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Eschalon: Book II

Publisher:Vivendi Universal Games
Developer:Mythic Entertainment
Release Date:2001-10-09
Genre:
  • Massively Multiplayer,Role-Playing
Platforms: Theme: Perspective:
  • Third-Person
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Mythic has taken vast measures to ensure that characters will be very different from one another. During character creation, players will first choose the realm in which they wish to begin their adventuring career. This is a very important decision, as only one realm can be chosen for that player's account per server. Why? At high levels, characters will be involved in team-based PvP warfare between realms and Mythic has taken measures to deter players from creating characters in opposing realms in order to spy on their enemy. Not only that, but characters from different realms will not even be able to communicate with one another, which will further keep players from becoming allies with opposing realm players.

After choosing your realm, you will then decide upon a race. Your choice of races is dependant upon the realm you initially chose. For the realm of Albion, you will have the choices of Britain, Highlander, Avalonian, and Saracen. Hibernia players will have access to the Elves, Humans, Firbolgs, and the small, dexterous Lurikeen. If you've chosen the realm of Midgard, you'll have access to the Human, Dwarf, Troll, or Kobold races. Once you've decided on a race, you'll have some customization to do for your character's general appearance. You can alter your the hair color, size (small, medium, or large), facial look, and gender.

Your last choice will be your class, which will initially be Fighter, Acolyte, Rogue, or Mage. However, once you have progressed to the fifth level, you can further customize your profession by joining a guild. For example, a Mage in Albion may choose to join a few different guilds, with each following a different path of magic. This will effectively change your class to that of a Wizard, Sorceror, or Theurgist, depending on the guild. Your race and class decisions will determine your starting statistics and additional points will be able to be distributed at your discretion during initial character creation. DAoC will also provide players the ability to give their character a further sense of uniqueness during the game by providing specialization points upon each increase in level that can be assigned to an assortment of skills or abilities.

For more cosmetic changes, you will be able to find or purchase a large range of visually distinct armor within the course of the game. And, reminiscent of Ultima Online, each piece will be able to be dyed or enameled a different color. This will allow for player guilds or allies to establish a (color code) within their ranks. I know it doesn't sound like much, but this is one facet of Ultima Online I really missed during my EverQuest days. Character customization is integral to a role-playing game, and Mythic's implementation comes as a welcome addition.