Online Role Playing Games (RPGs) are the latest craze; from Final Fantasy 11, to Ragnarok Online, to World of Warcraft, millions of people are willing to pay a small fee every month in order to play a game. For those of us who would rather play for free, there is Adventure Quest. Adventure Quest, sometimes referred to by it’s websites name, BattleOn, or just AQ, is an online RPG developed by Artix Entertainment in 2002. Although you dont get to interact with other players, this free game is just as fun as those that require a monthly fee.
Adventure Quest requires Flash to play, and uses anime-style graphics. Every person may have up to 5 characters. The game revolves around fighting monsters in turn-based combat for Experience Points (XP) and gold. Characters have levels that they can gain, six different stats which they can train and increase, and some characters can have specific classes that determine their abilities. You can use the gold you earn to buy weapons, armor, spells, and even pets that fight along your side and help you in combat.
The stats that your characters have are Strength, Dexterity, Intellect, Endurance, Charisma, and Luck. Each of these have specific effects on your battles and combat outcomes. With every level that you gain, you are awarded 5 stat points which you can use to raise whichever stats you wish.
There are many things to do and places to discover on Adventure Quest. There are holiday-themed events, and plots and wars that push the story-line of the game forward. There are new monsters, items, and quests being added all the time.
You can choose to have random fights by clicking Battle Monsters. This will provide you with a random monster to battle, then return you to the starting point and allow you to heal, and do something else (or have another random encounter). This is a good way to train and increase your level. However, there are other, more engaging ways to interact in this game. Adventure Quest offers a variety of quests and challenges, which present the player with more involved tasks. Quests are often uncovered by speaking to a Non-Player Character, or NPC. Some quests, such as holiday events and wars, are available only for a limited time. Quests also move along with the storyline, and by doing certain ones, you can unlock more, and find out new information about the story or receive some nice rewards. Challenges are slightly different – they dont follow the storyline or present you with a reward. Instead, characters must defeat as many monsters in a row as they can.
Although the game is completely free, there is an available paid upgrade. By paying a one-time fee of $19.95, a person can become a Guardian and unlock many extra features. For an additional fee, you can get an X-Boost, which increases your XP by 10% per battle, and includes other benefits. Some people criticize the game for not having enough features for non-Guardians, the game is very fun and entertaining even without Guardianship. There are plenty of things to do for those who choose to play it for free, and its definitely worth a look
