Editing Asheron's Call (section)

==Gameplay==
Set in a [[heroic fantasy]] world,<ref name="Grossman 2003, p. 299"/> ''Asheron's Call'' allowed players to create a character, or avatar, from one of three in-game races. The players could allocate a limited number of [[attribute points]] to attributes such as "Strength", "Coordination", and "Quickness" and select skills such as "Unarmed Combat", "War Magic", and "Melee Defense" for their character, with those base skills starting at a level determined by the character's attributes. Unlike many other games of the genre characters were not locked into a specific class, and could even reallocate previously selected skills to acquire other skills later in the game. Gameplay involved earning [[experience point]]s ("XP") through a variety of activities, including engaging and defeating monsters in combat, fulfilling quests, and interacting with [[NPCs]]. Those earned experience points could be then invested to improve the character's abilities by spending them on attributes or skills. Additional skill points were awarded after the character reached certain levels, and these skill points could be used to acquire or train new skills. In addition to earning experience, questing and combat often yielded recoverable loot such as armor, weapons, health potions, and spell scrolls. Many types of loot could be improved or imbued with special spells and effects via ''Asheron's Call''{{'}}s "tinkering" crafting system.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

With their monthly updates, including supplementary content, and occasional live "world events", ''Asheron's Call'' offered episodic narrative content, periodic new quests, and special events.<ref name="Grossman 2003, p. 299"/> The game's currency was the Pyreal.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun Is Changing Reality|url = https://archive.org/details/exodustovirtualw00cast|url-access = registration|publisher = Palgrave Macmillan|date = 2008-11-11|isbn = 9780230607859|first = Edward|last = Castronova}}</ref> The world itself was large at over {{convert|500|sqmi|km2|order=flip}}.<ref name="features"/> Unlike many other games in the genre, there were no zones or "instances" on the world's surface. This meant that players could cross the world on foot, without loading screens or invisible barriers, and any terrain that was seen in the distance was a real object in the world. The world was also dotted with a system of one-way portals which expedite travel. Some of the portals also led to intricate dungeons. Many of the dungeons were part of quests and contained unique treasures. The original magic system had specific formulae for each spell that the caster had to discover through trial and error. Magic was challenging and rare. This system of spell components was later phased out and replaced with a simpler system wherein magic casters could carry a "foci" for each of the magic schools they were trained in (creature, item, life and war) and a series of taper candles and scarabs. Each spell was learned from a scroll, either purchased or found as treasure. The old system was left in the game as an alternative.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MSN Gaming Zone - Asheron's Call - News - Letter to the Players |url=http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEletter0602.asp |date=2003-10-15 |access-date=2016-01-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031015084750/http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEletter0602.asp |archive-date=October 15, 2003}}</ref>

Players could connect their avatars to "lifestones", where the avatar was to be resurrected if killed. Resurrected characters lost half their pyreals, one or more valuable items, and (temporarily) a certain percentage of their constitution—their primary and secondary strengths and characteristics—in what is known as a "vitae penalty".<ref name=gameplay>{{cite web |title = Gameplay |work = Asheron's Call |publisher = Turbine |url = http://ac.turbine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=66&NavItemid=56 |access-date = April 10, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100109092114/http://ac.turbine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=66&NavItemid=56 |archive-date = January 9, 2010}}</ref> The players then brought their resurrected avatar to the place where the death occurred and recovered the item(s) from their own lingering "corpse". In player-killer ("PK") battles, the victor was allowed to take the dropped items from the vanquished.  Regardless, the resulting "vitae penalty" was removed by gaining a modest amount of additional experience, or "XP". Player Killers ("PKs") were players who have chosen to change their characters' status in order to enable them to attack, or be attacked by, other PKs in [[Player vs Player]] combat. On most servers, players by default were prevented from attacking each other and they voluntarily changed their status to "PK". The Darktide server was a PK-only server that did not allow the option to turn off PK status. All players on Darktide were open to being killed by other players at any time, all the time. ''Asheron's Call'' featured a unique allegiance and fealty system that created formal links between players and rewarded cooperative play.<ref name="Grossman 2003, p. 299"/> A player of equal or lower level could swear allegiance to a player of the same or higher level, becoming a vassal of a patron. The patron earned a small percentage of bonus experience based on what the vassal made, while the vassal was motivated to seek a patron in exchange for money, items, game knowledge or protection.<ref name="Fullerton, 2008, p. 284">Fullerton, 2008, p. 284</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=NG Alphas: Asheron's Call |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=37|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=January 1998 |pages=125–6}}</ref> Players could also join in fellowships, temporarily splitting the experience they could gain amongst themselves.<ref name="Fullerton, 2008, p. 284"/>

Characters created many useful items using the Alchemy skill, such as oils that imbued missiles with elemental qualities (fire, acid, etc.) and gems that increased resistance to different types of damage. Alchemists could create infusions that applied to food items to increase the amount of stamina recovered, or recover health or mana.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introduction: Basic Tradeskills |work=AC Vault |publisher=IGN Entertainment Inc. |date=December 29, 2004 |url=http://acvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Guidebooks.Detail&id=27 |access-date=October 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713004831/http://acvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Guidebooks.Detail&id=27 |archive-date=July 13, 2011}}</ref> Alchemy was also used to brew health, magic, and stamina potions. Players could craft ammunition and cook foods such as cake, beer, nougat and rations. These were combined with oils to increase health, mana and stamina.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asheron's Call Vault - AC - The Ultimate Resource |url=http://acvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Guidebooks.Detail&id=27 |date=2004-09-13 |access-date=2016-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040913084031/http://acvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Guidebooks.Detail&id=27 |archive-date=September 13, 2004}}</ref>