Currently, Albion Online is preparing for the big Dragonfire update, which brings dragons into the world of Albion for the first time. What has been shown so far looks so fun that our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz has created a new account after many years of abstinence to prepare for the invasion of the lizard folk.
When it comes to MMORPGs, I’m actually more of a theme park and PvE type. I prefer WoW Classic over RuneScape, Final Fantasy XIV over Throne and Liberty, and Star Wars: The Old Republic over EVE Online. That’s why it has been a long time since I played Albion Online, and skepticism regarding the mobile version had also arisen back then. That just wasn’t for me.
Nevertheless, I still follow with great curiosity and joy how much the MMORPG from Sandbox Interactive in Berlin has developed since my first contact (at a gamescom, well before the release in July 2017). Albion Online is one of the very few successful MMORPGs that financed its development (in part) through crowdfunding, and at the same time one of the rare genre successes of the past decade.
The short teaser trailer for the Dragonfire update:
Part of this development is that while Albion Online still has a strong focus on sandbox and PvP, it now also features more PvE content and theme park elements. The new update emphasizes this and promises content for both PvE and PvP fans, for small and large groups, and even for solo players.
For me, that was enough reason to create a new account after years of abstinence, hit the download button, and just dive in. My goal: to create a fresh character and make it ready for the dragons by the release of Dragonfire on August 31. The big question: Will Albion Online be fun enough for me as a PvE and theme park type to achieve my goal?
Albion lives
Right from the first steps, I notice: A lot has happened in Albion Online. A tutorial island introduces me to the most important mechanics, the “Getting Started” category in the journal offers goals to work towards, even without proper quests. I learn about gathering resources, processing materials, crafting items, and of course fighting. I quickly get into the grind.
What surprises me the most is how much is going on in the tutorial zone. I encounter many other freshly created characters everywhere. But that’s just the beginning. After I completed the tutorial and chose a starting region, I quickly find myself in the capital of my new chosen home.
There, I have to quickly give up the idea of being able to look important NPCs straight in the eye. Large crowds of players gather almost around the clock around crucial points like the trading post or the chest (luckily, these can still be easily selected). There is a bustling movement everywhere. Anyone looking for an MMORPG with an active community will definitely find it here.
A sandbox with attractions
After the tutorial, Albion Online still offers a sandbox full of freedoms in 2026, without quests, where I have to decide for myself what I want to do. The already mentioned journal helps me to keep track of the available content and set concrete goals.
If I feel like it, I can, for example, dive into the familiar grind and farm resources and defeat enemies in the world’s zones. Through the skills system associated with the destiny board, I level up what I use, do, and wear – meaning, for example, my leather armor and dual blades in fights.
However, the MMORPG now offers much more. Part of my daily routine includes visiting the expedition master, where I can sign up for solo or group expeditions. Portals to solo and group dungeons can also be found throughout the world. These are purely PvE challenges without PvP elements.
I also have fun with two PvPvE challenges, although my visits there haven’t always gone well.
In the world, for example, you can find wisps that open a portal to a special fog region. Here, you can farm specific resources nicely, but there are also camps that you have to liberate from local troops to earn a chest full of rewards. The fortress is, however, a PvP area, and other players can come at any time and try to claim the chest themselves.
Uninvited visitors can also appear in the corrupted solo dungeons after a certain point. In them, you defeat enemies until you summon a special boss. Or you can ambush other players and ideally grab a share of the dungeon loot. Item level caps ensure that you are not farmed by significantly better-equipped opponents.
Surprisingly, I find PvP in Albion Online quite enjoyable. I have already voluntarily signed up for arena fights multiple times or completed objectives for my faction in the open world. Even as a newcomer, you can quickly achieve some success after a short time.
I haven’t even seen other content like the depths for duos and trios, world bosses, hell gates, or raids yet. Of the total 1,696 journal targets, I have only managed to complete 170 after the first few days. So there is still much to do and discover.
Albion Online now has real EU servers:
No fear of frustration and loss
Although Albion Online puts a strong focus on PvP and punishes death harshly in later endgame zones (with loss of inventory and current equipment), this does not necessarily lead to constant frustration. Quite the opposite: In many regions of the game world and instanced content, you lose nothing if you die, or at most what you just collected in your inventory.
At the same time, Albion Online’s equipment system works in such a way that weapons and protective clothing function more like consumable items. It’s not a big deal if they are gone. You just get replacements. The gear is only a means to an end. At the same time, weighing risk against reward is a major appeal of various content in Albion Online.
Equally important: The constant need for equipment ensures that you can quickly turn self-made or old gear into silver at the trading post. The game’s economy is thriving. It often takes only a few minutes for my sell orders to be successful.
2 features that should be adopted
What I find particularly cool is that almost every item in the game has been crafted by a player at some point. The black market regulates behind the scenes to ensure that mass production does not negatively impact the game’s economy and loot.
The system buys up some of the items and then allows them to drop as loot in the world. If too much low-level and rather worthless stuff is circulating, the black market takes this out of the game. This ensures that even starter items retain some value. It’s a brilliant idea that I think other sandbox MMOs with player-driven economies should also take note of.
The same goes for another feature of Albion Online that I really like: the weapon depot. Here, you’ll find various build recommendations from the community for all activities in the game, supplemented with useful information. You can then save a suitable build as a blueprint to automatically stock up on the necessary gear pieces on the marketplace. It couldn’t be easier and more convenient.
Next goal: Dragons
All in all, I have largely achieved my goal after the nearly 15 hours I’ve played in the past few days. I should be able to participate in the new challenges in the Ancient Lands and the dragon attacks in the open world with my current build and item level without any issues.
The upcoming raid with the fire dragon Azaryon will surely be a whole different ball game. It will probably depend heavily on whether the guild I’ve joined wants to tackle this. However, I definitely want to use the time until August 31 to optimize my build for this fight.
If you also like dragons and want to give Albion Online a chance, I can recommend two tips:
- Join a guild, even if you don’t plan to be an active part of a community long-term. I spent less than 2 minutes browsing the guild search until I found a spot, and immediately earned various achievements in the journal.
- Consider getting the optional premium subscription for a month. The activated bonuses will noticeably help you reach the high levels for your desired gear and weapons faster and farm silver for purchases. Additionally, you’ll unlock your housing island with the premium subscription, where you can immediately start farming to earn even more silver with little effort. No worries: When the subscription expires, you retain access to the island.
For my part, I look forward every day to playing a few rounds in Albion Online. The Dragonfire update can come! And this is a great way to bridge the waiting time for Aion 2. What about you: Have you also played Albion Online recently? Do you want to return with the premiere of the dragons? Let us know in the comments! You can learn more about the game here: Almost all crowdfunding MMOs fail, but a studio from Berlin shows how to do it right
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