Better late than never I suppose. I wrote this shortly after CBT1 but didn't get around to recording audio so I didn't post it. No point in not sharing over that so here it is.
Elyon, a Korean-developed MMO coming to NA in 2021, wasn’t on my radar until recently. I first heard about it from YouTuber and recent Twitch partnered streamer, KiraTV (https://www.youtube.com/c/KiraTV1). With quality MMOs for a Western audience being thin on the ground the past several years, I stopped trolling gaming news. Instead, I rely on content creators to keep me updated. After watching Kira’s video with some footage of the Korean version, I registered on the NA site when it went live and signed up for CBT1 as soon as it was offered. Ding, I got an invite.
Historically, MMOs developed for Asian audiences don’t keep me until max level. They’re always gorgeous, with nice combat, class variety, and solid mechanics. However, they lose me in the upper levels when content is sparse and questing is replaced by pure mob grinding. If I survive that part, I definitely part ways when the crafting uses RNG, gear enhancements require grinding some dust, stone, gem, whatever, and the former is compounded by RNG success to apply the damn thing. I don’t leave bitter. I enjoy Asian MMOs for the length of time they suit my playstyle and move on to the next thing.
As much as I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Elyon CBT1, I expect the same outcome in the long run. From three days of playing, it’s definitely the best I’ve played of the imports minus ArcheAge prior to the NA cash shop fiasco at release. It outdoes AA in several ways but I really enjoyed farming, husbandry, and housing in AA. For that reason alone, it remains in the top spot of the Asian imports for me.
What I Enjoyed
I haven’t experienced a starter zone as fully realized and lush with content since Age of Conan. You don’t initially realize you’re in a tutorial until they boot you out. It contained multiple zones, varied quests, showed you a sampling of how to engage in combat, and utilize basic features such as mounts, gliding, upgrading your gear, etc.
The graphics and art style are gorgeous. No surprises there but it also performs very well. I only experienced lag spikes a couple of times and both were when I was capturing video footage while whizzing across the landscape, and that’s playing on a laptop at 1080P on high settings.
For the combat, it’s action-based with a handful of classes that adhere to the holy trinity ensemble. Combat is fast. The animations are plentiful and fluid. And like most Asian games, they go for making you feel like a badass while mowing down mobs. If you like the over-the-top, always feeling god-like such as in BDO, you’ll be happy to find the same in Elyon. Even grinding mobs in a set area can be pleasing and relaxing because the zones are aesthetically attractive with interesting bits in the background and skybox. You also encounter vertical content that requires climbing and jumping puzzles.
A cross between GW2 and New World, you’re limited in the number of spells you can place on your Hotbar. Buttons are unlocked at different intervals. So while you may have a large variety of abilities learned, you’ll need to decide which ones to equip and spend attributes on. To support build variety within this system, you can save different builds and swap them at will, including free respecs.
I only tried one class. I had planned on trying the Warlord, which is the tank, in addition to the Mystic, which is the healer. However, the Mystic stole my soul. This is hands-down the most offensive healing class I’ve ever seen, much less played. Picking up healing spells is optional if you’re okay being a second-place spellcaster to the Elementalist. You have an insane amount of crowd control and nice damage. I can see Mystic being viable as a DPS support class.
Killing mobs on speed dial - no waiting for mana regen or having to heal my character felt extremely overpowered. And perhaps it’s owed a bit of a nerf. I can imagine this class being hell on wheels in group PVP. It’s also recommended in the party composition for 5-man dungeons. Speaking of dungeons, there is solo and 5-man content. I tried to get into a group for the 5-man but never found a party. Likely due to the fact that it was the final hours of the last day of the beta before I bothered to try. Quests and mobs dropped enough equipment that I was regularly upgrading my gear. However, I have since read the dungeons are essential for gear advancement. There’s an auction house for buying and selling but I never took a peak given the short duration of the event.
Things I Didn’t Enjoy
It goes without saying that liking and disliking are subjective. What floats my boat may not be enjoyable for someone else and vice versa. Unless I missed a trick, the pure grind started earlier than I expected in Elyon. Before level 30 I ran out of quests other than the first 5-man. Using the suggested zone accuracy points and levels associated with areas displayed on the map, I traveled to the next village but there were no quests to be had there.
Until that point, I was only killing a few mobs at a time to satisfy quest requirements. Suddenly, I had to re-evaluate the abilities on my bar and how I’d allocated my attribute points to see if I could construct a build for grinding. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which I concocted a Mage-like spec. No research or belaboring over the decision. I threw something together and I was on my way. I’m sure it wasn’t optimal but it got the job done in a way that suited my preference for mobility.
I didn’t know how quickly I’d end up in PVP-contested territory trying to level. If I had to, I wanted to be able to fight on the run if necessary and the Mystic did not disappoint. Regardless, reverting to AOE grinding at level 28 was a bit of a shock given how plentiful quests had been up until that point. If standing in an area and mindlessly slaughtering mobs isn’t your thing, you’re not going to like that aspect of Elyon.
Now we arrive at my biggest dislike related to Asian MMOs. I dislike RNG in general but I ABHOR IT… DESPISE IT in crafting. When I spend the time to grind or buy components, crafting them together should simply work - period. If you want to make it skilled-based, I’m game. However, when there’s no skill/interactions involved ala EQ2 but instead you want to rob me of my time and money - in-game or real-life currency with RNG, I full stop will bail. I played along a little bit with ArcheAge but eventually gave up. Furthermore, the minute I see dust, bobs, and breaking down old gear in a game with a Cash Shop, I already know what’s coming and it’s not for me.
To stay competitive, which you must to a degree with open-world PVP, you’ll be forced to grind for these items and there’s usually RNG involved in applying them adding insult to injury. There’s also concern that for the Cash Shop to be profitable drop rates for items sold tend to be poor to incentivize cash purchases.
Since the first MMO I ever played, EQ1, crafting is my end game. Running through the world harvesting while chatting with friends, is an activity I find relaxing. When that process is intersected by RNG and Cash Shop elements it becomes a path I decline. Removing my favorite form of end-game is the death knell for me remaining at max level if I even bother to grind that far. It pretty much ensures that I’ll be looking for another form of entertainment within a couple of months or more. This saddens me about Asian import games with Cash Shops. It’s not the CS I object to. I don’t mind, and freely - sometimes too much, buy cosmetic gear, housing items, and even convenience features like fast travel. What I don’t support is the loot box approach to crafting and upgrading gear.
Conclusion
Unless New World has released by the time Elyon arrives, I’ll be playing Elyon and enjoying what I can for as long as I can. I’ll level until the point that it becomes odious to me. I’ll craft non RNG items if they exist. I’ll partake of player housing. Play dress up and participate in world PVP if I join a guild. I’ll do what I enjoy for as long as I enjoy it, and depart a satisfied customer as I did with Terra Online, BDO, and similar titles.
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