If you want an honest review, this one will be short and to the point.
Go read about the features and what this game has to offer. I'm not here to sell you the game nor did I make it. It's your job to read the information provided on their website. Now, if you're expecting a World of Warcraft like MMORPG that has monthly subscriptions, guess again.
Archeage online is another Korean game with micromanagement. Yes, you do pay $14.99 if you choose to be a Patron which comes with a few perks. Again, (read about the game to understand on their website)
The most amazing looking graphics in MMORPG at this point are (1) Guild Wars 2 and (2) Archeage Online. I really don't see any other game that has stepped up.
The game mechanics are quite simple. Point, click, click, click, click and the target is dead.
On the plus side, you don't get quests to kill 30 targets or loot 30 quest items. It's quite simple. Kill a mini boss, loot 3 to 5 items and possibly kill 7-10 targets. You are constantly given quests upon quests. Unfortunately, it get's boring. Read ahead!!
When I said the game was Korean MMORPG, I meant that you cannot quickly progress in the game without using transactions to give you the upper hand. By this I mean potions to keep mana and health up. Just like a Korean game, the mobs hit REALLY HARD and requires you later down the road to mana and health up at all times thus giving you a lot of downtime. Of course, you can still progress without this stuff, but it get's a bit annoying.
Here is my biggest gripe about the game.
LONG COOLDOWNS!!!
We are talking about from 1 minute to the lowest being 22 seconds. You kill one target and then you're stuck on cooldown having to kill the other target with less spells and take a lot of damage. I don't understand why the mobs hit so hard. It's almost as though if you have too much defense, you have no offense and vice versa.
Listen, the game could be good for some of you. For those that like a game like World of Warcraft and expect the community and game style to be just that it's not. It's a F2P korean game with an option to be a patron for $14.99 a month. This allows you to have a home and garden and farm whatever you like on your player made land.
Honestly, for me this game was not worth it. It was too much hype. In the end, it all comes down to transactions. They want you to dish out more than $14.99 a month. That's if you want to be the top dog. If you're happy with being the middle man, then go for it.
If you want my honest opinion, there are a lot better F2P games out there. Rift, Runes of magic, Dragon Nest. This game was a let down. Just a money making machine.