Rating: 7.5
Intro: Choose your Goddess and fight for the Light or the Dark in an epic battle to gain dominance over the lands. Shaiya has been one of the more popular MMO games around in recent years and it is easy to see why when you look at the clean interface and gameplay that it provides.
Publisher: Aeria Games
Player base: Medium
Graphics: High
Type: MMORPG
Exp Rate: Medium
PvP: Duels, Faction battles
File size: 5GB
Pros: Easy to learn, Good interface, Perma-death ultimate mode.
Cons: Slow to progress, Limited character customisation, Cash-shopper advantage.
Storyline:
The Goddess Etain created all in the world of Shaiya but war caused her to fracture into two beings, the Goddess of Darkness and the Goddess of Light. Two forces exist in the land of Shaiya, those who fight on the side of the Light, and those who chose the Dark to guide them. Humans and Elves fight against Vail and Nordein in an epic struggle to gain dominance.
Features:
There are three levels of difficulty in Shaiya. Normal mode is where everybody starts off. Hard mode is unlocked at level 40 and if chosen this mode allows players to gain more skill points to spend as they level up. At level 70 players can choose the Ultimate mode where you gain many benefits but at a harsh price. If you die in Ultimate mode and are not resurrected within three minutes the character is deleted.
There are four races to choose from in Shaiya; Humans, Elves, Vail and Nordein. Each race has three classes to choose from which range from Defender tanks, to Oracle healers, to Pagan magic users. All the classes follow classic MMO archetypes.
Shaiya uses the point, click and attack system of combat, with the usual customisable skill bar we are used to seeing. An added help is the ability to dodge sideways or backwards.
The game’s monsters have an I.D system which is colour coordinated for the players best interests. Green monsters are way below your level for example and they wont give any exp. Red mosters should be steered clear of but will give tremendous amounts of exp if brought down somehow.
When you’re ready to take on the opposing faction, you can head over to the PVP Battlegrounds to fight for control of three different areas. Each Battleground is divided by levels so that players of roughly the same level are matched against each other. If you’ve destroyed everyone within reach on your server and want to prove yourself against new opponents, you can head to the Linked Battlegrounds. These are cross-server versions of the Battlegrounds that let players from all realms in Shaiya duke it out to see who reigns supreme.
The Goddess Blessing is one of the most unique characteristics of Shaiya. Each side of the war seeks the Blessing of their Goddess. Points for the Goddess Blessing are awarded when you slay a member of the opposing faction or when you destroy an enemy relic. The Goddess Blessing is bestowed not only upon you, but the entire realm. The blessing has a multitude of positive effects on you and your faction.
Overall, Shaiya is a really nice and clean MMO that ticks all the boxes of a standard fantasy game and adds a few extra features that makes it stand out from the crowd.