Achievement Unlocked: Orc Hater

Yes I guess I hate Orcs.  I think my addiction to killing them in Orcs Must Die has rubbed off into Realms Online.  I unlocked this achievement today, after grinding on them for hours.

I finally ventured out into the RvR zone in Realms Online.  It looks similar to the rest of the game except for keeps, and forts.  The first five minutes I received a welcome to three faction pvp as I got slaughtered by someone doing almost 2k damage a hit to me.  Sadly I am lucky to dish out 1k a hit at level 50, and had to take it like a man.

I also joined a clan last night too.  I always hate joining one right away, but I didn't want to be venturing out there by myself.  Supposedly we do organized keep, and fort takes so I figure the clan must be pretty descent. I can't wait to get in a really good keep or fort battle.  It is going to be pretty fun.

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How You Know You Found The Perfect MMORPG

Do you know when you have found the perfect MMORPG? Is it love at first sight?  Does it grow on you, and eventually you fall in love?  Do you end up playing a game because everyone else is?   What is the driving factor that makes you fall in love with a game?

This last year my gaming has really had its ups and downs.  I would say more downs than ups.  I have so many games that were pure let downs too.  Am I just picky, or am I just a bitter old man?  I have so many games that I paid fifty bucks for that barely even got a few hours of play time.

I really was trying to expand my gaming genre to more than just MMORPG's.  I wanted to start experiencing other games that didn't involve spending my whole life playing.  It made me figure out something in the process.  Any game other than a MMORPG is too easy to put down.  You have nothing invested in the game.  I had no problem dropping Dead Island, Battlefield 3, Warhammer 40k, and so many more.

I have realized that I feel more attached to a character in a MMORPG.  I feel like I am neglecting my character if I don't put in five hours a day of play time.  The thought of always getting better gear, more pvp points, and more keep you logged in. Unfortunately single player games just don't motivate me like that.  I play for like a half hour, and I am bored.  I have nothing to strive for except the final cutscene, and I have never seen one in any single player game I have ever played.

The problem is not every MMORPG makes me feel this way either.  In this last year I have tried so many, and only one recently has captured my attention.  Of course right now the hype is all about SWTOR.  I played the beta, and I cannot see why everyone is drooling on their keyboards over this game.  It really is World of Warcraft with light sabers.

Why players are so infatuated with story, and voice acting is beyond me.  The game is just so phony to me.  Every mob in the game comes in threes, and amazingly you can kill all three with barely taking any damage.  How unrealistic is that?

I have tried others like Lineage 2 which lasted about two minutes after seeing it was point and click movement. Darkfall sounded great until I started playing it, and the learning curve was equivalent to Eve.  I gave it about five minutes before uninstalling it.

Recently I have been in a few betas including WOH, and Tribes Ascend.  I haven't touched either of them in weeks.  My favorite game lately has been Orcs Must Die which I have about 85 hours of play time logged, but since starting Realms Online I even stopped playing it.

My time on social media sites has dropped down to almost nothing.  I am finding I want to spend time playing Realms Online instead.  It is crazy how I found this game out of the blue, and it is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.

Now for the clincher.  You know how I know I have finally found the perfect MMORPG?  I want to log into Realms Online, and Realms Online only.  I haven't touched any other game since I started playing it.  I am playing it over ten hours a day.  I haven't been this involved in a MMORPG for years.

The crazy thing is that it isn't the most cutting edge game.  The graphics are okay, questing is okay, grinding is a korean grindfest, global cooldowns are wanky, but I still crave this game.  It goes to show you that you just have to find something you love, and quit trying to fit in with some new AAA game that has nothing you enjoy about a game.

Realms Online has the one thing I want which is three faction pvp.  I will grind out levels till my fingers get blisters on blisters.  I don't mind the grind. Actually I think I like the grind.  I don't really have to think about it.  I have been in the same area grinding for the past five days.  It doesn't even phase me.  I am close to hitting level 51 so I only have nine more levels to grind out.

It does make me think why do I hate the xp grind in SWTOR so much.  I couldn't even stand to play it an hour at a time without being bored.  It doesn't really make sense that I enjoy just grinding, but I think in most games I just hate having to move around everywhere doing quests.  I can just find me a nice cozy spot, and grind for hours, and hours.

I know lately I have been praising Realms Online like crazy.  I really found the perfect MMORPG that makes me happy.  Will others like it?  Probably not.  It doesn't have a bunch of fancy bells, and whistles. It just has everything I want in a MMORPG, and that is what is the most important.

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Realms Online F2P MMORPG First Impressions Review

Did you play DAOC?   Do you miss the realm pride?  Do you agree it had the best realm versus realm ever? Are you still waiting for DAOC 2?  What if I told you there is currently a game out there that is a very close clone to DAOC.  It is called Realms Online.

You have three separate factions. You have the Ignis, Syrtis, and Alsius.  Currently the Ignis server is the underdog, and receiving 25% bonus to xp to get more players to the end game quicker.  You can feel the realm pride.  The factions land is split up into three different zones.  You have the beginner zone, inner zone, and the war zone.

The War Zone is broken up into three separate sections separated by rivers.  It seems very similar to DAOC where you can venture over to the other factions area looking for fights.  It is also where the forts, and castles are when you decide as a realm to steal the gems to gain rewards for your faction.

Is it sounding really familiar yet?  It is so close to DAOC it blows my mind for the rvr aspects of the game.  The pve is basically non existent once you hit max level.  There is no crafting, or side professions.  It is all about fighting in the War Zones.

The classes remind me of how many games make you play until level 10 to pick your profession.  I started off as a Mage.  At level 10 I had to choose to either be a Warlock, or a Conjurer.  I decided I wanted to be DPS in a pvp game so I rolled Warlock.

The GM's are really cool in Realms Online.  They talk to everyone, and about every other hour they give 200% xp bonuses for an hour.  It is a way to lessen the grind, and get people to the end game quicker.  I love it.

The questing in the game is definitely its weak point.  Don't expect to see spots highlighted on the map, waypoints falling from the sky, or anything like that.  You actually have to read the quest text to know where to go.  The problem I find is most of the quests are very vague so you spend more time trying to figure out what you are supposed to be doing than actually doing it.  It is to the point now I am finding it faster just to grind mobs.

Realms Online is sort of old school when it comes to health, and mana.  After about three fights you have to sit for a minute to regen.  It gets old pretty quick.  This is one item they sell in their store for $5 is to speed it up about 500%.  For spending five bucks you get approximately 250 potions.  I am not sure that is worth it, or not.  I guess it depends on how fast you want to level up.  I am debating on only using them on the GM bonus xp hours to take full advantage of it.

All enchanting of items is also bought off the store. If you want to add gems you have to buy them, and than buy the enchanting supplies to do it.  It seems fairly cheap enough that you won't be spending more than a regular subscription MMORPG.

If grinding isn't your thing they sell special leveling scrolls.  You can spend about $50 to get level 45 automatically.  I may do it for alts later on, but with my first character I need to make sure I understand how the game works, and if I am sticking around.

The game isn't perfect, but I am looking past all of it because it is the game I have been looking for since DAOC.  If it was any other game I probably would have already ragequit from some of the annoying quirks, but if PvP is anything like my memories of DAOC it is going to be so much fun.

If you want to check it out more I suggest checking out the Realms Online's Wiki page.  They recently changed the name of the game, but all the facts are still the same.

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