The game is also designed to be friendly to soloers and small-group players regardless of level. First, the game's focus is on non-stop leveling, which means that even if players don't have a group to play with, there will always be things they can do alone, whether it's questing for a rare skill book or getting involved in PvP, as killing other players actually nets experience points. There's also no loot that can't be traded. While there are special items, skills, and item enhancements that can only be acquired in group-oriented encounters, those items will always eventually be available through the player marketplace. Player crafting also plays a huge role here, as the most powerful items in the game will be crafted using ability-enhancing gems, not found dropping off boss mobs.
The game's combat system is divided into two tiers. Items have damage ratings that are applied during basic auto-combat. Players can also develop a collection of skills that dish out more powerful attacks as well as status modifiers such as paralysis and poison. These skills are collected in "skill books" that can be swapped in and out as circumstances demand, and are fueled by "Chi," a mystical energy that regenerates very slowly. The interesting thing is how Hero Online keeps the PvE and PvP systems separate.
According to MGame, the idea behind the system was to create a fun PvP experience based on player abilities while not completely removing the incentive to acquire new items and continue leveling. Thus a level 50 player with good skills can and will beat a level 60 who just relies on equipment abilities, but the same level 50 would be outmatched by almost any level 70. PvP is further enhanced by movement skills that allow players to move at super speed, jump over buildings, and even skip through the air a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Skills and movement abilities will also be key in taking on boss mobs in group situations.
The slow regeneration of Chi, on the other hand, makes using skills far less useful in general PvE combat. Players will frequently take on a dozen mobs at a time, far more than their Chi levels can usually support. The down side of this is that it makes PvE combat less exciting and a bit more of the "grind" so familiar to MMO players. Even here, however, Hero Online tries to make the grind a bit more palatable by including random surprises. Every 50 mob kills nets an automatic "Lot" drawing that gives the player a random prize such as an infusion of gold or a short-term experience bonus. Occasional "GM Tests" will pop up that ask the player to solve a math problem for a similar reward. Finally, some mobs drop "fortune boxes" that ask the player to wager a certain amount of money to open them. In my play time, I've paid 15,000 gold to open one of these boxes only to get a simple healing potion as a reward, and I've also paid 100 gold only to find an insanely powerful sword inside. It's a constant crapshoot that adds a bit of spice to what can be a dull process.
