Massively’s Warhammer Online coverage over the past few days has been unparalleled by any website out there. The information they are bringing back from Mythic’s HQ trumps even the past five newsletters combined so big kudos are due to Massively and Michael Zenke. I’ve been picking through the various articles for any information I may have missed in my first read through. I came across the information on Public Quests and wanted to write a few of my thoughts on the topic.

Public Quests have been one of the most appealing attractions in Warhammer Online for me because I’m a player who always needs something to do. I don’t enjoy idling in town waiting for a group or bg queue. I want to be out in the world killing something or doing something to progress my character. PQ’s are going to be the solution because they are always running and resetting like clockwork.

According to Massively, “PQs combine the best parts of raids, reputation grinds, lore quests, scripted encounters, and human behavior into one wholesome experience.” Add RvR to that list, which we can expect because there has been mention of contested PQ’s, and you have the best of all play styles right there. If experiencing all these forms of gameplay in one awesome quest isn’t enough incentive for you then how about this system for rewarding participation:

At the end of every public quest, the participants are ranked by their level of participation. Characters that slew more baddies, did more damage to bosses, or turned in more items will be placed higher on the list. The results of this tabulation are put up on a leaderboard screen that pops up. The higher you are on the list, the better you’ve done. The top participants not only get to feel good about a job well done, they’re likely about to be rewarded. Divvying out loot from a PQ is done by a random roll.

The catch is that the top participants on the leaderboard get significant bonuses to their rolls. The result is that everyone has a chance to earn a prize, but the people who put in the most time will be most likely to get the big rewards. While the roll is random, the loot is anything but. As in almost every case where you’re given a reward in Warhammer, the loot you have access to is tailored to your class and the difficulty of the PQ. Winning rollers receive loot bags, inside of which are several shiny options. Players get to choose one item (be it armor, a weapon, or even just coin) that they want the most.

Fairly rewarding everyone who participates sounds too good to be true, but perhaps Mythic has finally found a way to reward everyone for their efforts. I’ve always hated raiding or running a dungeon and walking away with nothing to show for it because it’s a waste of time. For example, after running Molten Core a few times it eventually became all about the loot because the encounters never changed. I would raid that place half a dozen times before getting a single piece of loot which is incredibly frustrating. Throw out the need for guilds, organization, dkp, and other raider mentalities and you have, as Michael put it, the raid experience without the crap. Each time I participate in a PQ I have an equal opportunity to obtain loot.

Another great side to this reward system is that you’re not limited just by the luck of a roll or your time invested in the PQ. Contributing to PQ’s and other activities in the region will raise you influence which is yet another way that Mythic rewards players for simply playing the game. As you advance your influence in the region raises and eventually you can buy “high-stat items” in addition to any you might win during the PQ.

PQ’s sound like the perfect “filler” activity between RvR and questing. I can go out and quest for a few hours, RvR some, and perhaps find myself with nothing left to do in the area; maybe I ran out of quests. I may be close to a level that I want to achieve before moving on to the next area. Normally I would be forced to grind out that level or attempt the next region prematurely, but in WAR I’ll be able to wander over to a PQ of my choice and begin participating in a much more dynamic activity. Or on the other side of the coin I may decide to participate in various PQ’s through an entire tier and I can! I’m not restricted to just one form of progression like questing or pvp. I have choices - FINALLY! It’s a win-win situation.

Public Quests are absolutely revolutionary. They’re providing players a whole new way of playing, rewarding, and progressing their characters through the game.