Happy Halloween from Keen and Graev!

It’s once again Halloween!  This is one of our absolute favorite holidays that we look forward to every year.  The house gets decorated with Halloween and Fall-like decorations and we get to eat our traditional Chilli and Corn Bread dinner.   Although Trick-Or-Treating ended many years ago for us, (not by choice but because the neighbors stopped giving us candy) we still enjoy the spirit of the Holiday and hope that you do too.

This Halloween in particular is the second that we get to celebrate here on our blog!  We started our blog in February of 2007 and sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re creeping up on two years.  We want to start a tradition this year by posting screenshots of our characters in-game to sorta document where we are each year in relation to the particular holiday.  Last year, as you may or may not recall, we were playing EQ2.

This year we’re in Warhammer Online!

This year in Warhammer Online the Witching Night event has been taking place.  Players can also explore the world and find Couldrons that spawn spirits and crones that can be slain to drop masks, give influence, and other stuff.  During this event players can also meet in the Open-RvR areas and do battle with each other to win a Public Quest.  The first stage of this PQ requires players to kill 100 players of the opposing realm.  This seems like a lot but when the RvR picks up it can go by in less than 20 minutes.   So far the RvR-PQ’s have proven to be absolutely enormous draws for players to participate in RvR.  People are flocking to the RvR lakes and, most of the time, sticking around to fight eachother after the PQ is over.  I think Mythic can consider this event a success and can now turn to the development of RvR-PQ’s for permanent implimentation.

It’s interesting to note that all of this is over ‘fluff’.  The items here are masks, capes, and other stuff which can be replaced easily.  People aren’t fighting here for points (Although the EXP has been fantastic).  They’re fighting for silly things of little importance to their characters, but a lot of importance to fun.   Now if this can be capitalized on then Mythic will easily be able to implement PQ’s without worrying about balance or itemization; however it should still be put into the game to entice those who would be attracted to the phat lewt.

I would be interested in hearing about Halloween in other mmorpgs if any of you have stories to share.

  • haha yesterday destro won they PQ (damn pugs couldnt stay back and were getting hit by their guaurds)

    anyway then when the boss guy was killed, we held them off the treasure chest until it despawned. hahaha happy Halloween B!@#$%s

  • Every time I log in, the PQ has just finished! 😛

    Strangely though, I’ve found the XP to be pretty horrible. Multiple Warbands clashing, yields about an average of 150xp per person for a rate of about 450-600xp per minute. I can double or triple that grinding equal-con mobs.

    Not nearly as fun though!

  • Wrong I fight for points.

    Loot is points
    exp is points

    having a mask you don’t have… BIG POINTS.

    It’s all about the points 🙂 Always is, Always has been.

    The sooner we all accept it’s about points, the better games can be made to get all the other things that you speak up.

    For example: You can pretend this isn’t about points and have fun.

    I can get my loot/points and have fun.

    We both win.

  • Both “for points” and “for fun” can exist. It’s when one tries to push the other guy out, change the way the game was meant to be played, or influence game design to drastically alter the play of the other that we have a problem. And be realistic for a second… there are situations where both cannot coexist.

  • @Snafzg

    I found that XP in warbands is terrible.

    Going solo or with one or two friends it the way to go. I get GREAT xp when I fly solo.

  • Really, warband XP does suck, unless you still manage to do most of the damage. I guess the idea is quantity of quality for those large fights, but it doesn’t work out that way.

  • @Bartle – Bad news for my Big Shootin’ Squig Herder who can only solo a small number of Order careers. 😛

    Graev and I should talk strategy… Where is teh Graev!?

  • I think the only career my Engineer could solo is a Sorc, with no built up, whatever the combustion mechanic for their side. I would likely die, but my DoTs would finish her off.

  • @Snafzg

    I play an engie and he’s only level 15. I find that even though i’m no powerhouse, if I wail on a nice cloth wearer, I can deal enough damage to net some nice XP.