The first Black Pearl in the western ArcheAge was launched last night. We had the opportunity for an interview with the guild leader of “Impact,” the proud captain, so to speak.
The Black Pearl is one of the prestige items in ArcheAge, a milestone for any guild. When we recently had the chance to talk with ArcheAge producer Victoria Voss, she also saw the “Black Pearl” as such a milestone and noted that no guild had succeeded in building it, neither in North America nor in Europe. That changed last night. The Progress Guild Impact succeeded in finishing their Black Pearl with the help of some alliance partners and launched it. Impact is based on the eastern continent of Kyprosa. This is also the largest server under Trion Worlds’ management, with 10% more capacity than the rest.
We had the opportunity for a written interview with the guild leader of Impact, Viciskander.
Congratulations on the first Black Pearl in North America and Europe! How did this moment feel for the guild Impact?
Thank you. The atmosphere was of course great last night. There was a celebratory mood, especially after the baptism of fire against the “Italian Bastardz,” there was jubilation.
The producer of ArcheAge, Victoria Voss, told us in an interview that the Black Pearl is the ultimate goal for many guilds. Why is that and what advantages do you hope to gain from it?
Well, the Black Pearl is unrivaled in its radar range, speed, and fire rate. The ship is a predator and at the same time a warhorse due to its properties. Even with a hull crew, it is easy to defend as long as the people know what to do.
How many people were involved and how long did it take?
Our guild has just over 200 members. Everyone contributed. It took us about a week without specifically working towards it, as other projects like weapon and equipment crafting had to continue simultaneously.
Does the guild Impact have any further goals now that the mightiest ship has been built?
Yes, of course there are further goals. The Black Pearl is not an “end content” for us, but just a step along the way. Currently, we are working hard to equip all members so that they are competitive in open PvP. Additionally, the northern continent will soon be implemented into the game, and we definitely want to be there. We are still at the very beginning of the game. We are far, far away from player-generated end content.
ArcheAge makes a lot of headlines regarding hacking and bot issues. How do you see the situation at the moment? Is it really that bad?
Well, these problems have actually been known since the Korean version. It was to be expected that Trion and XLGames would not redesign the game from the ground up to make hacking and botting impossible… if they could even do that. Personally, I am mainly annoyed by the gold spammers. Whether there are various hacks, I do not know. There are some YouTube videos, but if that really exists, why do we have the Black Pearl and not someone who can cheat unlimited gold? Bots and gold sellers are indeed a problem. But ArcheAge is not alone in this. Most MMOs struggle with it. Unfortunately, I do not believe that the situation regarding gold sellers and bots will change.
What is life like for a large progress guild in ArcheAge? Is it fun?
Yes, of course it is fun, otherwise we wouldn’t have so many members. Of course, not every “job” and not every player enjoys everything all the time. Especially because we have a more communist system including central management and planning, there are always members who do not really cope with this and leave us. In a guild, it is sometimes like in a family… good times, bad times… and at the moment we are undoubtedly in the good times.
