The giddy excitement I feel on a day I get to play an open beta for an MMO is palpable. Today we get to dive into Throne and Liberty and explore the world of Solisium.
Although I am looking forward to trying Throne and Liberty I don’t think it’s actually the game itself that is driving my excitement. There is something very special about playing mmo’s with a finite amount of time. It’s a small yet magical window where the gameplay and community is, without a doubt, different than what happens after launch. To be apart of this experience is always one of the best times.
One aspect that makes for an enjoyable experience is that you will lose all of your progress. This open beta will last for five days and none of it will carry over to release. This means people are willing to try new things, help each other out, explore, having fun, and aren’t worried about hitting end game quickly. Of course players will hit end game as the developers have said there are increased experience gains exactly for that reason but the attitude within the wider community is always more relaxed.
The biggest benefit of an open beta is people are experimenting with classes and having fun. This is drastically different from launch when eventually there are must have builds and you can’t even join groups unless you have the “proper” gear and build. For now that mindset isn’t as pervasive and people are just enjoying the game world and are simply happy to be playing.
It’s hard for me to explain it fully but it’s just a moment that everyone is apart of and we all know it’s going to end. For now we’re just happy to be here, together, exploring new areas and finding new things. People are nice to each other, everyone is learning and helping each other, it’s a welcoming community.
The end of these beta’s always ends the same too. A small group of players sitting in towns talking to one another waiting for the end of times. Usually the game servers don’t go down exactly at the time they say they will so you get a few more precious minutes together. Then, as expected, you find yourself at a character select screen or back at the home screen and it’s over. That moment you just had with those people from around the country and the world is now just a memory. What a beautiful memory.