Allods Online Launch Previewed at GDC 2011

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Updated Wed, Mar 16, 2011 by Ethec

Two other new Gpotato MMOGs

Two other Gala.net’s published titles I saw at GDC were Iris Online, an all-ages anime-inspired MMORPG, and Prius Online, an MMORPG that has nothing to do with eco-friendly gas efficiency. 3 races and 14 race-locked classes headline Iris Online, a game with surprisingly hardcore, winner-takes-something loot rules in PvP. The core of Iris Online is the tarot card system, which provides dungeon access and loot.

Prius Online, on the other hand, distinguishes itself with Animas, small companions that provide storyline flavor, and Gigas, huge titans who fight on your behalf. Iris Online is live now, while Prius Online is currently in closed beta with no release date.

Allods Online showed a spark of promise as one of the first F2P-from-the-ground-up MMORPGs to captivate the mainstream gaming masses. The Holy Charms controversy took a lot of wind out of the proverbial Astral sails, however. Players felt a requirement to buy charms to ward off a powerful debuff called Tep’s Curse that may or may not attach to their armor upon death was exploitative. Something so punishing had no part to play in a free-to-play game, players contended.

With this spring’s 2.0.02 patch, however, it’s free holy charms for everyone, along with a whole host of other changes. I spoke with Allods Online Associate Producer Krystin DeHaven at GDC 2011, and asked if this wasn’t a clever way to give the people what they want while still getting some traffic in the item store. Why not just remove the unpopular system outright? Krystin explained it was nothing so insidious – this is simply what Gala.net could do to accommodate players without involving the developers.

Free charms are only the start of the changes coming to Allods Online in the 23+ pages of patch notes for 2.0.02. First and foremost, the level cap will be increased from 42 to 47. This involves rebalancing a number of endgame instances for level 47 as well as 2 new leveling zones and 6 new Allods (endgame instances) to keep things interesting. These new areas include Kirah and the Isle of Revelation.

Krystin took me on a quick tour of the deserts of Kirah. This journey took us backward in time 60 years as well, as evidenced by some of the new character models:

New character models for Allods Online.

Six new Allods will be available as well, including the Goblin Republic (what Krystin jokingly referred to as the “short-lived” Goblin Republic) and the jungle-themed Drywind Isle. A new 24-man raid with 8 bosses is also slated to make its way to the live server, though that addition is planned post-2.0.02.

A new raid boss!	The mighty Goblin Republic.
A new Allod.	A New Allod.

Krystin also told us that in addition to the 16 new mounts would be finding their way into the item shop, including a rhino, wolf, cat, horse, and many other animals. While pets must be purchased, new skins are available as in-game loot.