Allods: First Impression

The closed beta for Allods is ending. I got in on the tail end of that upon my sister's request. I was in the middle of the Wintersday redux on Guild Wars so I didn't jump on the Allods boat right away and almost wish I had and had gotten Toni to join me. I just wasn't sure how much I'd like the game and the thought of future air ship battles that would require several players to man the ships scared me because I don't seem to make and keep friends that easily.

Amy suggested I join the imperials because they were the uglier races and our history with MMOs has shown us the kids and annoying trolls are more likely to play the prettier races. Though I fear that stereotype ended with the players' experiences in WoW, I made an imperial anyway. After playing one for awhile I tried the other side, but I find I really like the imperials better regardless of looks. The spine sticking out on the Arisen and her tail is really niffty.


I found friendly players right off in the imperial side of things. A random other player even stopped my little newbie orc scout in the sewers and gave her a bow. Thanks to Brathid for that one.

I ran into another girl gamer and we sat our characters down to chat. There was a huge argument at the same time in zone chat about whether or not Allods was a clone of World of Warcraft. Shortly after that a group of trolls located my new friend and myself and after a few more failed attempts to rile us, they decided they'd sit and talk with us as well. So my feelings became mixed on the community and if it's friendly or not.


The next day I found to be troll free and full of friendly and helpful people so my opinion of the community is still that it's more good than bad. I haven't actually gotten on the forums yet, as I just started playing and focused on the game while the closed beta was going on. I'll patrol the forums and get an idea of the type of community it'll have before the open beta starts. I of course will let you know what I think here.

In case you are wondering, my opinion on the clone issue is that most MMOs have similar features. There are certain features players want and expect and those things have to be delivered, it's just good marketing. I don't think Allods is a clone anymore than any other game is a clone of what came before it. Though they share the same type of artistic style, Allods seems to have a lot more technology in it's lore.

My first impression of Allods has left me wishing I'd gotten in on the beta sooner and looking forward to the open beta on the 16th. So far I find the game fun and the lore and concept interesting. Regrettably I only got in on the last day and a half of the closed beta so I didn't really get to push the game and test for bugs or anything. As such my opinions on the actual game play are truly that of a newb. It seems pretty straight forward and I had no problems with the controls or the camera. Any real review I might do will have to wait until the actual release of the game, when the beta is over.