This week at GDC we got a chance to look at Land of Chaos Online. Coming to the U.S. market through the European portal Ala Playa, Land of Chaos Online offers a unique online experience that is different from the normal MMO approach. With heavy PvP combat players can log into different battle grounds and fight it out with each other as well as some nasty boss monsters that spawn during the battles.
Gameplay for Land of Chaos is extremely fast paced. The game is designed to play in a third person mode. Movement and interface are similar to the normal MMO design that we are used to. The combat is where things change. The combat tracking works much more like a third person shooter. So having the third person view while moving and exploring allows the player a good point of view. The combat remains in third person and targeting for attacks acts more like a first person shooter for quick action.
The two factions that fight within Land of Chaos are the forces of Hell and the forces of Nature. Both sides have set characters you can choose from. Unlike leveling up a character in a traditional MMO, players choose from a set list of characters to fight as a team. Players get three characters to start out before they enter each battle ground. If one character dies, the player can select one of the other characters in the battle. This continues until the third character dies and then the player is out. There are magic, tank, and ranged characters that all fight with different strengths and weaknesses. Each character has an arch enemy on the opposing faction. Depending on what characters enter the fight, you may or may not be matched up against your closest rival.
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The PvP battle grounds work out into different types of fights. There are Elimination battles, strategic battles to capture and hold points, and the Main Mode open category.
The Elimination team death match battles also have some crazy design encounters. One is called the Dragon’s Nest, where players fight to control a dragon egg. The side that can capture the egg will have a dragon fly in and blast flames at the attackers. These types of boss elements run throughout the game. Another battle type, called Occupation, has players fighting for strategic points, if certain points are taken they spawn boss monsters which join the fight.
In terms of character advancement, players are able to level up the characters they choose within the game they play. So a battleground lasts about forty five minutes, and throughout the fight your character gains skills which you can choose based on the battle you are in. If you find you need more tank abilities then you can spec your avatar throughout the fight to build up on tank skills for the boss fight at the end. If you are facing a lot of casters perhaps speccing heavily in ranged skills would work during the battle. Either way the flexible character build during the battles is how players level up.
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Land of Chaos is a fast paced PvP game that players can enter and fight it out in quickly. The game is working to destroy the Asian grind stereotype by having much more PvP and a different style of gameplay than normal free to play offerings. They are working to boost up more PvE in the game, as well as adding in a universal point system which can be applied to your characters. Expect to see Beta coming in the next few months sometime before summer. If you like fast paced PvP games without a leveling grind, then Land of Chaos could be the perfect formula.
