PvE in Achaea

Achaea combat is not solely a player versus player experience. Fighting denizens, dungeon delving, acquiring gear, and taking on bosses form the backbone of Achaea’s PvE and are as much a core part of the world as adventurer combat. In recent years, Achaea’s PvE game modes have expanded massively to include small group dungeons, highly complex and technical world bosses, and even a fully realised roguelike experience with all that entails.

If you’re brand new, start with hunting and the Achaea beginner’s guide. Read further to learn about the end-game challenges and even further still to discover dungeons and more!

Hunting and Levelling

Hunting, known to most players as bashing, is the primary method of gaining experience and gold in Achaea. First you seek out denizens you can safely kill, then advance through the levels and face progressively tougher and tougher enemies. Stronger enemies give more experience and typically more gold and gear.

Naturally, denizens fight back. Some hit extremely hard. Some afflict you in terrible ways. Some are aggressive and attack the moment you walk in, or call for help from their friends. Many share a loyalty bond, and killing them can leave you in poor standing, or even under a death contract filed by the local government of the area you’re slaughtering your way through. Bring elixirs and curatives, and always be mindful of what you’re hunting.

Hunting in a group

You don’t have to hunt alone. A group can take down denizens far stronger than any single member could manage, and the experience from each kill gets shared among everyone there. For a lot of newer players, tagging along with a city or house hunting party is the fastest way to level and the easiest way to meet people. Your city is a great first place to ask for a hunting partner.

Gear

Many denizens in Achaea have a chance to drop gear when you defeat them. This specialist loot can be worn for a variety of different effects, most of which will make you stronger or tankier, allowing you to hunt more efficiently or overcome challenges that you couldn’t before. Most gear forms part of a set, and equipping a whole set grants even more powerful bonuses to your PvE abilities.

The most powerful gear comes from the toughest enemies, who will often reward you with an extremely strong trinket or keepsake when defeated. The gear you wear is an important decision when undertaking a hunt, and building for resilience with full defensive pieces or making yourself into a glass cannon casting chain lightnings on every hit are equally viable ways to play.

Forays

Forays are Achaea’s group dungeons, each taking place in an isolated setting somewhere in the game world. Intrepid adventurers must band together and sign up for a foray in the Brass Lantern Inn, then find the entrance and begin the challenge. Inside, powerful enemies and difficult puzzles await your band of hunters and you will need to overcome them in order to fight the boss.

Bosses are a step up from even the regular foray denizens. In true MMO tradition, most have distinct mechanics of varying complexity that must be handled in order to succeed. Take care not to accidentally blow up your friends if the Witch of Cennos turns you into a bomb, won’t you?

Mnemosyne

The Mnemosyne is Achaea’s roguelike dungeon. Accessed from the banks of the river of the same name, the Mnemosyne can only be undertaken alone. Unlike the rest of the game world, however, all the denizens of the Mnemosyne are echoes of the past, contrived by the Gods to provide an infinitely scaling challenge as you wade farther into its endless ripples.

To help you with this challenge, you’ll be offered a choice of powers for each level you descend. These boons range from simple increases to damage or resistances to enabling entirely new build concepts and transforming mundane abilities into brand new effects. Some are naturally rarer than others. Some are wildly powerful. And some come with significant drawbacks as the price for their power.

The Mnemosyne dungeon is one of the most ambitious PvE systems in the entire MUD world. Taking on its challenges is not for the timid.

World Bosses

All across Achaea dwell denizens of significant import, among them terrible monsters, cultists, mages, elemental titans, champions of the Gods, and more who can be engaged for a truly harrowing challenge. Offering a huge spectrum of difficulty from those that can be faced solo to some requiring dozens (yes, dozens!) of adventurers to assist, Achaea’s world bosses are widely regarded as the most difficult PvE encounters the game has to offer.

Don’t be fooled by the innocuous town crier or a simple leopard. Many of these bosses have intensely complex mechanics requiring groups to coordinate in order to solve them. Often precision timing and perfect awareness are required. Mistakes can and often are deadly. Death is to be expected. Fame is guaranteed, if you succeed. Taking on the Grandmaster of the Quisalis, facing boisterous Bruyan, or betraying your Elemental allegiance to square off against one of the primordial titans is certainly one way to get your name noticed.

Where to go next after Achaea PvE

Levels and gold from hunting pay for most of what you do elsewhere in Achaea. When you want a thinking opponent instead, read the Achaea PvP and curing guide. The game features hub maps everything else, and brand-new players should start with the beginner’s guide.

Frequently Asked Questions