Lost Continent: An ArcheAge community guide

Is it me, or has ArcheAge been a long time coming? I don't think it's me because it was three years and thousands of posts ago that Massively introduced ArcheAge to western gamers. Heck, it was six years ago that Jake Song and company started building XLGAMES' upcoming sandpark.

And it's been two years -- two years! -- since I first got my hands on the game's seemingly endless closed beta. Now, though, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Trion recently and famously signed on to publish ArcheAge in the West, and despite the silence following the announcement, I'm still optimistic about a beta before the end of the year.

Even if it that doesn't happen, we've still got plenty to talk about, which is why I'm taking the wraps off Massively's newest game-specific column. Join me after the cut for the traditional first-issue community roundup.

ArcheAge's official sites are a mixed bag, at least if you're interested in detailed info on the game. XL's English-language site is gorgeous, but it can be a bit cantankerous and slow-loading due to a heavy focus on images and a non-standard navigation system. If you're new to ArcheAge fandom, though, you'll probably want to start here.

There's a nifty story-based trailer, for one thing, and there are also pockets of information on races, classes, world lore, PvP, and unique gameplay systems like gliders, courts, and ships. Trion's official ArcheAge site is little more than a placeholder at this point, but you can provide the company with your email address in exchange for news, updates, and promo material.

Let's move on to the ArcheAge fan community. For English-speakers, the big daddy is ArcheAge Source, which boasts an extensive and active forum that touches on all aspects of XL's title. Many of the regulars play the Korean live client, and several of them are prone to posting detailed gameplay guides on the AA Source boards.

You'll find everything from quest help to boat-building guides to explanations of ArcheAge's housing, combat, and farming mechanics. AA Source also does a good job of collating relevant news from Korea in its announcement forum, so be sure to bookmark the site if you want to keep up with the latest and greatest tidbits.

ArcheAge boasts a multicultural fan base that hails from all over the globe. In addition to its native Korea, the game has made inroads in China, Japan, Russia, North America, South America, and parts of Europe.

Two of the most interesting fan portals are the German-language ArcheAge-Online.de site and the Russian-language ArcheAge.ru site. You can muddle through portions of the content on both sites thanks to Google translate, or you can do what I do and peruse all of the screenshots and video, much of which is uniquely produced by players currently on the Korean servers.

And those are just my personal favorites, too. There are dozens of other fansites, a few of which are collected for easy reference at ArcheAge-Online.com.

That brings us to YouTube, which is a huge boon to ArcheAge curiosity seekers who aren't able to play the Korean version of the game. XLGAMES has its own portal, chock-full of gameplay clips and slick CG trailers. Apart from that, a general YouTube search for ArcheAge gameplay will turn up far more videos than you'll have time to watch. As I mentioned earlier, the title has been in beta for years now, and that has led to a ton of video content that details nearly every aspect of play.

So that's a wrap for this inaugural edition of Lost Continent. I hope you've found some of the community links useful, and if I've overlooked one of your favorite sites, let me know in the comments or email me the link and I'll check it out. In the meantime, join me next time for ongoing ArcheAge news and commentary as we gear up for the game's western debut.

Jef Reahard is an ArcheAge early adopter as well as the author of Massively's Lost Continent column. In it, he chronicles one man's journey through XLGAMES' fantasy sandpark while examining PvE, PvP, roleplay, and beyond. Suggestions welcome at jef@massively.com.