Return of Reckoning

Greetings everyone.

I played mmorpg's for a long time, sometimes not always because times seems to escape, and for the most part I played World of Warcraft (currently classic since it's the only version that interests me) and Final Fantasy 14.
Often I find myself trying to find a new home, I watch videos, read some articles on the internet and I always see people talking and recommending Guild Wars 2, Lord of the Rings Online, Albion, Everquest, SWTOR, ESO, Neverwinter, and so on... as recommendations that can work as replacement when one leaves one of those big boys.

I never played Warhammer Online, I don't know what's it about, how big is the world, if it's a world worth exploring, I understand that it's a game that has a big if not huge focus in PvP but are there any pve activities to do?
I imagine that the game allows a player driven economy through an auction house? Is there gathering and crafting?

I'm trying to understand what makes this game special for some of you because it was first released in 2008 and now it's kept alive here through this private server correct?

I'm really sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to understand where and what I'm getting myself into xD

The RVR is what makes the game, huge battles you can't do elsewhere other than older mmos like DAOC. If you don't like pvp I doubt you'll stay interested. I played warhammer back when it released and got addicted to it, however the performance just wasn't there, it was released too early with a lot of bugs. Now it seems much better.

There is pve, actually quite a lot, quests/public quests/dungeons. Unfortunately the pve side is rarely touched outside of the dungeons. There are some groups that get together to farm PQ's but if you plan on going fully pve you'll probably be disappointed since a lot of public quests require a few people to complete and most of the time they're doing pvp. I'm also a classic wow addict and the lack of pve doesn't bother me. You can level fully through scenarios(battlegrounds) and RVR. Dungeons are actually quite fun with a good group and reward very good gear that helps you catch up pretty quickly with other players since it doesn't require renown ranks to use. I find the most addicting part is the carrot on a stick with the gear, there's always a new set coming up that's attainable without raids that require 40 people to be online with a 4-6 hour commitment and best of all there is no new expansion coming along to undo all your effort. The classes are all very fun to play, you can't really go wrong with any of them and I intend to play them all!

There is a crafting system where you can break down gear and make talismans to slot into armor. Cultivating and apothecary for potions. It's very useful and I would recommend getting at least one character with the professions. There aren't as many professions as wow, but what's there is very helpful. There is a player driven economy and AH if you don't want to invest time in professions.

The game itself is a bit jankier than wow, there are little glitchy things that you may notice but that's kind of to be expected since it hasn't had 20 years of updates. You kind of stop noticing it after a while. If you do intend to play I would suggest getting into a decent guild with a relatively high player base so you can make premade groups for pvp. It's a much better experience when you have a good group. It's especially fun if you're already into the warhamer tabletop. It's definitely worth a try but you may have to give it some time. You're experience will vary based on the amount and balance of users online. Some days may suck while others are amazing. The more I play the more I'm finding out about it that sucks me in.

The can`t do big battles thing elsewhere isn`t completely accurate, Elder Scrolls online as an example, Matt Firor was a co-founder of Mythic studios and helped create DAOC when he worked there for 10 years.
In 2007 he left and became lead dev in charge of Elder Scrolls online, and molded the RvR portion of ESO, on DAOC frontiers, and Darkness Falls, in Cyrodill, and Imperial City.

Castle walls that can be destroyed just like in Frontiers, RvR, 3 factions, with RvR quest hubs smaller outposts, and villages than can be captured, etc, as well.

Splat86 wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 1:28 pm
I'm trying to understand what makes this game special for some of you because it was first released in 2008 and now it's kept alive here through this private server correct?

There are basically two features of Warhammer Online that make it stand out and be unique:

1) The IP - WARHAMMER!!

Its the only Warhammer MMO, and basically one of the only Warhammer RPGs ever made. If you love the IP, then the game has a lot to offer you. Personally, Warhammer (more specifically, 40k) Orks are my favourite fantasy race and this game delivers. I love my black orc!!!


2) Large Scale PvP

Most game engines can't handle large scale pvp. Most MMOs that tried, failed. Yet, the unique selling point of MMOs is that they're massively multiplayer, and most mmos have no massively multiplayer features. WAR delivers. Virtually every single day during EU prime time, there will be 500+ players in a single PvP zone (called lakes). They wont all be in the exact same place, involved in the same battle, but all are contributing to the overall ebb and flow of zone control. The set pieces of this game - the fortresses - do have a player cap: 168 attackers, 132 defenders iirc. And they ARE all in the same fight.

So, if you like being involved in large scale battles, if you like feeling a part of something, if you want a feeling of realm pride (or realm despair lol) then WAR has something to offer you.



As to your other questions.

There is PvE. The game in split into "pairings" - Dwarf vs Orc, Chaos vs Human, High Elf vs Dark Elf - and each pairing has enough quests in it to level to the cap without having to change pairings. There are "public quests" dotted all over every map, and these were a new feature developed by Mythic. Basically, you turn up at a public quest and you'll see the currect objective. Usually, kill X mobs in stage 1, kill harder mobs and destroy some stuff in stage 2, kill a boss in stage 3. Complete the public quest, get rewards. Other players can join in and help. There are also a ton of lair bosses hidden around which offer unique drops.

At endgame, there are a bunch of 6man dungeons. No raids (tho, chapter 22 PQs do recommend 24man grps). The dungeons look amazing! But, it's worth noting that PvE combat in this game is pretty shallow. If you're used to the complexity and depth of some of the better themepark mmos, WAR will disappoint.

The devs have also, over the years, implemented a ton of unique events. These usually run for 10 days, and occur every 4-6 weeks, repeated yearly or every 2 years. Events usually involve some unique quests, tasks to kill players, sometimes they direct you to a dungeon, and they all offer unique rewards.



For all that though, it is worth remembering that PvP is the focus. The best gear comes from PvP. Every time you rank up, you get a renown point, which can be spent on stat bonuses. Those stat bonuses make a big difference. Most players spend their time PvPing, so getting groups for PvE can be tough, especially outside of EU prime.