One
of
the perks of being a video game journalist, and more
specifically a MMOG journalist, is that we are often times granted
special
access and pre-made toons to check out games. style=""> 
This provides us with a great
way to get into a game, gather the
information quickly, and explore the newest content or latest changes
with
ease. Sometimes, however, what seems like every gamers dream--a max
level toon
with twinked out gear--becomes a burden at best or ruins your
impression of a
game at worst. 
My most recent
assignment, checking out Gates
of Andaron
,
was an experience almost sabotaged by the latter. I was given a high
level
warrior with some amazing gear and a full complement of talent points
to assign
and set loose upon the game’s world, Iberia, to wreak some
havoc. Instead of
the aforementioned type of wreaking however, I found there to be a lot
more
reeking from a game that felt hodgepodged together and incomplete. style=""> Some
of the most stereotypical elements of F2P
gaming were on display here and I finally understood how a gamer could
spend
more money on a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/77157">free
game than
a subscription one. But hey, it
can’t be all bad can it? Read on to find
out.

 

style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Overview

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style="font-style: italic;"> style="font-style: italic;">Gates of Andaron is the
North American version of a popular Asian F2P - 4Story

style="">Gates of Andaron is
a free-to-play MMOG, published by German company Gameforge, style=""> and
 developed
by  the
Korean company
 Zemi
Interactive as a localized version of
their game 4Story.
 
The
game is faction-based and focuses on
the war between the Valorian and the Derion for conquest of the world
of
Iberia. PvP plays a large role in the game and character advancement;
it’s both
a central element in the story and a persistent theme in the game
geography as
both factions vie for control of several contested zones.

Classes
and Races

 

There
are three races to choose from and six classes. The
races are Human, Feline and Fairy. The classes are divided into
Warrior, Night
Walker (rogue), Archer, Magicians, Priests and Evocators. The Evocator
is perhaps
the most unique class found in the game. It’s a pet class
that feels like an EverQuest
mage and a WoW Warlock but can
wear leather armor and has some modest crowd control. Faction choice is
account
bound--the game currently only has one server and the initial faction
choice
locks the account out of making characters of the opposite faction.

User
Interface

 

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style="font-style: italic;"> style="font-style: italic;">The focal point of the UI
is the Shop button

Most
of the typical features you would hope to find are
present in the game, if somewhat limited in their execution. The UI is
standard
fair, with not much in the room of real customization or re-ordering on
the
screen. One of the most notable features of the UI is the placement of
the
microtransaction shop button, which gets prime real estate smack dab in
the
middle of the screen.



Graphics

 

The
graphics are mediocre and give it the look of a cheap
WoW or Warhammer
Online
knock off.,
and while I usually don’t care much either about graphics in
a compelling game,
they are a definite detractor here. style="">  The
game world is wide open for exploration and allows for seamless
transitions
from one area to the next, but even on a smoking fast machine the area
transitions are blocky and slow. Character models are very stylized and
reminiscent of other popular Asian games; in fact at times I thought I
may have
been having some Final
Fantasy

flashbacks.



Gameplay

 

 

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style="font-style: italic;"> style="font-style: italic;">SquareSoft might want to
call their lawyer....

Venturing into the game I found it fairly easy to navigate as it
featured the standard controls common to most MMOGs as well as the ability to switch to a click to move format if you prefer. Quest NPC’s are easily identifiable on both the mini and full-sized maps, with the standard exclamation and question marks pasted to the tops of their heads. While the underpinnings of the game are fairly solid, gameplay is where the cracks in the game’s armor start to show. Combat is bland and
unimpressive, with most abilities feeling about as interesting as a Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck romantic comedy.




One of the bright spots in Gates
of Andaron
is the way you can specialize your character with skill points gained each level. These points are spent in
one of three unique talent trees and allow you to purchase
new abilities and upgrade existing ones to flavor your toon and enhance the style of gameplay you prefer. 
These points take the place of traditional level based spells/abilities so there is a measure of research needed to make sure you choose wisely.


As I
mentioned, my experience was almost completely negative
as the result of being dropped into the game with a high level
character and decent
gear, and it wasn’t due to a lack of understanding the game
or a lack of
familiarity. In actuality, the problem was with being stripped of the
ability
to explore as a noob. When I started over as a new character I found
the intro
levels and quests fun and well paced; even if they were nothing new and
innovative, they were at least simple and entertaining. Exploring a new
game is
always somewhat interesting and I enjoy my virtual style="">Vasco da Gama persona no matter what the
setting. The leveling pace is
frantic and I soon found myself in the mid to high 20s, happily kiting
mobs and
gaining power as a pussy-cat archer (hey, when in w:st="on"> w:st="on">Rome
folks!) but as I approached level 30 a
few things became readily apparent and I started to make connections in
my
dulled synapses.

style="">Gates
of Andaron
style="">

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style="font-style: italic;"> style="font-style: italic;">Ahh, beautiful Elwynn
Forest, err nevermind.

, pre level 30, is a fun, mindless,
enjoyable
PvE game with some decent
quests and interesting talent trees to flesh
out. Post
thirty, it becomes a PvP gank fest that requires some fairly deep
pockets to
stay competitive in. This game fails miserably at my free-to-play
litmus test
in the regards that overall gameplay should never be dependent on RMT,
merely
enhanced by it. Simple things that should be available to anyone, such
as
mounts, are restricted to the item shop. In the case of mounts, they
aren’t
even a permanent addition; they come in 24 hour, one week or one month
versions
that ensure your continued dependence on RMT. There is also no auction
house in
the game which further necessitates hitting the shop button for many
items. style="">


style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Final Thoughts

While
certainly not the worst free-to-play on the market
today, Gates
of Andaron
isn’t going
to be garnering any high praise any time soon. It is a mediocre sum of
its
parts; a great character customization system is tempered by a serious
dependency on microtransactions and a fun quest system is overshadowed
by a
lack of consensual PvP past level thirty. style=""> 
The saying you get what you
pay for has never been more evident in a
MMOG than it is here, and sadly that mentality gives free-to-play games
a bad
name far too often. If you enjoy rolling alts but aren’t a
fan of RMT or PvP
ganking then you can still enjoy this game by playing each of the six
classes
up to thirty. And if you have deep pockets and enjoy the competition of
open
faction-based PvP then you may have fun with w:st="on">GoA
all the way to end game.




To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Gates of Andaron Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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