Charting a course through the MMO genre is sort of like sailing through a coral reef. It’s tough to get through it completely unscathed; people have become accustomed to a certain flavor and style in their MMOs and anything different or at all off the beaten path has the potential to be summarily ignored. Pirates of the Burning Sea doesn't sail into rocky new waters, instead venturing a combination of elements from other notable online games. The result is a well-balanced and accessible game that embellishes upon the best qualities of its predecessors. It's not as hardcore as EVE, yet it's more intricate than World of Warcraft. But it works.
As with any massively multiplayer online game, you start by creating a character. Full control is granted over hair color and style, complexion and the like; however, the important decision involves selecting a nationality and class. Aligning yourself with one of three nations--England, France, or Spain--places you in direct competition with the other two. Of course, you also have the option of becoming a pirate and bucking the authority of all three crowns. Unlike English, French, or Spanish citizens who cannot attack their fellow countrymen, pirates are an unfaithful lot capable of engaging any player in combat.
Classes are a privilege reserved for lawful citizens, however, not pirates. A trio of classes offers specialization in distinct areas of the game. Becoming a naval officer, for instance, obviously bolsters your fighting abilities; on the flip side, freetraders excel at economic matters. Privateers provide a mix of both classes with an understanding that you're mission is to hunt down enemies of the crown. Class distinctions ultimately matter little in the big picture, even if a number of abilities remain exclusive to one class versus another. Playing Pirates of the Burning Sea means involving yourself in every facet of gameplay from taking on combat missions to working the economy and even socializing with other players; as such, differences between the classes are minute when looking at the bigger picture.
At its most basic, the game takes the mission structure of World of Warcraft (although the missions are all instances) and combines it with the economic fundamentals of EVE. Unlike those games though, you can't relegate yourself solely as an economic player or devote all of your time entirely to tracking down missions. Much attention has been paid to ensure that every player participates in each aspect of the game. Progressing to the highest levels requires a minimum contribution to the player-driven economy and joining a few key battles. You aren't forced into spending hours on financial matters, but you do need to set up some small economic chain. This enables you to fund equipment purchases and ship upgrades, which are obviously vital to the success of missions you undertake. The two are irrevocably tied--build a strong economic portfolio and you're in a good position to buy supplies, strengthen your character, and taken on more difficult missions.
Economic influence goes even further than simply providing you with the means to outfit your character. Putting economic pressure on a rival nation's port, for instance, can result in regional instability. Weaken social order enough and the waters surrounding the port become open to contest; in short, competing nations can swoop in and wage a battle for domination. It's a clever and reasonable way of structuring PvP. The boundaries are such that anyone wanting to engage in PvP has the option of doing so with real consequences; on the other hand, it's optional so you can just as easily sail away without putting anything on the line.
Time is the most precious resource since it's required of every action on the economic side of the game. Harvesting natural resources and crafting it into goods takes real time. This means you can set up entire manufacturing queues, leave the game, and return the next day to find an entire bulk of crafted goods waiting in your storehouse. It's seemingly effortless: set up a manufacturing line and sit back, let the money roll in. On the contrary, confusing menus and a few unintuitive economic rules bog down the process. Managing your finances ends up taking a lot of time that could be better spent completing mission or engaging in naval combat.
Pirates of the Burning Sea wisely doesn't toy with what works in the genre simply giving it a coat of pirate style. The mechanics of combat and intense naval battles are where the game aims to innovate. Each class has access to a variety of combat groups ranging from dirty fighting, which natural suits the naughty trickery befitting a pirate, and fencing for the more refined players. At each new level you spend points earning new combat abilities and passive skills. That's where the intrigue ends. Combat occurs in real-time, but the animations are clunky and there isn't a sense of excitement at all in the duels. Despite an effort to create a more dynamic combat system, the game ends up with one that mirrors most other online role-playing games.
