"The most balanced MMRPG game ever!"

First of all let me say this. I am disappointed with all the negative reviews on this web site. I'm not saying you can't have your own opinion, but please, base it on the overall game, not one aspect of it. Most bad reviews are told by saying how boring the game is..just automatically killing monsters. Well that's just one part of a good MMRPG game. Daoc is balanced between all aspects of an MMRPG game, so I have rated it an 8, falling far above Everquest, and just under Ultima Online.

Here are the essential ingredients in a MMRPG game.

PvM (People vs Monsters) - When your character fights against computer monsters. DAOC does rank a little poorly with this category. It is true that you are forced to kill the same monsters over and over again at some lvls. However, the grouping system of DAOC, where you join with up to 7 other players to slay monsters, allows you to get to know your realm, while your ''automatically'' killing creatures. I give DAOC a 6 in this category.

PvP (People vs People) - When your character fights against other players characters. DAOC ranks high in this category. Not as much as some great pvp games like Ultima Online, but it certainly is fun. The pvp style of DAOC is called RvR (realm vs realm). When you first begin your character you are forced to decide which realm you wish to fight for, you may never switch realms on that server EVER. The concept designed by Mythic Entertainment is to eliminate the chaos of PvP where any player is aloud to attack any other. They did this by forcing realms to fight with each other to get what they want. The object of RvR is to obtain relics for your realm. Each relic gives a high bonus too your realm. The only problem with this system is, there is still the factor of one realm becoming incredibly strong, that the other two can never hold a relic. Still I am glad to give DAOC a 10 in this category.

Alliances/Guilds/Clans - This has been mostly a player run option in the past. Players can choose to create guilds (teams). So each player can benefit from the guild. DAOC is perfect with this concept. DAOC has taken control of the guild system, regulating guild names, symbols, etc. Not only have they brought order to the guild system, but the brought great benefits for having a strong guild. If your guild is strong enough, you can take a keep(fort located in the lands where PvP can occur). The guild flag is then Raised high above the keep, letting anyone who passes by share in the glory. As I said before, DAOC is absolutely perfect in this category - 10.

Character Personalization - The lvl at which a player can Personalize his character's appearance, skills, and clothing. DAOC is about average here. All though there are specific races that all look generally alike, the clothing and armor can be dyed to personalize your character effectively. Not much to say thou, I gave DAOC a 8 in this category.

Action/Strategy - The amount of ''skill'' it takes to effectively play the game. DAOC ranks extremely high in this category. It is thought of by most people that in PvM, you just automatically kill monsters. This is not the case. I, and many others, have found ways to easily kill more difficult monsters by imputing a specific strategy. For instance, a simple one that can be used by a mage (character who casts spells on the enemy). Instead of constantly casting damage spells on the monster, which cannot kill more difficult beings, you could cast damage, then ''freeze'' a monster, run back and cast again until it is destroyed. In the PvP facet, the numerous ways of sneaking up on the enemy, and backstabbing them, feezing them, or many other strategies, make DAOC an excellent strategy game, 9.

Overall a great game! The only thing I would fix in DAOC, is the extremely slow help system. In other games, like Ultima Online, a request for help is answered in less then an hour, usually 5 min. In those games, up to 10 workers from the company who makes the game, are online to help you. In DAOC, only 1, sometimes 0. It takes over a day at times to get any help. But the techs at Mythic have gotten all the major bugs out of the game already. After nearly 5 months of DAOC, I have never once had to use the appeal system. Aside from this, DAOC contains great graphics, great gameplay, and all the necessary ingredients in an MMRPG game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/16/02, Updated 03/16/02