Review of the online game Warhammer Online, download MMORPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. What gaming publications, critics and gamers say about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Starting with Warhammer Online, the Igromania.ru site is changing its approach to reviewing online games: following the “starter” review with first impressions, we will regularly publish mini-reviews telling how the MMORPG has changed, whether it has become better or vice versa. lived up to previous expectations. The final rating may change accordingly. The texts of the articles will definitely explain why exactly we changed the rating of the game at one time or another of its existence.

We were inspired to make such a decision by the fact that online games have been developing throughout their existence and it is almost impossible to immediately make a final verdict on them. And in any case, the verdict issued now can easily become outdated in a couple of years.

We also note that in the case of MMORPGs, the assessment of the Igromania.ru site may not coincide with the assessment of the editors of the paper magazine. Well, now let's move on to the actual story about the game.

The most important thing to note about Warhammer Online, is what we have before us, perhaps the first since World of Warcraft an online game that does not leave the impression of a raw and unfinished beta version. No, it's right now complete, thoughtful and very interesting MMORPG. The concept in it is not only in the form of developers’ excuses “we didn’t have time to do it, we will introduce it in a couple of months” - EA Mythic invites us to play exactly what was told in dozens of previews and interviews. Bugs, flaws in the balance - where without them, but there is still not a single thing that greatly spoils the pleasure of the game. After frankly raw Vanguard, Age of Conan And Tabula Rasa for this alone, Warhammer Online would like to express gratitude of the highest degree.

War, around the war

However, completeness is not the only and far from the strongest trump card of Warhammer Online. The game very authentically reproduces the universe of its desktop prototype - we find ourselves in a harsh world where two alliances came together in a war: Order (it includes high elves, dwarves and imperials) and Destruction (chaosites, dark elves, greenskins). As promised, it is around this very war that the whole gameplay is built. The world of the game is three separate "fronts": the high elves are at war with the dark ones, the imperials are fighting with the chaosites, and the dwarves are opposed by the greenskins - the combined forces of orcs and goblins. Plus - each side has one common capital, which, of course, is the most tasty target for the enemy.

Leveling a character up to the maximum, fortieth level, is an almost non-stop journey along one of the "fronts" (by the way, at any time you can move to visit another race). At the same time, EA Mythic still did not tie the gameplay exclusively to live players. There are also quests in Warhammer Online - single, group and so-called Public Quests (the essence is simple: on a certain part of the map there is a certain event in which everyone who passes by can take part - usually it is about exterminating monsters or protecting their comrades. After the successful end of the event, rewards are shared between the most active players). There was also a place for dungeons with bosses, which require a well-coordinated group to go to. However, almost all of these things are in one way or another "tied" to the plot of the war - for example, if we are given the task of killing someone, then this very "someone" will necessarily be a representative of the opposing side.

With the war between the players (here, by the way, it is called not the usual word PvP, but RvR - Realm versus Realm), everything is much more interesting - in fact, this is the main goal of the game. The idea is somewhat similar to Battlefield, only in global scale: the front is divided into four "shooting ranges", in the very same "top" - the capital. Each dash has an indicator showing which side is more successful. You can participate in this battle in many ways - even completing quests contributes (remember that almost all of them are tied to the same war?). However, the key to victory is to capture the castles and key points in each location - this can only be done by a very large group that has the tenacity for a long siege.

The side that "pulls the blanket over itself" in any shooting gallery receives a wide variety of goodies - from a bonus to experience and ending with access to various characters (for example, sellers of RvR items). In addition, successful actions affect the situation in the higher tiers and, accordingly, allow the side to get closer to the main goal - capturing the capital of the enemy.

A separate article is the so-called "scenarios" - separate locations, which can be accessed from anywhere in your "shooting range" and in which small (12 people on each side), time-limited battles unfold. The rules will be clear to any fan of multiplayer games - they are mostly variations of capture the flag or capture and hold several control points. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, scripts were one of the most weaknesses games. Firstly, they are quite boring and monotonous - the same battlegrounds from World of Warcraft boast much more thoughtful maps and rules. Secondly, the scenarios are very easy and quick to earn experience - in addition, getting into them is easier than gathering a group to capture the enemy's castle. All of this, for now, means that RvR is more often limited to skirmishes within a handful of scenarios, rather than large-scale battles in the "big" game world. However, now the developers have begun to take some actions to rebalance the game.

Fighters

The characters and their development is a separate, very long story. Each race has its own unique set of classes - in total there are twenty of them (however, we note that on each side there are very similar friend other characters - but the developers have not slipped to banal copying). Varieties are quite familiar to online games - although there are still some interesting points in the implementation. The basis of any army is tanks and healers. The former are the strongest warriors in the game. They themselves cannot inflict heavy damage on opponents, but they do an excellent job of guarding more “flimsy” brothers. In addition, tanks tend to have a lot of "control" - kicks that knock the enemy back, slowdowns, etc.

In continuation of the conversation about tanks, we note that in Warhammer Online there is such a thing as a “collision of characters”, that is, unlike, for example, World of Warcraft, here the players do not pass through each other, but tightly rest against their foreheads. This is very important nuance- thanks to him, for example, it makes sense to keep the formation, when strong fighters stand in the front row and simply physically do not let anyone through to those who are behind them.

Healers have their own nuance - some of them have to fight with enemies in order to earn "mana", which can then be spent on healing. Although this does not apply to all treating classes.

The third type of characters in Warhammer Online are the so-called damage dealers, that is, those who deal the main damage to the enemy. The assortment is very rich: there are archers, magicians, melee lovers - each class is very individual and has its own specialization. One is good against enemy groups, the other, if properly pumped, becomes an almost perfect healer killer. This is perhaps the strongest moment of the game: there are practically no universal characters in Warhammer, and in any serious RvR battle, the side that tries to “play as a team” at least a little gets an advantage.

The mechanics of the characters were also very interesting. First of all, it is worth noting that already at the tenth level, the number of available opportunities literally run up your eyes. You have to experiment, select different combinations for different game situations, etc. In addition to classic attacks and spells (their use consumes action points, which, however, are restored quite quickly), each hero has such things as tactics and "morals". The former act constantly, increasing certain parameters of the character, and the number of tactics that can be activated simultaneously is much less than their range (you have to choose those that are most needed now). Morale can only be used after the character fills up a special “moral scale” (its indicator increases when we are in combat), usually a very strong blow or some kind of cunning ability. The range of morals, again, is far greater than the number to choose from.

There are some things that are unique to certain character classes. About healers gaining "mana" during the battle, it has already been said above. Some magicians, inflicting maximum damage on the enemy, can easily cripple themselves. The Swordmaster and the Black Orc build tricky combinations of tricks: dealt a "normal" blow - got access to several stronger ones, dealt one of them - the third set is available. And so in a circle.

No less tricky and pumping the character. For almost all actions in the game, the hero gains experience - with his set, the level grows, it becomes possible to buy new attacks and skills from the coach. From the eleventh level, we start earning mastery points, which are responsible for the additional specialization of the hero. Each class has three special branches: by investing points in one of them, we, firstly, increase the power of certain character skills, and secondly, we get access to new attacks, spells and tactics. At the same time, the number of mastery points that we get to the maximum, fortieth level of the hero, is enough for the full pumping of only one branch (although no one bothers to develop two or even three to an intermediate level).

And finally, the last indicator is Renown, the fame that the character receives for killing “live” opponents and active participation in RvR (scenarios, capturing and defending castles, etc.). With her set, the RvR rank of the character grows (there are eighty of them in total), and very soon you realize that this is almost main characteristic hero. The best game items, unique tactics and morals - they all require a very high rank. Moreover, if the fortieth level is taken quickly enough (in a couple of months of an ultra-quiet game), then the “rise” of the rank is a long task. But it is by its value that they will evaluate the "toughness" of a player in a few months.

War in detail

Deep elaboration, amazing variety and a lot of your own ideas seem to be becoming calling card Warhammer Online. The game is very diverse, it constantly invites you to think - what is the best thing to do now (both in terms of personal gain and the benefit that you can bring to your guild and your side), how best to upgrade your character, what item to choose?

From the very first levels, Warhammer Online begins to actively push for "socialization". An interesting idea is a list of groups of players who are nearby and are ready to accept a couple of newcomers into their ranks. In addition, the guilds are well developed. In Warhammer Online, this is not just an association of people of interest - but something like separate combat units with their own unique abilities. Immediately after the creation, the guild begins to grow in level (the activity of its members affects the growth rate). There are forty of them in total - and with each one the guild gains new opportunities. Among them are those that simply improve life (like a guild bank or cloaks with their own symbols), and help on the battlefield. We are talking about standards - banners that can be handed to guild players. At the maximum, fortieth level, three such banners are available, and each can be equipped with several powerful tactics that affect all players who are nearby. Only the standard-bearer himself “suffers” from this: firstly, having taken the standard, he immediately loses all his skills, and secondly, he also becomes the main target for opponents.

In general, the first twenty levels in Warhammer Online can easily be devoted to studying the ideas of the developers. How about you, for example, nicknames given for almost all interesting actions in the game. Killed five guild leaders - get the appropriate nickname. Sometimes they also give trophies that you can fasten to your character. By the way, making a hero not like others is quite simple - in addition to trophies, there is, for example, the possibility of painting armor. Numerous merchants offer standard colors, but if you want an exclusive one, you either need to order from alchemist players (you can’t do without crafting in Warhammer Online, however, you can create only “minor” things - potions, talismans, etc.), or receive as a reward for certain tasks or look for enemies on the corpses.

Poverty and ruin

But the graphics, unfortunately, do not cause the same excitement as those that we awarded above. game process. There are strengths, of course. This is a very thorough work of artists - fans of the "desktop" Warhammer universe note that the game is reproduced very authentically, there is practically nothing to complain about. These are also strong points in the design - each location is individual, and even the simplest armor of the characters is simply gorgeous and at the same time goes well with each other (a kick in the direction of WoW, where the hero spends suiting the style and color of cast-offs).

On the other hand, the game engine is catastrophically outdated even now. The developers, however, regularly say that this is not yet Final version and in the near future beauties will be added to Warhammer Online - let's see if this is true. Well, the main problem of the game is the "disconnection" of the world. Here, unlike most competing projects, there is no “single”, whole continent with many zones smoothly flowing into each other - there are only three (each for an opposing pair of races) sets of locations strictly tied to the player’s level. Such a decision is somewhat understandable - "organizing a war" on an open continent would be an order of magnitude more difficult (if at all possible). But the atmosphere from this deteriorates pretty much - especially for those who like to "live in the game."

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We'll definitely be back to Warhammer Online in three or four months - there's just too much to appreciate in this game. The "Hammer of War" is only swinging so far, so that later it will hit full force. This will happen very soon - when the bulk of the players reach the maximum level and the real RvR begins, with the capture and retention of zones, with the sieges of capitals, with guild alliances acting smoothly and skillfully.

Whether all this will turn out to be so exciting that it will captivate users for a long time, time will tell. However, the forecast is very optimistic - already now Warhammer Online looks like a contender for the title of one of the "main games" on the MMORPG market.

P.S. By the way, very pleased with the zeal with which EA Mythic undertook to support and improve their project. Almost every week, patches are released that fix bugs, improve performance, and add useful features. In addition, the first content update is scheduled for December this year. The fact is that before the release of Warhammer Online, they cut it down a bit - in particular, they removed four classes of characters from the game. So, by the New Year, two of them are planned to be returned.

At the development stage, many called the "killer World of Warcraft". And although in the end the game received a lot of prizes from the press, and some even called it the best MMORPG-2008, WoW she didn't kill. Moreover, if in the first weeks after the release the number of subscribers Warhammer Online reached 800 thousand users, then on this moment that number has dropped to 300,000. Against the backdrop of achievements World of Warcraft it's not just a drop in the ocean - it's a tear in the ocean. However, all is not yet lost. The long-awaited release of the Russian version Warhammer Online: Age of Recon, held in early February, confirmed two things: firstly, this game really has great potential, and secondly, this potential attracts many.

Everyone went to the front

main feature Warhammer Online- This is a reliable imitation of a real full-scale war that is going on all fronts. The armies of Order and Chaos clashed for life and death, and each race contributes to the common cause. On a vast territory, three centers of confrontation unfolded at the same time: the high elves are fighting with their dark brothers, the gnomes - with the united army of orcs and goblins, the Empire - with the troops of Chaos. As soon as you are here in the role of a representative of one of the races, you immediately plunge into the atmosphere of vigorous military field activity. The plot does not shelve the matter and does not offer to start by “shooting 20 saber-toothed rat-wolves”: you are immediately sent to the front line, in the thick of things. The Imperial, for example, will be asked to help repulse the attack on the nearest villages, rescue the villagers locked in their burning houses, and then personally stand up to the guns in order to fire on the advancing chaosites, as in some tank simulator. Goblins and orcs will have to immediately repel the attack of the short bearded men, and this must be done in the most non-trivial way: throwing mud at the sculptures of huge gnomes and breaking the barrels in which the "cunning" short men landed on the shore.

The plot is dynamic: you have completed several important assignments - that's it, you are already being sent forward, even closer to the front, in order to report to some warrior there and enter his disposal. And upon arrival, you may find that this person has already been killed, chaosites are attacking city blocks, the guards are barely holding back the onslaught of adversaries, and now you have to go to the burning streets to restore at least some order there. In short, this game is full of dynamics and a strong, rich atmosphere.

wall to wall

But more importantly, total war turns into constant wall-to-wall clashes between the players. On each map, where the action of certain story chapters unfolds, there are several key points: they can and should be held and fought off. At the same time, representatives of the “profile” parties to the conflict converge in battle, that is, for example, high and dark elves, imperials and chaosites. Around these key points and important objects, Realms vs Realms zones (this is the local analogue of PvP) are open, where an enemy player can freely attack you. Accordingly, everyone who finds himself at this time and in this place becomes a member of one big team: his actions benefit everyone, and he himself receives experience and other bonuses, even if he did not personally kill a specific orc or elf.

In addition, at any time, from anywhere in the location, you can move to one of several special scenarios where a kind of multiplayer match takes place: capturing and holding control points or delivering a flag to your base, your race must be the first to score 500 points in the allotted time. A player of any level can take part in the scenario, regardless of whether he acts alone or as part of a group/squad. All this is not just abstract fun, but part of the general war. All fight results in Realms vs Realms mode - and on common map, and in some scenarios - affect the overall course of the confrontation between the two races. The more often and more successfully you act, the closer your side is to changing the balance in the available territories in your favor, and ultimately capturing the main enemy capital. At the same time, you contribute to the general treasury of success, even if you complete ordinary quests. After all, most of them are tied just to the confrontation with a hostile race. Thus Warhammer Online elevates to a cult the feeling of comradeship, the feeling of belonging to a common cause - to feel this, you do not need to go to special arenas, this feeling accompanies you everywhere.

The authors strongly encourage participation in battles between live players. For successful actions in the Realms vs Realms mode, you get a lot of bonuses, including fame and influence points, which in turn play a key role in character development. For fame and influence, you are given more powerful, “status” equipment, for which you also get “tactics” and “morality” unique for each of the 20 classes, which either passively increase the characteristics of the character, or are special moves activated in battle. Finally, fame opens access to various types so-called "skill".

Another exceptional feature Warhammer Online can be called "public quests" - these are special scenarios that develop in different parts of the map, regardless of you. Once there, you can complete scenario tasks along with the rest of the players in order to receive a share of the total loot at the end. These scenarios are quite interesting in themselves, and besides, they again teach us to act together, shoulder to shoulder.

For the knowledge gained, locations discovered and meetings with unique characters, experience is awarded.

Chaos of war

All this, of course, is good, but the launch of the Russian version only confirmed the conventional wisdom that in Warhammer Online there are balance problems. Experience for unlimited participation in Realms vs Realms is much more generous than for killing monsters and completing regular quests. On the one hand, this is good: here you can completely forget about the boring assignments from the series “bring me 20 skins or kill 15 robbers”. You can only fight players. But, on the other hand, this impoverishes the game: there is no particular incentive to explore the world, there is no full-fledged PvE mode. “Where are the raid bosses?” - many players ask disappointedly and return to WoW- it's not so easy to get to the main villains there, you need to pick up a key-tactic to them, and the entire raid of 25 people should work like clockwork, or, if you like, like a symphony orchestra. In addition, the ability to participate in Realms vs Realms battles of any group and any player of any level leads to the fact that matches often reign in chaos and confusion. It turns out such a “PvP for the people, where everyone can come and unknowingly break all carefully built tactics. IN WoW, at least you can assemble premade - a group of seasoned fighters that will form the backbone of the squad for the next battle. And you can also make a team of two, three or five players who will go to the arena to fight against the same daredevils from the opposite side, and random people there is no place here. There is a feeling of exclusivity, being chosen, here there is universal democracy, which quickly becomes a bone in the throat of some. And the scenarios themselves, in which you can converge "wall to wall", are quite primitive.

Warhammer Online has a very developed system of various ranks and titles that are given for various achievements.

Russian Warhammer

And a few words about the Russian version itself. From a technical point of view, everything went off without a hitch. Servers work and more or less cope with a huge number of people who want to plunge into the world Warhammer Online. And there are really a lot of people who want to: already in the first locations you can become a free or unwitting participant in large-scale brawls for several dozen participants on each side. True, at the time of this writing, only 2 out of 4 servers are working, but we hope this is a temporary phenomenon. Pleased with the translation. The game has a huge array of all kinds of text, and most of the quests are spelled out at the same level. World of Warcraft. And all this is translated quite adequately, competently and with the preservation of the specifics of the Warhammer universe. Elves speak with majestic pathos, people are pious, but brave, dwarves constantly commemorate ale. But the orcs and goblins were especially successful.

“A bunch of stupid wise men with their wise walkers come running at us. Your walk and knock them many, many, ”the huge green orc brings up to date, and our mood immediately improves. But it is especially pleasing that in the Russian version, most monsters and objects are given an adequate translation: this localization Warhammer Online compares favorably with Russian versions of many, especially Asian MMORPGs.

In a word, Warhammer Online: Age of Reconing is, of course, a new word in the genre. The game offers a lot of its own finds, which, however, at the moment will appeal only to those who love unlimited battles with live players. The rest can be scared away by the chaos that reigns on the fields of endless battles. If the authors want to extend the life of Warhammer Online, they need to think about the balance and introduce interesting PvE content into the game.

Overview of the game Warhammer Online

Warhammer Online is a massively multiplayer online client game developed by famous company EA Mythic. The developers say that their new game in the famous Warhammer universe is able to compete with the cult online RPG.

At the very beginning, you need to choose the side of light or darkness. Each side represents three factions. Good is represented by Imperials, High Elves, and War Gnomes. Darkness is represented by the creatures of Chaos, Orcs and Dark Elves. The player can choose any side and faction. In addition, you have to choose a faction (berserker, mage, archer, and so on).

After creating a character, the player enters the spacious game world of Warhammer Online. You have complete freedom of action - do whatever you want. You can complete various tasks, explore the world, go to dungeons, arrange fights between players and much more.

For completing various tasks, you get game experience and currency. It's simple - kill monsters, complete tasks - and you will get a new level, which opens up access to new abilities and skills. It should be borne in mind that after promotion, you need to contact any teacher who will teach you new abilities. In addition, the player's morale rises and parameters are automatically pumped, such as: strength, agility, defense, and so on. Fighting spirit is needed to perform devastating moves in combat.

The game has elements of , and PvE, and even . Unfortunately, this project has a rather boring and dull PvE mode. It presents repetitive missions and boring dungeon crawls. RvR will allow you to besiege or defend fortresses. Before capturing, you need to clear all enemy locations. After that, you can attack the fortress, then arrange a street fight and get to the main boss. Defeating the main boss means that now all of his territories are yours. Together with friends you get rich booty and a large number of gaming experience. Simply put, the siege turned out to be really interesting and exciting.

Warhammer Online failed to compete with many famous ones. However, it still turned out to be a good online role-playing game with dynamic battles and good graphics. It will appeal to all RPG fans and fans of the popular Warhammer game series.

For several years now, gamers of all countries have been waiting for a game that can become the killer of World of Warcraft itself. Therefore, with the advent of each new game the question immediately arises as to whether she can hasten the end of the legend. As for the Warhammer Online project presented today, she is not yet drawn to the role of a killer. The maximum that this game can achieve is to become a worthy alternative to World of Warcraft. Although, not many people deserve this title either, so the developers have something to be proud of.

Balance

Choosing a faction is a classic choice in the Warhammer universe. Humans, High Elves and Dwarves fight on one side, and the minions of Chaos, Greenskins and Dark Elves fight on the other. At the same time, the game offers as many as 24 classes, which is not much less than Lineage II. To solve the problem of balance with such a variety, the developers decided to come up with paired classes in each side. For example, the Fire Mage and the Wizard are typical long-range damage dealers, very similar in all characteristics. An interesting pair of classes is also considered the Avenger and Rubak, who were recently introduced by the authors. Both of these classes are classic berserkers who can build up rage and, with enough of it, fall into a real frenzy. As a result, in this state, these fighters fight quite effectively.

First impression

However, before you feel the balance, the newcomer will have to face the entire diverse world of Warhammer Online, which will certainly make an indelible impression on him. First of all, the sound and visual images are striking here, forcing the novice player to wallow in a real ocean of emotions. Indeed, the picture and sound effects here are at a fairly high level.

Development system

The mechanism of character development in the game looks quite typical. After completing tasks and destroying monsters, you gain experience points, which lead to a level increase over time. After getting the next level, you come to your mentor, who will reward you with a new ability, and so on. In addition to new abilities, as the character develops, he will receive morale and a variety of tactics. Morale in Warhammer Online is a unique amount of energy that you accumulate in combat and use by spending on special moves. Tactics are permanent buffs that increase the level of strength, health and so on.

Equipment

Equipment also plays an important role in leveling a hero. If you want to get a wardrobe only with the help of quests and hunting monsters, then you are waiting for nothing but castoffs. Here, the main incentive for development is the war between the opposing factions, so it is the war that allows you to acquire new high-quality things. In particular, the best items in terms of characteristics can be bought from military merchants. True, for this you need a certain fame. Therefore, here it is better not to evade conscription, but to fight for at least a few years. All this will be enough to get 80 level of fame, which will allow you to freely purchase things.

PvE Mode

In Warhammer Online, the PvE mode is a rather dull sight and exists mainly for show. Therefore, if you like games like Aion, then going to the dungeons will be of little interest to you. Therefore, it is worth staying here for no more than a few days. Production looks even less interesting here. There are two types of specialties in the game - raw and craft. Raw professions include farming, dismantling objects, searching for valuables in garbage dumps, and gutting corpses. Craft professions are represented here by alchemy and talisman science.

RVR Mode

Since there is no cool PvE in the game, the RvR mode plays the main role here in Warhammer Online. To play in this mode on the main servers, you need to go to special military zones, where all characters agree with free RvR. Therefore, here you can easily attack the first comer. Key points are located in such locations. Upon reaching higher levels, of which there are four in the game, these points become real castles and possessions. All this can be captured, which will allow you to get a certain reputation, experience and fame. After the faction clears all locations, it can get the right to attack the capital of the enemy. Immediately you begin to storm the fort, and after that it's time for street battles. At the final stage, there is a decisive battle with the Big Boss. By defeating him, the faction wins the war as a whole. The winners get a lot useful extraction and experience, after which they can freely celebrate. After winning such a war, the situation at the front restarts again. That is, according to the MMO13 website, the RvR mode in Warhammer Online looks very worthy.

Summary

All in all, Warhammer Online features great graphics, a unique atmosphere, and a public quest system. All this makes this project serious player in his genre.

To diversify my gaming life, I decided to find a new online game for myself, or rather MMORPG. Actually, I play World of Warcraft, and therefore I decided to pay attention to the nearest competitors of this game. Choosing the most worthy competitors, the following games fell into my field of vision: Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and Lord of the Rings Online. First of all, for reasons unknown to me, I decided to try out the sensational MMORPG "Warhammer Online: Time of Reckoning". This mini review is dedicated to this game.

So, first you need to visit the official website of the Russian-language version of the game, which is located at www.war-russia.ru. The Russian-language site has been functioning for only a few months, so there is not as much information there as, for example, on the English-language site. But still, the information is quite enough.

From the description of the game "Warhammer Online: Time of Reckoning" I was interested in the RvR system, then a quote from the site:

“Entering the world of WAR, players must decide which side they will fight on and join the ranks of an army. If you prefer to perform feats in the name of good, join the forces of Order as a proud dwarf, a noble high elf, or a human, a devoted soldier of the Empire. Those who choose the dark side will be able to join the sinister forces of Destruction and try on the mask of a wild greenskin (orc or goblin), a vicious dark elf or a marauder, an adherent of Chaos.

RvR conflicts unfold on three fronts, where old enemies wage endless wars - dwarves oppose greenskins, high elves against dark elves, and the Empire against Chaos. The adventure begins on the front corresponding to the chosen army, but players are free to help their allies on other fronts as well.

The ultimate goal of RvR battles is to plunder the enemy capital, for which the army needs to invade the enemy's territory and capture it. Decisive battles take place on battlefields located in specially designated areas and focused on various tasks, as well as under the walls of fortresses that must be captured or held. In addition, random scenarios will be available to help establish control over zones.

For the first time, players will be offered Public Quests™. They are cooperative, help advance the game's story, and allow all allied players in a certain area to participate in a continuous, multi-stage battle. This good example that any aspect of the game, including PvE, has a significant impact on the course of the entire campaign as a whole. Participation in player-versus-player (PvP) matches is optional; you can help your allies in RvR battles and enjoy the game in its entirety by entering into a competition with monsters (PvE).

With a twenty-five-year history of a detailed universe behind it, Warhammer Online: Time of Vengeance provides new life the creation of Games Workshop and will allow players to create characters who will perform glorious feats on the battlefield.

After such an intriguing description, I want to start the game as soon as possible. I register a 10-day trial account (the maximum character level in the trial account limited to the tenth) and after that I run into a little problem. Due to the fact that I am in Ukraine, my download is very slow from foreign servers. So, downloading a 12 GB client from the official site was very difficult, since it would take a lot of time. But I still managed to find a client in the UA-IX segment, which I successfully downloaded and installed. And now, the long-awaited moment, I double-click on the "Warhammer Online: Time of Vengeance" icon on the desktop, a small welcome window appears, in which you need to enter your login and password. After entering these data, an automatic update of the client begins, which lasted approximately 30 minutes. After that, the game finally started. Immediately after the launch of the game, an introductory video is activated, which you can watch on our website. Then, directly in the game, a window for selecting a game server appears. Only one game server is available for trial accounts. But nothing, as they say, for free and sweet vinegar. After entering the game server, you must select the race of your future character.

At this point, it is worth making a small digression and talking about the races that are available in the game Warhammer Online: Time of Reckoning. There are six races available in the game, which are divided into two factions. The Order faction includes humans, gnomes, and high elves, while the Destruction faction includes greenskins (orcs and goblins), dark elves, and the Chaos race. Just like in most other games, only characters from one faction can be on the same server. After you have chosen a race, you have to choose a character specialization. Specialization in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning differs from the class system (for example, from the class system in World of Warcraft). Here, for each race, there are unique specializations that are available only to a specific race. For example, for the High Elves, this is the Sword Master, High Mage, Shadow Warrior, White Lion, and for humans, this is the Fire Mage, Warrior Priest, Witch Hunter and Knight of the Shining Sun. By the way, specialization may also depend on the gender of your character, but it seems that this only applies to the race of dark elves (only a female character can become an Elven witch).

After choosing the race and specialization of the character, there is a setting appearance your hero. Everything is as usual here: face, hair color, skin color, eye color and so on. Next, you need to come up with a game name for yourself, the random fantasy name generator can help you with this. After all these simple manipulations, we start the game and get to the starting location of each of the races. The starting location is the front line of hostilities between warring races. According to the plot, people are fighting against the army of Chaos, dwarves against the greenskins, and high elves against the dark elves. That is, if you start playing for people, then the starting location will be the territory where the army of Chaos is located, and if you start playing for Chaos, then armies of people will be located at this location. Simply put, you will be in the same location, just on the other side of the barricades. This is undoubtedly a plus, which accustoms players to PvP battles from the initial levels.

So, the gameplay begins with the passage of quests. The quests are quite standard: kill someone, find something, bring something. But still quite entertaining, at least at first. To ensure that you do not get lost when you complete the quest, the quest areas are circled in red on the map. Very convenient, makes it easier to pass quests.

In addition to simple PvE quests, PvP quests are available right at the beginning of the game. Also, scenarios are available from the first level (something similar to battle groups in World of Warcraft). In order to enter the scenario, you must click on the WAR icon on the minimap. After that, you get into the queue, and when your turn comes up you will have the opportunity to enter the scenario. The scenario is an instance in which representatives of both factions simultaneously participate. The goals in the scenarios are different - to capture the flag, resources, etc. A very interesting moment, getting into the scenario, your parameters increase and you (and all other players too) become more tenacious. This certainly makes the fights longer and more interesting. In scenarios, you can get good items for your character. By the way, I would like to note one interesting moment in PvP battles. In Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, you can't pass through other players, which certainly makes the tactical options more extensive. For example, a huge orc tank can stand on a narrow bridge without letting opponents through. During this time, other players can deal damage with ranged attacks, and the healer can heal the "living wall". Some players do not like this moment, but personally I am glad that the developers of the game removed the ability to pass through other players.

Regarding the interface of the game. Why reinvent the wheel? The interface is the same as in other games (for example, World of WarCraf), but slightly improved. I personally liked it, and especially the icons and panels placed at the top of the screen.

Also, an interesting moment with items in Warhammer Online: Time of Reckoning. From the first level, you can only equip things that match your specialization. That is, you cannot wear any item that you received. At the initial levels, you will mainly receive things as a reward for quests. How things go on, I don't know.

The graphics in the game are on enough high level and stands out from its competitors. There are, of course, some models that are rather nondescript, but in general there are no complaints.

Also in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning there is a renown rating, something similar to achievements in World of Warcraft. But I did not understand it much, since I managed to play only a week.

Well, that's actually all that I was able to learn in 7 days of playing on a trial account. In general, the impression is positive and it is possible that I will become a full subscriber of the game Warhammer Online: Time of Reckoning. The game is very interesting, colorful and dynamic.

As always, there are flaws, but given that the game is a little over a year old, this can be forgiven. I hope that for Warhammer Online we will see many more patches and add-ons that will improve and complement the game. Well, here, in general, that's all.

P.S. If I do become a Warhammer Online subscriber, I will write a more detailed review that touches on more specific game moments.