Salem is thriving!

Vexus_X

Hey guys,

I wrote a fairly glowing review a long while ago. Salem has always sat on the radar as the game with lots of potential but not enough being done with it to be "really good." Well, I'm here to tell you that with the new dev team, Salem has grown quite a bit to become really good. It has become easier on some of the more grindy aspects, and more difficult in the systems aspects. Much has been added to the game since the new devs stepped into their role, and yet they have done so with a careful touch, honoring the meaning and original intention of the game.

Check out the winning release trailer made by a community member here before continuing, Salem will be 'releasing' out of beta in the coming few days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw3ekh7UO1g

 

Permadeath?

Yes, the game is still permadeath, but it is very difficult to get to a point where you can kill another player, and also relatively easy to exact your revenge now should that happen. 

Keep in mind that one of the best reasons you should play Salem is the permanency of the game. Everything you do matters in Salem. If you cut down a tree, it doesn't respawn. It doesn't respawn on server restart. It doesn't automagically respawn, ever. And if you leave the stump of the fallen tree alone, it turns into a hollow stump over a period of time. Things matter in Salem, and is something almost no other game can give you. Many systems in the game have time mechanics, like for example, if you want a turtle shell from a rare turtle, you have to leave it sitting in a box for 3 months. 3 literal months of game time, sitting in a box, to get that item. That investment pays off, however, in a very powerful item.

Permanancy: What You Do Counts in Salem

More on permanency: if you build a base, it's there, in the same server, for everyone to see - not that you want folks seeing it! But should an aggressive neighbor show up, you can have real, lasting conflict as they try to assault your base or you assault theirs.

The terrain is alterable - you can smooth cliffs and create a city on a hill if you so wish. You can plant trees and grow farms and craft a huge number of items, all for the sake of bettering your character, all with the ever-present risk of being permakilled if you are not careful. You can dig deep into mines, finding silver ore to create silver coins from. Craft poisons to cripple your enemies, or craft weapons and defenses to strengthen your town. Put locks on your doors, and set booby traps on your chests and storage to catch sneaky thieves.

Back to permadeath - it is only permadeath at the hands of other characters, although some high level monsters have the ability as well. Mostly, if you lose all your health, all that happens is you drop your inventory and 'recover' yourself back at your home base. Even veterans can pass out like this if they are not careful, so it is not something to worry about too much going in.

Systems Upon Systems: Gameplay Done Right

There are so many complex systems, and many new systems since I last played. There is witchcraft, which unlike other games with wiki information and so on, is a closely guarded secret even by the devs on the forums. No one openly knows or speaks about the extent of witchcraft, lest they be cast down by the gods. This mystery for newer players is a nice unknown to be wary about until one day when you may be able to figure it out. There is a new tutorial system which teaches players some of the very basics without revealing too much - a much more smooth entry into the game than what was there before. Other systems include new butterfly and bee keeping, new types of iron which require different smelting processes, new animals and monsters to fight, new biomes to explore and gather from, and so much more. The new stuff fills dozens of content update posts on the forums and really shows the effort the new devs have put in to make Salem work.

If you played Salem before, I strongly suggest giving it another try. The player driven economy is in full swing. The politics are twisting and visceral. The bases are as beautiful as their bulwarks are wide. And behind it all, a dev team which is always coming up with ways to make your life in the game... harder.

Wait, Harder?

Yes, harder. The general trend is actually a harder game over time - but keep in mind, this is good! This isn't a game where the devs are trying to cater to all the complaints about how difficult things are. It seems one of the ways to have systems become more difficult is to complain about how difficult it is! This is contrary to most other games out there. The other games want you to have an easy time. Salem wants to put the weight of a massive game system on your back and see if you can stand, let alone walk. This means it is so much more satisfying when you do get to walk, and accomplish things in the game. It also makes failure so much more painful, leaving a pit in your stomach like the season finale of GoT.

Not a perfect game, sure. Hard to learn, sure. But it is both rewarding and a true expression of what gameplay is supposed to be. Gamers today are smothered by instance-based games with no real meaning or purpose behind them. There's no mystery in LoL or DOTA2. There's no permanency in WoW or GW2. There's no permadeath in CS:GO.  You can chop all the trees you want in DayZ and ARK - and have the server re-populate them when it restarts. Why play like this? You're playing for fun, but also for a return on your investment of time. All those other games leave a void that Salem fills. Where you exist. Where no one is passing through your character. When you can interact with people as an individual of unknown stature - there is no health bar above your head - and no one sees your name hovering above your head either. You are just an individual, capable of being the strongest, most cunning, safest, or most productive... anything, and it will count in Salem.

Beta No More

Salem is about to go "live", which means they will be pulling themselves off the "beta" tag and operating as a fully released title. They are kicking it off with the Expedition - a new server mechanic, heavily focused on PvP, which will pit you against all the other hardcore players in the game for a chance to secure a head start on new content not found on the main server. The new systems will include animal husbandry, where you can raise animals - only on the Expedition server at first. Once that server is completed, the players who were strong enough to make it will be able to ship their goods back to their home in Providence to then integrate the new content in the main server. This will set a future trend, where new content is put forth in a free-for-all new temporary (estimates of say, 3 months, more or less, completely controlled by the players mind you!), servers, where the strongest can come out well ahead of those they defeated.

Expeditions!

Join us in Salem for Expeditions. Give it a few months with a fresh new start that may be temporary or may last a long time. Throw yourself back into the game disregarding safety and fear. See the flood of new characters pour from the new server after release - join them - or stalk them and take what you can. It is up to you how you play, but know how you play will have a direct impact on everyone you come into contact with.

If you have any questions, PM me on the Salem forums under the name Vexus. If you liked this write up, please let me know in a reply. I hope this gets some folks back into the game because it really is a game worth playing. And again, check out the release trailer!

-Vexus