At first glance, a single-player MMORPG doesn’t make a ton of sense. But in practice, it’s an exciting prospect, a world filled with simulated players, grinding mobs, completing quests, and sharing barbed words in global chat—and none of them are real people. It’s also a decent way to get try out the MMO experience as a solo player if you’ve avoided the genre previously.
The simulated players in Erenshor can prove surprisingly realistic. They even slay mobs in low-level zones with reckless abandon, talk trash to each other, and form guilds with ridiculous names. But venturing into this chaotic world means tackling new challenges, like with any other MMORPG, so here’s what to do first!
- “Party” up
- Ditch your starting gear quickly
- Mosh out in the mob pits
- Hit up some dungeons
- Have some patience with the controls
Group up with your imaginary frien—’simulated players’
Yeah, it’s touted as a single-player game, but it’s still an “MMORPG.” You’ll note the abundant simulated players roaming each zone, completing quests, slaying mobs, and leveling up. You can interact with them!
If you select one of those characters, particularly one that complements your abilities, like a Paladin for your Duelist, then you can form a party capable of defeating the bandits in the cave, the dinosaur on the cliff, or the dungeon beneath the crypts on the starting island.
You’ll want to become accustomed to working with the other “players” in Erenshor. They’ll save your skin!
Buy better weapons and armor as soon as you can
Depending on which class you select, you’ll start with a bit of random gear. It’s like the hand-me-downs your older cousin left you before heading off to college. It’s ratty, smells a little funky, and barely holds together when fighting a bone golem.
Upon exiting the first tutorial zone, the docks, you’ll encounter a few enemies along the road before inevitably stumbling upon a low-level meeting zone—a shop in the wilds. Here, you can pick up a better weapon, a shield, a little bit of armor—cloth, unfortunately—and even a useful spell or skill. It’ll cost you, but thankfully, Erenshor is generous in that it kicks things off with a handful of gold in your pocket.
Mobs are a great way to bond with your simulated party
Like any good MMORPG, you’ll spend more time slaying mobs by the dozens, sometimes the hundreds, while attempting to level up and acquire better gear. But hey, that’s all part of the fun, right?!
In Erenshor, you level up somewhat slowly. Even with a group of simulated players helping you clear more challenging content, the EXP comes in drips, not streams. As such, you’ll spend time clearing zones of low-level enemies, like wolves, spiders, and bandits, to acquire EXP and level up, improving your attack, defense, and everything else you may expect from an MMORPG.
Delve into a dungeon
Once you’ve acquired a few levels beneath your belt and you have a semi-competent squad of faux-players by your side, it’s time to delve into dungeons. On the starting island, there’s just one beneath the crypt. But once you reach the mainland, the world opens up with far more content to explore.
No matter where you choose to delve, dungeons in Erenshor offer a challenge. The enemies within gradually become more difficult the deeper you delve, and their numbers begin to swell. If you’re the Paladin and you’re pulling, expect to die occasionally. You’ll most certainly want a healer in your party to revive you.
But the rewards! Oh, the rewards! You can level up faster than normal, acquire luxury junk to sell, and even land yourself a rare weapon or armor piece.
The controls are wonky, but learnable
Straight out of the gate, know that Erenshor is an indie project. It’s a solo developer with a dream, and that dream is somewhat janky. The controls were the biggest hurdle here, as they feel cumbersome and unresponsive.
Looking past the clunk and clutter, spend a little time reviewing the control scheme in the settings menu, learning the various hotkeys for battle and NPC interaction. The minutes you spend in the menu will save you from headaches down the road.
Erenshor, the single-player MMORPG everyone is talking about…in some circles of the internet, is available now via Steam Early Access on Windows PCs.