DISCLAIMER: This is literally the first review I've ever done for a game. I am doing it because I felt it was necessary to help put an end to all the negative reviews. Instead, I will break up the pro's and con's into "Experiences" and "Expectations".


EXPERIENCES:

EDIT: This game does have a cash shop for COSMETIC items only. There is absolutely NO pay to win archetecture here despite the overwhelming ignorance below this detailed review. NOTE: All cash items can, and will be bought with in game gold, including the Tax Free land plots and house deeds. Do not let the negative reviews try to sway you from this excellent title. Thank you.


Alright! So where to begin? Well, I got into the game roughly a week ago now. I have been working really close with the sommunity managers to get all the information I could for this review. I was there during the end of R16. I was present for all the social events that were hosted by the diehard community. From the PaxLair One Year Anniversary, to the final BMC Grid Iron PvP event, and then some. For those of you who don't know what either are, PaxLair is a completely player-owned town within SotA (At the time, PaxLair was settled unofficially within the town of Valemark but now is it's own official town made possible by the Devs). BMC Grid Iron is hosted by a dominate guild (Britannia Mining Company). It is a fully customized, underground fight club where players place bets on fighters and can walk out with large sums of gold. Both events were extremely interesting to be a part of, and even moreso considering how warm and welcoming the community is to strangers.

Now we are in R17. Many more events are planned and I've even had the chance to attend some thus far. Including the first ever, exclusive walkthrough of the Metropolis of PaxLair with Winfield, the owner of the city. Which at the end of the tour, the Dev's jumped in game and danced around with the players, all while adding everyone they could see to thier friend's list. Something I haven't ever seen occur in a game to date.

The combat in the game is considerably solid at it's current state. I, and many people who have put considerable time into SotA picked up the mechanics relatively fast. Though, it currently is a bunch of hotkey spamming, there is a method to it. Especially when stacking status effects and using such effects to boost the damage, buffs, or healing of the other abilities, or when creating what the game calls "Combos". Fighting a group of cultists has never been so tactical.

The classes in SotA are the best I've ever seen in a game. Because there are no classes. Much like how Bethesda sold everyone on Skyrim with the slogan "You are what you play", this title boasts it louder. There are seperate skill trees for many different skills. Each with their own perks and "Castable" hotkey's. There are two catigories to choose from when allocating skillpoints: Combat and Magic. You are free to take out skills, and put in skills whenever you wish to completely change your build of your character with absolutely no hassle. So if you are a heavy armor wearing, two handed axe wielding tank, and you feel it's time to be a light armor wearing, dual wand wielding, magic glass cannon, then go for it.

Granted, there are a few instances where the game can be a pain. Though, you must all realize, and plant into your heads that this is a Pre-Alpha. So here's some expectations for all you new players.

Expect some animations to be buggy.
Expect some frame rate drops in bigger cities.
Expect the combat to be glitched at times.
Expect many quests to not be fully integrated yet.
Expect some confusion when talking to NPC's until you get the hang of keywords.
Expect to run around blindly until you get a guide to help show you the ropes.
Expect to spend quite a bit of gold on repair kits until you learn the crafting trade.
Expect to die and be a ghost.
Expect to die by a ghost.
Expect to have your characters wiped with many new releases.
Expect to be blown away when you discover there is an actual radio station hosted by the players in game and they take requests. (Amber Raine and others)
Expect to actually be accepted into a thriving community of dedicated players who have been around for nearly 30 years due to the work of Richard Garriott and Starr Long. Do not be afraid to contact someone and ask for help.

Whew. Okay, so that essentially covers just about everything.

Listen, we know the game isn't 100% completed. The Overworld map itself is only about 10% done and it's still extremely massive. There are bugs, and it's okay to embrace them for the time being. Just be open-minded, experiment with the mechanics, RP with the community at times, and have a blast doing it.

TLDR;

Richard Garriott fought Star Long in front of the whole town - 32/10, would choose sides again.

DISCLAIMER: This is literally the first review I've ever done for a game. I am doing it because I felt it was necessary to help put an end to all the negative reviews. Instead, I will break up the pro's and con's into "Experiences" and "Expectations". EXPERIENCES: EDIT: This game does have a cash shop for COSMETIC items only. There is absolutely NO pay to win archetecture here despite the overwhelming ignorance below this detailed review. NOTE: All cash items can, and will be bought with in game gold, including the Tax Free land plots and house deeds. Do not let the negative reviews try to sway you from this excellent title. Thank you. Alright! So where to begin? Well, I got into the game roughly a week ago now. I have been working really close with the sommunity managers to get all the information I could for this review. I was there during the end of R16. I was present for all the social events that were hosted by the diehard community. From the PaxLair One Year Anniversary, to the final BMC Grid Iron PvP event, and then some. For those of you who don't know what either are, PaxLair is a completely player-owned town within SotA (At the time, PaxLair was settled unofficially within the town of Valemark but now is it's own official town made possible by the Devs). BMC Grid Iron is hosted by a dominate guild (Britannia Mining Company). It is a fully customized, underground fight club where players place bets on fighters and can walk out with large sums of gold. Both events were extremely interesting to be a part of, and even moreso considering how warm and welcoming the community is to strangers. Now we are in R17. Many more events are planned and I've even had the chance to attend some thus far. Including the first ever, exclusive walkthrough of the Metropolis of PaxLair with Winfield, the owner of the city. Which at the end of the tour, the Dev's jumped in game and danced around with the players, all while adding everyone they could see to thier friend's list. Something I haven't ever seen occur in a game to date. The combat in the game is considerably solid at it's current state. I, and many people who have put considerable time into SotA picked up the mechanics relatively fast. Though, it currently is a bunch of hotkey spamming, there is a method to it. Especially when stacking status effects and using such effects to boost the damage, buffs, or healing of the other abilities, or when creating what the game calls "Combos". Fighting a group of cultists has never been so tactical. The classes in SotA are the best I've ever seen in a game. Because there are no classes. Much like how Bethesda sold everyone on Skyrim with the slogan "You are what you play", this title boasts it louder. There are seperate skill trees for many different skills. Each with their own perks and "Castable" hotkey's. There are two catigories to choose from when allocating skillpoints: Combat and Magic. You are free to take out skills, and put in skills whenever you wish to completely change your build of your character with absolutely no hassle. So if you are a heavy armor wearing, two handed axe wielding tank, and you feel it's time to be a light armor wearing, dual wand wielding, magic glass cannon, then go for it. Granted, there are a few instances where the game can be a pain. Though, you must all realize, and plant into your heads that this is a Pre-Alpha. So here's some expectations for all you new players. Expect some animations to be buggy. Expect some frame rate drops in bigger cities. Expect the combat to be glitched at times. Expect many quests to not be fully integrated yet. Expect some confusion when talking to NPC's until you get the hang of keywords. Expect to run around blindly until you get a guide to help show you the ropes. Expect to spend quite a bit of gold on repair kits until you learn the crafting trade. Expect to die and be a ghost. Expect to die by a ghost. Expect to have your characters wiped with many new releases. Expect to be blown away when you discover there is an actual radio station hosted by the players in game and they take requests. (Amber Raine and others) Expect to actually be accepted into a thriving community of dedicated players who have been around for nearly 30 years due to the work of Richard Garriott and Starr Long. Do not be afraid to contact someone and ask for help. Whew. Okay, so that essentially covers just about everything. Listen, we know the game isn't 100% completed. The Overworld map itself is only about 10% done and it's still extremely massive. There are bugs, and it's okay to embrace them for the time being. Just be open-minded, experiment with the mechanics, RP with the community at times, and have a blast doing it. TLDR; Richard Garriott fought Star Long in front of the whole town - 32/10, would choose sides again.