The MMORPG Astellia was released on January 30 on Steam. In this context, we at MeinMMO posed some questions about the future of Astellia. We were particularly impressed by the guild arena for 96 players.
What does Astellia plan for 2020? The MMORPG has some significant plans for the current year. In the first six months, the following content is expected to make its way into the game:
- A guild arena where matches can be held in 16v16 or 48v48.
- An equipment system for the Astels, which, according to the developers, is reminiscent of the Diablo 2 Mercenary system.
- Brand new raid content for 12 players that has never been present in Korea.
- Expansions for the legendary dungeons
- A new hunting area
- A Valentine’s Day event
In the long term, a level increase, adjustments to the PvP area Avalon, and more dungeons, raids, and hunting grounds are planned.
Why are the plans for 2020 so interesting? Astellia had a rocky start in the West, and many saw Bless 2 in the game. However, Astellia proved to be a solid MMORPG, albeit with little innovation and long-term motivation.
After the shutdown in Korea, many suspected the end in the West as well. However, the developers remain optimistic and discussed with us the issues that a typical MMORPG faces.
Keeping up with the community’s speed is difficult
How is Astellia currently? MeinMMO was informed by the developers that the player population of Astellia has remained very stable since launch.
With the new content planned for 2020 and the launch on Steam, new players are to be excited about the MMORPG.
What are Astellia’s problems? When asked where the biggest problems with Astellia lie, the developers pointed mainly to player consumption:
Keeping up with the community’s content consumption is the major challenge that all MMORPGs face. Astellia is no exception.
As we work to bring Astellia to more regions, producing new content takes longer. We are trying to find a good balance between expansion and game growth.
In this context, the expansion refers to the release of Astellia in Russia, where closed beta tests with Russian voiceovers are currently taking place.
What is the Gender Lock situation? With the announcement of Astellia in the West, it was confirmed that the Gender Lock in the game should be removed.
Before release, female warriors and assassins were introduced. However, the other three classes still only have the female gender available.
Upon inquiry, the developers confirmed that work is still ongoing. The art team is still refining the final assets and is now trying to focus more on that again.
Release on Steam – with some hurdles
What happened during the Steam release? The release of Astellia on Steam was rocky on January 30. There were initially problems from the developers’ side, causing the MMORPG to be offline for longer than planned. Furthermore, during the course of the day, there were also issues with Steam itself.
Another point of criticism on Steam is the way Astellia is being sold there. To play the MMORPG, one of three packages must be purchased, just like on the website itself.
However, the packages are officially sold as DLC and not as a standalone game. This means there is no option to return the game if the user is dissatisfied with it. Whether this will change is currently unknown.
How do the first Steam reviews fare? Currently, Astellia has 49 reviews, of which 65% are positive. Positive aspects include:
- It is a classic theme park MMO
- There is pleasant progress
- The endgame mainly consists of dungeons
- No pay-to-win
However, the reviews criticize:
- Server issues
- The weak graphics
- The DLC problem mentioned earlier
It will be interesting to see how the reviews and player numbers develop in the coming weeks.
What is your opinion on Astellia? Will you give the game another chance due to the content roadmap and release on Steam?
