Order, I come from beta

[Grondoth]

Greetings, potential Order players. I come from beta with grim tidings.

As many of you have probably figured out by the dominated class polls and dominated side polls on every forum, the huge disparity of pre-release guild and pre-existing guild allegiance, the talks of population disparities throughout all stages of beta from both official sources and leaks, and the total domination of the Road to War world map by huge margins: Destruction outnumbers you. They outnumber you by a lot, and they outnumber you at all times. There will be more of them than there are of you when you log in before work, there will be more of them than there are of you when you sign in after your 12:00 class, there will be more of them than there are of you when you settle in during the morning of a day off, and there will be more of them than there are of you when you stop the next morning at 3. You will never outnumber them. You will never beat them back with bodies alone. You will never overwhelm the battlefields with a choking tide of gromil and ithilmar; you will never crush them with a hail of arrows and a rain of rune-etched cartridges.

Most of you know this. But few of you know the other part, how in shambles your kingdoms and holds are, and how powerless you are to aid them. Every single area that belongs to the Empire, the Asur, and the Dwarfs has one or more of 4 attributes:
1: In Ruins
2: On Fire
3: Under Direct Attack
4: Destruction PvE Zone

Some of you, especially the High Elf fans, may have been excited to finally see the rolling vineyards of Etaine come to life. Well, they are almost all on fire. The Dwarfs probably would have loved to see the gates of their ancient fortresses, if not what lies behind them. Well, they’re all under direct attack from the Greenskins, meaning that never in your career as a dwarf will you ever truly be able to step inside your race’s legendary halls(At least, until they put Karaz-A-Karak and Eight Peaks back in). Many of you imperial men and women probably were looking forward to seeing your imposing gothic castles firsthand. Well, they’re all either sinking ruins, or a conglomeration of broken walls and crumbling buildings.

And woe be to you Swordmasters and Archmagi, who undoubtedly wished to see the tower you trained in and are sworn to protect. For that’s a destruction PvE zone and you cannot even go inside. The Dwarfs probably wished to fight deep in the halls of Barak Vaar, but that too is a destruction PvE zone. The empire undoubtedly wishes to see where Sigmar Hildenhammer beat back the Greenskin tide to form the everlasting bond with the Dwarfs, but they too cannot, for it is another destruction PvE zone. The Phoenix King’s estate, the Temple of Isha and the Everqueen’s palace in Avelorn, the Slayer keep of Karak Kadrin, Rieksguard castle, Tor Elyr, and countless other significant landmarks all also exist solely in the game for destruction to loot and plunder.

This is important, for when beaten back and dominated in PvP and PvE, the game suddenly seems a lot more hopeless. It’s one thing if you just can’t capture some objectives because there’s too many guys there, it’s another thing if that’s just another failure in a long line of failures. Your kingdom is all but destroyed, and your most important areas to you aren’t even able to be fought for. Your NPCs are scared and hopeless, your PvE content is terribly depressing, and you’re outnumbered and dominated at every turn by an unstoppable foe. It changes the game, you’re not a beleaguered people flocking to a tattered banner, you’ve already lost and there’s no hope for you to ever win anything. The places that destruction gets to attack unfettered are the areas that an order player with any inkling of understanding of the warhammer lore cares deeply about, losing those areas and being unable to lift a finger in their defense utterly demoralizes the most zealous of this outnumbered side’s soldiers.

There’s small injustices, too. Order players travel from zone to zone in a recycled Dwarf Gyro-Pack, while Destruction mounts uniquely animated and massive Drakes. Dwarf slaves are a common sight among dark elf camps, as well as captive dwarfs who do the greenskins’ bidding among the orc’s PvE zones.

This stuff adds up.

[Grondoth]

But all is not lost!

I didn't write this to say I won’t be playing the game, nor that I won't be playing as Order. The game is fantastic, it’s fast and responsive, with a lot of fun things to do and discover. PvP is excellent, with individual fights lasting longer than I’m used to, and with a truly epic scope that I never saw before. PQs are fun to do both as a small group and a large one, being a world event where your contribution to it matters and it advances in stages and tells a cool story that you’re part of. The order classes look great, the elegant sword work of the Guardians of the White Tower looks amazing, as does the sun glinting off their tall silver helms. The green shine of gromil often illuminates hidden details on the Ironbreaker’s armour, and they fight with a stubborn determination and might that truly fits them. The Runepriest pushes and spins his massive and ornate runestaff, calling ancient power to bear in spectacular displays of dwarfen might. The Warrior Priest is illuminated in pillars of fiery light and their hammers glow with Sigmar’s wrath, truly kindling the courage of a wounded line. The Bright Wizard engulfs everything in flames, being one of the most terrifying casters to face; the marks of Aqusy smolder even in darkness, being both a reminder of the terrible sacrifice the wizards make, and a symbol of the hope that still burns.

I write this not to discourage Order, but to warn it. I don’t want anyone to go into the game and be as incalculably disappointed as I was to find the White Tower of Hoeth not accessible to me. Order players must be prepared for the devastation and death that blows across their lands, too. Warhammer truly is a dark game.

(This is the important part here)
Most importantly, write to tell Order players that they must bring discipline and organization TO the game. Destruction will probably have the numbers to keep you occupied at getting out of your warcamp while taking all your other keeps and objectives. Because of their numbers and the amount of guilds who decided they’re going to that side, it’s also easy for them to have organized units working too. Being outnumbered gives you no magic advantage, you must work hard for it to be one. Order must be more organized, more disciplined, and quicker to react to changes in battle than destruction if it ever hopes to win anything. The only way that will happen is if the people playing order endeavor to make it so. Try and form alliances with people you know, branch out and meet other players so that battle plans can actually be formed and obeyed rather than being the shouted leet speak commands of a random player. Take the time to really understand your class and how it works with others, a dozen DoKs can spam their crappy single target heals and then recharge and it’ll be okay, but 6 Warrior Priests have to swing into battle and heal to their utmost in order for them to truly make a difference. Understand the opposing side’s abilities, when there’s green hands around you STOP MOVING, and don’t get your back to cliffs when fighting a healer or a chosen.

And most importantly, never, ever give up. You might have to move from one battle pairing to another, you might have to let a keep remain taken, you might have to ignore an objective for a little while. But never throw in the towel and leave because it seems impossible. With planning, determination, and coherency, it never is. Nothing ever is.

And at the end, when Tchar’Zanek lies at your feet, and his eternal citadel and his inevitable city collapsing into the hell from which it spawned, it’ll all be worth it.

Trust me. It’s pretty awesome.

[Sin Sational]

Here here, I will be playing Order and yes, we are outnumbered. I really hope there are things done to fix that. I've heard of queues and that sort of thing which seems like a good idea.

I've noticed that many of the order players I've played with seem to be decent gamers with good organization. That may just be due to necessity but either way, I'm totally stoked to play Order and take on the greater challenge that awaits. This game is a blast for sure!

[Whip-0]

Great write-up, and yes - I will be rolling order. Whatever delusion people seem to harbour that it will even out on release, but maybe not time to get that old refrain going in yet another thread.

[Elarell]

I quite like the beleaguered tone, as do the fellows in my Guild. But you are spot-on about the %&&#$^ gyropack conveyance. We could have boarded a stately coach or a grand Imperial ship; instead, it's that monstrosity again. Even by not playing a Dwarf, you can't get away from it.

If I play Destruction, it will be so I can take great glee in destroying such things.

[ScarlettWH]

Always outnumbered never outgunned!

I'll be right there with you guys

[Grondoth]

Originally Posted by Elarell

I quite like the beleaguered tone, as does the fellows in my Guild. But you are spot-on about the %&&#$^ gyropack conveyance. We could have boarded a stately coach or a grand Imperial ship; instead, it's that monstrosity again. Even by not playing a Dwarf, you can't get away from it.

If I play Destruction, it will be so I can take great glee in destroying such things.

When they first put that in, I just thought it was placeholder while they worked on whatever the transport device would be. I was dead sure it'd be a piloted gyrocopter, you can see them all lined up at Altdorf when you land there.

It exists to this day. But then again, so does the tiny turret keg, the 'bombardment turret' which is just another gun turret, and countless NPCs without art. So maybe they're still working on it.

I hope they're still working on it.

[Size_Twelve]

Great write-up, and he speaks the truth. If you hate being outnumbered or fear losing alot in PvP, then plan on rolling Destruction. I've met good players on Order side, but you face an uphill battle for sure.

In the end, it isn't a fantasy. It is highly likely that even if you work harder and are more skilled than some of the Destruction players, you will still lose. They have a huge number advantage, and there is a TON of open world RvR where capped instances can't save you.

That said, if that's not enough for you, and you decide to be a fool and join Order anyway...then it'll be my honor to fight beside you on the battlefield.

[Raener]

That just means more of them for us to kill.

[Draaven]

Well, at least we won't have to sit around and wait for something to happen.....

[Machatori]

It sounds both pretty terrible but oddly cool at the same time.

However, I am still not convinced that when the game finally goes live the number difference will be quite as big. Indeed, there is still every possibility that it will be reversed!

Of course, more numbers don't mean much if the other side can near enough match your numbers but has a higher average level of skill I suppose.

[Golavar]

Brb, rolling Ironbreaker.

(This post sums up everything I love about the "feel" of Warhammer Dwarfs.)

[Elarell]

May I also say the first Imperial Public Quest should not be spoiled; it should be experienced.

As a long-time Warhammer player, it was incredible, and still ranks as one of my favorite early moments in the game.

[Raener]

Finding a way to win against the odds.........whats more heroic than that?

[sirraggie]

This sounds just like the real Warhammer TT, the forces of good are always besieged but fight hard to drive back the forces of Destruction.. swaying more towards Order now