Demise: Ascension

"Demise: Ascension" (Volume II) is an essential dungeon exploration game with hundreds of hours of playability and many unique features ~ including the fact that it may be played as a single player (SP) game or, with its included server, as an on-line game where a group of up to sixteen players from around the world or in a local neighbourhood, may play the Multi-Player (MP) version.
As the game story progresses beyond Volume I there is more interaction with the monsters, the occasional appearance of a Non-Player Character (NPC) and a broader picture of the environs of the Mines and City of Dejenol emerges.

The game is played with characters whose attributes have been determined by the player and with the aim of making your character or characters stronger, more capable and able to survive in the rich environment that will progressively unfold. In both single player (SP) and multiplayer (MP) you can explore the dungeon in a group of up to four characters. In SP these characters are all created by you and you have complete control of them. In MP, you can only play one character at a time, and must join with other on-line players in order to make a party. Of course you can also choose to play with only one character, but a party has a greater chance of surviving the many perils that lie in the dungeon and beyond.

There are 9 different humanoid species which you may select for your character. Think Human, Elf, Dwarf, Giant ... you get the idea! Your choice determines how long you live, your basic characteristics (some are faster/stronger/smarter than others), your starting resistances to any special forms of attack (such as poison or acid), what alignment you can be (Good, Neutral or Evil), and which "Guilds" you can join. A Guild is an organization dedicated to a profession ... but all characters start out as an 'Artisan' - a "Jack of all trades and master of none".

There are 12 guilds in Demise, and your standing in these guilds represents how powerful your character is. Some Guilds only accept certain species, and some will not admit certain alignments, so think carefully about making these choices.

Guilds represent a way of life, and gaining levels as a member of each Guild you choose increases the skills your character has related to that particular Guild. The Warriors' Guild teaches characters how to fight, the Thieves Guild teaches characters to open chests without setting off traps, and the Sorceror's Guild teaches characters how to cast powerful spells at enemies. In Ascension, a character can be anywhere from level 1 to level 1499 in a Guild to which they belong, with a level 1 character being a wimpy NOOB, and a level 1499 character being extremely knowledgeable and powerful in the ways of the Guild ( and perhaps a PITA on the forums ;-) ).

A character may be a member of more than one Guild at a time, but they can only learn (gain experience) from one guild at a time, and may switch their "active" Guild at any time. However, since Guilds represent a way of life, certain Guilds are forbidden to use some types of weapons, armour or other items. The Sorceror's Guild will not allow their member to swing a huge sword at his enemies as he or she may as a member of the Warrior's Guild, but similarly, when actively enrolled in the Warrior's Guild, he or she may not be able to use that powerful magic item that was 'won' in the last battle.