Shadowbane, a game that a lot of us played (and quit), is now free. The game was widely anticipated, but had many bugs on release and the population dropped quickly..
I stayed, however, because there simply was NOT a better game for PVP. Still, even WoW cannot come close to the quality of the PvP, GvG, and sieges in Shadowbane.
Sure, people whine about the graphics.. But then again, Zelda had sh!tty graphics and it was a great game. Plus, if you actually get into Shadowbane, you'll probby be turning the graphics down so that the game responds faster so you'll be more viable in high-numbers pvp.
In Shadowbane, unlike WoW, most characters are not so gear dependent. Gear is easy to get. Soloing is very tough... find a guild. I repeat.. FIND A GUILD. The gaming environment seems 'mean' at first.. but that's just because you will die a lot. Once you get good, you will also be killing a lot. On the typical day where I was at war, I could die up to 40 times.. But, I have gotten over 100 killshots in a day, also. If you die in SB, it's no big deal. The killers do get to take everything in your inventory - but not what you have equipped. So, travel light and bank often.
You can get the game here:
Ubisoft Chronicle
Before you roll a character, you're STRONGLY advised to check out the character template discussion here:
SB Forums
Now.. the level grind in Shadowbane is boring.. But, expect to get levels 1-30 in the first day (for noobs.. with a guild, you can do 1-55 in a day).. If you roll a decent character and get decent gear, then you'll probby see some pvp by level 50. The leveling in SB is insanely fast.
Mourning server is the most populated - but it's also where the most-experienced players play.. It's tough to be a contender if you do not have a guild. Though, it's tough to do anything in Shadowbane without a guild.
Vindication server is role-playing limited. Basically, each guild can only consist of compatible races. For example, you will not find an Elf in an Irekei guild.
Wrath, though once a highly-populated server, had a dwindling population. Though, there are a LOT of new players going to Wrath and it will be the easiest server for new players to level up. Also, it seems Ubisoft periodically allows migration of characters and banks from Wrath to Mourning or Redemption.
Redemption is another server like Wrath, but the low population is steadily increasing since SB was made free.
Some more notes:
- If you are new to the game, I would highly recommend rolling a melee-type character. Get something beefy like a Minotaur, Half-giant, or Centaur. Spamming weapon powers in the right order is an art - but it is a lot easier than attempting to stay alive on a cloth caster (or glass cannon as we call them).
- Dwarf Prelates are fairly beefy as far as casters go.
- New players should probably stay away from the Priest class - unless they have played a priest in other games before. Priests in Shadowbane are specced to either heal or stun; they rarely do both. Also, it is very difficult to make an offensive priest that is pvp-viable and if you attempt it, no guild will want you.
- If you're comfortable having two instances of Shadowbane running at the same time, you'll probby want to roll a buff bot priest. Almost every time there is a pvp encounter, players will have a full set of buffbot buffs. It is almost just as easy to roll two characters on two accounts at the same time as leveling a single character.
- The level grind and the items are NOT the game. Shadowbane is NOT about the content. When you first start out, don't worry about items or gold. Worry about not gimping your character and finding a guild that can give you or help you get the items you need. Good guilds in Shadowbane can supply a new player with pretty much anything he or she wants. The real fun in Shadowbane is the pvp, gvg, and sieges. It is tough to describe a more gratifying gaming experience than burning your enemies' cities to the ground.
- Shadowbane is TOUGH. The mobs in Shadowbane are mindless and easy. The players in Shadowbane are very competitive. Unlike WoW, you cannot expect to level up to Rank 7 (level 70 or higher) solo.
- Shadowbane, once you start to feel the need to compete with the other guilds, is like crack. Watch yourself.
- A new player will most likely have the most rewarding gaming experience by spending some time on the forums first to find a guild and role the type of character they're looking for. If a guild is speccing for beefy melee characters, and you roll a cloth wizard, they probby won't want you.
I'll attempt to answer questions.. unless they're easily answered by the Shadowbane forums, in which case I'd send you there.
Cliff Notes:
- you're probby not fit to play this game if you cannot handle reading that
EDIT: Some of you were wondering if your old characters are still intact.. They are. All old characters from any server (running or closed) can be migrated to Mourning or some of the other servers.
I stayed, however, because there simply was NOT a better game for PVP. Still, even WoW cannot come close to the quality of the PvP, GvG, and sieges in Shadowbane.
Sure, people whine about the graphics.. But then again, Zelda had sh!tty graphics and it was a great game. Plus, if you actually get into Shadowbane, you'll probby be turning the graphics down so that the game responds faster so you'll be more viable in high-numbers pvp.
In Shadowbane, unlike WoW, most characters are not so gear dependent. Gear is easy to get. Soloing is very tough... find a guild. I repeat.. FIND A GUILD. The gaming environment seems 'mean' at first.. but that's just because you will die a lot. Once you get good, you will also be killing a lot. On the typical day where I was at war, I could die up to 40 times.. But, I have gotten over 100 killshots in a day, also. If you die in SB, it's no big deal. The killers do get to take everything in your inventory - but not what you have equipped. So, travel light and bank often.
You can get the game here:
Ubisoft Chronicle
Before you roll a character, you're STRONGLY advised to check out the character template discussion here:
SB Forums
Now.. the level grind in Shadowbane is boring.. But, expect to get levels 1-30 in the first day (for noobs.. with a guild, you can do 1-55 in a day).. If you roll a decent character and get decent gear, then you'll probby see some pvp by level 50. The leveling in SB is insanely fast.
Mourning server is the most populated - but it's also where the most-experienced players play.. It's tough to be a contender if you do not have a guild. Though, it's tough to do anything in Shadowbane without a guild.
Vindication server is role-playing limited. Basically, each guild can only consist of compatible races. For example, you will not find an Elf in an Irekei guild.
Wrath, though once a highly-populated server, had a dwindling population. Though, there are a LOT of new players going to Wrath and it will be the easiest server for new players to level up. Also, it seems Ubisoft periodically allows migration of characters and banks from Wrath to Mourning or Redemption.
Redemption is another server like Wrath, but the low population is steadily increasing since SB was made free.
Some more notes:
- If you are new to the game, I would highly recommend rolling a melee-type character. Get something beefy like a Minotaur, Half-giant, or Centaur. Spamming weapon powers in the right order is an art - but it is a lot easier than attempting to stay alive on a cloth caster (or glass cannon as we call them).
- Dwarf Prelates are fairly beefy as far as casters go.
- New players should probably stay away from the Priest class - unless they have played a priest in other games before. Priests in Shadowbane are specced to either heal or stun; they rarely do both. Also, it is very difficult to make an offensive priest that is pvp-viable and if you attempt it, no guild will want you.
- If you're comfortable having two instances of Shadowbane running at the same time, you'll probby want to roll a buff bot priest. Almost every time there is a pvp encounter, players will have a full set of buffbot buffs. It is almost just as easy to roll two characters on two accounts at the same time as leveling a single character.
- The level grind and the items are NOT the game. Shadowbane is NOT about the content. When you first start out, don't worry about items or gold. Worry about not gimping your character and finding a guild that can give you or help you get the items you need. Good guilds in Shadowbane can supply a new player with pretty much anything he or she wants. The real fun in Shadowbane is the pvp, gvg, and sieges. It is tough to describe a more gratifying gaming experience than burning your enemies' cities to the ground.
- Shadowbane is TOUGH. The mobs in Shadowbane are mindless and easy. The players in Shadowbane are very competitive. Unlike WoW, you cannot expect to level up to Rank 7 (level 70 or higher) solo.
- Shadowbane, once you start to feel the need to compete with the other guilds, is like crack. Watch yourself.
- A new player will most likely have the most rewarding gaming experience by spending some time on the forums first to find a guild and role the type of character they're looking for. If a guild is speccing for beefy melee characters, and you roll a cloth wizard, they probby won't want you.
I'll attempt to answer questions.. unless they're easily answered by the Shadowbane forums, in which case I'd send you there.
Cliff Notes:
- you're probby not fit to play this game if you cannot handle reading that
EDIT: Some of you were wondering if your old characters are still intact.. They are. All old characters from any server (running or closed) can be migrated to Mourning or some of the other servers.
.
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