Faxion is a game that has been flying under the radar for a while now. We first got to see it a few months back and now the game is in Open Beta and continues to appeal to MMO players looking for a persistent world to play in. I guess Faxion can be described similar to Aion with its references to angels and demons. Even though the game is free to play they are working hard to remind players that the persistent world factor is there and that the game is made for players who want to enjoy a new MMO without having to worry about grinding to the top. Many of the team who worked on Faxion also worked on Shadowbane and you can see why PvP is so important to them.
One of the most interesting aspects of the game is the control system for the Seven Deadly Sins. These seven zones are where players battle for supremacy. Similar to the old Dark Age of Camelot system, players can stay in Limbo or I should say Purgatory and play it safe, or they can adventure out into the sin zones to do battle. As the system is described, two zones open up daily for players to fight over. In many ways, for PvP players of the old school hardcore MMOs like Shadowbane, this is a step into a direction we have not seen for many years. Faxion takes it a step further by allowing the victors access to items and training from vendors in the conquered area.
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With only two sides to the conflict it will be interesting to see how Faxion shapes up. The game is designed for PvP style players and looks to offer some great combat in the process. However, who will play what side and what if a side is outnumbered? I guess with a free to play model anyone could try the game and see which way to join. Thankfully, the team has said that the in-game store is only for customization and leveling. There are weapons and items for sale but those can also be found by adventuring. It looks like Faxion’s PvP playground is not as impacted by the in game store as some of its companions in the genre.
Faxion also has an open multiclass system, which in any PvP heavy game will lead to very specific PvP based builds similar to trends in Ultima and Dark Age of Camelot. Here is the thing about the game though that seems appealing. No one has really done this with an MMO for quite a while. Every game that has come out over the last 4-5 years has copied Warcraft’s model. So, in my opinion, Faxion going to be some kind of crazy throw back to the old school Shadowbane days. With that in mind, it’s probably worth a try.
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As so many games have come out with a heavy MMO questing and adventuring style we have seen other smaller PvP-based games become hugely popular. League of Legends has become very successful and many PvP players have made the leap over to those style games in order to continue that high level of competition. With the bigger MMOs you have to do so much work just to stay competitive in PvP that it is almost not worth the effort by the time you get into the action.
Could Faxion be the solution to those two types of problems? The game has a questing and PvE element to appease players looking to advance and accomplish in-game goals. Faxion also caters to PvP players who are not just looking for a quick character to jump into a fight, one that is not even personalized. Instead players can invest time into their characters and take them out for a fight without having to spend long amounts of time getting them ready.
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It all sounds good on paper, but these were almost the exact same words that were used to describe Warhammer Online, pre-launch.
If Faxion, however, can pull this combination off it is definitely an MMO which has gone back to many of the games we were used to before WoW. Games were unforgiving and brutal, but they had such charm that you kept on playing them. I think Faxion is definitely worth a try, especially because it is free to play and you can try the game without any real commitment. It seems like the team has focused on a sticking point with MMO players that has really been missing from games lately. Overall, it’s probably worth looking forward to Faxion’s launch and expect some throw back PvP for everyone.
