I know I haven't wrote in a long while, and the last post about this topic wasn't too much of a happy one, however this trumps everything...
AKARA ESSEX IS BACK!!!
http://www.akaraessex.com
Yes, one of the best, free, MMO's out there... Or perhaps THE best.. Yes, it is a Private Server version of Ultima Online, but it far surpasses the original, and all other free MMO's out there to date. And I'll be happy to give my reasons why, and see if I can't just convince you to just give it a try. (I mean, come on, how many other MMOs have you given a try to anyways?)
1. Adventure, Exploration, Discovering....
I've played all free MMO's... I've done dungeon runs, daily quests, guild quests, etc. You find a group of people, make friends, work together to achieve a goal, and feel accomplished afterwards, right? Well, that's the thing. All the other players in that game? They're going to do the same thing you just did. It's one big chain of follow-the-leader. What do you even do when you've reached a level cap? Nothing to do but help the weaker players follow-the-leader. MMO's have even gone so lazy as to include Auto-Run, and even lets you know what quests are available, where to accept them, and possibly even what the reward will be. What happened to the sense of Adventure? Exploration? Discovering? Playing a new MMO catches my attention only for the reason of FINDING new places, SEEING new monsters and equipment, and LEARNING what my character can do... Once I see what there is to see, I lose all interest.
Now this is where Ultima Online in general wins by a landslide. The land is huge. So huge in fact, you have "Runes", which are basically portable save-spots for locations that you can teleport back to whenever you want. Found a good place to tame your favorite animals? Found a rare boss? Found an awesome place to gather supplies? Save them all! In fact, you may have a favorite spot that nobody knows about! How many MMOs can say that? You can run in the same direction for hours, and when you hit the edge of land, grab a boat and keep going. Don't even get me started on the different realms, such as Tram and Fel being basically the same landmass, but parallel universes... At least that's the easiest way to describe it.
Now Akara Essex takes this one step further than just Ultima Online. You have random spawns of custom bosses, custom champs (think of it as a Survival Game with a wicked boss at the end), custom animals to tame, etc... Did I say "Custom"? That takes me to point number....
2.Customs and sheer Depth of... EVERYTHING!!!
Ok, Ultima Online is already one of the deepest games out there, and it is hard to think of where to start. I'm sure you've played MMOs where you have pets? Ha! Ultima Online could easily be a Pokemon Fan's dream mmo. Pretty much any animal, and even some monsters, can be tamed. We're talking anywhere from rabbits, birds, cats, dogs, rats, slimes, horses, to drakes, dragons, alligators, unicorns, spiders, snakes, the list goes on. Not to mention any one of those animals might have a variation. (Horse, War Horse, Nightmare, Unicorn, Fire Steed, etc.). When I say variation, I don't mean the same exact thing with a different color. Nightmare's for example, can use Magic. Character Depth is also no laughing matter. Instead of skill points, a more rewarding skill % is what you have to work with. Like using Magic? The more you use it, the better it gets! Same goes for Stats. No stat points, the more you work, the higher they get! Attack more, earn Strength! cast more, earn Intelligence! Character Customization is what really keeps me addicted though. Over 15 slots of equipment, each one changing the look of your character EVERY TIME. Each piece of equipment can have over 40 effects, as well as any combination of effects, and different strengths of those effects. Don't get me started on weapons though. They can have so many effects, your little screen may not show them all, and I'm talking effects that make a difference. Imagine a weak, but fast, dagger? Now what if every-time you hit an enemy, you had a 50% chance of a fireball also hitting the enemy? What if you took it further and had 50% chance of a fireball, 50% chance of a lighting strike, AND 50% chance of stealing health? Diablo 3 would weep at the sight of some of these weapons and armors. You may be wondering, "But if we had 17 pieces of gear, each with 50 effects, and they were all really strong, wouldn't I be invincible?" but you'd be wrong. The depth also goes into monsters. Custom bosses will give even the highest level players a run for their money... Oh wait, did I say "Levels"?.. Yup, point number...
3. Leveling!!!
But wait, I said there were no skill point or stat points, so why would there be leveling? This goes right back to the fact Akara Essex has Customs everywhere that make it far better than the original Ultima Online. In fact, I will state a pure fact. This game has the BEST LEVELING SYSTEM EVER. In fact, Ragnarok (one of the most popular MMO's with the highest player base... or at least it was at one point) is making a Ragnarok 2 with a similar leveling system! First, your character levels. This gives you general 'points' to use on what you want. If you want to gain Strength to hold more weight and get more HP, but you're a casting type and don't feel like physically attacking monsters, just use some of your points to increase the stat itself! Same goes for some skills that you just don't have the patience for. Oh, and did I mention there isn't a level cap? Or if there is, nobody has reached it. There are only rumors of how high the level cap is! Pets have levels too. Though they won't have any stat points, there is no need. They simply get stronger in everything the more they grow. Now, here is where it really gets interesting. You know the 15+ item slots I mentioned earlier? What if I told you that almost all the item slots you wear, level as well? What if I took it a step further and say that when an item levels, you get points that you can spend? THEN what if I told you that what you spend those points on is ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! Do you want to have more damage increase? Cast faster? Regenerate Health, Magic, or Stamina faster? Have more hit points? It's up to you! Did you screw up your body armor? Throw it down, grab or buy another piece, and start over! I seriously doubt you will find anybody with a similar character! That's right, IMAGINE AN MMO WITH ACTUAL INDIVIDUALITY! That brings me to the last point...
4. Individuality... It's rather important.
Whether you want to dress to be the coolest person around, or want to fight for hours on end to be the strongest player with a sword, or if you want to find the perfect combination of pets to do your bidding. I'm tired of it, and I'm sure you are as well, of looking like everyone else! I'm tired of leveling to 30, to equip my next set of gear, that all other level 30 players of my class have! Here, you not only look different, but you also fight different. You are not tied to one class, and therefor one set tree of skills. If you started being a mage, and wanted to work on fighting? You can work to lower your skills in Magery, and raise your skills in Fencing. Or if you are a high-enough level, your skill cap increases too so you may be able to master both. Now, even with all the effects of equipment, there is still much more here than auto-attack. First, each weapon type has 2 special attacks. (Oh... and there are weapons.. Maces, Swords, Axes, Nun-chucks, Bows, Crossbows, Scythes, Lances, Hammers, Pickaxes, Pitchforks, War Forks, Daggers, Dual-Wielding Japanese Style swords of multiple types, the list goes on). You also have PLENTY of spells. You hold books, which you can set shortcuts for specific spells that you use most. Books include the normal Spell-book that has spells of all shapes and sizes, but there are also books on Necromancy, Chivalry, Bushido, Ninjutsu, etc. You can even say, "I pray to the gods" and a menu will appear for another list of spells that are affected by your Spirit Speak skill. So even if you have the same books as others, chances are, you'll have your own combo's and way of fighting than the person next to you. You can always depend on this game to allow you the opportunity of growing your own character to what YOU always wanted to be... That brings me to my final point...
5. Dependability...
Lots of people are hesitant on private servers, and I don't blame you. Some stranger you don't know, is running the game on their system. Anything could happen to them, their equipment, and if anything goes wrong and you can't contact them about it, you literally don't know if it may even come back. Akara Essex has been around for 8 years. Through all the hardships of private servers for Ultima Online, Akara Essex pulls through. True, it may go down from time to time, but usually to test improvements or new items. I've never seen such dedicated staff before, on ANY MMO. Now that you know it is staying, the other fear is connecting. You think you may have to jump through hoops to connect. That couldn't be further from the truth. The website itself takes you step by step (there are 4 total, and not even sure if all 4 are required), as well as Akara Essex even has its own Launcher which will update before launching the game itself, just like any other top MMO! Registration is even easier... It's non-existent! When you get to the login screen, type in the credentials you want. It will either create a new account with that information, or if it matches an account, you'll just log in normally. No annoying E-mail checking!
So there you have it. That isn't even the entire list of what Akara Essex, let alone Ultima Online in general, has over almost every MMO these days. If you've read this far, then chances are I said something you liked. This isn't just a gushing out of my love for Ultima Online or Akara Essex. This is just an attempt, from one fellow MMORPG lover to another, to help you out. On all those MMORPG lists you've been staring at like a hawk, week after week on end hoping to see something new, you've never seen this one. A diamond in the rough... An overlooked gem... Or in my own words... The best MMORPG that I have ever played, and the only MMORPG that I cannot stop coming back to.
AKARA ESSEX IS BACK!!!
http://www.akaraessex.com
Yes, one of the best, free, MMO's out there... Or perhaps THE best.. Yes, it is a Private Server version of Ultima Online, but it far surpasses the original, and all other free MMO's out there to date. And I'll be happy to give my reasons why, and see if I can't just convince you to just give it a try. (I mean, come on, how many other MMOs have you given a try to anyways?)
1. Adventure, Exploration, Discovering....
I've played all free MMO's... I've done dungeon runs, daily quests, guild quests, etc. You find a group of people, make friends, work together to achieve a goal, and feel accomplished afterwards, right? Well, that's the thing. All the other players in that game? They're going to do the same thing you just did. It's one big chain of follow-the-leader. What do you even do when you've reached a level cap? Nothing to do but help the weaker players follow-the-leader. MMO's have even gone so lazy as to include Auto-Run, and even lets you know what quests are available, where to accept them, and possibly even what the reward will be. What happened to the sense of Adventure? Exploration? Discovering? Playing a new MMO catches my attention only for the reason of FINDING new places, SEEING new monsters and equipment, and LEARNING what my character can do... Once I see what there is to see, I lose all interest.
Now this is where Ultima Online in general wins by a landslide. The land is huge. So huge in fact, you have "Runes", which are basically portable save-spots for locations that you can teleport back to whenever you want. Found a good place to tame your favorite animals? Found a rare boss? Found an awesome place to gather supplies? Save them all! In fact, you may have a favorite spot that nobody knows about! How many MMOs can say that? You can run in the same direction for hours, and when you hit the edge of land, grab a boat and keep going. Don't even get me started on the different realms, such as Tram and Fel being basically the same landmass, but parallel universes... At least that's the easiest way to describe it.
Now Akara Essex takes this one step further than just Ultima Online. You have random spawns of custom bosses, custom champs (think of it as a Survival Game with a wicked boss at the end), custom animals to tame, etc... Did I say "Custom"? That takes me to point number....
2.Customs and sheer Depth of... EVERYTHING!!!
Ok, Ultima Online is already one of the deepest games out there, and it is hard to think of where to start. I'm sure you've played MMOs where you have pets? Ha! Ultima Online could easily be a Pokemon Fan's dream mmo. Pretty much any animal, and even some monsters, can be tamed. We're talking anywhere from rabbits, birds, cats, dogs, rats, slimes, horses, to drakes, dragons, alligators, unicorns, spiders, snakes, the list goes on. Not to mention any one of those animals might have a variation. (Horse, War Horse, Nightmare, Unicorn, Fire Steed, etc.). When I say variation, I don't mean the same exact thing with a different color. Nightmare's for example, can use Magic. Character Depth is also no laughing matter. Instead of skill points, a more rewarding skill % is what you have to work with. Like using Magic? The more you use it, the better it gets! Same goes for Stats. No stat points, the more you work, the higher they get! Attack more, earn Strength! cast more, earn Intelligence! Character Customization is what really keeps me addicted though. Over 15 slots of equipment, each one changing the look of your character EVERY TIME. Each piece of equipment can have over 40 effects, as well as any combination of effects, and different strengths of those effects. Don't get me started on weapons though. They can have so many effects, your little screen may not show them all, and I'm talking effects that make a difference. Imagine a weak, but fast, dagger? Now what if every-time you hit an enemy, you had a 50% chance of a fireball also hitting the enemy? What if you took it further and had 50% chance of a fireball, 50% chance of a lighting strike, AND 50% chance of stealing health? Diablo 3 would weep at the sight of some of these weapons and armors. You may be wondering, "But if we had 17 pieces of gear, each with 50 effects, and they were all really strong, wouldn't I be invincible?" but you'd be wrong. The depth also goes into monsters. Custom bosses will give even the highest level players a run for their money... Oh wait, did I say "Levels"?.. Yup, point number...
3. Leveling!!!
But wait, I said there were no skill point or stat points, so why would there be leveling? This goes right back to the fact Akara Essex has Customs everywhere that make it far better than the original Ultima Online. In fact, I will state a pure fact. This game has the BEST LEVELING SYSTEM EVER. In fact, Ragnarok (one of the most popular MMO's with the highest player base... or at least it was at one point) is making a Ragnarok 2 with a similar leveling system! First, your character levels. This gives you general 'points' to use on what you want. If you want to gain Strength to hold more weight and get more HP, but you're a casting type and don't feel like physically attacking monsters, just use some of your points to increase the stat itself! Same goes for some skills that you just don't have the patience for. Oh, and did I mention there isn't a level cap? Or if there is, nobody has reached it. There are only rumors of how high the level cap is! Pets have levels too. Though they won't have any stat points, there is no need. They simply get stronger in everything the more they grow. Now, here is where it really gets interesting. You know the 15+ item slots I mentioned earlier? What if I told you that almost all the item slots you wear, level as well? What if I took it a step further and say that when an item levels, you get points that you can spend? THEN what if I told you that what you spend those points on is ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! Do you want to have more damage increase? Cast faster? Regenerate Health, Magic, or Stamina faster? Have more hit points? It's up to you! Did you screw up your body armor? Throw it down, grab or buy another piece, and start over! I seriously doubt you will find anybody with a similar character! That's right, IMAGINE AN MMO WITH ACTUAL INDIVIDUALITY! That brings me to the last point...
4. Individuality... It's rather important.
Whether you want to dress to be the coolest person around, or want to fight for hours on end to be the strongest player with a sword, or if you want to find the perfect combination of pets to do your bidding. I'm tired of it, and I'm sure you are as well, of looking like everyone else! I'm tired of leveling to 30, to equip my next set of gear, that all other level 30 players of my class have! Here, you not only look different, but you also fight different. You are not tied to one class, and therefor one set tree of skills. If you started being a mage, and wanted to work on fighting? You can work to lower your skills in Magery, and raise your skills in Fencing. Or if you are a high-enough level, your skill cap increases too so you may be able to master both. Now, even with all the effects of equipment, there is still much more here than auto-attack. First, each weapon type has 2 special attacks. (Oh... and there are weapons.. Maces, Swords, Axes, Nun-chucks, Bows, Crossbows, Scythes, Lances, Hammers, Pickaxes, Pitchforks, War Forks, Daggers, Dual-Wielding Japanese Style swords of multiple types, the list goes on). You also have PLENTY of spells. You hold books, which you can set shortcuts for specific spells that you use most. Books include the normal Spell-book that has spells of all shapes and sizes, but there are also books on Necromancy, Chivalry, Bushido, Ninjutsu, etc. You can even say, "I pray to the gods" and a menu will appear for another list of spells that are affected by your Spirit Speak skill. So even if you have the same books as others, chances are, you'll have your own combo's and way of fighting than the person next to you. You can always depend on this game to allow you the opportunity of growing your own character to what YOU always wanted to be... That brings me to my final point...
5. Dependability...
Lots of people are hesitant on private servers, and I don't blame you. Some stranger you don't know, is running the game on their system. Anything could happen to them, their equipment, and if anything goes wrong and you can't contact them about it, you literally don't know if it may even come back. Akara Essex has been around for 8 years. Through all the hardships of private servers for Ultima Online, Akara Essex pulls through. True, it may go down from time to time, but usually to test improvements or new items. I've never seen such dedicated staff before, on ANY MMO. Now that you know it is staying, the other fear is connecting. You think you may have to jump through hoops to connect. That couldn't be further from the truth. The website itself takes you step by step (there are 4 total, and not even sure if all 4 are required), as well as Akara Essex even has its own Launcher which will update before launching the game itself, just like any other top MMO! Registration is even easier... It's non-existent! When you get to the login screen, type in the credentials you want. It will either create a new account with that information, or if it matches an account, you'll just log in normally. No annoying E-mail checking!
So there you have it. That isn't even the entire list of what Akara Essex, let alone Ultima Online in general, has over almost every MMO these days. If you've read this far, then chances are I said something you liked. This isn't just a gushing out of my love for Ultima Online or Akara Essex. This is just an attempt, from one fellow MMORPG lover to another, to help you out. On all those MMORPG lists you've been staring at like a hawk, week after week on end hoping to see something new, you've never seen this one. A diamond in the rough... An overlooked gem... Or in my own words... The best MMORPG that I have ever played, and the only MMORPG that I cannot stop coming back to.
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