Planning on faking a few sick days? Cancelling that sun holiday to roll your Choppa?!

We want to know!!

Question:
Do you plan to take time off work/school when WAR is released?

Choices:
Option 01: Yes! Most definitely, will plan dates soon as date is released [
Option 02: Yes, but also depends on the actual release date
Option 03: No, in school/can't afford to
Option 04: No, I wouldn't do this over a game, any game.
Option 05: Haven't thought about it yet
Option 06: Other

Last week's results:

Question:
How much do you know about Gamesworkshop?

Choices:
Option 01: Lots, been a follower for many years [51 votes]
Option 02: Enough to get by! [55 votes]
Option 03: They own the WAR IP, and uh, made WAR! That's about it! [39 votes]
Option 04: Don't think I need to know anything/much about them to play so never looked them up [12 votes]
Option 05: Nothing, fill me in! [14 votes]

WarhammerVault are delighted to announce our 2nd WAR Beta Key Contest!

Simply enter your name, email address and date of birth in our submission form and cross your fingers!

Take care to remember the following rules:

You must be registered on the NA EAMythic beta center
Email address you submit must be the email address you are registered with on the NA EAMythic beta center.

Entrants must be over 18 years of age

One entry per person

Contest open to NA areas only

Winners will be picked by random drawing at time of closing, midnight October 1st 2007.

You must be registered on the WarhammerVault in order to submit your entry.

Get on over to our Contest Page and submit your details!

Good luck to everyone :)

Ever wanted to do more than just post about the game?! WarhammerVault is currently looking for all sorts of people interested in everything WAR!

Whether you're an artist looking to show off your skills, a budding news reporter with a broken F5 key trying to keep up on the latest news, a coder dying to make something for the community to enjoy and praise you over, or just someone who wants to talk about WAR...then we're the place for you!

We're interested in talking to anyone who thinks they have something to bring to the WARVault, or simply help out :)

Just PM / EMail Swanny or PM / EMail myself to get the ball rolling!

Daemon Hatfield over on IGN posts a review of his experience of the Witch Hunter

At EA's Tokyo Game Show 2007-eve party in Shibuya tonight, the latest build of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was on hand showcasing the Witch Hunter class. Lucky for us, EA Japan had a female Witch Hunter all cued up and ready to quest. Developer Mythic has described the class as a mix of Van Helsing and a grand inquisitor, which is a fair comparison, as our femme fatale was dressed like a medieval (and feminine) Indiana Jones and carried a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other...

Read Daemon's complete review here.

A wondering thought that had me create this poll, just how much do you know about Games Workshop?

Let us know!

Question:
How much do you know about Games Workshop?

Choices:
Option 01: Lots, been a follower for many years
Option 02: Enough to get by!
Option 03: They own the WAR IP, and uh, made WAR! That's about it!
Option 04: Don't think I need to know anything/much about them to play so never looked them up
Option 05: Nothing, fill me in!

Last week's results:

Question:
Do you think knowing the WAR background and lore is needed/a help to play the MMO?

Choices:
Option 01: Yes definitely, doesn't give an advantage but you know what to expect [31 votes]
Option 02: Yes as it will give an advantage to those who are in the know, albeit a slight one [20 votes]
Option 03: Not important to play the game, but it's great to know the background anyway [155 votes]
Option 04: No, could be a disadvantage as the game isn't exactly as per the lore/background [7 votes]
Option 05: No, not important to know it at all [29 votes]
Option 06: Other [5 votes]

Don't forget to sign your guild up on our Guild Database! You can submit your guild using this link, so get to it!

Chat about your guild, advertise recruiting and check out the competition on our Guild Forum

Start gearing up those rivalries!

TenTonHammer's Cody bye had a chance to sit down with Mark Jacobs at the recent Leipzig convention. Here's Part One of that interview for us to enjoy!

As a first hand observer of the sort of craziness that was going on at the Warhammer Online booth, my first concern was to ask Mark what sort of response had he seen post-Leipzig. �It�s been overwhelming,� Mark said. �If you look at the number of people that were at the show and how many of them filled our booth on a daily basis, I think it�s fairly safe to say that we did pretty well. There was even one guild that drove forever to get to the show and then truly did nothing but circle around the line to play on our machines. ..

Read Cody's complete interview here

Missy posted on the WARHerald earlier today letting the community know that Richard Duffek no longer works for EA Mythic.

James and Missy will be our Community coordinators now!

Richard Duffek and EA Mythic parted ways as of this morning. We thank him for his contribution to the organization over the past years, and wish him the best in his future endeavors. James Nichols and Missy Hatch will be acting as general Community gurus for Warhammer Online for the time being.

Everyone here at WarhammerVault wishes Richard all the best of luck in life, and we'll miss you greatly. Salute sir.

Head on over to the official Warhammer Online website and click on the "Sneak Peek: Elves" button located under the main Elf graphic to play an early footage video featuring the Elves!

WarCry is running a drawing for 10 WAR beta keys! Note that you do have to register with their website before entering the contest proper:

EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning aims takes the concept of Realm vs. Realm combat pioneered in Dark Age of Camelot to a whole new level. WAR boasts next generation graphics and systems and the ability to advance exclusively through a number of PvP game types or by PvE, as the player chooses.

The strength of WAR is its license. The less than serious and popular Warhammer fantasy IP provides an original twist on the typical fantasy setting and permeates every aspect of the game.

This contest provides a lucky ten winners with Beta keys that after entered into your Warhammer Online Beta Center account (https://betacenter.eamythic.com/login.php) grant guaranteed access to the Beta in the near future.

You can begin the process of entering here.

Richard posted a new War Report over at the Warhammer Herald, here are some highlights:

And still more Leipzig coverage keeps coming in:

* Games Workshop�s Jon Gillard sits takes a break from Games Convention to speak with TenTonHammer.com about bringing a popular table top game to life as an MMO.

WAR Wins Game of the Show:

WAR went to Germany to debut the Elves at Games Convention and walked away with TenTonHammer.com�s Game of the Show!

�Hourly stage shows with Jeff Hickman and Paul Barnett headlining, 40 plus stations to play a current build of the game and 4 more to sign up for beta, a beautifully set-up booth, and most exciting of all: 4 new classes from two newly revealed races. Suffice it to say that Warhammer Online was the complete experience at GC Leipzig.�

WAR also took home the award for Best Fantasy MMORPG.

In addition to the above, Richard has announced another Guild Beta slot contest, this time centered around writing about your guild:

Guild Beta Contest Take 2:

Last week we started the Guild Website contest for the chance to win your guild a slot in the second phase of WAR Guild Beta. This week, we add another contest to the mix. Up for grabs once again is one of ten slots in the second phase of WAR's Guild Beta. This time it's all about the story. Tell us about your guild; it can be your history, what makes you great, a funny story or retelling of something that happened in a game, even a fan fiction centered around your guild in the WAR universe.

Go over to the Warhammer Herald and read the whole report!

Finally we have all 10 winners confirmed and good to go :)

Big congrats to:

M. Mowery (Arlith)
S.Beall (Marduk)
N. Wedge (Legendre)
De. Ela (Delothia)
J. Fenk
S. Corl (Madscorl)
J. Ling
L. Colbert (Begone95991)
J. Cloutier (Dyrinn45)
V. Stewart (Zayla9)


Your keys should be arriving in your inboxes within minutes! Congrats guys and have fun in beta! :)

Look our next WAR Beta Key contest in the new few days. Keep refreshing this page!

GoA's community rep., IainC, has confirmed on WHA this morning that a batch of invites have gone out to the EU applicants.

This afternoon we just invited about 4000 more fans to the European beta of WAR. Mostly these were veteran newsletter subscribers and competition winners although not all were. So check those inboxes now to see if you need to cancel your plans for the weekend!

To forestall the inevitable question about guild invites. Those are going out when we and Mythic are ready to include them. As soon as that time comes we'll post it up and let you all know about it. For now though we're still in the individual beta invite stage.

I'll be seeing all you lucky testers in the Old World!

Warhammer Alliance has posted a video interview with EA/Mythic staffers Mark Davis and Josh Dreschner from Leipzig GC 2007 that never quite made it out onto the internets.

You can see the video here.

Only 9 out of the 10 winners have confirmed their email addresses with us, we need the last person to reply today, or we'll have to pick a replacement :(

That completely sucks and I want to drag it out as long as I can to give you time to confirm, but I have 9 people waiting on beta keys and another contest waiting to go, so I can't delay much longer!

If you have a hotmail account, PLEASE check junk/spam folders and if you're our 10th winner, reply to me ASAP!

James Nichols, the new EA/Mythic Community Coordinator swung by the Warhammer Alliance forums to clear up a few things:

The first was about NDA infractions and reporting them:

Hey guys,

Let's see if I can clear some things up

Firstly, the NDA specifies that the only information you may reveal publically (meaning outside of the game or the designated forums for current beta testers) is that you are in fact participating in the beta. Period.

As far as is reporting someone a surefire way to get into beta? No, it's not, but we do appreciate those who assist us in making Warhammer a better game and will take everything into consideration. This doesn't need to turn into a witch hunt, but enforcing the NDA is a top priority and we thank everyone who assists us in maintaining it.

Thanks all hope that clarified our stance

The second is in regards to information releases about classes such as the Witch Hunter and Marauder:

We know everyone is excited to see the variety of classes that have remain veiled in secrecy - we're excited to show them! But they have to be ready first

The classes are all in various stages of development, some have more animations than others, some are closer to being "ready" as far as abilities are concerned but might not have their armor yet...etc.

The amount of work it takes to get a single class out is a tremendous, orchestrated effort - an effort which is divided amongst multiple classes at any given time.

The classes will be ready when they're ready, but as we get closer to launch you can imagine we'll be seeing more and more new and exciting things

You can read the full original threads here for the NDA thread, and here for the class thread.

Yesterday, TenTonHammer posted their PAX interview with Mythic Game Designer Carrie Gouskos. The interview focused on the Tome of Knowledge feature in WAR.

TTH: Why don�t you start by telling us a bit about what you do at EA and what you�re working on?

Carrie: Sure. I�m the designer of the Tome of Knowledge, a very particular aspect of the game which supplements your progress, regardless of how you like to play, and also provides additional challenges for you. One of the major ways it does this is to provide information about the things you encounter. For example, the first time you encounter a Squig you�ll get a bestiary entry in the Tome which explains what a Squig is, tracks that you�ve killed it, gives you a bit of XP for making your first kill of this monster type, and now you know what it is.

Read the full interview here.

We've just sent out the congrats emails to those 10 that won our first WAR Beta Key contest!

Soon as we hear back from all 10, we'll announce the names publicly.

Get checking your emails, junk/spam folders and all, just in case. You never know your luck!

Just a wondering thought in my head, figured who best to ask than you guys!!

So fill me in...will knowing the background and lore of WAR, be a help, hinder or nothing at all?!

Question:
Do you think knowing the WAR background and lore is needed/a help to play the MMO?

Choices:
Option 01: Yes definitely, doesn't give an advantage but you know what to expect
Option 02: Yes as it will give an advantage to those who are in the know, albeit a slight one
Option 03: Not important to play the game, but it's great to know the background anyway
Option 04: No, could be a disadvantage as the game isn't exactly as per the lore/background
Option 05: No, not important to know it at all
Option 06: Other

Last week's results:

Question:
How do you feel about EAMythic's plans of cross server scenarios?

Choices:
Option 01: Love the idea, can't wait to participate! [31 votes]
Option 02: Interested to see what it involves before making any judgment [50 votes]
Option 03: If it's implemented right, it'll be awesome! [29 votes]
Option 04: Hate the idea, won't work and will diminish the community feel of the servers [56 votes]
Option 05: Don't like it, will ruin any realm pride [57 votes]
Option 06: Other [2 votes]

First Novel in New Series Explores Depth of the Fantasy MMORPG Game World

CHERTSEY, UK � August 31, 2007 � Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and BL Publishing, a division of Games Workshop, announced today that BL Publishing will release an original novel based on the highly anticipated MMORPG, Warhammer� Online: Age of Reckoning� (WAR). The first book in the new series of novels set in the Age of Reckoning, EMPIRE IN CHAOS will be available in all major bookstores and on the BL Publishing website in early 2008.

In EMPIRE IN CHAOS, by noted Games Workshop author Anthony Reynolds, the lands of the Empire are being ravaged by a terrible plague. When Annaliese Jaeger's village is overrun and destroyed by mutants, she and an injured Elf captive are the only survivors. As the two unlikely companions fight their way towards Black Fire Pass, Annaliese discovers within herself powers of courage and faith that inspire all around her. With a grizzled Witch Hunter and a Dwarf Ironbreaker, the heroes battle alongside the armies of the Empire and the Dwarfs, above and below the earth, against greenskin tribes and the hordes of Chaos. Together, they must find their courage and help turn back the tides of darkness, lest all of the Empire be lost.

Mark Jacobs, VP and General Manager at EA Mythic commented, �We�re excited to be working with BL Publishing and Anthony Reynolds to bring our game to life and explore the rich depth of WAR�s epic story. BL Publishing has released many great novels set in Games Workshop�s Warhammer world and we are proud to have a book based on our game join the ranks of such notable works.�

Anthony Reynolds, the author of the novel remarked, �The Warhammer world is a grim place, full of horror, violence and dark humor, and the EA Mythic team have really brought that to life - faithfully creating a living, breathing, bellicose world being torn apart by constant warfare. It's the perfect backdrop for a novel. I'd been following the progress of the game for some time and it was easy to see that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning was going to be something special.�

For further information about the novel, EMPIRE IN CHAOS, visit www.blacklibrary.com.

Based on Games Workshop�s epic tabletop fantasy war game, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm� (RvR) game play and is scheduled for release on the PC in the first quarter of 2008. More than 400,000 players have signed up for the closed beta test in Europe and North America, making it one of the most popular beta tests in massively multiplayer gaming history. The Beta Center is still open and accepting applications at: https://betacenter.eamythic.com/signup.php.

For more information about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, please visit www.warhammeronline.com.

About the Author
After finishing university, Anthony Reynolds set sail from his homeland and ventured forth to foreign climes. He ended up settling in the UK, and managed to con his way into Games Workshop�s hallowed Design Studio. There he worked for four years as a Games Developer and two years as part of the Management team. He now resides back in his hometown of Sydney, overlooking the beach and enjoying the sun and the surf, though he finds that to capture the true darkness and horror of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 he has taken to writing in what could be described as a darkened cave.

About BL Publishing
BL Publishing is a division of industry giant Games Workshop and has been publishing award-winning fiction set in the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 game worlds through their The Black Library imprint for over ten years. Visit them online at www.blacklibrary.com

About Warhammer� Online: Age of Reckoning� (WAR)
War is everywhere in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR), the new MMORPG from the creators of Dark Age of Camelot�. Based on Games Workshop�s wildly successful Warhammer tabletop fantasy war game, WAR features next generation Realm vs. Realm (RvR) game play that will immerse players in a world of perpetual conflict. Players can choose to join the Armies of Order (Dwarfs, High Elves, and human subjects of the Empire) or the sinister Armies of Destruction (Orcs and Goblins, Dark Elves, and human worshippers of Chaos) with the ultimate goal in RvR combat being the sacking of an enemy�s Capital City. To do this, an army must invade and take control of the opposition�s homeland. Deciding battles take place on objective-based Battlefields and in instanced Scenarios - point-balanced battles that make use of NPC mercenaries known as Dogs of War. For the first time, WAR�s RvR system integrates both Player vs. Player (PvP) combat and Player vs. Environment (PvE) content on the same map. This means that every aspect of the game, including PvE missions and innovative Public Quests�, is geared towards the greater war in some important way. Drawing from a quarter century of highly detailed source material, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will bring Games Workshop�s fantasy world to life in a way that will allow players to create characters destined for great deeds and glory on the field of battle. To learn more about the game, please visit www.warhammeronline.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS�, EA�, EA SPORTS BIG� and POGO�. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.electronicarts.co.uk. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO, Dark Age of Camelot, Public Quest, and Realm vs. Realm are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

� 2007 Games Workshop Limited. All Rights Reserved. Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Age of Reckoning, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either �, � and/or � Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2007.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.