Helbreath
Encyclopedia
Helbreath is a MMORPG
developed by Siementech Co. Ltd
and launched first in South Korea
in 1999. An International version and an USA version were introduced in the subsequent years and were both met with moderate success. The game was previously pay to play, but is now a free-to-play cash-shop game.
n players.
(PvP) combat, leveling
, questing
and socializing.
New players begin as a neutral traveler in the Beginner Zone allowing them to familiarize themselves with core mechanics of gameplay. A player may not exceed level 19 until obtaining citizenship in either Aresden or Elvine. Once a player has gained citizenship, they may choose between status as either a Civilian (enemy town members can not attack you however monsters can attack), or Combatant (enemy and monsters can attack you). This choice will reflect their PvP status amongst other players in the world.
For the first 19 levels, a character is given gold every time they level up to help them out. Each level gained allows the character to increase their stat points, which determine their skill levels. Upon reaching the maximum level of 180, it is traditional that the player will receive a special-issue set of gear, otherwise known as Dark Knight or Dark Wizard equipment. This gear can only be equipped by the player that earns it. The character is also given a weapon or wand depending on their stats, this item can be upgraded with Majestic Points. Majestic Points also allow the person to get other items and change their stats.
Helbreath's standard chat filter is afflicted by the Scunthorpe problem
.
Helbreath has an open player versus player
setting, allowing and encouraging enemy Combatants to attack at-will. When a player kills an enemy combatant, an Enemy Kill point is gained. These points may be eventually exchanged for Hero Armor. Like Dark Knight or Wizard items, Hero armor may also only be equipped by the one that earned it. It is also optional for combatants of the same nation to attack each other. However, if a friendly player actually goes through with killing another friendly player, a penalty is incurred by the offending character being given a "criminal count" and being made an enemy to everyone until their criminal kill count is 0. Killing people from the same town gives "negative rep" which has an impact on righteous and kloness weapons.
"Civilians" are players that will not be afflicted by PvP attacks, "Combatants" may openly engage in PvP with any enemy combatant and fellow town members. "Heroes" are players which have killed a great number of enemies. They receive special armors as a reward.
"Crusades" are full-scale wars between every player of both nations. Some servers such as Helbreath USA do this weekly. The objective is to destroy the shields protecting the enemy town while building a base in the Middlelands (map) to create a "meteor storm" that attacks the enemy town. The winner is determined by the town that successfully destroys the enemy’s town.
"Castle Sieges" consist of 3 battle grounds that alternate. Battlefield, where both towns are against each other and have to destroy the enemy’s buildings before the other town. Castle, where the winning town from the previous week has to defend the Castle map from the attacking town.
Barter is primarily used for rare objects. However, gold is used for common items and items purchased from NPC's (Non-Player Character). Gold can be earned in many ways; completing quests, killing monsters, mining, fishing, alchemy or farming.
.
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
developed by Siementech Co. Ltd
Siementech
Siementech is a computer game developer from Seoul, South Korea. It is mostly known for its MMORPG, Helbreath.-External links:**...
and launched first in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in 1999. An International version and an USA version were introduced in the subsequent years and were both met with moderate success. The game was previously pay to play, but is now a free-to-play cash-shop game.
Open beta
As of 2003, the Helbreath International open beta had more than 125,000 North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n players.
Gameplay
The basics of Helbreath include player versus playerPlayer versus player
Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
(PvP) combat, leveling
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
, questing
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
and socializing.
New players begin as a neutral traveler in the Beginner Zone allowing them to familiarize themselves with core mechanics of gameplay. A player may not exceed level 19 until obtaining citizenship in either Aresden or Elvine. Once a player has gained citizenship, they may choose between status as either a Civilian (enemy town members can not attack you however monsters can attack), or Combatant (enemy and monsters can attack you). This choice will reflect their PvP status amongst other players in the world.
For the first 19 levels, a character is given gold every time they level up to help them out. Each level gained allows the character to increase their stat points, which determine their skill levels. Upon reaching the maximum level of 180, it is traditional that the player will receive a special-issue set of gear, otherwise known as Dark Knight or Dark Wizard equipment. This gear can only be equipped by the player that earns it. The character is also given a weapon or wand depending on their stats, this item can be upgraded with Majestic Points. Majestic Points also allow the person to get other items and change their stats.
Helbreath's standard chat filter is afflicted by the Scunthorpe problem
Scunthorpe Problem
The Scunthorpe problem occurs when a spam filter or search engine blocks e-mails or search results because their text contains a string of letters that are shared with an obscene word...
.
Helbreath has an open player versus player
Player versus player
Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
setting, allowing and encouraging enemy Combatants to attack at-will. When a player kills an enemy combatant, an Enemy Kill point is gained. These points may be eventually exchanged for Hero Armor. Like Dark Knight or Wizard items, Hero armor may also only be equipped by the one that earned it. It is also optional for combatants of the same nation to attack each other. However, if a friendly player actually goes through with killing another friendly player, a penalty is incurred by the offending character being given a "criminal count" and being made an enemy to everyone until their criminal kill count is 0. Killing people from the same town gives "negative rep" which has an impact on righteous and kloness weapons.
"Civilians" are players that will not be afflicted by PvP attacks, "Combatants" may openly engage in PvP with any enemy combatant and fellow town members. "Heroes" are players which have killed a great number of enemies. They receive special armors as a reward.
"Crusades" are full-scale wars between every player of both nations. Some servers such as Helbreath USA do this weekly. The objective is to destroy the shields protecting the enemy town while building a base in the Middlelands (map) to create a "meteor storm" that attacks the enemy town. The winner is determined by the town that successfully destroys the enemy’s town.
"Castle Sieges" consist of 3 battle grounds that alternate. Battlefield, where both towns are against each other and have to destroy the enemy’s buildings before the other town. Castle, where the winning town from the previous week has to defend the Castle map from the attacking town.
Setting
Game locations include two hostile countries, Aresden and Elvine, and between them Middleland and Promiseland. Aresden is the country which is built by people who worship the mighty god of creation, Aresien. The colour that identifies Aresden is Red. The nation of Aresden is composed of the town of Aresden, a farm, the Eternal Field, the Silent Woods, and the Aresden Garden. Elvine is the country which is built by people who worship the powerful god of equalibrium, Eldiniel. The colour that identifies Elvine is Blue. The nation of Elvine is composed of the town of Elvine, a farm, the Rocky Highland, the Death Valley, and the Elvine Garden. The Middleland is a perpetual battlefield for both nations. Promiseland is located between the farm of Elvine and the farm of Aresden. Both towns are connected underground by the Dungeons, which extends four levels underground.Items and economy
The economy of Helbreath varies from server to server. In general, all items may be freely exchanged between all players, allowing for a great level of diversity. The only exceptions to trading are Dark Knight, Dark Wizard, and Hero items. Many items that are dropped by monsters include both a primary and secondary attribute, allowing for a variety of uses. Whether a player can equip an item depends on its weight or its stat (skill points) requirements.Barter is primarily used for rare objects. However, gold is used for common items and items purchased from NPC's (Non-Player Character). Gold can be earned in many ways; completing quests, killing monsters, mining, fishing, alchemy or farming.
Development
During the beta phase of Helbreath, the developers organized a "game team" composed of volunteer players. The game team are creative writers who contribute towards the game's story and history, moderate the forums and maintain the webpage.Critical reception
In a 2004 review conducted by Mark Schembri of MMORPG.com, Helbreath was rated 6.8/10. Schembri compared the game to early Ultima OnlineUltima Online
Ultima Online is a graphical massively multiplayer online role-playing game , released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. It was instrumental to the development of the genre, and is still running today...
.