Asheron's Call 2: Legions Preview

The world of Asheron’s Call has been around for a long time. Players through both the original game and its sequel, Asheron’s Call 2: Fallen Kings, have been able to explore a world rich in detail, lore, and adventure. One of the most intriguing mysteries in the universe has been the race of powerful beings, the Empyrean, who forged the basis of the world long before the players arrived on the scene. Building on this mystery the new expansion pack for Asheron’s Call 2 will introduce two new races for players to explore and enjoy.

The Legions expansion pack brings two new playable races into the game and a world of new possibilities for the players to explore. The first new race, the Empyrean, will be immediately available for anyone who buys the expansion. The second, the rascally Drudge, will only be available to those who pre-order at first. The developers are already making plans to include a quest to allow other players to gain access to the Drudge race, so if you haven’t pre-ordered the game you won’t miss out on the chance to play the infamous nemesis race.

The Empyrean are a powerful race according to the Asheron’s Call lore and it shows in this expansion. While they are not head-and-shoulders more powerful than the original races available to the players, the Empyrean have a versatile set of skills. Like the original three races the Empyrean have three basic skill trees as well as the advanced profession trees that allow them to mix-and-match between melee combat, missile attacks, and magic. Their mages and missile specialists have access to a large number of self-buff skills to increase their effectiveness. As if this was not enough they have access to a few group-wide buffs. Empyrean warriors have a solid base of melee skills and eventually gain access to group-wide buffs, heals, and utility skills that will make them valued members in a group. The combination of solid skills and a wide number of beneficial effects hiding in their skill trees make Empyrean characters adaptable and useful in many situations.

The Drudges are limited to a single skill tree, but it is an extremely large one, full of special attacks, buffs, and restorative powers. What really makes the Drudge race shine is the humor involved in playing one of the mewling horde of chaos. One of the famous “idle” animations for the Drudge monsters in the Asheron’s Call series has the Drudge scratching themselves. Only now do players learn that Drudge can scratch themselves to apply a self-buff! The Drudge have a variety of restorative and beneficial skills available. Prepare to snack down on wriggling worms, tasty grubs, and a variety of other snacks as you buff up for combat. With their in-depth skill tree the Drudges are designed to be hardy and versatile. They will function well in a group, but will also be able to solo quite a bit.

Both of the new races have distinct styles for their animations, appearance, and equipment. The Drudge players stay faithful to the existing designs already worked into the game without being forced into a generic mold from one of the other races. The Empyrean have an entirely new design that stands out as unique and still fits in very well with the existing world. Players will enjoy exploring the options, both in combat and appearance, for the new races.

The distinctions between the races even carry over into individual fighting styles. The Empyrean missile specialists, for example, hover several feet off the ground while attacking. Unlike the existing races they don’t bother with anything as mundane as actually throwing or shooting something at the enemy. The power of their minds alone is enough to fling their chosen weapons, specially created orbs of power, at lethal speeds. The Drudge are confident in their abilities to bring down their opponents with the power of the board and the nail.

Players who enjoy the Asheron’s Call 2 world will enjoy the new experiences and possibilities that the expansion pack is bringing to the game. New players can enjoy the expansion, it is not required for play. Serious fans of Asheron’s Call 2 will definitely want to get their hands on this expansion. Good humor, good design, and a wealth of new experiences await. Are you ready to answer the call?