Astellia Online has launched on Steam, bringing the Korean MMORPG to a new platform. 2020 is in the works to be a good year for Astellia, with more guild content, a guild arena, as well as a new 12-person raid and the upcoming Astel Equipment system. The Steam release will also open up the game to a whole new set of players to dive into the MMO.
Barunson is celebrating the Steam release with a pair of events in Astellia:
- Dogavi Crescent Event which introduces an event dungeon (similar in theme to the Dogavi Night Market), allowing players to earn Shining Merchant Coins and Holy Order Symbols!
- Taking Care of Pimpi Event: A Giant Spider Boss designed for a 12 person party has been added, allowing players to acquire a Legendary Treasure in exchange for helping Pimpi.
We had a chance to interview the team vial email about the Steam launch and their plans in the coming year.
MMORPG: Now that we are a few months out from the initial launch, how has the team been in terms of taking feedback from players and the community as a whole and implementing those thoughts?
Barunson: Studio8 has been working diligently to implement and consider insight from the players, from adjusting drops, to difficulty. It is an ongoing process. At times the Dev Team has a heavy workload so it takes longer to process such ideas, but it is always in progress.
MMORPG: Steam - why make the jump now?
Barunson: Steam has always been a part of our plans, but we wanted to make sure everything was stable, and properly up and running before we made a move on Steam. With our content plan in place, we’re ready.
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MMORPG: Are there any features steam provides that you can incorporate into the game?
Barunson: We will have Steam Achievements, Cards, and Badges. Along with this we will support the steam community hub with updates about the service, steam will provide one more platform to access Astellia.
MMORPG: Will players who own the game already be able to download the steam client for free, or will it require a separate purchase?
Baruson: The Steam Client is separate from the Standard client, and accounts cannot be migrated between the two.
MMORPG: I assume this will be the case, but will updates be pushed to the regular client and steam clients simultaneously?
Barunson: Yes, most definitely.
MMORPG: Moving forward to 2020, what is your team looking to implement to keep Astellia going?
Barunson: Some of the things we’re looking to implement are new dungeons, the Astel Gear system, and the Guild Arena.
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MMORPG: How has the feedback been since the mmo first hit the market till now?
Baruson: The Astellia Community is eagerly awaiting more updates and to see the new content we have been discussing: New Zones, Astel Equipment, Guild Arena and more.
MMORPG: Can you talk a little bit about the guild content upcoming in more detail? What can players truly expect from the Arena and more?
Barunson: The upcoming Guild content will be primarily focused on an Arena battle system. Allowing players to face off against each other in strategic 16 vs 16 battles, or for more intense and chaotic fights of 48 vs 48.
MMORPG: You guys have teased the new Astral Equipment system. Can you go into more detail as to how this will work and how it will be used in game?
Barunson: We’re still heavily in the development phase for this content, so we’re not able to share extensive details, but gamers familiar with Diablo 2’s mercenary system will feel right at home with this system.
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MMORPG: Can you speak a bit with detail on the new Raid upcoming?
Barunson: The raiding system will be based off a combination of the current dungeon system, along with the expedition’s available in Avalon. But as you know, the difference between a dungeon and a raid is, increased difficulty, more complex fight mechanics, higher group synergy requirements, and of course some of the best loot in the game.
MMORPG: Finally, for players who have been interested but waiting to hop into Astellia, what would you say to convince them now is the time with the steam launch?
Barunson: Astellia on Steam will bring in many new players making it an ideal time to join the community, experience the game with new and old players alike, and you will have time to dig into the game and prepare for the new line up of content we have in store for 2020.
