instead. The Swordmaster who specializes in this path will be the core that the lines of battle form around.

Path of Hoeth: The Path of Hoeth is for Swordmasters who have spent much longer amounts of time in the White Tower, honing their innate magical skills and learning how to smoothly work magical power into their attacks. A Master of this path will learn subtle ways to both expose weaknesses in their foes, and to shield themselves in battle.

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White Lion Class Review

Sorry for the picture, but I coulden't ressit ;-)

Overview:
In a world fraught with war and torn by savage battles there is often no one that a lone fighter can depend upon, heart and soul, for protection and companionship. This does not stand true for the brave hunter class, the White Lion. The High Elves have mastered the beautiful synchronicity between elf and beast, coupling pure cunning with raw power and channeling it towards the protection of their people and the destruction of their enemies.



This moderately armored class chooses just how to use their lion companion in battle. Through the various masteries the beast can either fulfill a true combat duo or he may work with his trusted hunter in more of a support role. Regardless, the lion is an essential part of this mighty warrior's ability to withstand the evil of the Destruction.

Strengths:

• Pet class allows for diverse play style


• Ranged attacks


• Higher damage positional attacks

Weaknesses:

• Pet dependant


• Low defense


• Split DPS between hunter and lion

PvE Overview
As melee DPS class, the White Lion shines in both group and solo game play.
In a group positional attacks and the use of the pet add to the overall damage output greatly. As with most pet classes, the lion allows for solo play that can go above and beyond what non-pet classes can do. The hunter gains either a tank or a DPS companion with your war lion without ever having to wait for playmates.

RvR Overview
In RvR the hunter's war lion makes an excellent source of distraction in combat. Using him to bait your opponent while you either attack via ranged or work out your own positioning works well. When enemies hone in on the hunter instead, keep the lion in the fray and he can potentially go unnoticed.
The White Lion class can be a valuable asset in team play, backing up the tank classes and aiding in the protection of the mages and healers.

White Lion Mastery Paths
Path Of the Hunter: White Lions who choose the path of the Hunter embrace the ways of the wild and fight shoulder to shoulder with their War Lion. The two stride into battle side by side in a balanced assault that is capable of spreading damage around to multiple targets with ease. This path requires the least amount of Master & Pet coordination so damage against a single foe is lessened.

Path of the Axeman: White Lions who choose this path focus on the Mastery of their fine woodsman axes, preferring instead to use their lions as distractions as they approach from the side or Rear. The path of the Axeman requires good coordination with your War Lion or your group members so you can be allowed to strike from an unguarded flank.

Path of the Guardian: White Lions who choose this path focus on diverting attention from their War Lion or Group members so that they can do maximum damage. The path of the guardian does not directly increase the White Lion's own defenses significantly but focuses more on reducing his opponents damage output and distracting them from the War Lion or individual group mates.



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Warhammer online guide: Melee DPS Survival Guide

Welcome to the MDPS survival guide! The current version is beta version 0.3.0, for Warhammer Closed Beta patch 3.3. This guide will be regularly updated as new relevant information is made available.

This guide exists to help users of the Melee Damage (MDPS) archetype, which includes the White Lion, Witch Hunter, Marauder, and Witch Elf classes, gain a better understanding of how "Pick Up Groups" (PUGs), which are unorganized groups of players, function and how to be successful within one of those groups. Users will find plenty basic tips and strategies that have been successfully tested and used on the battlefield. Users will not find comprehensive mathematical breakdowns and exact strategies for each class.

It has always been my hope and sincerest wish that users of this guide learn something and become better players. I hope you, the reader, enjoy this guide and do, in fact, learn something!

The Types of Combat
In Warhammer Online, and indeed most MMOs in general, there are four basic types of "PUG" (Pick Up Group), which is to say- unorganized, combat. What I mean by unorganized is that the players on each side are a random assortment of players that don't have a set plan in mind and are often very uncoordinated. They either never gain a plan, or they have to just make it up as they go along. The four basic types of PUG combat are:

Large Group, aka "Zerg"
The term zerg refers to a race in the strategy game "Starcraft." The main tactic for this race was not getting the best units or technologies, but instead the race was all about getting as many units onto the battlefield at one time...whether the units are very effective or not. Therefore, the "zerg" has come to be a term meaning "a very large, unorganized mass of players." When in a zerg situation, MDPS are at their very weakest. It is difficult for them to cross the field and do anything meaningful before they are gunned down by the large mass of ranged players.

Medium Group
A medium group could be loosely defined as 7-18 players. This size of group will most commonly be encountered in scenarios. MDPS fair surprisingly well in this situation, as long as the player understands some basic principles. "The Flow of Battle," my original guide, as well as the chapter with the same name, address this situation.

Small Group
Approximately 2-5 players. This is when MDPS are at their strongest. MDPS typically have the damage power to kill most healers and ranged damage (RDPS) classes by themselves, and the offense threats against them are at a minimum in this situation.

Solo
1v1 combat. MDPS are very strong here as well, but don't fair as well as melee healers like Warrior-Priests and Disciples.

Basic Tips for Any Combat Situation
There are some basic things that will greatly improve your chances of success as a MDPS, no matter your combat situation.

Have a healer friend.
This is listed first for a reason! Cherish them as much as they should cherish you. In a tier 1 game having a healer would mean the difference from a game with 10 kills and 10k damage to a game of 18 kills and 35k damage. I prefer the ranged healers of any type as you can use your snare to peel enemies off them. The ranged healers also further improve your magic resistances with the appropriate buff...which is GREAT to have (always ask for resist buff over strength buff, trust me and tell them politely to use it on themselves!). Don't underestimate the power of having a melee healer with you though (especially if they have a tank friend to guard them!). Their armor buff is extremely helpful.

Know your enemy.
First, know that your biggest enemy is other melee. You have light or medium armor with only about 25% damage mitigation. A defensive tank gets up to 70% mitigation, an offensive tank 45%ish mitigation. That's a big difference! Second: know that ranged healers stand no chance against you. Last, know that if you start a fight in melee range against an RDPS, it's pretty much over for them as well.

Know thyself.
You're mainly a skirmisher...a caster killer. You're not built to stay on the front lines like a tank. Get in, get your kill, and get out if you're going to take hits.

Situational Awareness
This is basically being aware of your surroundings. Very often it is wise to pan your camera around to check if you're about to be flanked, or what your enemy is about to do. Don't get too caught up in the frenzy of battle.

Stick Together
Never run strait into the zerg unless all the melee run in together. You will get tab targeted and focused down unless there are other melee (especially a shield tank) to absorb part of the damage for you. Running in all together is very effective, but takes some coordination that most pug groups aren't willing to display.

Gear and Statistics
The most important stats on gear, in my personal preference order (I say it this way because it's bound to be debated), are:

Resists - You're a caster killer, and they don't like to see you coming! Resists are very important for your survival. Even the "physical" ranged damage: Shadow Warriors, Engineers, and Squig Herders, are equipped with a number of skills that are based on resists. Do not spend RPs on increasing resists though. All your resists should come through gear and buffs from friends.

Armor - Realistically, armor is soft capped by the type you wear and so increasing it isn't always possible. Still, you want armor as your biggest enemy is other melee. Having a melee healer (Warrior-Priest or Disciple) in your group that runs the armor buff helps significantly. I would not spend your RPs on increasing armor, increase it through gear or buffs from friends.

Strength - You're a damage class. Strength improves your damage. Makes sense! But wait Duty, I'm a Witch Hunter and have ranged skills, shouldn't I stack Ballistic? No. WHs have a very high base Ballistic skill. Mythic gave them this so their stat spread wouldn't be too crazy. Stack strength as a Witch Hunter just as you would other classes. Strength is where the majority of RPs should be spent.

Toughness - Per point, in my opinion, resists/armor offer a lot more survivability increase, but you can only get so much of those. Toughness is the next best survivability stat. For AoE-focused character builds, I'd recommend stacking toughness equally or in preference with strength. These builds tend to do well in large situations with healers to support the MDPS. Because you will be taking so much damage in these situations, toughness becomes more vital. Toughness is where your secondary RPs should be spent.

Initiative - Lowering your chance to be crit is nice, but still won't have as much effect as other defensive stats. Dodge chance is nice to have to avoid the crowd control and damage skills of shadow warriors, squig herders, engineers, and witch hunters. A note: the point-blank area of effect root of Shadow Warriors, Squig Herders, and Engineers is considered a ranged skill, and so is dodged, not parried.

Weapon Skill - The armor penetration is not as significant as you might think. First, you're killing casters, they don't have a lot of armor (and armor does not work logarithmically like it does in other games...it's a flat increase, so armor penetration is more useful against high armor targets due to hitting the "penetration cap" on lower armored targets). Melee is your biggest enemy, but you are trying to avoid them, and armor is a natural defense against them that doesn't eat stat budget (stat budget refers to what stats you spend on your gear...you can only have so many stats and so have to choose). Weapon skill is nice to have, but you get more offensive punch out of strength, and more defensive punch out of toughness, initiative, and armor.

Willpower - Since MDPS don't heal, 1/2 this stat is worthless. The other half seems beneficial, but you don't gain enough disrupt chance to warrant stacking over other stats.

Ballistic - Mostly worthless. Helps Witch Hunters some, but Strength will net you a better DPS increase.

Intellect - Mostly worthless.

Tips for Large Group Situations
Zergs aren't easy for MDPS. In fact I'd say they're downright painful if you have a bad group or no support. Brawler types tend to fair much much better, but still are at a general disadvantage in this situation. Obviously character builds that emphasize AoE (Area of Effect...skills that hit multiple characters at a time), such as the Marauder's Monstrosity line, will fair better.

Large group situations tend not to "whittle down" to smaller and smaller groups. There are typically too many players to kill before the ones you just dispatched are already back. Splitting up to take multiple objectives, or players just logging/relocating are the only ways zergs tend to dissipate. Since you're weak at this type of combat: encourage dissipation. Go somewhere else, fight another battle. Don't play the zerg game and don't be a sheep. Even if you have to 1v1 you're in a much stronger position.

Still, if you feel you must participate in a zerg, you must know that zergs don't generally get progressively smaller, and so aren't won by killing all the players. They're won by pushes. Admittedly, it can be incredibly fun charging the line and routing your enemies even if that's more a tank's job then MDPS.

To best win the pushing, you must coordinate melee charges. You can't send 1-2 melee guys at a time as they get slaughtered. It can be difficult in a PUG to rally players to all charge at the same time...but when you do get enough to make a difference, it's quite a sight to behold as you rout the enemy and slaughter them from behind. If possible you want to stay behind tanks that are using "Hold the Line." You'll recognize it as an animation that sprays behind the tank, and he will hold his shield steadfast in front of him. He gains a 45% chance to dodge and disrupt (that is: avoid any ranged attack) while you gain 15% chance to do the same. However, you can gain the benefit up to 3 times if you stand behind 3 tanks doing it, which gives you a total of 45% to avoid any ranged attack. Hold the Line only lasts a short amount of time...it's meant to get you to the action (which by that time your enemy will probably be routing unless they have significant amounts of melee players to hide behind).

After you get to the fighting, it's pretty simple. Assist other players by focusing on 1 guy at a time to kill them faster, and don't go beyond the front line. The worst thing you can do is pass your tanks, because you'll get "tab targeted," which refers to players hitting the "target closest player" button and all focusing on you. You want to let your tanks take the damage...that's what they're there for. You try to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

If you have 2 or more ranged healing friends that are dedicated to keeping you alive, you can really rampage and flourish in a large group situation, as long as you are a brawler MDPS (marauder or white lion) that is specialized in AoEs. You can often run in and kill several players at chokepoints when you have such a support corps. Using Monstrosity spec on my Marauder, I've managed to kill 13 players near simultaneously while they came up the stairs in a Dark Elf keep. The secret is to choose your spot: a chokepoint where they're all bunched up (like stairs, a doorway or a bridge), know your AoE combos, and have help to keep you alive. When things go the right way, you'll net LOTS of kills and have a ton of fun doing so.

The Flow of Battle: Medium Group Situations
Let me start by saying that there is a very key difference in how medium group battles tend to take place from large group battles: they whittle down. What I mean is that as players die, it becomes a progressively smaller group situation. So as medium group battles carry on, MDPS get stronger and stronger.

You must use this to your advantage! I have recommended this approach because I know the power of the tab target. The biggest difference in an organized group against an unorganized one is that the organized guys are all hitting the same target to kill him faster, while unorganized guys are hitting all different ones. Tab Target turns those unorganized guys into organized ones by making sure they all target you: the melee guy who happens to be closest. I've recommended this approach so you don't get into that particularly nasty situation.

Phase 1: The Skirmish
When two armies first meet, the skirmish takes place. This is a period where each side is at full or near full strength. Ranged characters are at their best as they can safely hide behind melee types and blast away. The cardinal rule for MDPS of this stage is to stay alive. Don't take risks. Your RPDS buddies are at their strongest: so let them do their job! Let them pick away at the enemy forces from a safe distance. Your job is to use that wonderful snare that all MDPS have and help your RDPS friends stay away from the melee players that charge too early.

The more melee players from the enemy side that want to charge over, the better. Kill those foolish melee! They're your biggest enemy and the more you remove, the better your survival chances are later in the fight. Even if they're tanks, they're by far the safest thing to beat on at this stage, and with enough people focusing on them, they'll die eventually.

Don't worry, they will come to you. A true master does not chase his enemies, but lets his enemies come to him on his land...his advantage. Let their melee come (and they will), as they're easy to single out and destroy. If one of them happens to target you, run back into your group so you "overextend" him. This means you make him chase you out of range of his support: where he becomes a very easy target.

Phase 2: Fun Time!
After their melee characters are either dead or otherwise distracted away from you, it's time for you to make your move. You want to get at the casters at this stage. Try to flank or otherwise reach them without drawing attention. Stealth characters excel at this as they can cross the battlefield without drawing focus to themselves. Brawlers may be tempted to use Charge! but this is unwise. You not only want to save Charge! for retreating or catching a player that tries to escape, but it also brings attention to that fast moving White Lion blazing across the field...something you don't want.

Once behind the front lines, you should know which classes to kill first. Because the majority of their healing comes from their "big heal," which is easily pushed back when they take damage, killing ranged healers is often the easiest to do, and often enough required before you can kill anything else (they'll just keep healing it!).

If you think you can get away with it without them getting heals: kill "Glass Cannons," which are Sorceresses and Bright Wizards first. They do a TON of damage and can ruin your day if you don't take care of them. If smart ranged healers are around to prevent you from doing so, you'll have to kill the healers first.

After the ranged healers and glass cannons are dead or not present, take out "skirmishers," who are Squig Herders and Shadow Warriors. These classes have a lot of crowd control and can make life very frustrating. Taking them out makes your job easier. Last, take out the "defender RDPS," which are the engineers and mages of Tzeentch. They are the most difficult of the ranged characters to kill, and typically aren't your first choice to kill.

So the kill order tends to generally (there are exceptions that experience will teach you) look like this:

Shaman/Archmage
Zealot/Runepriest
Sorceress/Bright Wizard - First if you can get away with it
Squig Herder/Shadow Warrior
Magus/Engineer
Witch Elf/Witch Hunter
Marauder/White Lion
Disciple/Warrior-Priest
All tanks


If you succeed in not attracting attention, you should almost be guaranteed a kill. You're brutally effective when facing the enemies weakest to you while the enemies strongest against you are distracted elseware.

If you do attract attention, be ready to retreat. Where as stealthy types rely on getting there unnoticed and are good at it, brawler types tend to excel at getting out if needed. Your detaunt (that is: the skill that reduces the damage players around you deal to you), followed by Charge! if you have it, will get you out of many situations. The whole reason I personally love brawler MDPS is their 50% AoE detaunt. It's completely underestimated by new players. It has saved me from many many sticky situations.

Understand a key component to this stage: you don't want to overextend. There is still enough DPS on the field to be a threat to you if you stray from your support. No one can heal or kill the enemies attacking you if you're out of range. With few exceptions, you don't want to chase enemies back too far.

Phase 3: Small Group
At some point in the battle, one side will most likely establish itself as the clear victors and will just "mop up the rest." At this point you are generally free to overextend some (never too much though), chase down enemies, and revel in the glory of killing your enemies.

However, sometimes the sides are fairly even with only about 2-6 players left on each side. This is a time you will want to keep special considerations in mind.

First, there generally isn't enough DPS still out there to kill you before you can make it back to your support. *Some* overextending and chasing is warranted if it furthers the cause of winning the battle.

Second, you want to focus fire. Take a look who others are killing and help them. Help other DPS classes before you help tanks. If you see a Witch Elf bashing on a Runepriest, and a Black Orc hitting an Archmage, go help the Witch Elf as your combined DPS is pretty staggering.

Third, help your ranged guys by using your snare against their melee pursuers. Keep them safe: your best weapon is the guy beside you (for proof of this, calculate your current weapon vs getting the best weapon in the game for your class...figure out the gain. Will you gain double the damage or healing, double the hit points, and double the utility skills that you get from having a friend?).

Solo Battles
Solo battles are truly beyond the scope of this guide, as they are a much more exact science then groups. They depend on your class and what class you are facing more then anything, and tend to become exact blow-for-blow, counter-for-counter fights.

There are some key advantages and tips MDPS players have in solo situations though. Knowledge of which classes you can defeat and which generally defeat you is paramount. In general the melee healers, which are Warrior-Priests and Disciples, tend to be the strongest solo classes, and most of the time you'll want to avoid engaging them. Tanks also tend to be fairly tough, but most of the time will not finish you off before you can escape them if the battle goes poorly, as your escape moves tend to trump their pursuit moves.

Knowing which classes you can engage and which you can not is very important because MDPS, over any other class, have the power of selecting their engagements. Stealth and runspeed buffs (Charge!) give you that power. You're very hard to escape and you can escape very easily.

It's always beneficial to get the first blow in as well. You have a major advantage, especially against ranged characters, if you can reach them before they know you're coming. Lastly, bring friends. Two or more can always accomplish more then one solo player.

Closing
This concludes the basic training for MDPS in RvR. It may sound like a lot more work then it is, but with some practice you can become a successful player. The key is to be patient and fight on your terms...not the enemy's. Don't go chasing kills when they'll come right to you. And bring friends!

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Zealot Review

Overview:
While we've all made fun of the early screenshots of the Chaos Zealot who looked like Lemmy from Motorhead, these fanatics are no laughing matter. The healer class for the Norse followers of the Raven God, the Zealot is a healing machine. With strong offensive casting capabilities, their great sense of fashion (each Zealot has a belt whose buckle is made of of a human face, possibly right off the skull he holds in his/her left hand) and incredible healing powers, it's not hard to see why this class will be a popular healer. There may be a reason why the Zealot looks like Lemmy, because much like the Motorhead song goes, pick this class and it's time to play "The Game".

Strengths:

• Distance. Zealots can hurl heals and spells from a huge distance, allowing you to stay out of the thick of things while still doing your job... which is looking good.


• Zealots don't need to be directly in combat to fuel their healing abilities.


• Zealots are a good cross between caster and healer. Their offensive spells do pretty good damage and their heals are, of course, their specialty.

Weaknesses:

• Zealots don't have a lot of hit points to begin with and can be melee'd to death easier than some of the other healers in the game.


• Zealots tend to lack a high level of damage mitigation, which makes them weaker against physical attacks.


• Zealots can run out of power quickly if they're not careful since they have no mechanic in place that replenishes it on the fly.

PvE Overview
The Chaos Zealot can be an unstoppable force in PvE play. The ability to hit from long distances and powerful heals that can be used during combat give the Zealot the space and time he needs to whittle foes down with his offensive spells. Their powerful healing spells can even help them outlast multiple attackers and even take down Champion class foes a few levels lower than they are.

In a group, the Zealot has got what you need baby and he's happy to give you your healing/buff fix. The first taste is free, but after that you have to protect him from harm of else he'll cut you off, cold turkey. Mainly because they'll probably be dead.

RvR Overview
If the Zealot was a element on the periodic table of RvR, it would be Ze for "Zerged". As a Zealot, your ability to cast heavy duty heals from range as well as do a decent amount of damage with your marks makes you the #1 target for everyone in RvR, and much like the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker core, they love to gang up on you. The key to a long and healthy life is stay out of combat, but close to the Black Orc and Chosen tanks. These classes get hooked on having their heal-orin fix and as such, will usually work to keep you alive.

If you manage to get in combat, you're not totally without a way to defend yourself. You can do pretty well in one on one by spamming the heals interlaced with a few specific debuffs and your insta-cast damage and DoT spells. If you are up against multiple people though, you're in trouble, so don't stick around and wait for the "Order Friends" to show up.



Chaos Zealot Mastery Paths
Path of Alchemy: This path is all about the healing. You hook players up with the candy that makes life worth living and now, it's much more potent. While they'll not be an offensive juggernaut, the player who specializes in the path of Alchemy will become the healer extraordinaire and be known as "Dr. Feelgood".

Path of Witchcraft: Not simply happy to keep others healthy, the follower of this path wants to cause pain and suffering in mass quantities. The Path of Witchcraft bolsters the offensive capability of the Zealot and can make him a stronger caster than healer.

Path of Ritual: The Path of Ritual is about boosting your allies and tearing down your enemies. Enhancing your buffs and Debuffs, this path gives you sway over the tide of battle and how quickly it will turn in your favor. All hail Tzeentch!

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Disciple of Khaine Review

Overview:
Introduced to the Warhammer universe as the healer class for the Dark Elves, the Disciple of Khaine weilds both sword and sorcery in an odd style of blood magic. In true Druchii spirit, they require the blood of their enemies in order to fuel their healing magic, and thus are always on the front lines of combat hacking and slashing people for the glory of the God of Murder. This odd mix of melee and healing abilities give them a surprisingly high survivability rating in the thick of combat for a healer. If you were thinking of playing a healer in WAR, but are a "get in and get dirty" type of player, this might just be the class for you.



Strengths:

• Disciples of Khaine fuel their abilities through direct melee combat so there's no more sitting back and being bored healing.


• Since they power their healing abilities through melee combat, they have a higher chance of survival when in the thick of combat


• Disciples of Khaine are equally at home in both solo PvE and RvR play.

Weaknesses:

• Disciples of Khaine have to get up close and personal in order to heal.
• While this presents better opportunities for aggresive playstyle while still being a healer, you're still a healer and being smack dab in the middle of combat isn't usually the healthiest place for a healer to be.


• Disciples have few ranged attacks compared to other healers.


• Disciples of Khaine fuel their power through attacking. If you're not attacking anyone, then you run out of Blood points quickly and lose your healing abilities.

PvE Overview
The Disciple of Khaine fears little in PvE. Since they power their healing abilities though combat, a player who can learn how to play a Disciple early on will be able to solo Champion class foes in single combat. The only thing that can truly stop a Disciple is just sheer numbers. This is makes the Disciple of Khaine so popular as a class, since they do have a high probability for survival in most fights.

In a group, the Disciple of Khaine works best as an off tank. They do enough damage to be helpful, and should the need arise, can hold down one or two strong foes long enough for the tank to get back n the fight and start taunting away. However, with their healing abilities healing the tank as they fight side by side, that probably won't happen often.

RvR Overview
Disciples of Khaine are wicked in RvR combat. Since they do a decent amount of melee damage and can heal well during combat, it's rare that you'll find a class that can stand up to them one on one. If you get two Disciples working in tandem, that can be a sight to behold as they cut through just about anything you have to offer. On the average, it will usually take at least two people to take down a well played Disciple of Khaine.

Melee combat is your friend. If you get caught out in the open with no one to cut on and attacked at range? You're a goner. While you have 250 blood points to burn through, it does you no good if you can't replenish them. As a Disciple of Khaine, as long as you have people to cut, you'll have blood points to spend in healing and if you can keep the heals going, you can outlast even the most dedicated Melee DPS class.



Disciple of Khaine Mastery Paths
Path of Ritual: The Path of Ritual focuses on increasing your healing abilities. This will make it easier for you to heal more efficiently, incurring less overall cost for your healing abilities.

Path of Torture: This Path of Mastery focuses on causing more damage with your attacks. Of course Khaine absolutely loves this. Coupled with your already impressive healing abilities, this can be a wicked path to master for the Disciple.

Path of Sacrifice: This Path of Mastery is about debuffing your enemy into oblivion. It raises your attack power and lowers your foes abilities and skills. This causes them to visit less damage upon you and yours, thus ensuring victory for your side.

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Dwarf Rune Priest Review

Overview:
Don't ever let a dwarf hear you call his healing ability "magic." The art of rune marking is a long studied skill that the Dwarfs hold close to their own. With their rune marking, armor and weapons of the Rune Priest and his allies become enhanced; damaged armor becomes more resilient, a swing of a sword burns through the enemy. Marking a party member not only buffs their natural abilities, it can also give them an extra "spell" they can activate themselves as needed. Runes ensure that depleted health can be returned, and the dead returned to the battlefield.

A Rune Priest can choose how he will spend his time in battles. Staying in the rear with the lighter armored casters, he maintains the buffs he marked his comrades with before the battle, and uses his wide range of heals to keep everyone alive. His art provides for several longer ranged attacks as well. However, the strength he gains by rune marking himself makes him ready to jump to the front, weilding his massive rune staff with studied skill.

Strengths:

• Many strong heals; direct and heal over time


• Strong buffs and damage wards


• In combat resurrection

Weaknesses:

• Some heals need time to power up


• Medium armor can't withstand direct assault for long


• Few damage spells

PvE Overview
A Rune Priest is primarily a healer and supportive class, and will cautiously enter a battle situation on his own. One on one, his buffs and varied heals can keep him alive for quite some time, while his damaging spells and heavy Staff work to tear the enemy down. Maintaining the runes that protect the priest is key, to avoid having to run a quick retreat. Several of the Rune Priest's heals rely on time to set up and build up, so several large and quick attacks can prove problematic.

RvR Overview
This Dwarf is a huge aid to any group or warband. Left free to practice his specialty of bolstering and maintaining his buffs and heals, he is truly a force to be reckoned with. The in combat resurrection ability means fallen allies can be brought back in their same position quickly, keeping the integrity of the battle's front lines. A Rune Priest's staff and his few damaging attack spells create a light DPS addition to the group as well.

Rune Priest Mastery Paths

Path of Grungni: A master of this path focuses on powerful and direct effects, learning to both restore his allies and smite his enemies with equal skill. The path of Grungni is for those who prefer to focus on a single target at a time, be they friend or foe, and unleash powerful effects upon them.

Path of Valaya: An arguably more subtle mastery, the path of Valaya is focused on effects which continue to linger after they've been invoked. A master of this path prefers to stick to tested, tried, and true slow-and-steady abilities, whether he's building up his allies' strength until they become unstoppable, or whether he's grinding his enemies down with inevitable and unescapable doom.

Path of Grimnir: This path is concerned with runes which affect large, sweeping areas as they unleash their innate power. A specialist in this path is an expert at changing the ebb and tide of combat by either bolstering his allies' entire front line, or by sending vast swaths of crushing power across the enemy masses.

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Elder Patch 4.1 post from the devs.

We know everyone is waiting anxiously to get back into the WAR and try out the new 4.1 patch. Our production team has been working tirelessly to fix bugs, make tweaks, add polish and put in additional features. When all is said and done, it’s an immense amount of work that's been done to the game and we are eager to have you test it. Please note: This will be an early version of this patch and it may suffer from CTD and stability issues. We would rather get you testing this as soon as possible and have some risk involved, but you should be forewarned that there may be issues. Obviously we will work hard to avoid such issues, but this is part of being Elder testers.

Some of the areas where you’ll notice changes include:

• Careers and Classes


• Death System


• Guild Standards


• Content (both PvE and RvR)


• Guild Vaults, Taxes and Tithes


• Scenario updates


• Cities updates


• Tome of Knowledge

Also, we have added two highly-anticipated new features:

• Personal Vaults


• Auction House

A ton of fixes have been made, and we encourage you to get into the game and beat on all of them! Use the in-game bug reports and feedback as well as the beta forums to provide us with feedback on problems you may find and how you feel about all the changes. Remember, this is an early version of the 4.1 patch that we are giving to you to test first, so that you can help us with this final phase before Open Beta. You are our elite testers, chosen to see all of this new content before the throngs of thousands bombard our servers, and so your feedback is more important now than ever before.

As soon as we are ready to go with the new patch, we will let you know so you can get into the game and start testing. Thanks to all of our beta testers. Your help and dedication has been crucial in making Warhammer Online the best game it can be and we look forward to working with you through this crucial phase, taking us one step closer to our goal.

Check here for the latest update on when 4.1 will go live.

WAAAGH!

If you patch to 4.1 you can look at the new graphics options that should be available today:




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Warhammer online Crafting Review

Introduction
Warhammer Online is attempting something different from other MMORPGs with their crafting system. Their aim is to a make a fun, and ultimately rewarding system that doesn’t feel like a grind. They have expressed that they want everyone out there in the battlefield and have allowed their system to let you craft/gather while you are exploring and killing!

No Recipes! In Warhammer there are no set recipes for your crafting. Basically, this means that instead of picking something out of a list, you gather up a few ingredients and throw them into a pot and hope something cool comes out when you are done.

Example:

A recipe based system would have you choose out of a list of potions. Say you wanted to make a healing potion, you would typically pull out your recipe list and see you needed A, B, and C to make the potion. You go to a merchant and purchase the items you need, or gather the items from monsters as required, and a short while later you have your healing potion. The value of this potion is constant so you are always sure of what you’ll get.

Overview
The Warhammer method involves a lot of guess work and luck, but also rewards you for trying out odd combinations. You may get something much better than you intended or you may get something horribly wrong. Another great plus is you do NOT have to be at a certain area to craft. Provided you have the necessary items in your inventory, you can craft anything anywhere.

Example:

Let's say you have been asked by a friend to make him a couple of healing potions for RvR™ later. From experience you know that a certain herb works really well for healing potions so you go out and gather what you need. However, you also know that you can’t just make a healing potion with just the herb, you’ll need other ingredients as well.From experience you have found that cheap wine helps stabilize the healing potions so you go gather that from passed out dwarves. On the way back to your friend you are suddenly attacked by a ravenous fairy! After the fight you decide to clip her wings, thinking it may help strengthen your potion.


So you’ve made it back to your friend alive and you start on your potions. The first one turns out normal, you’ve added all the typical ingredients you use and the potion comes out the way it usually does. The second one you’ve added all the normal ingredients but you’ve had a stroke of luck! Your potion has come out just a little bit stronger than normal, good for you! For the last potion you decide to drop in the fairy wings when your friend isn’t looking, just to see what would happen. By now your friend is giving you a funny look. The last potion is bubbling and spewing out multi-colored smoke, not to mention the sickingly sweet smell it’s putting off. When things settle down you quickly realized you’ve made a discovery! Your simple healing potion now offers a greater chance to dodge enemy attacks, WAY TO GO!

Note: The obvious drawback of this plan is that it is likely in the near future that we will see all known combinations published on the internet and this will, with time, turn into a recipe based system.

A breakdown of the System
Two crafting skills are currently available:

• Apothecary


• Talisman Crafting

And four gathering skills:

• Butchering


• Cultivating


• Magical Salvaging


• Scavenging

You can only choose one crafting and one gathering skill, so pick wisely! Keep in mind what you want to do. If you want to make highly magical Talisman’s you might want to consider taking up Magical Salvaging as your gathering skill. If you want to make powerful potions, you may wish to take up Cultivating so you can get the herbs you need.

A breakdown of the Gathering Skills

Butchering
What this involves is searching a killed monster for resources. This only applies to non-sentient beasts and is used to salvage bones, meat, and skins. You will be able to identify if a monster can be harvested by noticing the flies buzzing around the corpse. A simple click allows you to butcher, provided you have the skill trained.

Cultivating
There’s no flower picking in WAR boy! Weeds, fungi and herbs are some of the main subjects involved. For this you are going to need to buy some things and carry them around to make this work. First off you are going to need a pot to grow your plants in. You’ll also need things like; soil, seeds and spores. Seeds and spores can be obtained as loot from monsters, as rewards from quests, and bought or traded from other players. Pots and soil can be purchased from merchants.

So you’ve got your items and are ready to do some cultivating! What you need to do is this;
1- Place your seeds or spores inside your pot. Easy enough.
2- Water your little pot and carry that thing around with you a little while. Things take time to grow man!
3-To make your plant healthy you can add nutrients or other things you want to try. Always wondered what to do with that spectral essence? Well add it to your soil and find out!
4-Your plant is done growing, time to find out what you got!

When you harvest you will either get a new type of seed (to be used in growing an even stronger plant), or an ingredient that you can use with the apothecary skill.

When all is said and done the now empty pot will go into your backpack to be used again.

Magical Salvaging
You too can be an all powerful magical expert! This is a pretty basic system that involves extracting the magical properties from items. What you’ll need to accomplish this is any magical item that has some sort of bonus on it (i.e. +10 Power or +3 to health). Using your deeply arcane and magical skill you will be able to extract one of these bonuses off the item. The drawback to this is the item you are salvaging will be lost in the process, so keep that in mind when you are attempting to withdraw one of its magical properties. If the item has more than one bonus on it, you will only be able to remove one property, so keep that in mind as well and choose the power that benefits you the most.

Example:

You are exploring a new area of the woods and are attacked by a blood-thirsty Cabbit! After a long and exhausting fight you manage to defeat the beast and discovery a shimmering amulet around its neck. Using your powers of deduction you realize this amulet has a +5 Intelligence and +7 Agility bonus. You can’t really use the amulet yourself but you could really use the agility on something else, so you decide to extract that bonus. The process is pretty involved and the amulet is destroyed but you are left with a trinket that will allow you to use that +7 Agility on a Talisman in the future!

Scavenging
This involves recovering hidden items from more intelligent creatures, i.e. sentient. Basically you are rummaging through the dead body’s possessions to see if you can find anything of worth. As with Butchering you will be able to identify a body that can be scavenged by the flies that are buzzing around it. You will, as with Butchering, simply need to click on the corpse to recover items of worth, provided you have the skill trained.

Apothecary
So you want to create some potions, lotions and powders do you? Well in order to do this you will need training in the Apothecary skill. To be successful you’ll need some items such as a container, a main ingredient, and support ingredients.

A breakdown:

• The type of container you use will determine how many support ingredients you can add to your mixture.


• The main ingredient determines what type of potion you will end up with.


• Support ingredients assist in the creation.

A note: All main ingredients are unstable so you will need these support ingredients in order to increase the chance of a successful potion or the possibility of creating something new and exciting.

Example:
Using our previous example of the healing potion we’ll break down the parts.

• 1- You had your container that you used to make your potion in.


• 2- The herbs you gathered were your main ingredient that’s used in all healing potions.


• 3- The cheap wine you scavenged from the dwarves was a support ingredient.


• 4- The fairy wings were another support ingredient you decided to add as well.

Keep in mind that not all support ingredients you add are going to produce results. For example, you decide to use your old combination that you discovered when you made that last healing potion. This time you decide to try and add some left over frog legs as well. Everything seems to be going fine until the mixture starts to bubble rapidly and emit a thick black smoke. After a few tense moments wondering if you are going to survive this experiment, the smoke clears and you take a look inside. Nothing useful was produced! Obviously this is not a good combination and you make a note of it.

In keeping with the WAR effort and encouraging players to get out there and battle, specific things must be done in order to make certain potions. For example you may have had to capture the enemy’s territory in order to cultivate a certain rare fungi. Or you may have had to defeat Glowworm the Great in order to acquire some other special ingredient.

Side note: All potions have a chance of failing. If this happens your container may break and become unusable, however the ingredients you used will not go away and may be used again.

Talisman Crafting
Talisman Crafting is basically the process of creating things that provide bonuses to worn items and armor. In order to make a talisman you are going to need a container just like with Apothecary. You’ll also need various items from crafting/gathering skills and at least one item from magical salvaging. Like Apothecary you’ll need your main ingredient (item from magical salvaging), and your support ingredients. Talisman crafting can imbue bonuses such as; additional stats, bonuses to armor, and bonuses to resistances.

Example:

• You’re ready to make your Talisman so you’ve got your container set.


• You apply the item you got from magical salvaging.


• You apply the necessary support ingredients that are needed to facilitate the process.


• FLASH…BOOM… you’re all done and now have a highly magical item that you can equip!

Note: Only rare and powerful items can have Talisman’s attached to them.

Conclusion
Based on all the information, we can see that early on there is a lot of guess work involved with Warhammer Online crafting. With thousands of different possibilities out there for making items, it will be a fun and challenging experience to discover them all! Additionally, in order to make some of the more powerful items, you’re going to need to work with other players. This is where having a good guild or network of crafters comes into play. Crafting won’t be quite so easy at first, but in my opinion this system should prove to be extremely fun and rewarding, a stark contrast to current crafting systems out there today!

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Warhammer online - It's video time

Warhammer Disciple of Khaine Scenario PVP
A short clip of fighting as a level 10 Disciple of Khaine in the Khaine's Embrace PVP scenario. Played at level 10 with the R10 RR6 gear.


Warhammer online mounts
This one shows dwarf mounts and dark elf mounts and a short footage of the first dwarf mount


Warhammer Keep Siege


Warhammer Online Archmage Starting Area and Seige Weapons
The Archmage Starting Area.


WAR Open PVP


Marshes of Madness
A preview of the Marshes of Madness, a tier 2 Dwarfs/Greenskins zone

NOTE: The draw distance in the beta client is locked very near to the character, so you might notice some heavy clipping in the background.




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Dwarf Engineer Guide review

Overview:
As a race of tinkerers and builders, no career comes more naturally to a Dwarf than that of Engineer. Using a combination of machinery, ingenuity, and brute force they are able to harness technology to defeat their enemies. Sturdy and reliable, the Engineer provides damage support on the battlefield making him a valuable ally.

An Engineer carries quite an arsenal with him, which can include turrets, mines, hand grenades, and a large wrench. His automated turrets bring fire support to combat by using bullets, grenades, and even a flame thrower. A long rifle allows Engineers to fire at a distance keeping them away from danger but doing significant damage to his enemies.

Strengths:

• Automated turrets that can fire without assistance


• Long range attacks


• Area of effect damage through grenades and turrets

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to melee


• Light armor


• Turret setup requires time

PvE Overview
An Engineer depends heavily on his gear and well placed turrets can be key to survival. If placement weren't enough the Engineer must carefully choose what type of to use, as a stray grenade blast or burst of flame could easily turn their one problem into many. Turret fire mixed with a few shots from their long rifle will significantly reduce enemy health long before they are in attack range allowing a few swings of a hammer or wrench to finish the job. While they can stand on their own against single targets, when working in harmony with a tank class, the Engineer is a versatile addition to any PvE party. They are not built to withstand heavy amounts of damage however, so direct conflict with multiple foes requires a hasty retreat.

RvR Overview
In RvR combat, the Engineer moves from a sturdy damage machine to a support role on the battlefield. Concentrated attacks from casters or a rush from a tank can make short work of Engineers thanks to their light armor. You will see many rush forward to drop a turret and run to the back lines with casters to fire off rifle shots. One of their best roles is in defense of a battlefield objective where they can set up defensive positions and damage enemies attempting to move in. Their grenades and mines also make nice additions to large concentrations of enemy forces.



Engineer Mastery Paths

Path of The Rifleman: This path focuses on long-range attacks, and taking your time with carefully aimed precision shots. A master of this path prefers to stand back away from the hectic front lines of battle, and dispatch his enemies quickly and cleanly from behind defensive cover.

Path of the Grenadier: This mastery is primarily focused on grenades and bombs, powerful explosives which may be quickly tossed into the middle of a fray to wreak havoc on enemies. While their effective range may be shorter than a gun's - after all, Dwarf arms aren't exactly build to throw for distance - grenades make up for this through sheer stopping power and swift arming times.

Path of the Tinkerer: A specialist in this path is concerned mainly with his deployable contructs, preferring to fight from near the safety of his turrets while he lays out his foes with swings of his heavy steel wrench. Master tinkerers have also been known to use additional deployable devices above and beyond turrets as well, and many are the Engineers who've been banned for life from a blacksmith's forge after trying to test and improve the heat thresholds of land mines.



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Dark Elf Sorceress review

Overview:
A Sorceress is a master of Dhar, the Dark Magic that feeds her power. Her spells assault her enemies with incredible force, as she forces the magic to do her bidding. She is able to harvest the Dark Magic from her spell weavings, storing it for massive blasts. The higher the level of Dark Magic, the greater the damage she can do. However, she must be prepared for a Backlash effect that may whip back and smack her down.

A Sorceress lightly covers herself in spectacular robes that leave little to the imagination, and they suit her attitude well. She carries a staff pulsing with energy to aid her spell weaving, but will rather not use it to smack her foes. A Sorceress is a ranged DPS class who fights more strongly from the rear where the enemy weapons do not reach. Her light armor makes her vulnerable to projectiles and other other spell casters, but only if they catch her first.

Strengths:

• High spell damage


• Very long range spells


• Area of effect attacks

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to melee


• Light armor


• Spells can backlash

PvE Overview
A Sorceress has the beauty of the Dark Elves, and the confidence of a high damage dealer wrapped into an incredible DPS class. While soloing, the Sorceress takes the fight to her enemies long before they see her. She must judge her enemy well, and take him down before he can get in close for a hit with his weapons. The Sorceress must rely on a party member to heal them, or keep potions on hand for the more difficult fights. Against Champion and Hero enemies, with higher health pools and armor, a Sorceress may struggle without a groupmate to distract and deflect the incoming damage.

RvR Overview
The chaos and violence of RvR combat draws the Sorceress, where her ranged attacks are very effective. Letting the melee classes stay up front to meet any advance, the Sorceress is free to pick her targets well, be they healers or other ranged combatants from the enemy. While staying back from the fight is safest, she should be ready to change positions often to make it more difficult to be targeted. A Sorceress' debuffs are in high demand, as they will open up weaknesses in the enemy defenses, which her comrades will then quickly exploit.

Sorceress Mastery Paths
Path of Agony: The Path of Agony is mainly concerned with slaughtering individual enemies in the messiest and most direct ways possible. This path contains a somewhat equal mix of volatile Dark Magic spells and more stable magic.

Path of Calamity: The Path of Calamity is favored by the more subtle and insidious covens of Sorceresses, and is primarily focused on longer-duration effects. A Master of Calamity prefers to hinder and wound their enemies over time, until the effects have built up enough that their foes are already dead, and just don't realize it yet. This path has fewer Dark Magic abilities, and relies more on a steady pace of destructive stable magic.

Path of Destruction: The Path of Destruction is for the Sorceress who believes that killing one enemy is nothing but a waste of time that could be much better spent killing ALL of their enemies. Spreading vast, sweeping swaths of darkness and death across the battlefield, the Masters of Destruction gamble the most heavily on numerous Dark Magic spells.

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Empire Witch Hunter review

Overview:
Service to the Empire is honor, privilege, and the singular purpose of a Witch Hunter. Showing unrelenting dedication to the purge of Chaos, they follow the teachings of Sigmar which make up the very core of their soul. Masters of the blade and one of the few classes utilizing firearms, they bring forth judgment against their enemies with no mercy. Using stealth and combination attacks, the Witch Hunter inflicts incredible amounts of damage with exacting precision and is a formidable foe on the battlefield.

Strengths:

• The ability to inflict a high amount of damage quickly or over time.


• The ability to move in stealth and utilize special surprise attacks.


• Can build up points to use execution finishing moves which do high levels of damage

Weaknesses:

• Is not a tank class and is susceptible to damage


• Stealth abilities reduce movement speed


• Ranged attack is relatively weak and short range

PvE Overview
The Witch Hunter's main role as DPS provides players the ability to deal heavy amounts of damage at the price of survivability. They can dispatch a single target extremely quickly but any additional encounters could kill them in short order.

Working much like the Rogue classes in other MMOG's the Witch Hunter builds up points in order to do finishing moves which can provide a variety of effects from normal damage, to an armor debuff. They also have skills which can only be used from stealth giving the Witch Hunter a great balance in PvE combat.

RvR Overview
The Witch Hunter almost has a support role in RvR combat, meaning they can't rush into a one on one battle no matter how badly they want to. However, their versatility provide a number of combat options which can make them invaluable. If two well matched tanks are beating on each other, the Witch Hunter can turn the tide. Perhaps there is a particularly pesky healer or caster harassing people at long range. A Witch Hunter can move in, make short work of them and escape long before anyone figures out what happened. The only downside to the Witch Hunter is their inherent squishyness. When targeted by tanks or a pair of casters, they can be chewed up and spit out pretty quickly.

Witch Hunter Mastery Paths
Path of Confession: The Path of Confession is direct and uncompromising, and focused primarily on direct and immediate opposition to heresy. A specialist in Confession will eschew subtlety and lengthy investigations in favor of simply approaching their enemy and beating the truth out of them. While not necessarily the most powerful approach, it is effective in its straightforward brutality, and provides a small measure of increased protection when the Witch Hunter finds themselves under direct attack.

Path of Inquisition: The Path of Inquisition is focused on longer and detailed investigations, weakening and progressively working over an enemy until the victim's guilt is all but assured. A player with heavy Inquisition Mastery may appear less powerful at first glance, but the devastating effects of their attacks are felt more and more as the fight progresses.

Path of Judgement: The Path of Judgment is taken by Witch Hunters who are assured that their targets are guilty and no questioning is needed. They tend to take their suspects by surprise, and are at their best when the enemy's attention is elsewhere. A Master of Judgment will seek to avoid face-to-face confrontations, and will be at their most powerful when they have allies nearby that can distract their enemies, allowing the Witch Hunter to lay down very potent attacks.

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30 min ingame review of Warhammer online

This is a 30 min+ ingame review of Warhammer online. We manly play Greenskin in this review.

Enjoy.


Warhammer_Online_Preview.wmv


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Chaos Chosen class review

Overview: Few understand what it means to give your life in service to Tzeentch, the Raven God. To truly be one of the favored amongst the bringer of change's army grants you immense power, at only the cost of your soul. The Chosen lead the Chaos armies into battle with themselves at the front. With the ability to take a lot of damage, cause a decent amount of damage, and the myriad different Auras of power granted to them by Tzeentch, the Chaos Chosen are truly a force to be reckoned with. The effects of their auras set the Chosen apart from other fighters. From auras that buff the rest of the parties damage and resistances to auras that heal the Chosen himself, there are a host of different effects you can chose from depending on the situation.

Strengths:

• The ability to take lots of damage with an above average amount of hit points.


• The ability to deal more damage than other tanks on average.


• Auras that cause different effects such as buffing or damage.

Weaknesses:

• Lack of ranged attacks makes fighting from a distance effectively impossible.


• Lifetap aura doesn't heal for enough to offset combat damage.


• Weak against ranged damage classes

PvE Overview
The Chaos Chosen is hard to beat in PvE play. With their high tolerance for damage and ability to enhance their DPS through their different auras, they tend to solo quickly and effectively. Their abilities are derived from their auras, which they can use to either enhance their ability to resist damage, resist effects, or even afford them self minor heals during combat.

While in a group, the Chosen can stand out as a huge asset to the team. Their ability to buff the team through their auras allows the group a chance to increase their DPS or their resists. With the power of their auras generating extra hate to increase the taunts they already have, a Chosen shouldn't have too much trouble keeping the DPS classes out of trouble.

RvR Overview
The Chaos Chosen's chosen mode of combat is up close and personal. The combination of their ability to soak damage, do a decent amount of damage, and the effects of a their auras make the Chosen a hard foe to bring down. However, beware the ranged DPS classes. If they can draw a bead on you, they'll light you up. If you catch it soon enough however, you should be able to confront them before you die and that's where you shine. Let's face it, for a Chosen of Tzeentch, nothing is quite as fun as beating up on a cloth wearer trying to defend themselves in vain. Healers are your BFF's (best friends forever) and with a dedicated healer you go from being a pain to an outright unstoppable

Chaos Chosen Mastery Paths
Path of Strife: A This Path of Mastery focuses on increasing your DPS, which makes it potentially both sick AND wrong. In order to travel the path of "Chosen the Destructor" you will need to abandon your shield in favor of a two handed weapon, so you do sacrifice some protection in order to deal out more of the hurt.

Path of Retaliation: A This Path of Mastery focuses on being able to take the beating and outlast your foes. This is the path that allows you to be like Marv from Sin City ("Is that all you've got?!") and take an inhuman beating. These abilities allow you to define the battle lines because you ARE the battle lines.

Path of Discord: A This Path of Mastery focuses on the use of your auras. Tzeentch's gifts aren't wasted on the foolish and the Chosen who walk this path will be able to utilize their gifts in ways that other Chosen only dream of. From enhancing your melee attacks to unleashing blasts of magical power, this is the Caster Tank's path of choice.




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