Dragon Nest is an MMORPG that was first release in Korea in 2010 and then quickly started spreading to China and Japan. North America was originally slated to also get it in 2010, but was pushed back to 2011. It wasn’t until September 28th 2011 that we were finally able to get our hands on it (unless you got into the beta in July).
I won’t lie, when I first was seeing pictures for this game I found the characters to look very cute. It was the cuteness that drew me into looking more at the game. However when I started to see in game screenshots I started to get a little disappointed. The graphics weren’t that great. There is very little detail in anything, and even on the highest graphical settings things still seem a little fuzzy when you zoom in. Don’t get me wrong, the graphics aren’t horrible but they are by no means high definition. If anything I would say they remind me of the graphics on the PS2, just not as pixelated.
What Dragon Nest lacks in the graphics department though, it makes up for in other places. One being the very solid storyline. I love that this game actually gives you the back story of things in-game and actually encourages you to know it. One of the quests you have to do is taking a quiz on the history in order to get your “license.” Also, when an NPC talks about something new that you have yet to hear about you can ask them to explain.
Due to this game being an MMORPG, you actually get to interact/talk with NPCs. Questing doesn’t seem as bad when you are able to complain about the things you are doing for them. You are even able to develop a friendship with certain NPCs, and by doing so you might get some discounts or even get some gifts. It even goes so far as if you are befriending one NPC you might be increasing the aversion of another.
Dragon Nest is instance based, so you don’t have to stand around waiting for enemies or items to respawn. The majority of your quests you will pick up in the towns, where you can interact with the NPCs and other players. Once you have your quests you will venture into a world that is just for you and your group. You will enter small areas where there will be several dungeon entrances with Commission boards outside them. Commission boards will give you specific quests for the dungeon they are outside of, so its always a good idea to check them out before you head on in.
The dungeons use a ranking system to determine what kind of reward you will get for completing them. As you go through the dungeon you are given so many points for kills, combos, finishing attacks, and destroying things. Then when you kill the boss you will be given a letter rank. So it’s a little like you’re in school, but the system is a good idea because it pushes all players to do their best. The lowest rank you can get is a D, which will only give one chest to pick from for your reward. As you do better (C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS ranks) you will have more chests to pick from. Also as your rank improves so does the level of the chests you get to pick from, which means better stuff.
Depending on what character class you start with you will being either a male or female character. The Sorceress and the Archer are females only, and the Warrior and the Cleric are male only. The four classes are then separated into two starting areas; the Sorceress and Cleric start in Mana Ridge, while the Warrior and Archer start in Ironwood Village. Once you hit level 9 you will then be allowed to leave your starting area and set out on the adventure to find and protect the girl who is the key to the prophecy. This is were the main story begins.
Also at level 9 you can now enter the arena, or PvP zone. However you most likely won’t be able to do much at that level. I say that because the major of players in the arena are either at the level cap of 32 or in the low 20s. You are able to spectate in any non-locked arenas though, so maybe you can just watch and pick up some moves for later. Or you can create our own arena with a lower level limit or make it private so only you and your friends can play.
It isn’t until you get about half way to the level cap, at level 15, that you will be able to pick a specialized sub-class. In my experience this is much later than most games have you pick a sub-class. I like it though, because it gives you a chance to really understand the basic core of your character’s skills.
Then of course there are basic MMO things, such as armour repair/upgrades, enchanting your weapons and gear, and buying/trading goods. Dragon Nest, however, also gives you the Dragon Vault, which is where you spend real money to buy in-game items such as costumes or additional storage. Depending on how much money you want to spend costume items can last 30 days, 60 days, or even be permanent. The way costume items work is that they add to the stats of your current armour, as well as becoming the look of your armour. The Dragon Vault works seamlessly with the game, which is great.
I also found the targeting system to be different then what I’m typically used to. Normally in an MMO all you have to do is tab through targets to start attacking them. In Dragon Nest you actually have to aim at your target, which definitely adds a layer of difficulty. At first I didn’t really like that it was set up this way, but it has grown on me. It makes things more enjoyable because it makes it less about just grinding out mobs and more about player skill.
I have played several MMOs but never really played an MMORPG, even though I like RPGs. At first I thought, “A free MMO? well this isn’t going to be that great.” However, once I started playing I found myself getting into the game more than I did with World of Warcarft or Aion. I have to say Nexon did a great job, I definitely like the game and plan on playing it for a while. So if you’re getting sick of the same old MMOs and want to try something a little different, just head on over to Dragon Nest’s Website and download this free MMO.
