Allods vs. WoW: Let the Battle Begin

Allods vs. WoW: Let the Battle Begin By Wilmer Rodriguez I'm a long time mmorpg gamer, with roots my far back as Ultima Online. I have seen this industry grow from it's humble beginning's. This is my passion, this is my way of life. There is nothing i love to do more than have a few drinks and go raiding with my buddies. I am very blunt i don't beat around the bush. Always striving to find the next big thing in this industry and become a part of it.

In the last few weeks there has been more and more heated arguments about these 2 games. I'm going to break it down to you guys and give you the facts. Allods Online is a sleeping giant that is ready to wake up and decapitate a few heads in the mmorpg industry. This is a Free to play game by Astrum Nival a Russian mmo developer. Yes you heard right, a Russian mmo developer. I never saw it coming...It kind of sucker punch me when i first found out. So, i decided to get in to the close beta, and see what this game was all about. I had never had such a full mmo experience since playing WoW, I played WoW for 5 years and I loved every second of it, always looking for the next big thing that would take me from the grip of this game. Allods Online is very similar in gameplay to WoW, also the graphics are a lot more polished than WoW, but still has that same cartoony look. So it was very easy for me to make the transition to this game.

WoW has plenty of end content to keep you occupied for years, but it has one flaw. The end game content of the game gets to be very repetitive and mundane. And the only way to get the best gear in the game is to join these so called raiding guilds. And this usually means having to make a gaming commitment, kind of like a part time job. This means having to be ready for raids, being on time every single raid and have good attendance. Not only that but you have to also help the guild gather materials to craft such things as repair bots, potions etc etc. This takes the gaming experience and turns it in to a job. And when a game does that they have done something wrong. The PvP on WoW is a nice way to get out of these raiding commitments, but the gear you get from it is never as good as the gear from raiding. Also the World PvP has lost it's appeal. In WoW they use more resources for making raiding content, rather than to try to have World PvP events, to remind gamers that this game is at heart a game about a conflict Between the alliance and the horde.

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Allods Online has taken key elements from WoW without aiming to be the next WoW or just another clone. The character classes and the mechanics in which they work have nothing in common with WoW.  Even the combat is different, starting with the fact that Allods Online has no auto attack. That's right no auto attack, you have to use your skills in the right times to win a battle. So.. it seems The Church of Gold Farmers will have a hard time in this game. Now let's talk about the end game content of this game which is quite unique. In astral space they have this allods, with means land owned independently without superior claim, rent, or payment in service. These floating masses of land act like Instances with a wide variety of monsters and bosses waiting to be killed and looted.You will constantly be at war with the other faction for the rights to these treasure gold mines. And the only way to get to this Allods is by Airship.

These airships are maned by players, there are a variety of roles you play, as a crew member of these airships. You have your navigator, who is in charge of telling the pilots were he has to go to find the next allod.  You have the pilots, there are 3 pilots slots each one has a specific job in maneuvering the airship. You also have your mechanics, who help fix damage caused during battle. You also have crew members in charge of the shield and making sure they stay up. Another, is in charge of the generator and making sure it doesn't overheat and explode. And of course your have your gunners, you have around 12 cannons if not more per airship.  There are many more jobs you can do as a crew member of these airships, all these jobs are key for success.

Airship Comparison
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Airship battles are going to be the most intense experiences you will ever have in your mmorpg experience. When ships take damage you can see it, eventually as the battle rages on you will start seeing holes on the ship from the damage. This is when the mechanics start to shine repairing alot of the damage. These battles can get so intense that eventually people on other airships start to board your own. It would be wise to have extra people on defence to make sure you don't get overwhelmed. Another thing to consider once you have killed all the monsters on an allod and you are ready to head to town with bags full of treasure, be careful not to get attacked. Because there will be players from the opposite faction that want that treasure. All that treasure is stored on the treasure room of the Airship. You would do well to guard it with your life!! As enemies who board your airship can steal it.

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As you can see Allods online is not a WoW clone, the end content is entirely different and more exiting. So whoever is comparing this game to WoW has no idea what they are talking bout. Further more, this game is free to play and WoW is not. Don't treat this as a WoW Free to play alternative. Is every bit as good as any of the pay 2 play games out there, with a far superior end game content that could keep you playing for years.

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