Stories From Across the Kingdoms ⚔️ For ATA Day, we spoke with players from across different stages of their journey to hear how they first discovered Kingdoms at War, what has kept them fighting over the years, and the memories, clans, rivalries, and friendships that have made their time in KAW memorable. Read on and meet some of the players who have helped made the KAWmmunity what it is today! Fragile How did you find KAW? Why did you download it? I think I saw an ad for it in the app store in 2011, been here ever since, with a few breaks in between Is there any one player or clan that helped mentor you as a player that you’d like to give a shoutout to? I'd like to give a shoutout to the no longer existing various language-based communities that made old KAW so special. Especially the German, Russian, and Asian clans were awesome to hang out with 😆 If you could be Queen of KAW for the day, what would you do to please your KAW player subjects? I would abuse my power to draft all of KAW into an all-out lowland system war, where wins and losses give tokens players can donate to clans of their choice in order to increase clan roster size 😌 If you were making a movie about KAW, who would you cast in the role of the Mage, the Oracle, Gwyn, Arkosa, etc? I have no clue! I would probably attempt to cast people from the KAWmmunity instead of professional actors, because I think it would be more fun 😂 If you had to design a KAW t-shirt using KAW slang or common phrases from the game, what would the t-shirt say? "User is still in tutorial." My favourite error prompt when looking if names are already taken 💀 If you could place 3 items from your showcase/furnishings/equipment/charms in a KAW time capsule to open on the 25th anniversary, what would you place inside? Probably my Lowland Nuts reward, my Crownseye Handkerchief reward, and my 69-stack of Banshee's Wail Charms, because they mean the most to me ☺️ If you could meet one ATA staff member, who would it be and why? This is a tough one, because I don't remember the name, but years ago there was a Dev account on KAW who used to post in world chat whenever there were server issues. He seemed to enjoy talking to KAWers, so I'd like to buy him the drink he always posted in emoji form! What keeps you hooked on KAW Running a clan full of misfits and trouble makers - it never gets boring when you spend your time trying to herd cats 😂 Dave When did you start playing KAW? Right from the beginning, back in the pre-Epic Battle / classic PWAR era. What's your favourite EB, event or content drop? Figure of Death (FOD) — specifically finding that item bar sweet spot. When someone accidentally broke it and clan chat exploded in pure rage, it was equally hilarious and painful. Is there any one player or clan that helped mentor you as a player that you’d like to give a shoutout to? Stronger Together (Champions Corp): Proud to have been a founding leader of Champions Corp. Knights of the Fire Emblem (Kotfe): A great home for my original/alt account over the years. Personal Shoutouts: Massive love and appreciation to Wabbsy, Micheal, Superunknown, and StevieW. When my wife Emma passed away, the compassion from this community was unforgettable. Wabbsy and The Sweet Spot clan even sent flowers directly to the hospice Emma was in. Rivals Turned Family: Total respect to Templo and New Age Legends (NAL). Despite being fierce in-game enemies who stripped me in wars, their leadership reached out with genuine empathy and kindness during the hardest time of my life. That proved respect runs much deeper than any war. Who is your favorite NPC in the game and why? (Arkosa, Jääkäärne, Holm, etc.) None of the current ones—I think my own creation, Nug Nug the Singing Dinosaur, needs to be made into an official NPC! KaW could use a break from the dark fantasy demons; drop Nug Nug into a Tier 12 Epic Battle and let’s see the realm take him on. Nug Nug the Singing Dinosaur If you could be King of KAW for the day, what would you do to please your KAW player subjects? I’d immediately pass the crowns over and declare Micheal the mod as King and Wabbsy the mod as Queen. Both of them have given so much to this community and have supported me on a deeply personal level through thick and thin. If you were making a movie about KAW, who would you cast in the role of the Mage, the Oracle, Gwyn, Arkosa, etc? The Mage: Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) — she already knows how to handle magic and keep chaos organized. The Oracle: The Oracle from The Matrix (Gloria Foster) — pure wisdom, always steps ahead of the players. Gwyn / Frontline Warrior: Jason Statham — hard-hitting, no nonsense, and ready to strip a target clean. Clan Commander / Lead Hero: Me! I reckon I’ve got the acting chops to lead the army onto the battlefield. If you had to design a KAW t-shirt using KAW slang or common phrases from the game, what would the t-shirt say? Front: "I just xtalled..." Back: "Defender Too Weak (DTW)" If you could place 3 items from your showcase/furnishings/equipment/charms in a KAW time capsule to open on the 25th anniversary, what would you place inside? 1. My Mod Dragon Egg — ready to finally hatch into an exclusive anniversary Pet. 2. Nug Nug the Dinosaur — as an official event Token to unlock an exclusive new Epic Battle. 3. 25th Anniversary Abyssal Blade — an ultra-mythic sword stamped with the anniversary number and boasting a ridiculous +1.5 Billion to Attack, Defense, Spy Attack, and Spy Defense, making it the single most overpowered piece of gear in KaW history! If you could meet one ATA staff member, who would it be and why? Marceline or the lead Game Designer to talk mechanics—though if Will is still around, definitely him. He was always absolutely amazing with the players and community. What’s one KAW moment or experience that made you realize the game had become more than just a game for you? When I first started playing KaW, my wife Emma played alongside me; it was truly our shared experience. When she passed away, my love for the game naturally faded for a while. Over time, it was this incredible community that reignited that spark for me. Coming back felt like I had never left. It still feels strange tapping through the game without Emma, but life moves forward—I have met a wonderful new lady now, and maybe one day I’ll introduce her to the realm of KaW too! Beyond the screen, Micheal would regularly phone me from America to England just to check in on me. Even after stepping down as a moderator to care for my family, people know me simply as Dave, with 90% of the player base showing genuine respect. KaW isn't just a tap-tap game—it’s a collection of awesome personalities joined into one dynamic, living community. OfficerDash_Tribute When did you start playing KAW? I started KaW in November 2009, was an account on Mochi games!! Wowser what a throwback😌 What is your favourite EB, past or present! My favourite EB would have to be back in 2014 when y’all released the spragga eb on aprils fools day. I had never had so much fun in my life 😆 Is there any one player or clan that helped mentor you as a player that you’d like to give a shoutout to? Warlord_Tribute. Need I say more? What an absolute icon, leader, mentor and everything in between. There’s been plenty over the years that have guided me but War continues to amaze me. Who is your favorite NPC in the game and why? The witch queen Hexavia.. need I say more?😆 If you could be King of KAW for the day, what would you do to please your KAW player subjects? If I was king, I would bring back Pwars for a day and let everyone go wild with gold flow🫢 If you were making a movie about KAW, who would you cast in the role of the Mage, the Oracle, Gwyn, Arkosa, etc? Mage: Ian McKellen with his beard Oracle: Lupita Nyong'o Gwynn: Karen Gillan Arkosa: Katheryn Winnick Jaakaarne: Willem Dafoe If you had to design a KAW t-shirt using KAW slang or common phrases from the game, what would the t-shirt say? “Make Wars Great Again” If you could place 3 items from your showcase/furnishings/equipment/charms in a KAW time capsule to open on the 25th anniversary, what would you place inside? All my taffy charms, My furn set into a time capsule, and my dragon banner😆 If you could meet one ATA staff member, who would it be and why? Honestly would just be happy to meet anyone, you all seem super cool and would be great to learn a thing or two of you about game development 🩵 What’s one KAW moment or experience that made you realize the game had become more than just a game for you? Finding a community that truly understands and supports you in game and out. I have found some close friends that I would classify as family and if it wasn’t for KaW and their support, I would of never gotten through some tough times🤘🩵🥸 Questions for ATA Our featured players also had the opportunity to turn the questions back on us! They submitted questions of their own, and members of the KAW dev team answered the call. Would you consider opening a second KAW server where everyone starts from scratch? [ATA] Jean - Yes. 👀 It’s something we’ve been toying with for a while actually. Because KAW has been around for so long, it can be hard for newer players to catch up, and sharding is one way to help with that. It’s something we’d want to do very carefully though, and get feedback from the community on. It’s not on our roadmap at the moment but if this is something more players are interested in, please do let us know! Is there any chance that you might work on giving us back something resembling what ASW used to be? [ATA] Marceline - We know the community is hungry for ASW so never say never. Given KaW’s long history and dedicated player base, what is the team’s long-term vision for the game's future and technical modernization moving forward? [ATA] Azure - Speaking for the KaW Creative team, we love working on KAW and are avid players ourselves. Aside from the work we do creating content for events, we have some plans in the works for visual improvements to the game, but we always want to make sure that KAW feels like KAW. That's All Folks We hope you enjoyed reading about this year's featured players! These stories and anecdotes were wonderful reminders to our team of the players behind the pixels and what makes KAW still feel so special after all of these years! We're excited to do this again next year and if you want a chance at being featured, look out for the application form coming in late summer of 2027! If you have any feedback or thoughts on how the next one should go, let us know too! See you all next year!