Skyforge Q&A Part Three .

Hello ladies and gentlemen, MMOGames is working together with MMOCulture to bring you the latest updated content there is out there regarding MMOs! In this third part of the Q&A, we’re going to take a look at the weapons, armor and playstyles for the upcoming MMORPG called Skyforge. The game has been recently announced, and there are two development teams with over 300 people working together on this game so it is definitely something to keep track of. We here at MMOGames are definitely going to keep track of it. So naturally, we were curious as to what features this game will have, and what is going to make it stand out among the tons of other free to play MMORPGs out on the existing market today.

Skyforge has gathered much attention since its announcement, and developers Allods Team and Obsidian Entertainment have no doubt crafted what looks like a masterpiece next-gen MMORPG. The 3rd official Q&A is here, and you can read the first and second parts as well.

Is Skyforge rather biased to PvE or PvP?

It’s up to you! We have plenty of opportunities for both player types, you will always find something fun to do. Besides, after launch we are going to keep track on the activities the players like most, and we may shift the focus of future development to one side or another depending on player desires.

In which way are you going to encourage participation in different activities? It’s a common situation, when players prefer to farm one particular activity, which makes it impossible to find a group for anything else.

We have a specially designed complex system for completing and repeating your favorite activities. And you don’t have to take part in the activities that you don’t like! Rewards, their quantity and type, differ all the time. Activities themselves are always changing, too.

Their difficulty gradually increases, as you complete it again and again. Eventually you will find it too hard for yourself for some period of time and may wish to explore other content. In addition there are daily, weekly and monthly random activities with especially valuable rewards.

Do you have a “looking for instance” system?

Yes, but unlike other games, we have it tightly integrated into the core gameplay. The system is easy to use and very intuitive. We have a single starting point for various activities, instances, PvE and PvP missions. Single-server architecture helps form a group quickly, and your allies and opponents will be matched evenly.

How much time do I have to spend playing the high-end content to remain competitive? Some of us have jobs and other responsibilities, what if we are short on time? And vice versa, can we come up to a point when we have nothing to do in the game?

This is the question we were concerned with from the very beginning, and we have invested a lot to make the game convenient for everyone, whether you have commitments or not. Ideally, playing 2,5 hours and more per day would be enough to keep you at top positions – but of course, you will have to try as hard as possible.

What were your inspirations when you developed the game? Books, movies, videogames?

The complete list would be longer than this FAQ. Our team is nearing 300 members, and everyone has things which inspire them. This inspiration is reflected in the game art and personal touches and input into the world of Skyforge. Be sure that we have thoroughly studied every book, movie and game about gods, and we have weighed all their pros and cons.

What about weapons? Do you have traditional swords, stylized bows, ancient staves etc., or maybe some firearms?

You must have noticed that visually the world of Skyforge represents a fusion of futuristic technologies and a very original culture that has grown on Aelion over the centuries. Same is true for our weapons and equipment. A picture is worth a thousand words – so stay tuned for news!

Do you limit the number of gods per server (“the chosen ones”), or will everyone be able to become a deity, even without playing 24/7?

From the very beginning of the game, all characters will discover the gift of immortality and start to develop special abilities, eventually becoming gods. But after that point, an even a longer road lies ahead – only the most committed players will reach the top ranks and become the Guardians of Aelion.

Is there any kind of general power, which any immortal is able to receive, regardless of their class?

A Skyforge game character is an immortal hero, who constantly discovers new unique abilities. Each of them receives power from their followers and the deeds they perform. A character’s development won’t depend on the selected class. In due time, all characters will enjoy grand godly abilities and forms.

Describe your quest system. Is it standard or event-based? (like in GW-2)

We borrowed elements of both types of quest systems. Then we went even further, and tried to improve usability. You won’t have to waste time travelling from one NPC to another only to begin or complete a quest. There are some quests that become available, as soon as you arrive to a certain location. And,as soon as you have finished all of a quests goals, receiving rewards is as easy as one click!

Will common mobs drop heaps of trash loot of unclear purpose, like they do in Korean grinding games? Or, on the contrary, will all items be neatly sorted and signed? It’s not such a pleasant feeling to have your bag stuffed with all kinds of magic rubbish and artifacts, when you cannot tell whether you will need them in the future or they can be sold to a vendor.

Every item that you can loot in the game have its impact upon your character’s powers. We are not going to fill your inventory with weird stuff without any directions for use or imprtance.

Is there any kind of in-game encyclopedia, a book of knowledge of items, mobs, bosses etc?

Of course! This functionality is a major part of our portal. It contains up-to-date information on every game element. Its content will be updated automatically (direct upload from the game databases), as well as manually by players. You will be able to add your own manuals and comments to articles, strategies, builds etc.

Equipment. You say, it will change automatically, upon the change of class, but where will it come from, in the first place? Will it differ, depending on your grade? Will it be of different colors? Will it change your character’s stats (provided that there are stats in the game)? Or it won’t be of any real importance?

Like most MMOs, Skyforge will provide you with equipment mostly via boss fights. It’s good to remember that out heroes are immortal, that is why armor won’t matter that much. Our gods prefer mighty weapons or powerful artifacts. They would prefer rings or amulets to bring them luck in fights.

How long will it take to fully explore the world of Skyforge?

Easy and comprehensible tutorial will help you learn the controls quickly. We’ve done our best to help you smoothly pass from learning quests to real game – you are likely not to notice this point at all. However, even a hundred hours won’t be enough to explore the whole world and all of its powers.

Can the character’s talents be reset?

We have an interesting system of building a character with a huge number of available builds. Your character will be truly unique. We don’t want to make you select just one build and leave it forever. You can receive special items, which enable talent learning, even when you reach high-end. This is why we simply don’t need the conventional ways of resetting talents – you can still learn new ones! We will tell you when we present the talent progression system.

If there is no experience or levels in the game, how will a character progress?

There’s no point in gaining experience or levels at level cap, or simply on profound stages of the game, where a player’s level doesn’t have direct impact on character’s DPS, for instance. At this point, players engage free ratings, such as GearScore to understand progress and power. A leveling system is hard to manage, that is why we decided to get rid of it. Basic specification of Skyforge heroes can be compared to GearScore.

Liked this article? Head on over to MMOCulture for the original version, and check out some of the other content they have to offer!

For the previous parts, click here for part one, and here for part two.