Karos Online proves that mining and fishing don't have to be crafting tradeskills
Free-to-play title Karos Online is demonstrating a different use of fishing and mining than the norm. Instead of taking their crafting skills and placing them on the side, Karos is directly implementing them into an alternate character progression tree separate from leveling.
Both mining and fishing will allow players to recover "fletta gems," artifacts that are used to increase player stats and some player buffs. These gems can also be used to buy special resources or enchant items for the character, making them a one stop shop for all your upgrade needs. Of course, this leads to these items being coveted for their use, and Karos is also implementing a guild control system on the mining areas -- turning what's normally a crafting ground into a high-stakes PvP area.
Karos is currently in closed beta, running in weekend beta tests similar to Aion. If you're looking to jump in, sign up for an account on the Karos website and then apply for a beta testing position.
