ArcheAge (Part One)

ArcheAge is a Free-to-Play fantasy sandbox MMORPG from Trion Worlds and XLGAMES. In this MMORPG, there's no predefined paths of progression. Your free to choose your own way of playing the game...blah blah blah...

Aren't you getting bored seeing this kind of introduction, by now? Well I am...and it doesn't tell you much about the game either...so let's just skip it.

After playing this game for about a month now, ArcheAge more or less reminds me of RIFT Online, quite frankly. Its like they "borrowed" certain ideas from RIFT, reskined it here and there, changed some of the way things work and voila...a new game.

How so you say?

Well, first of all, you'll find that the familiar three "souls" concept from RIFT is somewhat imported into this game as three "classes" or "skillsets". Though the actual skills and implementation is altered, the concept of focusing and/or dividing your skill points (earned via leveling up) into your chosen classes remains the same.

Next, the huge gameworld that you can explore called "Telara" (in RIFT) is made even bigger...way bigger here in ArcheAge.

Not that its a bad thing here of course.

There's now three huge continents, forcibly split by a massive body of water in the middle, waiting for you to discover. And each of these continents are then further sub-divided into smaller areas that are littered with monsters, npcs and quests.

Note that although I call them "small area" here, they are still quite large enough so that it takes you a while to run from one area to the next. Not to mention that they do come with starkly differing scenery and climates as well.

Now just look at that. Aren't they beautiful? And its only on the lowest graphic settings. Would have looked even better had I got a more powerful PC for the job.

Crafting from RIFT seems to be also pulled in as well...but improved, expanded upon and made the focus of this game...together with trading, that is.

The main idea for this sandbox game seems to revolve around hauling of "specialty goods" that you've crafted in one area to another...for profit. And the further it is from the "source", the better your paid for the trouble.

And if you have to ask about this in further details? I'ld have to say that its kind of like your playing a little bit of a few games here (being lumped together).

As mentioned, the concept of trading and hauling "specialty goods" seems to remind me of the time when I was playing games like "Silkroad Online" and "Uncharted Waters".

But in ArcheAge, its made even more complex because these "specialty goods" or "trade packs" (as we call them here) needs to be crafted.

And to craft these trade packs, one will need to gather the necessary materials/ingredients first...which is where the farming and rearing concepts come in.

And these...to be quite honest...oddly reminds me of "Farmville" and "Dragon Nest".

The last faint trace of RIFT Online actually comes from these "rifts" that sometimes open up in certain areas...and out of it pops hoards of crazy monsters.

Although that was the main attraction of RIFT Online, in ArcheAge's case, its more of just a side feature to add some diversity to the gameplay, nothing more.

Next: ArcheAge (Part Two)

Posted in: ArcheAge