The Throne War MMO stands out significantly from other MMORPGs: The developers once presented it as Game of Thrones meets EVE Online. This could make Crowfall (PC) something special.
In Crowfall, you are a so-called Crow, essentially a soul that resides in a sky kingdom, the Eternal Kingdom. You live here and want to continually expand your realm. However, this is not so easy, as the resources needed for this can only be found in the Dying Worlds.
Campaigns in the Dying Worlds
The Dying Worlds are worlds that are slowly being devoured by a dark force, the Hunger. Each of these worlds is inevitably doomed. Only in the eternal kingdom are you safe. Yet, somehow you have to get the resources from the Dying Worlds. So, you set off as a Crow to visit one of these worlds in a campaign.
A campaign can last several weeks or months and begins with your arrival in the world. Since you are essentially just a soul, you first need to find a body. You will find one in fallen warriors, who can be found in the ruins of the Dying Worlds or in graveyards. When you possess a body, also known as a Vessel, you adopt some characteristics from it – depending on which race it belonged to.
You are essentially training your body, but through a sort of mental connection, you can also adopt some of the characteristics into your soul.
Find or construct a body
It is possible to change bodies during the campaign. For instance, if you are killed, you should look for a new body. This can have different characteristics, and your equipment can also be lost due to your virtual demise. It is still possible to assemble a “Vessel” from different body parts, allowing you to combine abilities in a way that suits you.
Once you have found a body, you start exploring the world and gathering resources there. During a campaign, you must try to accumulate as much power and resources as possible in the Dying World. This also means that you must build something in the world. For example, you will find ancient ruins of long-destroyed castles that you can restore and use as a base.
You also want to ascend in the campaign world and improve your vessel. This works differently than you might know from some other MMORPGs. You collect offerings in the world that you present to your god. The higher quality and more elaborate the offerings, the more EXP you receive for them – it is also possible to sacrifice your bodies! This means you must scour the world for valuable items. When you level up, you improve your skills and attributes. Along the way, you gather resources to expand your base or craft new equipment.
Exploring the world is not without danger, especially as the campaign progresses. The closer the Hunger gets, the more aggressive the environment reacts, making exploration tours and the search for offerings difficult.
PvP is central
PvP is a core element of Crowfall.
In the campaign worlds, your task is to amass as much power as possible, to return to the Eternal Kingdom with as many resources as possible to further expand it. This leads to rivalries between players in the Dying Worlds. Consequently, massive battles, castle sieges, PvP skirmishes, and wars take place there. It is possible to lay the castles of other players to waste. Especially in sieges, Crowfall wants to provide many options.
Build siege engines such as catapults to bombard the castles from the outside. In the meantime, another group of players sneaks into the castle, surprising the defenders. You can leverage many tactical options, which is also important for group play.
Return to the Eternal Kingdom
At some point, the Hunger will begin to devour the world. Then you return to the Eternal Kingdom with everything you have achieved, which you will continue to expand based on your accomplishments. Thus, over time, you will establish a vast empire according to your vision. Here, you can expand your land parcel by parcel, build castles, establish villages, and much more.
It is also possible to connect players’ kingdoms to create trade routes. Trade and economy are another important aspect of the game. The economy is meant to be entirely player-driven.
And again and again, you travel to a new campaign world to conquer and achieve new things that will benefit you in the Eternal Kingdom.
Crowfall is still in development – Release, Open Beta
Currently, Crowfall is still in the alpha phase. Not all of the previously mentioned features have been implemented yet. The entire economic system and all relationships will be introduced gradually.
It is already possible to play a campaign and see how it progresses. However, not all features are integrated here either. The fundamental pillars and framework of Crowfall are in place, and the remaining game elements will be gradually implemented to ultimately achieve the MMORPG that has been described.
A soft launch of the game is planned for this year. This means the beta will start, which will then eventually open for everyone. This “Open Beta” will eventually transition into the release after several updates, without an official launch.
The transition will be seamless, and the label “Beta” will disappear when the developers believe Crowfall has reached a status that is good enough for a “release version”. This soft launch is still planned for 2018. However, it is not yet clear when exactly that will be.
What Crowfall offers you – Overview of Features
- Focus on PvP
- Conquest wars in the Dying Worlds
- Sieges
- Building castles and fortresses
- Gathering resources
- Character creation through bodies and parts
- Game is divided into campaigns
- Expansion of the Eternal Kingdom
- Player-driven economy
Crowfall currently finances itself through an in-game shop, where you can purchase not only access to the game in the form of founder packs, but additionally houses, castles, parcels, and decorative items for your Eternal Kingdom. This, along with the Kickstarter campaign from 2015, has led to over 20 million dollars being raised.
Furthermore, the developers received a funding boost from investors of 6 million dollars at the end of 2017 to accelerate development. Crowfall is distributed in Europe by Travian Games for PC. The model is Buy2Play.
