Ignis: Molok, Dark Elf, and Esquelio.

New players select one of three beginner classes; Warrior, Archer, or Mage. At level 10, players have two specialization options per initial class. Warriors may become a Knight or Barbarian, Archers can chose from Marksmen or Hunter, and Mages may select Warlock or Conjurer. Regnum Online has 5 basic stats; Concentration, Intelligence, Constitution, Strength and Dexterity. Players are given 5 points to distribute among these stats during character creation but they rise automatically afterward. Appearance customization is respectable in Regnum, players have several face, hair, and height customization options as well as hair/beard color choices.

Each realm has its own starting area but the initial quests are all similar. Players are introduced to combat with a kill quest followed by several more quest lines which introduce the player to various NPCs in nearby towns. Regnum has a classic W,A,S,D control scheme but be aware that ‘Q’ will trigger auto-run and ‘E’ will put your character into walk mode. Oddly, there is no way to jump. The graphics are acceptable but feel dated.

Regnum Online is heavily centered on PvP between the three realms. Many areas are contested and can be claimed by one of the three factions and holding these areas grants special benefits to the realm in control. Regnum also included a special Arena where all players can freely attack others. Regnum includes one strange feature which I haven’t seen anywhere else, the daily ‘tiredness’ timer. After playing for 4 hours, your character will start to receive only 40% experience from monsters and after 6 hours the experience rate is reduced to 20%. I can’t decide whether this feature is meant to discourage excessive play or to encourage the purchase of premium bonus EXP scrolls.

June 19th, 2009