New MMORPG appears in Unreal Engine 5, promises “Free2Play without all the trash”
Depths of Erendorn is a new MMORPG for the PC that has been in development since 2016. It only recently switched to Unreal Engine 5 and has some other interesting approaches as well. There are turn-based battles and a Free2Play model that dispenses with Pay2Win and even “Pay to Convenience”.
What kind of game is this? Depths of Erendorn was inspired by classic role-playing games and is supposed to take place in a huge and open fantasy world. There you should be able to face dangers and, above all, randomly generated dungeons.
The first specialty are the different races from which you can choose. So there is:
- People
- Forest people
- Elves
- Dwarfs
- Water creatures
- Eagle on two legs
- Spider-people
A total of 15 character classes are planned. Each class is automatically tied to a people. The forest people are druids, the eagles are astromancers and the spider people are illusionists. Overall, there should be “thousands of skills”.
The combat system is also special. The MMORPG relies on turn-based battles, similar to what is the case in Atlantica Online. Players in a group should be able to plan and then execute their move at the same time. The developers promise quick rounds and a lot of strategy.
What is known about the release? Depths of Erendorn has been implemented by a European indie studio since August 2016 and was initially developed in Unity. The game has since moved to Unreal Engine 5.
There should be a Kickstarter campaign and a first playable alpha in 2022. A beta is planned for 2023 and the release then for 2024.
You can watch a first pre-alpha trailer here. The developers say it only contains real gameplay:
Focus on groups and dungeons in the endgame, Free2Play without Pay2Win
What are the developers planning for the endgame? Depths of Erendorn should focus on competition and group play. The focus is clearly on PvE.
The developers speak of thousands of events and an endless number of randomly generated dungeons in which you should face the “greatest challenges”.
We are talking about seasons and rankings in which the players and groups can place themselves. How exactly that looks like, however, was not revealed.
How is the MMORPG financed? The developers emphasize several times in the FAQ and on the website that they rely on “Free2Play without the Trash”. For them this means:
- No Pay2Win
- No boosters
- No convenience items – this includes additional bank or inventory spaces
Instead, the shop should offer cosmetic skins and “options”. These “options” should not have any influence on the gameplay.
Praise for a “breath of fresh air” in the genre
How is the game being received? Under the trailer and under the Video vom YouTuber KiraTV Above all, the diverse peoples and the combat system are praised. The turn-based combat has been called a “breath of fresh air” and some look forward to it because action fighting is overwhelming.
However, some argue that a co-op mode would have been enough for a turn-based RPG and that they don’t need a full MMORPG for it. The graphics also get criticism and are referred to as a “generic Unreal Engine game”.
In response to the criticism of the graphics, however, some users object that it will take another 3 years until the release and that a lot can change until then.
What do you think about the concepts of Depths of Erendorn so far? Do the different races and the battle system speak to you? Or do you prefer to wait for a classic MMORPG with active battles?
One of these MMORPGs in development is Ashes of Creation. But that’s still a few years away from the release:
Players are finally allowed to show gameplay to Ashes of Creation – that’s what they say about MMORPG hope
Reference-mein-mmo.de