Rohan Online - Correspondent: First Look Preview
New Rohan: Blood Feud Correspondent Jay T. Clark pens this first look at the game that is currently in open beta.
Imagine for a moment that you are a great warrior- a warrior from a vast continent inhabited by warriors of all races. In your quest, you are destined to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors, while striving to maintain the very existence you know and love. Many wars are waged on this land, and you must fight among men, elves, half-elves, and the many other evils that lurk on your beloved birthplace. This is the world of Rohan Online:Blood Feud. And guess what? It's the newest free-to-play MMO from YNK Interactive.
The Basics
Rohan Online: Blood Feud is a fantasy free-to-play MMORPG built atop a persistent world that is filled with hard fought battles and countless quests to embark upon. As with any modern MMORPG, you may choose to go at it alone, or journey together with friends to solidify your place among Rohan's greatest of warriors. As you shape your identity in Rohan, you may choose to form guilds and as such, fight for the respect you and your warriors deserve. Furthermore, just this month YNK Interactive announced the addition of Township battles, which will extend the fight from PvP to guild versus guild. In addition to the in-game battles and quests, Rohan has an impressive trade center which consists of a web-based item mall and exchange market. So, let's take a deeper look at Rohan by discussing the various classes that are available to players, the battle system, a few of the things that make Rohan an awesome MMO, and lastly we can briefly discuss the details of the Trading Center.
The Character Classes of Rohan Online: Blood Feud
In Rohan, players may choose to play as members of the following races: Human, Elf, Half Elf, Dekan, Dhan or Dark Elf. Let's quickly take a look at each of them:
The Humans of Rohan
The humans of Rohan have the oldest history on the continent, and are most loyal to the gods for creating their race. Humans in Rohan are used to play the classic role of the warrior in this MMO, so if physical attacks are you're thing, take a look at starting your quest in Rohan as a human.
The Elves of Rohan
Elves in Rohan are your classic white mage, and every solid guild at least needs one. Though don't be surprised if you get killed by an Elf in Rohan, their attack magic skills are incomparable.
The Half Elves of Rohan
Plain and simple, the half elves of Rohan are archers that know a spell or two. Bow attacks, and other long-range tactics are what the half elves are known for in Rohan. Expect them to attack entire parties of players from long distances, as opposed to a heads up fight one-on-one.
The Dekans Of Rohan
In my opinion, the Dekans are the most intriguing of characters, not to mention visually intimidating. Dekans take on a dragon/vampire-like persona and they have been known to be quite nimble as well. The Dekans are the natural enemies of the Dhan race, so be careful- it's easy to spot a Dekan with their all blue skin.
The Dhans Of RohanOK, so you want to be a stone cold killer in Rohan? Check out the Dhan class. As mentioned on their website, the Dhans are the most feared race on the continent of Rohan, especially since Dhans can opt to kill other players for experience points instead of completing quests. Be afraid, be very afraid.
The Dark Elves of Rohan
If you have a thing for the dark mages, like I do, create a Dark Elf as your character. Just as I mentioned about Elves, the Dark Elves of Rohan have an impeccable magic power, so be forewarned if you happen to run across one.
Now that you've gotten an idea of what classes of characters are offered in Rohan Online:Blood Feud, I'm sure that you will be able to find a class of warrior that would suit your taste. I would only suggest (as any true MMO gamer would) that you create a couple characters of different races to get the real feel of how it is to play the game from various perspectives. Next, let's talk about the Rohan's battle system, and how we achieve greatness with our respective characters.
Rohan's Battle System
As with any MMORPG, the warriors you command in Rohan get wiser and stronger with every monster killed and quest you complete. These individual achievements give you experience points, which are used to get your character(s) to the next level. Now, let's talk specifically on how Rohan's leveling system is distinct from the other MMOs you are currently familiar with.
Leveling Up
One thing that I noticed right off is how 'informational' Rohan is when it comes to how close/far you are from attaining the next levels for your characters. There are several indicators to inform you that your character is reaching the experience points thresholds to get you to the next level. And as you achieve new levels, your character's health and magic power (mana) are of course raised. In addition to those accolades, you also acquire ability points and skill points. Ability points are dispensable for the generic attributes of your character's such as strength and dexterity, whereas skill points are used to acquire much more specific powers and abilities.
Distributing Skill Points
There is certainly a method to the 'madness' when distributing your acquired Skill Points in Rohan. You see, every time you level up, you acquire one Skill Point. That Skill Point can be distributed on what I've labelled as your "Skills Matrix", which includes all of the unique skills and abilities that your character could possibly achieve. Now depending now how you distribute those Skill Points as you acquire them will determine how well a specific skill has been mastered. On this 'skills matrix', certain skills lead to mastering other skills which all contribute to the uniqueness of your character. As I would imagine the possibilities are almost infinite!
Before we move on to the trade center discussion, let's briefly cover a few more distinctive characteristics of Rohan Online:Blood Feud.
What makes Rohan so different?
Modes of Transportation
From beasts, to bindstones, to portal stones, Rohan provides you with numerous ways to move around the continent. And much like sports cars, those mountable beasts certainly separate you from the pedestrianized crowd.
Companionship
Cute, cuddly, and armed with an arsenal of abilities to aid you in your quest, you can acquire pets in Rohan. This certainly puts a spin on the term "man's best friend", especially when they can kick in with some extra HP when you need it.
Mini Games
Tired of the old hack and slash? Well, Rohan's got you covered with plenty of mini games to keep you interested.
Established Economy
Weapons shops, Armories, Style shops and the like are all affordable from Rohan. Want to set up a shop yourself? Put up a Kiosk and become that merchant in town with all the 'pimped out' gear. And while we are speaking of touting your wares, this leads me to our discussion on Rohan's Trading Center, so let's begin!
Exploring The Trading Center
As I mentioned, Rohan provides it's inhabitants with a thriving economy. Yet in addition to it's in-world economy, Rohan also provides a web-based tool that allows you to purchase and trade items called the Rohan Trading Center. The Trading Center is comprised of two sections- the Item Mall and the Exchange Market.
Item Mall
The Item mall mainly provides you a means of purchasing non-tradeable items for use in the game. These items come from a number of categories, from growth items, to enhancement items, to those pets we talked about.
Exchange Market
This section of the Trading Center allows you to buy, sell, and trade those items that you have encountered in the game. These transactions are instantly updated and reflected back in Rohan during gameplay. It makes it nice when you acquired an item for that quest you've been waiting to embark upon.
Closing
So let's be clear. For a free-to-play MMO, Rohan Online:Blood Feud certainly compares well with any of the major players. I'm sure that you will be impressed by Rohan, initially and as you progress through the continent, embarking on battles and quests that will keep you up for hours. Be sure to stay tuned for my next article on Rohan, which will be an in-depth strategy guide, to help you in your journey to become the ultimate warrior of the gods!
