14 DAY TRIAL // The online gaming scene is starting to become bigger and bigger in these very tough times, when game developers are beginning to feel the negative influence of the recession on their retail sales. People are starting to move away from games that can only be played once, and are heading towards titles that can be played with others and which can offer a much more entertaining experience. This has led to the increase in popularity of MMORPGs, like World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online, which are getting more and more subscribers every day.
Now, in an effort to make an even bigger dent in the WoW fanbase, Mythic, the developer behind Warhammer Online, or WAR, has decided that it will launch a brand new expansion for its online game. But this won't be an ordinary release of new content, similar to Wrath of the Lich King made by Blizzard; it will be rolled out in stages, starting in March and continuing up until June.
The expansion, dubbed Call to Arms, will bring a lot of new things to the popular online game, like two new careers, the Orc Choppa and the very anticipated Dwarf Slayer, a new dungeon zone, Land of the Dead, which is set in the desert realm of the Tomb Kings. But, most importantly, it will be completely free to all players.
“The launch of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was only the first step in our ongoing quest to make a great MMORPG that players will enjoy for years to come. Over the next few months, we are going to be treating our players to the first of our 'live expansions' planned for the game,” said Mark Jacobs, VP and general manager of Mythic Entertainment. “With the addition of new careers and a huge Tomb Kings dungeon that is the spiritual successor to the Dark Age of Camelot dungeon, Darkness Falls, Call to Arms is an outstanding example of the massive amount of free content we are committed to delivering to WAR players now and in the future.”
Here is the full expansion schedule, detailing how it will be rolled out in the following months, as found on Videogamer:
Call to Arms: Bitter Rivals Live Event (March): Successful completion allows head start access to the new Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer careers. The event will also include the new Chaos-themed RvR Scenario, Twisting Tower.
Two New Careers Join WAR (March): The Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer answer the Call to Arms.
Call to Arms: Beyond the Sands Live Event (April): Details to be revealed soon.
Call to Arms: Rise of the Tomb Kings Live Event (May): The race between Order and Destruction players begins to unlock the Land of the Dead for their Realm.
Land of the Dead Opens (June): The deserts of Nehekhara open to players with the addition of a new RvR-gated dungeon zone. To gain access to the Land of the Dead, opposing Realms must battle for control of the zone to access dozens of new Public Quests, instanced lairs, and a massive new Tomb Kings dungeon to plunder in search of the Casket of Souls.
In conclusion, it seems that WAR players will be in for some very interesting adventures in the near future. This is a pretty big portion of content, and with it being free, you can be sure that a lot of WoW players will start to battle in the name of the two forces, the Order and Destruction, once again.