Jade Dynasty is a Martial Arts themed MMO from Perfect World.
I found it easy to get going, and fun to play. The quests are straight
forward to follow, there is a storyline and the leveling system saves
the drudgery of grinding.
Click on any photo for a larger view.
Races and Factions
There are two races: Athan and Human. Five factions or classes in the
Human race and Four in the Athan race. Each faction has it's own skill
set, look and strengths and weaknesses as you would expect. But they all
progress through the story in the same way.
Character Customization
There are a number of customizations possible to the character as
you build it. The facial features can be quite different and there are
different and imaginative hair styles. Although unless you hide the
"helm" portion of the gear, you will find your hairstyle is taken over
by the gear.
As you can see the armor for some factions is quite interesting.
Pets
All factions have pets, two of which can be active at a time. The pet
system is quite complex, but it's easy to use a pet and it levels
automatically. Growing the pet to change it's appearance through Evolving is however
quite a complex and costly process that apparently can only be
accomplished at higher levels. Pets either assist in battle or help
gather loot, but given the automatic grinding and collecting of the
Esper, it's not clear how much benefit loot collection with a pet can
be. The default pet is either a pig or a toad like plant. Both can take on quite interesting forms after they are Evolved.
Unlike Ether Saga, it is not possible to catch monsters
in the wild to make as pets. There are only a handful of high level
monsters that can be captured and they are rare and difficult to
capture. It is possible to catch a wild wolf as a pet in a quest at a
modest level.
Mounts
Mounts are quite the elite possession since your mount shows instantly who much you are dedicated to the game. The brown horse is the default pet and everyone gets one for free in the treasure chest at level 30. But this free horse only lasts 30 days. By this time you should have progressed to level 60 or so where the 100G that it costs to buy another one is not a large problem. Since mounts double your speed in moving through the world, they are an essential part of your kit.
Elite mounts can be purchased for real currency from the online store. For about $15 you can have a white horse like this.
For more money you can get a really outstanding mount like this.
Unlike the Ether Saga Processor, the Esper is free and never
expires, although an energy crystal powering the Esper does run out
every five days and must be replenished by asking for a new one from an
NPC. Novice characters start with a basic Esper at level 5 and then receive an Esper based on their faction. At levels 75 and 105, more powerful Espers are available for purchase.
Truly Free-To-Play
Jade Dynasty however can be played without resorting to any of
these expenses if you like. A basic mount, pictured above, is available
from a gift box for 30 days and for sale in the game for 100G, which is
not a large cost by the time you are level 75. If you play one character
straight through, you will have no trouble reaching that level before
your mount expires.
Your bag - your characters carry storage - grows each few levels
and so you will not need to purchase bag expansion to play the game.
However your stash is quite small and you will need to manage it
carefully. I have played the game to level 75 with several characters
without resorting to any micro transactions.
Quests and NPCs
The quests are quite straight forward and either involve killing a
few monsters using your Esper of course or long distance travel, from
town to town via a Skylord transport service, or using your mount to
save time.
Monsters
Bottom Line
Jade Dynasty is F2P, and you can get by with no money spent at all.
But there are lots of nice things to buy - costumes, mounts and buffs -
if you want to spend a little real money in the game.
The quest system levels you quickly, to level 30 in about four to six hours of play.
The drudgery of grinding is removed using the Esper, but the
benefits of grinding allow the collection of loot and gold to progress
in the game.
Unlike Allods, the controls and features of the game are all
present and convenient so you won't be confused as you start playing.
The environments, monsters, characters and NPCs are imaginative and visually stunning.
I highly recommend trying Jade Dynasty.
Below is a link to the page top built as an HTML widget.
Pets either assist in battle or help
gather loot, but given the automatic grinding and collecting of the
Esper, it's not clear how much benefit loot collection with a pet can
be. The default pet is either a pig or a toad like plant. Both can take on quite interesting forms after they are Evolved.
Unlike Ether Saga, it is not possible to catch monsters
in the wild to make as pets. There are only a handful of high level
monsters that can be captured and they are rare and difficult to
capture. It is possible to catch a wild wolf as a pet in a quest at a
modest level. 
Elite mounts can be purchased for real currency from the online store. For about $15 you can have a white horse like this. 
Auto-Grinding with an Esper
Unlike the Ether Saga Processor, the Esper is free and never
expires, although an energy crystal powering the Esper does run out
every five days and must be replenished by asking for a new one from an
NPC. Novice characters start with a basic Esper at level 5 and then receive an Esper based on their faction. At levels 75 and 105, more powerful Espers are available for purchase.
