Preview Weekend was such a success with the community that we had two dedicated Allakhazam forum members eager to talk about their experiences and how they see the state of the game at this time. Please welcome Tenebrae and Allegory as they talk about Preview Weekend!

Please introduce yourself and tell us what your favorite realm, army, and careers are so far in WAR.

Tenebrae: "My name is Tenebrae. In the MMO community most people know me as Tepetkhet or Tep. I started off playing D&D in high school in the 80's (yes, I'm older). My daughter got World of Warcraft for a Xmas present from her father. I was sucked in by the shinies and bought my own copy shortly after...and that was my first experience with a true MMORPG.

For Warhammer Online, Dark Elves seem to be a logical choice. I like the imagery and the ferocity. I tend to side with the "evil" characters because, gosh darn it; they just have better fashion sense. ;) I'm really digging on the Witch Elves and the Disciples of Khaine so far."

Allegory : "I'm a long time poster of the Allakhazam forums. I found the site a few years ago when I was searching for FFXI information, and I it has carried me through FFXI, WoW, Lotro, and hopefully WAR. I plan to roll a Greenskin Shaman, but I have to say Runepriest might actually be my favorite career."

Tenebrae and Allegory talk further about the community, their preferences in choosing a realm, and more. Click on the "More..." link below to read the rest of the interview. Thank you Tenebrae and Allegory!

Do you have any previous experience or familiarity with the Warhammer universe?

Tenebrae: "Not really. When I was into D&D, I knew some people who were into the tabletop gaming. I tended to shy away from the guys playing with "painted metal Barbies", though, and besides, dice were cheaper."

Allegory: "The PvP focus was what initially caught my attention. There were a lot of MMOs coming out and I knew a lot of them would flop. WAR was the only game where the updates continually impressed me. I never felt like any of the revealed information about the game was taking it in the wrong direction. Once I finally had the chance to play it during Preview Weekend I knew I was hooked."

What can you tell the community about the game that will give them more of an understanding of what to expect when they first get a chance to play?

Tenebrae: "This is a world at WAR! It's important to understand that. Everywhere around you there is conflict. Battles rage both large and small. If you are squeamish about battle or torture and hope the two factions can get along and hold hands, it will be apparent right from the start that this is not the game for you."

Allegory: "First and foremost WAR is a PvP game. Mythic is offering "PvE servers," but even those will involve a healthy amount of PvP. If all you want out of an MMO is to grind scripted AI enemies in encounters that are designed for the player to win then WAR will probably not be your cup of tea. If you want dynamic and fair player based combat then WAR is definitely worth your time to investigate.

Second is that the game also focuses on convenience. WAR tries to make it as easy as possible to do what you want to do.

1. Respeccing is free; there is no penalty for testing different masteries or switching often from a PvE spec to PvP. You swap your starting zone in as little as ten minutes.

2. Your friend rolled a Dwarf, you rolled an Empire character, and you want play the first 10 levels together? No problem, just do your first quest for some cash, walk 5 minutes to the flight master, fly to his zone instantly, and then walk minutes to his starting camp.

3. Scenarios are easy to join and leave. There is no need to travel to a city or outpost to talk to an npc. You click the button on your mini-map to join a scenario, quest while you wait in the queue, and then join the scenario. The best part is that when you are done with the scenario you spawn exactly where you left off. You can leave in the middle of a quest, do your scenario, and then instantly pick up the quest again.

4. Quest locations are marked on your map. Need to retrieve 5 skulls from the tomb of doom, but don't know where that is? No problem, just head towards the big red circle on your map. There is no need to alt tab to a quest website for each and every task you need to do.

5. No exp loss or durability loss from death. When you die in WAR there is a 10% max hp debuff that last for 10 minutes. The good news is that when you select to respawn (no corpse run), you spawn right by a healer npc who offers to remove debuffs for a very minor fee, certainly less that what most other games charge you."

The Realm of Order is considered to be the "good" faction, while Destruction is considered to be the "evil" faction. Do you get a sense that the two sides are unique enough to satisfy those that wish to play a good or evil character?

Tenebrae: "Yes! The quests introduce you to what is going on and give some information about the race you have chosen. Each faction has career choices mirrored in the opposing faction, so there are enough similarities that choices can be based on roleplay / lore or aesthetic reasons."

Allegory: "They definitely have a very distinctive atmosphere. The Chaos zones definitely have a dreary and malevolent appearance, and theHigh Elves have their bright and shiny structures. But when you look into the lore of Warhammer you see that really no realm is truly the good side. the Empire isn't fending off the evil Chaos hordes ; they want to wipe them out! Witch Hunters are inquisitors who would turn in a friend if they showed the slightest sign of heresy. The aesthetic of good vs. evil is there, but the story changes as you go deeper into the lore."

Some say that WAR looks a lot like WoW; however, Blizzard actually borrowed some elements from the Warhammer universe. What are your impressions of the graphics compared to other MMOs?

Tenebrae: "The graphics in WoW tend to have a cartoon-like feel. I have found the graphics in Warhammer Online to be much more beautiful and complex. The gear alone wins aesthetic points in my books; especially since right off the bat you get a chance to dye your armor (with enough cash). Even the "newbie" gear looks epic in Warhammer Online. The screenshots speak for themselves. I have been showing screenshots to my friends and co-workers who don't even play MMOs and they are considering picking it up based on that alone."

Allegory: "The comparison of WAR with WoW is very valid. Warcraft stole their lore from Warhammer, and WAR stole many gameplay ideas and styles from WoW. I guess Blizzard and Mythic can call it a draw now.

I like WAR's graphical style a lot. It's a very stylized look, and not too dissimilar to WoW's. I don't like hyper realistic graphics in MMORPGs. If I wanted to see a very realistic looking character in fantasy garb I would visit the medieval fair. WAR lets you watch your "funny looking" goblin beat up a "funny looking" dwarf because that is entertaining. I laugh every time my goblin does his Homer Simpson spin on the ground dance."

Have you picked a guild yet? What kinds of guild features do you really like and dislike about WAR?

Tenebrae: "I haven't had a chance to explore the guild features yet. I run a PvE raiding guild in World of Warcraft, so chances are I will create an offshoot in Warhammer Online and run it myself. ;)"

Allegory: "I liked this game enough that I put forth the effort to create my own guild. Warhammer offers several tools to do what players have previously been doing outside of the guild. WAR lets you form formal alliances with other guilds, mark dates on your own guild calendar, the ability to tax members (boo), and a guild vault.

Two features stand out the most, guild banners and claiming objectives. Banners offer another element of strategy and customization to guilds. Banner may be carried or at later levels planted in the ground to provide an aoe group buff to your guild members based on the tactics you have slotted. Banners also let guilds claim keeps they have taken over. When your guild takes an objective that benefits your realm everyone will know that it was your guild that did it."

WAR has been building a strong sense of group combat since it was first announced. To be successful in this the game must support strong community tools. What features do you find the most useful and which ones do you wish could be improved, or even added into the game in future expansions?

Tenebrae: "The Public Quest system could use some work. There is not a very social feeling to the game at the moment. The fact that there isn't an "official" forum system means that there is also not a central community and so a lot of the information and fans are spread out over many different boards. I think I am in the minority in my opinion of the public quest system. It's a great idea because it DOES allow solo players and anti-socials to accomplish quests and gain rewards. In my short time playing, I didn't see anything yet where I needed to group up or where I was rewarded for doing so. Heck, people didn't even know how to send tells to others and people weren't even talking in the general chat..."

Allegory: "As I mentioned earlier the game provides lots of catalysts for grouping. Open groups and public quest are both tools that strengthen access to group activities.

One option I would like to see added at a later time is the option to put a tag by your open group stating its purpose. This would make it easier to join a group focusing on the type of activity you want to do."

Give us your more exciting and disappointing experiences during Preview Weekend.

Tenebrae: "Most exciting: Logging in and being able to select a server. :) Serious close second: Seeing a dark elf army pouring out of a Black Ark with a hydra leading the way.

Most disappointing: That I was exiting out of the game when the hydra was coming out and didn't get a screenshot!!!

Serious close second: No Black Guard. I can't wait to see them in game."

Allegory: "The greatest disappointment for me was in the lack of responsiveness of the abilities, which they are currently fixing. As a healer it is very important that the instant I finish casting a heal the target receives its effect. Too many times I would find my target had died in a scenario in the half second I finished casting and when they affect went off. Thankfully this issue is being addressed.

The highlight of my Preview Weekend was when a few guilds got together near the end of the weekend and we took all of the tier 2 greenskin/dwarf objectives and keeps. We almost took control of the entire zone. It was definitely a thrill!"