Why you SHOULD try Revelation Online!

Exin

Hello everyone. Since the OBT date for Revelation was recently announced, as someone who played in all 3 CBTs and a little on the Chinese server, I feel obligated to share with you my opinion about the game. 

Keep in mind that I've leveled up to level ~60. The worst part of the initial experience is the fact that you have to get through the first 40 levels (approx. 4-5h game). That's how long the tutorial / story quests take. During this time you don't learn much, do only some very easy trial dungeons and it's generally not that fun. From level 30 onwards, the game gradually opens. At 49 (2-3 days of playtime, depending if you play solo or in a group).

Pluses:

- the game encourages group play - for someone coming from Black Desert this is HUGE. Although you still can and will achieve almost the same as people playing in party, you will be required to join a team for dungeons/battlegrounds etc.

- A lot of content:

  – PVE: dungeons – 5 people, raids – 10-20 people, solo challenges, fractions, open world, open world events like GW2. I recommend watching this video of how a level 60+ dungeon look like - harder bosses start at 9 minutes: 

  – PVP: sieges, battlegrounds (10v10, 20v20, 30v30), 3v3 ranked, deathmatch, open world and many others - there is a 500v500 planned;

  – daily PVE and PVP events;

  – extensive and meaningful crafting system, although hard to get to know at the beginning, it's very rewarding; also fishing;

  – extensive character development, skills and items (point distribution, weapon and armor enchanting, prefixes, sufixes, cultivation of character and skills);

  – trading: merchant system – like Archeage, player shops – like Lineage 2, and of course auction house;

  – extensive guild system (guild quests, guild bosses, GvG PVP, craft, buffs, trade);

  – excellent movement (double jump, wings, flying mounts that can get from 1 to 50 people; ground mounts are mainly for instances);

  – mentoring system with significant benefits;

– good graphics – ok, you cannot compare this game's graphics with Black Desert, since BDO is in separate league with only BD in it, but a plus of a little worse graphics is game performance during mass PVP – in addition, there’s a battlewear system that limits the details on characters during PVP, so the game will go run pretty well and look good even on weaker computers;
- No gender locks;
- Not much RNG, and the RNG that is present is quite forgiving.

Regarding how you can spend real money in Revelation:

1) You can buy skins, wings and mounts (although you can get a couple of each through normal gameplay, f.e. as a reward in some challenges)

2) You can buy items that are needed for enhancing your equipment and skills – this is kinda controversial, since if you invest heavily, you will be 2-3 months ahead of someone who hasn’t spent anything. Everything in the cash shop is obtainable through normal gameplay, but it will take time to catch up with someone who invested thousands of dollars/euro. However, if you invest heavily, you will hit the cap in terms of enhancing gear (majority of stuff is transferable between the same types of items. For example, if you have a level 37 weapon, you can transfer your enchants to level 49 weapon, or if you craft level 59 weapon using your level 49 weapon. Now once you hit the cap, everyone else start to catch up. Also, there’s no single item in the cash shop that allows you to obtain gear faster or get whole pieces of gear through the cash shop.

3) Convenience items – bag expansions, zip skill refresher (you can TP to certain NPCs using this skill) 

Keep in mind, that you can buy premium currency (Aurums) using in-game money (Gythils).

Minuses:

- It's like I said, some people have different interpretations of P2W. For some, what is in the Revelation cash shop is P2W and nothing will change their mind. Others, when seeing that there are no unique items, that permanently make someone unreachable from the non-paying players, will categorize it as NON-P2W. In my opinion cash shop will only influence PVP at the very top level and only for a limited amount of time;

- Chinese climate and a lot of typical Eastern content: loli characters, places sometimes detached from the game reality - this will not appeal to everyone;
- The game doesn't have any new, breakthrough features; 

- Autopathing, although the distances are quite big, so it is sometimes useful, when you need a moment to move away from the computer or do something else;

- Publisher of dubious past, but it is worth noting that the game is most likely licensed different basis that their previous games, which are usually from small developers, over which my.com have much power - here, there is NetEase, the second largest company of its kind in China and the game is to be a showcase of their portfolio;
- Early game is a big turn-off (couple hours of play time) more on this below.

To sum up: A lot of the reviews are from people who haven't reached level 40-50 and, to be honest, they have no clue about the game. I would recommend to test the game yourself, in the OBT and evaluate the content after level 40

Short description of the early stages of the game:

Levels 1-30 (1h game) - tutorial / story quest - nothing interesting, you learn very basic mechanics, pretty much F/Space spam

Levels 30-45 (2-5h game) - generally leveling, we begin to learn about mechanics, dungeons

Levels 45-49 (5-6h, on the second day) - more and more content, at 49 a large part of dungeons with several levels of difficulty is unlocked

Levels 50+ - the amount of Content to gratify a few games

It is worth noting that the Levels 1-45 pass very quickly. At level 45 it is starting to get slower to level up. You are supposed to stay at 49/59/69 for some time to gear up for further content (your experience, up to some point, will be stored  - you have to manually click to level up). In my opinion, it is worth to invest the 4-5 initial hours to see what Revelation really is - and it is a good with rich and extensive features.

I'm open to constructive criticism and if anyone has any questions about the game, please post them here, I will do my best to answer all of them!
Sorry for any grammar errors, English is not my native language.

Edit:
Guides for new players:
You should begin here: http://dulfy.net/category/ro/
Guide to gold gear: http://mrgerrm.com/revelation-online-everything-you-need-to-get-your-gold-set/
Interactive map - important for crafting: http://map.revelationonline.co/
Dungeons & raids breakdown: http://mrgerrm.com/revelation-online-dungeon-raid-information-tables/
Helpful tips: 
Crafting basics: 
Guild guide: 

Scorchien

Dam it , I need a bath after reading that

Viper482

Way to discredit the opinions of those who are about to disagree with you before they even open the thread.....

Oh, and the game sucks. Just my opinion.

Theocritus

Usually when people spend little time in a game its because its bad and not worth spending any more time in.

Shadanwolf

I'm a solo player ....The devs made this game for someone else...not me.

Exin

Shadanwolf said:

I'm a solo player ....The devs made this game for someone else...not me.

Well, it's an MMO so it kinda makes sense, that the game encourages group content. But I agree, there are better options for you, if you are a strict solo player. 

Exin

Theocritus said:

Usually when people spend little time in a game its because its bad and not worth spending any more time in.

The initial experience is not good, and this is a big problem, unfortunately.

Mikeha

Nice

Sovrath

Thanks for the write-up. I appreciate the time you took to speak to the pros and cons.

Exin

Scorchien said:

Dam it , I need a bath after reading that

If you refer to the initial grammar errors - I have re-read everything and corrected lots of them. The first version had lots of errors, sorry for that!

azurrei

Exin said:

Shadanwolf said:

I'm a solo player ....The devs made this game for someone else...not me.

Well, it's an MMO so it kinda makes sense, that the game encourages group content. But I agree, there are better options for you, if you are a strict solo player. 

well said - at least you didnt stop at "it's an MMO" like many do.  An MMO should encourage community and having fun in groups by offering greater challenges as well as being social...but a lack of solo/duo content or making group content too lucrative/the only way for personal character progression does not make an MMO.  I'm not saying RO is like this but I really hate when people argue MMO's are all about groups because they are NOT.

Exin

azurrei said:

Exin said:

Shadanwolf said:

I'm a solo player ....The devs made this game for someone else...not me.

Well, it's an MMO so it kinda makes sense, that the game encourages group content. But I agree, there are better options for you, if you are a strict solo player. 

well said - at least you didnt stop at "it's an MMO" like many do.  An MMO should encourage community and having fun in groups by offering greater challenges as well as being social...but a lack of solo/duo content or making group content too lucrative/the only way for personal character progression does not make an MMO.  I'm not saying RO is like this but I really hate when people argue MMO's are all about groups because they are NOT.

You can achieve a lot playing solo in Revelation but you will be at a disadvantage. You are also forced to do group content (dungeons/raids/battlegrounds) if you want to have good gear. There are certainly better games for someone who is a strict solo player. Black Desert for example - after playing it for 6 months I can safely say that this is basically a solo game if you exclude some harder dungeons or node/castle wars.

Exin

Aori said:

Sorry but enhancement items in a cash shop is P2W, always will be. These players are already going to be far ahead of the curve and dominate in what is supposedly a fairly PvP centric game.

I might give it a shot, I don't know yet. Data caps are a bitch.

Well, it's up to one's definition but I respect that you see it that way. I still recommend you give this game a try if it appeals to you in any way, even if you see the cash shop as P2W - the game offers tons of content and I'm sure you will have fun!

SedrynTyros said:

Any game that isn't fun until you get past level whatever isn't worth my time.  The game needs to be fun within the first 15 minutes or forget it.  There are too many other options to waste time trying to get to the supposed good part in a game.

You see, the problem is, there isn't much else noteworthy being released in the near future except Revelation... A lot of people like playing new releases for the fresh start feel. Also I personally don't like getting into a MMO that is already released for a longer time. So if someones is looking for a new release, Revelation is great, but you have to remember that the very early game is not representative to the content you unlock after couple of hours!

Ozmodan

I tried it and sorry the game just flat out sucks at this point in time.  We will all hope it gets a lot better.

Catmint

I was hyped for this game for awhile, but now at this point I really don't care for it. I'll still be trying it when it releases for OB just to see.

Albatroes

Just waiting for Open Beta for no wipes since this game is kind of a drainer if you start over too many times without progression. Once its up, it'll be my side game at the very least.

Bluefear77

You convinced me.

I will try it once it releases.

acidblood

Thanks for the write up... I might try it if I'm bored, but it doesn't really sound like a game I would stick with (F2P grinder with questionably P2W). Also, never understood why MMOs that start off poorly and supposedly 'get better at level X' don't just drop the first X-1 (in this case 40) levels and get straight to the good stuff.

Exin

DMKano said:

Tried it - feels like a cheap knockoff, with some really inexperienced design choices (the existance of mounts when you can fly...)

Aion, BDO and AA do so many things better, I found myself asking why would I play RO? Couldnt come up with any reason.

Well, I must disagree - ground mounts are used in some parts of the game where you can't fly. Also, mounts are usually faster on longer distances.

Why RO? (I will skip Aion as I played it when it released and I don't remember much)

1. Compared to BDO this is a group game - you are encouraged to team up throughout your whole stay, with the exception of some solo challenges, crafting and some quests.
2. Compared to BDO & AA you get dungeons and raids, with some great boss mechanics.
3. Compared to BDO & AA the enchantment system is way more fair and forgiving, you will not break your equipment with a single mouse click. If you put enough stuff you are guaranteed a success (there's a RNG here how big of an update you get, but you can repeat the process), which is far more reliable.
4. Compared to BDO & AA you have an extensive character development - as I wrote: "extensive character development, skills and items (point distribution, weapon and armor enchanting, prefixes, sufixes, cultivation of character and skills);"
5. Compared to BDO your characters don't look like shit without a skin
6. Compared to BDO you have an actual choice while gearing
7. Compared to BDO you will never meet a person with exact same build, development etc.
8. Compared to BDO & AA the guild system is far more superior

There are some things that BDO & AA do better, and I'm not saying Revelation is a perfect game, but you wanted a reason to play RO and there you go.

Exin

DMKano said:

SedrynTyros said:

Any game that isn't fun until you get past level whatever isn't worth my time.  The game needs to be fun within the first 15 minutes or forget it.  There are too many other options to waste time trying to get to the supposed good part in a game.

The game should be fun within 15 seconds

acidblood said:

Thanks for the write up... I might try it if I'm bored, but it doesn't really sound like a game I would stick with (F2P grinder with questionably P2W). Also, never understood why MMOs that start off poorly and supposedly 'get better at level X' don't just drop the first X-1 (in this case 40) levels and get straight to the good stuff.

Early game is always a tutorial and getting to know stuff, the thing is, in Revelation it's done with the story quest with lots of cutscenes. 

It's not like the initial experience in Revelation is that bad, it's just kinda weird. It's okay if you do it the first time. If you won't take it too seriously you might even enjoy it. I have specifically mentioned, that the first 30-40 levels are not representative for the rest of the game, because I saw multiple posts, in which people said they leveled several characters to level 30. I mean... if they spent all this time on 1 or 2 characters, they would be level 45+ and would check the proper stuff.

Warlyx

i leveled to 50ish or so in KR and the whole ways was a resounding "MEH" , only saved because u can fly , and i like the tower dugeon , looks like "random" , and u need to fight bosses , mobs or open jars ...

the game is generic at best and pointing towards P2W .

the first 2 days is all based around pressing F , and letting autopath guide you , some fights here and there some cinematics and there u go .....FFFF FFFF FFFFFFFFFF F  FFFF more...

is no wonder ppl drop the game before getting to the "fun stuff" .

Caffynated

DMKano said:

SedrynTyros said:

Any game that isn't fun until you get past level whatever isn't worth my time.  The game needs to be fun within the first 15 minutes or forget it.  There are too many other options to waste time trying to get to the supposed good part in a game.

The game should be fun within 15 seconds

I've played dozens of MMOs and I can't think of any that were fun in the first 15 seconds. The first few minutes of any game are teaching you how to move, target things, use abilities, interact with NPCs and objects, open your inventory and character sheet, find quests, tell you the intro to the story, etc. etc.

About the closest I've seen to fun in the first 15 seconds was Dragon Nest where you log in for the first time and it has you immediately attacking some weak mobs by spamming left click... which wasn't exactly a thrill ride.

That's not to defend Revelation, it's just bad and never really gets any better.

Exin

Caffynated said:

DMKano said:

SedrynTyros said:

Any game that isn't fun until you get past level whatever isn't worth my time.  The game needs to be fun within the first 15 minutes or forget it.  There are too many other options to waste time trying to get to the supposed good part in a game.

The game should be fun within 15 seconds

I've played dozens of MMOs and I can't think of any that were fun in the first 15 seconds. The first few minutes of any game are teaching you how to move, target things, use abilities, interact with NPCs and objects, open your inventory and character sheet, find quests, tell you the intro to the story, etc. etc.

About the closest I've seen to fun in the first 15 seconds was Dragon Nest where you log in for the first time and it has you immediately attacking some weak mobs by spamming left click... which wasn't exactly a thrill ride.

That's not to defend Revelation, it's just bad and never really gets any better.

Yeah, that's just how it is. Some games do it better, some worse. Unfortunately in Revelation the story quest requires a lot of F/Space smashing, and there are some unskippable cutscenes, so yeah, that could definitely be improved.

lahnmir

I tried it thrice. Nope, nothing to get excited about

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Exin

lahnmir said:

I tried it thrice. Nope, nothing to get excited about

/Cheers,
Lahnmir

Thank you! Very insightful comment.

Octagon7711

I also mostly solo so probably not for me either.