Have a friend introduce you to the game
Time consuming learning curve for all; however, very easy to understand.
Dark Ages can be the game for you!
For starters, most people will not like this game. It requires at least 2 hrs or more game-play only to waste your time and not understand the premise of the game. Please have a friend introduce you to the game.
The Dark Ages community, for the most part, is mature and friendly in comparison to your average online community, no pun intended. Its integrated political and religious systems presents a whole new way of interacting with the game and its community. Players do not only incur power by leveling up, but by earning honorable reputation amongst its community. Players can gain authoritative powers over other players.
Dark Ages can be very rewarding not only because it is an MMORPG, but because its "endless power potential" (players can forever gain experience points to purchase Hit Point and Mana Point with diminishing returns!).
A great feature is that at level 99, players will face a character defining decision, whether to MASTER your class (pure path) or merge with a new class path (subbing, may have greater potentials with the right class combination, or be completely obsolete). Subbing is the risky choice for new players! Do some research.
If you choose to focus on your class and master, you will be rewarded with special items/abilities specifically for being just 1 class (Pure path).
Class combination from subbing results in unique class types. There are 32 class combinations 25(5*5)!!!
Last comments?:
Dark Ages has made a revolutionary contribution to approaching MMORPG with its innovative community reward ((i.e. its political/religious system integration)) and endless effort=>power option.
Downsides: Aside from graphics and cost, class balance is a big problem! Most devastating is that because income Dark Ages generate is so low, it actually promotes "reverse-progression" developments...clearly due to hiring entry level staffs with base knowledge for gaming, let alone basic Dark Ages knowledge.