It’s amazing how much you can forget that was once muscle memory. Stepping back into Darkfall yesterday was at once like visiting an old friend and also an overwhelming feeling totally inept. For the first few minutes, I spent some time going through my key bindings and spellbook, re-acquainting myself with my abilities, rebinding a few of them (combat/GUI: middle mouse button, parry: right mouse button), and getting a feel for how to navigate the game again.
An assortment of DFO goblins
I remembered enough to know to speak to the wizard standing next to me and check out his “quests” tab. He sent me on my way to kill four goblins and collect their axes.
The great thing about combat in Darkfall, however, is that you don’t need some grand purpose (like axe collection) for it to be fun. Mobs run from you and fight better than most trash in other game’s raid instances. Before I knew it, I’d pretty much forgotten about the fact I was supposed to be looking for their axes and was just enjoying killing the little buggers. I quickly collected a bow and a staff for spellcasting, as well as a bunch of arrows and about 100g.
I’d chosen a more out of the way spot to hunt, to avoid enterprising red (read: PK) players. Running low on stamina, I moved away from the spawn area to rest up and regen. On my way, I came upon the full gravestone of a player named Machiavelli. He was new (just starter gear in there) but much better equipped than myself. At the time, I was wearing little more than a loincloth and my sword. From his stone, I was able to get most of the pieces of gear to cover up my shame, as well as a sword, shield, food, and enough arrows to keep me going.
When the quest was done, I went back to the wizard to collect my reward. My actual hunting trip was far more lucrative, however, but I was happy just to get something done. I went into Sandbrook (the human starting town) and banked my gear before logging off.
My return to Darkfall was a good one but it reminded me of just how much I’m missing out on by playing alone. The game is much more fun when you have other people to hunt with, so my next mission is to get myself into a decent clan. Right now, I’ve applied to NEW (the “welcoming committee” of the game) but I have my sights set on Calamitous where some of the members of my old clan have found themselves.
Today, I’m heading out exploring to see if I can find any skeletons who’ll drop some gear not made of cotton. Will today bring my first PVP encounter? Maybe. I’m tempted to go red right off the bat but I feel like I’d be harming myself more than helping right now. We shall see.
Update: I totally forgot to mention how much I enjoy the art style of this game. The environments are beautifully rendered and very “high fantasy.” I love the amount of color and texturing the game uses; it’s really an enveloping experience. Except for the outlines the game starts out with. I turn those off, asap.
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