The massively multiplayer real-time strategy game, Saga, has finally gone gold after being in beta for several months. The graphic engine for the game has been completely overhauled including the UI, along with a ton of new gameplay features, including raids, enchantments, an item shop, and a completely new quest system.
The Saga Begins
The story behind Saga is a simple one. You choose to play one of five factions which are aligned with either the Order, or the Brotherhood. These factions are each unique in that they all hold a different god in reverence, as well as their cultures being entirely different. Each faction has two arch enemies which you gain a 10% plunder bonus against when you face them in battle. The factions offer a variety of gameplay that is sure to suit anyone's play style. From the technical genius of the dwarves, to the sheer might of the orc horde, players will find that each faction has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Once you choose the faction you wish to align yourself with, you can begin making your banner. There are literally thousands of options to choose from as you begin designing the look of your banner to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. You can even choose the basic layout of your city, from a highly defensible, tight knit layout, to a more productive, sparse layout which is much harder to defend.
An Army of One
One of the most unique things about Saga is that the make up of your army is not only determined by the faction you choose, but also your own desires. Players can choose from more than 50 units for each faction, all specially tailored to be diverse in their purpose. From Human Knights to Hell Hound Riders, these units are equally diverse in how you can customize them.
Players receive their units in special booster packs that are purchased from the main website for a small fee of $2.95. The player receives 10 cards, with one being a guaranteed rare. The player can then trade these cards on the market for other cards, or use the cards they obtained. Each card is one unit within the game. Once purchased, these cards can be further enhanced in the game by visiting the item shop.
The item shop within the games Market allows players to purchase weapon and armor upgrades for their units, upgrading various statistics, such as their morale, their damage, and their defenses. Once purchased, these items can be further enhanced by buying enchantments which increase health, movement speed, and even attack speed.
While units do occasionally die on the battlefield, they can be resurrected at the local temple for a set sum of god favor, which is essentially ecclesiastical currency. God favor is used to resurrect troops, purchase weapon and armor upgrades, as well as conduct raids on other players.
Players have the ability to bring their armies together in order to complete quests, with up to four people being allowed in one session. For those than enjoy PvP, players also have the option of fighting each others nations in rated battles which determine who has the best command skill.
A Strong Economy
Like any RTS, Saga has an economical side as well. Fueling that economic side are your loyal peasants who toil for you, even while you're away, to mine gold, chop lumber, build buildings, and farm for food. These peasants won't work for a despot though, so you must keep them happy through a balance of low taxes, housing, and enough food for the masses, or else you could end up with a revolt on your hands.
Balancing your economy along with your military conquests is a daunting task, but plunder is always available to players who seek it. The game has been completely overhauled from the beta version to include several new quest types, including bronze, silver and gold difficulty quests. Players must complete the bronze level of the quest in order to unlock the silver, and the silver to unlock the gold, but the gold level of the quest offers the greatest rewards. Along with bronze, silver and gold quests, there are heroic quests which require as many as four people to participate in order to reap the greatest rewards.
New territories can also be won through non-repeatable quests, which give more land for your peasants to toil away for you, harvesting more goods and allowing you to support a larger army.
There are currently over 300 quests in Saga, with more being worked as the developers receive feedback from its current player base.
If you enjoy real time strategy games, you should give Saga a shot. It currently has a free to play version with no expiration limit, so you could play Saga free forever, if you so wished. However, the free version is limited as free players do not have access to the in game market, or guilds, though they can buy boosters for their accounts. If you like Saga well enough that you decide to purchase the client, it's only $19.95. Visit Saga for more information.
