I have to say I am impressed. I have played a bunch of quests and have leveled up a bit, experimented with all weapon types, and have explored a good portion of the first part of the world. I haven't made it too much farther along the main story, but what I can say is that it is decent from what I have played, even though a bit on the predictable side so far. There are a lot of quests to do and experience points are very easy to get, making leveling up no problem. I have not yet reset my character, mostly because I enjoy what I have right now. Reaching a new level allows you to place one point in any skill you want to, and grants three points to divide up into three skill trees. You are allowed to appoint your points however you want, all three in one category, or spread out. Progressing up these trees allows you to unlock powerful attacks and abilities. Also while these progress you unlock destinies relating to where your points are going. Destinies give you bonuses relating to whatever category they correspond to, Might, Sorcery, or Finesse.
The crafting system is surprisingly deep with weapons and armor being able to have as many as five components in them. Potions can have four ingredients and do anything from skill boosts to health refills. I can smith pretty much anything I want to make providing I have the parts, and I can craft whatever I need to keep from dying. It's all about experimenting. Providing your alchemy skill is high enough you can experiment with ingredients and if it turns out to be a failure you will get an unstable potion which grants you a random effect. These random effects can be anything from weakness to fire to a massive experience boost, it just depends on how lucky you are.
I have noticed several slowdowns during combat, mostly when I loose track of my character due to about six or seven other enemies attacking me at once. The slowdowns only occurred when most battle participants were attacking or using abilities. They aren't exactly a problem, as they are very brief, but they aren't a plus either. The enemies are varied and you have access to enough attacks and combos to make the fights a lot of fun. Combat has numerous options for how to proceed. Personally, I haven't been a fan of the stealth, but I never have been in any game. I go for a head on attack and try to kill the enemy before they get me.
Exploration is definitely a rewarding thing to do due to the amount of things hidden in the world. There are chests to loot, hidden items to stumble upon, and Lorestones to find. Lorestones give your character some XP and give you a bit of history about the world. If you happen to find all Lorestones in an area, you are rewarded with a permanent boost to your abilities. Lockpicking, pickpocketing, and other unlawful acts are available for you to dabble in if you so choose as well.
The quests are what you can expect from this type of game. They range from kill X enemies to fetch quests, to go here and defeat this person. While mildly repetitive, they are still a lot of fun and offer a lot of extra gameplay aside from the main story. Factions offer specific multi-quest stories that add to the backstory. They also award "Twists of Fate" depending on what choices you make during the quest lines. Twists of Fate give you a bonus to your stats.
All in all, while I've put a good bit of time into this game, there is still a lot of content I haven't even come close to experiencing. From what I've played so far, I do recommend that you pick this one up, but I am not comfortable giving a score yet as I still am only in the first major part of the game. Stick with me and I'll have a score up with some more details soon. Until next time, See You Online.
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