Disclaimer: I'm not the server owner, or a developer by any means. Just a regular guy who loves AC. I've been having so much fun playing on Eversong, so I figured I'd share a few of the reasons why.

If there are any others out there who are looking to get back into the game, or simply looking for a change of pace, I'd definitely recommend giving it an honest try!

If you're new or returning to AC, here's a guide to getting started: https://emulator.ac/how-to-play/

To join Eversong, Add from ThwargLauncher, or you can add the server manually by IP:

• Server Name: Eversong
• Server IP: 163.245.223.249
• Server Port: 9000

And, you can meet up on Discord with any questions or for more info here: https://discord.gg/AEKYxAZHBU

1.) Custom Classes

This is definitely the biggest draw to the server in my opinion.

There are 33 different classes/character archetypes that you can freely switch between. Each class provides bonuses to certain skills, as well as unique mechanics that change how they operate. It layers on top of the existing AC attribute & skill system that you know and love. Here's a spreadsheet, for more info: Eversong Classes

My favorite part about the classes is that, unlike way back in the early days of AC when you were sort of "stuck" with whatever you picked during character creation (and often had to re-roll after starting to realize how badly you screwed up!) it is really easy to swap them around on Eversong, and each one plays and "feels" totally different and fresh. You can buy attribute & skill re-distribution gems quickly and easily, and changing your class is as easy as "/class remove" and "/class {NEW}".

I've been playing for ~4 weeks, and have been:

• A Wizard that shoots double war spells that splash to additional targets.
• A Marksman that rapid-fires arrows and kills things before they even reach me.
• A Necromancer that raises Zombies and Ghosts from the corpses of fallen monsters.
• A Rogue that double-strikes (well, quadruple-strikes with the rynthid dagger!) while proccing Sneak Attacks on each Crit.
• A Grenadier that chucks alchemy phials that not only vuln multiple mobs at once, but explode in powerful ring spells for huge AOE dmg.
• A Captain that summons an army of Royal Guards to do my bidding.
• A Knight that taunts and tanks mobs while casting Imperil upon strike.
• A Reaver that stacks up quick Bleeds on the enemy and then deals massive splash hits for AOE clearing.

And the cool part is, even with all of that, I've only tried out 1/3 of the available options!

2.) Multiple "Realms" / Difficulty Modes

I'll be honest. This one seemed like a bit of a turn off when I first read about it. Essentially, there are 5 versions of the world, each accessible via a portal in /mp (or via sets of Portal Gems that you buy as you go), with scaling levels of difficulty and reward. It seemed complicated, but, honestly, you get used to it really quick, and it has a number of benefits. Here are a few:

• Like other servers, Eversong has "QB" (Quest Bonus) points. The more "things" you do (quests, tasks, interactions, achievements), the higher your QB points, and the more XP & Lum you earn on everything going forward. It's a cool way to incentivize (and provide a meaningful, incremental reward) to doing all the content that was otherwise trivial or meaningless by the end of AC. With 5 different game modes on Eversong, you can wrack up even more QB, faster, by doing content several times. It also massively extends the "shelf life" of the game if you're the completionist type.
• It speeds up tedious farms. Aug Gems, for instance: huge multi-month/year time sink in retail. Here, you can run Bellas 5 times (once on each mode) each week. Stipends? 5 per week. Easy Attribute/Skill Resets at Asheron's Castle if you want to save some coins and do a complete template refresh? You get 5 "freebies"/"do-overs", instead of just 1.
• Nightmare Mode actually makes things hard. Let's be honest, retail AC was pretty easy towards the end. I like the fact that, after the first 50 or so levels, the higher modes (Master, Nightmare) get difficult. You will die. And you'll have to adjust your strategy, farm up better gear, and invest in your character, to conquer it. It's rewarding when you can finally reliably hunt a Tier 8 area in Nightmare mode - especially when you start raking in all the sweet, sweet, Nightmare loot!

3.) Custom Content

Lots of servers have amazing custom content nowadays, and Eversong is no different. From the convenient /mp overhaul, to the end-game New Roulea town + hunting zone (where you can delve deep into an ice cave and slay a vicious Ice Dragon (after a few fellowship wipes on Nightmare mode, of course), or work your way through a Fire Elemental dungeon, for awesome rewards).

The custom content here has done a great job, in my opinion, of establishing a real "currency economy". There are multiple forms of currency, each with distinct purposes and bottlenecks. Eversong Coins, the server's custom token-based currency, is useful for SO many QOL things (like packs, Foolproof salvage, eternal dispel gem, attribute/skill re-distribution gems, etc.), but is also used as you Enlighten further, or as you buy custom Attribute & Skill Lum Augs (which, as you'd imagine, also require saving up Luminance, another key "currency" here). Even Legendary Keys are a currency of their own, often being traded to/for Eversong Coins and Luminance as people try to build better suits and weapon sets.

Plus, the Banking system and Auction House system make all this super simple, easy, and painless to manage.

4.) The People

Saving the best for last! And yes, I'm going to risk sounding even cornier than I probably already do by now. The people on Eversong make it all work! Really great folks, across both of the "main" 2 allegiances, as well as the server owner/operator/developer. There's something for all different types, and if you put yourself out there and ask, you'll no doubt find the right fit for what you're looking for!

A few other details about the Server

• 2 active account limit (+1 in MP)
• Custom luminance augs
• Enlightenment overhaul and "endless" progression
• Overhauled banking system and custom auction house
• Custom currency, lockboxes, rewards, and QOL additions
• Smarter summons (summoning pets follow you around!)
• Attributes can be raised beyond 100 innate points, opening up some interesting build possibilities
• Town invasion events
• And more!!!

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you in Dereth!