The MMORPG Elyon is set to release in the fourth quarter of 2021 in the West. We at MeinMMO conducted an interview with the developer Bluehole (TERA, PUBG) and the publisher Kakao Games and discussed Elyon with them.
What kind of game is it? Elyon is an MMORPG focused on action-packed combat, dungeons, and PvP in an open world. Two factions fight for dominance in the endgame areas and in instanced realm battles.
- Elyon was originally announced as Ascent: Infinite Realm and at that time focused on steampunk, a lot of PvE, and aerial battles.
- In early 2020, a significant overhaul of the MMORPG was announced. The focus shifted towards more PvP and away from aerial combat.
- At the end of 2020, Elyon officially launched in Korea, and the first beta in the West took place in May 2021.
While it positioned itself strongly in the gaming charts at launch, Elyon is now struggling with declining player numbers. Nevertheless, the release for the West is still planned.
We asked the developers where they see the strengths of the game and why they believe Elyon can succeed with us. For those wanting an overview of Elyon, here is our preview report:
“There aren’t many MMORPGs that offer so much freedom to a character”
What makes Elyon special? A unique feature of Elyon is the skill system. Each skill in the game offers different versions that you can unlock and from which you can use one. Thus, the abilities gain an additional effect such as stun or dash, hit more targets, or change from a melee to a ranged attack.
In the skill system and generally in character development, Jim, the project manager at Kakao Games, sees a great strength:
Elyon offers a vast amount of character customization options, not just visually, but also functionally. There aren’t many MMORPGs that offer so much freedom to a character. That’s why I believe that people who enjoy developing metas will definitely enjoy the game – especially in a “realm vs. realm-setting”, where teamwork can propel you miles ahead.
Jim from Kakao Games in an interview with MeinMMO
Since Elyon is developed by the same company that created the MMORPG TERA, we obviously wanted to know where the developers see the advantages of the new game. Here, Sunwook, the director of Bluehole, mainly referred to character development:
TERA has a very sophisticated combat system, but there’s always a “best answer”, meaning players don’t have to constantly experiment with different builds. This can make combat feel a bit boring. In this regard, Elyon offers a more active and free combat system that doesn’t have fixed answers. Instead, it invites experimentation.
Another significant difference is that the main content in TERA is group dungeons, while Elyon focuses more on larger content involving many more players. Elyon does have dungeons, but they are just one of many different things that players can enjoy.
Sunwook from Bluehole in an interview with MeinMMO
How is the balance between the factions? Much of Elyon revolves around battles between the two factions. Some players have expressed concerns that imbalance between the factions could negatively affect the content. Sunwook has promised that in the West, attention will also be paid to maintaining balance:
We are considering balancing faction-based content by limiting the number of players who can participate in them. In situations where faction balance becomes a problem, such as in the open world, we have options like applying a balance buff for that specific situation.
Sunwook from Bluehole in an interview with MeinMMO
Adjustments to the Marketplace and UI
How is Elyon adapting for the West? In the beta in May, it became clear that Elyon has some mechanics that are not well received by Western players. One of them was the 5% loss of experience points upon death. Sunwook explained to us:
This [XP loss] is meant to make players care more about not dying and focus on the fight. We believe that players can completely avoid dying if they focus on the game. And it will be easier through better equipment and customizing skills. It’s a mechanism for more immersive gameplay.
We also have a system that allows players to recover lost experience to reduce the stress it causes.
Sunwook from Bluehole in an interview with MeinMMO
However, there are also some things that the developers want to adjust for the upcoming beta in August and until the release of Elyon:
In terms of game content, there wasn’t a critical point that needed to be addressed, but there were a number of “quality of life” changes that people requested and that are either already being resolved in later builds of the game or being implemented by us.
For example, we will remove the time window on battlefields during CBT2 and add a function to scale and move the UI.
The biggest change will be on the marketplace, where we will introduce a min/max price limit system for EU/NA.
Jim from Kakao Games in an interview with MeinMMO
What about the Elyon shop?
We also addressed the topic of the cash shop. This is similarly set up in Korea as in Black Desert and offers items like:
- Materials for upgrading equipment
- Items that can prevent the destruction of equipment
- Pets that help with looting and provide small buffs
- Premium buffs such as more loot and more XP
- Storage/inventory expansions
However, in the first beta in the West, the shop was disabled. When we inquired during the interview, we were referred to the closed beta in August:
What the cash shop will include exactly is a topic we cannot address at the moment. What I can say is that we will open the shop in closed beta 2. There, you will not only see which products are offered but also have the opportunity to try purchasing with free rubies – the paid currency.
We will write a post in the coming weeks that will provide more insights into the cash shop, and we look forward to your feedback.
Jim from Kakao Games in an interview with MeinMMO
The release version of Elyon is expected to lag only a few months behind
What’s next for Elyon in the West? The closed beta 2 has already been announced for August, but without a fixed date. A version playable there will roughly correspond to a version from June in Korea, with respect to game content and balance.
At release, we should receive a version that is as close as possible to the Korean one. Generally, the goal is a global version, as Jim explains:
Our goal is to work with a global build in terms of content. At launch, we will certainly be a little behind – maybe one or two months – but we want to catch up as quickly as possible.
Jim from Kakao Games in an interview with MeinMMO
Lastly, Jim revealed to us that Elyon will be available not only through Kakao Games but also on Steam (via Steam). There, the release date is listed as “Fall 2021”.
Elyon is one of many MMORPGs set to release in 2021. You can find all other highlights for 2021 here:
