A new MMORPG has appeared online, as Elyon opens its doors to its first western beta period. After being officially released in Korea, the game is looking to localize for Western countries by supporting both European and North American servers. Game Rant was invited to take part in this beta experience to see what Eylon has to offer the MMO community.
Based on concepts that are common throughout multiple Korean MMOs, Eylon returns with a two-faction system warring over a newfound continent. While many familiar MMORPG themes are present, the game has an innovative spin on class creation, crafting, and in-game PVP action. While there are no official release dates as of yet, Eylon is off to a strong start in competing among the MMO market.
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Upon launching the game, players are asked to choose between the Vulpin and the Ontari realms. The Vulpin are the noble leaders who are fighting for honor, while the Ontari are idealists hoping to push the country into a new beginning. Both sides are equal in strength, but a player's selection does determine their permanent realm. Once selected, the account is bound to that side for all future characters.
After players have decided on their faction affiliation, the game moves to character creation, where the developers offer an in-depth customization process. Almost every part of the character model can be adjusted regardless of race or class selection. As far as MMO character creation goes, this title allows players to generate a look that can be entirely unique.
Almost immediately, the game throws players into the midst of chaos. Depending on their class, players are given appropriate gear and then thrown into combat. The game takes full advantage of the player's mouse and keyboard for combat navigation as the game uses a third-person active system. Players will have to dodge, duck, swing, and fight using whatever skills they have to stay alive.
The controls were easy to pick up, and after a few confrontations, the classes begin to feel natural. Players get to select their abilities as they level, and progress offers further chances for customization. After level 15, players should have a good idea of how they want their class to work and have customized the character accordingly.
Despite being a beta, the combat system was smooth and classes begun to feel powerful at higher levels. Encounters that were once difficult became easy, and the progression throughout the game felt well-paced for an MMO environment. Even grinding was a joy as monsters could be pulled into large masses and then wiped through with only a few abilities.
Do note that the combat is very reminiscent of Tera and relies on dodging and reflexes for most of the defensive maneuvering. Players have to be light on their feet since enemy damage can often be severe.
Gear constantly cycled for the early levels but around the mid-point, players settle into a comfortable set. Mounts and gliders are key to transportation, and the game has several collectible quests set up for players who wish to gather achievements and items from throughout the world.
The core of this game revolves around its class customization features. Players are able to prioritize skills that favor their fighting style while simultaneously specializing in their future roles. Almost every class can be adjusted to fight, heal, tank, or support, depending on the skills acquired and upgraded. Players can save preset skill bars and switch between battles to better suit the combat situation that they are presented with.
As an MMORPG, it is important that the game provide sufficient opportunities for players to interact together. The game offers several chat channels along with guilds for players to group up with. While socialization is only a fraction of the game experience, the developers have made the interactions easy and completely dependant upon player involvement.
Dungeons and World Bosses are difficult enough to require proper organization. It was not long before players were grouping together to conquer the World Bosses scattered throughout the map, and the game promotes group dungeon expeditions. the game also has a queue system so that players can clear content without needing to directly request assistance.
The game is a tad grindy at times, as players will need to cycle quests and complete monotonous objectives to progress. While many of the rewards justify the extra time commitment, more ambitious players may feel like the game is dragging on. This is an experience where the player sets the pace, but sometimes grinding a few levels can give a player a much-needed advantage before the next story quest.
There is also a balanced nature between the game's PvE content and PvP interactions. While there is PvP involved in the game's main quest, after a short battle, the story moves on, and players no longer need to battle it out. PvP becomes an optional feature that players can invest in, but the game refocuses on PvE for main story quests and further crafting expeditions.
PvP is handled through individual open-world battles, matchmaking queues, and larger territory control-based conflicts. Players can enter massive realm on realm battles that pit up to 200 players against each other or remain in small interactions. Like most MMORPGs, the PvP ended up being a brutal test of skill and a perfect opportunity to test a build against an overly aggressive opponent.
Larger conflicts bring in artillery, mechas, and dragons for players to wield in battle. Each comes with easy-to-learn controls and mixes in powerful animations that make the battle feel aggressive and adrenaline-filled. This is not a single-target experience as players will be targeting hordes of enemy combatants. Victory is based on points earned throughout the match, and individual awards are given for player participation.
The game is expected to launch with full gathering, crafting, trading, and commerce features. During the beta, players were starting to explore the entry into these fields but were limited by the beta's timed nature. Once the game launches, the commerce will be player-driven, and crafting may be more viable than looting the dungeons or completing the quest lines.
At the time of beta, there are no microtransactions, but the game feels as if it is designed with a boutique shop in mind. From luck-based equipment advancement to cosmetic items, there will likely be out-of-game purchases that could end up skewing the balance of the game's PvP nature. Until the full release is seen, this feature remains a mystery to fans of the game.
Overall, the game experience felt thrilling, and the story was evolving quickly. Players rarely feel lost within the chaos, and the game does a good job pacing out content in a logical way. While there are some concerns with PvP balance and microtransaction possibilities, the game feels like an MMORPG that will push the genre forward rather than holding it back.
Elyon will release on PC.