Chronological, player-driven World
"Players can write and change the history of the world. Grand Mundo (the game world) will be greatly affected by events happening in it. When strong bosses appear, they will send a meteor showers thorough the world, burn trees, freeze the lakes or wither the grass they walk on. And they are not limited to that. The same goes for Gods, whose appearance will be felt by entire world, blessing those who worship them and instilling fear to the infidels..."
According to Perfect World Entertainment, the world evolves with the players' decisions and goes through different time episodes according to events players experienced and decisions made. That means, two different servers might look totally different from each other. So choose wisely, because the sole story-maker is you. Not only that, Forsaken World is exclusively designed to appeal to the Western audience, with a world created on several mythologies and myths.
The God System
"Ever wished to be a divine being with thousands of followers and absolute control over your domain? in Forsaken World, 10 players per server will be able to achieve a status of a God, with different abilities, philosophies, enemies and allies. And no, its not a class. Its real(well, almost) godhood, with others becoming your followers and you having a total control over the Divine Realms you created, according to your will. Of course being a God also will have a great deal of burdens being put on your shoulders, so only those ready to bear the responsibilities, should accept the position..."
Players in Forsaken World can become a Deity. It is not known at this point how to become one, but there might be different ways to achieve greatness. Only ten players per server attain this honor. Gods will have special "World Skills" and might even have their own realm only they can access. But be careful, because not only the way to godhood is stony, it is also an unknown path. Your powers might rise and fall with your followers, there might be people intend to slay a God and you may have to choose who you side with, the Original God of light, Di Ousi, or the Original God of destruction, Neiss.
Soul PK
Not much is known on Pvp at the moment, but there will be Pvp, trust me. One special feature introduced to us is the "Soul Pk". This will make player versus player battles a lot more interesting:
"In Forsaken World, there is a new PK system called the Soul PK System. When players reach level 30, they will learn a new skill call "Soul Awakening". Players will need to switch on this status in order to deal full damage when PK-ing other players. Once the system is turned on, it will detect the weak spot of the opponent. When the spot is hit, bits of Soul will be spilled onto the ground.
The opposing player will then be able to absorb these Souls to gain more attack power. When the enough Souls are absorbed to fill the Soul bar, the player will enter the Soul Berserker status. Not only will the player's attack be maximized, but the equipments he or she is wearing will also gradually "awaken". The effect is described as "gorgeous", meaning the equipments should be glowing or shining brilliantly according to the amount of Souls collected.
It is not easy to get a full Soul bar though. If a player is not constantly collecting these Soul bits, their own Soul value will drop. When it gets to zero, they will return back to normal status (dealing minimal PK damage), letting the other player slaughter helplessly. So, it is important to time the battle carefully and also, collect the Soul bits diligently.
When the weak spot mentioned above is hit, the Soul bits will spill out within a small radius from the attacked player. If the opponent wants to absorb them, he will have to be moving constantly, so as the other player. This means "goodbye" to the plain old standing-facing-each-other PK system and also the over reliance on highly enhanced equipments. Players will now have to be much more agile in controlling their characters, make better judgment on positioning and move around more in order to survive."
This little excerpt was taken from Cinderboy's blog. As you can see, battles against other players will prove to be interesting and challenging. You will have to have a good strategy and a good control over your character to win.In the Chinese forums, discussions have also been going on about "movable magic", meaning the ability to change direction of your magic.
Intelligent Mob AI
Not only the Pvp shows great promise, Pve in Forsaken World will become a lot more interesting than in many other games too. This is guaranteed by the Mob AI (Artificial Intelligence). 2 experts from Princeton University and countless programmers from all over the world were hired to program mobs that actually "think" instead of blindly attacking.
Different mobs might act differently. For example, boars won't behave like spiders. Some mobs might protect certain items, like eggs and will attack when you come too close to these items, other mobs might call for help if they think you are too strong. Some boss mobs might even work together and think up strategies to weaken you.
This and the overworked fighting system promises that fights will be interesting and challenging, unlike many other games.Not only that, mobs in Forsaken World have very interesting designs. You can find "standard" mobs like wolves, but enemies like Dark Elves, Pirates, Dinosaurs, Dragons and many others aren't rare in Forsaken World.
You will also be able to "tame" normal mobs (see Pet System for more information).
Another important feature under Mob AI are Legendary Beasts. You heard right. Forsaken World has Legendary Beasts that are deeply connected with the world's lore.
From Cinderboy's blog:
"In Forsaken World, we know that there were once gods who created Grand Mundo, who fought great battles and wars, all mounted on their valiant beasts. As time grew and more wars were waged, these legendary beasts gradually went missing, hiding in various corners of Grand Mundo..."Most of these Beasts are still shrouded in mystery, where they can be found and how strong they really are. But it is a fact that players will be able to tame them as pets. There will be legendary Dragons, a phoenix, a hydra, steel-clad rhinoceros, griffin and a hell bat.
Considering their special Status, I can imagine that their AI has been specially designed, so facing these Beasts will be a very hard challenge for the players.
Pet System
Everyone who knows Perfect World Entertainment can attest that they have a special focus on the pet system.Forsaken World is no difference. Players can look forward to a variety of pets, because you can tame your very own. You heard right, it is possible to tame a mob and make it your pet. So if you like the enemy you are currently fighting against, it is more than possible to make it your ally.
Because Forsaken World has both pve and pvp, pets will probably have more of a supporting role, to not cause any imbalance. Some interaction features have been added, like "Comfort, Encourage, Punishment", to make your pet a more realistic partner for you. Your pet can be, depending on the situation, happy, sad, angry and has a mood gauge.
News about the pet system include a "Soul Pet System". According to reports, you will, after you kill a mob, sometimes see a "spirit mob" that you can catch, should you have learned the skill to tame and catch them, you can make this "spirit mob" your pet. The spirit pets have special abilities and you will have to make a contract with them. There is also a "Monster Pet Academy" that you will have to travel to for your pet to learn new skills. You will probably have to run through an instance to get them.
Mount System
Yes, Forsaken World will also feature mounts. At the moment, there is no "flying", "winged mounts" or "aerial combat", but there are rumors that in later content updates, there might be a chance for that to be added. Here are some pictures of possible mounts you can acquire (at the moment, it is not known if mounts will be bound to class or race, or if you can freely obtain any mount):
Instances
I am certainly no journalist, nor can I speak Chinese, so excuse me if I rely again on cinderboy's blog and the other, existing blogs to tell you more about instances in Forsaken World. The developer team asked veteran players about their preferences in Instances, since some like them fast, full of action, while others prefer slow-paced Instances they can enjoy. In the end, Forsaken World includes three types of Instances that you can experience:
2. "Innovative Instances: Some instances, like the Circus, do not require players to kill any mobs. This special instance test players' control skills, speed of reaction, team spirit with party members and even players' character. By solving questions, puzzles and obstacles with teammates, players can also reap fabulous rewards."
3. Then there are, of course, "old-school" Instances, meaning you search for some friends, team up and try to complete them for some rewards. Instances will feature bosses, so some may be really challenging. There are two known instances (King's Valley and Lost Watchtower) so far. There will be several of them, opening every hour. Each instance will vary in difficulty (so you can complete some only if you have a full party assembled) and each instance will have their own storyline.
Lost Watchtower:
King's Valley:
Profession System
For classes and races in Forsaken World, visit this link. But apart from them, players can also choose "sub-classes". These professions include Beast Tamer, Adventurer and many more and you can choose to become one or choose them all. There is no limit of how many you can be.
Some important professions you can attain before level 30 are gathering and producing. Gathering include gathering herbs (Herbalist), Geologist, Fisherman...
Production includes important professions like chef, artisan, alchemist or rune master. Alchemists, for example, are able to produce several enhancement potions to aid you on your journey, a chef can produce potions to heal HP and MP (after level 30, you won't be able to buy potions from npcs anymore, so the chef will probably become an important profession later on), the artisan can make accessory or socket gems, while the rune master can fill these sockets to give your gear different bonuses.
Production and Gathering are just two of many sub-classes. There is also the special professions, like adventurer, socialite, astronomers and conjurers. For adventurer and socialite, special requirements have to be met, you won't have to learn them from an npc. Astronomers and conjurers are only available after level 30. A socialite can gain various bonuses for his or her party, or threaten and convince a npc to run asks for him. The adventurer will know more about Grand Mundo than any other profession. Adventurers will have special "dark" skills like "Demon Hunt" and "keen senses". Astronomers will probably be able to influence the Forecast System, which is explained below in detail. This is just a small collection of professions you can attain in Forsaken World, so keep your eyes open if you want to find more of them.
Forecast System
There will be a "Horoscope" feature in Forsaken World. According to the movement of the stars, the forecast system will influence the player's luck, stats and some results greatly. The Forecast System follows the 12 zodiac signs.
Under the "Star of Fire", there is Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Under the "Star of Water", there is Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Under the "Star of Wind", there is Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. Rounding the lot up under the "Star of Earth", there is Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Each of the 4 stars has its own unique traits, with various other disciplines and rules about the vast topic of astrology added to this system.
When creating your character, you can choose your birth date. This birth date cannot be changed after you enter the game, so choose wisely. When the sky is ruled by your constellation of stars, players will be able to gain various bonuses, but may also have to face negative effects when the stars aren't in their favor. The profession system was already mentioned above, as was the Astronomer. This profession will be able to make even more precise predictions and forecasts on your horoscope.
In addition to the Forecast System, you also have the ability to "pray". Every class and race can pray. When your star constellation is on the rise, your odds of receiving the "God's blessing" will increase. At the same time, your "Faith Force" increases. The higher the "Faith Force", the higher the chance to receive bonuses and the better the bonuses you can gain. You may also receive fabulous gifts, such as "extra xp gain". You can pray once per hour.
Currency System
Have you ever played a game that was ruined by economy or inflation? Economy or currency inflation is one of the most problematic issues plaguing most games. In order to counter currency farming and prevent massive inflation, a new economy system is implemented in Forsaken World. This is known as the "Soul Currency" system.
There will be two currencies in Forsaken World:
"Soul Currency will be used to learn skills, buy potions, equipments... Other than trading with other players, Soul Currency can be used to purchase almost any items. Rewards from quests, mob drops and selling of equipments will only give players Soul Currency. This will definitely hit potential gold farmers hard. The tradeable, normal currency can only be gotten from instances and various in-game activities and events."
Weapon System
Players who have lost their weapons during enhancement know how frustrating that can be. In Forsaken World, this will be different. Rare weapons you collected won't be destroyed if you tried to enhance them. Even your enhancement level will remain (+1, 2...), even if the enhancement fails.
These are not the only good news. Many free to play games offer items to enhance or upgrade your weapon in the item shop. In Forsaken World, you will be able to collect the items you need by defeating mobs. The more you collect, the higher is the probability of success, so make sure to collect a lot of them!
There is more: Weapons in Forsaken World come in different qualities(white, green, blue, gold...). The higher the quality, the better the additional bonuses. Each weapon might have different bonuses (additional HP; MP, attack, etc.). In addition, bonuses can be added to the weapon.
One of the best features might possibly be that with each refinement or enhancement, your weapon *might* change shape.
XP Skills
XP Skills are special skills. Aside from the HP and MP bar, there is a green XP bar. The bar will fill by killing mobs. Once full, you can unleash powerful Area of Effect skills on mobs surrounding you. The XP skill means certain death for lower leveled mobs.
Each race has a different XP skill, with different effects. The developers made a special system for the XP skill to ascertain constant growth. Players will be able to learn new, stronger XP skills and level them up by doing special quests. That way, the damage is on par with the character and mob level. To avoid imbalance, XP skill are only available in pve, not in pvp battles.
Achievement System
Basically, all achievements of a player will be collected and recorded for later times. Players can not only collect their achievements, but read about the achievements of friends, should those friends be willing to share them. Achievements are not only important for the player, according to the achievements the playerbase has gained, the whole world might change.
"The very first way to gain achievement points is to collect various rare books or artifacts scattered around the vast world of Grand Mundo. This is especially important to the sub class, Collector. Players will also gain achievement points through various interesting encounters, completion of instances and many more. All the achievements will be recorded in detail, and it is possible players will be able to read each other's book of achievements to admire their journeys."
Indoors
Cinderboy's blog:
"This might not exactly be a main feature, but don't you ever get tired of looking at gorgeous buildings in a MMO, but yet the developers don't bother about designing an open space in them? In Forsaken World, many buildings have a nicely designed interior. Personally, this actually acts a touch of flair to the whole game."
Guilds in Forsaken World
However, it is confirmed that there will be floating guild fortresses and huge guild battles...
Cultures
As already mentioned, Grand Mundo is influenced by the Western Culture. As such, you will be able to find different cultures represented in Forsaken World, for example the Mayan Culture.
For example, the Dwarf is said to start off in a "snow-covered land".
The elves will start in a forest.
Vampires will start in a "desert city" with an ancient feeling to it.
There isn't anything known about the Titan and Human's starting place.
This is just a collection of features you will find in Forsaken World. For more in-depth information, you might want to visit the forsakenjournal or Cinderboy's blog...