Is Albion Online worth playing in 2021?

It’s been over a year since I first wrote about whether Albion Online is worth playing or not and to be honest, with all the changes the game has gone through, I feel it’s only fair to do a 2021 review.

Is Albion Online worth playing in 2021? Well, this question can’t be answered as easily as a simple “yes” or “no”, so I’ll break it into parts and let you decide.

Graphics

Albion Online has some pretty unique visuals. Sure, it’s not up to the visual grandeur of some other MMOs, but nevertheless, the game’s graphics are quite unique and pleasant. And don’t let the graphics fool you into thinking it’s an easy and casual game, as it mostly attracts hardcore players who enjoy the challenge and grinding. Also note, thatsince the graphics aren’t that intensive, Albion Online can easily be played on pretty much any setup.

Playerbase

The game is nearly 4 years old and yet the player base is insanely good. In fact, according to Steamcharts, it has maintained a steady player base for quite a while, which is pretty good, since no one enjoys playing an MMO with no other players in it.

I really think that the playerbase is one of the main reasons why I personally kept playing all this time. You head over to any city in Albion and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Plus, the developers will be releasing the game for mobile, so my guess is that this will increase Albion‘s population even more.

PvP

Albion Online was once extremely focused on world PvP, which was crazy good for PvP fans, but not so much for PvE players. Thankfully – and this is one of Albion’s developer’s main strengths – the developer team tends to listen to what the players want, and as a result Albion currently has a much better balance between PvP and PvE.

There have been improvements on both sides. Ever since the Rise of Avalon update and the corrupted dungeons patch, Albion Online players have been able to enjoy a much better PvE experience. Furthermore, the new faction warfare system in the Call of Arms update is also making PvP more approachable for new players, by making sure no one dies in blue and yellow zones.

Player-driven economy

Not much has changed in this aspect of Albion, but it remains one of my favorite features of the game. Albion Online has a fully player-driven economy, where pretty much every item in the game has been crafted by players. From small tools to epic weapons, pretty much everything is player-crafted and sold in local marketplaces throughout the open world.

And as there are no class limitations, you can just gear up in any way you want to. What you wear is who you are, or at least what you can fight with.

Albion‘s economy is a really well-thought-out feature and there is a beauty in its supply-and-demand-like realism. If there is a large abundance of one item, the prices go down. Conversely, if there is a limited supply of one item, prices rise pretty quickly.

Pay to win

Playing a pay-to-win MMO can be quite frustrating for players who are not willing to spend real-life money on it. But that is not an issue in Albion.

The way the game is set up, every player can enjoy all the loot in every dungeon or event, and since PvP is still a major feature of the game, you can always outsmart players with expensive gear, defeat them and get it for yourself. There are no exclusive items that make some players superior to others, so you’re good to go.

Cheating

Let me start by saying this: I hate cheaters. Some cheaters have tried to put bots for clearing dungeons, fishing, or gathering, and even bots that stay put in one place and inform the cheaters whenever someone crosses that land.

Luckily for me and many other players, Albion Online has an awesome system against them. You report a bot and within a couple of hours, the problem is dealt with.

I am aware that players sometimes complain about cheaters and hacking in this game, but to be honest I’ve never found myself having to deal with a bot or cheater, at least not as blatantly as I so often do in CS:GO.

Albion Online’s developers

This is the number one upside of Albion. The developer team is incredibly dedicated to the game and is constantly working towards improving it.

They make improvements, they add new features and lore, they listen to the players, and it really shows. This is one of the major reasons many players really stick by this game, myself included.

Conclusion

So, after taking all facts into account, I would definitely say that Albion Online IS worth playing in 2021, and so long as the game continues getting new updates and content, I believe it will only get better over time.