The MMORPG Astellia is currently in headstart. The first players are now sharing their experiences and many are speaking very positively about the new game.
How did the headstart for Astellia go? On September 22 at 2:00 AM, the headstart for Astellia officially began. However, the MMORPG struggled with problems and server crashes, especially in Europe, during the first hours.
Since Saturday afternoon, Astellia has been running continuously, aside from two spontaneous maintenance periods, much to the delight of the players.
When is the official release? Currently, only players who previously purchased the legendary package (100 euros) or the platinum package (60 euros) can experience Astellia.
The official release is next Saturday, September 28, also at 2:00 AM.
“Like the old Aion, but more modern”
What do the first players say about Astellia? The sentiment towards the game on the Astellia reddit is currently very positive. Therefore, user Venstar90 opened a thread wishing for more hype around the game:
The scenery, the combat, the music, the atmosphere, the cutscenes, everything is significantly better than I expected.
Why the hell is the game not hyped?
In this thread, many users agree that Astellia deserves more attention and that players are unfairly “hating” the game in many areas.
What does Astellia do well? In the comments on reddit, the combat system is particularly praised:
- At the forefront of the praise are the skill queues. Thanks to these, you can assign multiple skills to one button, which then become usable when the previously used skill is on cooldown.
- On the other hand, players also like the Astels. They are supposed to meaningfully expand the combat system and not just be useless companions.
The reddit user Vz-Rei, who already has a character at the maximum level of 50, summarized the key points:
The game is really fun. It’s a classic Korean MMO, but it feels fair. No Pay2Win.
I particularly like the combination of Astels and their use in bosses, dungeons, and challenging quests for multiple players (Louise at level 20 # whocanrelate).
In terms of optimization, I haven’t heard any complaints in the guild; my PC can handle any settings.
He also praises the crafting, which he describes as “Runescape-Lite.”
Comparisons with other MMORPGs: Not only Vz-Rei makes comparisons to other MMORPGs. A complete reddit thread revolves around whether Astellia is similar to the MMORPG Aion.
The classes may not have similarities, but the fundamental gameplay certainly does. DemonicToys666 says:
One reason I like Astellia is that it plays very similarly to Aion. If you like Aion’s gameplay but want to experience something new, you’ll like Astellia.
Also, user the_guilty_party describes the two games as “cousins,” with Astellia being the more modern version featuring faster combat and new features, but you have to forgo the wings.
Boring quests and language issues
What does Astellia not do well? One major criticism of Astellia is the quests, which usually appear in large numbers but always consist of the same tasks.
The graphics are also not up to date, as user Ellendjenteres points out:
The game runs on DirectX 9 and the Unreal Engine 3. People complain that this is not up to date and therefore the game looks bad.
And Lolis. That’s a reason for some to like it, while others hate it for the same.
Players also have concerns about the endgame. User dnotel writes:
The game is generic as hell. If you like that, then you haven’t played any other MMORPG before. Wait until you reach the endgame and you’ll be bored after exactly one week.
The endgame is supposed to consist mainly of legendary dungeons, crafting and legendary equipment, PvP and the area Avalon.
What about the German language? One downside from our comments at Mein-MMO is the half-hearted implementation of the German texts in the game. User Bodicore writes:
Typical Asian developers again. All texts are in German at release…
The truth is, if you can’t speak English, you won’t understand much of the story, skills and interface are in German, but quest texts and cutscenes maybe only 30%.
The issues, especially at the beginning of the game, can also be confirmed by us as editorial staff. Community Manager Venecia provides a reason for this in the forum: Community Manager Venecia in the forum:
Especially in the first 10 levels of the game, our development team has implemented numerous new content. However, our localization team has not yet been able to tackle this, and that’s why it currently appears to you as if a large part of the game is in English or “Denglisch.”
This is not particularly pleasant since many players form their opinion at the beginning of the game.
Our localization team will now focus on this issue, and by early October, this part of the game should also be available to you in German. Thank you very much for your understanding and patience with us.
Astellia, a traditional theme park MMORPG
Who is Astellia suitable for? As the author of this article, I have already invested many hours in Astellia. The reason for this is mainly that the MMORPG does not make any major mistakes:
- It does not use Pay2Win in the shop as promised.
- It has no performance issues.
- There is an overarching story.
- It is a new world that is still unspoiled.
Those who have no issues with traditional quests, the very linear story, and the graphics, and can overlook or tolerate the cries of the Astels, will definitely find many enjoyable hours in this buy-to-play MMORPG.
Along with Astellia, the buy-to-play MMORPG ArcheAge Unchained will also be released soon. Which game suits you better?
