MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz played through the demo of ArcheAge Chronicles on Steam and was reminded at times of New World … that is, a worse New World that still needs a lot of work.
Despite the big name, ArcheAge Chronicles is not exactly the MMORPG that genre fans are currently looking forward to the most. Ironically, this could be due to both the Pay2Win past of its predecessor AND the realignment of the quasi-successor.
ArcheAge Chronicles is not supposed to be a sandbox MMORPG with a lot of freedom and a focus on trading, housing, and PvP. Instead, XL Games is directing its new game towards a larger, western audience, focusing on story, world exploration, and PvE challenges for solo players and small groups. Chronicles is also set to be released on PC and consoles.
Many fans of the original do not like this at all. Personally, I find the new approach much better. Unsurprisingly, I was very much looking forward to being able to play ArcheAge Chronicles for a full week during Steam Next Fest. If only I had read the fine print …
1 Week to Experience a 2 to 3 Hour Demo
Why the fine print? Well, the developers had previously announced that the playable area would encompass about 2 to 3 hours of content. I missed that. Accordingly, I was surprised when an in-game message thanked me for my participation in the beta after about 140 minutes and sent me back to the character selection. I had hoped for much more.
However, there was also a positive surprise on the first day of the demo: Originally, the fun was supposed to start at 7 PM. As you can read in our ticker, the download was actually available an hour earlier. By half past 6, I was on the server. Just before the official start time, I had already completed the linear tutorial and was in the open world.
I didn’t have any issues during my playtime, apart from the slightly choppy performance at times. However, I heard from other demo players that they sometimes got kicked from the server. All in all, I was surprised at how smoothly the launch went. After all, this is not a closed beta, but an open demo for everyone.
Also from Korea, but very different from Aion 2
What stands out immediately in the demo: ArcheAge Chronicles also comes from a Korean studio and has a PvE focus, but offers a very different flavor than the Asia grinder Aion 2, which many MMO fans have been playing recently.
The new ArcheAge feels comparatively western, with a more grounded coastal and pirate setting and a fairly atmospheric world, which you are released into only after a linear tutorial. You can expect fully voiced (but not yet localized) dialogues, realistic armors (nobody fights in transparent negligee), and you have to walk from A to B yourself (no auto-run).
Speaking of which: ArcheAge Chronicles takes very little by the hand and skips a red thread that guides you through all quests. When you reach the open world, you receive a rough goal and then stumble upon new missions while exploring the region. In this way, you will learn cooking healing potions, skinning wild animals, or obtain a glider that will allow you to glide to distant places from a great height.
MMORPGs are also featured on our YouTube channel from MeinMMO, where a video about 6 MMO hidden gems was recently released:
How Much MMORPG is in It?
ArcheAge Chronicles feels like an MMO for the first time when you leave the tutorial behind and reach the open world. After a short overnight rest, you enter a settlement where numerous other demo players are jumping around. Moreover, more players often gather when it comes to defeating one of the (easy) world bosses in the region, like a big bear or a significant quest opponent.
However, the developers clearly emphasize that the focus is primarily on solo and small group content over the next two hours. Aside from the world bosses, everything can be mastered solo nicely. In a mine and at a pirate outpost, there was a note that you were entering an instanced area where you could take companions with you, but I managed well alone there as well.
ArcheAge Chronicles actually feels quite easy and beginner-friendly in the demo. Activatable resurrection shrines are spread throughout the world, and at the instanced pirate camp, I frequently passed berry fields and cooking stations where I could have brewed healing potions.
I didn’t actually need those. I played as a warrior with one-handed and two-handed swords. He executes his various melee combos primarily with the mouse buttons plus WASD. There’s also a dodge maneuver, a parry, a jump, and a sprint. You can switch between the two weapons with Q. The stamina bar prevents mindless spam of attacks.
The combat system is simple because I can reliably parry most enemies (even wild animals and world bosses) with the warrior. The window of time for a successful parry seems quite long. Afterwards, a solid counterattack follows with a button press. Additionally, enemies can be staggered with heavy attacks, causing them to interrupt their own attacks. Thus, quest bosses also quickly lie defeated on the ground.
The combat system feels action-packed and provides a satisfying feeling of weight with the warrior. However, it still feels too unpolished and not challenging enough to be enjoyable for long. I also recommend everyone to play the demo with a controller. Currently, the MMORPG seems to be better optimized for that than for mouse and keyboard.
Disappointing Conclusion After the Demo
Due to the action-rich combat system with weapon switching, the omnipresent pirates, the relatively grounded setting, the planned Buy2Play model for PC and console, and the staging of dialogues, I kept thinking of New World while playing the demo. Unfortunately, ArcheAge Chronicles never reaches the quality that Amazon’s MMORPG has achieved recently.
This is particularly evident when you attempt to chop down trees or break rocks with a pickaxe. In ArcheAge Chronicles, the axe swings right through the branch and offers barely any audiovisual feedback. Also, the battles, exploring the world, and the quests were much more enjoyable for me in Aeternum.
If XL Games wants to reach this quality by launch, there is still a lot of work ahead for the developers. If that is not the goal, ArcheAge Chronicles will likely not reach its targeted global MMO audience, and I am even sadder that New World will be shut down soon. What do you think? Did you enjoy the demo? Feel free to tell me in the comments!
After my new experiences with ArcheAge Chronicles, I am again more looking forward to Chrono Odyssey, which I liked more due to its unusual identity and crisp difficulty level, even though the playtest in summer 2025 revealed countless major issues. More on that here: Chrono Odyssey does one thing really well that already distinguished Elden Ring
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!