Albion Online Review

Albion Online is an Sandbox MMO that came out of closed Beta and I recently purchased it (thanks to the rewards earned here on steemit). Since you all helped me get this game, I thought I would write a review up based on the 6 hours I have put into it thus far.

The graphics are very simple, they remind of Runescape really. But there is a certain style to them where, yes they are not the best in the world and maybe quite dated, but there us a style to them where I think it works.

So far, with a general view on the game, I think I'm rather pleased with it. I'm not a stickler for graphics if the gameplay is fun. The game is a bit on the grinding side, but that is to be expected with a game that is focused on crafting and PvP.

Combat

So combat in the game isn't anything spectacular compared to other MMOs out there. Game like Black Desert (which I was not a fan of) have tried to make MMO combat more engaging with combos and things beyond auto attacking and waiting for your favorite abilities to cool down. Albion is old school in this regard as it is an auto attack while you wait for skills to cool down kind of game. I don't mind that at all. I actually prefer this older style of MMO play. I'm just not twitchy enough of a player to really get into games with combos and all that stuff so this is a nice little way to kill things and take their stuff.

The combat is heavily tied to the weapons or items you have equipped. There are no classes in Albion, which is a great thing. Skills are given to your character based on what weapon you have equipped. A broadsword (funny historical note, there is really no such thing as a broadsword unless you are referring to a basket-hilted sword and the name itself is a fairly modern invention not used in more ancient times) has various skills attached to it that will fill up your action hot bar. Skills range from single target damage to area of affect.

I am working with a character that is focused on melee combat so I have not tried magic in the game. But from what I have seen, magic functions the same way where spells are, I believe, innate to the items you have equipped. Armors and clothing all grant you your defensive bonuses as well as some defensive abilities of a passive and active nature.

Crafting and "Leveling"

There really isn't "levels" in the traditional MMO sense in Albion. Since abilities are tied to weapons and items, the skills you learn are what kind of items you can wear along with what kind of items you can craft. This is all unlocked on a pretty impressive skill tree seen below:

The way you unlock a certain skill is by doing something within the realm of that skill. If you want to get better tools, craft lots of tools. If you want to use better, higher tier tools, gather more resources like cotton or wood in order to unlock the next area on the skill tree. It's pretty simple but could fall too much into the realm of grinding for some.

As far as crafting, it's pretty straight forward. You learn recipes, go to a tannery or blacksmith or any appropriate location in a settlement and select that which you would like to make. Say it's a sword. You need copper and logs lets say. If you have those ingredients in your inventory, you craft the item. Simple. The cool thing is that everything is player centered. Meaning you will not find fantastic loot drops aside from silver very often. It's not like other games where you have a chance of getting a sweet sword or armor from PvE. You have to craft it... Or engage in PvP if you want to have great loot drops.

All in all I like the crafting, It's straight forward and using the skill tree, it's easy to see a point you want to get to and very clearly see the things you need to do in order to get to that point. I see this game possibly being the kind of game where it will be easy to learn but still fun for the min/max or "munchkin" kind of play so many people seem to fall into.

The Server

For the moment, the game is pretty crowded. There are a lot of people playing and this is both good and bad. Sometimes your screen gets clogged up like this:

Notice I entitled this "server". Singular. Everyone seems to be on the same server. In highly populated areas I did experience some framerate loss simple do to the number of people it had to render. Surprising giving the graphics level of detail in the game.

Coupled with this congestion, people and their mounts in particular fill up a screen. It makes clicking on the blacksmith or tanner rather difficult when 50 people are gathered around the same thing. Once you venture out into the world further though, it becomes a lot easier to handle and clearer to see.

The World and Story

The world in this game is pretty large and there are a lot of things to do. You can farm, bread animals even I think. My character is going to focus on weapon and armor crafting. I want that to be his thing. Below you can see much of the world map:

Do not think though that every inch of this is able to be explored. There are large square areas where a town or wilderness may lay. But you are essentially exiting that square, hitting a loading screen, and popping out in the next square. The miles of travel on the road are not used, so this could possibly be a turn off for people.

As far as story, there really isn't one. Essentially the game says that this island opened up through the mist after a thousand years and you are simply on of hundreds of thousands of other adventurers trying to make your way in this land. "Story" is really driven through joining a guild and trading with other guilds or going to war with them. This is not an amusement park MMO like say WoW or Lord of the Rings Online where you can solo until the endgame. I have not joined a guild yet but eventually I will have to. You simply just cannot succeed alone in this world so solo players may not like that aspect... But then what the heck is a solo player doing playing an MMO? Go play Skyrim or Fallout for that.

PvP

I have yet to try PvP myself though it sounds like it is fun. You see battles raging on the maps a lot. There are also very dangerous areas where players who are more than a little malicious can gank you. I look forward to giving PvP a shot though I heard you are not quite useful or effective in it until you have put about 20 hours into the game.

Conclusion

Pros: Heavily driven by the players. You and your guild's actions help shape the dynamics of the world. Easy to learn, but still deep and fun crafting and player driven economy. I like the idea of there not being classes in the game and building the class you want to play based on the equipment you wear and use. Simple combat that is easy to understand. If you loved Runescape, you will probably like this game. No real hand holding, you have to figure it out.

Cons: This game will probably be a bit too much of a grind for some players. Low level of detail and texturing as far as graphics go. Maybe too congested in certain areas, but that will probably be solved with time. No real hand holding in the game. This is a pro for me but I know that it can be frustrating for gamers from generations after me. The combat is nothing special. Again this isn't a problem for me, but it could be for others.

Verdict: Buy but know what you are buying. This game is fun. I'm having fun. But maybe it's because I'm from an older generation of gamers. Currently the game is Buy to play (B2P). If you want to pull the trigger and get this game, I would recommend getting the $30.00 pack for the game. The other packs seem nice as they give you gear and mounts from the start. But if you are patient, you can get your first horse after only 3 or 4 hours of play (horses increase carrying capacity and speed) and decent armor and weapons in about that same amount of time.

If you are interested in the game use my affiliate link for it below. I get some in game goodies if you use it is all.
https://albiononline.com/?ref=QN7WTUNXNC