A planet of peril, a fight for survival
Asheron’s call set on the fictional planet of Auberean was one of the first 3 major MMO titles created by Turbine games. With the initial success of Asheron’s call, many players were excited for the sequel “The fallen King”. Players were able to emerge in a world that was ravage by the aftermath of the cataclysm and try their best to pick up the pieces, all the while warring with each other and other factions for control of the planet.
The door closed December 2005
Unfortunately the sequel did not live up to the hopes of the player base and failed to achieve enough subscribers to be viable, and thus the game lay buried amongst other fallen MMOs. That was until this month, when Turbine announced that the game was now available for players with a paid subscription to Asheron’s Call to try the beta re-launch of the game. Rumors abound as to why this resurrection has occurred; some are guessing that it is a way to test the new physics engine that the company has acquired for its game, others speculate that the time frame is a better setting for such a game then the early 2000’s were. All that remains clear is that this is yet another bold step for Turbine/WB Games, who had already had massive success with game subscription restructuring with their free to play launch of both Lord of the Rings Online, and Dungeons and Dragons Online Ebberon Unlimited.
What can players expect from Asheron’s Call 2?
A player of AC2 has up to five races and up to eight different paths to choose from, in classic MMO style you could play a tank, dps, healer, mage or specialist. Players gain levels by participating in quests, hunting mobs or turning in items to NPCs which garners experience points. Experience points also allow players to purchase skill points which help further your characters power and abilities. After level 50 players can begin “Heroes Initiative” which allows you to level up to 150. The game also boasts an extensive crafting system which could help your characters with crafted armor and weapons. In the PVP system, Kingdom vs. Kingdom, players can join a kingdom alliance and pit their skills against others in epic battles for dominance. Player versus Player in Asheron’s Call 2 is consensually based to help new players avoid the perils of being ganked while learning the ropes. PVP also has no effect on character progression, which is gained by completing quests which advance the overall world storyline.
What will this re-launch do for the MMO world?
Many players of MMOs can think of at least one or two titles that they wish were still around, from the recent loss of City of Heroes to Tabula Rasa. Seeing Asheron’s Call 2 resurrected may just give hopes to those who miss old games, and with the rash of free to play doppelgangers that have followed Turbine’s footsteps, who knows what other games maybe resurrected from the MMO graveyard.
You can download the game using this link.
But remember, the beta re-launch of Asheron's Call 2 is available only to those who have paid subscriptions to Asheron's Call - whether this will change in the future is unknown at this time but more than likely.
