This year the MMORPG Astellia is set to be released in the West. To ensure the game is well-received here, many changes are being made. One of the biggest adjustments is the removal of the gender locks.
What is Gender Lock? In Asian games, it is not uncommon for certain classes to be playable only by specific genders, as our discussion on Black Desert shows.
A bulky, muscular warrior, for example, is rarely represented by a woman. Female characters are often given sleeker classes that cannot be represented by men.
However, the system often faces resistance and misunderstanding in the Western world.
How does the Gender Lock look in Astellia? The MMORPG Astellia is very successful in Korea, but also very strict regarding gender restrictions.
Each of the five classes is directly tied to a gender. Thus, all archers, scholars, and mages are automatically female, while warriors and assassins are always male.
However, this is set to change in our version of the game.
At release, the Gender Lock is not gone
What changes is Astellia making for the West? In a blog post, the developers announced that at the release of the game in late summer, the classes of warrior and assassin can also be represented by female characters.
Restrictions on other classes are expected to be lifted soon after the launch. However, there are delays.
Why are the other classes delayed? The fact that not all classes will be combinable with all genders at the release of Astellia in the West is primarily due to the effort required for adjustments.
For all classes, new character models, animations, and adjusted equipment must be created. The effort for adapting to the West is very high.
There are also specific innovations just for us in the dungeons, and the developers also want to avoid accusations of pay-to-win. In the blog post, the developers proudly state that they are listening to the wishes of the Western community.
Will I have to forgo a class at launch? Even though not all gender locks will be resolved at the release of Astellia, you will not have to forgo certain classes.
Mages, scholars, and archers will receive a contract for a gender swap as soon as the male versions of the classes are completed.
New website with English content: On May 22, the revised website for Astellia was launched. There you can now find the blog posts also in English.
Additionally, there are first pre-order packages available that will also give you access to upcoming beta events. The most expensive package costs 99.99 Euros.
The special feature of Astellia is the Astels, which we have introduced here:
