ArchLord

E3 2006 First Look Preview

The game has a lot of quests – 2,500 and climbing.

The game has a rich, vast environment.

The game has challenge that may cause players to cast off the idea of playing the underling to a clan leader and vying for control of lands, territories and, eventually if they are fighting well, the world itself.

Archlord is currently being translated from its Asian incarnation by Codemasters and is slated for release in the latter part of the year. Codemasters showed off the title at E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles.

Set in the world of Chantra, the game features three playable races (humans, orcs and moon elves), the game is big on player-versus-player combat (PvP), but also will feature player-versus-environment (PvE) elements as well.

But by being a member of a clan, and taking part in castle sieges, players can aspire to being the archlord of Chantra. Each month, the clans that own the three castles in the world will send their leaders to a tournament at the castle of the archlord. The winner of that contest will then challenge the archlord and can take over that position. Of course, being the archlord has certain perks – including royal knights (NPCs), the ability to control the weather, the ability to control the tax rate, and a unique dragon mount. The game’s Web site will mark the legacy of those serving as archlord and in-game statues will appear to remember those who were the rulers.

There are 100 levels in the game and while Archlord does not stray too far from the traditional massively multiplayer online role-playing game in many regards, it does strike enough differences to make it unique and compelling.

There will be mounted combat, and dungeons will be instanced. There will also be a crafting system in the game. As for the combat system, while not everything was revealed during the demonstration, it was pointed out that players will have the ability to evade and dodge attacks.

Unlike another current MMO (Lineage II), players will not have to schedule raids on castles, but can start the siege at any time. Castles do have built-in defenses, so it is not possible to just romp through in the wee hours of the morning. And with so much at stake, it seems likely that someone will always be home.

Visually the game was rich and lush, creating a vibrant world that had intriguing landscapes and monsters.

The game may appeal more to the hardcore players, but anyway you cut it, Archlords is a developing MMO worth watching.

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