The free-to-play MMO Skyforge is currently in closed beta. The Russian project is seen as a hopeful candidate for the coming years. Our author Schuhmann reports from the closed beta. What is his first impression? What is his opinion.
For about a year, I have been writing about Skyforge, watching many videos, and reading even more about it. Accordingly, I was very excited about the closed beta. Since Wednesday, I finally had the opportunity to really play Skyforge, and I want to provide you with a first impression. This should all be taken with caution. Such first impressions are always personally colored.
I have not played all 6 classes equally or engaged with every aspect equally. But no game can ultimately do that. And of course, Skyforge is still in early closed beta, so everything can still change. Therefore: This is not a review, it is not indisputable, this is not the “truth,” this is an impression. And if you have a different one, we look forward to reading it in the comments.
Be glad that I start the article this way. The alternative was: “Throw yourselves in the dust, mortals, your new god is here”, but since I was recently confused with Cortyn, I decided to refrain from that.
So: To Skyforge.
Skyforge is a lobby MMO, not an MMORPG, as veterans would wish
The first thing everyone should understand: With every new MMORPG come players who long for the freedom and possibilities that earlier games like Ultima Online provided. They can stop reading right away. Skyforge is nothing for them. It probably isn’t a game for MMORPG fans who insist on the “RPG” aspect.
Skyforge is a lobby MMO and has much more in common with Diablo 3 than with “classic role-playing games.” Everything that “purists” have complained about in World of Warcraft in recent years is pushed to the extreme by Skyforge. There is no exploration, no crafting, hardly any classic quest zones, and few social elements (those are supposed to come with the guilds).
Skyforge is the definition of a lobby MMO, where you teleport from a lobby straight into the “relevant instances” without any path in between. It’s a bit like only staying in the city in World of Warcraft and leveling up to 90 through the “group finder.” A nightmare for some, a brief distraction for others.
The gameplay of Skyforge
Partially instances, partially Guild Wars 2 maps
Most of the time, you spend in
