Warhammer Online is like many MMORPGs in the sense that players must accumulate rewards and experience by completing quests, tasks, killing monsters, and enemies. There are a few differences in the way that this is presented to the player. There are direct and indirect ways to advance your character in Warhammer Online. Player rank is like the age or level of the character. Increases in rank are a general way of raising the level of the character’s stats, like hit points. As the ranks increase, more abilities, like spells or attacks, open up to the player so that they can obtain mastery over a particular skill set that they choose. The following are explanations of ways to level. All are necessary to be successful in the game. A player cannot focus on just one part of the game.
Ranks can be obtained by killing a certain number of beasts or completing quests given by non-player characters. There are dungeons that can be explored. Dungeons are safe from player vs. player combat but it does not mean that they are easy. Dungeons will generally have a bunch of lower level mobs that will gradually get more difficult. At the end, there is a boss mob to be guild that is greater in strength, health, and attacks than the little mobs. Killing this boss will generally give the player more experience points and better equipment. There are three different types of dungeons in Warhammer. The realm instanced dungeons are specific to either Order or Destruction players only. Warband instanced dungeons are playable by groups that adventure together. Grouped instanced dungeons require six players that will play in separate areas of the dungeons. These players have already completed the regular dungeons.
Another way that players can receive better equipment and experience is by working on public quests. PQs are always on-going quests in public areas. If a player walks into this zone, the player is automatically included in the quest. Most PQs have three stages and characters will receive experience for each stage completed. Some PQs are timed while others are completion quests, where a certain number of mobs must be killed to move onto the next stage. After the three stages are completed, the loot from the boss will be divided by the game through a contribution and random number system. A player will receive influence points for every PQ completed. Influence rewards are given by a non-player character, called a Rally Master, in the area that the PQ was started. The Rally Master will give you equipment or potions in exchange for the influence. The difference between rank gain and influence gain is simple. Rank gain would be as if the player was to go to school and obtain a college degree. During that time, the player would receive an education and skills to help them in the real world. They would also age. Influence rewards, however, are rewards given to a player for helping someone. It would be similar to shoveling your elderly neighbor’s driveway. The neighbor would thank the individual for their time and offer cookies or hot chocolate. She may even knit a better hat for you to wear.
In addition to the player rank, characters will, over time, increase their renown rank. Renown ranks will award a player with bonuses to their character’s abilities, titles, and gear. The renown rank measures how far a character has gone into the realm vs. realm area of the game. RVR is a player vs. player and a player vs. environment situation. The character will be engaging in war with other players in a combined effort across the realm (or world that the character is situated). Both experience, gold, and loot can be awarded for successful quests. When killing another character, players will get a chance to loot items from the corpses. The items are not directly from the dead character. This type of loot is generated in the same way mob loot is generated. If the player’s character is a much higher rank than the person that they are attacking, the attacker will become a chicken that is easily killed. This prevents higher level players from griefing, or picking on, lower players.
There are three types of battles that will increase a renown rank. Skirmishes are considered open-world player vs. player kills. These points are earned by the player taking the initiative to seek out others and attack them. There are also battlefields. In a battlefield, player vs. player takes place in an open space of the world while playing a game of capture the flag. To win in this type of battle, players must work together to capture and defend territories. When a side wins, the realm as well as the player will receive points for the success. Scenarios are instanced matches. In a scenario, the groups are matched as evenly as possible. If a player is lower level, for the time that they are in this instance, they will be bumped up to the average level. In the beginning of each scenario, a set of rules is displayed, explaining the objectives, players, and winning conditions. Winning or losing a scenario will give a player points. The points are based on contribution and achieving the campaign.
Finally, there are a few indirect ways to advance characters. Most guilds are places of social interaction with play surrounding goals of killing specific bosses. In Warhammer, the dynamic of the guild is a little different. Warhammer Online encourages guild creation and social interaction of players. Guilds will have access to exclusive features not available to single players. The guild that a player joins can affect how the player advances. Increasing the guild rank through quests and player vs. player combat will positively affect the player. Guilds can have a space in one of the capital cities that is instanced specifically to that group.
Guild Experience is gained much like character experience – through defeating boss mobs, acquiring objects, and completing quests. The game will not allow one guild to rule all of a faction. When guilds are too large, the benefits of a member are less. Smaller guilds will receive more of a benefit from a guild. To support a guild, the leader can enforce a tax (automatic, percentage based income from the player) or a tithe (donations at will). Guilds can use this money to fund player vs. player fights on a much larger scale. As the rank of the guild increases, abilities such as purchasing a guild bank, buying standards to fly in battle to increase damage, or having the ability to make an alliance with other guild will be available. Eventually, the guild can create cities and stores, which will reduce the amount a player has to spend to buy items. The guilds must fight to keep these cities. To fight, a guild must be a solid group of players. There is a power dynamic in joining guilds. The core people will benefit more than the newer players. The newer players must be nice (or at least, tolerant) of respected members. The guild leader must watch over, and make decisions, concerning the use of money. The guild must trust each other or the guild will not be successful.
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