By Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer
Updates and events!
Atlantica Online has sure been through a lot since their first beta announcement! First, their closed beta was a huge success on the 18th of July, and it was then followed by round 2 of the closed beta on the 7th of August as well as the final round (round 3) later that month. Then, the open beta phase was announced on the 24th of September, and afterwards, the official launch was held the 30th of October, which came with a new array of updates. This beta has provided us with five servers to choose from, and it’s still growing, and the cash shop is now functioning as planned. So far, they have come up with quite a few major updates, and many small adjustments and add-ons. This review should purpose your intrigue in all of these updates, hopefully offering some tidbits of info here and there! That is… if you aren’t already into the game!
Onrpg has gladly posted a review, and even a pretty interesting Atlantica Online interview prior to this publishing, but this one will be a little different, posted for the newcomers of the game. I will also cover the end-game content for the curious loyal gamers of Atlantica Online.
Firstly, the updates! The Item Mall is one of the newest additions to the game. The items offered for sale do make the game much easier to play for one; however they do not necessarily overpower the user. They just allow for faster levelling? as if that was an issue? and allow their characters to have a change at a more distinctive growth by chance. Items such as resurrection scrolls, freezing scrolls, mounts, blessings, and many others are sold in the mall as well. There are also many licences for sale. They are very popular add-ons to the game, for example an auto battle licence (which basically speaks for itself). Licences lasts up to 90 days, with a minimal purchase of a 30 day licence. I wouldn’t be too discouraged though, as these purchases only ease gameplay as I’ve already stated, they do not affect the turnout of PVP or of events. However, these items can be at times quite expensive. Some items are valued at around 3 dollars while others are over 20 dollars. Other updates include bug fixes and system changes. Planned updates in the near future will include higher class mercenaries and high level content, as well as new areas to explore!
Next, the events of Atlantica Online are now loaded with participants, growing in popularity day by day. I won’t go into detail, but they currently have many ongoing events. The newest one available is the “Get Fat this Thanksgiving” event, in which players will receive free items! Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. The only catch is that you have to play for an hour during the day to get the prize that is listed for that given day. This special event runs from the 24th to the 30th of November. For more info, just visit their website! Another ongoing event is the “Weekend Warrior” event. Just as the name implies, this one is only available on the weekend. During the weekend, players earn 150% exp, and also earn special items if they are on at a given hour. There will also be random monster invasion events and other interesting happenings.
High-End Content
This is the section of the review that should cater to the already existing audience of Atlantica online! The endgame content may not seem like much right now (and if it does, you must love PVP), but there are many updates to come. Ndoors Games plans on releasing these updates periodically but often to incite a longer lasting player base. So far, it is working quite nicely. I find the already-released content fun to explore, myself, as I can run to Egypt, Korea, and other places, to sight-see! There are also loads of quests for players to enjoy, whether you are a casual or hardcore gamer. If you plan to play this game on a regular basis though, you’ll probably enjoy immersing yourself into the PVP aspect of the game, as it is very popular and highly elaborate.
The Free Leagues is a popular arena event that runs every three hours, daily, in the game. Players sign up and then join in at their scheduled times and fight other players for an hour. There is also a challenge system, in which players can issue challenges for anyone in the game to accept. The player who issues the challenge must also offer a wager to the challenger, to make things more interesting!
As for PVE, there are still many end-game, consistent quests and mission for strong players. For the ones who pursue the storyline, and wish to find Atlantis, they must fight in every dungeon in order to piece together the mystery. One of the dungeons even holds the Minotaur, a very large mythological boss, in the Cretan Labyrinth of Greece. The storyline should keep one going for quite some time, as the game updates with new additions to it once in a while.
Final Note
Atlantica was given such high expectations ever since it was first in closed beta. I believe it has lived up to them, seeing as the game keeps growing and growing, with five playable servers so far. The MMO market needed a consistent tactical MMORPG, and this game fulfilled that need and even much more. Personally, the game still has that one major issue that it is hardly playable on low-end computers, regardless of the settings. If your computer can run the game smoothly though, I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy the game to its fullest. As you can see, there are tons of ongoing events, giving out free items to players, there is a new and developing Item Mall for players who wish to contribute to the game, and there are many updates to come! Enjoy!
