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The Warhammer Online Newsletter left fans drooling for more. And here’s why :
Q & A
Grab Bag #18
Q: Are there any other factors besides time that influence morale, such as home field advantage increasing morale or being outnumbered decreasing morale?
A: At the simplest level, morale only builds when you are actively participating in a fight – either by dealing damage or by healing a target that is dealing damage. Beyond that, there are many factors that can impact morale – your own tactics and the tactics from your group members, proximity to allied players of certain careers, group buffs, debuffs from enemies, etc.
Q) Are the tactics you choose permanent or can they be changed later on?
A) Absolutely not permanent - Players earn tactics from standard advancement as well as progressing in RvR and via the Tome of Knowledge. As they move through their career, they’ll earn FAR more tactics than can ever be slotted at once (the same holds true for morale abilities). Players can slot and re-slot tactics as they see fit. The only limitation is that tactics CANNOT be changed out while you’re in combat. Players will also be able to prepare numerous “load outs” for their tactics that they can toggle between easily, rather than having to adjust specific tactics over and over. Make sure to check out this month’s podcast for more details!
Q) Will you be able to get trophies from killing other players?
A) Yes, but we’re doing it in a way that will allow players to have a degree of choice when it comes to the trophies they receive, so it won’t be a simple matter of looting the trophy from a player’s corpse.
Q) Will magic using classes have advantages and disadvantages versus other types of magic?
A) Yes. Ranged damage of all kinds is broken up into resistance categories (as are all forms of damage, for that matter). Careers (not just magic users) will be weaker or stronger against specific sorts of damage depending on their baseline resistances as well as armor and tactics they are currently using.
Q) How will players be able to display their achievements in PvP and distinguish themselves from others?
A) Aside from armor and trophies which will visually indicate how advanced you happen to be, the Tome of Knowledge has an entire “Bragging Rights” component that will be accessible by other players so they can see just how much of a badass you really are.
PVP and RVR Combat System Video
Witch Elf Career
Witch Elves are the maiden-elves who are wedded to Khaine, the Lord of Murder, in midnight rites of blood sacrifice and magic. The decadent fragile looks of the maidens of Ulthuan are nothing compared to the intoxicating beauty of the Witch Elves. Witch Elves go to war alongside the Dark Elf armies, eager to prove themselves in the eyes of their god. For them the battlefield is just another temple of Khaine, and the screams of the dying are praises sung in honor of the bloody-handed god.
Witch Elf Specialty
The brides of Khaine are fanatical fighters. Wielding long sacrificial daggers dripping with vile poisons, these incredibly quick and agile fighters race across the battlefield leaving blood and destruction in their wake. The more blood they spill, the greater their fervor for battle. As the Witch Elf’s Frenzy increases so do the incredible feats she can perform in battle. A Witch Elf at the height of her bloodlust can penetrate even the staunchest defenses.Playing as the Witch Elf
A Witch Elf can be an unstoppable force of death and destruction under the proper circumstances. By picking their targets carefully, the Witch Elf can win a fight in a short amount of time. A Witch Elf prefers to rapidly close with lightly armored targets, where their wicked poisons can find exposed flesh. Using a combination of rapid attacks, the Witch Elf works herself up into a Frenzy to execute powerful attacks that will stop most opponents dead in their tracks. When facing a heavily armored foe, the Witch Elf relies on her agility to survive long enough to pick apart her opponent’s defenses and opening him up to a savage death blow.Fighting the Witch Elf
The key to defeating a Bride of Khaine is not being overwhelmed by the beauty of her savage attack. When facing a Witch Elf the best counter to her tremendous offense is to respond in kind. The Witch Elves pay for their speed and agility by having virtually no defenses, and using this to you’re advantage is the key to success. One must either hold their ground allowing her Frenzy to play out, or match it in kind in the hopes that you can defeat her before she gifts you with the kiss of death.The Look of the Witch Elf
Lightly armored and agile, capable of closing long distances rapidly Wields long sacrificial daggers coated in deadly poisons Armor is adorned with razor sharp hooks, and wickedly barbed metal plates
Blighted Isle Overview
Long ago, during the catastrophic civil war known as the Sundering, terrible magical energies were unleashed upon the northern kingdoms of Ulthuan. The land was riven by cataclysmic earthquakes and swallowed by the raging waters of the ocean. All that now remains of these once-proud provinces are a number of broken, twisted islands. The most important of these is the Blighted Isle, and at the dawn of the Age of Reckoning it is here that the Dark Elves’ invasion of Ulthuan begins.
Under cover of darkness, House Uthorin’s mighty Black Ark, Nemesis, approaches the northern coast of Ulthuan. A towering fortress of obsidian atop an island of rock, the Ark is laden with soldiers, beasts and war machines of the powerful noble house. From the depths of the Ark, legions of Dark Elf warriors charge forth onto the high bluffs, eager to spill the blood of their mortal enemies. But the High Elves are not as surprised by the attack as Malekith has guessed.
With the clarion call of a silver horn, Swordmasters spring out from hiding and ambush the invaders. Shadow Warriors rain deadly arrows upon the Dark Elf soldiers from hidden crevasses in the cliffs. The battle for the Blighted Isle has begun, and far sooner that Lord Uthorin and the Witch King expected. In their eagerness for conquest, both have gravely underestimated the wisdom of their High Elf kin.
Before departing to join the war in the Old World, the Phoenix King appointed the mighty warrior Prince Tyrion and his brother Teclis as joint stewards of Ulthuan. Knowing that his kingdom was at great risk of attack by the opportunistic Dark Elves, King Finubar commanded Tyrion to raise an army of skilled warriors. This Shining Guard would be charged with the defense of Ulthuan while its armies were away in the west.
When the Guard was assembled, Prince Tyrion led his army north, for always the Dark Elves had attacked there first. Sure enough, his scouts soon brought word that a great fleet of Black Arks was fast approaching on the horizon.
Although Prince Tyrion’s prescience has robbed the Dark Elves of the element of surprise, Lord Uthorin still has a considerable advantage. His forces outnumber the Shining Guard, and he has brought siege machines and creatures of war to overrun their defenses. Slowly, inexorably the Dark Elves push Prince Tyrion’s noble warriors back. It is not long before the forces of House Uthorin have gained a foothold on the broken shores of the Blighted Isle.
Though the Isle is far from the High Elf capital of Lothern, it is greatly prized by the Dark Elves, for it here that the Altar of Khaine can be found. Atop this great ziggurat of black stone rests the Widowmaker, dread Sword of Khaine. It is an artifact of immeasurable power that has already changed the course of Elf history once, and would certainly do so again if it fell into the hands of the Witch King. The Sword of Khaine calls out to both Dark Elves and High, for it wishes to be drawn so that it might once more spill blood in the name of the Lord of Murder.
Prince Tyrion knows full well that there is a terrible price to be paid for the sword’s awesome power; long ago, Aenarion the Defender, first of the Phoenix Kings, used the weapon to drive the hordes of Chaos out of Ulthuan. This selfless act saved his people, but the dark stain of the sword’s power poisoned his bloodline forever. That curse was made manifest when Aenarion’s son Malekith was born, for he is the Witch King of the Dark Elves.
Lord Uthorin lusts for the Sword of Khaine. Such a weapon might give him the power to usurp the Witch King and take his place as the ruler of the Dark Elves. If he were to succeed in claiming the Widowmaker, the results would be disastrous not only for the High Elves, but for the entire Alliance of Order.
The Lords of Ulthuan watched as the Old World was consumed by war, but for many the conflict seemed distant and of little concern. All of that has changed with the Dark Elves’ invasion of Ulthuan, for now the threat has come to the shores of the High Elves’ island home. It has become terribly clear that the unfolding war is not merely a chain of circumstances and unfortunate coincidences. Only now do the High Elves perceive the terrible and malicious cunning behind these events, and it will take all their skill and courage to keep their exiled brethren away from the Sword of Khaine and the Phoenix Throne.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on Ulthuan, other Black Arks continue to make landfall. Bloodthirsty Dark Elves march forth to begin their great campaign of conquest. From his throne room, the Witch King watches with hate-filled eyes as the last pieces of his grand scheme fall into place. The full might of his armies has been set loose upon the pristine lands of Ulthuan, and destruction and ruin will follow in their wake.
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In response to some Starcraft players and fan’s question on as to why units cannot use their skills while inside bunkers Karune, blizzard’s most active “blue-guy” in the Starcraft forums explains the reason why.
Two of the reasons we don’t currently allow special abilities in bunkers is that it would make the interface quite messy and it would be overpowered for certain abilities.
As far as interface, players would have to be able to access all special abilities from the bunker UI, which could mean the possibility of many, many abilities (for instance if you had a Medic, Marine, Ghost, and Firebat in the bunker).
The Bunker would also be overpowered for units like the Medic (would it be able to heal while in the Bunker? which would be OP) or the Ghost (sniping, launching nukes, and drop pods, from inside the Bunker).
Units however, can use their skills before entering the bunker and the effects will sill last as long as it should (and expire as it should)
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With the return of the Firebat (for testing) and improvements made to both the Ghosts and Medics, there are a lot of exciting changes being tested for the Terran faction.
Chat with the Devs: The Terran Starport will no longer transform into a Starbase. <More info pending down the thread, keep checking back on this thread for updates>
—StarCraft II Q&A Batch 15—
1) Can an upgraded command center be salvaged? Does it lose its mobility when upgraded to a surveillance station?
No, the command center cannot be salvaged, nor can it lift off after it is upgraded to a Surveillance Station (allows the use of the Comsat ability).
2) In Starcraft 1, when you cancel a nuclear launch that is in progress, you lose the warhead. Will Starcraft II make any changes to this setback? (starcrafttwo.com)
Currently, if you cancel the nuke while it is firing, you will still lose the nuke. This outcome has not yet been finalized and may be changed in the final version.
3) Can a Ghost be equipped with both a Nuke and Drop Pod simultaneously?
Yes, any Ghost can launch either a Nuke or a Drop Pod, making the Ghost highly effective at responding to multiple battle circumstances.
4) Will “caster” units, such as the Protoss High Templar, have a regular attack, like Tassadar had in SC1, or will they only be able to attack through their spells? (blizzplanet.com)
Currently, there are no plans to give the High Templar a physical attack, though High Templar Story Characters will have additional abilities beyond that of the standard unit. At the moment, the High Templar is one of best support units in the game, with the ability to cast a devastating Psi Storm or choke off crucial areas of the map with the force field ability. Once youve used up its energy, no worries, convert it into an Archon with another Templar.
5) Can Marines be Stimmed while in a bunker? What about a Ghosts snipe ability?
In the current build, abilities cannot be activated while inside a bunker, but you can activate abilities before entering a bunker. For example, if you activate Stim Pack on a few Marines, then enter a bunker, they will attack at the higher rate of fire from inside the bunker. The Stim Pack effects will still wear off as normal though.
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