Fractured Online 1st Impressions

Fractured Online fully launched out of Early Access on Wednesday, drawing in over 2000 players to the new fresh start server. After spending about 10 hours exploring this new MMORPG and progressing my character, here are my detailed impressions.

• Fractured Online Release Preview
• Fractured Online 1st Impressions Short
• The Tank Club Discord

First off, I want to mention that I received access to Fractured Online for free. However, the developers didn’t provide a script or require any specific statements. These are entirely my own impressions.

My initial experience has been fairly enjoyable. The early stages of the game are pleasant and not too overwhelming. Fractured Online’s levelling and progression system is quite different from other MMORPGs. Instead of traditional experience levelling, you gain knowledge by defeating various enemies, exploring new areas, and collecting materials. This knowledge not only increases your level but also unlocks specific abilities as you learn more about the enemies. This system really motivated me to engage with as many enemies as possible, making combat feel rewarding and purposeful.

The tutorial island serves as a great starting point. It’s spacious enough that you’re not constantly competing for spawns with other players. You spend your time killing enemies, crafting basic items, and following the quest log to understand the game’s systems. A key tip for the tutorial island: maximize your knowledge of all enemies here because you can’t return later. Additionally, don’t waste time crafting anything beyond the essentials, as you don’t gain crafting knowledge on the tutorial island.

I dedicated the first 2 hours to completing every quest on the tutorial island and ensuring I had a full set of gear. Once I felt prepared, I ventured through the portal to the main planet, choosing the more PvE-friendly one to start my journey.

The first city I arrived in felt empty, with no NPCs, dialogue, or story – something to be expected in an open-world sandbox MMORPG, but it doesn’t create a great atmosphere. The game’s movement and camera mechanics are reminiscent of Albion Online, with point-and-click movement and a fixed camera angle that you can slightly zoom in and out. Graphically, the game opts for a realistic approach, which works well and adds to the immersion.

Combat in Fractured Online is supposed to be an action combat system, which I usually prefer, but this game misses the mark. You don’t utilize light or heavy attacks; you simply hold right-click, which feels like auto-attacking without the automation. There’s no blocking or dodging, just free movement and less precise targeting. Often, I found myself a step too far back, missing attacks, and the only way to ensure hits was to stand directly on top of enemies, which doesn’t look or feel great. My typical rotation involved leaping in, activating all my skills, and holding right-click, which wasn’t the action combat experience I expected. On the bright side, there are plenty of skills to unlock through enemy knowledge, allowing for extensive build customization.

Crafting in the game is reasonably detailed. There are many different materials, and while some items can be crafted on the spot, others require specific crafting benches. It’s convenient to craft items like wooden lockpicks on the go, but needing a bench for plate armor makes sense. The abundance of materials can be overwhelming, as it’s hard to know which ones are worth keeping, and inventory space is limited, making hoarding impossible.

After joining a guild and gathering 2000 gold, I bought a plot of land and began building a house near my guildmates’ settlement. Building a house isn’t a quick task. I had to chop down trees and smash up stones, carrying them one by one to my plot. Building a wagon first is the best way to do this, but even that can take a while, especially if you place the wagon on your land and carry the materials to it to build it rather than placing the blueprint near the trees to do it faster, which I only realized halfway through. After finally completing my house, I added various crafting benches to make my life easier. I even had a few visitors who seemed a bit too fond of my house – I might need to call in pest control!

While I’ve enjoyed the early stages of Fractured Online, I’m a bit concerned about its long-term appeal. I’m progressing my character’s knowledge and level, building up my house, and crafting new gear. I’ll venture into tougher areas and help my guild to take over a nearby city, but as a mostly PvE player, I wonder if the game will keep me engaged in the long run. I’ll continue playing and post a full review once I’ve spent more time in the game.