[Nil]

I actually think most of the newbie areas are well done (except for the Kojan Human/Half-Elf area, which is terrible). I felt like there was a foe (usually multiple foes) we were facing that needed to be dealt with, lots of story to be found if you talked to everyone (and especially if you did diplomacy), factions and relationships between everyone, etc, as well as small, everyday things going on, like the halfling woman complaining about all of the baking she has to do, the Qalian merchant who's having trouble keeping the scorpions in line, and many others.

After you get out of the newbie areas, i felt a lot more disconnected, but I also think that the reasons for this will be fixed as the game is finished. I mean, when you moved in to wipe out the evil demon-worshiping rift clan, only to find that you spent more time falling through the floor and trying vainly to fight invisible mobs than smiting evil, you lose focus. That stuff will be fixed. It's certainly 500% better than it was.

The classes are great. There are balance issues, of course, but they did a great job making the classes different. A rogue and a ranger, for instance, play completely differently, even though they have the same basic job. It seems like tanks go down just a bit too fast on the 5-dot mobs. Most of the balanced issues will likely be addressed - not every class has been redone yet.

The world is great. It's beautiful, varied, and there's a fair amount of content. Character models are okay. Nothing fantastic, but they do the job.

The system where you can soulbind your equipment to you so that you keep it after death was brilliant (soulbound equipment is no trade). It takes items out of the economy - but only if people want it that way. You get to choose between the safety of having your stuff when you die (well, your weapons and armor), or being able to hand it down or sell it later.

Dwarves - Best Dwarves in any MMO so far. A dying race guarding serving as the last line of defense between the undead hordes and the other races, most of which either ran away already, or are elves. Bordinar's Cleft is full of lore, and most of the design really fits into the story Sigil is trying to tell. There really aren't many dwarfs left to fill the giant caverns of BC. Everywhere you look, you see evidence of war, etc. Beyond cool, here.

Despite my usually rampant elf hatred, I really dig the Dark Elves in this game. They're not just a Drow copy.

And though I know this don't matter to most people, I can't say enough about the music. It's awesome, and there's so much of it. You'll find 8+ tunes in the same chunk, and that's not counting that each tune has it's own battle theme. It's so good that I'm spending $50 (the price of the collector's edition over the regular game) just for a CD.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the best game on the market when it launches, but I'm not sure how long that will last. It will only get better as well.


My main negatives have to do with promised features that were going to be there, but now aren't.

The combat was supposed to be slow and strategic, with a ton of options to choose from - now the combat reminds me of WoW's system. Sure it's harder and more complex, but it's the same idea. I push this button, then I push this button, then I move to the side and hit this button, etc.

I also miss the idea of different races having different fighting styles and you being able to learn them by grouping with players of other races. I really felt this would add alot of depth. That's gone with no plans to ressurect it (at least that they've shared, and given the new combat system, it wouldn't seem to fit).

It's clear that the game changed quite a bit from TheVision(TM) in an effort to bring in the people from WoW who wanted more than WoW. Quests and the newbie experience are streamlined in such a way that you'll have deja vu at times. Whether this is good or bad (WoW was not a bad game) remains to be seen.