ArcheAge

 PC
User Score
3.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 775 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 203 out of 775
  2. Mixed: 80 out of 775
  3. Negative: 492 out of 775

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  1. Zebad
    Nov 18, 2014
    0
    First of all i played since june 2014 with founder pack (135E) :
    Pay 2 win, random injust ban, false promises, the game is poor at end game, and the worst part : Trion....is clearly incompetent to manage a mmorpg. i just deleted 3 account, i dont want to hear about them again. My bank consider Trion as frauder due to the numerous refund etc Don't give them a single dollar or euro it is no    First of all i played since june 2014 with founder pack (135E) :
    Pay 2 win, random injust ban, false promises, the game is poor at end game, and the worst part : Trion....is clearly incompetent to manage a mmorpg. i just deleted 3 account, i dont want to hear about them again. My bank consider Trion as frauder due to the numerous refund etc Don't give them a single dollar or euro it is no worth. That sad because this game should ave been great. But it is not.    … Expand
  2. Abelli
    Nov 16, 2014
    0
    This is a game that would be pretty fun if it weren't a F2P game run by Trion. They've seemingly made every effort to screw it up with their cash shop making it P2W amongst other things. They do not test their updates and they roll out broken. The game is easy to hack so there is no sense of it ever being legitimately competitive. F2P means every public chat channel is filled withThis is a game that would be pretty fun if it weren't a F2P game run by Trion. They've seemingly made every effort to screw it up with their cash shop making it P2W amongst other things. They do not test their updates and they roll out broken. The game is easy to hack so there is no sense of it ever being legitimately competitive. F2P means every public chat channel is filled with spam and they might as well not have them. The game also revolves around owning land which you have to sub to the game to own and after doing so you'll find out there is none left. But I suspect that is going to not be a problem as people stop playing.

    Their customer support is trash, I waited about 2 weeks for them to reply to my ticket where they said they hadn't looked into it yet and if i didn't reply to it that they'd just close the ticket and consider it solved. I was on vacation so they automatically closed it then when I reopened it they said oh that issue is too old for us to handle. If you do play this game and intend to spend money on it I highly recommend buying money from the gold sellers because they seem to be better people which is something I never imagined I'd say.    … Expand
  3. kansaimike
    Nov 16, 2014
    3
    It started as a promising continuation of Skyrim. I was hoping I would be able to come home from work and get some good Skyrim type adventure in.. You know, explore and fight a bit yet see and experience some interesting yet not so dramatic or bloody confrontations. I just want to explore and see what I can do in a few hours. I'm not looking to be a dick pirate or griefer. That's for theIt started as a promising continuation of Skyrim. I was hoping I would be able to come home from work and get some good Skyrim type adventure in.. You know, explore and fight a bit yet see and experience some interesting yet not so dramatic or bloody confrontations. I just want to explore and see what I can do in a few hours. I'm not looking to be a dick pirate or griefer. That's for the young kids. I have some money now. I've grown out of being a pirate. It's just too time consuming. This game gives me hope. But, unfortunately, I was was banned for speaking up against playing the game as a non-pirate. The banning policy kicked me out. I said a few words in local chat I shouldn't have and got booted -- end of game. Well, I wanted to be a good guy for once but got kicked out instead. I'm not sure what my future will be. Maybe I should go back to hacking.… Expand
  4. ChirikiCricket
    Nov 15, 2014
    0
    This one looked promising, however, it's definitely not f2p. You have to be patron to do anything. I don't mind pvp, but getting pked while questing as a lowbie time after time after time is extremely frustrating. There are lots of bots and gold sellers, and even when you block them, they can send you mail in game. So you basically see nothing but spam all day. There's no land for housingThis one looked promising, however, it's definitely not f2p. You have to be patron to do anything. I don't mind pvp, but getting pked while questing as a lowbie time after time after time is extremely frustrating. There are lots of bots and gold sellers, and even when you block them, they can send you mail in game. So you basically see nothing but spam all day. There's no land for housing or farms. Trade runs aren't fun because you constantly get pked and lose your pack. Labor is very difficult to earn and in my opinion it's stupid to have to use all your labor to open coinpurses and identify armour/weapons. This was fun in the betas, but not in release. I sincerely believe you should look elsewhere for MMOs.… Expand
  5. Bunnikula
    Nov 13, 2014
    9
    Some context: I am Thirrin, a level 50 Primeval/Trickster/Cleric/Heirophant on the Inoch server. I was NOT around for headstart, I did not even join until ~2 weeks after the game was fully released. When I joined, there were still a small amount of land left in Windscour, but I hadn't decided if I wanted to subscribe to the game or not, so I got 0 land from the initial start. As ofSome context: I am Thirrin, a level 50 Primeval/Trickster/Cleric/Heirophant on the Inoch server. I was NOT around for headstart, I did not even join until ~2 weeks after the game was fully released. When I joined, there were still a small amount of land left in Windscour, but I hadn't decided if I wanted to subscribe to the game or not, so I got 0 land from the initial start. As of right now, I own one thatched farmhouse (Largest farm area in the game + house) 3 houses, and 2 16x16 farms.

    First, the negative points brought up by others:

    There is no land that you can get for free anymore, that was for those who paid for headstart, and Trion reimbursed everyone due to issues with headstart (free subscriptions). If you can't get land, I am sorry, you don't want it bad enough. If you work at earning money over at least one whole day or at most a week, you can buy land. People are spamming chat channels all the time trying to sell, and if you join a guild (Do NOT play this game solo, you will be crippled and it will be no fun) most guilds will have members who sell at a discounted rate to guild members who have been around for awhile. Heck, I know a guild mate specifically sought out guild mates who were subscribers but didn't have land yet, and sold them land for less than 1/4 the going rate. No, you don't get land for free, but isn't it more satisfying to know that you worked for this land, that fantasy of working your job and saving up money until you can stare at a patch of dirt and go "This is MINE." IMO, it is progression and a goal to work towards.

    Now, to you PvE'ers out there: The dungeons DO suck. Everyone who has complained about the "massive bugginess" in this game, I would say they exaggerate if not for the dungeons. The open world isn't too buggy, you get the rare falling through the world bug that exists in many games, and I do think this game will crash to desktop slightly more often than others. But I digress. There are two endgame dungeon in this game currently (5 and 10 man), and you can bug out every single boss of the first, and I don't know of a full run that's been completed of the second. I know that my guild will do runs of the first with only 3-4 people in them because with the bosses bugged it doesn't matter, it just takes a little longer. The dungeons are largely seen as that place you go for gear to PvP. (Or that rare pet drop off the last boss)
    There is very little for a PvE person to do in this game, except for the owning a farm/crafting, which in itself is very rewarding but not even really PvE. I see it as economic PvP, as the entire economy is player controlled. Even item buying/selling/trading is a PvP interaction as most big ticket items will be sold outside of the AH and through chat channels as the AH takes a 10% cut.

    Now, as for the P2W controversy: I am somewhat undecided about the greediness of Trion, but I do not think it is destroying the game (yet).
    People call the newest cash shop boxes that drop rare mats to be Trion taking the game P2W. However, since they have released, all players can buy these formerly prohibitively expensive mats at 1/5 the price on the AH. In other words, all players and F2P players can access crafting much, much more easily than before. Since the introduction I, myself have taken up Leatherworking more fullheartedly and I am at nearly 60k proficiency.
    Additionally, more players have access to fishing boats and farm wagons, which while some argue will add inflation to the game, I think there are enough gold sinks and checks in place to stop it from being a real issue. (Regrading gear to improve its stats can sink you several hundred gold to the abyss, and its not just a crafter thing, you regrade good drops from dungeons as well, etc, also that 10% Auction house fee, 500g certificates for fishing license/black arrow mount etc from vendors, seed/livestock costs, list continues)
    How I see it: As long as there ARE players willing to sink money into the game, since nearly every item is tradeable, you will never feel the need to P2W. Things only available in the cash shop are mostly on the AH for 10g, which is less than half an hour's work. IF those with money stop spending money on the game, I could see it developing into an issue (less being put on AH turns into prohibitive prices) but as of right now, I feel no pressure whatsoever to drop cash. Even the subscription can be bought with in game gold via Apex, which I feel is highly overlooked.

    Finally, the good points I feel need no explanation: Own land! Big world! Huge Ocean! Lots of PvP! Huge focus on economics! Huge diversity of classes! Player interactions are THE focus of the game. Join a guild or quit, honestly. Or revel in being an outcast and acknowledge that the odds are stacked against you, I can totally see that too. But you can find enough hype of this on the website. It has its good and its bad, but I have been an AA addict for awhile now.    … Expand
  6. abasche
    Nov 12, 2014
    3
    Started off very fun. Loved the farming, gathering, crafting tradepacks, doing pirate runs with my guild, etc. But unstable servers, Pay to Win BS and Free to Play bots ruined this game. Not to mention the lack of late game fun and incredibly slow, clunky rollout of Auroria. Trion would promise us that we would get something, then either ignore comments that these promises were not keptStarted off very fun. Loved the farming, gathering, crafting tradepacks, doing pirate runs with my guild, etc. But unstable servers, Pay to Win BS and Free to Play bots ruined this game. Not to mention the lack of late game fun and incredibly slow, clunky rollout of Auroria. Trion would promise us that we would get something, then either ignore comments that these promises were not kept or do 50% of what they said they would do. Just don't play this game, it's dead in the water.… Expand
  7. Maholix
    Nov 12, 2014
    7
    As a far as the game goes, Archeage is fairly polished for a korean ported MMO. The cash shop is important, but does not notably push players into using it like others might. Controls are not clunky and it has a smooth camera too. Game offers many things to do and rewards players for grouping up to achieve goals, be that building a house or questing. Is fairly scenic too. As long as youAs a far as the game goes, Archeage is fairly polished for a korean ported MMO. The cash shop is important, but does not notably push players into using it like others might. Controls are not clunky and it has a smooth camera too. Game offers many things to do and rewards players for grouping up to achieve goals, be that building a house or questing. Is fairly scenic too. As long as you have a few friends to game with, it can be pretty fun. It's even fully accessible to free players as paid players can share their property.

    However, it does have it's issues. It can feel too small for it's player base at times. Land is limited, even crowded. This lack of land is not just about the house space. I've talked to a number of people in and out of game and lots of them feel that the sea is a bit smaller than they'd prefer. Archeage gives the impression that large scale sea battles would be possible, but really, 4 or 5 ships traveling about are quite easily noticed.

    PVP is more of a gank fest, with skill combos designed to take down a player's health while they are stunned.. rather than strategic use of attacks. Groups of people often camp towns in attempt to pick off lower lvl players, since there is no penalty for doing so. So far, even the events are a bit light.

    It's major vice however, has to be it's poor management. While the game is smallish compared to some others, it has potential and could have easily overcome this.A good team would have added just the right touch. Trion was not the right team.

    The game has been affected by an early history of cheaters. These reports of botting and poor responses from Trion are completely factual. The economy has been hit hard and fast, with inflation having risen greatly in a matter of months. Many players are already talking about "trade runs" not being an effective way to make gold soon.

    To their credit, I can say that trion has now made an attempt to fight back. Server ques are less common, a report feature has been added, and public channel chat is no longer allowed until lvl 15. I personally have seen GM's booting bots and there are rumors they are seeking permission from XLgames (the game's owner) to ditch the current firewall for a better one.

    However, while these developments are praise worthy, I feel it may be too late. Technical issues have plagued archage since release. The game works well once you can get online, but odd lag spikes and client side crashes are common.

    Updates often take far longer than they should, and more than once a large number of people have been unable to login, giving a lucky few who could log in a large edge. Responses from trion have not really improved either.

    This has led many people to feel cheated. People are spending money on this game and not seeing much of an improvement or even apology. In light of this, I have to lower my rating.. archeage might be a good game to play if I could host it privately.. but I should never have to feel that way with an MMO I am paying for.    … Expand
  8. archanjo
    Nov 10, 2014
    5
    bots. hacks . pay to win. pure crap.
    one of the worst community ever also.
    ...........................................................................
  9. rpg4life
    Nov 9, 2014
    1
    Alright this game isnt terrible because of the pay 2 win crap... those idiots complaining about that are just cheap and if you cant pay 15 dollars a month like wow or any other rpg then you shouldnt play this game period. Now! that said this game is the best rpg ive ever played hands down in terms of character versatility build wise, questing, professions, and the idea of farming. Now whenAlright this game isnt terrible because of the pay 2 win crap... those idiots complaining about that are just cheap and if you cant pay 15 dollars a month like wow or any other rpg then you shouldnt play this game period. Now! that said this game is the best rpg ive ever played hands down in terms of character versatility build wise, questing, professions, and the idea of farming. Now when i say idea of farming im meaning they had a fantastic idea for this but their biggest down fall in this game is there is no where to put a house and farm plots!! One of the coolest factors in this game is their biggest down fall so making money and some of the professions goes to crap due to this inablility to farm. Everything is taken! I finally found a place to put a house but was in a pvp area and its literally 20 feet from where you can craft the stone, iron, or wood packs which i thought would be nice... wrong. People literally sit there and wait for you to craft then go to build on your house and then kill you and take your materials. The ones you have been farming hours for... If you dont have a group of body guards with you then you cant build crap in this game and in otherwords make money. So people dont waste your time. This little factor in the end makes the game terrible to play and its sad beacause it has such amazing potencial. If they could fix this then id come back to it but till then they get a 1 as a score.… Expand
  10. PeopleIsCancer
    Nov 9, 2014
    3
    Critic Reviews 78
    User Score 3.7
    it's sad, bad game can get a good estimate of the critics.This game is really bad,it looks more like a farmer simulator.
  11. Vidicus
    Nov 8, 2014
    0
    At first glance Archeage seems like a fresh take on MMOs. Digging deeper you find out it is a huge cash grab by the company that made it. Even paying subscribers are limited by earning labor. Of course you can get more labor by spending cash in their shop. Getting land is also a joke. The land is snagged the second it appears by bots, so having any land is near impossible. CraftingAt first glance Archeage seems like a fresh take on MMOs. Digging deeper you find out it is a huge cash grab by the company that made it. Even paying subscribers are limited by earning labor. Of course you can get more labor by spending cash in their shop. Getting land is also a joke. The land is snagged the second it appears by bots, so having any land is near impossible. Crafting has been made obsolete by the farming of drops for loot in one area that is camped by all players at the same time. it is total chaos and bad planning by the developers.

    Want to customize your character? That will cost cash... a lot of it. Want to sell your land... that will cost cash. This game is a total mess and a huge disappointment.    … Expand
  12. Reseption
    Nov 7, 2014
    3
    What Is Archeage?
    ArcheAge is a FREE 2 PLAY (F2P) game, designed mostly for PVP. The game is made by Trion,the company who made RIFT. The game contains amazing graphics.(Cry-engine 3). ArcheAge allows players to do anything they'd like, for example: claiming land, being a merchant, and especially being a fighter.
    *Side Note: No ArcheAge is not a p2w game (pay 2 win). it is a completely    What Is Archeage?
    ArcheAge is a FREE 2 PLAY (F2P) game, designed mostly for PVP. The game is made by Trion,the company who made RIFT. The game contains amazing graphics.(Cry-engine 3). ArcheAge allows players to do anything they'd like, for example: claiming land, being a merchant, and especially being a fighter.
    *Side Note: No ArcheAge is not a p2w game (pay 2 win). it is a completely free game.

    ArcheAge is perhaps one of the worst games you can find out there when it comes to PVP. The system is very unbalanced, due to the amount of stuns players get (AKA CC?) resulting in users unable to fight back, meaning a guarantee lost. Forcing friends to group together in order to survive, in other words forming guilds.

    ArcheAge is a Sandbox genre game, meaning that you are free to do anything you'd like. Such as killing other people, stealing merchant goods, fighting in war, etc. With the amount of places you can travel, making it the perfect sandbox game.

    ArcheAge contains thousands, if not millions of bots roaming around the server. Stealing land from other players (of course players who payed $15), making the Premium Service or Patron Status, not worth it. In fact the chances of even gaining a land spot is below 8%. Bots also advertise on the faction/nation chat every 3 minutes, meaning that players have to block them every 3 minutes which distracts players when playing the game.

    ArcheAge contains possibly one of the worst economy, prices inflate and deflate each day. Weapons can go up to 15 gold, and later in the next day it can become at least 50, or maybe 4.

    ArcheAge has many server issues, for example the Conquest of Auroria has crashed an estimate of 20000 players of each server. The Queue is also a problem, once very while players will be waiting in a 1-hour long line of players trying to log in.

    ArcheAge contains a bad chat system, in these public chats players are always talking over each other, meaning that those who try to ask for help have to wait a long time. Leading them to the customer support center, which is also not satisfying either.

    The customer support of ArcheAge should only be used as a last resource in my opinion. Workers of Trion often do little to no help at all for users.

    Overall: 3/10    … Expand
  13. LeroyJ
    Nov 7, 2014
    0
    Bots/hackers EVERYWHERE avoid this **** at all cost folks.They can teleport all over the map to steal land this is just amazing failure.Economy totaly ruined they dont do nothing.Massive P2W cash grab get ready to spend thousand of cash to get good gear.Simply the worst fail EVER in MMO history no joke.
  14. CalScott
    Nov 6, 2014
    9
    The game in it's self is a 10/10. The open world exploration is amazing, the PvP is actually challenging and the crafting/trading/farming is worth doing for once. It is a grind at points but not the sort of grind where you end up feeling like you did it because you wanted your moneys worth. Disregard any review that says "pay2win" because it isn't really pay to win it is pay to have landThe game in it's self is a 10/10. The open world exploration is amazing, the PvP is actually challenging and the crafting/trading/farming is worth doing for once. It is a grind at points but not the sort of grind where you end up feeling like you did it because you wanted your moneys worth. Disregard any review that says "pay2win" because it isn't really pay to win it is pay to have land or houses which don't give significant open world advantages it just speeds up the game play a little. The in game shop isn't pay to win either because the items inside it don't give players extra stats just an extra resource or two if you are desperate and if you play all aspects of the game you won't be desperate. The bots are a problem but bots are hard to get rid of once you have them unless you take down servers and do it that way but players moan like little bit*h*s if the servers go down for even an hour so there is no way to win. The biggest problem with the game isn't in game or even part of the game... it's Trion. Trion just keeps getting things wrong and messing around with things that don't need to be changed as well as not checking patches before releasing them. A majority of the reviews on here are people raging about Trion or about the servers at the very start/launch of the game which to me is just stupid because you can't dump on a game and how it plays just because the developers are being idiots behind the scenes. if a review has a number lower than 8 on here it is probably a child raging about P2W or how they get "ganked" in PvP. Good game, bad devs.… Expand
  15. Xabu
    Nov 6, 2014
    4
    Although many of the MMO aspects of AA are nothing new, the crafting/farming/trading aspect makes the game intriguing. The graphics are outstanding and there are many well done nuances to the world to allow for full game emersion. Building fast clipper ships, merchant trading vessels (or warships) and braving the high (PvP) seas as a merchant, mercenary or pirate all make the game uniqueAlthough many of the MMO aspects of AA are nothing new, the crafting/farming/trading aspect makes the game intriguing. The graphics are outstanding and there are many well done nuances to the world to allow for full game emersion. Building fast clipper ships, merchant trading vessels (or warships) and braving the high (PvP) seas as a merchant, mercenary or pirate all make the game unique and fun to play, but the heart of the game is crafting, trade and commerce. In order to get the full functionality and enjoyment out the game, you need at least a small plot of land (8x8) where you can safely farm the materials you need to craft, trade, and sell a ton of stuff. Here’s the catch: THERE IS NO LAND LEFT IN ARCHEAGE!! I was on a relatively new server with a relatively low population, and after hours and days of hunting for an available plot of land, I found nothing (I’m not unique; this sad song has been sung by many a player). Apparently during the Beta and early days of the release, there was a huge land grab; some players/guilds own several plots of land creating a land monopoly, which essentially shuts out new players. If you can’t find land you have to use either a public farm (which is very restrictive and subject to player theft) or rely on a guild or friend to let you use theirs. Trion will happily charge you the $15/month patron fee, but they do not guarantee you full game functionality, so they’re essentially perpetrating fraud. It’s kind of like paying full price for a car and only getting two wheels. As such, I’d recommend staying with a free-to-play account, which unlocks about 70% of the game content. That said, that’s about all you get with a paid (“Patron”) account since there is no land left to new players, so why pay real money?

    Perhaps if Trion develops a queue that eventually allowed one to at least get a 16x16 farm, then it might be worth sticking with a patron account. It would make more sense, however, to open up more land to new players (there appears to be broad expanses of land not being used for anything). I would be willing to (dare I say) use instanced zones for housing and farms just so I could get full game functionality.

    I queried Trion about these issues and ideas, and never received a reply on my ticket. The only advice I’ve received recommended I search and wait for a land plot to default due to a lapse in taxes…Gee, thanks Trion. I guess spending 90% of your “game” time randomly searching the entire world for hours on end waiting for another player’s plot of land to default is what passes for a good time? Sound like tons-o-fun! I think I’ll give my money to Blizzard.    … Expand
  16. JoshuaQ
    Nov 5, 2014
    3
    Loved the game in Beta. The last beta was terrible. Incredible amounts of lag. Game went live I have had very very very bad packet loss ever since. I constantly disconnect and packet loss.
    I contact support and they took about 4 days to respond with an "open these ports" response. It sorta helped, or it was in my head. It seemed like it did. I logged in a couple weeks later (I was out of    Loved the game in Beta. The last beta was terrible. Incredible amounts of lag. Game went live I have had very very very bad packet loss ever since. I constantly disconnect and packet loss.
    I contact support and they took about 4 days to respond with an "open these ports" response. It sorta helped, or it was in my head. It seemed like it did. I logged in a couple weeks later (I was out of town) and the lag and disconnects were even worse than before. I got a refund of my pre-order and now I am trying to get a refund for my starter kit because this game sucks if you have an issue like I do. I can't figure out what is causing it or how to fix it. I tried lots of different fixes and nothing made any difference at all. I even had my ISP come out and there was no change after their "fix." I am at a loss and support has not helped. I think it is time to just go twiddle my thumbs and wait for EQN. This is a great game is their servers weren't made out of trash...if that is even the problem. If they only had a fix or would actually help me...    … Expand
  17. nuclear
    Nov 5, 2014
    0
    This game could have been good. It is completely ruined by hackers and bots. Much of the land in the game has been claimed by hackers. An entire continent was opened on Mon. and within 10 minutes all available land was claimed by bots. Trion has done nothing to address the issue. Also, the game is very unstable and crashes constantly. It could be bad code, Hack Shield or that the game isThis game could have been good. It is completely ruined by hackers and bots. Much of the land in the game has been claimed by hackers. An entire continent was opened on Mon. and within 10 minutes all available land was claimed by bots. Trion has done nothing to address the issue. Also, the game is very unstable and crashes constantly. It could be bad code, Hack Shield or that the game is infested by hackers.… Expand
  18. monnef
    Nov 5, 2014
    2
    All begins with untruthful hardware requirements (e.g. 2GB RAM is no way enough, even with 4gigs the game were forcing Windows to swap). I really liked the idea of sandbox with thousands of people cooperating, crafting and building. But all this is severely limited by labor system, as a free player you have no chance of doing any "sandboxy" things. Those things, which are only advantageAll begins with untruthful hardware requirements (e.g. 2GB RAM is no way enough, even with 4gigs the game were forcing Windows to swap). I really liked the idea of sandbox with thousands of people cooperating, crafting and building. But all this is severely limited by labor system, as a free player you have no chance of doing any "sandboxy" things. Those things, which are only advantage over other F2P MMORPGs. Without these elements it's just another MMORPG game with nothing new and a lot of standard PVE and PVP stuff missing (again, from a point of view of F2P players).

    Transporation is tedious - takes minutes/tens of minutes, in my opinion too much realistic. Dungeons don't seem too elaborate. I did miss a lot of group PVE features - like proper loot system (no greed option, just pass/need), no group finder for dungeons/quests. I also dislike the notion of "only world PVP". I kinda like instanced PVPs with some team objective(s) - capture the flag, domination and so on. Quests feel repetitive even on lower levels, only story quests were a bit better (probably because of short cutscenes).

    Queues were a big problem, but I assume it gets/got better. What is a problem (for me at least) is EU players being treated as second class citizens, for example restarts in prime time, US problems are always fixed first (in some cases days between fixing US and EU side) and prices of paid items.

    It's pure PAY TO WIN, unless you buy a patron status, you are nothing. If you aren't planning on tossing money away, then avoid even trying this game, it's not worth it.    … Expand
  19. Mrteabag
    Nov 4, 2014
    3
    I like the game. Overall the crafting system is in depth the housing system is cool but challenging. Pvp is fun, and there are many other aspects about the game that makes it a great game. HOWEVER, The game administrators and developers are incompetent. Patch after patch there are problems, obtaining land is near impossible with the hackers and bots consuming every inch of usableI like the game. Overall the crafting system is in depth the housing system is cool but challenging. Pvp is fun, and there are many other aspects about the game that makes it a great game. HOWEVER, The game administrators and developers are incompetent. Patch after patch there are problems, obtaining land is near impossible with the hackers and bots consuming every inch of usable land worth any value. Hackshield creates even more problems and makes logging in a giant frustration. If you plan on playing this game as a new comer, wait for another game to roll out. if you started now you wont be playing for long once you realize the need to own land and its importance in advancing in this game. Simply too many hackers to contend with, communication from GMs to the community is sadly enough minimal and completely unapologetic about "known issues". They just released the new phase of pvp content which included new lands where guilds can build castles and fight to retain ownership there of. HOWEVER... loggin issues created an unbalanced and unfair land grab for less than half the server. It has been 5 hours since this new patch and I have yet to get online, while reports from guildies state that the new land has been completely filled. This has been a problem since early launch and unfortunately makes a great idea for a game completely a terrible and frustrating experience... Im bidding my time for the next MMO to come out and I'm leaving Archeage for good… Expand
  20. ahzqdfrbi
    Nov 4, 2014
    0
    The game is about 2 things: farming and PvP. The farming is great, way better than a farming app game, provided you can find land. All available land for placing your farm was grabbed up during the first day of the headstart, leaving nothing but scraps for the majority of players. Even now that they have opened up the new continent, Auroria, all the land is grabbed up by those few who wereThe game is about 2 things: farming and PvP. The farming is great, way better than a farming app game, provided you can find land. All available land for placing your farm was grabbed up during the first day of the headstart, leaving nothing but scraps for the majority of players. Even now that they have opened up the new continent, Auroria, all the land is grabbed up by those few who were able to get past the login issues. No land means no farming. Oh, and prepare to get ganked a bunch while trying to farm, as most areas aren't safe zones. PvP and farming don't mix.

    The PvP is lame as well, as you can "go pirate" and kill your own faction whenever you want. Then you just wait a minute and can un-flag yourself. Got too many crime points for killing your own faction? Drink a couple potions and those crime points are gone!

    You can't trust anyone, even those on your own faction. You can't farm or level in peace, as you are forced into PvP in any zone level 30 or higher.

    This game really only caters to the worst kind of PvPers. And you can't get any land to place your farms. Very poorly done.    … Expand
  21. Scruzzer
    Nov 3, 2014
    4
    After playing longer, I'm lowering my review. The game looks great and is fun for a while but don't be fooled by the whole land ownership thing. You won't beat the gold farmers to any land, and believe me this is a game filled with gold farmers.

    Also, their patron offer alludes that you can own land if you're a patron. Yes, you technically *can* own land, but you *won't* own land unless    After playing longer, I'm lowering my review. The game looks great and is fun for a while but don't be fooled by the whole land ownership thing. You won't beat the gold farmers to any land, and believe me this is a game filled with gold farmers.

    Also, their patron offer alludes that you can own land if you're a patron. Yes, you technically *can* own land, but you *won't* own land unless you pay a farmer for it.

    And then whole "If you are running a trade route, we will shut off all forms of fast travel" is just frustrating to no end.

    The game has a lot of pros and cons, but the cons are game killers. Pity because the potential is there. They just feel that they'll make more money off gold farmer subscriptions than player subscriptions, and that's who they cater to.    … Expand
  22. PeregrineOmega
    Nov 1, 2014
    10
    I'm giving this a 10 because I'm not exactly sure why people are so hastily against it. It's definitely a bit buggy, but not out of the ordinary for an MMO of this size. It's got a lot of things going for it, and its size is definitely one of them. It needs care and development overall, but the in-game GMs are VERY active and very quick to squash bots and hackers on site and will rewardI'm giving this a 10 because I'm not exactly sure why people are so hastily against it. It's definitely a bit buggy, but not out of the ordinary for an MMO of this size. It's got a lot of things going for it, and its size is definitely one of them. It needs care and development overall, but the in-game GMs are VERY active and very quick to squash bots and hackers on site and will reward you for accurate reporting. It's clear that the developers want this game to succeed.

    It's big, beautiful and better than ESO, that's for sure. I'm still playing for free and don't see why so many people think it's "pay2win." You can have a lot of fun as a free player and not even think about paying unless you want to get serious about playing the game. At which point... why wouldn't you pay?

    I think people are misunderstanding what is necessary to run an MMO. It's hard, expensive and time consuming. There must be incentive to pay, and I honestly wish more games would go back to an exclusive subscription plan. As someone who played Ultima, EVE and City of Heroes for several years, I don't see why you shouldn't expect to dish out for the full experience. Don't be afraid to pay for a game you like, and you will be rewarded for it. Stop expecting great MMOs to be free, and you might actually have some fun.    … Expand
  23. skarr
    Nov 1, 2014
    0
    No game will make you feel it is a PAY2WIN as Archeage does. In fact, no game make you grind so much for so little and on top of it pay real money to progress. An utter insult to gamers!
  24. mantoothbear
    Nov 1, 2014
    7
    Game is not Pay2Win and if you think Pay2Win is i am a free player and to cheap to pay for a subscription, they need to make money somehow they don't go to work just so you can have a free to play game and servers running on there own money so stop crying about it, There is nothing wrong with the economy most things on AH are very cheap unless its a high level crafting item that peopleGame is not Pay2Win and if you think Pay2Win is i am a free player and to cheap to pay for a subscription, they need to make money somehow they don't go to work just so you can have a free to play game and servers running on there own money so stop crying about it, There is nothing wrong with the economy most things on AH are very cheap unless its a high level crafting item that people spent time leveling and making so they cost the right amount for the time put into the item, just another case of people being to cheap, the same goes for houses, its like players want everything for free and MMOs should just give things to people just because but if your to cheap to play for a subscription, to lazy try to get gear (which is VERY easy to get) then just don't play and stop crying about how they game is Pay2Win there is nothing in the cash shop that gives you an edge over the other players that you cant by on AH for a 10g, Every MMO on launch has Queue's, PvP is part of the game if don't like PvP why are you playing a game that has Open world PvP with both factions, land is not hard to get and is being sold constantly, However there is a real botting Problem, slight lag issues such as lag spikes, disconnection and off scheduled maintenance they don't, almost Zero in game support (GMs), but like i said before the amount of Free2Play players crying about how the game is Pay2Win really need stop, Subscribing doesn't give you a i win card, Cash shop is pretty much just full of useless crap… Expand
  25. Carpe_Diem
    Oct 31, 2014
    4
    At this point in the game, I would only recommend ArcheAge if you're a team player and interested in PvP or casual PvE player.

    Reason being for my first point, group play in this game matters (Freedich-->Gilda). Numbers matter. Going solo in this game can be a frustrating experience unless you stick to only arenas. Although ArcheAge offers instanced dungeons, they are lackluster    At this point in the game, I would only recommend ArcheAge if you're a team player and interested in PvP or casual PvE player.

    Reason being for my first point, group play in this game matters (Freedich-->Gilda). Numbers matter. Going solo in this game can be a frustrating experience unless you stick to only arenas.

    Although ArcheAge offers instanced dungeons, they are lackluster for the most part. If you're a casual PvE player you will enjoy ArcheAge. Trading and fishing will be your sources of income. Farming, gathering, and planting are also helpful in generating materials for trade packs.

    You will enjoy this game if...
    - You're a group oriented PvP player and willing to join a guild.
    - Able to devote time into research. Game can be complicated.
    - Casual PvE player with only an hour or two a day for farming/fishing/trading.
    - Have a PC able to run AA in all its' glory.

    You will not enjoy this game if...
    - Solo player. Perhaps at first, but you will probably become bored.
    - Botters and hackers exist. Gold spam occurs as well.
    - Land larger than a 8x8 (smallest) is difficult to find unless you have gold to spend. Limiting the amount of crops you can plant.
    - Technical support is slow.

    If you're not interested at this point, I recommend just playing WoW for a MMORPG.

    If you are interested in still playing, I recommend subbing for a month and giving it a shot. Research builds, money making, etc, and join a guild. During the month your trade and fishing income will help pay for your next month.

    Best of luck    … Expand
  26. Augustus75
    Oct 30, 2014
    10
    I'm hooked. It's theme park elements introduce the sandbox elements as well as intended. Crafting is big and purposeful. The world is immersive, dangerous, and beautiful.
  27. rivetenn
    Oct 30, 2014
    8
    Despite all the people QQ this game is pretty good. The game is designed so you raid the AH and level up your profession over night, no you have to put some work and effort into it. This game is designed so you get what you put into it, farming, raiding, stealing. It's not like other MMOs where you yell into chat all day to farm the same instance over and over until you get the gear youDespite all the people QQ this game is pretty good. The game is designed so you raid the AH and level up your profession over night, no you have to put some work and effort into it. This game is designed so you get what you put into it, farming, raiding, stealing. It's not like other MMOs where you yell into chat all day to farm the same instance over and over until you get the gear you want. No you craft. So many people get butt hurt because they want everything handed to them. Over al, fun game.… Expand
  28. Jean-Luc_Picard
    Oct 29, 2014
    2
    The game in Alpha with a controlled amount of players was awesome.
    The game at release is a poorly designed and planned mess.
    Don't even think about joining now if you hope to get some land and a house. Bots, cheaters and zerg groups rule the game, honest players are screwed. To make it short... avoid this game like the plague, and wait if the developers eventually fix the flaws,    The game in Alpha with a controlled amount of players was awesome.
    The game at release is a poorly designed and planned mess.
    Don't even think about joining now if you hope to get some land and a house.
    Bots, cheaters and zerg groups rule the game, honest players are screwed.

    To make it short... avoid this game like the plague, and wait if the developers eventually fix the flaws, which I believe is impossible.    … Expand
  29. xveganroxx
    Oct 28, 2014
    0
    Download it and play it. Seriously, you need to see it to believe how outrageous it is. This could have just been a straight-up World of Warcraft clone, but the developers really went the extra mile here: all crafting relies on a single premium currency called "labor." Not only do you need labor for crafting, but you need it for almost everything else - including simple things likeDownload it and play it. Seriously, you need to see it to believe how outrageous it is. This could have just been a straight-up World of Warcraft clone, but the developers really went the extra mile here: all crafting relies on a single premium currency called "labor." Not only do you need labor for crafting, but you need it for almost everything else - including simple things like looting. No, you don't have to pay for it - it trickles in at the paltry rate of 1 per minute of ingame time, which isn't anywhere near enough for any kind of crafting, or even for looting enemies. Paying the subscription does NOT fix this, it just doubles the pathetic rate you acquire "labor." One way people have found around this is autorunning into walls overnight so they have enough labor to do five minutes of crafting in the morning. Seriously, if you've got time you should try this just to see how free to play can be done so unbelievably wrong.… Expand
  30. Sherfire
    Oct 24, 2014
    9
    I wanted to add another thing to my review minutes before.

    BOTS AND HACKS! - Firstly, this game IS free to play. This is unfortunate because there will always be bots for this reason. However, we have had GM's on my sever EVERYDAY for the past week for 8 hours at a time asking telling us "if you see any bots or hacks report them in faction so I can investigate". They have been clearing    I wanted to add another thing to my review minutes before.

    BOTS AND HACKS! - Firstly, this game IS free to play. This is unfortunate because there will always be bots for this reason. However, we have had GM's on my sever EVERYDAY for the past week for 8 hours at a time asking telling us "if you see any bots or hacks report them in faction so I can investigate". They have been clearing out tons of cheaters. They are doing MAC bans as well. For most players that means no more Archeage. For the gold selling companies they will spoof their MAC and be back unfortunately. But only to get banned again.

    As for the hacks. Yes, there are hacks in this game. I'm not a computer guy so I can't really offer any insight into how this is occurring but i can summarize what I have read about it. Too much of the game is client side, essentially. And the server side program doesn't do the appropriate checks that it should do in order to detect the hacks. Also I read that the hackshield is a piece of junk and doesn't work at all.

    From my perspective playing the game. I have not come across any hacks at all thus far. I have read about the hacks that are available. I know for sure that some hacks, like the teleport hack, is being detected and those players have had MAC bans. I have read about several other hacks I know that many of them ARE BEING DETECTED NOW. But for me I haven't been effected by them at all. I haven't witnessed them during my gameplay at all. I play about 5 hours a day since head start too. No hacks seen for me. I know that they definitely do exist though.    … Expand
  31. lenzkol
    Oct 24, 2014
    9
    User reviews about this game are wrong and very misguided. Almost didn't give this game a shot because of all the hate it was getting. Watch how all negative reviews are on Sept 16-18 just during the launch. People who played the beta/alpha payed $100-150 to get a head start in the game which would allow them to buy first grade property. Because of server issues during those days the moneyUser reviews about this game are wrong and very misguided. Almost didn't give this game a shot because of all the hate it was getting. Watch how all negative reviews are on Sept 16-18 just during the launch. People who played the beta/alpha payed $100-150 to get a head start in the game which would allow them to buy first grade property. Because of server issues during those days the money they spend was a waste, hence all the hate. I've been playing the game 3 days and just canceled my 2x wow accounts.

    Pros: water/pirate/ship battles. a real crafting system that's viable at higher tier, ground mounts and flying glider combination is awesome, class type combinations are great ( not sure how that works at top tier yet), land restrictions and taxes force farming in unprotected land which adds another dimension to the game, package runs are hilariously fun, a trial system for bad behavior (which acts as comic relief in chat), ALMOST NO LOADING SCREENS.

    cons: crappy quest system, game mechanics for combat are too run of the mill. very close to wow, not as good as guild wars 2. Graphic effects are pretty much rift-ish. This is the one topic i was disappointed to not see a major improvement.

    THIS IS THE ONE TIME CRITIC REVIEWS ARE DEAD ON!
    DO NOT PASS ON THIS GAME! Its the best thing that happened to the mmo genre. Finally a close to real sandbox experience in a fantasy mmo. Play it for free first and make your own judgement.    … Expand
  32. Iscariote
    Oct 23, 2014
    3
    I was so dissappointed with Archeage that I payed WoW after 2 years.

    - Korean grinding: farm 600 seals in a player infested area? rly? - Rampant cheating: Cryengine, nothing more to say - Rampant botting: There are even raids of bots out there - Abysmal PvE: Almost no room for melees in raids, most world bosses are just tank and spank for 5-10min - Almost no content for casual    I was so dissappointed with Archeage that I payed WoW after 2 years.

    - Korean grinding: farm 600 seals in a player infested area? rly?
    - Rampant cheating: Cryengine, nothing more to say
    - Rampant botting: There are even raids of bots out there
    - Abysmal PvE: Almost no room for melees in raids, most world bosses are just tank and spank for 5-10min
    - Almost no content for casual players and/or small guilds
    - No 64bit client in a game with massive player vs player raids: When it is approaching 2gb memory usage, it just stops loading textures, models and stuff
    - No borderless window mode
    - No mouse invert avaiable (Really? It is BUILT IN Cryengine!!)
    - (EDIT) Bonus, and this is a good one: Most bosses are immune to dots and status altering debuffs, redeeming the combo system useless

    Not to say that massive pvp raids are fun, but that's that way in every mmo.    … Expand
  33. satekh
    Oct 23, 2014
    10
    Seriously, people are rating this game solely on the fact that the launch was a mess. I'd say you'll wanna give it a shot. Do you like sandbox but think it takes too much time to play it successfully? This game is for you. It's a semi-sandbox semi-theme park MMO, good and bad. The combat is tab-target, more or less and the depth lies more within the exploration/crafting aspect, at leastSeriously, people are rating this game solely on the fact that the launch was a mess. I'd say you'll wanna give it a shot. Do you like sandbox but think it takes too much time to play it successfully? This game is for you. It's a semi-sandbox semi-theme park MMO, good and bad. The combat is tab-target, more or less and the depth lies more within the exploration/crafting aspect, at least for me. I say, try it before you judge it. The payment-model isn't P2W in my standards.… Expand
  34. Dracobane
    Oct 22, 2014
    1
    Do you like completely random crafting? If you don't get lucky, you will have half the damage of someone that did get lucky or paid enough to win. The concept is cool, but the P2W and item numbers are a huge problem. Save yourself the time and frustration by avoiding this one.
  35. OmegaXtc
    Oct 21, 2014
    2
    The game is overrun with hackers and botters. I pay for Patron status but still can't play on Tuesdays because 1 hr maintenance has become 7 hr maintenance EVERY week since I've started. With updates like "woops, looks like we broke the GM mainframe with that last patch. 4 more hours guys". I enjoyed what content I have been able to play up to the level cap, but I don't get to playThe game is overrun with hackers and botters. I pay for Patron status but still can't play on Tuesdays because 1 hr maintenance has become 7 hr maintenance EVERY week since I've started. With updates like "woops, looks like we broke the GM mainframe with that last patch. 4 more hours guys". I enjoyed what content I have been able to play up to the level cap, but I don't get to play much because it is always being maintenanced.… Expand
  36. Obeast44
    Oct 21, 2014
    9
    This is definitely not P2W, everything that can be purchased in the cash shop can be purchased with in game currency. Sure, some custom skins, are cash only but that is all they are, skins. I initially was a F2P player and after a week or so I decided to become a patron so I could own protected land. I paid $15 for my initial month of patron, again a few weeks after launch, and stillThis is definitely not P2W, everything that can be purchased in the cash shop can be purchased with in game currency. Sure, some custom skins, are cash only but that is all they are, skins. I initially was a F2P player and after a week or so I decided to become a patron so I could own protected land. I paid $15 for my initial month of patron, again a few weeks after launch, and still managed to get a house, a 16x16 farm, and several 8x8s (the extras are on alts, more on that later!). Those that are complaining about land, sure its crowded and getting a house can be a chore but they are out there. The landgrab bot complaints are **** People just assume that someone beat them to the punch must have botted/cheated. Yes, land is competitive, as it should be its a valuable commodity that can make you wealthy. I used in game money to purchase extra character slots ( an in game cash item that can be sold for in game currency) I then leveled those alts to get the 8x8 farms and placed them as close to my mains farms ( all characters on your account can use each others farms/houses) So I use my main to farm all of the characters farms. I then sell the materials I grow for gold, and keep a little on the side for trade runs myself. I have used in game currency to pay for my patron status by buying in game "Apex" . This game with about 4-5 hours worth of farming/driving a farm cart will pay for its own subscription. How anyone can think that is P2W is ridiculous. There are no combat advantages sold, no in game bonuses that cant be purchased with in game currency. This is the best reiteration of the F2P model I have been apart of. Sure the server downtime sucks ass, but I bet it'll get better. I am a patient grown ass man with a job, two kids and a wife. This game, is easy on the budget, the eyes, and I have fun playing it. Thats not even mentioning the insane character models, the ship to ship combat, the vehicles, the scenery, all the methods of making gold, like deep sea diving for pearls and sunken ships. I won't even delve into the PVP because its the **** My only gripe is with some aspects of the PVP in fact. In some arenas it is damn near impossible to close with an Archer based character nor is there ANY cover to break LOS. I have a WoW account with 9-90s, and WoD pre-ordered, I am seriously considering selling it so I can put it towards ArcheAge. Its a great game, I enjoy it and I will continue to play it.… Expand
  37. blumpy
    Oct 21, 2014
    0
    I will change my review when trion decides to fix this game. The daily 5 hours downtime's are just killing it. I don't know why I bought 150 founder pack and then get treated like a f2p person lol. Or paying a sub monthly just doesn't make any sense yet. Trion get your bs in order.
  38. MMOPlayer
    Oct 21, 2014
    10
    Really an awesome all-around sandbox style mmo. A lot of fun. Sure some hiccups but great nonetheless.
    The fact that you can pvp, go fishing, own a house, own a farm or just quest makes it heads and shoulders above everything else that's out there. To top if off, it's a beautifully rendered game. Very enjoyable.
  39. garlor
    Oct 20, 2014
    6
    if you like PvP and/or crafting is a decent game, it's full of exploits and hacks though, and all land to place a house ( there is no point being a crafter without house/farm/aquafarm ) is taken, so it's not an easy sell unless you enjoy the freedom of attacking others in many places, not all, just many, but that is way more than in most games

    it's also a game that has to be played for    if you like PvP and/or crafting is a decent game, it's full of exploits and hacks though, and all land to place a house ( there is no point being a crafter without house/farm/aquafarm ) is taken, so it's not an easy sell unless you enjoy the freedom of attacking others in many places, not all, just many, but that is way more than in most games

    it's also a game that has to be played for thinking long termo, it's not the best game that could exist, but pretty for me prolly the best one out there, and I'm giving it a 6, imagien how are the others xD    … Expand
  40. ChantallicA
    Oct 19, 2014
    2
    At the start i was like omg this game is awsome! So i bought a patron buff, what never got active after 2 weeks!! I have been trying those whole 2 weeks to get in contact with trion/glymph but never got a respons... A friend of me who is a patron could join live chat and finaly after that i got my patron buff... After that month i payed again, guess what!! Patron buff gone and didn't get aAt the start i was like omg this game is awsome! So i bought a patron buff, what never got active after 2 weeks!! I have been trying those whole 2 weeks to get in contact with trion/glymph but never got a respons... A friend of me who is a patron could join live chat and finaly after that i got my patron buff... After that month i payed again, guess what!! Patron buff gone and didn't get a new one!! Couldn't enter live chat because they told me i never bought anything from them!! Like wtf?? So my friend had to queue up in live chat AGAIN for me to get it fixed... It got "fixed" again and told me i had my buff untill 04-11-2014 guess what, since today it shows me i have my buff untill 30-10-2014!!! Like come on!!

    Beside's that since i'm a paying player i would expect something, the only benefits i have atm is my +10 labor when im online and +5 when im offline, the rest is not worth it since there are to many bots and hackers taking land with clicking programs and what not, so more then 50% of the paying players DONT OWN A PIECE OF LAND!!! I have been in contact with support about this, he/she asked me what was the problem so i explained to him/her about the bots and the hackers and such. He/she asked me for name's so they could sort out if it was true... Then he/she asked me some more stuff so i told the rest to him/her. After that he/she asked me to wait so they could write it down, i told them sure no problem. The reaction i got on that was: "Hey i can feel your frustration true my monitor please stop this pushing behaviour of yours, because this isn't making my job any more easy!! So calm down!!" So i told him/her: I'm sorry if i sounded like that, i didn't mean it that way, i only wanna help you out with this bot/hack problem. Then he/she told me: Youre not the only one trying to help like this, so please stop your frustration on me!! So i stopped talking.. After 15 min he/she still didn't say anything, so i asked if he/she was still there. He/she said: I think i have all the info, is there anything else i can do for you? So i asked what was gonna happen with the reported bots/hackers. He/she said: Time will tell my friend. And disconnected.

    I was stuned... First my patron buff is broken like hell (and still is) and then i get somebody like this on support... Really trion... This is bad..

    After today 4 of my friends decided to quit ArcheAge because of the lack on support trion is giving towards the players.. And the bot/hack problems with land and gold sellers...

    I'm also thinking about quiting to be honest... Because this is not worth 13 euro's a month.. Not even 1 euro...

    Really trion get your facts straight and get your ass on all the problems that are going on, you are losing players day by day!!    … Expand
  41. Scalphunter
    Oct 19, 2014
    6
    ArcheAge was released in Korea on January 15, 2013 and is described as a 'sand box' MMORPG i.e. players have the ability to modify the world themselves and create how they play.

    It has now been one month since it was released in Europe and North America on September 16, 2014 and its premise has been a good one. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, it is currently rife with several    ArcheAge was released in Korea on January 15, 2013 and is described as a 'sand box' MMORPG i.e. players have the ability to modify the world themselves and create how they play.

    It has now been one month since it was released in Europe and North America on September 16, 2014 and its premise has been a good one. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, it is currently rife with several issues which I will touch on later in this review.

    In my opinion, ArcheAge is (or rather, 'was') an excellent game. It does not do anything ground breaking when it comes to story, questing or even combat. However, it stands out by having a no holds barred open world PVP (reminiscent of 1997's MMORPG Ultima Online), a robust trade and crafting system and ... naval warfare! :O

    Another interesting thing about this game is that you can attack your own faction and engage in piracy and other nefarious activities. If caught, you can be brought to trial and be sentenced by other players.

    Although it is 'free to play', players definitely need to spend some real world cash in order to get anywhere significant in ArcheAge. The game revolves heavily on having land, which only Patrons (aka paid customers) can own.

    With land you can farm materials to build boats, houses, tractors etc. The bigger the area, the more you can put on your farm (e.g. livestock, trees). These all yield a certain amount of materials for you to use to craft. Of course, the tradeoff is that you have to actually wait for everything to grow (in real time) in order to harvest them. Friends and guild members can share land and needless to say, the more powerful guilds have the most land.

    The problem with land is that it is in limited supply. It is not 'instanced' as with housing areas in other MMORPG's. Most (if not all) land in all servers are taken, which is difficult if you are a new player. Land can be claimed if a player hasn't logged on for a significant time but you will be competing with many other players for the land grab. Unfortunately, you will also be competing with botters and/or hackers.

    I actually woke up at 5 am to claim a plot of land which was due to expire, only to lose it to a botter who was on the other side of the world. I never would have believed it if it didn't happen right in front of my eyes.

    Without land, it will be difficult to create trade packs which can be used to trade in other areas to generate gold. The further the area, the more gold you earn. Too bad you are competing against gold sellers and teleporting hacks.

    To the publishers credit (Trion), they are aware of the issue but they are in an awkward position, since they're not in direct contact with the code which is owned by XL Games in Korea.

    I am currently uninspired to go on with Archeage but there may still be some hope in the currently unreleased content of Auroria, where guilds can build Castles and claim land for their faction and battle it out in new areas.

    TLDR: ArcheAge is a good game but in its current state, it is hard to recommend to new players. Especially if you have no land or are not in a strong guild. (6/10)    … Expand
  42. Siegra
    Oct 18, 2014
    0
    Worst Game I've Played This Decade.
    1. bad queque (waited 15 hours of queque wonder why i waited)
    2. PVP is very boring and unrealistic. 3. labor farming simulator 4. bad economy (oh what a GREAT trial. 5. overrunned by BOTS 6. the races are always unequal (some servers have more haranis then nuias) 7. boring quests 8. boring PVP 9. quests are not rewarding 10. honor points    Worst Game I've Played This Decade.
    1. bad queque (waited 15 hours of queque wonder why i waited)
    2. PVP is very boring and unrealistic.
    3. labor farming simulator
    4. bad economy (oh what a GREAT trial.
    5. overrunned by BOTS
    6. the races are always unequal (some servers have more haranis then nuias)
    7. boring quests
    8. boring PVP
    9. quests are not rewarding
    10. honor points aren't even worth shi t. (hasla weapons are basically the best weapons)
    11. dont play it within a year its gonna become pay2win most likely.    … Expand
  43. Weo
    Oct 18, 2014
    8
    Now, despite this general overview that the game is p2w and that it is almost impossible for a person trying the game for free to have a chance of triumphing over the others, know that most, if not all MMO's find a way to make a person invest into their cash shop.
    Archeage is no different, BUT...
    Frugality aside, once you do apply for a patron status, a whole new game opens up to you.    Now, despite this general overview that the game is p2w and that it is almost impossible for a person trying the game for free to have a chance of triumphing over the others, know that most, if not all MMO's find a way to make a person invest into their cash shop.
    Archeage is no different, BUT...

    Frugality aside, once you do apply for a patron status, a whole new game opens up to you. What do you get for the money payed? labor points, a commodity in the game as precious, if not as precious as gold itself. The chance to enter proper guilds and team up with individuals of your liking. After all, this is a MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER ONLINE is it not? You're bound to need teamwork sooner or later.

    The trade system is unique and the way to cash in gold through deliveries of good brings a new light to MMO economics. Rather than compete with hundreds of individuals to grind and sell respawning resources, players are all entitled to a piece of land, whether temporary or permanent if they can find it. There, players can grow their farms, essentially their wealth and way to attaining the top end gear or pool their resources together and communicate with a group of friends or guild.

    Now, Free to play in this game is more of a demo than anything in my honest opinion. You can easily complete the story quests, explore, discover new things without paying a single cent. For those whom are expecting a competitve advantage in doing so is like expecting taking a tour bus to beat sports cars in a race, it simply doesn't happen. The P2W aspect is one to be expected from Korean companies in general (the most infamous being Nexon). Now for the positives, the PVP aspect and controls are beautiful. Despite latency differences, servers compensates very well with the implementation of skill queuing, allowing for players across the world to have a much more even stand point. Although individuals may feel as though they are always being 'ganged upon', the better question remains, why are you alone in a PVP zone where you know things like this would happen?
    Although gear and levels play a high aspect into a competitive advantage, most of it also ultimately falls down upon your skill in game and game sense. Stupid decisions made in the open map lead to your death.

    The game is definitely not sandbox, however it is certainly large enough to allow you hours of exploring and finding things or stashes which other players may have hidden throughout the expansive world. The open seas of the world, bring a new sense of adventure and danger altogether.

    As a free to play person whom has since bought the patron pack and is currently having a blast, do give it the game a chance. It's not surprising that a MMO on its release started with many many problems, but now that server queues have died down and there are probably far less people bombarding the customer service, the game should be far more enjoyable.    … Expand
  44. Celtish
    Oct 18, 2014
    3
    I was so incredibly hyped about this game, that I actually went and paid £38 to get into the beta.
    I was absolutely loving it from the first moment I started, right up to level cap....
    And then it all went down hill. I'm incredibly annoyed with the end game content in this game. I understand that the game is based around trade routes, crafting and world pvp, but Archeage is lacking in    I was so incredibly hyped about this game, that I actually went and paid £38 to get into the beta.
    I was absolutely loving it from the first moment I started, right up to level cap....
    And then it all went down hill.
    I'm incredibly annoyed with the end game content in this game. I understand that the game is based around trade routes, crafting and world pvp, but Archeage is lacking in pretty much every other department. (Besides graphics, because it's frikkin beautiful for an MMO).
    I'm a PvPer myself, so as I was max level, I decided to hunt down the 'battleground NPCs'....
    When I discovered that the only organised pvp available was 1v1 or 5v5, I was slightly disheartened. But no matter, I joined anyway and hoped for the best.
    After about 30 1v1 matches I began to realise that I'd only seen about 5 different classes, and I was being destroyed by all of them without even casting a single spell myself.
    This game is so incredibly unbalanced. If you aren't either a primeval, a dark runner, a spelldagger, a blighter or a paladin, you might as well go sit in a corner with your thumb up your ass and cry.
    And to top it all off, even if you do win and somehow manage to amass a respectable amount of honor (currency for PvP items), the weapons that are attainable through PvP degrade after 44 days. Meaning you have to start all over again.
    Everybody looks the same at level cap because the final questing hub is the only place to get a decent set of gear without spending weeks and weeks crafting garbage to get your skill level up to a standard where you can make something better.
    There's a lot more for me to complain about and there shouldn't be. This game had so much potential, and I am incredibly disappointed.    … Expand
  45. Kreirravia
    Oct 16, 2014
    0
    While outwardly a beautiful, complex game Archeage hides a number of un-scalable issues. If you can get past the fact that this game is a pay2win pvp centric gank feist there is also the issue of housing. One of Archeage's biggest features is the housing and for lack of a better term the developers showed outright incompetence in this area. Not only are the housing areas poorly done butWhile outwardly a beautiful, complex game Archeage hides a number of un-scalable issues. If you can get past the fact that this game is a pay2win pvp centric gank feist there is also the issue of housing. One of Archeage's biggest features is the housing and for lack of a better term the developers showed outright incompetence in this area. Not only are the housing areas poorly done but the manner in which players may place them allows them to block an entire segment of land from use by other players. Some use this to give them the ability to place larger buildings down the track while others so that they can simply be an **** to others.

    Nextly, you have the issue of "pirates", and I use this term loosely as most are trolls with more time then brains. This practice is supported by the developers through the creation of "tension, and war" zones in key leveling areas.

    Lastly there is the issue of the economy system, simply put it works like this: the more a trade route is done the less it's worth. While this may work well for gold and resource hand ins it has lead to "Gilda stars" (which are untradeable), one of the major currencies within the game, is reduced to 1 star per run (when travelling to the other faction) or 4 for braving to the PvP island at the center of the map. This forces players no matter their stance on PvP-PvE to take part in risky trips for the "chance" at 4 stars (cheapest boat is 50, then 250, 400).

    In conclusion, ArcheAge in its current state is a potentially great MMO being ruined by the poor, and outright questionable (at times) decisions of the developers in charge. At its current state I can't even remotely recommend anyone start playing this game unless a new server comes up and your a hacker (which is another issue with this game that the developers seem keen to ignore).    … Expand
  46. iDEXTER
    Oct 16, 2014
    10
    One of these MMORPG that I've got stuck with. Used to be a WoW player, and this game is that makes me glued to the screen. It is really addicting and has lots of potential.
  47. cellestron
    Oct 16, 2014
    1
    Game is fun and does have a lot of sandbox elements.

    Unfortunately all the cheating ruins it. Land hacks, pvp hacks, teleport hacks, you name it. Far more than I have experienced in any other mmo.

    I would steer clear until if/when the game is cleaned up.
  48. Sunwolf
    Oct 15, 2014
    0
    This game would have been interesting back in 2000 when Everquest, Ultima Online and Asheron's Call were the only games in town. Now there are many dozens of MMOs, each doing exactly the same thing in slightly altered ways. This has created a mishmash of crappy games howling for raw numbers, each desperately trying to convince gamers of its innovation and creativity and therefore howThis game would have been interesting back in 2000 when Everquest, Ultima Online and Asheron's Call were the only games in town. Now there are many dozens of MMOs, each doing exactly the same thing in slightly altered ways. This has created a mishmash of crappy games howling for raw numbers, each desperately trying to convince gamers of its innovation and creativity and therefore how it's worthy of our limited time and money. This game is no different.

    And by this, I mean really...this game is no different. The same class structure(s), the same quest mechanics, the same leveling up, the same boring, pointless combat, the same, the same, the same. Oh, but it has crafting. Crafting that makes you jump through exponentially more hoops than other games. Yay.

    Nothing to see here (if you've ever played any post-WoW MMO before). Really....nothing.    … Expand
  49. pacifyx
    Oct 15, 2014
    8
    Dear god. What a bunch of troll review. There is no real P2W in this game..... its not an issue.

    The game is the only semi-sandbox MMO released in a long time, it fundamentally is a solid game. It doesnt deserve 3.7. God metacritic user reviews are so troll
  50. ekolet
    Oct 13, 2014
    0
    Infested with hackers/bots/gold sellers and Trion does nothing about it. Even the official forums hosts porn and other stuff and it takes weeks before they get deleted (if ever). I have never seen an online game managed so horribly. Housing is more than %60 of this games content and automatic house placement hacks deny everybody from owning property.

    And don't even bother with f2p.
  51. Yokubou
    Oct 13, 2014
    2
    Archeage is a free to play game that the primary allure of this game is player housing.

    Houses cost 400USD or equivalent.

    Other features include large scale naval raids on PvE and castle seiges.

    Which is not available right now.

    Strip all of that and you have something very similar to WoW, both in terms of clunky, old UI and its outdated graphics.
  52. Kaosh
    Oct 13, 2014
    10
    Some of the best fun i've had in a MMORPG. Since EverQuest and vanilla Wow, the genre hasn't been able to make me feel like i am diving into another world. Freedom of choice, secret adventures you can find if you investigate, the possibility to be peaceful, own lands and become a farmer, or even the opposite, to break the law, act against your faction, murder and loot, and finally become aSome of the best fun i've had in a MMORPG. Since EverQuest and vanilla Wow, the genre hasn't been able to make me feel like i am diving into another world. Freedom of choice, secret adventures you can find if you investigate, the possibility to be peaceful, own lands and become a farmer, or even the opposite, to break the law, act against your faction, murder and loot, and finally become a pirate. All of that and some other things make your actions have consequences, you feel that what you do matters. For those who don't pay, a good management of time and effort can easily grant them gold-paid subscription items. In general, very happy about this game. Give it a try and you will probably agree with me.… Expand
  53. Wootif
    Oct 12, 2014
    9
    A great fresh experience after seeing so many MMO's that look and feel exactly like WoW. What sets this game apart from so many other MMOs is the freedom you have right from the start. The game is based on economy and PvP, and gives you many options to level (I only crafted, used my farm, ran occasional dungeons to reach max level). It's definitely worth trying as it's free, and is veryA great fresh experience after seeing so many MMO's that look and feel exactly like WoW. What sets this game apart from so many other MMOs is the freedom you have right from the start. The game is based on economy and PvP, and gives you many options to level (I only crafted, used my farm, ran occasional dungeons to reach max level). It's definitely worth trying as it's free, and is very engaging if

    Most servers have no queue now due to AFK-kicking and bot removal, and all servers but 1 have been stably operating for the past few weeks.    … Expand
  54. Mad-Gary
    Oct 12, 2014
    2
    Awful, just awful. From the outset, it's a disaster; from the queues that are mentioned here so many times, to the fact the game is just a griefer's paradise. It rewards camping and everything is on a first-come-first-served basis, so if you work or have a life, don't expect to get too far.

    I give this two points because the world is pretty, especially the water. Some of the music is    Awful, just awful. From the outset, it's a disaster; from the queues that are mentioned here so many times, to the fact the game is just a griefer's paradise. It rewards camping and everything is on a first-come-first-served basis, so if you work or have a life, don't expect to get too far.

    I give this two points because the world is pretty, especially the water. Some of the music is okay and there's some fairly nice game mechanics like playing on a jury or composing your own music, but expect to hear nothing but 80s theme tunes. None of these make up for the significantly mediocre combat, utter lack of voice overs for quests and utterly an utterly forgettable story.

    Oh and if you pay a subscription, good luck cancelling, because there's a neat bug that hides the button for some players in the account management screen, preventing you cancelling an automatically re-subbing game. You could of course file a ticket, but don't bother checking for a reply inside of 21 days.    … Expand
  55. Twitchz
    Oct 12, 2014
    0
    Worst MMO I've ever played.

    Don't even bother with this one. So many Bots, hacker and Gold spammers its unreal. The game play is terrible with 1-2 seconds of lag on abilities its almost impossible to play smoothly. Once you get to lvl 30 its a complete gank fest where you will be killed over and over and over in PVE areas by people 20 levels above you. Trade is useless as the    Worst MMO I've ever played.

    Don't even bother with this one. So many Bots, hacker and Gold spammers its unreal.

    The game play is terrible with 1-2 seconds of lag on abilities its almost impossible to play smoothly. Once you get to lvl 30 its a complete gank fest where you will be killed over and over and over in PVE areas by people 20 levels above you.

    Trade is useless as the guards will attack you for defending your own goods allowing other players to steal hours of your work.

    Simply put, don't waste your time on this there are far better F2P games around that wont leave a bitter taste in your mouth.    … Expand
  56. Qstosh
    Oct 11, 2014
    0
    Playing this game is pointless, bots rules in that game. Ruining the economy and pleasure of playing. Shame cos so many scum and Trion does not care any more.
  57. jebemvammater
    Oct 10, 2014
    0
    It's gonna cost me $15 per month to enjoy everything in any P2P game, but here even with monthly sub I need to spend money if I want to enjoy everything a.k.a. not running out of Labor points. Starting levels up to 30 are boring asian grindfest with generic quests. Bots, cheaters everywhere, I still can't get own peace of land and build house because of them. It's better to quit, thanIt's gonna cost me $15 per month to enjoy everything in any P2P game, but here even with monthly sub I need to spend money if I want to enjoy everything a.k.a. not running out of Labor points. Starting levels up to 30 are boring asian grindfest with generic quests. Bots, cheaters everywhere, I still can't get own peace of land and build house because of them. It's better to quit, than frustrate yourself cause both Trion and XL games doesn't give a f**k about game, only care about money. DDOS attacks? Give me a break. A new excuse when you failed at launch. Who the F care about your retarded game to spend time to DDOS you...… Expand
  58. Boltonsquad
    Oct 10, 2014
    8
    Didn't play the game prior to release only saw a few short videos and streams with some gameplay footage. Initial thoughts from logging into the game was oh no, Queues on all servers and locked players from creating characters on the servers also however a new one had just opened so I decided to roll on there.

    Character create was definitely an eye opener very fibrant colors and    Didn't play the game prior to release only saw a few short videos and streams with some gameplay footage. Initial thoughts from logging into the game was oh no, Queues on all servers and locked players from creating characters on the servers also however a new one had just opened so I decided to roll on there.

    Character create was definitely an eye opener very fibrant colors and fantastic graphics and so many customization options. After an hour of playing I noticed the questing was very linear, kill 10 cows and collect 3 flowers however the combat was incredibilty entertaining and was having a lot of fun playing.

    Currently only level 41 so I haven't experienced the endgame yet however I have reached the point in the game where both factions are in the same zones and PvP is inevitable, this is the main reason I began playing this game for the PvP aspect and finally I was able to test out how my character faired against others.

    The character I decided to play was a "Blighter" Battlerage, Defence, Shadowplay, the main reason I decided to play this was that I wanted to play a tank like character with sustianable damage and stuns to be competitive during PvP play.

    The only downside to Archeage is the in game store plays a huge role, players can become very rich from buying and selling things they purchase from the store which in some cases people would class this as Pay2Win because doing this allows playing to get good items faster than normal.

    This review is based solely on my opinion I have given Archeage an 8/10 as personally I am enjoying the game and the amount of customziation available for the builds and how you wish to play your character, also the amount of open world available in astounding.    … Expand
  59. Viper482
    Oct 9, 2014
    2
    Korean grindfest of a game, EVERYTHING IS A GRIND. People who say it is not a grind are just naive. You are either grinding farming to get mats for trade packs, grinding running trade routes for more mats to craft...which is the worst most ridiculous crafting grind in any MMO to date. Or you are grinding in Hasla to get a weapon. Grinding for gildas, grinding for gold, grinding forKorean grindfest of a game, EVERYTHING IS A GRIND. People who say it is not a grind are just naive. You are either grinding farming to get mats for trade packs, grinding running trade routes for more mats to craft...which is the worst most ridiculous crafting grind in any MMO to date. Or you are grinding in Hasla to get a weapon. Grinding for gildas, grinding for gold, grinding for everything.....all so you can gear up to pvp better while you are grinding. F this game.… Expand
  60. Klejs
    Oct 9, 2014
    9
    This game is what I was looking for in an MMO. Have now been playing for 2 weeks and the game keeps me hooked!

    This is not a Pay2Win game whatsoever, it is however not for total casual gamers if you are not gonna pay. Within 3-4 days (playing around 6 hrs each dad) I was able to pay the gold needed for one month of subscription. I do understand that it might take longer for a new    This game is what I was looking for in an MMO. Have now been playing for 2 weeks and the game keeps me hooked!

    This is not a Pay2Win game whatsoever, it is however not for total casual gamers if you are not gonna pay.

    Within 3-4 days (playing around 6 hrs each dad) I was able to pay the gold needed for one month of subscription.

    I do understand that it might take longer for a new mmo player but come on.. This game is **** worth it..

    The game puts you in risky situations all the time, you have to think about what you are doing.

    Me (lvl 50) and two friends (lvl 44) were on a smaller boat (harpoon clipper) today and saw a big ship (Galleon) comming in to shore to trade in precious tradepacks, we hooked ourselfs into the galleon and boarded their ship, this ended up becomming an epic battle. We killed them all took their tradepacks and sailed away on their Galleon :).

    I cannot believe how whiny people of today is... Imagine WoW being released now... The stuff we had to put up with during wow launch were 100x worse. Ofc with good reason, but ffs... People need to stop spilling their words of nonsense if they got nothing else than whine in their heads.    … Expand
  61. emr88
    Oct 9, 2014
    7
    Started playing a week ago; never experienced any queues. (I'm not a patron). First of all the game engine; or whatever it is; is not so bright. That splash screen (the poem loading screen) usually stucks and sucks. You have to restart your computer again and again to work it out ; and meanwhile it tries to load; your entire PC gets slower and slower; you even cannot access primaryStarted playing a week ago; never experienced any queues. (I'm not a patron). First of all the game engine; or whatever it is; is not so bright. That splash screen (the poem loading screen) usually stucks and sucks. You have to restart your computer again and again to work it out ; and meanwhile it tries to load; your entire PC gets slower and slower; you even cannot access primary features like "my computer; explorer etc. When you disconnect; the game closes itself and you need to reopen." Besides that graphics are awesome; PVP and trade thing is super cool, the entire world is great. Better than the Elder Scrolls Online anyway; and its free.… Expand
  62. Nubsmcgee
    Oct 8, 2014
    3
    That finally did it in for me with archeage.....Freedich run, kill BOTH OT and within 30 seconds they respawn full health and back on me to take my trade pack with myself only able to heal up 10%.
    What sort of developer makes this mechanic, where someone can try to gank you....LOSE then try again within 30 seconds and you not able to get away in the most valued trade run in the game.    That finally did it in for me with archeage.....Freedich run, kill BOTH OT and within 30 seconds they respawn full health and back on me to take my trade pack with myself only able to heal up 10%.
    What sort of developer makes this mechanic, where someone can try to gank you....LOSE then try again within 30 seconds and you not able to get away in the most valued trade run in the game.

    This game is like that all the way through it, if you go west you can't go anywhere but one area to turn in your overseas pack if you want to defend yourself. That's right, if you go somewhere and the east hits you first your party members can't even hit them back only you can. Yet west coast they can hit you in about half the areas. This is especially bad with how the guards have no AOE so they can kill you and with only 10 people camping the area, still take your pack...

    If you want PVP that is fair with a sandbox element this isn't your game. I'd go with warz before this and warz is crap. Just stay with EvE    … Expand
  63. FlaminPee
    Oct 7, 2014
    1
    Labor Points (LP) will be the death of this game. That tree you want to chop down for lumber? Gotta spend LP. That boat you want to build to take a selfie on? Gotta spend LP. Finished killing 1920381293 mobs and now you have 1029832 coin purses to open for pve gold? Gotta spend LP. Just pk'ed someone with a trade pack and now you want to turn it in yourself for the reward? Need LP forLabor Points (LP) will be the death of this game. That tree you want to chop down for lumber? Gotta spend LP. That boat you want to build to take a selfie on? Gotta spend LP. Finished killing 1920381293 mobs and now you have 1029832 coin purses to open for pve gold? Gotta spend LP. Just pk'ed someone with a trade pack and now you want to turn it in yourself for the reward? Need LP for that too.

    Pretty much to do any form of progression in the game, you need to spend LP. Free2play players get 5 LP every 5 minutes they're online while subscribers(known as patron status) get 10 LP every 5 minutes they're online or 5 LP every 5 minutes they're offline.    … Expand
  64. ky0suke85
    Oct 7, 2014
    0
    Piece of **** game. very Labor points intensive **** this game overall. **** **** **** **** mother ****er to the max suck my dick **** XL games u did pretty ****ty this time
  65. jraj
    Oct 7, 2014
    10
    Its funny reading other peoples reviews, its like they don't have any clue what they're talking about whatsoever.

    No customization? There are 120 classes in this game... Unless you're talking about houses, or gliders, or homes, or uhm, the gazillion other things that you can customize in Archeage that you can't in most other games... Pay to win? You can buy everything that sells in    Its funny reading other peoples reviews, its like they don't have any clue what they're talking about whatsoever.

    No customization? There are 120 classes in this game... Unless you're talking about houses, or gliders, or homes, or uhm, the gazillion other things that you can customize in Archeage that you can't in most other games...

    Pay to win? You can buy everything that sells in the cash shop for gold and myself personally, in 2 weeks of playing this game, have made enough gold to buy 6 months worth of patron. I've also been able to buy land, boats, farmers cart, and lots of other things all from starting as f2p player. But yes, there is a cash shop. Lots of games nowadays have cash shops, and the ones that don't still have tons of real money transactions that go on behind the scenes. whether players realize it or not.

    Typical MMO that offers nothing new? Probably the silliest thing I've read, considering 99.9 percent of mmos out there are exactly the same and Archeage is one of the few that actually offers NEW experiences that are fun and interesting. I could list out all of the things in Archeage that are completely new to mmos but its just too long...

    Anyways, I really love this game. I think its the most fun I've had in an mmo since EQ1. The only real downside, as others have said, is the problem with hackers/botters. They're making what would already be difficult (getting land), into an impossible task for some. Trion has stated that they have some things in the works to alleviate this problem so hopefully they know what they're doing. Either way, if the game dies tommorow, I'll walk away from it feeling positive about it because I've just had so much fun.    … Expand
  66. hentiro
    Oct 6, 2014
    0
    Made an account just to say how **** terrible this game was. texttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttexttext
  67. monsen
    Oct 6, 2014
    10
    Wow. I cannot believe all of the QQing I see here stemming from reviews based completely off of the rocky launch of the game. Can you even name more than 1 or 2 MMO's that had a smooth launch? Lol.

    This game is the closest thing to a spiritual successor to Ultima Online you're going to get in a current game, and a ton of EVE online players are switching to Archeage due to it's    Wow. I cannot believe all of the QQing I see here stemming from reviews based completely off of the rocky launch of the game. Can you even name more than 1 or 2 MMO's that had a smooth launch? Lol.

    This game is the closest thing to a spiritual successor to Ultima Online you're going to get in a current game, and a ton of EVE online players are switching to Archeage due to it's incredibly deep resource gathering and crafting system as well as player run economy and trade runs.

    The PVP is awesome - open world PVP, the crime system is fun. If you do crime and get caught, you will go before a jury of other players that decide your fate and the amount of jail time you receive. Yes, the land is finite (as it should be in any game with a player run economy) *GASP* land is actually worth something? My lord!! what shall we ever do. If you wanted a game that you simply zone into an instance to place a home, go play another game. Homes and farms in this game exist in the ever evolving game world as they should in an open sandbox game such as this.

    Ultimately- this game is just fun. I haven't had more fun in an MMO since Ultima Onlne and for any old UO players - please give it a chance. It's not exactly the same but you will find alot of similarities and many new things that are welcome in my mind as well.

    Also- for those QQing about not being able to do anything without subscribing... this isn't true. You need to be a patron to place and own land. There are a few other benefits as well. This doesn't mean that you can't play the game for free perfectly fine until you decide whether or not you want to subscribe or continue as F2P. Many people I play with pay their monthly fees with gold as an alternative option if you are really that cheap. Spending 15 dollars a month on an MMO subscription is cheaper than buying a new release game (at 60 bucks a pop) every few months.

    Anyways... download the client and give the game a chance. It's free.. what have you got to lose?    … Expand
  68. vermarien
    Oct 5, 2014
    0
    A really bad copy of other bad mmo's nothing new >.> so sad. Didn't even bother to reach lvl 10. Character customization is really poor, graphics reminds me early 2000 mmos, or should i say way worse (world of warcraft, guildwars 1, lineage 2 and many other were and still are really superior), bad ui. You can't cast the majority of spells while moving (really? on 2014?). The only thing iA really bad copy of other bad mmo's nothing new >.> so sad. Didn't even bother to reach lvl 10. Character customization is really poor, graphics reminds me early 2000 mmos, or should i say way worse (world of warcraft, guildwars 1, lineage 2 and many other were and still are really superior), bad ui. You can't cast the majority of spells while moving (really? on 2014?). The only thing i liked were the naval battles.… Expand
  69. Habya
    Oct 5, 2014
    1
    Pay to Win, anyone that says otherwise hasn't really played the game. Folks dropping tons of real $ for Apex etc to get ahead. F2P folks (ps I'm a patron) get left behind with labor points.

    The crafting system is very complex which is a positive and negative. If you're really into that kind of world you'll enjoy it. It's fun at times but also frustrating. Land space...not enough. If    Pay to Win, anyone that says otherwise hasn't really played the game. Folks dropping tons of real $ for Apex etc to get ahead. F2P folks (ps I'm a patron) get left behind with labor points.

    The crafting system is very complex which is a positive and negative. If you're really into that kind of world you'll enjoy it. It's fun at times but also frustrating.

    Land space...not enough. If you weren't there when server was first out, good luck getting land you want. And without that it can take a while to make enough gold to buy good spots.

    PvP, it just plain sucks. Running support, even in a group, you won't get crap honor points while DPS rakes them in. Level 50 can gank a level 30 and rob them of their honor points -- should be some limit to it to avoid that. And yes, zergs zergs and more zergs - but what's new it's an MMO. Either way the PvP is horrible, unbalanced, and encouraging ganking folks; also you're forced into PvP zones for long periods so if you don't want to PvP might as well stop at level 30 or plan to take long breaks when it decides it is time for you to get killed.    … Expand
  70. afives
    Oct 4, 2014
    0
    Played to level 50. No land available because of bots, scripts, queues, and status issues. Unable to join friends because of server restrictions. Trion only agrees with the issues and pushes them off on XL Games as a scapegoat. This game will be empty in 90 days when the Founders' sub ends.
  71. AnenFairy
    Oct 4, 2014
    3
    heres the honest issue with the game, The queues (at least for patrons) as of October are not too bad... highest I've seen so far for my server [SALPHIRA] has been 28 since the capacity was increased... So that issue isn't big anymore, the bigger issue then even the queues used to be is now the Botting and hacking. This game is advertised as open PVP and sandbox, it is neither of thoseheres the honest issue with the game, The queues (at least for patrons) as of October are not too bad... highest I've seen so far for my server [SALPHIRA] has been 28 since the capacity was increased... So that issue isn't big anymore, the bigger issue then even the queues used to be is now the Botting and hacking. This game is advertised as open PVP and sandbox, it is neither of those things for most anyone. I'm not sure about all servers but on Salphira bots will take the housing before anyone else can or your jackass team mates will PK you(30+ zones) and try to take the house for them selves (regardless they'll still lose to the bots) couple this with teleporting bots who are wrecking the economy and a hacked chat system... this game is not worth the download time. The Combat system is old and archaic, we're talking [TAB] attack system and the PVP is pretty generic as well, I was a long time guild wars 2 player and I feel... this might just be why I find the PVP so lack luster... its just close to Guild War 2's PVP.. however Guild wars 2's is a bit better. the class system is pretty neat but not at all new, its nice I can blend a lot of things together but this class system is also limited at the same time, you'll need to equip a corresponding weapon to really benefit from classes... For example, If I go Heavy magic, and I also take healing... my healing will be limited if I don't take a 2h club and instead take a 2h staff or something of the sort.

    I really don't recommend this game, there are just much better options.

    I haven been playing since CBE and continue to play even now (I really don't want to waste my patron time)    … Expand
  72. Druegan
    Oct 3, 2014
    5
    Decent game, horribly mismanaged.

    I've been playing ArcheAge as f2p since public launch. Will probably be trying out Patron status here in a few days. As a f2p'er, here are my initial impressions. 1, the launch was bad. Really bad. Trion dropped the ball very, very badly here, and are still struggling horribly to try to recover. Lots of problems with people not getting what they    Decent game, horribly mismanaged.

    I've been playing ArcheAge as f2p since public launch. Will probably be trying out Patron status here in a few days. As a f2p'er, here are my initial impressions.

    1, the launch was bad. Really bad. Trion dropped the ball very, very badly here, and are still struggling horribly to try to recover. Lots of problems with people not getting what they paid a *lot* of money for, horribly overloaded customer service... 13+ hour queues for f2p players, 7+ hour queues for Patrons who'd paid for priority access... It's getting better, but so far, it doesn't inspire confidence.

    2. The game is overwhelmed with hackers, botters, and spammers. Some of the most aggravating problems with the spammers could be solved with a couple lines of code limiting chat buffer sizes... But, the "Hackshield" rootkit being used for "Security Theatre" is wholly ineffective and doesn't uninstall properly. Nor is there mention made of it being installed prior to installing ArcheAge. Potential liability there. Teleport hacks, auction house hacks, massive waves of botters... these have pretty much destroyed much of the "economy" and who knows if it will actually recover or not at this point.

    3. Trion, of course, has a bunch of schleps who know nothing spouting mindless platitudes attempting to placate the enraged masses.. but that's hardly different from any other MMO publisher, in my experience. Just don't expect much, and you won't be disappointed.

    4. Don't expect land without paying a fortune for it or being extremely, insanely lucky. Your best shot is if you can find a brand new server opening up and get in with Patron status in the first few minutes. The initial servers were a massive landgrab in headstart, and with Trion's screwups, a lot of people got very pissed. Land is just not an option for most, especially now that the hackers are using packet injection to snipe land remotely if somebody fails to pay their taxes.

    5.Labor is kinda **** If you are Patron, I hear you get decent-ish Labor Point regeneration..which you need *lots* of in order to do anything other than wander around and whack things, but from what I understand, it needs some tweaking even there. Apparently a lot of the recalcitrance to fixing this problem comes from XL Games, not Trion.. but who knows?

    6. The community, as one would expect from a PvP focused game, is utterly rancid and toxic. Racism, bigotry, griefing, sexual harassment, extreme vulgarity.. Pick any and/or all of the things you'd expect from a bunch of hyper-competitive knuckle-draggers, shoot it full of "Lord of the Flies", and sprinkle a healthy dose of **** on top of it, and that's basically what you're looking at. Far as I can tell, Trion actually *promotes* scamming, abuse, and undesirable behavior, at least from the absolutely nothing they're doing to address it.

    6. The graphics are not that amazing. I run on max settings.. and while the world is very picturesque from a distance, up close, things are quite blobby. Water effects are awesome, but trees look horrid.. it's a mixed bag. Lots of recycled mobs..

    7. The gameplay is.. ok. Nothing to scream about, either good or bad. Your typical Korean over-dependence on combos, bias towards Melee in PvE, Overpowered Range in PvP.. There's a very irritating system where if you try to damage a mob and it doesn't like the patch of ground you're standing on, it'll become immune to absolutely everything until it gets to where it registers that it can damage you. Even if you're 5 feet away from it on a flat field. XLGames also has no concept of what the words "Line of Sight" actually mean. Mobs also occasionally just decide that they're going to reset to full hp and walk nonchalantly back to their starting positions in the middle of a fight. Needs work.

    8. The world is huge... and probably half of it is completely useless. There's tons of open space, huge vistas on hilltops and such that could be used for all sorts of things.. either to alleviate the housing crunch or to provide some resource rewards for determined explorers.. except there's just nothing there. at all. Nothing spawns there, no mobs, no resources, and you can't do anything with it except fly over on a glider or climb around on it and look at the scenery. Seems a waste.

    9. The story is actually kinda decent, if you bother to read. It needs a bit of fleshing out, but then, most MMOs do. Questing is crap, of course.. standard "Laundry List" fare.. but there *is* rather a lot you can do without questing.. if you have the Labor Points.. I think it's absurd that opening 2 coin purses takes as much labor as chopping down a tree, and don't get me started on it costing labor to report a bot..

    10. If you're thinking of playing this..Keep in mind that a lot changed from the Alpha and Beta. The stuff you see on the videos and reviews from those periods really has little to do with the current state of the game. It went downhill.    … Expand
  73. SemiRoyt
    Oct 3, 2014
    10
    This is hands down the best MMORPG available today. there are so much stuff to do, so many classes, and a lot of variety. The combat is very good, The world is vast, the quests are fun. crafting, farming, chopping, composing, fighting, exploring, stealing, building, sailing, naval battling, PVP ing, buying, selling, trade-running, dungeon-running, doing silly stuff with friends/This is hands down the best MMORPG available today. there are so much stuff to do, so many classes, and a lot of variety. The combat is very good, The world is vast, the quests are fun. crafting, farming, chopping, composing, fighting, exploring, stealing, building, sailing, naval battling, PVP ing, buying, selling, trade-running, dungeon-running, doing silly stuff with friends/ guildies... everything is so fun and addictive. Ill admit that there was a time period where this game went full P2W, but its long ago fixed. As a F2P player, I can do the exact same things as the players who pay for this game. I HIGHLY recommend this game to everyone. its been a long time since ive enjoyed that much a MMORPG.… Expand
  74. Rigermortis
    Oct 2, 2014
    10
    I've now played for a few weeks and I'm still loving it. The issues are sorted out now mostly and the game is settling into a nice rhythm.

    This is not Rift and it's not WoW. It's more like Eve Online but in a fantasy world. The "end game" is the player economy: Trading/PVPing over limited wealth and resources. Trade is difficult as you need to transport goods as well as craft them.    I've now played for a few weeks and I'm still loving it. The issues are sorted out now mostly and the game is settling into a nice rhythm.

    This is not Rift and it's not WoW. It's more like Eve Online but in a fantasy world.

    The "end game" is the player economy: Trading/PVPing over limited wealth and resources. Trade is difficult as you need to transport goods as well as craft them. The aim should be to move from lugging everything around yourself to mass production and carrying vehicles as well as other players.

    As a free to player it's a fully fledged linear themepark MMO like WoW and Rift though you can't own land and have limited trade ability. As a Patron you can own land and trade freely opening the game up as a non linear "sandbox" experience.

    Patron status (subscription) does not give you free land just the ability to purchase and use land. Giving land to Patron's would be tantamount to pay to win as the game is meant to be driven by players selling to players.

    Patrons definitely get major economic advantages over non patrons however this isn't a pay to win system as you can purchase patron status with in game gold via purchasing Apex (game credits) off other players.

    If you don't like crafting and player economies, if you don't like PVP, if you want to spend most of your time solo gaming this isn't the game for you.

    Essentially where ESO is a Themepark in a sandbox skin, ArcheAge is a snandbox in a themepark skin. Deceptively linear to new comers who then get very annoyed with it's sandbox non linear player based gameplay later on.    … Expand
  75. AnthonyBRobert
    Oct 2, 2014
    3
    ArcheAge is not for kids or the faint of heart. The ESRB rated AA Mature 17+ and is not a solo-friendly MMO especially if you are playing via free-to-play and were hoping to experience all aspects of the game. Even as a paying Patron you will have no choice but to either join a guild, a Family, work in groups like a pack of lions or all three. At about level ten to twelve, though, youArcheAge is not for kids or the faint of heart. The ESRB rated AA Mature 17+ and is not a solo-friendly MMO especially if you are playing via free-to-play and were hoping to experience all aspects of the game. Even as a paying Patron you will have no choice but to either join a guild, a Family, work in groups like a pack of lions or all three. At about level ten to twelve, though, you start to feel the sharp teeth of this game. You may want to be aware of a few built-in game mechanics before you press that buy now button. First, players have an ability called Bloodlust allowing them to attack members of their own faction for any reason. Yes, you read that correctly. Pirates, another faction or occupation, are among us! These players can organize Pirate Guilds and generally have the goal of stealing your possessions to accumulate Infamy, a type of status. Second, only paying players can own land. On the Lucius server, all the land has been claimed, so even if you were a paying Patron, you have a limited number of possibilities. In an incompetent attempt to justify his thievery, Krowe on the Lucius server propounded that I should have planted my small garden of Turmeric herb for a quest on Protected land. You may plant on any of the land and need to do so in order to complete your first low-level farming quests. However, because all of the plots used to create Protected land are occupied, you have no choice but to try Public Protected land. These are small plots that are also completely covered with other players crops. At this point you could try to join a guild or become part of a game Family, an arrangement that allows you to plant crops on a family members land. However, everyone has their land filled to the brim with their stuff right now. You are down to one choice, plant on public land. The catch is, any player can uproot your plants, stealing them from you even though the game labels it a crime. Want-a-be Pirates like Krowe simply make you their enemy even when we are on the same side. I have noticed a disturbing growing trend among AA players. My plants were clearly marked as my property when Krowe stole them. But his justification was because I had planted them on Public land. So misinformed players assume the role of a self-appointed Public-land Sheriff removing what they call an illegal garden. However, there is no such thing as an illegal garden in AA. It's clearly just a plant on Public land. I have scratched my head numerous times as I read the Trial chat channel. If a person takes something that isn't his in real life, he knows he's stealing. How is it that he feels it's different and justified in a game like AA? Petty theft is still just greediness, the taking of something that doesn't belong to you, in a game or not. What happens after the theft is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion. After being reported, the game's legal system puts the thief on trial where you will witness the most bizarre display of human lunacy and degradation. Defendants like my nemesis Krowe defend themselves in the most bizarre extremes from childishly offering a "cookie" to their victim to sounding like a sinner in confession on Sunday. Then the player jury sentences the defendant to varying amounts of time in jail. Although it may seem like a deterrent, the sentences lack any real meaning or weight. A player may murder, steal and uproot affecting multiple players and only get 15 minutes in jail. And even if sentenced to jail time, the thief has the ability to break out. No, you never get your stuff back. There is also a darker side to AA. Before our eyes is a cleverly cloaked system that prevents free to play. How? If you as a free-to-play player plant on Public land, it gets uprooted and stolen by so called Pirates who receive lenient sentences. Thus you have no choice but to become a Patron so you can own Protected land. But don't forget, all the land is taken! So, you're back to square one…or you can wait till more land is made available by Trion. You could also wait until another player can't pay the taxes on their land. Either way, if you're a Patron, you're paying while you wait. Damn. Secondly, when players of the same faction can attack and steal from each other, it forces them to join a guild or Family simply for protection. Joining, though, reduces your personal wealth because the guild leader is the person who can exact taxes and ultimately benefits from you, the guild raids and Trade Runs. Not everyone can run a guild. In fact, the factions of the game are NOT the Nuian Alliance against the Haranya Alliance. It's really the Patrons against the Pirates. The Patrons craft or farm and the Pirates steal it from them, anywhere and at any time. In a game where it may take several hundred hours to seriously farm, the only players having fun are the Pirates. The victims certainly don't enjoy having hours of work stolen by a member of their own faction, Pirate or opportunist. Playing AA comes at a price. The cost is either your time, your money or your possessions. You'll have to decide which one you can part with at different points throughout the game. But really, once all the rival castles have been destroyed and all the Pirates control all the wealth, then what?… Expand
  76. gamer2012
    Oct 2, 2014
    0
    Stay away guys this game at its current rate is severly broken...I spent 15.00 already cancelled within a week my fastest cancellation of any MMO ever. Horrible support, NO land for patrons, BOTS everywhere, everyday the Hackers gain control of markets....a rating of 3.7 is generous should be more like 2
  77. Kahl
    Oct 2, 2014
    3
    Do NOT pay money for this game at this stage. Limited resource (land) is all gone, bots are ruining the economy and make global chat impossible to read. It's an interesting sandboxy game - leveling to 30 is the intro and gives you enough guilda stars to buy plans for a boat or house. Naval combat is fun, and the pirating of tradepacks is good times.

    That said - the primary reason to pay    Do NOT pay money for this game at this stage. Limited resource (land) is all gone, bots are ruining the economy and make global chat impossible to read. It's an interesting sandboxy game - leveling to 30 is the intro and gives you enough guilda stars to buy plans for a boat or house. Naval combat is fun, and the pirating of tradepacks is good times.

    That said - the primary reason to pay money for this game is to own land as land is required for safe farming and growing of resources for crafting. If you want more labor than the 2K F2P max, buy labor pots or apex off the auction house. Money isn't very hard to make with the trade system, just time consuming.

    All in all, easily the worst game launch I've seen in the last 5 years. Great potential, but unlikely to renew when my founders pack expires. Bots, racism/hate speech, griefers everywhere. One of the worst (and least moderated) communities.    … Expand
  78. Nerdguy88
    Sep 30, 2014
    10
    A LOT of the previous reviews I've seen on this have been about the initial response. I admit that on launch there were queue issues but they have all been resolved. Now when I log on I am almost instantly in.

    As far as gameplay I have enjoyed this game from launch to now. I usually play from 7 or 8 to midnight when I go to sleep every day. Leveling up in Archeage is varied and fun.    A LOT of the previous reviews I've seen on this have been about the initial response. I admit that on launch there were queue issues but they have all been resolved. Now when I log on I am almost instantly in.

    As far as gameplay I have enjoyed this game from launch to now. I usually play from 7 or 8 to midnight when I go to sleep every day.

    Leveling up in Archeage is varied and fun. I have leveled doing nothing but quests, stopped and went on a blacksmithing spree and gained a level or two. Gone and worked on my farm(only a small one so not much exp).

    For a while I joined up with a gang of pirates and we sailed around stealing trade packs from people. I gained infamy points and was arrested. Spent time in prison. Broke out. It was all wonderful.

    Archeage has so much to do for so many different people. I would recommend this game to everyone who enjoys mmos!    … Expand
  79. whatever523
    Sep 30, 2014
    3
    If you're a game designer or developer, you should play games yourself to get a good idea what you're doing and how to do it best. The Archeage team clearly don't have a **** clue what they're doing.

    For starters, the default party loot system makes you roll for items, but you can't automate the rolling or even assign it to a key. That means FOR EVERY ITEM you have to click a box that    If you're a game designer or developer, you should play games yourself to get a good idea what you're doing and how to do it best. The Archeage team clearly don't have a **** clue what they're doing.

    For starters, the default party loot system makes you roll for items, but you can't automate the rolling or even assign it to a key. That means FOR EVERY ITEM you have to click a box that asks if you want to roll for it. What year is it again? This system is so annoying and hostile towards players, it begs the question if they even want people to play their game.

    On the technical side, there are problems with the launcher and server queues. Problems that should take a few hours to solve, yet have been there for months.

    Hackshield Pro is horrible anti-cheat software. It needs admin privileges every time you start the game and is very invasive, but doesn't stop cheaters and botters at all.

    Beneath all that, there's a game that looks good, offers a lot of freedom to do different things and generally has potential, but it will never live up to that with these people developing it.    … Expand
  80. Aeonbringer
    Sep 29, 2014
    1
    I'm not even going to talk about the launch problems. They are bad, but I believe they will be gone in time. I'm also not going to talk about how free players are hugely disadvantaged because that is the publisher's business model, and if they think free players should be only a little more than trial accounts, I am fine with that as this is the case for every subscription based game. AlsoI'm not even going to talk about the launch problems. They are bad, but I believe they will be gone in time. I'm also not going to talk about how free players are hugely disadvantaged because that is the publisher's business model, and if they think free players should be only a little more than trial accounts, I am fine with that as this is the case for every subscription based game. Also because there are worse things to talk about for this game.

    Short Term Problems:

    1. Bots, hackers everywhere and publisher does not seem competent to do anything about them. There are areas in the game infested with bots camping on spawn points, making certain quests impossible, or extremely difficult to complete. Having trade runs in the game is a main way to make gold. However, when you see hackers teleporting directly to the end of a trade run that might take you an hour to travel to, you just feel kind of screwed and any motivation to do trade runs are gone.

    2. Because of the above problem, there are also tons of gold sellers spamming the chat channel. Forget about reading anything in the chat channel, they are spammed full with gold selling ads and Trion does not do anything about them.

    Now, these could be short term problems if Trion managed to stop the hackers/botters, but could just be a long term problem because so far I do not see any improvements, only it getting worse.

    Long Term Problems:

    These are some what more worrying, because not only are they problems, they are problems the publishers/developer do not even think is a problem.

    1. You are encouraged to find ways to afk in the game 24/7 else be left out. The game requires a resource called labor points to do a lot of stuff, like crafting, gathering etc. Free players get 0 labor point regeneration offline, and paid players get 10 labor points online and 5 offline. So this basically encourages players to be online all the time, finding ways to get pass the afk system like running around in circles or attacking target practice. I am not a fan of leaving my computer on 24/7 running a game to not lose out. It does not help that Archeage is not sufficiently optimized and might cause overheating to your hardware. What is more worrying is that the publisher announced that the developer will not change this no matter what. This either means that Trion does not have much of a control over Archeage and totally helplessly dependent on their Korean developer, or they are just using it as an excuse. Both outcomes are equally worrying for the players.

    2. Land problems. Long story short, you don't get land on all but the newer servers if you did not prepurchase the game as a founder. All the land are grabbed during the few days of early access period of the game. There are people using cheap scarecrows to occupy huge pieces of lands during early access, and now selling each plot for 800-1k gold. To put in perspective, if you quest from 1 to 50, you will have less than total of 100 gold from questing. And if you change real money to in game old, 10 USD is equivalent to about 50 gold in game. Trion's response to this is that it's all part of the competition. But I do not see any competition when all the lands are already gone before the game is even released. Of course, it would not be a problem if you are willing to convert over 100 USD worth of real money to gold and buy it off some profiteering land hoarder.

    3. Grindy Korean MMO not adapted to western culture. Most western publishers, when bringing in a Korean MMO, will tweak the game some what to cater to the taste of western audiences. But it's either a design choice, or simply out of laziness, Trion just goes, screw all these. What you get is a hardcore grindy Korean MMO. Don't get me wrong, some people might like this kind of game, but it's just not really to my liking.

    Let me just give you an example. When you reached level 50, there is a quest reward weapon that is really good meant to start you off for end game. The problem is, there's this small area in the game with around 10 mob spawns, the mobs drop 8-9 different tokens depending on chance, and you need to collect 150 of one type of token for then weapon. Now, the twist? There are usually 50-100 players from both factions camping those 10 mob spawns. If you are lucky and is able to play at an ungodly hour of say 4am, you might be able to get by with just 5-6 hours of this grind. Otherwise, prepare for days of frustration.

    Conclusion

    This is not to say that this game does not have potential, that is what the 1 point is for. Things like naval combat and exploration is something I really like about this game. But it's overshadowed by all the other problems that simply makes the game frustrating.    … Expand
  81. Araushnee
    Sep 29, 2014
    2
    As a patron I am not seeing the benefits of subscribing. Today my heart sank when we finally got a tiny official response on the housing situation. My hopes had been that they would fix this issue with time like they did the queues, but that will not be the case. Land ownership is apparently "competitive." I bought the head-start packs and subscribed because I believed I could own landAs a patron I am not seeing the benefits of subscribing. Today my heart sank when we finally got a tiny official response on the housing situation. My hopes had been that they would fix this issue with time like they did the queues, but that will not be the case. Land ownership is apparently "competitive." I bought the head-start packs and subscribed because I believed I could own land and farm. I was hoping the PvP nature wouldn't be about bulling other players. I was hoping for a friendly community. Even on the unofficial RP server the community is toxic. Between the community and lack of land, I am just not seeing the point. I had dreams of building home, farms and crest creation. I guess I'll be waiting for Landmark to go to open beta. If you are thinking of buying patron to own land and a farm, don't bother. Those benefits do not exist. I just don't see myself staying as I'm not the competitive type. If you enjoy an open world PvP game though you may like it. It is a gankfest though. So if you want fair PvP, there is no such thing.… Expand
  82. dendygar
    Sep 29, 2014
    0
    Set aside the server and queue issues for a moment. Let me tell you about the game's most egregious pay to win feature: the regrade system. Like many MMOs, ArcheAge's gear has color coded grades representing an item's quality relative to its level. In ArcheAge there are 11(!) grades. Any piece of equipment can be regraded using a consumable item. This is a massive gold and time sink,Set aside the server and queue issues for a moment. Let me tell you about the game's most egregious pay to win feature: the regrade system. Like many MMOs, ArcheAge's gear has color coded grades representing an item's quality relative to its level. In ArcheAge there are 11(!) grades. Any piece of equipment can be regraded using a consumable item. This is a massive gold and time sink, because you will need very many tries to successfully upgrade an item, especially considering that there is a chance of downgrades as well as total LOSS of the item you are upgrading. Keep in mind that max level gear with stats that you want is already a RNG-based pain to get. In short acquiring BiS is a soulsucking toilet for your time and money, just like in every Korean grinder.

    But wait! For a mere 2000 credits, or about $12, you can make the regrade much more likely to work with a cash shop consumable! Not only is this highly incentivized due to the cost of endgame gear, but it puts players with way too much disposable income that much farther ahead of those unwilling to pay. In a game with full PvP in most of the game world, this is completely inexcusable.

    But honestly, what could anyone reasonably expect? The scumsucking **** who run this game are the same scumsucking **** who charged people $150 for alpha access. These are the same **** who knowingly launched their cash-grabbing game without enough servers (supposedly the Korean and Russian versions have 20+ servers due to the limited game land). These are the **** who charged $150 for early access so headstart players could hoard all of the land they possibly could with no limitations. These are the **** who were warned by their community beta testers (who paid $50+ to test a goddamn beta) of the numerous issues that eventually did happen at launch, resulting in the QueueAge debacle.

    This is a game by ****, for ****. The winning move is to play something else.    … Expand
  83. Kyzara
    Sep 29, 2014
    9
    Did you ever play Ultima Online? Do you miss hunting Player Killers, being a player killer, having the ability to choose what skills you can use? Do you like owning land and running your own business? In Archeage you really can do all of these things.

    This game reminds me quite a bit of the old Ultima Online type of gameplay and pvp is far from fair or balanced. This game is based on    Did you ever play Ultima Online? Do you miss hunting Player Killers, being a player killer, having the ability to choose what skills you can use? Do you like owning land and running your own business? In Archeage you really can do all of these things.

    This game reminds me quite a bit of the old Ultima Online type of gameplay and pvp is far from fair or balanced. This game is based on group pvp and poltics. House building and life being unfair. If you aren't interested in this type of game play and earning(and being able to lose what you earned) then don't play it. But the old school gaming population has been crying for a game like this for years and this game delivers that experience. The best part of the justice system where you can have a trial among your peers. Are some jurors corrupt? yep! Is it fair? Nope. Is life fair? No.

    If you like sand box work for what you earn and defend it type games this is the game for you. If you want an easy game with little challenge then this won't be your cup of tea. For what it is it delivers and is a really interesting experience if you enjoyed games like Shadowblade or Ultima Online(pre-Tram).

    Yes there is a little pay to win if you want to craft and be part of the economy. However, I don't see that deserving of a bad rating. Yes Queues are bad right now again that's every MMO. All the reviews here that are bad are complaining about things that are minor as this game and the game world is really fun for the sandbox players. It's the same as any game, F2P is a taste of the game. If you want to full experience pay for it. If you don't like the game don't pay... When I like a game I don't mind giving money to a publisher to support it.    … Expand
  84. Elco32
    Sep 28, 2014
    1
    Trion worlds started out with Rift and the best intentions for value for their customers. This game demonstrates that they have gone to the complete opposite end of the spectrum where value for their customers is their lowest priority. They know that the people who play this type of game don't respect themselves enough to walk away from being shamelessly fleeced.
  85. gorewood
    Sep 28, 2014
    9
    Alright, I never wrote a review before and made an account especially for this one.

    I saw so much negativity about this game and I use this website to determine if a game is worth playing or not... Now the problem is that this game is WAY underrated and 95% of the downvotes is because of the " F2P" Queuetimes. Now I have to agree the queue times ARE insane. However, if you pay for    Alright, I never wrote a review before and made an account especially for this one.

    I saw so much negativity about this game and I use this website to determine if a game is worth playing or not...
    Now the problem is that this game is WAY underrated and 95% of the downvotes is because of the " F2P" Queuetimes.
    Now I have to agree the queue times ARE insane.
    However, if you pay for this game (14 bucks a month I believe? ) you can simply skip the queue or get the paying users queue which is like.. 1 minute max?
    If you decide to pay 1 month you can get gold in game and buy a new month with ingame currency which you get from farming questing etc.

    The game itself is REALLY fun, the questing is a bit boring but hey it's questing, next to questing there are MANY ways to level up - crafting gives loads of XP , mining does, logging does etc. etc. etc.

    Now the PVP in this game is insanely fun, you can steal peoples valuable tradepacks which give you gold! They will be angry but hey... **** them right?
    You are able to build farms, houses, ships, bigger ships, castles ! It's amazing!
    There is so much to do and it is so very well put together.

    Try this game for 1 month is my advice and look through the little bugs or delays as of which your paid acc will be activated (between 1 minute and 2 hours)
    And you will have a great game to play which keeps you busy for a very very very long time.

    The community you had at the beginning of wow? that's here now the social part - its really fun.

    Also: it's not pay 2 win, if people are claiming that it is , they need to look up what it means. there is no way you can pay to get ANY sort of priveledge.
    my 2 cents.    … Expand
  86. wtfux2
    Sep 28, 2014
    0
    Extremely horrible godly long epic wait times. ArcheAge literally has the worse wait times in the history of gaming. Every server has a queue of 1000+(1-2 hours wait time) and to add to the problem, when the servers have a queue too long, it won't even show up as a selectable server! This means that you have to wait even longer to get your server so you can play your character. On top ofExtremely horrible godly long epic wait times. ArcheAge literally has the worse wait times in the history of gaming. Every server has a queue of 1000+(1-2 hours wait time) and to add to the problem, when the servers have a queue too long, it won't even show up as a selectable server! This means that you have to wait even longer to get your server so you can play your character. On top of that, the servers keep crashing constantly so you are always getting kicked out and guess what? You get to start at the back of the line again and it will be another 5 hours before you can get in.… Expand
  87. NewMenace
    Sep 28, 2014
    3
    The never ending queque in this game for people who dont have a subscription. I have actually managed to play on the first day it released for the general public but not so much since then since i have to wait at least 5 hours to get into a game. Trion isnt doing anything to fix this also, hope they will understand that by doing this they are losing alot of players and money.
  88. ce111
    Sep 27, 2014
    4
    Don't get me wrong...AA is a beautiful game. Great scenery, great combat effects and character models. However, beauty isn't enough to salvage this game. While the game touts being F2P the truth is that unless you are a subscriber you will pretty much always have a handicap. The servers are full of botters and gold sellers and Trion either doesn't care or doesn't have the resources to stopDon't get me wrong...AA is a beautiful game. Great scenery, great combat effects and character models. However, beauty isn't enough to salvage this game. While the game touts being F2P the truth is that unless you are a subscriber you will pretty much always have a handicap. The servers are full of botters and gold sellers and Trion either doesn't care or doesn't have the resources to stop them. This game had a ton of potential but its ultimately a bomb. One is better off just sticking to WoW...… Expand
  89. duckteller
    Sep 27, 2014
    0
    It's tremendous to see that people are recognizing and now instinctively feel the need to revolt against those abusive and utterly unholy money worshiping business strategies. The Catholic Church excluded of course. As the magnate, the tycoon, the plutocrat would say, "All I Ask for Is an Unfair Advantage". Now you get to be a mini-oligarch in the virtual world, while the real world ones,It's tremendous to see that people are recognizing and now instinctively feel the need to revolt against those abusive and utterly unholy money worshiping business strategies. The Catholic Church excluded of course. As the magnate, the tycoon, the plutocrat would say, "All I Ask for Is an Unfair Advantage". Now you get to be a mini-oligarch in the virtual world, while the real world ones, occupying the space of reality, sip piña colada while playing with your emotions as expendable cheap toys. What a wonderful world they have created for you to live in, like a razor blade trick-or-treating.

    You need to wake up now. The imposed dreamy roll-play world, has become an unspeakable nightmare, where hellish imps unchecked run amok, doing the evil bedding of their masters, the most cunning of Mephistopheles.

    The question most be, can they carry their wealth to heaven? And if no, have these ivory tower robot humans had the epiphany, that heaven is in fact, just another oxymoron. That then gets projected into their own game world creation? Now reflecting their outlook upon the material world with the perfect knowledge that they're not begin watched. They're in fact certainly the same coup d'état-makers, the hostage-takes of reality, that invented the revengeful God in the very first place.

    Don't buy into their phony make-believe world.    … Expand
  90. Orhunkk
    Sep 27, 2014
    3
    Definitely Pay to win.Boring quests.Worst combat system.Nothing is different than the other mmos expect the naval battles.Wasted potential.Disconnection problems...
  91. pughug
    Sep 27, 2014
    5
    Game is flooded with bots and gold spammers. Trion can't even keep the advertisers off of their website let alone the game.

    Bots are being reported with no action taken whatsoever. Bots are taking all available land when it becomes available, just in general such a poorly designed system.

    Absolutely disastrous, not worth installing until these issues are fixed.
  92. macharius39
    Sep 26, 2014
    3
    NA and EU versions of the game published by TRION are riddled with the exact same vulnerability to bots, hacks and exploits that have plagued the Korean and Russian versions of the game. TRION has been extremely bad about banning bots and hackers so far. Bots have been running for days after being reported. There are teleport hacks that allow the users to instantly move trade packs toNA and EU versions of the game published by TRION are riddled with the exact same vulnerability to bots, hacks and exploits that have plagued the Korean and Russian versions of the game. TRION has been extremely bad about banning bots and hackers so far. Bots have been running for days after being reported. There are teleport hacks that allow the users to instantly move trade packs to anywhere in the world. Between them, they are already destroying the in-game economy.

    The game forums are drowning in cries and pleas for TRION to take action against the exploiters and gold sellers and there is only silence. Even the forum name of the TRION community rep is a sarcastic play on the word "scapegoat"...

    Land ownership is advertised as being a perk of being a "patron" (e.g. subscriber), but hackers (there are hacks that allow one to grab demolished plots due to failure to pay upkeep before any legit player can place there) and the low penalty for owning extra property have given rise to "land barons" already. Between them and the messed up placement system and limited spacing to place houses it has made getting land nearly impossible without getting ripped off. If you are lucky, you might find a spot to place your "free" quest 8x8 grid scarecrow so you can grow a few crops safely but that's it.

    For these reasons alone, I can't recommend the game to anyone at this point. Sure, there is some fun in the game and the graphics are very nice when you crank up the video settings but it's not enough to redeem the mess that it is in right now. TRION used to be a shining star in the MMO/gaming industry and had a good reputation. Something happened to them. The TRION that is running ArcheAge is not the TRION I used to know. They've lost their way and are sliding into disrepute. It's sad to see.    … Expand
  93. Laeris
    Sep 26, 2014
    10
    Now that the launch nonsense is fixed... it's review time! I'll keep is short and simple here.

    Graphics are great with CryEngine 3. Fully optimized with nextgen hardware in mind. With a relatively high-end PC, I am getting 150ish FPS in most areas with a large format monitor. Gameplay is great IF YOU KNOW WHAT A SANDBOX MMO IS. There's a vast amount of things to do and I haven't    Now that the launch nonsense is fixed... it's review time! I'll keep is short and simple here.

    Graphics are great with CryEngine 3. Fully optimized with nextgen hardware in mind. With a relatively high-end PC, I am getting 150ish FPS in most areas with a large format monitor.

    Gameplay is great IF YOU KNOW WHAT A SANDBOX MMO IS. There's a vast amount of things to do and I haven't ran into any bugged quests or glitches yet (Level 48 of 50 presently). There's ships to sail, open world PvP, trading, light PvE content. Make no mistake though, this is a full on PvP game at its center.

    This game has great attention to detail. Animations are lifelike, dynamic seasons and weather.

    Some things folks may not like: This game requires a subscription. Sure, you can opt to pay as a F2P user, but you are throttled way back and will be used as cannon fodder until you pay. Think of the pay options in AA to be more like older try before you buy style of pay models. You can play for free, but until you pay for it you will never amount to anything... which is fine by me.

    Lots of kids and freeloaders will not like this system... but then again, AA is not a game for casuals or for people who don't have an income. It is insanely time-intensive and you have to invest time and effort to get things done. F2P users rarely like to invest anything into any game... and as we have seen so far, they don't generally like it because... well, this isn't a freeware carebear simulator like they're used to.

    Overall, I love this game... There's a lot to do and if you can afford $15 a month, it is a truly awesome experience. If you refuse to buy a patron pass (monthly sub), you will be farmed, you won't own land, your gear will be 10 levels behind everything else in the game that drops and you can't even use the auction house to fix that problem. If you want a F2P game... go play something like Rift or SWTOR. In those games you have a chance at being somebody. In AA, you will be farmed, you will die a lot and there is nothing you can do about it until you stop whining and sub like everyone else.    … Expand
  94. TwilightAngel
    Sep 26, 2014
    9
    Really enjoying ArcheAge so far and its class system. Just like ever past MMO the 1st few weeks the game going to have issues which most the reviewers before fail to realize and its hardly P2W since everything offered on the CS has a similar item in game or can be crafted. Yes LP pots are a CS item but can be bought with gold if its being sold on the AH.

    I do recommend playing as a f2p    Really enjoying ArcheAge so far and its class system. Just like ever past MMO the 1st few weeks the game going to have issues which most the reviewers before fail to realize and its hardly P2W since everything offered on the CS has a similar item in game or can be crafted. Yes LP pots are a CS item but can be bought with gold if its being sold on the AH.

    I do recommend playing as a f2p a bit before getting the patron status to see if you would like the game    … Expand
  95. seuche
    Sep 26, 2014
    0
    This game is just terrible. The waiting time on servers exceeds hours, the subscription (ptaron) cannot be activated in a lot of cases due to a bug and their customer support is basically non-existing. I would recommend to stay the hell away from this crap, till they get their **** in order. Also PayWin is big issue here. So if you have a big wallet, it might be a game for you. If not,This game is just terrible. The waiting time on servers exceeds hours, the subscription (ptaron) cannot be activated in a lot of cases due to a bug and their customer support is basically non-existing. I would recommend to stay the hell away from this crap, till they get their **** in order. Also PayWin is big issue here. So if you have a big wallet, it might be a game for you. If not, well do not expect to to be threten fair by this company.… Expand
  96. NightDoom
    Sep 26, 2014
    0
    The beta was great. Fun crafting, decent combat and a lot of friendly people. I can't comment on launch as I haven't played it due to 4 hour queues that I don't have time to sit in. Also they recently introduced restrictions on 3 or 4 of the EU servers to prevent players making characters in servers to full for them. So now I can't play with my guild in the server we chose. To sum up myThe beta was great. Fun crafting, decent combat and a lot of friendly people. I can't comment on launch as I haven't played it due to 4 hour queues that I don't have time to sit in. Also they recently introduced restrictions on 3 or 4 of the EU servers to prevent players making characters in servers to full for them. So now I can't play with my guild in the server we chose. To sum up my experience. Long queues and bad dev decisions. No game should get worse from beta stage to launch. By the way the 0 is because I haven't been able to play the game for the 10 days it has been out.… Expand
  97. nollington
    Sep 26, 2014
    0
    I dont know what the so called "mmo vets" have played before to claim Archeage is the best mmo for decades, or that its innovating or a breath of fresh air.
    There is nothing new in Archeage, the graphics are out dated, the pvp is not open pvp as claimed as its restricted to zones, the questing just like every other mmo.
    Cobat is a button spam fest with no dodge or avoidance. Crafting    I dont know what the so called "mmo vets" have played before to claim Archeage is the best mmo for decades, or that its innovating or a breath of fresh air.
    There is nothing new in Archeage, the graphics are out dated, the pvp is not open pvp as claimed as its restricted to zones, the questing just like every other mmo.
    Cobat is a button spam fest with no dodge or avoidance.
    Crafting has been done better in other games.
    Housing is ok but also done in other games.
    Ok so you have gliders.... but Aion had wings and alot of games have flight mechanics.
    Top all that off with Trions poor management and money grabbing techniques and Archeage will soon be dropping its rating faster than that glider will drop when its out of time.    … Expand
  98. bullymays
    Sep 25, 2014
    0
    The first critic review is a joke. Read the article, the guy didnt even play it. He states it offers "Full blown loose some of your items/gain some of your fallen foes loot PvP" ... That is incorrect, you do not lose anything items and do not gain fallen foes items. The PvP in this game is terrible 1. If you raid another continent, they can attack each of you one by one because they allThe first critic review is a joke. Read the article, the guy didnt even play it. He states it offers "Full blown loose some of your items/gain some of your fallen foes loot PvP" ... That is incorrect, you do not lose anything items and do not gain fallen foes items. The PvP in this game is terrible 1. If you raid another continent, they can attack each of you one by one because they all flag for PvP while only the person getting tagged flags in your raid (worst PvP mechanic I've seen in any game) 2. Even in war zones, you can kite people to guards and insta kill them. 3. 7 sec stuns chainable. 3 seconds is an eternity in PvP, 7 and can chain them, lulz. 4. No honor points for killing enemy unless its in a state of war.… Expand
  99. Luka4ever
    Sep 25, 2014
    1
    This game is a waste of time, its horribly optimized, pay to win, and the PVP elements in conjunction with the labor system means you can't get anything done, and if you should happen to carry a trade pack it will be stolen from you before you can turn it in. Worst game I've played this year.
  100. Jingo
    Sep 25, 2014
    3
    Boy oh boy did I waste money on this game. It had so much promise, but delivery was a total failure. I had heaps of fun at first, despite the long queues and the fact that ALL the housing land had been taken by the time I logged on. Eventually they released more servers, but those filled up just as fast and I was only able to get a housing spot and large farm spot in a dangerous open PVPBoy oh boy did I waste money on this game. It had so much promise, but delivery was a total failure. I had heaps of fun at first, despite the long queues and the fact that ALL the housing land had been taken by the time I logged on. Eventually they released more servers, but those filled up just as fast and I was only able to get a housing spot and large farm spot in a dangerous open PVP ganking area. But that's ok, I thought. Level 25 shadowplay and you get stealth, so you won't get ganked while carrying your extremely precious lumber pack to your land in order to build. With the servers so crowded, competition for suitable trees was harsh, and it took maybe 20 hours of gameplay to get a single lumber pack. What I didn't count on, was the awful stability issues. Sometimes the game crashed 3 times in an hour. So there I was, carrying my precious lumber pack to build my farm, in stealth. Of course, it crashes, and my character gets ganked and the lumber pack gets stolen while I'm trying desperately to log back in.
    Thanks TRION. Money, time, wasted. Don't think I'll be playing anymore. Can't get my money back, but I can avoid wasting more time.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PC Game of 2014
14
#14 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. SpazioGames
    Jan 5, 2015
    80
    What ArcheAge presents, past the horror of the chilling launch, is an open world full of opportunities and challenges as we have not seen for a too-long time demonstrating that the real MMORPG, those based on persistence and interaction, have not disappeared.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Dec 13, 2014
    85
    Don’t let your judgment be clouded by other people’s opinions influenced by terrible server problems they encountered when ArcheAge was launched. It’s a really good, beautiful game. [Dec 2014, p.76]
  3. Gaming Nexus
    Nov 18, 2014
    88
    ArcheAge is one of the best free-to-play games to be released this year, with a near endless amount of content awaiting eager adventurers.
    Read full review
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