10 Things you have to know in ArcheAge: A review and guide

[luckiest_strike]

Hi guys! I wrote a gaming article for all you curious readers! I made some tips and tricks for the new game, Arche Age. It's an MMMORPG that was released 2 weeks ago and is fairly new in Korea. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to try the open beta of the game thanks to a Korean friend. She provided me with an access code which allowed me to experience this game that I believe will be a hit in the coming months. Mind you, so far the only way I could play was because of some help with the language. As a foreigner, I needed the help of a translator to give me an idea of what I had to do and what the interface meant.

So without further ado, here are some tips for those interested with the game:

As a beginner in Archeage, starting out in this strange new world can be a difficult and taxing experience. So here, let me share advice on how to build a better character, increase your monetary gain, and maximize the fun you can get out of this unique experience.

1. Know what you want to do in Archeage
There are many ways to enjoy ArcheAge! You can do the usual routine of hunting monsters, the exciting path of hunting of other players, or even taking it easy by focusing on building your own house and garden. Not content with just fixing your own home? Then be a lord of a castle commanding over numerous homesteads and protect your local populace. Know what type of character you want to be and you will be able to fully enjoy the endless possibilities of this game. As of the writing of this article, I have not yet tested the PvP and house building options so I might get back to that soon!

2. Selecting your capability considering the ‘linked effect’
In order to come up with your final job, you have to pick 3 out of the 10 possible capabilities. Upon character creation, you get to choose 1 with an additional at levels 5 and 10. I suggest picking a combat based capability first such as fight, wild nature, magic, or mission. Other abilities like love, witchcraft, and will are more of accessory traits and can be picked up later.
Don’t worry if you made a mistake with the capability you picked. You can talk to an NPC in the village and pay a specific amount to have it changed. It’s better to have it changed as soon as possible since your capabilities level up too! It would be an annoyance to start again from level 1 if you already have a level 10 ability. Also, remember that your capabilities are linked and can affect each other. For instance, Mission works well with Fight or Wild nature while Magic is harmonious with Death or Witchcraft. Find your own mix and see what works for you.

3. Select equipment regardless of your job
Unlike the conventional role playing games that impose strict restrictions on armor classes, Arche Age doesn’t follow that format. Warriors need not wear strong metal plated armor and wizards need not keep using robes. Dress yourself according to the function you wish to fulfill. For example, I use a Wizard class while wearing somewhat heavy armor to minimize the damage from the monsters I hunt. This can also go the other way with me choosing leather to increase magic resistance. This makes the game a better simulation because I believe that mages do not ALWAYS use light armor. It’s my own preference and that is something that you can apply too when you play this game!

Thanks for reading! This is only Part 1 though. Part 2 will come during the week. For the people who, like me, cannot wait for this game to be released here in the US, I believe Trion Worlds has bought the rights for the game and will distribute it. Let’s hope they make it happen soon!!!

I am an aspiring game reviewer and writer so please tell me what you think about both for the game and this article. Thanks!

[luckiest_strike]

Arche Age – 10 tips part 2

Here's the follow-up to the last one I wrote. Just got time now.

Thanks to those who took time to read part 1. If you enjoyed it then I am thankful. To those who found it problematic, I’ll do better in my writing. I’m far from being great but we all have to start somewhere.

4. Save colored / special equipment
As with most MMO games, monsters and quests give you both valuable and junk equipment. You can distinguish such by the way their names are colored. These can be highlighted with green or other colors depending on their rarity. Be sure to save some of these items even if you don’t plan on wearing them later on. You see, you can get an archium material through a disassembly process. This material is needed to make luxury equipment later on. So be sure to save them. Sell the other items you don’t need to ensure that you get some cash inflow for your character. I snagged some green level robes from a monster hunt but I don’t think I’ll be wearing them anytime soon since I’ll put it through disassembly later on. Gotta learn how to do so first.

5. Acquire resources quickly and use labor points aggressively
The game has a labor component that is used as the primary option for accumulating resources. By expending labor points, you acquire resources from trees, ores, and other places. Labor is then recovered at a rate of roughly 1 per minute, For instance, if you see an ore patch or tree while roaming the map, just collect from them. It’s similar to that in Skyrim where you get to chop logs and get ore from mines. Also, logs and ore are important minerals that can be traded and used later on.
At level 1, you have 1000 labor points. Cutting a tree down gives xp too, so fighting monsters isn’t the only way to level up. It regenerates even when you are logged out of the game, I believe. That’s even more reason why not to skimp on using it.

6. Take your pet and always train it
In this game you get pets which can be used for movement purposes (mount) and combat. Depending on your pet and how you raise it, you get to learn and assign skills as it too levels up. Be sure you always have your pets with you so that they too gain experience and level up. I’ve heard that you can use them for battle but I’m not sure if this means they aid you in monster hunting or if you get to use them Pokemon style. Take note that while you can use your mount to attack, it is significantly weaker than your battle pet. You get pets at different quests. So far, I only use a basic mount and have no battle pet.