Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings
| Asheron's Call 2 | |||
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| Studio |
 turbine
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| Publisher |
Microsoft , turbine
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
November 22, 2002 | ||
| platform | PC ( Windows ) | ||
| genre | MMORPG | ||
| Game mode | Multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard & mouse | ||
| Age rating |
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Asheron's Call 2 is an MMORPG from the software company Turbine Entertainment Software that was released in 2003 . It is the continuation of the successful first part Asheron's Call from 1999.
The games were originally distributed by Microsoft , but Turbine reacquired the rights in late 2003. Like the previous server, the servers were shut down on January 31, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. CET.
The story begins generations after the "end" of the predecessor in a now destroyed and divided world: Dereth.
Races and classes
In the fantasy environment of Asheron's Call 2 there are four races to choose from, namely Tumerok, Drudges, Lugians, and humans. These in turn have the opportunity to learn different professions (classes):
- People:
-
Tumerok:
- Wild Ladder (Melee)
- Fanatic (melee)
- Claw Bearer (Ranged)
- Swarmkeeper (Ranged)
- Caller (magic)
- Healer (magic)
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Lugians:
- Berserker (Melee)
- Moloch (melee)
- Burglar (ranged)
- Tactician (ranged)
- Elementalist (magic)
- Sage (magic)
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Drudge:
- Big Boss (Melee)
Skills
In addition to these classes, the player also has skills from the respective basic skill trees ( close combat , ranged combat , magic ) that he can freely combine with other skills. This offers a great variety of designs and you can adapt your virtual alter ego according to your wishes and the way you play.
A special feature here is that no decision about which skills to learn is irreversible. It is possible at any time to train skills that have already been learned and to learn others in return.
The world
The game world "Dereth" is now divided into 4 areas (continents), which are accessible from a certain level of experience of the respective game character:
- Osteth , the homeland of humans, contains the starting area for all 3 races and is shown in a medieval design.
- Omishan is the home of the Tumerok. It is a jungle area that is only accessible from level 15.
- The Linvak Massif with its mountain landscape in Nordic design is the home of the Lugians.
- Arramora is an island and includes 3 smaller archipelagos for KvK battles (kingdom against kingdom). The island is accessible from level 46 after completing the so-called "hero quest" after which you can acquire special advanced skills.
- Knorr is a forgotten continent that is home to the Empyreans. It is accessible from level 30 and is only available by purchasing the Expansion Pack (Legions).
Crafting
The so-called crafting system is very flexible and divided into the areas of raw material search, armorsmith and armorer. Spellbinding and toolmaking.
You don't need any previous knowledge. Everything you need to know is explained in detail in a tutorial manual and is therefore - like the rest of the game - very beginner-friendly.
Updates
Every 2 months (monthly until autumn 2004) a free update is made available by the developer Turbine, which contains new quests, new skills or expansions to the game mechanics.
reception
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According to the rating aggregator Metacritic , the game, similar to its predecessor, received mostly positive reviews with an average rating of 82%. The add-on Legions , on the other hand, was only able to achieve a metascore of 67 out of 100 points.
The German computer game magazine GameStar stated that Asheron's Call 2 was overwhelming in its 2003 test. Getting started is made easy through playful simplifications. Due to "unconventional design decisions, most cities degenerate into boring places with permanently folded sidewalks."
Player numbers and server shutdowns
Asheron's Call 2 was released in early 2003 after the usual beta test phase and was immediately very popular with the MMORPG community.
Problems with the then publisher Microsoft and the resulting restricted payment system (payment of the monthly fee is only possible by credit card) meant that this game, despite its varied quests and in-depth history, continuously lost members. While there were around 3000 players in mid-2003, the number of players will later move to around 500 in total.
The “Legions” expansion pack, released on May 4, 2005, and the announcement that alternative payment methods would be implemented, offered a perspective of growing numbers of players.
The US servers were shut down on December 30, 2005, the European servers on December 23, 2005. Another game was therefore more possible. This met with rejection from most of the players. The predecessor Asheron's Call was not affected by the shutdown.
At the end of 2012, Turbine announced that AC2 would now be restarted. There was already a server that is currently in beta. Former AC2 subscribers and AC players could download the client for free and play it for free as well. The servers were shut down in 2017.
Web links
- Asheron's Call Community Wiki
- Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings at MobyGames (English)
- Asheron's Call 2: Legions (Addon) at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Halistran: It is with a heavy heart did we must announce the end of our support for Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2, and will close Both services on January 31st, 2017 . In: Turbine , December 20, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved on December 21, 2016.
- ↑ a b Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings for PC Reviews. In: Metacritic . Retrieved on August 16, 2020 .
- ^ Asheron's Call 2: Legions for PC Reviews. In: Metacritic . Retrieved on August 16, 2020 .
- ↑ Asheron's Call 2. In: GameStar . February 1, 2003, accessed August 16, 2020 .
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
