First off, I would like to express the fact that it is completely fine to be completely confused about ArcheAge Unchained. Even after reading this article, some of you may still not understand the details of what is happening with ArcheAge Unchained. That's okay, and I will try my best to explain everything in layman's terms. I will give a quick summary of what is happening with ArcheAge Unchained so you can get an idea of what it's about, and I will explain the details later in the article.
First off, let me explain that ArcheAge Unchained is not a standalone game. It is simply another name for the Asian version of ArcheAge that is being published by Game4Change. The name change for this particular region makes it clear what you are getting into when purchasing the game since most people understand that Unchained means no sub fees. For those of you who have never heard of ArcheAge before, this may be very confusing. I will cover ArcheAge in depth later.
So, what is the difference between the Western and Asian versions of ArcheAge? To put it simply: Everything! Well, not everything really...but a lot has changed since we were introduced to ArcheAge. Everything from the combat to the safety of the early game, from the UI to the grind, and from social systems to open-world PvP - everything is different. This includes a "forget everything you know about ArcheAge" mindset that I had when I first logged into Game4Change's version of ArcheAge.
Let me start off with some basic differences between the Asian and Western versions of ArcheAge.
The style of gameplay is different
ArcheAge has a very unique style of gameplay that's unlike other games. If you like sandbox games, you'll love ArcheAge. Everything about this game is open to your interpretation; there are no limitations whatsoever on how you can play this game. This is not a traditional MMO, so you'll have to forget everything you know about other MMORPGs in order to properly enjoy ArcheAge. For example, the open-world PvP is one of the most unique aspects of the game; it's an open world where players are free to kill each other at any time - I will go into detail about this later.
ArcheAge is the only sandbox MMORPG that offers naval combat; it's great, and there are no limitations on how you can utilize your ship (sailing, fishing, PvP). There are also no character classes; instead, there are 4 skill trees per trade that you can mix and match to create your own class. I could go into detail for hours about all the things that make ArcheAge unique, but I'll let you explore the game on your own.
There are no subscription fees in ArcheAge Unchained
The only way to play ArcheAge is by purchasing a package from Trion Worlds, and you can do so without a subscription fee. When Trion Worlds announced that they would be publishing ArcheAge, one of the requirements set by XLGames was for this version to not have subs. So now we have ArcheAge Unchained!
ArcheAge vs ArcheAge Unchained: What's the difference?
ArcheAge is the game that Trion Worlds is offering to the Western market; I'll refer to it as ArcheAge from now on. It's an MMORPG that offers a lot of freedom and creativity. The game is still in its infancy, so there are some kinks that need to be worked out before the game is in the best possible state. Trion Worlds is doing an amazing job supporting ArcheAge, so things are looking up for the future of this game.
ArcheAge Unchained is another version of ArcheAge that had a closed beta earlier this year and was opened to a wider audience on October 10th. This is the free-to-play, Asia version of ArcheAge that has been translated to English.
ArcheAge Unchained and ArcheAge are two separate entities; you cannot transfer anything, any progress made in either game is not carried over to the other. There is an auction house in both versions as well as a global marketplace where you can trade/sell items to players of both games. So if you are looking for some awesome gear but don't want to spend the time getting it, you can buy it off someone else in either game!
