Line #1 Videogame/JadeDynasty


1	Jade Dynasty (also known as Zhu Xian) is a FreeToPlay MMORPG game created by Perfect World Entertainment. The game is currently in its fourth expansion, Regenesis. It is based on a popular Chinese internet novel called Zhu Xian.
2
3	Jade Dynasty's plotline revolves around the conflict between six human factions called [[SquishyWizard Jadeon]], [[CombatMedic Skysong]], [[MightyGlacier Vim]], [[FragileSpeedster Lupin]], Modo and the [[PlayingWithFire Incense Mages]], and their eventual goal of attaining immortality - which they have through a process dubbed "ascension", thus the name of the 2nd expansion, Ascension - and six factions from the Athan race, known to be demigods, [[FragileSpeedster Rayan]], [[SummonMagic Arden]], [[MusicalAssassin Celan]], [[MightyGlacier Balo]], [[PowerFist Forta]] and [[YinYangBomb Voida]] that are trying to prevent the Humans from becoming too powerful. Human characters choose which faction to join at level 15 (there are 150 levels total.) while Athan characters choose the faction they wish to play at character creation. Each faction in Jade Dynasty has different skills, strengths, weaknesses and styles of play.
4
5	As of the recent expansion (titled "Jade Dynasty: Regenesis") a new group of factions has been introduced: Etherkin, survivors of the catastrophe that basically crashed their dimension into that of JD's own. They are currently represented by the [[LightningBruiser Kytos]] and [[TheEngineer Psychea]].
6
7	Character classes are one of the main appeals of Jade Dynasty. While the game does have some of the more usual types, about half of the classes are fairly unique and incomparable to the majority of [=MMOs=]. There are currently 3 groups of factions: Humans, Athans (demigods created with the purpose of opposing humans and their constant lust for power), and Etherkin (dwellers of the neighboring dimension). Humans and Athans both currently have 6 factions each, while recently introduced Etherkin have only two, with four more likely to be introduced in future expansions.
8
9	* Human factions
10
11	** '''Jadeon:''' The first major good faction. Jadeon are styled in almost classic Chinese fashion, donning robes and wielding Chinese longswords. They, however, are not melee fighters, as they use their swords to [[RazorWind cut the enemy from a distance]], and also as conduits for their prominent lightning powers. Jadeon playstyle mostly relies on either quickly offing a single enemy before they get close, or using area-of-effect attacks to deal large amounts of damage to groups of foes.
12	** '''Skysong:''' The second major good faction, Skysong are buddhist monks who place emphasis on cultivating their spiritual strength rather than corporeal power. Skysong also wear robes - although more spacious and flowing than those of Jadeon - and use staves. Their combat style relies on high defensive capabilities, resisting enemy debuffs and status ailments, and attacking while restoring their own health.
13	** '''Vim:''' The major evil faction (or so they are considered in-game). Once a faction of good, Vim have been condemned because of their choice of methods in achieving their goals. Vim don heavy armor, and use aptly named [[DoubleWeapon Duoblades]], chopping away at the enemy with circular moves. Vim playstyle is mostly reliant on straightforward assaults which deal serious damage along with various status ailments. Also, they can turn themselves invulnerable for a time, giving them an edge in combat before the enemy can start hitting back.
14	** '''Lupin:''' A [[ButNotTooEvil not-so-evil]] faction of ''supposedly'' assassins. "Supposedly" because Lupin do not have any skills one would usually associate with assassination: stealth, poisons, backstabs, etc. Instead they rely on attempting to kill the enemy with one powerful attack, and even have skills that guarantee that the attack ''will'' be as powerful as planned. Lupin wear very light armor (instead relying on their high Evasion scores) and use large chakrams (called Glaives in-game), which they throw at the enemies at point-blank range.
15	** '''Modo:''' A neutral faction of mages who study the secrets of Yin and Yang, life and death. Modo signature weapon is the [[WolverineClaws Fangclaw]] (though worn on only one hand), and their armor is adorned with various ominous-looking decorations. Modo is a unique faction in that their combat style fully depends on what form they are currently in. Human form utilizes area-of-effect attacks complete with various status ailments. [[ObviouslyEvil Modon Form]] uses long-range poisons and bleed effects (and ultimately, a huge area-of-effect attack) which quickly drain enemy's health. [[DarkIsNotEvil Demonic Posture]] uses melee attacks, and relies on heavily boosted health pool for survival.
16	** '''Incense Mages:''' A good faction of [[KillItWithFire flame-themed]] sorcerers. Incense Mages also wear robes, and use [[DualWielding twin]] swords (named Kristocs in-game) in their hands (and also ''seven more'' additional swords that float behind their back) to singe and incinerate their foes. Incense Mages' playstyle relies on dishing out as much damage to multitudes of enemies as possible, summoning powerful fiery assistants, and creating arrays that grow in power depending on how many allies enter them.\
17
18	* Athan factions
19
20	** '''Arden:''' Rangers of the Athan race, Arden combine human ingenuity with animalistic grace and cunning. All of them have animal ears and tails, wear light armor with nature-like ornaments, and use bows. They also have control over animal and plant life, and can summon a number of animal (and vegetation) companions to aid them in combat. Arden were the first faction that could [[ChargedAttack charge up]] their attacks, as to increase the attacks' damage and critical strike rate. Arden playstyle is very similar to other ranger / hunter classes in other [=MMOs=]: let the companion distract the enemy while charging up, and then unleash a devastating shot.
21	** '''Balo:''' Warriors of the Athan, Balo wear heavy armor and hack their enemies to pieces with large, short-handled axes. Balo playstyle is very straightforward and relies on single-target skills which produce a singular status ailment. The main appeal of this faction is that their Tier 5 skills [[AllYourPowersCombined combine the damage and effects]] of the previous skills in the same skill branch, basically allowing you to whack the enemy with everything at once.
22	** '''Rayan:''' Athan assassins, Rayan are much closer to a classic stealth-based backstabber than the above-mentioned Lupin. Rayan wear clothes which hardly even look like armor (although do provide the same defense level as with other light armor types), and use [[DualWielding twin scythes]]. Their skills include stealth, usage of combo-points and finishing moves.
23	** '''Celan:''' Nobles of the Athan. Celan are white-skinned, overall pleasant-looking, and float above the ground. They wear frilly robes, and use their Zithers to produce a variety of attacks, heal and turn up shields that reflect damage back into the attackers. Celan have a unique mechanic called Musical Combo, which allows the player to set into a skill additional effects that he finds more suitable for his purpose.
24	** '''Forta:''' Athan brawlers, Forta wear heavy armor and use fist weapons (called Cetsuses in-game). Their skills mostly rely on multi-hit attacks which debuff the enemy while buffing the user, and have a chance to activate the same tier's ultimate attack (called Chain Skill), which is significantly more powerful than other skills in the same tier, and lower the enemy's skill levels, turning them much less potent.
25	** '''Voida:''' Athan clergy. Voida look similar to Celan, complete with the floating, but wear much more strict-looking robes and use weapons called Stardials, which basically only serve as the focus for their own power. Voida skills are clearly distinct between Dark, Light and Neutral styles (even their gear changes color depending on which kind of power you use most). Dark skills rely on single-targed attacks which heal the user, Light skills are mostly area-of-effect attacks which deal additional damage depending on the user's or enemy's mana (called Spirit in-game), and Man (neutral) skills are charge-up attacks with large damage output.
26
27	* Etherkin factions
28
29	** '''Kytos:''' An [[OneGenderRace all-male]] race of large, muscular, sphinx-like monsters with blue skin. Kytos wear gear that only marginally counts as armor, as it only covers their waist, shoulders, hands and paws, and use enormous polearms (called Tridents in-game, although at higher levels they look anything ''but''). Kytos are currently the only faction in the game with no Spirit whatsoever, casting their skills from Health. Instead, they receive a percentage of their ''supposed'' Spirit (the game mechanic will still show you an increase in Spirit when leveling up) as Health, and have a unique resource called Fury, which equals their max Health. Fury accumulates when you receive damage while under the effects of certain toggle skills (called Postures), and certain skills receive a percentage of your Fury as additional damage, skill accuracy or critical strike rate. Fury is only spent by two skills, both of which drain it completely. The first one adds a portion of Fury spent to its damage. The second one reflects damage back into the attacker, adding a percentage fo Fury spent to reflected damage. Kytos can either focus on heavy assaults on one enemy or damaging all nearby foes, with the third skills branch serving mostly as support for those two purposes.
30	** '''Psychea:''' A race of pint-sized arcane engineers. Psychea wear scholar-themed robes, and use brushes as their weapons to draw arcane symbols and attack enemies from a distance. Their skills focus on creating elaborate contraptions: either building a variety of traps to lure enemies into, summoning mechas to hop in, or summoning smaller mechas to act as (time-limited) companions.
31
32	After level 135 you can do a quest that will allow you to Ascend. Ascending resets your level, stats, skills and Tomes to level 1, and gives you a considerable boost to stat growth, and some bonus skill and Tome points. However, each level you gain after 135 and before Ascending increases these bonuses, so characters that Ascended right after level 135 end up significantly weaker than those that waited all the way until 150.
33
34	And it still does not end here. After Ascended level 90, you can choose to join one of the three factions of immortals to further define your playstyle and gain additional skills and benefits.
35
36	* '''Dagos:''' An immortal faction of good that values balance and training of both mind and body. Dagos have good balance between active offensive skills and passive defensive skills.
37	* '''Fuwa:''' Another immortal faction of good that strives for enlightenment and purification of the soul. They rely more on the active and passive defensive capabilities, with some passive offensive bonuses.
38	* '''Felkin:''' An immortal faction of evil, Felkin propagate individuality and forgo any consideration of methods used towards one's personal goals. Felkin focus completely on offense, and can gain bonuses that allow you to use their faction's offensive skills much more often than those of the other two groups.
39
40	----
41	!!This game provides examples of:
42
43	* BeastMan: Arden and Kytos. Arden only have two animalistic features: fox ears and tails, and can learn a skill that allows them to transform into a two-tailed fox for quicker movement. Kytos are large, sphinx-like quadrupeds with bluish-violet skin and prominent lion themes. At higher levels they can transform into a Quilen and even carry a partner on their back.
44	* IdleGame: Can be seen as one as long as you have the bot feature on.
45	* LuckBasedMission: The Tier 4 quest can be done in a few minutes or a week if you are unlucky and need lots of items to finish.
46	** This has been toned down significantly in Regenesis. Now instead of finding numerous not-so-easy to get items, you only have to kill a fairly weak boss.
47	* NonIndicativeName: The only class that is exempt of this is the Incense Mage.
48	* PlayingWithFire: The Incense Mages.
49	* PowerGlows: Refined gears become more powerful and glow.
50	* ShockAndAwe: Most Jadeon skills involve lightning.

Context Videogame / JadeDynasty