Reign of Guilds Review Summary

An immersive beautiful world with deep crafting and a vibrant player economy, but marred by persistent game-breaking bugs, an inadequate tutorial, and broken repetitive quests.

Crafting is deep and engaging: Reviewers consistently praise the crafting system as deep, meaningful, and multi-layered, requiring significant investment of time, which is seen as rewarding.

Immersive and beautiful world: The world is repeatedly called big, atmospheric, and visually beautiful, providing a strong sense of place and exploration value.

Great solo and group dungeons: Solo and group dungeons are praised for adding meaningful PvE content, a feature that was highly requested and well-received.

Vibrant player-driven economy: The economy is described as vibrant and responsive to player actions, with vendors dynamically adjusting prices to reflect supply and demand.

Core gameplay is excellent: General sentiment indicates the game is well-implemented, addictive, and fun to play, highlighting the core gameplay loop's quality.

Persistent game-breaking bugs: Players report numerous unresolved bugs including game-breaking issues, healing spell failures, and tutorial locks that persist after release.

Inadequate tutorial and guidance: The tutorial fails to teach core mechanics, leaving players confused and sometimes stuck on the starting island without guidance.

Unpolished and rough release: The game feels unfinished, raw, and more like an alpha or beta test than a 1.0 release, lacking polish.

Slow and clunky combat: Combat is slow-paced and clunky, with unfluid movement and actions that feel unresponsive.

Broken and repetitive quests: Quests are poorly written, repetitive, often do not work properly, and fail to update or complete.

Shop is cosmetic only: Players repeatedly mention that the in-game shop offers convenience and cosmetic items only. No pay-to-win mechanics are noted, only pay-to-confort options.

Optional PvP mode: The game includes a PvP mode that is optional and not full loot. Players note that PvP is available everywhere but with safeguards.

Classic MMO feel: The game is described as an old-school MMO with classic mechanics, reminiscent of Gothic. This appeals to players seeking a traditional RPG experience.

14 class options: The game offers 14 different classes, providing significant variety for character builds and playstyles.

Open world exploration: The game world is open and reminiscent of Elder Scrolls, offering a large explorable environment.

General optimization issues: Multiple players describe the game as poorly optimized, with low FPS on sieges, high hardware demands, and memory usage capped at 3GB. These issues suggest inefficient resource management.

Connection and disconnect problems: Players experience disconnects, especially on EU servers, and general connection issues that interrupt gameplay and cause frustration.

Do not waste time: Many players strongly warn others to avoid the game entirely, citing it as a waste of time or money. These reviews often include urgent pleas to not purchase or install, suggesting fundamental dissatisfaction.

Broken quests and systems: Players report that the game is broken due to starter quest bugs, clunky controls, interface issues, pay-to-win pressure, and uncertain developer direction. Some initially recommended the game but later retracted after playing more, as ongoing issues diminished their trust.

Good for hardcore fans: Several players recommend the game specifically to hardcore MMORPG fans who enjoy sandbox mechanics, non-linear gameplay, and challenging experiences. They appreciate the game's depth and personality.

Trial worth checking: Some players suggest trying the free trial before committing, as it helps newcomers decide if the game suits them. Positive experiences with the trial have led to full purchases.

Wait for updates: Several reviews suggest waiting for future updates before playing, as the game currently needs more polish and features like Japanese language support or controller support. These players are optimistic but not yet satisfied.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $40.00.

The game's fun begins after leaving the tutorial island, but the tutorial experience is inconsistent: intended to be quick (around 5 minutes) but often buggy or confusing, leading to frustration. Once players overcome initial friction, the open-world sandbox and deep progression become engaging.

Reported time to anchor: 5m.

Friction: Buggy tutorial that can softlock progress; Steep learning curve with minimal handholding; Clunky UI and combat; Forced crafting progression due to poor shop gear; PvP griefing in early zones; Expensive storage even in tutorial.

Unlock drivers: Freedom and open world; Deep progression system; Addictive crafting loop; Group combat and dungeons; Rewarding house system; PvP protection in starter zones.

Hardcore PvP Guild Player: Guild-oriented, strategic, large-scale PvP and territory control; values reputation and alliances. Motivation: Competitive PvP and guild dominance in an open world with real consequences. Stance: buy.

Frustrated Newcomer: Explorative and hopeful but quickly frustrated by steep difficulty, unclear mechanics, and perceived unfairness. Motivation: Seeking a fair, accessible entry into the game's world. Stance: no buy.

PvE Solo Player: Solo or small-group PvE content, dungeon crawling, crafting, and exploration without PvP pressure. Motivation: PvE progression and solo-friendly content in an MMO setting. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The game suffers from severe crashes, low performance, terrible controls, and an unclear interface, making it nearly unplayable on Steam Deck without extensive tinkering.

Monetization: User reviews are sharply divided: many report aggressive pay-to-win mechanics with real-money purchases for PvP advantages and currency, while others assert the game is free of P2W and has been improved post-launch. The weight of negative evidence points to a strong P2W model with cash-grab tactics.

External guides: The dominant complaint is the lack of tutorials, explanations, and a wiki for learning core systems like crafting, with additional minor bug reports. No evidence of farming drops, inventory management, or crafting requirements as defined in higher tiers.

Game is Early Access: The game is currently in Early Access, which may affect its completeness and polish. This status is a notable factor for potential buyers.