So how exactly does a gold seller wind up with 50 beta keys for an MMO from Mythic Entertainment, a company that has gone after such enterprises legally in the past and won? I'm going to go ahead an assume they used bots.

EA and Mythic Entertainment Announce That Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Has Gone Gold
Award-Winning Fantasy MMORPG Marches Toward Sept. 18th Launch

FAIRFAX, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—GET READY FOR THE WORLDWIDE WAAAGH! Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Mythic Entertainment today announced that the highly-anticipated MMORPG, Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™ (WAR), has gone gold and will open its servers on September 18, 2008 at an MSRP of $49.99 in North America.

“We’ve done our best to create the next great MMORPG experience, but it’s the fans that will bring our world to life,” said Mark Jacobs, vice president at EA and general manager of Mythic Entertainment. “The Day of Reckoning approaches and it’s going to be glorious! It’s time to go to WAR.”

Based on the popular tabletop game from Games Workshop, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is an epic fantasy MMORPG featuring innovative Realm vs. Realm™ game play that pits the forces of Order and Destruction against one another on the battlefield to determine the fate of nations.

Awarded “Best Online Game” at the recent Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, “Best PC Game” of E3 by G4’s X-Play and “Best MMO” of E3 by IGN, WAR has been well-received by critics and by the gaming community as an accessible and engaging MMO title. Tens of thousands of players have already joined the battle in the closed beta, and soon the time will be at hand for players the world over to pledge their allegiance to the armies of WAR.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is scheduled to launch simultaneously in North America, Europe, and Oceania on September 18, 2008. Available for PC, WAR is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information, visit http://www.warhammeronline.com/.

Swagvault Warhammer Online Beta Access Key Give-Away Event

Great news for fans of Warhammer Online: SwagVault.com is giving away Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning Beta Access Keys. The event will be held from now till September 5, 2008

It’s very easy to join! Players only need to send an E-mail to Guildsales[at]swagvault.com, and 50 winners by randomly draw amongst all applications.

In addition, during this event, customers whose Order ID contains the number sequences 8907 (Electronic Arts has announced that the open beta date is September 7, 2008), SwagVault will E-mail one Age of Reckoning Beta Access key code to him/her upon receiving his/her application. Therefore, please provide the Order ID in your E-mail.
Winners will be announced on Sep. 5, and Age of Reckoning Beta Access Key Codes will be sent via E-mail instantly.

Please visit http://www.swagvault.com/news.php?news_id=352 for more details.

Grasp the great opportunity to experience the venturesome and exciting journey in Warhammer game now!

Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning Armies of WAR - High Elves and Dark Elves

The High Elves

"We the Asur are a noble people, our long and proud history stretching back to a time when Men were still fur clad savages. Living in our fair isle of Ulthuan, set in the centre of the Great Ocean, we are far removed from the petty squabbles of the lesser races. Here we are able to practice magic and our arts, perfecting them for no reason other than the sheer joy of it."

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 Dark Elves

"Hear my lord of the Druchii. From the distant Cathy to the usurped lands of our accursed kin, from the cold lands of Norsca to the steaming jungles of the Southlands, our armies are rightfully feared. We alone keep alive the great and noble traditions of our ancestors of Nagarythe. Only we follow the path laid by mighty Aenarion the Defender. Only we follow the true way."

Long ago, when Chaos was first unleashed upon the world, the Elven champion Aenarion drew the dread Sword of Khaine from its altar and used its terrible power to save his people from annihilation. When Aenarion died, his son Malekith was deemed unsuitable for the throne. Although he was a mighty warrior, a great sorcerer, a brilliant general and the rightful heir, many Elves opposed his coronation. They feared he was too focused on war, and potentially a de-stabilizing influence on the High Elf race. In retaliation, over many years Malekith engineered a terrible civil war that divided the race of Elves into two factions.

It was the High Elves who emerged victorious and drove the evil Dark Elves out from the ancestral home of their race. Under the leadership of Malekith the Witch King and his Sorceress mother Morathi, the Dark Elves sailed across the Great Western Ocean and founded for themselves a new kingdom in the northern reaches of the New World. This land they called Naggaroth, meaning 'land of chill'.

Unlike the High Elves, who continually seek to suppress their passions lest they be overcome by them, the Dark Elves willingly embrace their hedonistic nature. Dark Elf society emphasizes individualism, selfishness, and pride. They have little regard for one another and even less for the other races of the world, whom they see as potential slaves and subjects.

In battle, the ruthless warriors of Naggaorth blend Elven discipline with savagery and ferocity, for the patron deity of the Dark Elves is Kaela Mensha Khaine, the bloody-handed God and the Lord of Murder. Nowhere is this more evident that in the beautiful and deadly Witch Elves, who serve in the Temples of Khaine and revel in violence and bloodshed.

Since their expulsion from Ulthuan, the Dark Elves have desired nothing more than to return to Ulthuan and avenge their defeat, reclaiming the land they believe to be theirs by right. In the Age of Reckoning, Malekith learns of an impending Chaos invasion of the Empire and uses this knowledge to set in motion a chain of events that will leave the island home of the Elves defenseless against an invasion. At the Witch King's command, a great fleet of Black Arks - great floating islands laden with soldiers, monsters, and engines of war - sets sail across the sea to conquer the island kingdom of Ulthuan and fulfill the destiny denied the Druchii so long ago.

Now Electronic Arts is reporting that over two hundred thousand people applied for the beta between North America and Europe, and if anyone at all followed my advice they're going to have a hard time ferreting through hordes of female fans passionate about Warhammer who want a hand at making what they believe to be the next MMO sensation an overwhelming success. I hope you all at least chose different names.

"We would like to thank the community for their tremendous response to Warhammer Online. The overwhelming worldwide response to beta test has been phenomenal. The team has been working incredibly hard on creating a genre-defining experience, and the beta signups certainly validate the direction we're taking the game," said Mark Jacobs, VP and General Manager of EA Mythic.

GOA AMASSES AN ARMY FOR WARHAMMER® ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONINGTM BETA TEST

OVER 200,000 GAMERS SIGN UP FOR THE WARHAMMER® ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING CLOSED BETA TEST IN LESS THAN TEN DAYS

GOA, the France Telecom-owned publisher of online games, and Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment company, announce today that more than 200,000 players signed up for the forthcoming Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™.

The Warhammer Online Beta Centre opened simultaneously in Europe and North America on May 30, and the 200,000 registration mark was surpassed over the weekend, less than ten days after launch. This makes the beta test of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning one of the most rapidly growing beta tests in the history of the MMORPG category. The Beta Centre is currently open and accepting applications at www.WAR-europe.com.

"Such an amazingly high number of subscribers to the website and beta test is fantastic news and very encouraging," commented Ghislaine Le Rhun, Senior Vice President of GOA. "It proves the game has already struck a cord with gamers who are hungry for the greatest MMO experience available. We are also delighted to be able to say a big 'Thank You' and to reward gamers' loyalty and enthusiasm for WAR by offering them the chance to become part of the beta experience and to play the game months ahead of launch."

"We would like to thank the community for their tremendous response to Warhammer Online. The overwhelming worldwide response to beta test has been phenomenal. The team has been working incredibly hard on creating a genre-defining experience, and the beta signups certainly validate the direction we're taking the game," said Mark Jacobs, VP and General Manager of EA Mythic. "Player input and testing will be crucial in our efforts to complete the game, and we look forward to beta participants' help in shaping Warhammer Online."

Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™ launches simultaneously in Europe and North America early in 2008 and is based on Games Workshop's popular Warhammer fantasy world. Please visit www.WAR-europe.com for the chance to join the beta test and for more game information and regular updates.

I love armored priests. One of the main things I think EQ does better than WoW is allow their healers to wear plate mail instead of confining them to frilly dresses. Warhammer not only allows plate mail and skirts, Warrior Priests can dual wield hammers. Hell. Yeah. Michael Fahey

And oh look, they are coming to Atlanta in April evil grin).

What follows is their press release and schedule, which spans the New York Comic-Con later this month all the way to PAX in August. We all know EA is hungry to be number one, so I expect this will just be the tip of the iceberg on what is sure to be a massive push to get Age of Reckoning firmly planted in the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere. Michael Fahey

WAAAGH! THE ARMIES OF "WARHAMMER(R) ONLINE" MARCH TO GREET FANS AT EVENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Play the Highly-Anticipated MMO and Get a Chance to Enter the Beta At Events Throughout 2007

EA Mythic today announced the schedule of 2007 events where fans can preview "Warhammer(R) Online: Age of Reckoning(TM)." The highly-anticipated MMORPG will be playable in cities across the United States, and gamers will be given access to the MMO's revolutionary Realm vs. Realm(R) combat. At each event, 50 lucky people will be guaranteed access to the "Warhammer Online" beta.

** 2007 Schedule of Events for "Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning" **
(Event schedule subject to change)

February 23-25
New York, NY - New York Comic-Con
Jacob Javits Center

April 28
Atlanta, GA - Games Day Atlanta
Georgia International Convention Center

May 5
Toronto, ON - Games Day Canada
Metro Toronto Convention Center

June 23
Baltimore, MD - Games Day Baltimore
Baltimore Convention Center

July 5-8
Columbus, OH - Origins Game Expo
Greater Columbus Convention Center

July 26-29
San Diego, CA - Comic-Con
San Diego Convention Center

July 28
Chicago, IL - Games Day Chicago
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

August 11
Los Angeles, CA - Games Day LA
Ontario Convention Center

August 16-19
Indianapolis, IN - GenCon Indy
Indiana Convention Center

August 24-26
Seattle, WA - The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX)
The Washington State Convention & Trade Center

For complete details on the time and location of each "Warhammer Online" event, please visit: http://www.warhammeronline.com/english/community/eventsCalendar/

Scheduled for release in late 2007, "Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning" is a Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) based on Games Workshop's popular fantasy universe and table-top game, Warhammer. The game features Realm vs. Realm combat, EA Mythic's unique take on Player vs. Player action, as well an innovative Public Quest System and City Siege Campaign. For more information, please visit www.warhammeronline.com.

Games Workshop, Warhammer, Age of Reckoning and all images, races and characters from the Warhammer universe are either TM and/or Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2007, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. All rights reserved.

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