Classes

Warhammer Online: Return of Reckoning has two factions: Order and Destruction.

Each faction contains three separate armies, each of which is further broken down into four career choices. Each of the careers (classes) in Warhammer Online conform to an archetype role. For example, the Warrior Priest is an archetypal support or healer career, though he also has many melee DPS (damaging) elements. In this way, the careers are given variety and avoid being simple reiterations of common archetypes. The initial character creation process allows players to select the race, career, and basic look of their character, including facial features and accessories. In addition to the original name that the player chooses for their character at creation, the player has the option to add a surname to their character for a small fee at rank 20. Dye is available at NPC vendors for recoloring armor and accessories. Players are able to decorate themselves with trophies, such as the heads of fallen enemies, which are equipped and displayed at various points on the character model.

Classes Table

	Order			Destruction
Archetype	High Elves	Empire	Dwarfs	Dark Elves	Chaos	Greenskins
Tank	Swordmaster	Knight of the Blazing Sun	Ironbreaker	Blackguard	Chosen	Black Orc
Melee DPS	White Lion	Witch Hunter	Slayer	Witch Elf	Marauder	Choppa
Range DPS	Shadow Warrior	Bright Wizard	Engineer	Sorceress	Magus	Squig Herder
Healer	Archmage	Warrior Priest	Runepriest	Disciple of Khaine	Zealot	Shaman

Order

The Forces of Order have marshalled their defences to strike down their evil adversaries, the Forces of Destruction, who have launched a crusade to eradicate all who hold civility and peace sacred. Become one with those who are foresworn to repel the fiendish advances of Destruction and to restore Order in the World of Warhammer Online.

Order Races
Dwarfs	Empire	High Elves

Destruction

Those who long to spill the blood of Order have enshrouded the world in a dark cloud of war. The armies of Order have been dealt a mighty blow yet remain steadfast against the onslaught of the Forces of Destruction. For those who are tempted to study the ways of mayhem and evil, learn more of whom and what comprise the Forces of Destruction.

Destruction Races
Dark Elves	Chaos	Greenskins

Dwarfs

The Dwarfs are an ancient and industrious race that is long past its prime. Their once-great empire of Karak Ankor now lies in ruins and many of the Dwarfs mighty mountain holds have been abandoned or conquered by Orcs and Goblins, with whom the Dwarfs have warred for centuries. It is not uncommon to hear a Dwarf wistfully recall the great glories of the past, observing bitterly that nothing the Dwarfs do in this day and age can compare to the majesty of what once was. An enormously proud people, the Dwarfs are quick to react to any slight, real or imagined, and remember any such infraction for years, even passing on the responsibility of vengeance to their heirs through their Books of Grudges. It is perhaps because of their obstinate pride that the Dwarfs refuse to openly admit that their culture is slowly creeping towards its nadir. Inwardly, however, they know that they are a doomed race. This gives them a uniquely dour outlook upon the world and perhaps explains their great fondness for drowning their sorrows in tankard after tankard of ale. In fact, the only thing that the Dwarfs love more than a good mug of ale is gold. A Dwarf in the throes of goldlust is a thing to behold. The races legendary drive and stamina is brought into sharp relief when they are presented with the opportunity to acquire gold. As miners and experts on ore and metals, the Dwarfs are without peer. Items of Dwarven craftsmanship and engineering are the most valuable in all the world, revered even by the Elves. The fates of the Dwarfs and men of the Empire are inextricably intertwined. Ever since the day Sigmar united the tribes of men in the defense of the Dwarfs at the Battle of Black Fire Pass, the stout warrior-folk have honored their oath to come to the aid of men in times of need. With the fate of the Empire now hanging in the balance, it seems that this old debt may soon come to call.

The Oathbearers

News of the fall of Karak Eight Peaks dealt a grievous blow to the pride of the Dwarfs. Thorgrim Grudgebearer, High King of the Dwarfs, faced not only a large enemy army preparing to march on his capital, but also a crisis of morale. Being a wise Dwarf, he knew that in order to withstand the coming attack, his subjects would need the proper motivation. The High King went before all the gathered Dwarfs of Karaz-a-Karak and made a grand proclamation. The finest Runesmiths and Forgemasters in all the Worlds Edge Mountains would be gathered together to craft weapons of power rivaling those made by the ancestor smiths of old. The High King named these weapons Doomstrikers, for they would be the doom of the greenskins. To ensure the quality of these mighty weapons, only the finest ores, gold and gems would be used in their making. To gather these precious resources, the Dwarfs would have to travel to some of the most dangerous places in the Old World. Only Dwarfs of exceptional skill and courage were fit for such a task, and so the High King decreed the founding of a new regiment, which he called the Oathbearers. Such was the importance of their task, any Dwarf wishing to join the Oathbearers would be required to swear an oath to the High King himself. When the ranks of the new regiment were filled, the High King ordered his Oathbearers to venture out into the Old World and gather whatever materials the Forgemasters required. As a reward for their bravery and dedication, the High King promised that when the Doomstrikers were finished, it would be the Oathbearers who carried them into battle at the head of the Dwarf army.

Dwarfs Career Options

Ironbreaker	Slayer	Runepriest	Engineer

Empire

The greatest nation of men in the Old World, the Empire is composed of the human descendants of Sigmar, who united the tribes of men at the Battle of Black Fire Pass. Sigmar was deified after the battle and his promise of eternal aid to the kingdom of Dwarfs still stands today. This action solidified the relationship between men and Dwarfs and planted the seeds for the burgeoning Empire through trade. Today, the Empire is led by Emperor Karl Franz, who rules from his seat in the city-state of Altdorf. The life of a citizen of the Empire is a perilous one, for there are foes within every shadow and enemies around every corner. Secret cults abound, or at the very least, there are rumors of them running rampant. No one is certain who is trustworthy, and fear and paranoia are omnipresent in the isolated settlements that dot the Empires provinces. As the Empire rots from within, it is constantly under assault from without. Chaos Marauders from the north frequently mount massive campaigns into the Empire, pillaging and destroying all that they can. In the Age of Reckoning, such a warhost has attacked the Empires northern borders under the leadership of a powerful Champion. The timing of the invasion is particularly ill-fortuned, for the Empire is being ravaged by a mysterious plague that is transforming the populace into murderous fiends. Faced with such desperate circumstances, Emperor Karl Franz has been forced to call upon the Dwarfs and High Elves for aid, lest his lands be transformed forever into a nightmarish domain of Chaos.

The Order of the Griffon

In the Age of Reckoning, the Empire is ravaged by a strange and terrible plague that transforms its victims into savage murderers. Soon after the appearance of this vile disease, a great Chaos warhost assaults the weakened Empire from the north, crushing what little resistance remains in the plague-wracked villages of Nordland. In the face of these dangers, many of the Empires citizens have given in to fear and panic. Some have abandoned their homes to settle elsewhere, believing the battle to be a lost cause. Others have embraced the powers of darkness, thinking it best to side with foes that cannot possibly be defeated by force of arms. Too few have found the courage to stand and fight, and even with the help of the Dwarfs and High Elves, the greatest nation of men in the Old World is perilously close to destruction. Seeking a solution to the many difficulties arrayed before him, the Emperor summons forth the Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar, the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, and the Grand Master of the Reiksguard. Together with these advisors, Karl Franz devises the Order of the Griffon, a military force made up of highly skilled soldiers, Wizards and devotees of Sigmars cult who will be charged with facing the gravest threats from within and without. Receiving their orders directly from the Emperor, the leaders of this new regiment will act as an extension of his will and authority, free to take any action necessary to protect the Empire from threats of any kind. Also, the regiment will serve as a proud example of the glory of the Empire and its ruler, meting out swift justice to those who would betray their countrymen or abandon their duties in these desperate and dangerous times.

Empire Career Options

Knight of the Blazing Sun	Witch Hunter	Warrior Priest	Bright Wizard

High Elves

The High Elves are an ancient people with a history that spans millennia. While the ancestors of man were little more than cave-dwelling primitives, the Elves built magnificent cities of glittering silver and white marble on their island home of Ulthuan. Elven scholars and explorers were the first to chart the stars and sail the world's oceans. The Elves were also the first race to mount an organized defense against the invading hordes of Chaos, beginning a war that continues to the present day

Early in their struggles against the Ruinous Powers, the Elves discovered that negative emotions such as fear, rage, jealousy and greed serve to fuel and strengthen the power of Chaos. Since that time, the High Elves have struggled to keep their intense passions tightly under control. Though intelligent and enlightened, all Elves have the capacity for savage violence.. In order to suppress this dangerous and unpredictable aspect of their psyche, the lords of Ulthuan continually strive to eliminate all extremes of emotion; in High Elf society, to surrender to anger or lust is to show weakness. As a result, the High Elves live by a strict regimen of rules and codes and embrace a way of life that emphasizes harmony, balance and inner peace.

Magic is the lifeblood of the High Elves. With millennia to hone their skills, it is little wonder that the Mages of Ulthuan are among the most powerful practitioners of magic in the world. Their thoughtful, meticulous approach to the study of combat, coupled with their patience and mental discipline makes the High Elves deadly fighters, as well. On the battlefield, High Elf swordsmen are graceful, lithe, and lethal when they detect a weakness in their adversaries.

The High Elves will need all of their wisdom and skill if they are to survive the Age of Reckoning. When Finubar, Phoenix King and ruler of Ulthuan, gathers his finest warriors and sets sail for the Old World to aid the beleaguered Empire, he is unaware that he and his allies are pawns in an elaborate plot designed to leave Ulthuan vulnerable to an invasion. As Finubar's fleet of longships pass beyond the horizon, vast shadows fall across the island of Ulthuan. The skies are darkened by a great swarm of Black Arks laden with hateful Dark Elf warriors seeking to reclaim their ancestral home and destroy forever their despised cousins, the High Elves.

The Shining Guard

The Shining Guard is the elite band of warriors charged with the defense of Ulthuan when the Phoenix King takes the armies of the High Elves west to aid the Empire. Led by the renowned warrior Prince Tyrion, the Guard is a small but highly skillful fighting force. Prince Tyrion personally selects the High Elves who are elevated to the ranks of the Shining Guard from among the best and bravest of the citizen militia. These prestigious warriors stand as an example of the highest honor that a High Elf in the militia can hope to achieve.

When word reaches Prince Tyrion that a great Dark Elf invasion fleet is on its way to Ulthuan, he leads the Shining Guard north to the Blighted Isle, guessing that the enemy fleet will attempt its first landing there. Sure enough, the leading Black Ark of the fleet makes landfall on the northern coast of the Isle, and the Shining Guard meet the invaders head-on.

The noble warriors of the Shining Guard do not lack for courage or prowess on the field of battle, but the scale of the dark Elves' invasion is massive. The situation seems hopeless, until word reaches Prince Tyrion that the Phoenix King is returning to Ulthuan with several legions of warriors. Now, the Guard must fight to stall the invaders and buy time for reinforcements to arrive.

Prince Tyrion knows that his casualties will be heavy, and his heart mourns for the brave soldiers that he will lose. For those who choose to fight in the face of such peril, however, there is great honor to be earned. Should the Shining Guard prevail and drive the vile Dark Elves from their home, they will be immortalized in songs and tales for centuries to come.

High Elves Career Options

Swordmaster	White Lion	Archmage	Shadow Warrior