Shadowbane is set in the genre of dark fantasy. After millennia of strife, toil, and struggle, Aerynth suffered a massive catastrophe from which it has yet to recover... Players are born as children of this new Dark Age, known to the inhabitants as the Age of Strife, and the game begins approximately one hundred years after the near-complete collapse of the civilized world.
Shadowbane is the first MMO to deliver the ULTIMATE CHALLENGE by offering a role where the player has the abilility to affect the world in a dynamic experience.
Darkness has fallen upon the world of Aerynth. Only a century ago the Elves and the Sons of Men fought their final battle, a battle so terrible that Aerynth itself was shattered, and all of the world’s children were plunged into an Age of Strife. The ancient Gods have grown silent, and glorious empires that spanned millennia have all crumbled into dust. Strife and Chaos reign supreme as the survivors carry on ancient feuds or turn upon old allies, fighting for the scraps of the broken world.
Yet all the while the shadows lengthen, as ancient evils stir in forgotten places, hungry for blood and vengeance. In her darkest hour, Aerynth needs heroes, heroes who can forge new empires, heroes who will stand against the coming darkness. The Doom of Aerynth draws near, but a name out of ancient legend offers salvation to a sundered world: Shadowbane. If it can only be found, this Sword of Destiny will give its wielder the power to save the world… or to destroy it.
Shadowbane features:
Dynamic World Model -- first MMO to allow players to physically affect the terrain by building a range of structures from taverns to guildhalls, fortresses to castles
Innovative gameplay featuring true RPG with large scale strategic elements allows players to assume the role of a common citizen or become a hero and crush an empire in this epic game
Tools such as grief log, kill on site list, bounty hunters, no anonymity, and player locator greatly enhance player accountability
Complete Personal Housing system allows players to build their own cottages, houses, villas and citadels
Incredible story arc covers over five thousand years of recorded history, abounding with legends, epics, and tragedies
An elaborate and detailed system for Castle Sieges, including siege weapons, troop formations, guard partrols and the ability to burn cities to the ground
Extensive guild system allows for true social and political maneuvering featuring 13 guild types (such as Wizard’s Tower, Mercenary Company, Thieves Den, Barbarian Clan, and more), probationary member voting, guild ranks and titles, a deep guild allegiance/fealty system, a unique coat of arms creation tool, war declarations and assassinations for the ultimate experience in online political intrigue
Hundreds of playable character combinations including 10 races and, over 20 character promotion classes
Character Multi-classing -- Players can master up to three additional Disciplines from a list of dozens available, like Archery, Blademastery, Wyrmslayer and Stormlord.
Detailed magic system with over a dozen schools of magic, from Summoning and Wizardry to Channeling and Psionics (warlockry)
In-game movie capture technology allows players to record historical events of Shadowbane to share with other players
Real-time, in-game reporting system communicates information with vital statistics and game progress instantaneously to shadowbane.com and official fan sites
Fully customizable and easy to use interface
