Hellgate London: The Gates are Open

The eagerly awaited MMO is nearing release and though it does many things right, it still has a few things to work on before it will live up to the legacy of Diablo 2.

Hellgate recently entered into its beta and as the spiritual successor to Diablo 2 and the default torch-carrier for the action-RPG, brings a great amount of baggage with it. The game is a modern take on that style, with an advanced 3D engine, and (get ready for it) a subscription model that's seemingly inspired by many Asian RPGs. It's ironic that a game that appears to be the safest bet ever (i.e., "an action-RPG by the creators of Diablo 2!") would take such a risky move of implementing an alternative subscription model.

I've had some pretty hard-set expectations before ever starting the game, given its legacy, and to be honest, I'm a little bit surprised at how immediately I've taken to it. It's addicting in the very manner you'd expect; the maps just beg to be cleared of monsters because any drop may be a legendary item. The true test will be how well the momentum holds dozens of hours in.

There are many important building blocks needed for a successful action-RPG. Get ready for the top 4 and how Hellgate is dealing with them.

1) Skillz

A consistent critique of the game is that characters equipped with powerful weapons can plow through much of the combat without using many class skills. In order to test this, I made my first character an Evoker--a class which seems more or less wholly-dependent on skill use. My prognosis is positive; the weapons I can equip aren't anywhere near as effective as the abilities. In fact, the Evoker as a class needs to equip a class-specific weapon (a "focus") in order to use its abilities. These foci can shoot, but they're really weak in comparison to other weapons, so I've only really used them thus far to whittle down puny monsters at long range, or to finish off fights when I'm low on mana. It's safe to say that, at least for Evokers, skills are hugely important.

As far as Hunter and Templar classes go they seem to be much more weapon-reliant, but this is normal RPG convention. I need to spend a bit more time playing them, though; I've heard that Marksmen are pretty overpowered at this phase in the game, and I'm all about the path of least resistance.

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