Every PvP game needs a system for advancement. It’s how the average player gauges his or herself against the rest of the population. In Dark Age of Camelot there are Realm Ranks and as you climb in ranks you gain access to better abilities and other goodies. A fairly standard system. Warhammer Online is going to be no different from the rest in terms of the basic system, however they are adding a few very interesting twists to make it a unique and polished experience.
Basic Overview
“The Renown system dictates the rewards made available to a player (items, abilities, titles, or otherwise). Renown is gained through many actions in WAR – killing other players, taking or defending battlefield objectives or keeps, participating in scenarios, and zone control.”
Right away we see that the system stretches beyond killing players and winning battlegrounds. I think it’s a fantastic idea to reward players for participating in taking objectives and keeps. Combine the renown rewards with the public quest rewards and you have an enormous incentive for players to participate in the larger events of RvR. I want to get a bit more specific on some ways players can earn renown.
Group split vs. the Solo player. Is it better to group or fly solo? From the information given it appears to be a very fair system. If my group does 80% of the damage and a solo player does 20%, then my group splits the 80% and the other player gets 20%. Being realistic and looking at the larger picture, a single player will likely never contribute enough damage to earn a sizable piece of the pie. Grouping allows for all players to contribute to a larger pot of renown for the entire group. Did you happen to catch on to the important details there? Damage done determines renown earned. A classic pvp bias towards damage dealing classes. But…
Healing earns renown! Healing classes have their own pool of renown that they are rewarded from in order to overcome this bias that damage is king in PvP. Quote: “Every time you heal another player, whether they’ve been in combat recently or are currently in combat, you’ll get a little bit of Renown.” That’s really incredible and lucky for healers. They can spam heals on people and be rewarded for it. It’s certainly incentive for people both in your group and out to play their role in the battle.
The only people that will lose out in this system, as I see it, are the more “hybrid” types that won’t be huge damage dealers or great healers. These players will absolutely have to run in a group in order to gain renown. That’s not a bad thing. Every bit helps and I’m sure these classes will bring something to the table. Also, I prefer that players be grouped for both organization and efficiency. So to you solo archers out there who think you’ll be sniping points off other groups, you might want to think again. Ranged dps will be considered nearly “DOT-esque” and lacking in the burst damage department.
Mythic’s implementation of reward players for participating in objective based RvR pleases me. Players will get renown for defending and attacking keeps and other objectives as well as points for taking over zones. Here’s the real sweet spot in the system. The more you participate in RvR the more your reward for taking a zone will be. Whatever you as a player are worth in renown that will be multiplied by 5 and you will be rewarded with those points. A very fair system. And of course the classic battleground scenarios award the winners and loser with the winners getting more.
Renown Rewards
This is probably the majority’s favorite part. What do you get for your character, besides the satisfaction that your team won, to justify the time spent? It’s time to redeem those tickets you won at Chucky Cheese! There are two types of rewards:
- RvR Tactics – Slotted upgrades that allow you to customize your character’s preformance in RvR. Example: 2% dmg increase vs. Dwarfs or a slight heal every time you kill a high elf player. They are very powerful upgrades to your character that will give you added benefit in RvR.
- Stat Bonus Packages – Very similar to the DAOC style upgrades. Hard as Nails I – V where each level increases your toughness more. There are several types that can raise resistances, weapon skill, strength, etc. These will be very useful in both RvR and PvE.
- Items – Ranks unlock access to gear. The better your rank the better the gear. Players that participate in capturing cities will gain access to even more powerful RvR sets. This will be the primary way of upgrading your gear.
The Renown System offers a lot of benefits and customization options for your character. This is a game centered around RvR and as such players that RvR will be more powerful and diverse than players that only PvE. Do a little of both and become diversified.
This whole thing really reminds me a lot of DAOC and introduces many twists to make it different and enticing for players. I already want to be Level 40 participating in city sieges because I want that neat RvR gear. However, none of these rewards interest me as much as the experience itself. They could do away with all of this and simply leave the exciting thrill of defending or attacking a castle. I consider this icing on the cake. A very yummy cake.