There’s nothing fairly like taking your first steps right into a shared universe. Whether or not it was the early days of World of Warcraft that first drew you in, or the likes of Neverwinter Nights, EverQuest, Ultima On-line, or Runescape, the tangible sense of exploration and discovery is what made the best MMORPGs really particular. These days, the main target is often way more on guiding the participant by way of these early hours and ensuring they know precisely what they want and the place to go. Challenge: Gorgon is a throwback to these magical experiences, stripping out guardrails to immerse you in its fantasy realm. It is simply hit 1.0, and developer Elder Recreation is about to launch a fresh-start server with a slightly distinctive twist.
Project: Gorgon first entered early entry again in March 2018, and it has been quietly plugging together with a small however devoted neighborhood ever since. Eight years on, and the 1.0 launch is right here, with a raft of additives together with all-new character fashions, the arrival of the capital metropolis of Statehelm, coaching to stage 100 “and past” for all of its fight expertise and most crafting expertise, and a wide range of new techniques.
Elder Recreation says it needs Challenge: Gorgon “to really feel as for those who’re immersed in an entire new digital world.” It does not information you to its secrets and techniques, however consists of a number of natural-feeling mechanics that you could intuit. NPCs every have particular objectives and can reward gamers that assist them. Shopkeepers keep a persistent stock, which means you should buy any objects that different folks have bought to their retailer. You are in a position to inscribe objects, write books, and go away notes that different adventurers can learn.
There are not any pre-determined lessons in Challenge: Gorgon. As an alternative, fight expertise are “fully free-form” and also you’re in a position to study as many as you need. Mix commonplace favorites resembling sword or workers fight with the likes of animal dealing with, necromancy, battle chemistry, or unarmed grappling. You may even make use of methods in battle resembling preventing hearth mages close to a lake so to douse their flames by leaping into the water.
Generally, your selections can have long-reaching penalties: develop into a druid and you’ll remodel into numerous animals, however you will need to vow to guard nature always. Undertake lycanthropy and also you’re in a position to flip into a robust wolf – however it’ll be pressured upon you for 3 days with each full moon. Committing to both of those is everlasting on your character, so make your choice fastidiously.
Talking of animal transformations, one other enjoyable foible of Challenge: Gorgon is that you could be shapeshifted into all method of creatures by way of numerous potions, enemy spells, or occasions. These aren’t merely momentary debuffs, however persistent results. Whether or not you develop into a cow, deer, spider, pig, fox, spider, or one thing else, it’s going to final until you undergo a slightly concerned course of to take away it.
These beast varieties would possibly technically be curses, however they’re additionally viable methods to play, full with their very own means units. Cows make nice tanks, for instance, able to shrugging off enemy assaults and chewing the cud to heal themselves. Pigs can act in a assist position, in a position to heal and buff allies, punt enemies across the battlefield, and even inflict worry on their opponents with a squeal.
All of which brings me to the brand new ‘fresh-start server’ that is anticipated to open within the coming days. Elder Recreation introduced this in response to the large surge of curiosity for Challenge: Gorgon 1.0, as a solution to account for the divide between newcomers and long-time veterans. “We heard from plenty of gamers that they will not be shopping for till they’ll begin on a contemporary, clear server.”
The brand new server would be the identical in each approach, however characters won’t be allowed to maneuver between it and the outdated realm. The developer is not stopping there, nevertheless. In an try and put a little bit of a dampener on any knowledgeable gamers trying to race forward within the fresh-start world, anybody whose account was made earlier than December 1, 2025 and who has racked up greater than 40 hours of playtime will probably be forcibly reworked right into a pig for the primary week. In contrast to the traditional beast kind, this impact can’t be eliminated.
“We’re calling this the ‘assist pig’ impact,” Elder Recreation writes, “as a result of the pig is a wonderful group-support talent, and we would love so that you can assist assist newbies this manner (however after all your precise actions are as much as you). We hope long-term gamers see this for what it’s: simply one other problem so that you can conquer. Even with this further wrinkle, we nonetheless count on to see stage 50/50 gamers dancing in Serbule by the top of the second day. However they will be pigs.”
Challenge Gorgon 1.0 is on the market now on Steam, with a 25% low cost obtainable by way of Wednesday February 4. Anticipate to pay $18.74 / £15.74 for those who purchase it now, or $24.99 / £20.99 after the sale ends. You can even download a free demo that means that you can “discover a big a part of the sport and study dozens of expertise.” You will be capped to stage 15, however your character may be saved for those who resolve to purchase the total factor.
In the event you’ve already been enjoying on the present server, you are free to maintain going in your outdated character. Elder Recreation says it determined in opposition to a wipe for 1.0 again in 2021 as a result of “it grew to become clear that too many gamers had been ‘ready for after the wipe,'” and it made testing too tough. In the event you’d slightly maintain on for the fresh-start server, it ought to be made obtainable throughout the coming week.
