Darkfall Unholy Wars

About

Darkfall Unholy Wars is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that combines real-time combat with strategy and PvP battles. Players can choose from several races and professions, each with unique abilities and strengths, to explore a vast world, complete quests, and engage in battles with other players. The game features a player-driven economy and clan system, allowing for large-scale wars and alliances between players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

53%

Audience ScoreBased on 413 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

grinding45 negative mentions

Darkfall Unholy Wars offers a unique hardcore PvP experience with full loot mechanics, making every encounter thrilling.
The game features a vast open world with a rich crafting system, allowing players to create their own gear and customize their characters.
The community can be very supportive, with many players willing to help newcomers learn the ropes and join clans for a more engaging experience.

The user interface is clunky and outdated, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game mechanics.
The game can feel grindy, requiring significant time investment to progress and become competitive in PvP.
There are issues with server population, leading to long periods without encounters, which can make the game feel empty and uninviting.

grinding
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring players to spend hours farming resources and experience points with little reward. Many reviewers express frustration with the lack of engaging content, as they find themselves repeatedly battling sparse mobs or crafting items in a monotonous cycle. While some players appreciate the grind as a means to progress, the overwhelming consensus is that it detracts from the overall enjoyment and potential of the game, especially for newcomers.
- “No levels, no grinding, do whatever it is you want.”
- “Insanely grindy, lots of traveling across empty areas, and a very small population make all the other elements more of a chore than an experience.”
- “Progress in the game is made by mindless grinding for kills and what are essentially achievements.”
- “Even though I didn't spend much time with this game, I'd strongly recommend anyone considering buying it to look elsewhere unless you have ridiculous amounts of time to waste on a game that simply wants to suck away your time with mindless grinding before you can have any actual fun.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The graphics of the game are generally described as dated and below average, often compared to titles from the early 2000s, such as "Morrowind." While some players appreciate the atmospheric quality and the ability to run the game smoothly on decent hardware, many criticize the animations, user interface, and overall visual presentation as unpolished and lacking in modern standards. Overall, the graphics do not significantly enhance the gameplay experience, with many reviewers suggesting that they are not a strong selling point for the game.
- “One of the best sandbox MMORPGs out there, think of playing Minecraft faction servers, with Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind's graphics and style.”
- “This is definitely a 3D version of these games with amazing graphics and much more.”
- “Its got it all and the graphics are very nice to look at.”
- “The graphics are dated and ugly.”
- “I honestly really wanted to love it, cause I am in need of a good PvP MMO with open world PvP, sieges, etc. However, the below average graphics, animation, lack of a good quest system, almost complete lack of direction, lazily jumbled UI menus, and below average UI were very off-putting.”
- “You're instantly greeted by some of the worst graphics this world has ever seen plus one of the worst and most simplistic character creation tools imaginable, and then poof--you are dropped into the absolute worst 'tutorial' level for a video game in existence.”
gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
69%
20%
Gameplay in this open-world, full-loot PvP MMO is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the unique mechanics and engaging PvP elements, many criticize the steep learning curve, lack of guidance for newcomers, and tedious grinding. The game features innovative systems like player-owned cities and naval combat, but suffers from clunky controls, a confusing user interface, and a lack of direction, leading to frustration for some players. Overall, it offers a compelling experience for dedicated PvP enthusiasts, but may deter those seeking a more streamlined and user-friendly gameplay experience.
- “Gameplay-wise, as far as open world, full loot PvP games go, this was really great.”
- “If you thoroughly enjoy PvP in games and even some good PvE, this is definitely the game for you. Some of the mechanics in this game are ones I have never seen before, such as player-owned cities, hamlets, villages, sea towers, housing, and so on. I've never played a game where you could fight other boats, destroy them, and then take the fight to the water to fight to the death.”
- “Best PvP combat system, true non-target, realistic physics, tons of really unique gameplay experiences.”
- “Don't expect to be amazed by the gameplay, the latency, or to catch up on the veterans without spending at least a solid six months leveling up!”
- “The biggest deal breaker for me was the lack of direction and gameplay.”
- “Clunky controls, odd UI, graphics are not nearly as good as presented from the gameplay videos, terrible tutorial, absolutely horrible questing system / log, and a terrible gathering system.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of direction and depth, with many players noting that it offers minimal narrative structure and relies heavily on repetitive tasks and farming for experience points. While some appreciate the open-world aspect and the freedom to engage in various activities, the absence of a cohesive quest system and engaging storyline detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a grind than an adventure. Players seeking a rich narrative or well-defined quests may find this title disappointing.
- “A short story of my start:”
- “It does have adventures that most story games can't match due to the open ability of what you can do!”
- “I killed a handful of other mob types, (look up the troll dungeon for more easy prow with decent loot (but a decent chance to run into other people) I won't tell you my full story with every mob I've killed in detail but I can say -- look at the pve feats and target some mobs that have good rewards.”
- “I honestly really wanted to love it, cause I am in need of a good PvP MMO with open world PvP, sieges, etc. However, the below average graphics, animation, lack of a good quest system, almost complete lack of direction, lazily jumbled UI menus, and below average UI were very off-putting.”
- “While the PvP might be okay, just getting to the PvP wasn't worth the hassle of the complete crap tutorial quest/UI system.”
- “If you don't like an MMO with zero storyline and where the mobs just spawn from a single point and you must spend hours a day farming prowess (XP), then avoid this title.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
89%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, spawning glitches, and performance issues that hinder gameplay and quest completion. While some acknowledge the game's potential as a work in progress, many express frustration over its current state, describing it as a "bug-ridden train wreck." In contrast, a few players noted a lack of glitches in a different title, suggesting that stability can vary significantly between games.
- “These independent, shoestring budget operations are works in progress, but I encountered no glitches in Darkfall.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; it allows me to focus on gameplay without worrying about technical issues.”
- “If you manage to get it running fast enough to be able to fight effectively, you still have to put up with spawning glitches, getting stuck in things, and being unable to finish quests.”
- “Don't waste your time with this horrible game; I feel like I need to be refunded the time I wasted downloading this bug-ridden train wreck.”
- “But maybe because it's just so buggy right now that I'm not really appreciating the game yet.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with users reporting poor performance even on high-end systems, failing to maintain 60fps and struggling with high resolutions. The user interface is criticized as unintuitive and cluttered, while the crafting system is deemed overly complicated. Overall, the game is described as unpolished and rough around the edges, making it difficult to recommend.
- “The game has the visual quality of UT2004 yet struggles to maintain 60fps, often barely reaching 30fps, even on a powerful 8-core, 16GB RAM, dual video card setup that can easily run Skyrim on max settings across two screens.”
- “Sadly, the game is just too rough around the edges and unpolished to recommend.”
- “Performance: this game has the visual quality of UT2004 yet still can't seem to maintain 60fps (barely 30 at times) on an 8-core, 16GB RAM, dual video card machine that could easily run Skyrim on max settings on two screens....at the same time.”
- “Not optimized for high resolutions; buttons will shrink to the point you can barely see them, and you can't already, because its positioning is the worst possible.”
- “Sadly, the game is just too rough around the edges and unpolished/optimized to recommend.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The music in the game is widely praised as epic and engaging, enhancing the overall experience, particularly during loading screens. However, some users noted that the music may not be as prominent during gameplay.
- “Music, on the other hand, is epic.”
- “The music is forgettable and doesn't enhance the gaming experience.”
- “I start the game, and during the loading screen, the music is barely noticeable.”
- “The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, despite the graphics not being top-tier. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a chilling and imaginative environment, making it stand out among MMORPGs, although some feel it could benefit from better execution.
- “While the graphics may not be the highest AAA quality, I think it's very atmospheric.”
- “Best MMORPG out there, PvP-wise and hardcore-wise, also it has just a great atmosphere, really special.”
- “Having only spent a small amount of time with the game, this is all I can offer at this time (there's lots more to the game, building, etc)... the concept and chilling atmosphere it creates in Darkfall UW still captures the imagination like no other MMO has done before; it's a shame it wasn't slightly better executed.”
- “Having only spent a small amount of time with the game, this is all I can offer at this time (there's lots more to the game, building, etc)... the concept and chilling atmosphere it creates in Darkfall UW still captures the imagination like no other MMO has done before. It's a shame it wasn't slightly better executed.”
- “The atmosphere feels empty and lifeless, making it hard to immerse myself in the game world.”
- “While the game has potential, the overall atmosphere lacks depth and fails to engage the player.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from the community's shared amusement at the company's missteps, creating a sense of camaraderie among players as they collectively mock the situation.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate that character development is weak, with many users noting that the character design fails to meet expectations.
- “Character design is lacking.”
- “The character development feels shallow and uninspired.”
- “I found the characters to be one-dimensional and forgettable.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers note that the improvements made in the latest installment of Dark Fall enhance its overall playability, suggesting a higher level of replayability compared to the previous version.
- “The game offers a variety of choices that lead to different outcomes, making each playthrough feel unique.”
- “With multiple endings and hidden secrets, I find myself coming back to explore every possibility.”
- “The dynamic gameplay mechanics ensure that no two runs are ever the same, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.”