What Is Shadowbane?

What is Shadowbane?

Written by Sean “Ashen Temper” Dahlberg, Shadowbane Community Manager

What is Shadowbane? A simple question, but not so simple to answer. Shadowbane is many things to many people. The game is officially classified as a Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying game (MMORPG or MMO for short), but there are some who would classify it as a real-time strategy game. Which is it?

Well, both actually. Shadowbane uses many elements from strategy games such as city building, sieges, territory conquest, and tactical formations and weds them to a game system similar to other fantasy MMORPGs. Players level and adventure in Shadowbane as they do in other MMOs, but Shadowbane offers unique activities in the game world, adding reasons to continue play after the more conventional RPG has been mastered.

Shadowbane has expanded the concept of what an online persistent world RPG can be. Rather than focusing on the story arc of the single character and taking the game no further, Shadowbane extends the experience by creating a backdrop of political intrigue and warfare for players to become engrossed in. Players can join together to form guilds, raise armies and conquer Kingdoms. Leaders marshal their strength to build keeps, temples and fortifications. Armies battle their rivals to control resource mines crucial to their kingdoms' growth. And when diplomacy fails, legions and siege engines batter down the walls of cities, and the destinies of player nations are decided on virtual battlefields.

Character Creation and Development

Shadowbane has one of the most in-depth character creation and development systems in the world of online gaming. The process begins simply; determine what Race and gender you want your avatar to be, then choose one out of up to four Base Classes; Fighter, Healer, Mage, and Rogue. Once your avatar reaches 10th level, it promotes into one of more than twenty Professions, with the choice limited by race and Base Class. An Elf Mage, for instance, could promote into a Wizard, a Necromancer, a Channeler, or even an Assassin! A Human Rogue could also promote to an Assassin. These characters, while both Assassins, have very different styles and capabilities, based on the powers and abilities they acquired from their Base Class. The Rogue-born Assassin, for example, has access to special dagger attacks and can wear light armor, while the Mage-based Assassin can blast his enemy with magical spells!

Character Development and diversity does not stop there. After an avatar has taken on a Profession and learned the ways of combat, they can take on up to four Disciplines to customize their powers and capabilities. Each Discipline represents an elite order or special group, offering special areas of expertise for characters to pursue. Disciplines offer a limited multi-classing in Shadowbane; Some Disciplines focus on specific styles or types of combat, while others represent mastery of a particular school of magic or even inborn supernatural abilities! From elite Elvish sword masters to Werewolves, Shadowbane offers dozens of distinct Disciplines that allow players to fine tune their characters to an unprecedented degree.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Shadowbane...

A famous name, and a grim one. The sword that broke the Elvish Empire, with a blade to cleave the World. The greatest weapon that shall ever be forged, Shadowbane bears a bright name, a name of hope. And yet, dark omens have gathered about that hallowed blade from the time of its forging. Legends coil and twist around it like thorny vines, crowned with fierce blossoms, red as blood.

Looking back to our original question: What is Shadowbane? There is a third answer: Shadowbane is a mighty weapon, the Sword of Destiny, on whose edge hangs the fate of the world of Aerynth. Of all the MMOs on the market, none has ever come close to Shadowbane in terms of original lore or story content. Often referred to as the Master Bard of Shadowbane, Meridian has single-handedly breathed life into 5,000 years of recorded game history. The heroes and villains of the past, and all of the many races, classes, and gods who exist within the universe of Shadowbane have become an almost tangible presence for fans and developers alike. Shadowbane's lore provides a rich framework in which players can ground their characters and guilds, and also provides justification for many of the game systems and endemic player conflict. Aerynth is a shattered world, whose history is replete with ancient feuds, holy wars, and deeds of legend.