Fractured Online is a dynamic and open-world sandbox MMO, where players choose where they want to go among three different but interconnected worlds. It skips the long grind in favour of a unique knowledge and talent system, which allows players to discover and learn new skills, master them quickly, and get into the action. You don't beat the bosses in this because you're high-level with sick equipment (though that helps). You can do it through pure skill.
The promise is an open world where your adventure is yours to choose: explore the vast fantasy worlds as a solo player, prioritising PvE and the occasional bit of co-operation, or go full-blooded into dynamic PvP battles. If fighting's not your thing then Fractured Online has plenty of room for traders, crafters, enchanters, and even town planners. Don't like the city you're in? Why not establish a new one, and see if others will come along for the ride.
As a city governor, you’ll be able to guide its development into a social, trading, or military hub. There are no set paths in Fractured Online. If you choose to found a city, for example, you can use that power and base to make war on others… or try to make deals with them and co-exist, and perhaps eventually even join together. Limitless conquest is always an option, but everyone needs a base.
Fractured Online's world is created by players: both in terms of what they build within it, and the alliances and conflicts that form around them. Nothing will ever be static and, if it is, players can change that. Every time you visit somewhere in one of Fractured Online's three worlds, it will not be the same place you saw yesterday.
Every item beyond the basics in Fractured Online is crafted by players: the fun part being that this can be unbalanced. This is a game that wants you to exploit it, using an uneven amount of resources to make ridiculous profit margins, and then put that back into your real goal of the most kickass place around.
While Fractured Online's PvE side gives plenty enough for most, there will be some jonesing for the high-end PvP action. Asteroids host highly competitive end-game PVP events where you'll be up against the best of the rest for scarce resources and influence for you and your guild, with leaderboards showing who's got game.
As well as this, group play and guilds are a large part of the game. Seasons offer a competitive environment with quests, rewards, and those all-important leaderboards for the bragging rights. Simply being a member of a guild makes your in-game actions count towards the Season's results, and at the end of each the most successful guilds will be showered in rewards before a new season starts with new leaderboards, new challenges, and new opportunities!
Fractured Online has an open weekend over 2nd-5th September. It launches on 15 September on Steam. PC Gamer has a bunch of keys to give away, and here's how to claim one:
How to get a key for Fractured Online
Users need to create a Glyph account here.
After creating the account head to fracturedonline.com, click on 'Redeem a key' in the menu bar, log into the account and enter the following key:
FRACPCGAMER2022
The key is redeemable from 2nd September 4pm CEST to 5th September 4pm CEST and will grant access to the Fractured Online beta for 72 hours after redemption.
