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  1. #21
    This is the kind of game that I'd actually rather watch someone else play it than play it myself.

  2. #22
    I would love to play a game like this. I'm waiting on TESO and would demo this too, but I don't have nearly enough time to enjoy how big this game is as I would want to put in it. It would ruin my other activities (work, gym, friends, band) and I don't want that. I'll just stay with wow, which I can put down and pick up relatively easy.

  3. #23
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    Not really interested in this to be honest. The terrain looks stunning (the trees and towns in the first video), but I dislike martial arts.

  4. #24

    mmmorpg.com column by Som Pourfarzaneh on January 23, 2013

    Link Here
    Quote Originally Posted by MMORPG.com
    Age of Wushu feels like a love letter written to fans of the wuxia genre, and although the game is still in beta, two things about Snail Games' upcoming MMORPG have already become clear: that the game is one of the most feature-rich sandbox experiences on the market, and that it needs a good deal of polish before release. I've been playing a lot more of the beta since my first impressions a few weeks ago, and have several new thoughts about the game that are worth sharing as we lead up to launch.

    There is a staggering number of different game systems at work in Age of Wushu. Along with the expected -- if evolved -- ones that pertain to the game's combat, crafting, quests, guilds, achievements, progression, PvP, and trading, there are also several innovative social and task systems that are part and parcel of Age of Wushu's overall sandbox experience. Most of these systems overlap in some way, and lend to the feeling that your character can go anywhere and be anything in Age of Wushu, although several issues exist that make the game feel like a disjointed collection of parts rather than a coherent gestalt.


    ---------- Post added 2013-01-25 at 03:33 PM ----------

    Good writeup, It seems as though he was coming from a themepark perspective though. At one point he says that he is looking for a centralized point.

  5. #25
    Looks very interesting, I'd like to check this one out.

    In before "lolz they ripped off pandaria"

  6. #26
    This guy expressed the way a lot of us feel about AoW really good.

    Quote Originally Posted by Biskop
    Agreed, most Western developers seem to be very scared of alienating the holy casual/PvE/WoW crowd by making an actual oPvP game where player conflict (and thus cooperation) is at the core and not added as an extra ride. I mean even games like WAR which was sold as a PvP game limited the PvP to closed-off areas or instances, instead of integrating it into the overall design of the game.
    Seems like most AAA devs are just trying to please as many people as possible - which means their games turn out to be shallow clones of each other instead of bringing anything new to the table - while the indies that do attempt to make PvP games only bring disgrace to the sandbox genre with their amateurism and shoddy business practices.

    AoW does so many things right when it comes to making the different mechanics tie in to each other and the oPvP of the game world that most current Western games pale in comparison, which is promising and alarming at the same time. Tbh i had loved it if this game was made in the West but it's not, and it's kinda sad that people dismiss it as "too Asian" while mediocre titles like GW2 are heralded as revolutionary. If AoW was made by a Western AAA developer and had a fantasy theme, most people who like to pretend they're into innovative game design would probably be all over it and it would be hyped beyond reason.

    Not only does it make oPvP work balance-wise and solve several problems that the indie oPvP games have been struggling with for years (a working alignment system, no artificial safezones, harsh penalties for mindless ganking, actual player policing, loads of meaningful PvP instead of pointless zerging/ganking/griefing, etc, etc), it also manages to blend this with a player driven economy and an open skill system. It's also a very social game - most of your activities has to do with other players, not NPCs, and you'll not be spending your time in queues or lobbies, but out in the world.

    If you can't look behind the "Asian" aestethics (which are fine btw since it's they're influenced by actual history and not by anime or anything like that), you'll be missing things that won't appear in a Western MMO for years.
    And yeah, the combat is clunky - until you get your skills and learn how to fight. You won't be Jet Li the moment you log in, just like you're not gonna lead large-fleet battles in EVE on day one.

  7. #27
    Looks like release was postponed and on top of that somehow over 400 minutes vanished from my account. Yesterday I had almost 500 when I logged out, today less than an hour was left. From the few hours I played I can say that it's pretty bugged, english translation is quite tragic (for a A-lass MMO officially launching globally) and interface is a bit clunky / unresponsive, and so is the combat. Some combat moves seem very unbalanced - for example out of 5-6 basic ones I learned 1 was doing over 100 aoe damage, while the others 20 single damage at most. I haven't found anything in the description which would explain it (like cooldown / cost / requirements).

    There are some interesting features like "cultivation" (which has nothing to do with tending to plants, but increasing your char's skills), training in parties, offline jobs (your character is visible in game performing some tasks like patroling), jumping/flying. But overall game seems to be far from finished.
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by procne View Post
    Looks like release was postponed and on top of that somehow over 400 minutes vanished from my account. Yesterday I had almost 500 when I logged out, today less than an hour was left. From the few hours I played I can say that it's pretty bugged, english translation is quite tragic (for a A-lass MMO officially launching globally) and interface is a bit clunky / unresponsive, and so is the combat. Some combat moves seem very unbalanced - for example out of 5-6 basic ones I learned 1 was doing over 100 aoe damage, while the others 20 single damage at most. I haven't found anything in the description which would explain it (like cooldown / cost / requirements).

    There are some interesting features like "cultivation" (which has nothing to do with tending to plants, but increasing your char's skills), training in parties, offline jobs (your character is visible in game performing some tasks like patroling), jumping/flying. But overall game seems to be far from finished.

    Hey good that you got in. Email customer service or talk to an ingame GM about you free time. They're pretty good at taking care of problems.

    There is only one bug that I know off, it's ui bug. Do you mind telling me about the bug you saw?

    Yeah there are some poor translations, no doubt lol. Just like your kung fu flicks. You might get an ability name like <Flying cloud set sail on dog> or a weapon called double dagger when it's really double stings. Nothing game break or not understandable, but frustrating at times.

    As far as combat responsiveness, you know how players strafe back and forth in WoW really fast? You can do that in Wushu aswell with no slide or delay, super crisp. Swtor, GW2, and TSW were unable to pull that type of responsiveness off.

    The programmers at snail games a special, at the least very talented. I've put over 400+ hours into the game and it's never crashed. I'm running a amd p4 computer (about 5 years old) settings on high with AA, shadows, the works at about 45-60fps. This is with 50 players or more on screen. There is ZERO fps stutter, and to top it off I don't think the game has been offline since beta started! They patch while the game is live.

    Get intouch with CS, they will fix it for you.
    Last edited by bcbully; 2013-01-26 at 05:33 PM.

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by bcbully View Post
    Hey good that you got in. Email customer service or talk to an ingame GM about you free time. They're pretty good at taking care of problems.

    There is only one bug that I know off, it's ui bug. Do you mind telling me about the bug you saw?
    UI bugs when some tooltip frame, or part of it, freezes and stays displayed afetr it should close
    Guide quests telling you to do things which are impossible for you (like doing battlegrounds on too weak char), forcing you to skip the guide.
    Aggressive quest NPC repeatedly spawning in the middle of marketplace after you have finished the quest.
    Tracked quests displaying on top of each other when there is too many of them.
    Yeah there are some poor translations, no doubt lol. Just like your kung fu flicks. You might get an ability name like <Flying cloud set sail on dog> or a weapon called double dagger when it's really double stings. Nothing game break or not understandable, but frustrating at times.
    Well, some quests make no sense, sometimes I feel like I'm reading TSW quest introductions which have no relation to the actual quest. It's especially annoying when doing introduction quests or reading ability descriptions. Terminology is weird, like the mentioned cultivation.
    As far as combat responsiveness, you know how players strafe back and forth in WoW really fast? You can do that in Wushu aswell with no slide or delay, super crisp. Swtor, GW2, and TSW were unable to pull that type of responsiveness off.
    I meant more that it takes a moment after selecting ability before it actually happens, and it can explained by high ping (200+ from Europe). But there is no indication of selecting said ability in the UI. Also there is no queuing. Plus delayed blocking / damage display (probably again due to latency). Sometimes when attacking characters turn in wrong directions (not towards enemy).

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-27 at 01:39 AM ----------

    A little update about free time. From their forums:
    We have confirmed that the 10 hours indicated, is only for the first two days of log in. Each subsequent day after the first two, will include 1 hour of play. This means on your first log in for Age of Wushu, you are able to explore the world for 10 hours over the course of two days. Please keep in mind all times are in (PST) and the daily counter for your time will reset at 11:59PM (PST).

    Just to be clear, if you only spent 2 hours in the Jianghu on your first log in, 2 more hours on your second day, every day after will only allow for 1 hour of play. The 6 hours from the previous two days of the first log in will not rollover.
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

  10. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by procne View Post
    UI bugs when some tooltip frame, or part of it, freezes and stays displayed afetr it should close
    Guide quests telling you to do things which are impossible for you (like doing battlegrounds on too weak char), forcing you to skip the guide.
    Aggressive quest NPC repeatedly spawning in the middle of marketplace after you have finished the quest.
    Tracked quests displaying on top of each other when there is too many of them.

    Well, some quests make no sense, sometimes I feel like I'm reading TSW quest introductions which have no relation to the actual quest. It's especially annoying when doing introduction quests or reading ability descriptions. Terminology is weird, like the mentioned cultivation.

    I meant more that it takes a moment after selecting ability before it actually happens, and it can explained by high ping (200+ from Europe). But there is no indication of selecting said ability in the UI. Also there is no queuing. Plus delayed blocking / damage display (probably again due to latency). Sometimes when attacking characters turn in wrong directions (not towards enemy).

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-27 at 01:39 AM ----------

    A little update about free time. From their forums:
    Fair, ty for responding, and 2 hours over the first 2 day is BS. I haven't heard about that. I thought that it was 10 then 1, however you do it.

    Well the restriction ends after this CB, and the in game GMs are pretty responsive.... That's my positive spin by the way...

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-27 at 08:26 PM ----------

    Problem solved Procne!

    Snail Games has given MMORPG.com special beta keys that will grant full and unlimited access to the Closed Beta 2 phase for Age of Wushu! Get your key now while supplies last!

    To thank our loyal players, Snail Games is offering a great opportunity to get FULL ACCESS to CB2.

    Age of Wushu Unlimited Play Code Activation Date-February 3rd - March 16th, 2013
    What is Age of Wushu CB2 Unlimited Play Code?

    The Unlimited Play Code is used to remove time restrictions for CB2. After activating the Unlimited Play Code, you can play as much as you want!
    GET YOUR BETA CODE HERE!

  11. #31
    Got a key. Played it for 15 minutes. Uninstalled it. It was that bad.

  12. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by bcbully View Post
    Problem solved Procne!

    Snail Games has given MMORPG.com special beta keys that will grant full and unlimited access to the Closed Beta 2 phase for Age of Wushu! Get your key now while supplies last!
    Thank you, just activated my account. I will probably play it a bit in the following week, just to get to know it a bit better. Hopefully it will get better than it is now.
    To be honest I don't believe that it has even a few million players in China. At most it could be a number of created accounts, which usually is much larger than real playerbase for free to play games. I mean, this game is totally unfinished.
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by bcbully View Post
    Slow down procne. Trust me on this one. Age of Wushu is no less of a sandbox than EVE. These are words from massively.com, mmorpg.com, steam, all the way to mmohut.

    You might want to dig a little deeper, or maybe even play. You will probably look back on your gw2/wow comparison and laugh. For example I haven't did a quest since the tutorial. There is nothing that you "have to do" in AoW. This a post from a guy back in december.

    You make your own path in AoW.
    I don't care who uses the term, if you cannot manipulate the game world its not a Sandbox. So as long as you cant build player housing or change the actual environment in some way its not a Sanbox. What you are describing as well as those you mentioned is a non-linear progression system, NOT Sandbox. What makes Eve or SWG a Sandbox is the ability to add non-instanced player housing PoS in Eve or housing and cities in SWG. So does AoW have these features? Definitely looks cool Sandbox or not.

  14. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by philefluxx View Post
    I don't care who uses the term, if you cannot manipulate the game world its not a Sandbox. So as long as you cant build player housing or change the actual environment in some way its not a Sanbox. What you are describing as well as those you mentioned is a non-linear progression system, NOT Sandbox. What makes Eve or SWG a Sandbox is the ability to add non-instanced player housing PoS in Eve or housing and cities in SWG. So does AoW have these features? Definitely looks cool Sandbox or not.
    Yeah no player housing, but open world guild housing that can be upgraded with all types of stuff. AoW is a very social game. They most social I've played. Sure player housing would be nice, I just don't know if people being tucked away from the game world is what the developer intended. Who know's though. Yeah no terraforming either. Like I said no less sandbox than EVE.

    Hey w/e though. Call it a gravel pit, I don't know. What I do know is that there hasn't been a game launch in the west with this many systems, and this much freedom in very long time, and the game is only in beta. On top of that these systems are original and they all work. All of this and people and trees, and swimming instead of spaceships.

  15. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by bcbully View Post
    Like I said no less sandbox than EVE.
    In the few sentences before that you admitted that wushu is missing features which make EVE a sandbox and then you say that it's no less a sandbox?
    Sandbox games are about shaping the game world by players. So far I can't see Wushu offering this in any way. It might be a nice game but it's not a sandbox. Name some features which would make it a sandbox.

    "Life skills", which are simply professions aren't those features.
    Semi-open combat skills progression isn't that either.

    Did you play games like Wurm, Salem, minecraft, simcity, tale in the desert? Those are sandboxes. Wushu is a theme park, because you have complete world which you can't shape. You just walk in the cities made by devs, talk with NPCs made by devs, harvest materials positioned by devs, buy items supplied by devs, do quests prepared by devs. You can't affect the game world any more than in WoW, GW, Rift or any other standard MMO.

    Hey w/e though. Call it a gravel pit, I don't know. What I do know is that there hasn't been a game launch in the west with this many systems, and this much freedom in very long time, and the game is only in beta. On top of that these systems are original and they all work. All of this and people and trees, and swimming instead of spaceships.
    I wouldn't say they are all that original. Which systems do you mean exactly?
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

  16. #36
    I gave this game a try. It's not bad, but it's unpolished. I say that even knowing it's still in the closed beta.

    Thought it would be a little more sandbox, but I'm still been doing quests mostly. There's a good bit to do outside of questing though and I do like all the life skills which are beyond normal professions and such.

    I've seen other Chinese games like this played before, but I never got to try them myself. I'm glad this is being brought to the West in English so I can see how much I like it. Things like having your character do stuff while you're offline is pretty common there, but something we don't really see here.

    Cons:
    Messy UI - including overlapping alerts and translation issues. Visually unrefined in some places like item descriptions. The auto pathing to a quest objective is nice, but I want to run to it myself sometimes to take in the place. Unfortunately the quest objective doesn't show up on the minimap. Not a huge deal, you can check the real map but it bugs me.


    Combat
    Unresponsive sometimes and very limited (but i haven't reached too far).

    What really bugs me the most, and it would save the whole game if it were fixed, is the lack of fluid animations. Sure your hair wafts gently in wind and you move like raging river when you use your anger cutscene attacks, but why do I have to do one attack at a time? Why can't they flow into one another?
    Multiple hit moves are fluid, but if you do a overt + feint move or even just two overt then your character clearly stops for a second. With no autoattack, it looks very clunky and totally breaks the feeling of being a martial artist.
    I understand that as you level, you gain abilities that last longer but that's no excuse for why I can't make up interesting combos and transitions on my own with what I have. My monk in WoW has much more limited moves and yet looks more fluid than these guys outside of their set animations.

    Another thing is that you can't toggle auto-target or something. I could understand that it could be an issue if it was always on, but a toggle would make it really helpful. I can't run away for a while, then turn around and attack because the motions are too clunky and my character doesn't try to face the opponent at all. When you're stuck with facing up, down, left and right while trying to spin circles around your opponent.....it's frustrating if not impossible. Maybe I'm expecting too much.


    My main concern is that this game won't get the refining it could to become amazing. It has potential, but like the potential experience I've got saved up.....I don't see the company cashing out that potential. Chinese games generally aren't given the same type of support and future development that Western games get. They're mostly social and casual too. Of course this is an international company trying to go big so maybe I'm speaking too soon. However, I don't see some of the combat issues going away since they're not just bugs or optimization (I don't think).

  17. #37
    MASSIVELY.comThe Art of Wushu: The right martial arts school for you

    by Patrick Mackey on Jan 16th 2013 9:00AM
    PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Age of Wushu, The Art of Wushu

    24


    Normally at Massively, we start off a column by linking to relevant community sites and information resources for a game. Things are a bit different with Age of Wushu, however. Aside from the main community site and the wiki currently under construction, there isn't much information about the game available in English.

    Running biweekly, The Art of Wushu will help you navigate the sprawling Wushu sandbox. This week, we'll be looking at the various martial arts schools in the game and which schools to select in order to fit your preferred playstyle. While we can't go over each school's intricacies in depth, we'll do our best to give you a brief primer on what you can expect as a member of a particular school.

    Shaolin: Never run from a fight
    Shaolin is a school focused on excellence in close combat. Whether against one foe or many, a Shaolin monk is a powerful ally or deadly enemy. In PvE, Shaolin monks are primarily DPS/crowd control type characters with many options for shutting down groups of foes and dealing heavy damage. They're a bit tougher than most schools, but they're not the go-to class for tankers.

    In group PvP or PvE, Shaolin rely on their Bodhidharma Stick style to AoE and crowd control numerous foes at once. Bodhidharma Stick deals great damage to single enemies, but it's not as fearsome a threat as the unarmed style, Long Boxing. Long Boxing has a powerful AoE stun and knockdown feint as well as deadly combos designed for crushing a single foe. A Shaolin monk's relentless close-range offense is incredibly fearsome and leaves defenders little room to breathe.

    The Shaolin monks' main weakness is long-range combat, and they can be kited. However, adept monks can offset this weakness with hidden weapons and skilled movements.

    Wudang: Unbreakable defense
    Wudang disciples are noteworthy for their incredible inability to die. Taiji Sword's ability to swap health and energy, his ability to rapidly recover energy in either Taiji or Yin Yang Sword, and the natural durability of Wudang internal skills make it very hard to end a fight against a Wudang. If battles go the distance, Wudang swordsmen will be the last ones standing.

    Wudang have problems with dealing damage as they lack the overwhelming damage of many other schools. Breeze Sword and Yin Yang Sword have options for fighting at long range, and Taiji is excellent in close. Overall, Wudang is the most well-rounded school, but its lack of damage means that its players also have to be more consistent.

    Emei: Support that kills
    Emei are highly desirable in PvE teams because of their numerous support skills, including the powerful Golden Buddha super that gives an entire team 70% resistance to damage. Additionally, Emei themselves are very tanky due to their internal skills; it is difficult to hurt an Emei normally and virtually impossible to damage her through guarding.

    These ladies have healing and support skills, but they also have powerful and deadly attacks. Two of the Emei styles focus on close-range rushdown offense, while Golden Diamond has rapid ranged attacks that apply debuffs. Emei combos require no super meter and are brutally effective; the Departing Sting style also has a super that buffs up the damage on the main combo, allowing the character to take off tons of HP with one well-placed stun.

    Emei styles lack subtlety. Countering the typical depiction of women in video games, Emei warriors are direct and lack the shenanigans of other schools. An Emei can go the distance with any other school, but the straightforwardness of their styles can be a hinderance.

    Scholars: Spin to win
    Scholars are similar to Emei in that they have several different styles for different situations, they have group buffs, and they are great in PvE. They lack the healing and Golden Buddha super; they are more focused on offense through bonus damage and energy regeneration rather than defense.

    Scholars have one of the highest single target damage sets in their Leisure Kick style, which boasts the single highest damage attack in the game, Slow Green Shadow. This powerful kick can easily shred through 80% health. It's devastating even against Wudang, who can't rely on health swapping since one mistake can mean death even from relatively high HP. Their Falling Flower Sword style has a powerful, uninterruptible spin move that deals massive damage in an AoE and can be comboed-into for a devastating meterless assault.

    Scholars lack good ranged options, despite Boundless Sword's being a ranged set. Leisure Kick is also a risky set because a blocked Slow Green Shadow that doesn't kill the enemy can result in a quick loss, but the options that lead into Slow Green Shadow also consume the buff that makes the super so deadly. Scholars with poor skill often rely too much on their spin to win, and it is fairly easy to escape unless comboed into.

    Beggars: No weakness to be seen
    Beggars fill the role of DPS in a PvE team and are not particularly essential. However, their damage is incredibly high, and they contribute a lot via area crowd controls and high damage in all situations.

    Beggars are hard to counter simply because they have too many options with their Lotus Palm style. They can battle at close or long range but prefer close range since they have huge combos. A single ground slam from a Beggar can result in a combo dealing well over 70% of an opponent's life. These combos are incredibly cool to watch, too; the opponent goes flying into the air, then is knocked away and tackled out of the air into a devastating ground slam that is followed up with rapid palm strikes. It's really very stylish.

    Beggars don't have many weaknesses; Lotus Palm really covers all the bases. The main weakness of a Beggar is that over-aggression can be dangerous. A blocked groundslam or airgrab is guaranteed damage for the enemy. If a Scholar blocks either, a Slow Green Shadow is guaranteed and almost certainly fatal.

    Tangmen: Death from afar
    As a Tangmen disciple myself, I love their many diverse options. In PvE, they are in extreme demand for their Hiding Track smoke grenade, which buffs ally dodge rate and damage by a massive amount. Tangmen are also the kings of ranged damage and output more consistent DPS than any other school.

    The Golden Snake style is one of the most flexible styles in the game, with an unconditional ranged stun and a feint that leads into huge meterless combos. Because their Vertigo Dart spam attacks are so annoying, many people feel the need to close the gap with a Tang clansman only to deal with an equally deadly close-range game.

    The greatest issue with Tangmen is energy. I find myself frequently running out after fighting a single enemy, and I often have to forego comboing after a stun dart in order to use energy drugs. A fight against a Wudang is rough simply because he can sustain his health so well that I often find myself running out of gas.

    Royal Guard: No escape from death
    Royal Guards are considered to be slightly overpowered. Their main style, Soul Chasing Claw, is feared for its huge amount of ranged CC and ridiculous damage. RGs mainly contribute to PvE by using their Eagle Claw attacks to apply health leech debuffs to the enemy, which allow allies to recover health.

    Guardsmen are feared mainly for their long-reaching Soul Chasing Claw, which can be frustrating to fight against. Without the right tools or matchup knowledge, RGs can feel unbeatable. This is coupled with a strong close-range rushdown game with their blade and fist styles. While I don't feel that RGs are imbalanced, they are definitely tough to handle.

    Royal Guards' main weaknesses are matchup-specific. I have trouble pointing out an area where they are weak, even though their individual styles have holes. Soul Chasing Claw can be rushed down, Soul Losing Blade has little finesse, and Eagle Claw relies too much on gimmicky mixups. All are beatable, though doing so can be a real challenge.

    Wanderer's Valley: You are already dead
    The most evil-focused school in the game, WV styles all have one basic thing in common: It is almost impossible to avoid damage from them. In PvE, they are a DPS-focused school and probably the least essential. They are the squishiest school as well.

    Wind-Chasing Blade style is the most normal WV style and is an aggressive rushdown style with ranged damage options. It has more tricks than one would expect and can be deadly at any range. Bone Corrosion Palm is a deadly, slow-killing poison style that restricts enemy movement and kills in disgustingly few hits. Perish Blade is an all-or-nothing sacrificial style that can deal monstrous damage with a single attack.

    Wanderers lack defense. This is least notable in Wind-Chasing Blade, where their multiple lunges and crowd controls provide interrupt options that are hard to deal with. Despite their decent ranged options, Wanderers are only average in that area and can be outdamaged by a runaway dart thrower or Lotus beggar. Despite these weaknesses, Wanderers can kill deceptively quickly with just a few attacks.

    Entering Jianghu: One school is not the end

    Picking a particular school doesn't lock you permanently into that school's style. While your school styles will always be your strongest options, you can learn other schools' moves to supplement your own. If you're a Wanderer, consider learning a PvE style if you like doing instance runs. If you're a Scholar, pick up a style that covers your ranged hole, like Yin Yang Sword or Golden Snake.

    It's important to pick a school that fits your personal style. One of my friends wanted to be a Wanderer just because he didn't want to be limited in his ethical choices, and one wanted to be a Royal Guard just because the real-life Jinyi Wei were pretty cool. No matter what you choose, though, it's important to be dilligent and master your styles. It does you no good to pick an "unbalanced" school if you lack the skills to employ it.

  18. #38
    Launch day April 10th.

    This has been the best beta I've been a part of. There is more content in this beta than the last for major mmorpgs launched with. Another 40% or so will be added at launch. The game is massive. The largest city took me 10 minutes to run in a straight line from end to end. We have not seen a game in the west with as many polished systems as AoW since EVE. AoW is easily the most innovated mmorpg of the last five years.

  19. #39
    This looks really cool, I am excited to try it.

  20. #40
    I saw this game, the game looks interesting. I guess 2013 is the year of the sandbox type of MMOS. This year as well ArcheAge is going to be release. It would be fun to see how these two games will compete with one another.

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