Initial Allods Review

So, it's been a couple of days since I started playing Allods. Currently, I am a lv17 Elf Mage. Time for a review!


Pros:
CUSTOMIZATION!11!!1!!
There is extreme uniqueness in the builds. A combination of extremely particular stat balancing, combined with a talent tree and a ruby tree, leaves room for tons of different builds, even amongst the same classes. This is something that I value greatly in games, so it's a huge plus for me.

Death.
There's no EXP loss on death. You get sent to Purgatory, where you wait a bit. The time you wait is dependent on how long ago your last death was. So, if you don't die often, it is only around a 30sec wait. Much better than losing EXP.


Cons:
The Grind.
Relatively, the grind is slow. The game has a "fatigue" system. The simple way to put it is: every day, you get a certain amount of fatigue. While you still have fatigue, you get double exp. When it runs out, you're stuck levelling slower. It gives you a soft cap of when to stop grinding each day, and so makes levelling considerably slower than average.

The Mobs.
The game revolves around less mobs, but more EXP per mob. This makes it difficult when there are a lot of players in the area, as there are not enough mobs to go around. It seems to occur much in lower-level areas, and doesn't seem to be a problem at my level now.


Unknown:
PVP.
Open PK (a.k.a. between two factions) supposedly occurs level 20+. Obviously, I am not lv20+ yet, so I don't know. From the random duels I have, it does require skill to go well. It's not just purely build + items = who wins. Skill matters.

Ships.
Apparently, there are ship vs ship fights. You buy your ship and then you can fight with it. It costs obscene amounts of money to get, and I don't have anywhere close to enough. It sounds promising.


Overall:
The pros and cons, number-wise, seem about even, but that just doesn't do this game justice. The game relies much more heavily on your skill. Quick decision in the fights is what makes or breaks your fights, which is something I value highly in games. Combine this with the high customization and it looks like my cup of tea.

~Pearz