Scions of Fate Review: Revisiting old Haunts

Scions of Fate is an oriental themed MMORPG from Netgame, the company that has provided the world games such as Operation 7, Ghost Online, Hero and Ares.

 

Scions of Fate revolves around the story of people who seek to understand the workings of the universe through the practice of Martial Arts. As the people started to evolve with the study, there came about two factions that believe on a certain principle in life emerged and because of the divergence of the two schools of thought a battle for supremacy had happen.

 

The Order, the school of thought that believed in the path of righteousness became the ruling order and those who did not join became the Chaos order.

 

Scions of Fate’s character creation system lets you choose from the get-go what job class your character has.  Besides the usual customization options you have, which are limited to changing hair color, voice and name, you are required to choose which job your character has. You can choose between: The Swordsman, Bladesman, Spearman, Bowman, Healer and the latest addition to the class, the Ninja.

 

Each job class has its own default character design which dictates how your character looks from the start of your Scions of Fate Experience. As you level and get promoted, your character’s design changes. The look of your character also changes as you wear various armors and weapons.

 

Scions of Fate has a faction system that is directly related to the game’s whole storyline and gameplay. At level 35 you get to choose which of the two factions would you belong to. The Order and the Chaos factions are the two factions you have to decide on following.

 

Belonging to a faction gives your character a specific change in looks. When you choose a faction the costume design for your job class changes, as well as the title of your job. Next to the change of costume, you are also allowed to join the Authority Clash between the two factions which happens during the weekend.  Taking part in the Authority Clash is comparable to Siege wars in other games.

 

When you take part in Authority Clashes your goal is to take down as many opposing forces as possible, or manage to take down the statue of the opposing side. For each kill you earn points for your side. The faction that receives more points after the the Authority Clash ends, is the winner.

 

Another option that opens up for you after reaching level 35 is that you are given the chance to create your own House, or the Scions of Fate version of a guild.

 

Of course when you do create a house only members of the same faction may join in it. Houses also have their own leveling system and as you continue on leveling, your house will be given the opportunity to include more members, have its set of officers, take part in castle sieges, have house quests and get its own house uniform. To level the houses, members need to contribute gold and ki to the house before you can unlock the House privileges which is an interesting concept of enforcing elements of community, loyalty and belonging.

 

Scions of Fate also has its own pet system. The pet system acts as your character’s partner and could, if raised properly, be an important facet in your future in the game. You have four basic pet types in Scions of Fate, they are namely, The Mouse, Hawk, Leopard and Tiger. However, your pets can evolve to other kinds with the help of a premium shop item.

 

Your pets can attack defend and even provide support buffs for your character. Also, some are mountable like the Leopard and the Tiger which helps out on your travels in-game. Your pets can also wear clothes and armor like your character and can learn skills as well.

 

It has been a while since I logged into Scions of Fate and I must say that things looked almost the same since I last logged in two years ago.

 

The Scions of Fate then only had five job classes before and the inclusion of the Ninja job class is a refreshing addition to the game. The ninja class added something that the game really lacked which is a job class that really attacks fast and hits hard.

 

However, the character customization of the game has not changed since then and this is one of the things that I think that it should have had in spades because it would definitely clinch anyone who would like to say longer into the game.

 

Though it might be true that the premium shop of Scions of Fate does provide some sense of customization I would say that it’s not enough especially for those that seek a more in-depth character customization for a game that is as cute as this one.

Setting aside the lack of customization capabilities the game does in fact provide some glamour especially as you level up and stay longer. The higher your character level the more eye-catching your character will become.

 

The other thing that hasn’t changed in Scions of Fate is that the game is still a grind fest. This is one of the things that really turned me off the game. However, the game does provide help with the +25% +50% exp and ki boost events on certain times of the day.

 

Scions of Fate is a game that really does make you experience that you are part of a martial arts centered world, with the audio reminding you of kung-fu flicks of yesteryears, the character design, setting and even the philosophy behind the game really takes you away to a world where martial arts rule and your kung-fu philosophy practically shapes you, in the form of your character.

 

Though this may seem a turn off to most players, this is also the game’s attraction. If you are the type who prefers to go for fantasy rather than something down to earth yet flashy and elegant, then Scions of Fate is not for you.

 

Pros:
– The in-game audio really completes the oriental feel of the game
– Cute character design
– Combo system keeps battles in In-game interesting

Cons:
– Default character customization is limited and the rest is cash based
– The game is a grind fest especially if you are not going with the exp and ki boost events
– There’s nothing much you can do in the game besides questing and level grinding