Thanks to Karthias, the Solo MMO Player has found a game to play while waiting for Cataclysm. It's called Sacred 2 and is available on the PC, PS3 and xBox 360. (Note the the original PC version is said to be rather buggy.) Sacred 2 is a throwback game made in Germany, similar to Morrowind in the Elder Scroll series, but with the detailed character creation of WOW. If you think you are going to miss managing complex character elements when Blizzard streamlines it in Cataclysm, this game might be for you.
The quests are simplistic. You will be constantly battling multiple enemy NPCs that come at you in waves. There are six classes to choose from in the original game (and perhaps one more in the PC only expansion called Ice and Blood) but you won't be able to choose your sex, just customize hair color. For example, if you want to play a Seraphim (similar to WOW's Paladin class in some ways) you have to play as a female and run around in high heels and a mini-skirt until you buy or loot new gear.
The camera views can be awkward, and if you are not used to a bird's eye view, you won't enjoy playing offline co-op. There is PvP and online co-op available, but since this is an older game, there may not be many folks to play with. Mounts in this game are similar to pets in WOW and you can use mounted combat.
The game has touches of humor, especially in the graveyards. There is also an in-game heavy metal concert that seems to be embedded in one of the quests.
Sacred 2 can be downloaded from xBox Live or D2D, but apparently there is no manual available if you do this. When you start playing, you are going to be pretty confused at first. This is a complex game to master in some ways.
The most important online source of information is Sacred 2's wiki. However, it is not very useful for new players as there is no real explanation of the basics for beginners. If you want to search the forum postings you will have to sign up and create a login.
http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/SacredWiki
I found some basic information and a list of the main and side quests here. This is a very big game with 200 levels spread across a wide landscape so you'll need some help keeping to the quests. If you don't like leveling, this is not the game for you.
http://guides.gamepressure.com/sacred2fallenangel/guide.asp?ID=7236
There is lots of gear in the game. This is a fairly complete list. The way the game handles large inventory is pretty good (if you play the xBox 360 version, make sure you get the Bank Imp download).
http://pctalk.info/Games/Sacred2/Wolfes.Lair/Sacred2FallenAngel/S2FAItems.html
This site lists the characters, their gods and the combat arts you can choose from.
http://www.bingegamer.net/2009/a-beginners-guide-to-sacred-2/
This site talks about skills and combat arts, and has a guide to some of the characters available.
http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/mmo/articles/15852.aspx
More basics including alchemy and some leveling information.
http://pctalk.info/Games/Sacred2/Wolfes.Lair/Sacred2FallenAngel/S2FAGameBasics.html
Here are some good tips.
http://www.co-optimus.com/article/1828/sacred-2-hints-and-tips-from-the-co-optimus-community.html
One of the big drawbacks to the game is you can't respec a character. Whatever you choose in the beginning is what you are stuck with throughout the game, so if you decide you aren't happy with your build, you have to start over from the beginning to create something different. Several folks have posted their builds to help newer players get started. These are just a few good ones I found while looking for game information, but there are many more if you do a little searching.
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=619262
http://forum.sacred2.com/archive/index.php/t-65974.html
The Sacred 2 wiki has guides to all the characters that help you figure out the optimum build for you. In general the dyad is a ranged caster/healer, the high elf is a caster, the inquisitor is a caster/melee/summoner, the seraphim is a caster/melee/healer, the shadow warrior does summoning/melee, and the temple guardian is a hybrid ranged class.
http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Character_Class
There's a YouTube Sacred 2 channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SacredWiki
This review for the PS3 version of the game makes good points about the game's good and bad points.
http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/sacred2-ps3/index.html
See you in Ancaria!
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Copyright Solo MMO Player at http://solommo.blogspot.com
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