ArchLord
A fantasy MMORPG with a unique ruler system and poor critical reception.
ArchLord was a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by NHN Games (a subsidiary of NHN Corporation) and published by Codemasters Online Gaming in the West. It launched in South Korea in March 2005, then in North America in September 2006 (following an open beta in August) and in Europe in October 2006, and was met with poor reviews from critics. In July 2007, the game switched to a free-to-play model alongside its first episodic expansion, *Season of Siege*. A second expansion, *Spirits Awakening*, followed in October 2008. In August 2009, Webzen acquired the global publishing rights from Codemasters and took over all regions. From October 3 of that year, Webzen assumed global maintenance and released the expansion *The Land of Heroes* (also known as *Heroes*). The game was officially shut down on January 31, 2014.
- Developer
- NHN Games (a subsidiary of NHN Corporation)
- Release Date (North America)
- September 2006 (open beta in August 2006)
- Release Date (Europe)
- October 2006
Quick Facts
- Developer
- NHN Corporation / Codemasters Online Gaming
- Publisher
- Webzen (former) / Codemasters (former)
- Released
- KOR · March 2005 · NA · October 3, 2006 · EU · October 6, 2006 · AUS · 7 August 2009
- Genre
- Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Windows
- Engine
- RenderWare
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
ArchLord is set on the continent of Chantra and features four playable races: Orcs, Humans, Moon Elves, and DragonScion. Orcs occupied the land 1000 years before Humans, enslaved them for 500 years, and later both races fled a catastrophic earthquake. Moon Elves, once part of the great elf races, lost most males in a war and later emerged from hiding. DragonScion were created from the scales and blood of the dragon Mightthesis 2000 years ago and roamed for 1000 years before settling on Chantra. Gameplay included a crafting system for upgrading items, carving, skinning, and ransacking monsters, alchemy for metamorphosis potions, cooking for stat bonuses, and an advanced market system. The central feature was the competition to become ArchLord, the server ruler for four weeks, with access to a castle, a unique dragon mount, and weather control.
Reader's Guide
ArchLord's significance lies in its early adoption of a free-to-play model in August 2007, coinciding with the Season of Siege expansion, and its subsequent transition to Webzen in 2009 after Codemasters failed to renew its license. The game received poor critical reception: GameSpot rated it 2.7/10, criticizing repetitive gameplay, blurry graphics, shallow quests, and tedious combat, while Eurogamer awarded 4/10, noting lack of visual monster distinction, poor controls, and restricted high-level features. Despite this, ArchLord maintained a player base through expansions like Spirits Awakening (2008) and Heaven & Hell (2009). The game was used in the film Ben X, reflecting its cultural impact. Its legacy includes a manhwa adaptation by Park Jin-hwan, released in South Korea in 2005 and in English by Tokyopop in 2007. ArchLord servers were shut down on January 1, 2014.
Did You Know?
- ArchLord became free-to-play in July 2007 with the release of the Season of Siege expansion.
- The game's manhwa adaptation by Park Jin-hwan was first released in South Korea on September 30, 2005.
- ArchLord was officially used in the film Ben X, playing an important role in showing the main character's internal perception of the world.
- The DragonScion race was created from the skin and bone of the great dragon 'Mightthesis' 2000 years ago.
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