OK, this is really day 3, but I’m trying to look like I didn’t leave you all alone for two days.
I have just hit level 20 with my Priest of Mitra, Alfric, and it has so far been a great deal of fun. The quests have been well written, and enjoyable to pursue, with the exception of a couple of “kill 40 crocodile” type ones, which seemed to want an altogether unreasonable number of kills. That is only two out of about 50.
AoC eases you into the game quite gently. My pal Tina here can transport you between two versions of Tortage, a daytime one which you share with all the other players, and a night-time one that you have to yourself for following an archetype dependant series of “destiny quests”. She’s quite lovely, but unfortunately spoken for by the town’s gate guard. The destiny quests help to teach you the skills which your archetype will need in order to flourish in Hyboria.
Since my last post, my concerns about things being too easy have been ruthlessly dispelled by a variety of unpleasant deaths at the hands of evil-doers. Still, providing I don’t do anything silly I can usually survive most of what this newbie isle has to throw at me.
There’s been a fair bit of downtime since early access opened, but this is to be expected. I am a little irritated that the Trader, who functions as bank, auctioneer, and mailman, is currently nonfunctional. Your inventory is rather small, and I’m finding myself having to sell things I would have liked to have saved or sold. Other than that, I have found AoC to be surprisingly bug free, with very little of the weirdness that usually accompanies an MMO launch. Still, it is early days. In online gaming we’re never more than one mispatch away from invisible heads and vanishing inventories!
Anyways, I’d better get some sleep! Tomorrow, I do believe I shall be leaving Tortage, and heading into the wider world of Hyboria!