New To Meridian 59

You've played the other games out there. Maybe you've played them all and found them unfortunately all too similar. Or, maybe you're just ready for a change after playing a game for five years. If you're looking for something new and different, then Meridian 59 is the game for you!

"Community. Politics. Style. I find everything that the other major MMORPGs lack, Meridian has!" - Rahtol, Meridian 59 player.

Perhaps you've never heard of Meridian 59 before. That's understandable since it didn't get much advertising back when it was launched in 1996 by 3DO. But, Meridian 59 has a core of dedicated players that support the game.  That's because Meridian 59 is unique when compared to other online RPGs. It's a classic game with some very original concepts you just won't find in other games. While other games implement broken systems in an attempt to bring "innovation" to their players, Meridian 59 did it right the first time and continues to get it right.

Guild vs. Guild (GvG) combat and meaningful Player vs. Player (PvP) fights.

Meridian 59 was a pioneer in this form of combat between two groups of players. Protecting guildmates from aggressors is a matter of honor, and attacking one guild member brings the wrath of a whole guild down upon you. Meridian 59 allows two guilds to mutually declare a war on each other and fight with none of the penalties normally associated with killing innocents. Since the war must be agreed to by both sides, you won't find one-sided battles where a group grows and eliminates all opposition in the game without consequence.  Meridian 59 also lets guilds hold guild halls, convenient places for meeting and storing items. But, other guilds can try to take the hall away from you. However, the taking of your guild hall is not the end of your guild; the hall still exists, and you can try to reclaim it for your guild.

Meridian 59 gives meaning to PvP since it takes the emphasis off of acquiring in-game equipment and put more focus on the skill of the player. Keen tactical abilities or fast reactions will often allow a weaker character to defeat a more powerful one when measured purely in raw numbers. Items that give an advantage aren't overwhelming, and players drop these items upon death. But, characters can easily regain lost equipment that they stored before, or from friends that have extra equipment. Losing your items isn't the end of the world. In the end, this focus on player skill instead of equipment and levels makes the game more fun for everyone.

"I enjoy the fact that Meridian has meaningful PvP. A fight isn't just a question of who has the bigger numbers or higher levels. I've fought in many battles and won great victories where I definitely wasn't the most powerful character." - Matameo, Meridian 59 player.

In-Game communication.

Meridian 59 has better communication tools than most other graphical games. You have in-game mail, bulletin boards, broadcasts, and even custom chat groups. If you want to talk to someone, you don't have to go outside the game; you are not required to give out your email address or IM name in order to stay in contact with friends. You can easily communicate with your friends. Once you find out what a simple-to-use game mail (gmail) system is like, you'll wonder how you played other games without it.

Skill-based system.

Tired of classes that restrict your character? Tired of levels that dominates all combat? Meridian 59 uses a skill-based system to build a character that suits your playstyle.  The system avoids problems with templates, counter-intuitive ways of building a character, special abilities you have to read up on a web site or use a program to figure out; all of these can ruin the experience. Meridian 59's spells and skills are organized into seven different balanced schools with multiple levels of abilities. Want to be a fighter? Learn the school of Weaponcraft. Want to cast elemental damage spells? The Faren school is what you want. The beauty of the system is that you can chose which level you advance up to in each school. Not interested in using ranged weapons like bows? You can learn all melee weapon skills in the first four levels of Weaponcraft. You can focus in up to four different schools, or spread yourself out. What your character plays like depends all up to how you create the character.

The best part is that you can build your character at your own pace. You don't have to find other players and delve into a dungeon if you want to simply work on improving a particular spell. You aren't tied to the game for several hours at a time.

"Meridian 59 is the only online game that lets me accomplish something with an hour's playing time." - Dances with Avars, Meridian 59 player.

Deep Gameplay.

This is probably one of the areas that causes the most confusion. Other games talk about their "deep gameplay" in a vast and largely empty game world. This is a measure of breadth, not depth. Deep gameplay is the type of gameplay where veteran players that have been playing the game for years are surprised by a new discovery. Why do people take a rose to the city of Marion? Why does that person go into the basement of Castle Victoria? Why does that person say the cryptic word "teotkriipa" while casting a spell?

Meridian 59 is not a game with excessive breadth. You won't find "hundreds of square kilometers" of lifeless land as other games proclaim. This simply means you won't lose track of that great hunting location.  You won't have to spend hours running or waiting to meet your friends. Meridian 59's size makes it quite ideal for actually playing the game within reasonable periods of time, while still giving you several hundred hand-crafted areas to explore. It also allows people to hunt each other in PvP without easily escaping to a distant location.

"What is it about Meridian that brings me and hundreds more back over and over again? I believe it is a combination of things. I have heard time and time again that the PvP is what keeps a lot of people playing. Well I am a female who always thought diplomacy works better than swords but....I now love PvP. There is no monster in the world that will give you the rush of running out into a group battle. Yes you die at times, but you quickly get back what you lose. And when you kill an enemy!" - Kree, Meridian 59 player.

It's time to find out what you've been missing.

Pick a topic you would like to learn more about.
What makes Meridian 59 such an excellent game?
How do Meridian 59's developers improve the game?
Why is Meridian 59 better than other online games?
Ten things that will convince you that Meridian 59 is the game for you.