If you like resource gathering then Albion Online is the game for you. The most I have done so far has been resource gathering, some quests, leveling up my gear to journeyman, and trying to get enough silver to journey to other parts of the world map. Every time I get a good amount of silver it is spent on repairing gear to take out poachers and enemy magic wielders to get more silver. I feel as though my time has been spent just slogging my way to the next area.
Though it hasn’t, in fact even though I am still in the early stages of my journey I have been gathering enough resources and doing tasks that led to higher progression and better gear. All this so I can build my place in the land of Albion and take my game to the next areas of this expansive world. Even though it takes time to journey across the land I am not disappointed in the pace and continue to come back to the game. It is addictive and the resource gathering, crafting, and progression mechanics are very good.
A sandbox MMO, Albion Online is the epitome of what an MMO should be. Focused on the player and the creation of a personal saga rather than class specific quests. Although quests and objectives make up a good portion of the game progression. You are a conqueror and builder claiming a piece of Albion for themselves without constraints of classes or specific ability combos. Gear, abilities, and building is your choice. Driven by a resource economy Albion Online has so much to offer but beware choices can have consequences. Let us now enter this magical land of adventure and danger.
The story begins when the land of Albion hidden beyond the mists once again opens to the world. It is a land of magic and myth ripe for conquest to start a new life. You are one of the new settlers and explorers seeking to stake a claim to the land. However, not everyone will be welcoming as some turn against anyone who enters his or her camps or claimed land. Poachers, powerful sorcerers, giant rats, fireslingers, and thieves are some of the aggressive NPCs I have come across. Other players can also challenge you in PvP or you challenge them to defend your claimed territory.
Defeated enemies drop silver, which is a necessary commodity to purchase items in the marketplace, repair gear, and venture across the lands of Albion. Besides the aggressive NPCs players must also contend with dangerous beasts and monsters. Some encounters include wolves, cougars, Moabirds, and tree monsters. With the tree monsters once slain yield rough logs for crafting. Any animal will attack, even the marmots, foxes, rabbits, and impala, but they are easy prey and yield hide for armor.
What this game is mostly about is crafting. From my experience with the game it isn’t just about crafting for yourself but also to sell in the marketplace. Getting silver is a pain the old fashion way of constantly attacking enemy camps and doesn’t yield much. The marketplace can give the most silver depending on the goods sold. Metal, higher armor and weapons, and even mounts will give more than planks and easy to come by resources.
As for resources, the main types I have encountered so far are wood, metals, skins, and cotton and flax. At the main hub or town there are forges, weavers, tanners, lumber mills, and crafters that forge gear specific to what appears to be a class even though there are no specific class types. Players can craft, like myself hunter gear, but also warrior, or even scholar gear for the magically inclined. It’s a mix and match system that allows players to become anything they want to be.
Because of the progression in gear I tended to focus on hunter with a tome of spells. Crafting progression requires fame derived from crafting specific level gear. If a player wants to go from novice to journeyman gear they craft novice gear, study it, get fame, and level up to journeyman. This opens up the ability to craft new armor and weapons. Each new weapon and armor also comes with abilities that aid in combat and can even heal and rejuvenate health and energy. Progression in resource gathering and tool construction comes from doing specific tasks set forth by the game. Quests given by quest givers also add to your progression and inventory. One of the earliest quests give players a starter mount, a donkey. From here new mounts like horses or oxen can be gained.
Mounts are great and can not only allow for faster travel but also lessen your load. Becoming overloaded is an issue for movement but mounting takes some of that load and allows the player to gather more resources. Back to gear types, there is benefits for specific game styles to choose a specific path. Hunters are good for ranged dps attacks while warrior gear is good for tanking. Scholar would go with ranged. I know hunters can heal allies in parties but if you solo you can heal thyself as well. In game I am considered a ranged healer now that I choose to construct my nature staff with healing abilities and poison thorns.
From playing Albion the progression and crafting system is well developed. The destiny board is an in game tool that shows players their progression for all crafting abilities and what is required for the next level.
Crafting and building takes resources gathered using specific tools of different levels. Also I have to add that players don’t just get to craft tools and gear but also build farms, houses, and even workshops so you are not stuck traveling back and forth from a central hub. To build your own towns one has to find a nice sandy ground as instructed by the game. You won’t be lost in game as there are plenty of guides and plain language instruction. It’s an easy MMO for the casual gamer who wants to enjoy a medieval fantasy game building their personal saga and world. To add to the welcoming world of Albion it relies on point and click movement.
If you get defeated there is the option of waiting to be revived or choose “Die” and start from the beginning. Taking the latter choice causes you to lose your inventory but keep your progression. I recommend using storage and crafting extra items just in case.
Combat is fluid and with abilities players can create combos to take down tough aggressive NPCs or other players. Some areas are instructed as solo areas while others recommend a group. If you are looking for a challenge and more silver there are timed expeditions with specific objectives that yield great rewards.
As with other MMOs you can join guilds to quest together. I find Albion Online to be a great social MMO and guild oriented. I even got a cape to proudly show my guild colors.
If you are looking for an MMO that is all about world building Albion Online is the right game to play. A great system for resource gathering and crafting adds to the experience along with combat abilities that can be personalized to your style. Non-class system gear allows players to create their own character with out constraints. Add to the sandbox view and a rich background with a night and day system and subtle music score Albion Online is a game that can be enjoyed by everyone and not just the casual player looking for adventure. Even players that normally play more combative and intense games can find an appreciation for the world of Albion. Just have a good Internet connection, I had an issue with losing connection to the server a few times, and once due to the game’s servers another was my lag. A few issues in game shouldn’t deter from the best parts and how well the game is as an adventure and personal experience. Come and give this game a try your adventure a waits.