#Infodump :>>
"Origin: Dominium" is a VRMMORPG that launched around the middle of 2028. It only took about two years to "develop" before it was released. Although they called it a launch, it was pretty much just a test run. They released only 10,000 units per country. With 195 countries in total, that came out to 1,950,000 units worldwide.
One unique thing about the game is that it doesn't have the usual admin team running things. Instead, it's managed by an advanced AI called ATHENA, named after the Greek goddess. She handles all the game's administration to make sure everything stays fair and unbiased. The developers can't override her decisions. All they can do is suggest changes, and ATHENA decides whether or not to go with them.
This decision sparked a lot of debate. On one side, people were uncomfortable with handing over control to something that isn't even sentient. On the other side, some preferred having ATHENA in charge, since they believed an AI would make fair and logical decisions. Despite all the arguments, the public wasn't able to change the fact that ATHENA was running Origin.
ATHENA is responsible for creating the game's world, storylines, quests, classes, monsters, and events. Basically, she handles everything. Of course, there were conspiracy theories floating around, mostly from people who clearly had too much free time. But who knows? Maybe one of those wild ideas turns out to be true, especially since the company behind the game, Horizon, seemed to appear out of nowhere.
It was inevitable, considering the technology used in the game was way ahead of anything we currently have on Earth.
The main continent in the game is called Linea (Li-Ne-Ya). It's filled with all kinds of creatures. Different races, beasts, and even some unnatural beings. In this world, strength reigns supreme.
The various civilizations across Linea bring a mix of cultures, and they've developed different classes that separates the strong from the weak, and the rich from the poor.
Races in the game include Humans, Elves, Orcs, Goblins, Dwarves, Titans, Sirens, and plenty of others. Each one has its own strengths and specialties. Classes are essentially just different job roles. They aren't locked in, so just because you're a blacksmith doesn't mean you can't learn tailoring too. Classes are more about specialization than restriction.
That said, trying to learn opposing or conflicting skills makes things harder. Take light and dark magic for example. If you're a light-element mage, you'll pick up light spells pretty quickly. But if you try to learn dark magic, it could be extremely difficult, or even impossible for some players. In some cases, it might even cause a backlash. Still, like with everything else, there's probably a rare class out there that can balance both.
Classes in the game are generally split into three main types: Combat, Support, and Lifestyle.
Combat classes are all about fighting power. These include roles like berserkers, who rely on brute strength, or glass-cannon mages who deal tons of magic damage but are usually fragile.
Support classes are focused on helping teammates. Whether through healing, buffs, crowd control, or tanking. Warlocks fall under this category with their buffs and debuffs. Guardians or paladins are also good examples since they have skills that draw enemy attention, though that's mostly useful against non-intelligent enemies. Bards are another example, they can disarm or weaken opponents with their heavenly tune, or even provide buffs to their allies.
Lifestyle classes are the production-oriented ones. That doesn't mean they're weak in combat. Their focus is just different. For instance, blacksmiths wield massive hammers and are known for their raw strength. Alchemists use fire and cauldrons to brew powerful elixirs that can heal, revive, or poison. Legend has it that their poisons are as deadly as the mythical hydra's venom. There are even stories of high-level lifestyle classes crafting items in the middle of battle, using their skills not just to make things but to charm, aggro, buff, or debuff enemies.
Each class levels up differently depending on what you do. A swordsman fighting with a blade will earn experience much faster than a tailor using that same blade. That's why picking the right class for your playstyle really matters. And again, classes aren't mutually exclusive. You're not stuck with just one. You can learn different skills across various classes, as long as you're willing to deal with the challenges that come with mixing specializations.
Classes give different boosts to each player, but just having the same class doesn't mean you're exactly the same. For example, one knight might get a 1.8x boost to defense, while another could have 2.0x, or maybe even less. That's why getting a high-level class is so important.
Another cool thing about Origin is that every player has their own unique abilities. Everyone starts with different levels of talent. Some talents are natural, while others come from rare or special experiences. These talents can be anything from super useful utility skills, like [Eye of Inquisition], which lets you see through illusions and spot hidden things, to more basic ones like [Robust], which boosts your stamina and defense.
Talents come in different levels, but there's no fixed ranking. What's considered amazing for one player might be totally average for another. Take [Hawk Eye], for example, it increases your vision range. For an archer, it's practically a must-have. But for a warrior, it might not be that useful. Still, that doesn't mean it's completely worthless.
In the end, a talent is only as good as the person using it. It all comes down to how you apply it in your playstyle.
Origin is a pretty unique VRMMORPG. When you first join, your character spawns at a random location in the world. To make things a bit more forgiving, your first three deaths come with little to no penalty. This helps balance things out if you end up in a dangerous spot right from the start.
One big reason players try hard to avoid dying early on is because of the EXP boost during the first three days after spawning. You get double EXP on your first life, 1.5x on your second, and normal (1x) on your third. But if you die more than that within those three days, you start getting hit with EXP penalties. After your fourth death, your EXP gain drops to 0.5x, and after a fifth death, it goes down to 0.25x. That 0.25x debuff lasts for three days, and each death after that adds another three days to the penalty.
So yeah, staying alive early on really matters.
Now, gaining EXP in Origin is split into two main types: skill mastery and character levels. It's actually pretty straightforward.
Skill mastery is all about how good you are at doing something. For example, take a chef. A beginner might take 15 minutes to cook a dish, but as their mastery improves, they can cook faster and make higher-quality food. At really high mastery, a chef can whip up meals in seconds, meals that not only fill you up but also give buffs that can be used in combat.
Levels, on the other hand, increase your base stats. Every time you level up, you get a set number of points to distribute however you want. That's why even two players at the same level can have completely different strengths depending on how they've built their characters.
You can level up your character by completing quests and taking down enemies. Skill mastery, though, comes from repetitions and adding your own insight. For example, if you have a [Mining] skill, the game will show you where to hit with your pickaxe. Those markers don't necessarily mean it's the best spot. They're just based on your skill level. If you figure out a smarter or faster way on your own, your skill level will improve even more. So basically, you can bring real-life know-how into the game and use it to get better.
That said, there are also a bunch of hidden mechanics that the developers never cared to explain. But honestly, none of that really matters right now, because our main character Elian, who just jumped into the game, has no clue about any of this stuff yet.