Recently, the first beta for Elyon started in the West. Despite the initial difficulties, many players from the MMORPG were able to test it. However, the first feedback is mixed.
What is happening with Elyon right now? On May 6th, the first closed beta for Elyon officially started. However, there were some startup difficulties, causing hardly anyone to access the game’s servers in the first hours.
Meanwhile, the situation is looking a bit better. During the night and also this morning, the first opinions were exchanged in forums, Discords, and on Reddit. We from MeinMMO have also been active in the game and are summarizing the first opinions for you.
What do the players say? So far, opinions about Elyon have varied greatly:
- Some players are particularly impressed by the visuals, the versatile character development, and the combat system. All three points are praised in many opinions and first impressions. The beginning seems to be a lot of fun for many.
- On the other hand, there is criticism mainly related to the fact that Elyon is said to feel very generic overall. The combat is still considered the best, but some describe it as less impressive compared to Black Desert. Additionally, there are concerns about the shop, which cannot be tested in this beta yet.
A common comparison for Elyon in the first opinions is the MMORPG Black Desert, with some already calling Black Desert the better game. Others, however, are pleased that Elyon offers more PvE content than BDO and view it as a slightly modernized TERA.
First gameplay from the beta can currently be found on Twitch or YouTube. I myself have already played the first 30 minutes and created a video about it on YouTube:
Cool and action-packed entry – Boredom in mid and endgame?
What do the players who praise Elyon say? Positive impressions can be found mainly in the German forum for Elyon (via Elyonforum.de) and its accompanying Discord. Players there say:
- Sparki: “I find the entry into Elyon very welcoming. You start in a tutorial, and even after that, various quests explain the things you can do in Elyon. The graphics and performance are quite good for a CBT1.”
- SymLynx: “So far I really like the game. The entry is made quite easy. I only find the variety of skills a bit overwhelming, along with the modifications with runes, artifacts, and mana-things. So you probably need a while to create your build. But then you can play how you want and are not tied to a pre-defined playstyle.”
- Saiyoran says (via reddit): “The combat system is really fun, I enjoy it. Leveling goes very quickly. I can’t assess the endgame, but there are many cool systems for character development.”
- Many players describe the combat as a mix of TERA and Black Desert Online. The combat lies somewhere in between.
- Zwiebel1 goes into this a bit more critically (via reddit). “It’s not as dynamic, fast, and fun as BDO, but it’s easier to learn for newcomers (…), as one doesn’t have to remember as much and doesn’t require perfect timing for animation interrupts. This may not necessarily be good for those who love BDO combat, but overall I think this combat style serves better for a Holy Trinity based MMO than the single-player focused combat mechanics of BDO.” However, he describes leveling and the quests as “terrible” and sees Elyon’s biggest strength in group play, as it rewards cooperation and is well-suited for bosses.
What is the criticism of Elyon? The critical voices are currently in the majority, although it is well known that critics tend to be louder and more vocal than players currently engaged in the game.
The Reddit user TrylessDoer has provided a rather detailed assessment of the game. He finds the graphics not bad, but weaker than in Black Desert. The combat system, in turn, he describes as “a bit sluggish” and overall less action-packed than Black Desert. He has hardly any positive words for leveling (“boring”) and quests (“terrible”). Overall, he is disappointed with Elyon, although he claims that his expectations were already quite low.
Other users come to a similar assessment:
- Post_ironic: “The fighting is good, the UI is horrible, and leveling is a joke.”
- Viney1: “Elyon does the same as Black Desert, where complex systems are presented without explanation. You have rune stones, skill runes, rune abilities, skill trees, and much more. […] If I had to summarize it, Elyon is a typical action MMO with quickly forgotten lore, a clunky combat system, and faction vs. faction battles. […] Unfortunately, Elyon is not for me.”
- Sayael writes in the German Discord: “I find the descriptions a bit superficial. When crafting, nothing is really explained, nor what the dimensions are or the goal of participation (other than loot and points). You also need a “breath” to summon field bosses, but there is no information on where to get this. I also find the limited participation in dungeons per day a bit silly.”
- Majestic_Advantage: “The big problem I had is instancing quests, even when you just walk to an NPC. It was overwhelming, it’s all confusing. The graphics are okay, but they didn’t really impress me.”
What about Pay2Win? In some initial impressions, there is also criticism of Pay2Win. However, the shop is not yet active in the West. In Korea, it is known that gear can break when upgraded, but this can be prevented by items. These are available in the shop, among others.
Moreover, there are loot boxes with random gear, pets that automatically collect loot, and a system that grants bonus stats, which is also available more quickly through the shop.
All this content can supposedly also be farmed in-game, but is equally available directly for real money in the shop. However, Kakao Games, the publisher, has already stated that changes to the western shop could be made.
What is our assessment? I myself have spent only about 2 hours in Elyon, and so far the game is exactly what I expected: a mix of TERA and Black Desert. The combat system seems solid at first, and the visuals were also convincing. The fact is, that after about 30 minutes you reach level 22 out of 50. Especially at the beginning, one makes quick progress and is somewhat overwhelmed with skills and the various systems.
A detailed assessment including a play report will be published next Monday, after I have accumulated more playtime over the weekend. I hope to have also tried the first dungeons and PvP by then.
Elyon is not the only new MMORPG we can look forward to in 2021. In this survey, we want to know which game you are looking forward to the most: Which new MMORPGs are you looking forward to the most in 2021?
