Sho Online
Encyclopedia
Introduction
Sho Online is a free-to-playFree-to-play
Free-to-play refers to any video game that has the option of allowing its players to play without paying. The model was first popularly used in early massively multiplayer online games targeted towards casual gamers, before finding wider adoption among games released by major video game...
MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
game developed by Lizard Interactive that is based on one of the four Chinese tales, 'Fengshen Yanyi
Fengshen Yanyi
Fengshen Bang, also known as Fengshen Yanyi in Chinese, and translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods, is one of the major vernacular Chinese epic novels written during the Ming Dynasty...
'. .
'Fengshen Yanyi', is a story that is created based on real historical events. It merges the conflicts between the Yin and Zhou era to the imaginary world of Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
.
Players must choose to play either on the Zhou or Yin faction and each player's avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
is positioned within the nation that they choose to be in.
Players must sometimes fight other players avatars that are on the opposing faction and help each other to progress their avatar and gain War Fame(determines avatars War title and ranking).
Players complete quests and kill NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
monsters to gain experience
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
, Mun (Sho Online's form of currency), and gear. While this is how the game is played for the beginning of an avatar's journey, later quests become scarce and players must grind to obtain experience. There are also NPC monster bosses that have higher HP
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
and do higher damage to players than average NPC monsters. These bosses provide more Mun, gear, and experience than normal NPC monsters and some drop Pets.
At any level players may choose to participate in the War System. This is the substance of Sho Online's PvP
Player versus player
Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between two or more live participants. This is in contrast to games where players compete against computer controlled opponents, which is correspondingly referred to as player versus environment...
game play.
Currently there are two servers to play on, one for Korean Sho Online(1000do.com) and the other one for global Sho Online (shoonline.net). There have been some plans to increase the number of servers but due to financial difficulties and low CCU and ARPPU, the number remains unchanged. The game strives for the second golden period as it announced the coming of the Beginning of Chaos trilogy.
Yin
Yin became a new power in the continent after destroying Ha, the old country that ruled the continent.Yin was established by Tang, who was a subject of King Geol, after he employed Lee-yun the Wise to raise an army and defeated Ha armies in Myeong-jo overthrowing the tyrannical rule of Geol, the 17th king of Ha. Yin was ruled by 31 kings, but as King Ju, the last king of Yin, tyrannized over the people, Hui-bal, the son of Seo-baek-jae-hu Hui-chang, raised Dong-beol Army and destroyed Yin. However, Mu-gyeong who was a descendent of King Ju revolted against Zhou. Yin was reestablished after fierce battles and is now as powerful as Zhou.
Zhou
Zhou is a new country that became a new power in the continent after overthrowing Yin. After King Mun, the founder of Zhou, mustered lords of the same mind and had a big meeting in Maeng-jin, he destroyed the Yin armies that were several times stronger than his armies in Mok-ya.The policy of King Mu, who tried to embrace the migrants from Yin, ended in a failure because of a revolt led by his three brothers and Mu-gyeong, a descendent of King Ju. Parts of Zhou territory stretching to Cheon-un Gate were occupied by newly established Yin in the end. The people of Zhou, which is ruled by King Seong, the son of King Mu, are working hard to unite the continent to realize the dream of the late king.
War System
One of Sho's most unique features is its war system. Every 8 hours, a general from one of the dynasties spawns. A group of people from the opposite dynasty must try and assassinate this general. When this has happened, the war countdown begins. All players are warned that the war will start in 5 minutes, so they can prepare and create "war parties" to increase experience. Any player may join the war, as long as they have a way to get to the war zone (war zone portals can be bought for a low price from the war shop). When the war starts, one dynasty is given an objective and a timer (usually 15 minutes), while the other dynasty attempts to stop them. If the objective is met within the time, the attacking dynasty advances to the next territory and is given a new objective. If not, the attacking dynasty retreats back a territory, and the other dynasty becomes the attackers. After an hour, the war ends and everybody goes back to normal gameplay. Everybody who participated gets extra experience and fame points depending on how they did in the war, and even more bonuses are given to those in the winning dynasty (whichever dynasty gained more territory).Pet System
Pets are NPCs that fight alongside avatars that deal damage and cause NPC monsters to attack them instead of avatars. Players can obtain a pet at level 35 by doing a quest, but pets can also drop as loot from bosses. Pets gain levels quicker than avatars, and also change size and shape at certain level benchmarks. After reaching a certain benchmark pets may be mounted to increase avatar movement speed.Assassin
- Dagger Master: Dagger Masters are the "rogue class," handy with either a sword or dagger and can inflict the most damage in the shortest amount of time. They have certain skills that put "combo points" on the enemy, and other skills that do more damage depending on how many combo points they have.
- Archer: Archers can release arrows at their targets from a long distance in rapid succession. They are also experts with the dagger.
Warrior
- Demon Knight: Demon Knights are experts with both axe and sword and are capable of dealing large amounts of damage. They have many spells that increase their stats and abilities, as well as those around them. They have a small bar that fills up as you deal damage, and when the bar is full, they can utilize very powerful attack skills.
- Adamantor: Adamantors are the strongest defensively and experts in the use of spears and axes. They are adept at fighting several opponents at the same time. Their high defense and strength makes them one of the best melee classes.
Soolsa
- Dark Soolsa: Dark Soolsa are the offensive magic class. They have many spells that deal damage over time and have a large area of effect. They also have abilities that let them curse the enemy and inflict debuffs.
- Taoistic Priest: Taoistic Priests are great healers. They can use their magic to enhance the skills of the members of the group, heal the injured and resurrect the dead. They do have offensive spells, but are mainly used for healing and support.
Payment
Making an account and playing Sho Online is free. There is a Cash Shop where players can purchase game items with credits that cost real money. Some examples of items that are for sell in the cash shop: items that increase experience gained for a limited amount of time, items that prevent loss of experience when your avatar dies, gear for PvE and PvP.Purchasing items from the cash shop is not required to play the game, but many players purchase items to increase experience gained and items to prevent experience loss upon death because gaining experience past level 50 is challenging.