A Slayer and a Choppa coming to a Warhammer Online near you

Slayer and Choppa
Inserito originariamente da Abriael

In the past month or two some (Massively is an example) interpreted some very generic statements by Mythic as a signal that there wouldn't have been new classes (and new major content additions) in Warhammer Online for a long time. Personally, I always begged to differ with such an interpretation, since Mark Jacobs had always hinted pretty clearly that the timeline for major content patches was roughly every three months.

Turns out I was right (am I not always? :P ), as several teasers sent around for a major announcement coming on January the 29th hint (in a way that really cannot be interpreted differently, looks like subtlety isn't Mythic's forte) that it will pertain the soon to be added new classes. The Dwarf Slayer and the Orc Choppa.

While the choppa isn't exactly a new class, since it's been removed from the game prior to launch (despite the fact that the ones that tried it during the beta found it generally quite fun to play and very well done graphically), the slayer is entirely new, and replaced furor populi (by public acclamation) the original dwarf melee DPS, the seemingly dull Hammerer.
The incoming announcement will most definately make many warhammer fans happy (the ones that didn't already guess due to the previous hints scattered here and there). Destruction players have always mourned the loss of the dual-wielding choppa and it's cool looking and hard hitting berserk action, while order-oriented players, expecially after seeing the very first cinematic trailer, always groaned about the fact that Mythic initially decided to go with the hammerer, instead of the Slayer that was considered much more iconic and cool, both due to his looks and it's peculiar background.

So, what in the world are this "Choppa" and this "Slayer" I'm talking about?

The Choppa, in it's traditional Warhammerish sense, isn't really a "class" or a "career" by definition, but simply the name by which Orcs call one of their favourite weapons. Due to their relatively unrefined nature, Orcs tend to name their implements of pain and killing by their effect, and the choppa is exactly that, something that chops, Exactly like the Basha is something that bashes. This means that the definition of "Choppa" applies to a wide range of variations of a nice (or not so nice), thick slab of metal shaped in the middle between a sword and an axe, which primary function is chopping the enemy (and even some friends) to pieces. Applying the concept to the MMORPG, the Choppa becomes a marauding orc specialized in the use of two of such lovely tools to cause the most damage possible in the smallest amount of time. Nifty, isn't it?

The Slayer digs deeper in the warhammer background, as a truly iconic representative of his race, expecially in it's warhammerish variation.
When a dwarf undergoes a personal ordeal that persuades him that he's lost his honor, he'll shave part of his head, put up a mohawk, dye his hair and beard fiery orange, and take up the Oath of the Slayer. Then he will wander the world alone or in groups for the rest of their life in search of a glorious death against some terrible enemy, dragons, demons... that kind of "terrible".
Now, many slayers die soon, as they fullfill their oath while fighting some monster that happens to be stronger then them. Some, though, happen to be stronger than the monsters they face, and become legendary heroes, veterans of hundreds of suicidal battles.

It's pretty easy to understand why this career is considered very cool and compelling, so it's safe to assume that the two new classes will probably strenghten the ranks of Order further. The choppa is very nice, but the slayer is probably going to cause a lot of rerolls.

In addition to this, I'm pretty sure that Mythic is going to announce quite a few more surprises on the 29th. Mark Jacobs has been on a spree on the VNboards, telling that the announcement will be quite extensive, in addition to this, the clues given were really too clear and easy to interpret. Mythic has probably something more up their sleeve, or they wouldn't have spoiled the surprise this extensively.

I'm sure many of the Mythic haters out there will harshly criticize any sorth of enthusiasm about the news at hand, saying that Mythic is just introducing two classes that they removed to begin with. I personally don't care that much about this kind of bull droppings. It's additional content (and quite important) compared to what we had at release, and any additional content is good content. 4 new classes on top of the 20 present at release in just 6 months is definately unparaleled in the whole history of the MMO genre. Gotta hand it to Mythic, they know how to roll in new stuff into their game.

In any case, we need to wait for the 29th and see what happens. Personally I can't wait, so stay tuned for additional coverage when the time comes.