The MMORPG Corepunk not only looks visually similar to League of Legends, but the gameplay is also inspired by the successful MOBA. In an AMA on reddit, the developers answered some player questions. This included discussions about the content, difficulty level, and the beta of the MMO.
What type of game is Corepunk? According to its description, Corepunk is a “Top-Down MMORPG in an open world.” Visually, the game looks almost like League of Legends and much of the gameplay is reminiscent of the MOBA. Instead of moving with WASD, you traverse the world using mouse clicks. You’ll also need to accurately place skill shots and AoE skills with the mouse.
At the same time, Corepunk is an MMORPG with a completely open world and no loading screens, except for some dungeons. For auto-attacks and several other skills, the game also relies on tab-targeting.
Corepunk is being developed by the Dutch studio Artificial Core based in Amsterdam and in the Ukrainian city of Kyiv. The versatile Unity engine is being used.
We at MeinMMO have already introduced Corepunk in more detail as part of Find Your Next Game.
What is the status of the game? Corepunk has been in development for about 5 years and is currently planned to be released in 2021.
Initial closed beta tests are expected to start in December 2020, about a year after the MMORPG was first announced. The first beta is supposed to include 6 of the 12 classes and allows you to play up to level 20. The max level in Corepunk will be level 40.
Corepunk is said to be as difficult as WoW Classic
How difficult will Corepunk be? In a reddit thread, developer Eugen Kiver addressed community questions and revealed some interesting details about the game.
When asked where Corepunk ranks in difficulty compared to other MMORPGs, Kiver mentioned WoW Classic as a reference point. This is especially true regarding the leveling phase and the duration until reaching max level. It is more challenging than many modern games in the genre.
In Corepunk, reaching max level is said to take between 80 and 100 hours of gameplay, which is somewhat faster than in WoW Classic.
Where are the similarities to WoW Classic? Overall, there are several similarities between Corepunk and the old MMORPG WoW Classic:
- The MMORPG emphasizes dungeons and raids with various difficulty levels. The mechanics are expected to be as complex as Mythic+ in Retail WoW.
- Mounts require a specific level and a certain amount of in-game currency.
- There will be “Corpse Run” upon death.
- Talents cannot be reset for free once assigned.
- There will be various battlegrounds and arena PvP.
- An auction house will be available.
- There are 4 gathering and 4 crafting professions, with the best crafters able to create equipment that approaches raid-level quality. One of the professions is fishing.
What are the clear differences from WoW Classic? Even though there are many parallels to WoW Classic, Corepunk is a completely independent game. This is evident from the gameplay described at the outset, which heavily resembles LoL:
- There will be a “Fog of War” across the entire map. Since you can move your camera independently of your character, it prevents you from seeing all areas of the game.
- The developers emphasize that a large part of the content is designed for the endgame. 40% of the game is supposed to revolve around the leveling process, while 60% is about endgame content.
- There will be solo dungeons.
- Open world PvP can be optionally enabled, similar to New World. However, cities and starting areas are safe zones.
- The payment model will be Buy2Play instead of Pay2Play. Corepunk will also implement a battle pass with cosmetic contents.
The developers of Corepunk also believe that MMORPGs play a leading role in the gaming market:
Great plans for after the release
Even though the release of Corepunk is not expected until 2021, the developers have already given a preview of upcoming updates.
The first major patch will focus on content for personal farms and housing. Additionally, the update is set to bring new guild-related content.
For the future, regular new classes, new areas, and underwater content including its own mount are planned. How exactly these updates will be released, whether as large expansions, small DLCs, or even for free, is not yet determined.
Support for controllers and a release on consoles is also planned. However, the focus will first be on the PC release.
