What makes Warhammer Online so popular?

Although still being in Beta and postponed for the autumn, Warhammer Online is certainly one of the most anticipated MMORPG games. What makes this game popular among broad base of players all over the world?

There are five elements that distinct this game from others and that give Warhammer Online special flavor and that could be cause for such popularity.
And this is not the only value. These five elements will impact any future MMOs based on fantasy roleplay.
Public Quests, Realm vs Realm, Capital Cities, the Trophy System and the Tome of Knowledge will change the MMOPRG world we know.

Public Quests

First element or the first change that Warhammer Online introduced is the Public Quests. This change should replace or represent more efficiently the quest part of MMORPG game.
For example, for years now, the only goal in the most popular MMO game – World of Warcraft, in fact in its endgame, is raiding instances. Raids which are too much time consuming (including setup and execution) should be replaced with this more efficient and practical way in WAR called Public Quests.
With this feature, players of WAR shouldn’t wait several hours to setup the raid and then several hours to finish it. Public Quests in Warhammer Online give more opportunity, so players can plan their time for doing quests and to leave it.
Also, they choose will they do it solo or wait for friends to finish it together. Friends can be found during the Public Quests and this is also one useful option, because quests are finished much easier.

Realm vs Realm

Another games such as Dark Age of Camelot had RvR, but in Warhammer Online it expands in the entire game world (EA Mythic likes to say "War is everywhere.") Here in WAR, RvR is big and breathtaking. Everything each player does, especially in RvR, has global effect to whole world and battles in it. Every battle between each of the racial parings and every victory in it means victory of every player involved on the winners’ side.

Capital Cities

Capital Cities are another useful feature that makes WAR so popular.
Unlike other MMORPGs, Warhammer Online has Capitals that are completely conquerable. They can be claimed and ransacked by enemy forces. Statement from developers that some of the biggest PvE and PvP encounters happen in the capital cities, gives players who favor both gameplay types, a reason to be in them in the time of the battle.


The Trophy System

Idea of rewarding is implemented very well in the Warhammer Online. Through the Trophy System, players have an opportunity to show to their enemies how bad they are and how many battles they have on their back.
Simply, all rewards that have been gathered in the NPC quest rewards, public quests, boss monster drops or from enemy players can be placed in own avatar.
However, it’s possible to place five trophies only, so the choice must be wise.
This is also a feature unique for Warhammer Online, but can become a useful hint for future games.


Tome of Knowledge

Last, but not least important feature in WAR is Tome of Knowledge. This useful option serves as a sort of archive for your heroic deeds in the Warhammer Online quests and battles. Not only trophies are included in Tome of Knowledge, but also other things including a tracked statistic for nearly everything you've done in the game as well as quests, equipment, titles, tactics, etc.
Idea of Tome of Knowledge is that players can have a place for every information they need in the game. A sort of Wiki? Well, no, but it’s useful enough, if not equal.
In Tome of Knowledge, players can found whatever interests them, from own records, world information, quests, etc.


These mentioned features represent a sort of innovations in the MMORPG worlds. Not quite unique, but interesting enough to raise a question when the Warhammer Online will come out.
The last words from developers say that they’ll need a little more time for polishing, until WAR is fully completed and presented to the public.
Instead of Q2 2008, as being announced previously, development process has been prolonged again and a new release date for WAR has been set up for the autumn.

In the mean time you can still enjoy in Beta. Or raids.