Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Review
Game Statistics
- PublisherElectronic Arts
- DeveloperMythic Entertainment
- GenreMMORPG
- DistributionOnline Download
- GraphicsHigh
- PvPYes
- Free to PlayFree Trial
- Download Size15GB
Pros: Great graphics, Fluid gameplay, In-depth user interface, Each area is large detailed and full of quests.
Cons: Free trial users cannot exceed rank 10, Too many features require large groups of players, Classes feel too similar, $39.99 retail price + subscription $14.99.
Storyline:
In Karak Eight Peaks, a great greenskin Waaagh! is building. In the northern reaches of the Empire, the servants of Tzeentch have already marched deep into Ostland and are laying waste to everything in their path. Prince Tyrion's army has raced north to engage the marauding Dark Elves, only to learn that a second invasion force has begun a siege of Lothern.Recognizing that the only way to counter the threats arrayed against them will be to combine their strengths, the leaders of the Empire and the nations of the Dwarfs and the High Elves convene a great Council of Wisdom in the Imperial capital of Altdorf. At this summit, the three rulers forge a pact that their peoples shall fight as one and strike back at the enemies who would conquer their homelands. The Age of Reckoning has begun.
Features:
WAR’s core combat mechanic is pretty standard, and you’ll find yourself comfortably at home with hotbars, skill rotations, and the like. As you level, you can unlock new abilities at a career trainer and earn Career Mastery points to spend on further specializing your character, and receive “Morale” skills that you can activate after building up morale through combat. You can also earn “Tactics” through PvE and PvP, which are basically slottable bonuses that you can switch out at any time based on your needs in battle. The feel of the combat is pretty fast and fun, while characters feel a little weightless even though the game has collision detection.Everything from quest tracking, rich lore-driven stories for each area, and information about notable figures that you come across, to a collection of the titles you’ve earned, your progress towards different achievements, and lore entries for every type of monster that you meet, are included in the Tome of Knowledge.
Another interesting addition allows you to join other players to engage in gated, objective-based quests scattered throughout quest areas. They usually consist of killing a certain amount of mobs, which unlocks the next, harder phase of the quest, which in turn spawns a huge monster or some such to complete the series. All players can join or avoid them as much as they like, and participants are rewarded individually based on their contribution. Participating in PQ’s also works toward your overall “Influence” with the region’s faction, which has its own rewards for doing quest-related objectives.
WAR’s PvP is some of the fastest, most furious, and satisfying player-versus-player combat in any type of game, and there’s a whole lot of it. Every Tier of leveling is supported by open world, Realm vs. Realm battles for region control, while you can also queue up for instanced scenarios anywhere, or participate in high-level campaigns to take over the opposing side’s Capital City.
There are 24 different careers to choose from (some of which were added post-launch), split between Order and Destruction, and four Tiers to play through if you like WAR’s content. The careers are pretty varied and have a lot of personality, and are worth checking out if you like making alts.
Overall while Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is a fun game, it is to costly for what it is. If you love Warhammer and have the bucks, give it a go but if you are just looking for an MMO in general it is best to go for another game. If it became free to play with a microtransaction system it would be much more worth playing. On an interesting note, Warhammer – Wrath of Heroes which looks to be a MOBA is in beta right now and will be f2p when it opens up.
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