The Chosen is a PvP-centric MMO inspired by five Chinese dynasties. Paul "LockeColeMA" Cleveland took a tour to find out how players can earn a spot in the game's history.

There are several other ways The Chosen makes leveling easier for players. First there are tasks; what most games refer to as quests. There are daily tasks available in towns and the main Imperial City, as well as tasks for the dungeons found in each zone (typically there are two to three dungeons per zone). Another way to speed up the processes is through the Cash Shop system; while Blake maintains that players will never “pay for power,” the cash shop allows for several bonuses, such as paying for experience boosting items, as well as cosmetic features. There are also teleports to make getting from one area to another quicker; and one of these locations is a public market stall stall area, where players can set up a stall with their own messages and prices and operate their own businesses.

Finally, as a personal observation, I noticed that many simple things gave experience; for example, one district in the Imperial City is designated as a dance area, and using the dance emotes there gives experience. Another section gave experience every 10-15 seconds or so simply for standing around (this might have been due to the resource war event going on at the same time, however).

The auto-combat system and fast leveling might make players think that combat in general is rather thin; but Blake assured me this was not the case. First, all players are given a degree of uniqueness through the Reform function. This has 11 options to make changes to the character's equipment, such as reforging for better stats or drilling to add holes for gems in items. The next difference is in the style of fighting; there are six different fighting types, depending on the weapon equipped. Players can choose from sabers, swords, bows, flutes, fans and spells and each weapon type has a specific skill tree associated with it. As players level they invest points in these trees, allowing them to specialize their play style. The skill points can be reset for a price at low level, or by purchasing an item from shops at higher levels. Players also gain points to augment their skills as they level, allowing them to focus, say, on physical DPS or magic, depending on their tastes.

Another way to differentiate themselves is through pets; all players are able to have one. There are a variety of pets, from the standard fairy all the way to a little dinosaur. Pets level through experience just like their owners, and come with their own equipment, skills and stats. They can also evolve into stronger forms, and players can fuse with their pets for a boost in their abilities. Similar to pets, players can find unique mounts, and mounted combat is fully enabled. In addition, mounts can learn some skills that increase their resistance or allow them to move faster.

Beside PvP and leveling, the main draw of the game is the tight-knit community. I asked Blake how a new player would possibly find other people to play with, or get into PvP. He replied that by talking in the general dynasty chat, new players will be “snatched right up” by the legions looking for fresh blood. It is in the best interest of these recruiting officers to make sure the newbies learn the game and stay aboard, to make the weekly dominance battles tip more in their favor. Snail Games has encouraged these communities, and includes social events like in-game marriage (and divorce, in case you made a mistake!). Blake describes the legions as small but close, and that everyone eventually learns who their friends and opponents are. This can give the battles much more of a political and personal edge than just the typical random PvP found in other games.

The Chosen is always looking for new players interested in strategy-based PvP combat. The leveling process has been streamlined to accommodate new players, and the legions are looking to recruit. Some big changes are coming in the future; among them, Blake mentioned the game view would change from the current 2-D isometric view to a more traditional 3-D overhead view found in many online games. If you have what it takes to become The Chosen and win a place in the history of the game, why not try it out? 

Paul "LockeColeMA" Cleveland, Staff Writer