New MMORPG: 9Dragons

Downloaded a free MMORPG game today called 9Dragons. A game set in China's Ming Dynasty, it's a martial arts mmo with 6 clans to choose from, 3 White Clans and 3 Black Clans. Think of it as a more polished version of Silkroad Online.

Just started the game, and so far so good. I liked the fact that there are 6 starting areas, 1 for each clan. The six clans are Shoalin (it's how the game spelled it. I think for legal reasons), Wu-Tang and The League of Beggars for the white clans and Heavenly Demon, Sacred Flower and The Brotherhood of Thieves for the bad guys. There is some risks taken by the developers in making Shoalin an all-male clan and Sacred Flower an all-female clan (if you are not of the right gender, you can't join them) but this is in line with the real Shaolin Temple's history. There are also 3 advanced clans but I'm not sure if anyone can join them yet as the game is still in beta (and I haven't reach that far).

There's hell a lot of kung-fu skills to learn. I'll already came across 6 of them and the skills are based on what kind of weapons you use. So, basically you can become a great unarmed martial arts expert, a swordsman, a monk using a staff etc. It's all up to you.

The gameworld is big. Each starting area has its' own map and there are other areas where you can do higher level quests. For a guy who liked to explore, this is a big plus. What I do not like is that you must be at least Level 20 before you can enter a clan and learn their clan-based skills. I guessed for people who are undecided on what clan to join, this is a good thing but it will take a while to reach 20.

And like most MMO, there is grinding. Killing things for the sake of experience and gaining levels, but every game has that so I can't complain that much about it. It's also not that crowded because it's quite new. So take a look at 9Dragons, it's interesting and more importantly...it's free.