MMOs continue to come out and many of us are happy to see them return. REND is a survival MMO that we cannot wait to play. The game hosts what is best in survival with a three way battle for supremacy on the map. With a twist on bows and crossbows in fantasy this game plays like a shooter, but keeps its fantasy edge. Here are some of the details about REND.
Built by Frostkeep Studios, REND pits 60 players to a server to battle of resources and fight it out with archery. The game breaks into three factions similar to Dark Age of Camelot mode with a massive tree in the middle of the field showing which side is in the lead. Maps are large and offer each group of 20 time to forage, craft, and advance your character when the war really begins.
The game launched to early access on Steam and after getting so much feedback to add more, the team decided to pull the game for a few to upgrade, make the map bigger and add a lot of features to the title. The result will be a second launch on early access and fans should be very happy with the team deciding to make things bigger.
If you like shooters, you’ll get into REND quickly. Even though you use bows, there are lots of repeating crossbows and even a rotating style spike shooter in the game. Each biom as they are called is where you begin. There are about twelve types of creatures in the game and resource gathering as you’d find in any survival mode system. Build up quickly and master your aim. Because the battle for the map will begin. There are safe zones protected by shields so you can go in and not die immediately. You can however, go outside and quickly start building up your personal base. This can be used for storage or as bulwarks when the armies come in. Your faction has a set goal and unites all 20 players together. There are no shield to protect your personal bases.
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One of the great features is not only stealing from other players, but sneaking in and stealing their research without them knowing. Maybe another faction has advanced crossbows, and you are still exploring with your traditional bow, you come upon a personal stronghold, but don’t want to be detected. You could sneak in, read all their research and leave without ever leaving a trace. This part of the game was very appealing and makes for another level of stealth among the factions.
There are capture points on the map with the giant tree in the center showing who has control. The big equalizer in the game is when the night comes and the Lost Ones come out. These dimensional demons are everyone’s enemy. So factions can fight together when they raid the lands. You have to be very careful on how you deal with them, or you will end up dead. Not only that you can quest into their zones and fight nasty monsters as raids. They are not easy.
The Lost Ones also have tombs which you can get to and possibly find artifact weapons. However, this loot is extremely rare and very few players will get the benefits if it is found. There was so much PvE content in a game that really boasts more of a full PvP survival atmosphere.
REND was a great surprise at PAX. We had fun watching the demo and cannot wait for Alpha to return. Players can follow the game here at MMORPG and on their site. Hopefully it will be back on Steam sometime early next year.
