12.August.2014

Since the creation of World of Warcraft, many companies have produced, sold and released many massive multiplayer online games. Though many of these games have a similiar fantasy based vibe, with a limited selection of races, they have all had their unique selling point to draw in the masses to their gaming community.

Archeage has found a new and unique way to bring in their players which can guarantee continuous play as well as developing a new type of addiction. Whilst most MMO games give you the ability to harvest the map's natural resources whilst developing your character, Archeage takes this to a new level. Instead of just harvesting the bounty of the land, you can grow your own crops. By adding the farming feature to the game, it gives the player the ability to farm their own land, to raise their own animals and to build their own forest. Whilst you can use these natural resources of the game for your quests, they can also be used to produce the character's own property. Ever wondered if you can own your own boat or ship in an MMO? Archeage gives you the ability to do so by trading Gilda Stars, which can be obtained from the main quest line, for the blueprints of houses and transport. Though you need to pay weekly tax for your houses and farms, the land itself is yours to use to your heart's desire!

Unlike any other game, however, what you own can be destroyed and stolen by the other players. In the game, every player (once they have reached level 15) has the ability to pillage your properties, steal your crops and slaughter your animals. This mode, also known as the bloodlust mode, can be activated at level 15. The mode lets you steal from your own faction instead of just stealing from your enemies of the opposite isle, though it can lead to being punished with prison time voted on by your fellow peers on the jury. For every criminal act you perform, you receive 3 infamy points - your crimes can be reported by other players using the red footprints that you leave at the scene of the crime. If you die following a battle with another player after receiving 50 or more infamy points, you will be placed into a trial where a select group of level 30+ players get to vote whether you are guilty or innocent of the crimes reported against you. With 300 infamy points, you can become a pirate of the high seas, though beware that you will be hunted down if you return to land outside of one of the ports.

Like every other MMO, to add alongside its' unique features, Archeage has a range of races to select from: the Elves; the Nuians; the Firrans; and, the Harani. Each race has its' own unique abilities to adapt the character, though there are no race-specific classes like in some MMOs that are currently playable. The class system adds to the individuality of this game by letting you develop it further as you play the game. Instead of selecting a race at the start of the game for your character, you select the first of 3 classes you wish your character to be. As you get into the game and level, you add the other 2 classes to your character, adding to its' playability. It is also possible to remove any of the chosen classes if you wish to change their style. There are hundreds of combinations possible, allowing your character to have an advantage in the game for your benefit specifically depending on your game style, especially in the PvP. As with most MMOs, PvP is available to all players. The PvP zone on the map is set in the sea, to make trade runs between the continents more interesting. There is also PvP available on-land, though these areas are specifically marked as "War-Time" to allow people to avoid these areas if they wish, though these areas change regularly to give a realistic war vibe.

It is currently in the stages of the third closed beta event this week, only available to Founder Pack owners. In the next month, it will be hosting open beta events for its' free to play members. It will be open for playing at some point within Autumn this year so if you are interested, look out for Archeage news on the Trion or Archeage website.

If you are interested in Archeage, or any other Trion games, let us know over on the facebook page and we will be sure to keep you updated!

~ Kirky