Archlord MMORPG Review

 

Archlord is a fantasy MMORPG that has recently went to a free-to-play model, along with adding an expansion pack, Episode II: Season of Siege, which is also free. This offers an excellent opportunity for mmo gamers because it did this fairly soon after it's release, unlike Shadowbane, Anarchy Online, and some others. So, you get updated graphics and one of the few WASD-movement able games on the free market. According to CodeMasters, the amount of game dowloads is up over 500% and surpassed 500,000 downloads in just a week. Is it worth trying? Read through this article and you can decide. Also, let me say that there are plenty of other Archlord reviews out there. Most of them review episode 1 of the game, which came with a lot of bugs. It has been over a year since then though, and CodeMasters has made a lot of improvements to the game. This review will critique Episode 2 of the game. If you tried Archlord out during beta or even bought the game, here are some of the main changes of Episode II, the free expansion:

• Siege Warfare systems for Inflame, Traqua and Arthian castles
• Archlord System for Rensphere castle
• New Chantra Items • Additional level 78 Weapons
• Additional level 85 Weapons
• Additional level 79 Normal Armour
• Additional level 83 Rare/Unique/Elite Armour
• New monsters with level 75~85 in Silancium, Windrill and La Triah
• Attack damage of attacking skills to a single target increased for all classes.

The rest of the details, including the skill balancing lists can be found here.

 

Graphics (8 out of 10)

---

I found the graphics in this game to be on par with other games on the market. There are some clipping problems on certain surfaces and buildings, but on the whole, I'd say it was pretty good. The reason I gave it an 8 instead of a 9 or 10 is because of the few problems, yes, but also because I really found nothing special with the graphics. That's not to say they aren't good, but in 9Dragons for instance, I got a feeling of refinement that I find in very few other MMORPG's. The scenery and setting is nice, and almost everything gives you a sense of how small you are in the world, which I liked. For a look at some of the graphics in Archlord, view some of the screenshots in our gallery.

 

Edit: Because of a recent change in our gallery, our screenshot links are broken. You can view all of them in our Archlord Gallery

 

Gameplay (9 out of 10)

---

The gameplay is really where Archlord is hoping to pull you in. They want to be a player vs. player game that has other aspects of of the standard fantasy-based MMORPG also. They try to improve on the PVP experience though. The site does have some good guides to walk you through the first decisions and levels in the game. Here's the basic guide. I found the gameplay in Archlord to be like a mix of World of Warcraft and Lineage II, with a little Guild Wars mixed in. You have access to banks (storage), a mail system, and an auction house, which I'll get more into later.

Leveling

Leveling in Archlord is also fairly standard. What immediately stood out to me is the amount of quests available all the way to 15. I constantly had 2-3 quests in my log that I was trying to accomplish. To me, this is a positive. Even if it's go out and kill 30 of a specific mob, it still gives a goal, and doesn't feel as monotonous as grinding. I didn't get a chance to go do higher levels, but from what I read on the forums, there are other techniques to help you out past 20, like every class getting AOE spells so you can pull a large number of mobs and kill them all at once. I witnessed a few players doing this with success. A lot of other reviews complain about the grinding aspect, and I have to agree that there is definitely grinding to be done. It's not as much as some other F2P(free-to-play) games that I have tried, but still noticeable. The thing you have to remember with a F2P though is if you want the same experience as a pay-to-play, then you might have to spend some money in the shop to get items that boost your XP rate or give you in-game money. The advantage with a free-to-play is, you get to determine how much you want to spend on the game.

Potions are vital to the leveling process in Archlord. It's not even like other games where you buy them because you can level faster. In Archlord, 95% of your kills is going to give you a health or mana potion. Slots 1 and 2 on your bar are automatically set to these two potions. Not only that, Archlord's UI comes with health and mana bars that have a setting so that if your health or mana gets to the point you set, a potion is automatically taken. Another great feature to me in this game. I simply watch my potion inventory, and never rest while grinding. With the gold and potions picked up, I could grind without stopping until I leveled. Then I would go to town, refill if needed (usually only mana pots were needed) and return.

Also, try to get in a group whenever you can. It offers several advantages. While in a group, you character auto-loots mobs that you kill. Items aren't shared. You also get a boost in HP and MP while in a group. I also got a very small xp bonus for mobs killed by others, but didn't notice this to be very consistent. I'm unsure if it was because I had to be in a certain radius of the group or otherwise. Several joined a group with me just to solo level just for the auto-loot feature of a group.

Travel

This seemed like it was important enough in this game so that it should be it's own topic. In Archlord, you have a few ways of getting around.

First, the portal system. You pay for these, but they can get you to areas (not just towns, but even leveling areas) for a fee.

Second, scrolls. You can buy scrolls from merchants or pick them up through mob drops, but they can return you to your last visited town, and there are roundtrip scrolls that will transport you to town, then back to your hunting spot.

Third, morphing. You can morph into other creatures that will travel faster.

Fourth, mounts. You can get a mount at level 35. I included a couple of screens below.

 

Quests

Quests are something that I found enjoyable in this game. It really reminded me of WoW. There are markers above NPC's to tell you they have quests available, to tell you you've completed one with them, and to tell you have completed a quest with that NPC. Here are some examples.

 

The other thing I like in Archlord is the idea of bosses. For every mob (that I know of), there is a boss. It is within the same level range, but has much more health, and worth more XP. Quest chains usually end with you having to kill or retrieve something from one of these bosses. Their hardness varies, with some being so hard it's tough to kill them if your 3-4 levels higher. With some, you can kill immediately. Shout for a group to kill a boss if you need help. There's usually several people looking to complete the particular quest boss you are on.

For more information on quests in Archlord, head over to the Stratics site for Archlord.

Weapons/Armor

There is a wide variety of weapons and armor in the game, but not as many as I would like. Basically, while you have a nice range of types of weapons, there aren't that many swords for example in a specific level range. This could possibly get much better at higher levels. Much like WoW, there is also a grading system for weapons. White is stuff you can buy from a vendor. Green has some magical properties and are a bit better. Orange is even better. Purple is a rare item and has the best qualities the weapon can offer. What you will notice is that all orange battle axes don't do the same damage or have the same magical properties. They can vary for each weapon. Armor is a bit less complicated, with armor having an armor rating. The drop rate seemed to be very good, and I picked up two purples before even hitting 15. Since they promptly sold at the auction house, it led me to believe that not everyone had the same luck.

Auction House

One of the best features is that you can sell items anywhere in the field by putting them in the auction house. Click the item, click sell, and put a price on it. It will automatically list it in the auction house without you having to return to town. You get updated on items that are sold immediately, and confirm the sale. It always contains a wide-variety of items available in the game. On some items, there are hundreds of variations. I found this to be very convenient when my packs got full in the field.

Stats

Here's a quick breakdown of the stats available to every character in the game.

Power Surge: This increases your melee attack power.

Nimbleness: This increases your ranged attack power, attack rate, and defense.

Intellect: This increases your magical attack power.

Mind Boost: This increases your maximum mana.

Endurance: This increases your maximum health.

As you can see, a pretty simple system, althought there are a lot of player stats like armor, block rating, attack speed, and others that are supplemented through weapons and magical jewelry items.

Professions/Classes

I've listed the races and classes available below. I've also linked the guides over at Archlord's official site:

Human -- Knight, Mage, Archer

Orc -- Berserker, Socerer, Hunter

Moon Elf -- (female-only) -- Elementalist, Ranger

 

Becoming Archlord

A special component of the game is the ability to become archlord of the server. I'll let the FAQ explain more:

Archlord?

There can only be one Archlord. the Archlord is the ruler of the gameworld for one month. after his time is up, another person can try to become Archlord.

As for defending their position, the ArchLord will have reign of 21 days before they can be challenged for their position. Players that intend to fight for the title must go through a number of challenges that will whittle them down to the one that will challenge the ArchLord. Then the Archlord and the challenger will meet in an epic clash of the titans.

So what can an Archlord do?

The ArchLord will have access to an awesome, scaly, flying Dragon Mount. They will also be able to call on three Knights that will act as bodyguards to the ArchLord, they will also be able to summon up 20 fearsome monsters to battle those around them, too. Players will also be able to control the weather and levy taxes on the other castles in the game. Oh and let's not forget the massive meteoric shower AOE that the ArchLord can call forward, too.

How can I become an Archlord?

There are a few requirements to become the ArchLord. for one, You and your fellow guild members need to be level 60 or above. Once you and your guild members have reached this level, you must take over & control a castle. After all 3 castle's have been claimed, all 3 guilds holding a castle will be summoned to the ArchLord's castle, where they will fight a massive battle. After that, the winning guild will have to defeat a massive boss. After this boss has been defeated, the guild will have a chance to overthrow the current ArchLord. After the ArchLord has been overthrown, the guild can chose a new ArchLord from one of its members

 

PVP

PVP is really where Archlord concentrates it's efforts from what I've seen. You basically are eligible for PvP at level 15. You can be pk'd outdoors, and you can enter battle areas (even though I made it in them before 15). Archlord bills itself as a hardcore PvP game, and it has a system that I really appreciate. It is unlike any I've ever seen. In theory, it sounds like it would deter the griefers, but in game, it doesn't always work. I've seen several threads on the forums that complain about griefing. Some say that the system is not strict enough. It is there though, and with a few tweaks, I'm sure it could be one of the best in outdoor pk there is. What am I talking about? Let's take a look thanks to Stratics:

 

First Attacker Status

To attack a selected player, they must be double-clicked while the ‘Ctrl’ key is being held. This will initiate the attack and turn the players name (in the Target Condition window) to red. The player initiating the combat will become the first attacker, with a purple skull appearing above their head. A player with the 1st attacker icon can be freely attacked by any other player for 20 minutes.

Villain Points

If you kill a player that is 4 levels or more below your level you receive 2 villain points (this might change as Codemasters tweaks the system, but currently the number's supposed to be 2). Once 40 villain points are accumulated you will be named a rogue and a rogue icon will be displayed above your head. There are three levels of rogue status depending on your number of villain points each with increasing disadvantages.
Villain points can only be removed by the use of pardon scrolls. Pardon scrolls can be collected and turned in to a Pardoner NPC , located in some towns and villages. To remove 10 villain points you must turn in 50 pardon scrolls. Even with pardon scrolls however, rogue status cannot be removed for a minimum of 120 min. Also be aware of the fact that Pardon Scrolls are rare drops, so if you decide to go rogue, be prepared to be it for quite a while.

Rogue Levels

Level 1 – 40 Villain Points

• Trading between players is disabled
• Guards will attack you
• You will drop more items upon PvP death
• Partying with other players is disabled

Level 2 – 60 Villain Points <!-- -->

• All Level 1 Rogue disadvantages
• Trading with all NPC’s and the Auction House is disabled

Level 3 – 100 Villain Points

• All Level 1 & 2 Rogue disadvantages
• 10% xp loss upon death
• 50% decrease in xp gain
• You can not be the 1st attacker

 

There are also battle squares for solo and guild play. In battle squares, these rules don't apply, and it's really a no-holds-barred competition. I've posted a couple of screens of the battle squares below. More on Archlord PvP at Stratics.

Siege warfare is another big component of Episode II. The official site has siege reports telling you who is taking what, as well as the time till the next siege event. I've included some information from the site about siege warfare:

Siege Warfare introduces a new dynamic to guild play in Archlord. Up to 6 guilds compromising of 3 attacking and 3 defending go head to head to fight for control over 1 of the games 3 castles. Command your forces, siege weapons and beasts of malice to crush your opponents.

Many say this is where Archlord really shines. The siege aspect can be really fun once you reach higher levels. Archlord offers a chance for players that get bored with the grind to gain items and titles through sieges and guild battles.

 

Community (8 out of 10)

 

---

Out-of-Game

The Archlord community out-of-game is a bonus to the game in my opinion. I found questions to be answered quickly and lots of helpful information from players. Like a lot of other MMORPG's, events and announcements are posted on the forums, and it's the main way for the company to communicate with it's players. One thing I found annoying about the forums is that the Archlord forum was a part of a bigger CodeMaster's forum. So, clicking links like "New Posts" would give you posts from a lot of other forums also. I could see where some might see this as a positive if you play multiple CodeMaster's games, but I still prefer a dedicated forum. As far as fan-sites, Archlord is weak in this area. I found several listed to be just advertising. This may not be an indicator of the community though, since a lot of the fan-sites have to compete with the major gaming networks these days, which is a losing battle most times.

In-Game

I didn't find too much help in game for the questions I had. Those are most likely best left for the forum. I tried to help others when I could, but often got no response to questions I posed over chat. That's not to say there's not a lot of chatter. There are always plenty of people looking for groups, and talk about the game in general. There are also several people listening for PK reports. If you have a problem with a PK, just post it on the shout channel.

 

Conclusion (25 out of 30)

---

In conclusion, Archlord is a solid offering that is getting better. The graphics are up-to-date, the gameplay is what you would expect in an MMORPG with some subtle differences that keep you interested. The PvP, which is what I usually look for, is interestingly different, and has plenty of potential to be one of the best on the market. It is a free MMORPG, so you can expect to grind a little, and you can expect for the game to have a store to buy items. This isn't so bad though, since if you paid to play, you'd spend more money than you'd spend in the store. Patches seem to have a lot of fixes, and there is talk about an Episode 3 release in the future. Personally, I'm going to keeping an eye on this game, and expect to play it through the weekend to see the events taking place.

To get a key simply visit the ArchLord Free To Play page. If you have any questions visit the Free To Play FAQ.

 

Some tips before you get started:

1. Press the ALT key to Toggle yor ability to see descriptive text above the loot mobs drop, this will help in knowing something is there.
2. Use your SPACE BAR to pick loot up. Only picks up one item at a time, so keep pressing if you have more stuff to pick up.
3. Sliders are on your Health & Mana bar. Drag them over from the far left, to whatever point you wish the pots to be used automatically, so you can avoid manually having to press the Health & Mana Pot hot-keys. Up to you, but many find this convenient.
4. Don't get caught up in trying to grind in the same area you are doing quests. Try to find creatures that are at least one level below you or your same level when grinding. With solid equipment, you could even go 1-2 levels higher.
5. Read the forums. Some important threads are the Newbie Advice Thread, and Chantra's Beginner Guide.
6. Read the guides for your race. I think the guides are written well enough that even a seasoned MMORPG player should scan through them before starting.

Episode Two Trailer

 

A high-level PVP battle

 

Official footage of some Human gameplay