Fault: Elder Orb

About

Fault: Elder Orb is a multiplayer strategy game with fantasy and science fiction themes. It was developed by Strange Matter Studios and was released on July 17, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

At the intersection of colliding universes, you fight for the survival of your world. Become imbued with power from Aspects and equip yourself with Factions' legendary gear in this next-gen, action-packed, third-person MOBA. Welcome to Fault: Elder Orb! Fault: Elder Orb is not like other MOBA games; Unlike the popular top-down model for MOBA's, Fault: Elder Orb is a 3rd person game, meaning you …

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60%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,703 reviews

gameplay70 positive mentions

stability118 negative mentions

Faithful recreation of Paragon assets and style appeals to fans of the original game
Gameplay is fun and engaging with frequent developer updates and community interaction
The 3rd person MOBA gameplay with item system offers an interesting twist and is improving

Small player base causes long matchmaking queues and uneven player skill matches
Game has significant bugs, technical issues, and clunky controls causing frustrating gameplay
Community is often toxic and not welcoming to new or casual players, harming player retention

gameplay
252 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
10%
The gameplay receives mixed reviews, with many appreciating its similarity to the original "Paragon" and solid core mechanics, but others criticizing it for being slow, clunky, and unpolished. While some find the system fun and strategic, numerous players point out bugs, poor optimization, and balance issues that hinder the overall experience. Continuous updates and developer responsiveness show promise, but significant refinements are needed for a smoother, more enjoyable gameplay.
- “Fault is a fantastic MOBA that combines beautiful mechanics with hard-hitting strategy, and it will always leave you wanting more.”
- “The core mechanics and gameplay in Fault are almost identical and relatively smooth considering it's early access.”
- “Great start to an up-and-coming game, I do think that there is a lot of work to be done on UI, sounds, visuals and all that juice but the game mechanics, networking, and game system are solid; it retains what Paragon was whilst adding an original spin on it.”
- “Gameplay feels chunky and unresponsive.”
- “The mechanics were so clunky, it felt like controlling a drunk elephant on roller skates.”
- “The gameplay is slow, boring and just lame.”
graphics
186 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The graphics receive mixed reviews, with many users finding them subpar, blurry, grainy, and poorly optimized—often comparing unfavorably to the original Paragon. While some appreciate the visuals and see potential for improvement over time, numerous players report lag, low frame rates, and a general lack of polish, making the current state feel unfinished and behind expectations for a modern MOBA. Overall, graphics are seen as a significant area needing refinement and optimization to meet player standards.
- “If you remember Paragon you will love Fault: gorgeous graphics and smooth gameplay, have not had any lag issues or anything like that as of yet but will keep playing and I'll update my review if I come across any negatives.”
- “Beautiful and stunning graphics equal to PS4 level with medium-high settings that we all love and is just day 1; the hot fixes and crashes are expected, it really gonna make all feel proud of this, definitely give it a chance with the founders at least.”
- “Graphics are amazing and represent the Unreal Engine.”
- “I don't know why but Fault runs terrible for me and it doesn't matter if I change the graphics to low, medium, or high, it's generally quite blurry and laggy.”
- “The biggest problem being errors about the video card/video memory and extremely grainy graphics even on ultra settings.”
- “On ultra max settings in 1080p the graphics are so bad even compared to the screenshots which are no doubt doctored, which is false advertising and scam territory.”
stability
121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game is widely reported as buggy and unstable, with frequent freezes, glitches, and performance drops, especially during fights and matchmaking. While some players note improvements over time and acknowledge its early access/alpha state, many find these stability issues severely impact gameplay, recommending waiting for further patches before playing. Overall, it remains an unstable experience that detracts significantly from its potential.
- “Runs great, good & enjoyable gameplay, although of course there is room for improvement.”
- “This game's concept is great but the game itself sucks. Every time I get into a fight the game freezes into massive chaos and I lose 90% of the fights that I should win.”
- “You run in with your team, start fighting, game freezes, stutters or lags and you're dead. If you're lucky you'll still be alive trying to figure how the other players are even getting kills.”
- “The gameplay is janky and I got into one game before trying to queue again and never getting into a match because every time you press accept for a match it freezes your game and then pops back up.”
optimization
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
54%
35%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including frequent FPS drops, stuttering, and poor performance even on high-end PCs, with many users citing it as poorly optimized compared to its predecessor. While recent patches have improved stability and frame rates somewhat, major performance problems persist, especially on lower-tier hardware, making it necessary to play on low settings for smoother experience. The developers are actively addressing these issues, but the game remains rough and resource-heavy in its current early access state.
- “Actually a good paragon remake with good performance.”
- “The latest optimisation patch has really helped the frame rate to stay stable and make frame rate changes feel less noticeable; they have also made a lot of improvements to the map, item art, and other general stability, performance updates, and bug fixes which have made the game feel and play a lot nicer than it did before.”
- “The performance of the game is now exceptional.”
- “Over 2 years of development for an unoptimized, poor copy & paste asset dump with nothing new to make this game stand out.”
- “I will say the game underperforms and is still very poorly optimized, so if you have an older or lower tier computer, you will have issues running the game.”
- “The game is glitchy and bloated, very unoptimized and yet sold for real money.”
monetization
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
33%
64%
The monetization of this game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, characterized by aggressive pricing, microtransactions for free assets, and poor value given the game's unfinished, buggy state. Many players feel the developers prioritize profit over quality, exploiting nostalgia for Paragon without delivering a polished product. Overall, the monetization model is seen as greedy, unprofessional, and off-putting to potential and early players.
- “Other clones are free to play, all characters unlocked, and only in-game purchases are skin related.”
- “Also their monetization is crazy (I mean, paying for skins they got as free assets feels like a rip off).”
- “The game is basically in a pre-alpha state at the moment... and they are charging people to play it, and it has microtransactions.”
- “These developers have spent more time creating DLC and in-game purchases (skins, etc.) that you can buy with real money than they have attempting to create a polished product for players.”
- “It's almost as if the past 7 months have been spent just trying to find ways to make the most profit out of this terrible build with as many microtransactions as possible instead of actually making a good game that does justice to Paragon.”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
77%
15%
Reviews consistently highlight the game's lack of in-game music and ambient audio, contributing to a quiet and somewhat boring atmosphere. While some acknowledge a music option exists, it often does not play, and players express a desire for varied, immersive soundtracks to enhance gameplay. The absence of music and minimal sound effects detract from the overall experience, making the game feel incomplete or early access.
- “Grinding for mastery skins, coming up with new decks and strategies with my team, the music.”
- “Music 10/10”
- “For example, a theme while at the tower, different variants of music theme for the lanes, jungle, combat while in lanes, combat while in jungle, and end game music when an inhibitor is destroyed.”
- “No audio, no hero info until in game, barely any hit markers, no music, item shop in-game looks like PS2 graphics, no queue based on role, small hero pool, bulky/clunky movement and attacking, and everyone dodges.”
- “I don't mind the bugs since it's in alpha but the game itself is so awkward: no tutorials, poor quality, no background music, there's no icon on the shops just names of weapons and it's just plain boring and characters are not balanced at all.”
- “The menu and UI need a complete rework, minions sometimes take no damage, some abilities do hardly any damage, no music in game, item shop needs to be reworked, etc. It makes no sense to me why 3 different companies are trying to develop the same game basically when they should all just join to make one awesome game.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
Grinding in this game is widely seen as tedious and time-consuming, especially early on and for unlocking characters, skins, and items, with many players feeling it hampers enjoyment. While some find the farming and learning curve ultimately rewarding, the heavy grind and paywall for content can be off-putting and slow progression significantly.
- “Half the character roster is locked behind a tedious grind, which of course can be skipped by buying in-game currency.”
- “The game is $20, half the characters are locked behind a paywall or insane grinding.”
- “It took forever for me to build an item like Baleful Armor, and while I see they reworked farming heavily, gaining gold was still a pain.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The story starts off engaging with unique locations and a fresh gameplay introduction but quickly loses momentum, becoming rushed and uninspired by the final act. Some players found the narrative lacking depth, with low-effort endings and a general decline in interest halfway through. Overall, while there are moments of originality, the story may not satisfy those seeking a compelling or well-developed plot.
- “The story hooks you right off the bat, and the way the gameplay is introduced is incredible.”
- “The first third of the game is quite good, with the gameplay and freshness of everything, combined with the unique locations and interesting story, making it a great experience.”
- “There are some minor variations on some of the heroes' abilities, and there's one original character whose story fits right in with the rest of the game's narrative, if not visual, aesthetic.”
- “A movie with an open ending or a movie which totally missed out on a side story.”
- “The final arc of the story and ending felt pretty rushed in my opinion, and the possible endings are some of the worst and low-effort I have seen in a game.”
- “By about the halfway point, I was tired of the gameplay and uninterested in the story, just rushing through to the end so I could be done with the game.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The humor aspect is often tied to frustration, with many finding the game's unbalanced teams, toxic community, and unfinished state ironically amusing. Players frequently mock the rushed development, broken features, and ongoing issues, sometimes finding unintended comedy in poor AI and slow updates. Overall, the humor stems more from the game's flaws and community antics than from intentional comedic design.
- “It has its problems but honestly I love laughing at them and I hope the developers will keep working for better.”
- “The AI is pretty bad, but in a way that is humorous and adds a challenge.”
- “It's just funny that most of the broken characters are all ones you have to unlock and not any of the base.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Replayability is currently limited due to technical issues and bugs, but ongoing improvements from the developers are making the game increasingly more stable and enjoyable. Veteran players are encouraged to contribute to bug reporting to help enhance the overall experience.
- “I really hope the developers make it more playable and less prone to freezing.”
- “I'm just glad I only lost 14 minutes of my life. I don't think I could afford to lose any more than that, especially with all the other playable titles out this month that offer a bit of shine and don't recycle assets to resell to customers.”
- “Edit: The SMS team has made great improvements since release, and the game is now way more playable.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional experience is mixed, marked by a deep attachment and nostalgia for a beloved game, yet overshadowed by frustration and disappointment due to technical issues and unclear gameplay. This led to a discouraging experience that ultimately drove the player away from the genre.
- “I played almost every day since release until its eventual (and heartbreaking) shut-down.”
- “There's something wholesome about coming back to Paragon, truly one of the best games ever made.”
- “I don't have any other tips since I'm no longer playing this game and, to be honest, am also no longer touching MOBAs ever again; it was a terrible experience trying to fight against another team while having bad frame rate and a laggy game, worst of all not knowing what to do, where to go, or who you should be attacking.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is praised for its unique and appealing character designs, driven by Sylphin's creativity and strong community involvement from Strange Matter Studios. This collaborative approach reassures players that the game's evolution aligns well with fan expectations.
- “Character designs are unique, with some characters standing out more than others.”
- “The developers at Strange Matter Studios are taking our beloved game in the direction they feel is best. With Sylphin leading character designs and SMS's massive community involvement, I personally feel they are on the right path.”
- “The map is nice and the character designs are impressive.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for living up to the high standards set by the original game, effectively capturing its iconic and immersive environment.
- “An atmosphere worthy of a direct successor to the Paragon game.”