Great ideas never die. Once upon a time Ultimate imagined an online universe driven almost entirely by player decisions. Legends of Aria wants to capture that spirit in 2019 with a new MMO where your choices dictate the story, and you can forge your own identity in a high fantasy world of dragons and magic.
Legends of Aria has just entered Steam Early Access. The game is designed to be a sandbox where you design your own character however you wish. Instead of levelling up in traditional RPG fashion, you can independently developer 30 skills. If you want to become a master blacksmith and sell your wares, take up the trade and get practicing. If you'd rather become a seasoned monster hunter you can pursue that path too. In many MMOs levelling a particular skill path can lock off other specialisations, in Legends of Aria you can become an expert at anything you decide to turn your hand to.
There's a healthy mix of combat and peaceful activities in Legends of Aria. You can go on sorties into the dangerous wilderness with friends, lead assaults against competing player-led guilds. Between adventures you can claim a plot and build yourself a house using the materials you have collected in the world. Whether you want to become a blacksmith, a warrior, an adventurer, or all at once, you will find opportunities to earn loot and sell your wares in a vibrant player economy.
The game has been in development for five years already, but it will only truly come to life once players have started setting up guilds and building accommodation. Though the game plans to be in Steam Early Access for 3 to 6 months, it's already playable and bug-free right now. You can jump explore four major cities, four towns, five dungeons (including a huge raid dungeon called Catacombs), hunt in dedicated hunting spots and explore a sandbox open world with other players. There are also dedicated player vs player areas, if you're feeling brave.
It's a great time to start a character. The game is set to evolve at an exciting pace as new players move in, start building and selling homes, and start hunting monsters and forming guilds. The developers are keen to work with the community to prioritise updates and continue to evolve the player experience in the coming years, all in a flexible open world where you decide your path.
PC Gamer has described the game as "Ultima Online's spiritual successor" thanks to Legends of Aria's player-driven nature. The game is designed with modding in mind. Player-run servers let different communities thoroughly customise their experience. Servers can run custom gameplay rules and even craft new worlds full of custom content. Access to community-led servers are included in the price of the game. Legends of Aria wants to be the ultimate sandbox MMO, and you can get involved at the very beginning right now on Steam.
