In the Sandpark MMO ArcheAge , the island Freedich, in German Freienich, has a special status. Guilds have already settled here and hope to gain a dominant position, but not all servers see their plans succeed.
The Island Freedich in ArcheAge
“What should I do on the island Freienich?”, many might wonder, as they finish the main story quest in ArcheAge and suddenly have to row out into the Arkadian Sea around level 30, 35 to look for an island of which they know nothing but its name. ArcheAge is indeed a sandbox and has some surprises in store.
The island Freedich plays a special role in ArcheAge. It lies in the Arkadian Sea, in a sort of “Bermuda” triangle between the West, East, and the yet-closed Northern continent. Freedich is not the pirate island. That one is in the same area but in the northwest; rather, it is a type of “battlefield,” “freeport,” outpost, fulfilling several design functions.
For example, on it resides Captain Ragnorga, one of the pirate bosses needed for the Black Pearl, there is a Gilda Star merchant, quest NPCs for nautical adventures, and destructible containers with rewards. The island is worthwhile as a zone for merchants, adventurers, and sailors. Surrounding it are three smaller ports that serve as a stopping point for the three factions in ArcheAge (yes, pirates are their own faction) – there is even the possibility to teleport there.
Sounds like a cool dynamic, everyone has the same chance at everything, right? Exactly that is the problem. Because on the island, some houses can be built. As a result, some guilds have gained a permanent advantage that others see as unfair.
Freedich as a Popular Residential Island
At the release of ArcheAge, when many average players still had to familiarize themselves with the basic principles, Freedich was already the coveted target of several top guilds and early starters. Because the tricky part: Houses can be built on the remote island. Not very many, perhaps room for a dozen houses, but they do exist.
So guilds had set a goal during the head start of ArcheAge to take possession of Freienich, this strategically important island. After they placed their houses on the island, they were able to use the recall spell at any time to get there and occupy a lucrative trade route far from the hustle and bustle: Freedich is worthwhile for both the West and the East as a hub for goods through the Gild Star merchant.
On some servers, a guild has taken over the entire island
As can be read on reddit, a strange situation has arisen. On some servers, a killer guild has spread here, controlling trade and ambushing and robbing players who want to exchange their trade pack there. These guilds have positioned a lookout on the island, who gives the signal to log out. Then heavily armed robbers rush out from island houses and rob the group that set out for the trade run.
The nasty thing about it, as one user complains on reddit, is that there is no counterplay against this advantage. It now simply exists for eternity: One guild has all the houses there. That will never change and is an unfair strategic advantage that some have gained purely by chance because they were logged in during the tumultuous head start time, while the rest was stuck in the queue of death.
In the video, you see Freedich as a target for a low-level trade run that is worthwhile through the Gild Star merchant.
With 1.7, the spook ends – the camping of the campers already helps
On other servers, however, the situation looks different: Here, although a guild has secured all the houses on Freedich, it has messed up its relationship with the rest of the server through its behavior. The other guilds did not find that cool at all and are now camping the houses of the island guild, ruining their fun.
No matter how it is going on the individual servers. With patch 1.7, the spook ends: All houses on Freedich will be closed, and the advantage will no longer exist. However, when the patch, which is currently live in Korea, will come to Europe is not known.
What do you think? Have you been to Freedich, do you have your little house in ArcheAge there? Or are you even tougher and hanging out on the pirate island?
Here is another video that shows Freedich as an ideal place for guild ganks and slaughter:
