The Empire:
Race: Xadaganian
Race: Orc
Race: Arisen
The League:
Race: Elf
Race: Gibberlings
Race: Kanian
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The buzz surrounding this game has picked up steam during the past few months, billed as "AAA," East-meets-West fusion of MMO influences, literally created smack-dab in-between the U.S. and Asian "superpowers" of game development. It's said to feature unique themes of both fantasy and sci-fi; traditional sword-and-sorcery fare intertwined with epic battles of space opera grandeur, all staged within a plane of existence called The Astral. The mainstream gaming media still has yet to cover Allods Online in-depth; only a handful of early previews exist today, based on the closed-beta. In the mean time, ZAM pulls together all the most important news you need to know in our early-feature format, "What We Know So Far," offering a broad—yet succinct—overview of Allods Online.
Prior to developing Allods Online, Astrum Nival served as the Russian publisher/operator of several Asian MMOs (Perfect World, ZT Online). Allods Online is the company's first "in-house" game, and sequel to Allods (a.k.a. Rage of Mages), an existing IP with a proven track record in Russia. According to Astrum Nival, the core development team behind Allods Online is also responsible for Heroes of Might and Magic V, among other games.
Earlier this year, the developer announced its partnership with Gala-Net, Inc. (more commonly known as gPotato) to publish Allods Online in North America. Riding on the success of its recent "Best Online Game" and "Best Game Developer" awards at the 2008-09 Russian Game Development Conference, Allods Online was an obvious candidate to join gPotato's successful North American stable of MMOs. With its second closed-beta phase beginning on Dec. 1, Allods Online should see a live release in late 2009 or early 2010.
Featuring its own proprietary graphics engine, the MMO has already received substantial acclaim for its rich and vibrant visual themes; you can check out the original trailer and take a look for yourself. The "Astral" trailer is also visually telling, and demonstrates a unique aspect of the game that might leave you scratching your head after watching it for the first time. What are those giant Clipper-esque ships doing flying around in a purple-hued vacuum of space, lobbing energy blasts at each other from high-tech cannons?
It's taking place in a realm called The Astral, where much of the "space and sci-fi" elements of Allods Online come in. According to the game's lore, The Astral is home to both "Creative" and "Destructive" forces. At some point in history, a world called Sarnaut once existed somewhere in The Astral, but was eventually torn apart by the Destructive forces. The planet shattered into several islands, which are known as "allods" to their inhabitants (hence the game's title).
So, much of the fantasy-themed settings take place on these islands—or allods—and resemble a variety of the landscapes and architecture found in traditional MMORPGs. Conversely, the great battles of Astral Ships are set in space, within The Astral. Fueled by Astral Power collected through their sails, the ships are used to travel between allods as well as warfare. At level 20, players are able to build their own Astral Ships, which are meant to be constructed and sailed with help from friends. To accomplish both PvP and PvE objectives, players can choose among various functions on the ships, like steering, navigation and cannons.
There are two factions in Allods Online, each with three races. The League is home to the Kanians (a human-looking race), the Elves and the Gibberlings (an extremely innovative race that actually consists of three small, furry characters working as one). The Empire claims the Xadaganians (a tech-savvy race), The Arisen (undead) and The Orcs. Across these six races is a surprisingly large total of 28 available classes; 14 for each faction, each developed by starting with a "starter archetype." But, similar to Warhammer Online's "mirror" class mechanic, neither faction shares the same class. Check out the official class page for more information about each one.
At launch, Allods Online's level cap is maxed at 40, with over 1,500 quests to get you there. Developers promise to "win the hearts of gamers worldwide by supporting an exceptional variety of play styles," with familiar MMO staples such as raids and instances, various pets and engaging PvP (both on land and in The Astral). You'll have a complete guild system at your disposal, which you can use to form up to 24-player groups to tackle raids and dungeons.
As we reported last month, the developers even added a sport called "Goblinoball" to the MMO, which is apparently a more-violent form of soccer (using a goblin instead of a ball—sounds a little like Blood Bowl). It's a PvP game all its own; players of the same faction can visit "Competition Island" to queue up for a team. Once formed, they'll be sent to the pitch with "real-life crowds" cheering them on.
The gathering and crafting professions are also worth nothing because of how they work; crafting is designed to play out as a mini-game. Gathering includes Herbalism, Mining and Disassembling, while Crafting consists of Alchemy, Tailoring, Leatherworking and Blacksmithing. The crafting profession mini-games are based on concepts similar to Poker, Blackjack and slot machines—and of course, a little luck is involved, too.
The MMO community mostly agrees that Allods Online seems to offer quite a bit for a free-to-play game, based on the gameplay videos and feature blogs released so far. Vanity items are expected to drive the micro-transaction aspect of the game, like special clothes and cosmetic upgrades for your character and ships. We don't have many details regarding what other kinds of items will be offered, or if stat/leveling enhancers will be included. Nevertheless, Allods Online is definitely an MMO you'll want to keep an eye on in 2010.
Also, be sure to watch episode 10 of the BFF Report. Fony takes a look at Allods Online and he thinks it's one of the best free-to-play MMOs out there. What do you think? Keep reading after the jump for a Closed Beta Test #3 FAQ.
How long will Closed Beta Test #3 last?
Closed Beta Test #3 will run from December 29th through January 11th (5pm PST).
What content is available during CBT #3?
Closed Beta Test #3 content includes all 6 races, 8 classes, and 28 archetypes. Additionally, all content between levels 1 through 30 will be available for your enjoyment.
I played in CBT #1, and #2 will I still be able to play in CBT #3?
Yes! If you received a key for CBT #1 or #2 then you will automatically have access to CBT #3. When the game opens up you will be able to log right in and play!
Will my character be wiped at the end of CBT #3?
No, your character will not be wiped at the conclusion of CBT #3. You will be able to continue playing the same character throughout all of our Closed Beta Tests.
Will my character be wiped at the start of OBT?
Yes, all characters will be wiped at the end of the final Closed Beta.
Will there be other Closed Beta Tests?
Yes, there will be other Closed Beta Tests. More information about the next CBT will be announced near the conclusion of the current closed beta.
I don’t live in North America. Can I play Allods on Gala-Net?
All players are able to participate in our Closed Beta! Users outside of North America, however, may experience more lag while playing.
When will Open Beta start?
As more details become available we will let you know.
I need help from a GM!
Unfortunately, we won’t be offering any customer service or standard GM support through the Closed Beta, because our team is focused on building the best possible game for Open Beta. Please let us know if you’re having trouble registering your beta key (via email, Twitter, etc.) and we will do our best to help you. We read all the email you send us, so please keep sending us your feedback and suggestions.
When will you open additional servers?
We will open additional servers per the requirements of our closed beta test.
I am on Windows 7 and I can’t get into the game, what do I do?
Currently, some users have issues running Allods Online on Windows 7. We are actively working on resolving this. If you are on Windows 7 and are receiving errors, please uninstall and delete your Allods Online directory. You should then download a fresh version of the client and reinstall the game. You should then be able to access the game. If you are still unable to do so we recommend that you try and play on an XP or Vista machine until we are able to resolve the issues with Windows 7.
When I log in all I see is a brown screen. Help!
Please ensure that your video and DirectX drivers are completely up-to-date. If you have updated them and are still experiencing the issue, uninstall and delete the game and re-download and install. If the issue still persists, your video card may not be able to support Allods Online and you will need to upgrade your video card before being able to play the game. Please submit a bug report with your system specifications and driver versions to allods_bugs@gala-net.com.
I changed my gPotato password and I can't login anymore!
For the time being, your Allods account password is tied to the gPotato account password you logged in with when you registered your beta key. Therefore, if you change your gPotato password, you need to log into the Allods Closed Beta with the same password you originally registered your beta key with. We're actively working to resolve this issue, so that your Allods password will always be the same as your gPotato account password.
In Allods, two factions are at war. That sounds pretty common, but what these two factions fight over is a little different. The League and The Empire are battling each other for control over allods; independent islands floating in astral space. The word "allod" is actually a derivation of the word "allodium" which is noun meaning land owned independently without superiror claim, rent, or payment in service. As these two factions war over allods, you control an avatar and level up like every other game. Furthermore, you build an astral ship to traverse open space. Those ships can be manned by your friends, each with distinct roles like navigator, gunner, etc.
What makes Allods stand out at first glance is its appearance. Its cartoony graphics may look familiar, but watching it in action proves depth behind the flash. Animations are impressive and often differ for each race/class combination. Spells are crisp and beautiful. Fire looks like it might burn you while psychic abilities look as though they'd slice right through you. The environments have substance with individual ambiances. Certain areas of a map will grow darker or lighter depending on the tone of the area. To put it bluntly, the game is pretty.
If looks don't do it for you, then let's look at the races and classes. The League and The Empire each have 3 races. In The League you have the Kanians (humans), Elves (elves with wings), and Gibberlings (Ewok-like 3-man team). In The Empire you have the Xadaganians (humans), the Arisen (half undead, half robot), and Orcs (smash). As touched on earlier each race has specific animations for combat, emotes, and everything in between. The 28 classes those races can be come from 8 different archetypes. The 8 archetypes are: Warrior, Paladin, Scout, Healer, Warden, Mage, Summoner, and Psionicist. Each race/class combination has a special name. For example, a warden Gibberling is called an Animist while a Kanian warden is called a Druid. Not all races can be any class as you can see from the table below.
The League | ||
Elves | Gibberlings | Kanians |
warrior | warrior | |
paladin | paladin | |
scout | scout | |
healer | healer | |
warden | warden | |
mage | mage | |
summoner | ||
psionicist |
The Empire | ||
Xadaganians | Orcs | Arisen |
warrior | warrior | |
paladin | paladin | |
scout | scout | |
healer | healer | |
warden | ||
mage | ||
summoner | summoner | |
psionicist | psionicist |
What impressed me about the races and classes was the concept of Gibberlings, the psionicist's gameplay mechanic, and fatigue. These are just three highlights of the game. I assure you there are more, but these things are what stuck out during my first exposure to Allods.
First off, Gibberlings are a cute, Ewok-like hamster race. They come in sets of three meaning there are three avatars for you to customize if you roll a Gibberling. They work as a unit to get any job done. If you have a Gibberling warrior each of the avatars will perform a specific roll. One will hold and use the shield while one takes point with a sword. The third Gibberling will cheer the others on in battle and take care of the ranged weapon if one is equipped. If you have a scout Gibberling one will wield the bow while one places and pulls the arrow back. The third will point in the direction you're attacking. The idea of a squad isn't anything new, even to MMOs, but the Gibberlings' unified actions are endearing and different.
If you haven't tried out this free-to-play MMO yet, check out episode 10 and episode 12 of the BFF Report. Fony gives us a first-hand look at Allods Online as he plays through the game.
New content in the fourth closed beta test includes:
Levels 30-40
Contested Zones:
Dragon Ring
Avilon
Yazes Shard
Coldberg
Gipat
Forgotten Temple
Far Astral Allods
Instances:
Dead City
Heart of Tensess Temple
Raids:
Gorlxor’s Tower
Goblinball
Astral Ships
Many New Quests, New Items, and New Mobs
Allods Online - Beta Impressions-Gameplay
After two highly successful and critically acclaimed Closed Beta Test phases across Europe, gPotato Europe is glad to announce the start of the third phase of testing. Servers will be patched during the afternoon of Wednesday January 13th with an increase in the maximum level to 34. This specific level is the limit before a quest chain can be accepted that enables players to build their own Astral Ships.
The last half of January will have a taste of challenge for the players as the Allods Online Ultimate Stress Test: "Slaughter Week" begins, Monday January 18th. On this occasion, all players are invited to login 'en masse' and stress the game as part of the Beta Test. A number of in-game events will be organised by the Allods Online team over the week.
To celebrate Slaughter Week, all currently pre-registered players will be able from tomorrow on to download and log in the game from http://en.allods.gpotato.eu/Download/Client.aspx or the official Allods Online Bittorrent Release at http://tinyurl.com/allodseuencbtclient. Instant access will also be granted to all those who register between 13 – 22 January at http://en.allods.gpotato.eu/ad
Information about the fourth phase of testing, which opens access to Astral ships, will be soon released at the official European Allods Online website at http://allods.gpotato.eu.
xCainx wrote:I think this game is veeery grind-intensive.
Its very disturbing to read stuff like this: "You gained 8 EXP. You need 1823 EXP to reach the next level." wtf ? At level 6 ?
Ok, without party I get like 23, but thats still way too low.
The quest arent that great either :/
Probably not suited for me xD