The MMORPG Warhammer Online was officially discontinued in 2013. Now, 10 years later, it is getting an update. A fan server that continues the game is behind this.
What happened to Warhammer Online? Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning originally went online in September 2008. It was an MMORPG with a strong PvP focus: Guild wars and Realm-vs-Realm battles were a regular occurrence. Crafting was also important to create the best possible equipment.
At release, Warhammer Online was very popular, peaking at 800,000 subscribers. However, the numbers quickly declined.
The MMORPG was criticized by players for feeling unfinished. The endgame reportedly lacked content and replayability. Additionally, bugs that weren’t fixed quickly enough ultimately led to the shutdown of Warhammer Online.
In 2013, the Warhammer license expired, and an extension didn’t seem worthwhile. Thus, the official servers from developer Mythic Entertainment were shut down.
Some fans didn’t want their MMORPG to end and launched the Warhammer Online: Return of Reckoning server in 2014. It is still online today and continues to attract many players. It’s important to note that it’s a non-profit server, allowing fans to operate it legally.
More content than in the original MMORPG
The fan server receives regular updates, providing players with more content than was available on the official servers. New content also came to the MMORPG in 2021.
What’s in the new update? The fans have now revamped the entire Tier 1 content of Warhammer Online. Players receive better rewards for quests, such as rarer gear and stronger potions.
Additionally, well-known bugs have been fixed, movement within and between cities has been improved through new teleporters, and old public quests have been optimized.
The highlight of the update is an entirely new scenario. It’s called “The Old Dwarf Road” and is a battle in which you must gain control over 3 shrines. You can find more about it in the patch notes.
Have you ever played Warhammer Online on official servers? Or did you only start with the fan server? What do you think of the update and the new system introduced for Tier 1 content? What are your thoughts on fan servers in general? Feel free to share your comments here on MeinMMO!
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