The progression: How does the character develop?
In MMORPGs, the point of progression is particularly important, as this is where the main motivation comes from. In Skyforge, progress is also the crucial point.
The Positive: There is a branching and complex progression. You can unlock additional classes, activate talents and “signs”, specialize against certain opponents, acquire new items, unlock bonus points in secondary systems, and much more.
The Negative: Because you navigate the same instances in increasingly difficult versions, you don’t really notice that you’ve become stronger. The play style within a class also changes only slowly.
The problem: If you’re 5.8% stronger than during the last run, but the mobs are 7.5% stronger and otherwise arranged exactly the same, you as a player won’t notice any progress. I might have unlocked a few more nodes in the enormous atlas and all 40 instances give me a new sign that increases my attack power by 5% in the first 15 seconds of a fight: But in reality, you rarely notice that. Those aren’t “game-changers.”
The appeal lies in unlocking a new class. They play quite differently, providing a different gameplay experience. Or you get into min-maxing to create a super-god in Skyforge who becomes particularly powerful for the prestige invested.
The biggest mistake that Skyforge perhaps has is an extremely dull item system, where only numbers increase but items lack “identity”. You miss a few set bonuses, some different skins for items, a significant power increase – all that is present in the oversized atlas, not in the equipment.
How fair is the payment system?
In the 200 hours I played, I found it fair. I was not pressured to buy anything. It’s a typical convenience model. It takes a long time to progress without spending money; with it, you can speed up your progress.
However, the longer I played, the more I felt that the temptation to buy increases. I think anyone who dives deep and plays with ambition can spend quite a bit of money in Skyforge. It’s pretty tough to progress as a “freebie”.
And there were also two strange “buy tickets” events with rare cosmetic rewards. These seem to be clear incentives to visit the cash shop.
And our conclusion on the last page: Who is Skyforge the right game for?
For whom is the game not suitable?
For anyone who values the “RPG” in “MMORPG,” Skyforge is not for you. There’s practically nothing to explore. The periodically appearing “open zones” are just standard quest zones, which you run through and complete a bunch of kill quests. Otherwise, the daily routine consists of fighting through a handful of instances or later teaming up with others for raids or group dungeons.
For whom is the game suitable?
Skyforge is a good game for those looking for distraction and want to engage in a game. The combat system and gameplay are pleasant and flow well. The huge atlas of progress invites deeper immersion, character optimization, and trying out new classes. And you can earn new slots for special signs by “completing” a class – these grants bonuses that you notice the most in your daily routine in Skyforge.
Is Skyforge worth it?
It should be highlighted that Skyforge has been significantly expanded and improved over the last six months and that Team Allods has big plans for the game.
At the moment, Skyforge is rather underestimated, it appears to have around 1 million registered players – at least that many avatars. For a Free2Play MMORPG, that’s decent, but there’s more potential. Technically, Skyforge is solid and contemporary. The individual game systems are well thought out and work. Invasions, server-wide events provide variety. With some adjustments, especially to the item system and pacing, there’s definitely room for improvement.
For those looking for an action MMORPG to grind and to unwind, Skyforge currently delivers well. For fans of action MMORPGs, it is definitely worth a download.
Thus, Skyforge is the first of our “most promising MMORPGs for 2015 and 2016” that is actually playable here in the West.
Here is the official Skyforge website, where you can register for the game.
