Jade Dynasty - Martial Arts MMO

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.

A Complete list of the mounts available in the game can be found here.

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.

 

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.

 

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Contents

  • Races and Factions
  • Character Customization
  • Pets
  • Auto-Grinding with an Esper
  • Truly Free-To-Play
  • Quests and NPCs
  • Monsters
  • Bottom Line

 

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