re: ArcheAge Launches Sept 16

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Here's where you'll see a bit of the sand in AA's sandpark, as we really did haggle with a player boat driver or two before finding one we hoped was trustworthy and skillful enough to ferry us through enemy waters.

If you've never been on a boat in ArcheAge before, know this: It's a treat. I've mentioned how lifelike the game's water comes across, and it's even more ridiculous as you sail out to sea and realize just how vast the game's open world really is. We passed uncharted islands, birds circling fishing spots, brewing storms, and a couple of cranky ocean critters, one of which died on the back of our boat after he decided that a cargo full of cats and elephant cookies was too good to pass up.

The fur really started flying as we neared our destination. Our captain sighted sails to port, and before long an enemy ship was bearing down on us, spearing our hull with some sort of grappling device and spewing player pirates who attempted to board us using gliders. Some deft maneuvering by el capitan forced them to engage us in the water as we swam for our objective and our ride set about protecting himself.


We were outgunned, since our party featured a couple of 20-somethings, a 16, and me at level 12! The level 30ish pirates eventually got us, but not before we completed our quest objective. And our captain even circled back to pick us up at the spawn point on a nearby beach and ferried us all the way back to our homeland where we successfully turned in our quest.

To be blunt, experiences like this are why I play MMORPGs, though it's worth noting that I haven't had many of these experiences over the past 10 years because few modern MMORPGs allow them. ArcheAge does, and it's simultaneously optional yet deep enough to serve as primary gameplay fodder for everyone from non-combat trader types to pirating PvPers to entrepreneurial ship captains with an eye for fun and profit.

This particular experience was unscripted and completely player-driven aside from the original quest goal. Our captain indulged in some light roleplay both coming and going, and for once there was a purpose to MMO PvP, which made the engagement itself more exciting and the success more rewarding despite the fact that most of us died in the process.

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