10/10, looking forward to future content! (and weapon combo balancing)

Mind you, I never post reviews for games, but gotta give props to this one, it's been a banger so far

I was hesitant to even play the game initially cause there's so many mixed reviews online, and I personally don't have long attention spans for games, so I thought it'd be like any other MMORPG where I just pick up, play a little, then drop it and uninstall. But NO, this game got my balls in a grip, made me come back cause I wanted more, and I got to max current level (50) in 2 days... So, uh, deserves a little review from the top of my head.

Also, keep in mind I'm not a gaming enthusiast and lore hungry, and I just got to the current engame as I'm writing this. I am a solo player but I am part of a guild, so I don't really know how this game feels when you're trying to progress with friends. I don't need things to be perfect; I enjoy what I enjoy. Also, I'll keep it spoiler friendly so people who do want the lore can enjoy it.

1. It's free, to start off.
   
2. It's like 65GB, which is pretty decent for 2024.
   
3. The graphics, soundtracks, sound effects, atmosphere building, and world building are AMAZING. I don't have a beefy computer (I play on a laptop), but it's been able to run the game at a somewhat decent frame rate. The game offers a bunch of different biomes with differing atmospheres, all with a variety of mobs in each area that MAKES SENSE (cause I know some games that have mobs in places that are questionable). Found this guide that's helped optimize the game a lot, and I've looked at a TON of optimization guide videos online, and this one isn't even a video: Website link [metabattle.com]
   
4. The lore has been able to keep me intrigued most of the time. Again, when it comes to MMORPGs, the lore isn't the main thing I look forward to, but I do appreciate good and somewhat simple storytelling. Not really spoilers, but there's a cinematic recap at the end of every chapter, it's SO useful when you're just blitzing through text during gameplay.
   
5. I find myself connecting with some of the characters, gives them a sense of meaning to the story as well, which is nice. There isn't a bunch of people you gotta meet, as the game revolves around a few characters, but it helps with the narrative sort of like a fantasy story or anime, where your character bumps into those same characters and builds bonds with them.
   
6. Traversal mechanic is also pretty cool! You ARE the mount. You can travel by land, air and water. You can also sneak through different areas by morphing.
   
7. The gameplay is tab targetting. Gotta get used to this kind of play, but didn't take too long.
   
8. The game isn't grindy as you level up. There are some instances where you have to meet a certain level to progress, but it does not take long to get there. You can basically get to max current level by following the main story line. It also doesn't feel like you have to grind the in-game currency, you can just pocket a million or two by the end.
   
9. Not gonna get into the game's equipment and weapons, leveling up, point allocation, skill allocation, skill leveling up and all that stuff, but it's pretty easy to wrap your head around it. IMPORTANT: as far as I'm aware, most of the stuff can be interchangeable. Like if you put points in one stat, you can reset it to re-allocate the points. The game even offers a unique way to transfer gear and weapon level, and you can save up to be able to re-allocate skill levels. The only ones you can't seem to be WEAPON MASTERY (I could be wrong though)
   
10. Content wise, especially end game currently, is really good! You can grind, fish, cook, side quest, etc.
    
11. World Bosses, World Events, Co-op Dungeons, Solo Dungeons, and Guilds has got to be the highlight for me. Seeing 50+ players on screen go at it at a world boss is EPIC, and I love the fact that when the bosses spawn in, they have this greeting similar to a concert introduction on a stage, where they scream the place's name (like: LOS ANGELES, HOW ARE WE FEELING TONIGHT!, but obviously in the context of the boss and the game). The content for the World stuff happens around the clock, so you gotta be there at a certain time, but it isn't limiting as it occurs every other hour or so. The Guild system (I'm at a super surface level) is pretty cool as well, you got missions you can do all the time.

1. Don't know if it's my internet connection, or a skill issue (probably the latter), but some of these co-op dungeons are buggy as hell. I keep dying to fall damage on one, the game just doesn't want to get me into eagle mode. I think it might just be the air traversal mechanic?
   
2. Although it runs decently on my system, I crash TOO often. Don't know if it's a system bottleneck and I need an upgrade, or if it's just the game (again, probably the latter). I know this is a concurrent issue with a LOT of players.
   
3. Not necessarily a true Pay to Win, but there are obvious benefits to paying, similar to any MMORPG today.
   
4. I think I just didn't read the How To, but some of these world events are confusing. Like what are you supposed to do with the Brown Mica, and how the hell do you get it?! That being said, it'd be nice to get a proper introduction to all the World Events (similarly to how the chapters recap at the end).
   
5. WEAPON COMBO REBALANCING, PLEASE I BEG YOU NCSOFT! (I want my Fury build ;-;) It's true some weapon combinations work better than others, it just is that way currently. I just HOPE they get to balance the playing fields in the future.

Overall, I am looking forward to the future content, updates, patches and balancing. If you're hesitant to start and somehow reading this, give it a try, it could be your cup of tea, like it became mine!