Dawn of Ages is a great mud. It is very friendly and newbie helpful. If you are used to a Diku format mud, but your favorite mud went away or disappeared, then you will love this one. Commands are the same as always. IE: eat bread, cast 'spell' target, get rope bag, exam rock, etc., etc.. It is a large world, set up logically. For instance, most newbie zones are near your starting point, higher zones further away. On this mud, the designers want you to be buff. They want you to be tough. And they show that idea with loads and loads of really good equipment and weapons. Plenty to go around. But also some rare and limited. But plenty of those as well. If you enjoy mudding and want to raise a tough character to whip mobs, other players, or group with strong groups, this is a great place to have that kind of fun. I have played muds which only a few players could get really tough because equipment like + damage and hitroll was so rare, only the really high level players could attain them. This mud is not like that. There is plenty of stuff to get to make you a nasty fellow, or a great healer, of and nearly un-hittable tank. Try it out. It is a great mud.

Dawn of the Ages is a fantastic MUD! There I said it! There's many places to explore, quests to complete and people to kill. There are a few balance issues I think when it comes to certain profession and career combos, but everything can be overcome with some guile and planning. Leveling allows you to help grow and define your characters role in the world, and gives the player enough freedom to feel like it's really their own and not some cookie cutter build. A reincarnation system gives players something to strive for. And once a player reincarnates that's when the fun really begins. The reinc-races are very powerful and fun to play, and bring new elements to battle. Do you want to be a Troll mercenary with health to spare and the ability to stave off death when other people would have succumb? Or do you play a demon leeching power from the other players around you and feeding into your own? The possibilities are numerous, and when you throw limited and legendary artifacts into the mix it makes player battles and the search for something to give you an edge even more enjoyable. So please come and check us out! Everyone is nice, the game is great, we just need the people back.

I started playing this mud quite some time ago. It was great fun when I first started playing. However, it's glory days are long past. The original creator of the game isn't willing to put more than a couple hours of work into a single project even though what the mud needs requires more than a couple of 2 hour projects. The mud has failed to make a significant advance for several years now. Compared to other muds this one is significantly lacking. There maybe 10 players that play throughout the day so a lot of times you are the only person on. Also, the immortals like to play favorites and allow some people to get away with cheating while others get deleted or even banned. One particular immortal decided to start cussing at me because he misunderstood me. Don't waste your time on this mud, there are so many better ones out there.

Dawn of the Ages is a medieval fantasy based mud. The server is based in Germany, but everything is in English. Before a friend introduced me to Dawn, I had played text-based computer games before, but never a mud. Since I started playing Dawn, I've tried a few other muds, but none of the ones I've tried quite compare. First, we'll start with the races. When you first start your character, you have several races to choose from, including, but certainly not limited to, a few different human races (highman, dark man, etc.), a few elf races (wood elf, dark elf, etc.), centaurs, mountain dwarves, chaos dwarves, skaven (rat people), wulfen, cherubim, and many others, giving you a choice of 22 basic starting races, And that's just the beginning of your choices! Each of those has different options for hair color, fur color, eye color, whatever it is that the race you choose may have. After you get the appearance of your character all sorted out, then you have a few choices for your profession. There's something for everyone there as well. Whether your character is going to be a necromancer, a warrior, wizard, cleric, scribe, ranger, rogue, or templar, you still have even more options as to what you want to specialize in. Will you go rogue minstrel, necromancer of unlife, ranger bounty hunter, templar of Sscis, cleric of Wyome? The choice is yours. Are you going to be good, neutral, or evil? And those aren't the only options you have in Dawn. Dawn currently has seven clans that you can join to further your skills. You can be in Ofcol, Tarealen, Callador, Pentacle, Lokatar, Antheum, or Judges. Each clan, aside from Judges, who uphold the laws (but not the rules) of Aryeon (the land that holds Dawn), has an opposing clan that they are always at war with because of opposing views. There are many items in Dawn, scattered across the land. Some of them are limited or Legendary, and can only be held by people who join the optional player killers. There are things that will help your character to be able to fight better, but, as it is also very much a roleplaying game, there are also items that, while they may not help your character fight better, they greatly enhance the rp value of the game, whether it is just something that helps shows the views of the character, or maybe just something for him to fight for. And, if that wasn't enough options already, once your character reaches a certain level of power, they can chose to try to reincarnate, if they have met the requirements. When you reincarnate, you get a chance to start over with a new life. There are certain reincarnation races that can only be accessed through that. Whether it is Nymph, Titan, Troll, Celestial, Daemon, or one of the others, your possibilities are nearly endless. Beyond just the basics of the game, as I have talked so... Read More

Oh where to start. I started playing Dawn of The Ages about 6 years ago back when I had no clue how to play a mud or even what I was doing. It was apparent that I had stumbled upon something great. What I love about dawn is the Profession and careers you can be, the skills, and the awesome reincarnation races they offer and the Clans. First the professions and careers. Dawn offers the standard fair such as Warriors, Rangers, Wizards, and Rogues but they also offer Scribes, Templars, and Clerics. But that's not where it ends each profession has several careers they can choose from (save for the scribes). You can be a warrior Gladiator, or Warrior Noble, A Ranger Beast Master, or a Ranger Bounty Hunter, A Wizard Arcanist, or Wizard Conjurer. and those are just a few examples for each profession I just mentioned. As for the reincarnation races they range from things like Atlanteans, Crimson Elves, Titans, and Banshee's and again those are just a few. With each reinc race having special abilities and characteristics these races really add a lot to the game. The clans offered are great too some of them include Callador the bloodmage hating fighters, Lokatar a bastion for all evil, and the Judges protecting the innocents and righting wrongs. Each clan has a clan hall and special clan powers. However Dawn doesn't have the playerbase that it's used to due to a past system crash. We are currently trying to get new blood back into the game to get it back to the bustling busy entity that it used to be. No review I can write will ever give Dawn of the Ages the justice it deserves. So please stop in and experience one of the best (in my opinion) MUDS I've found. Just tell them Donovan sent you.

As of this writting Dawn of the Ages had a server crash in the begining of the year(disk set on fire or simular) and lost all playerfiles of quite a few realtive old players. Well the administrators have been struggling to get a new playerbase since, as it seams like the old players aint commming back other then a few. Dawn of the Ages probebly has the most advanced codebase I have ever been exposed to, but as the administrators rarely show themselves, and _some_ of them have a very player offence attitude which is ruining quite a bit. I have NEVER during my years here seen an immortal(administrator) powered quest, which I have grown accustom to elsewhere. Also I have to point out that the adress have been changed from the old server adress to there new (rplay.net), yet on the info page here it states the averange player count is 16-20, which is quite sad since it hasn't been that high for 5 years, it'd say it's 2-3(excluding incog admins) now and before the crash. All in all if you are looking for a fun hack-n-slash, fun exploring and don't mind the low playerabase nor require quality administration this is the place!

End of the ages. When i played Dawn of the ages a few mouths ago. And it was fun. But in the time it have changed alot It has lost so mutch good stuff and many great players has left. But it seems like it's still is falling apart. I was talking to my good friend Dorgan. And he said he got deleted becuse he find some bugs. They chould have just fix the bugs... but they just deleted him and made conjurers weaker. sigh. These day they mostly have 6 players in. But there is maybe a hope. If the immortals maked Dawn of the ages like it was when great players like Dekkar played. It was moastly 30 players in each day then. I will promise you that more players will play Dawn of the ages. And if some one finds a bug don't delete him/her just fix the bug. If you don't chose this way you will end up with no player at all. It's up to you Immortals change the mud or lose the mud. Don't try to see this negative i am just helping you too get more players :)

Where to start eh? Suppose we'll start with the fundemental info. Leaving a MUD with a similar codebase to DotA had me yearning for something similar to what I had played. I found this MUD, expecting it to be a bog standard, stock code-base MUD like I wanted, like what I expected. What came as a surprise to me, is that although the MUD 'seems' to be a stock MUD, the more you play, the more you realise that DotA is infact, very unique. Lets start with the class and race system. From rolling up, you get the bog standard race/profession selection. Each race has their own unique traits, be it ability to swim, granted flight etc. as well as each already proficient in a weapon. As far as professions go, we have the standard warrior/rogue/cleric/templar/necromancer/wizard/ranger/scribe selection, but where this excels is the 'career' system, by which you take your chosen profession to new levels. An example of this, is say, a rogue can become an assassin, or one of the other many careers. Rangers may become bounty hunters, scouts, amazons etc. Then on top of that, we have the religion system. Unlike other MUDs, the religion pays a huge part in this game, especially to those professions/careers that follow a faith (templar, cleric and monk) in that their chosen religion/deity directly affects the skills they recieve, and their effects. Cool eh? And to top it off, each race can unlock their gene pool further, and become one of the few reincarnation races, such as Daemon, Nymph and so on. An extensive newbie-training feature is in as well, involving schools, familiars that help and a huge array of help files, guides and maps. An over-head Ascii map in colour is a huge boon to navigation too. Legendary items, limited items, artifacts and the rest of the regular items are in the game by the absolute hundreds. My only two qualms with this MUD are: 1. A little too much colour on item names. The color is good, but could do to be toned down some. 2. A somewhat small player base. And that is where YOU come in. Come join us on DotA. Nick

I have come to this place for a couple of years now. And I must say, it always got better. Although currently the playernumbers are a bit low, not unusual for the season, it sure is great fun to play. You have a wide selection on races and professions available, some of the races only after what is called reincarnation. The professions further diversify in careers, making it possible to really fine-tune the character you want to play. Apart from the usual race and profession choice, depending on your align, profession and roleplay, a number of clans are open to you. The different clans are in a constant feud with each other, each trying to become the dominant power in the world, a goal which by definition of course cannot ever be achieved, but to take part in this struggle for power, the fight for your clans supremecy, makes it worthwhile. Of course, if you cannot stand the idea of being constantly hunted because of your clan affiliation, or to loose the one or other item you worked hard for to get in the process, you can choose to stay out of the player killing buisness. The only drawback in that is, that you cannot use the limited items which can be found all over the world. But this approach surely is a safe one if you are new to the world and are just about to learn its rules. A first good impression on the mud itself can be gotten from their homepage. Don't miss out the full-coloured maps that they hide in the cities section. It gives the newcomer a good idea where certain towns and areas are located in relation to each other. Come, join us on Ayeron, the adventure awaits !

Greetings, what shall I tell you about Dawn of the ages to convince you to give it a try at least? I won't talk much about the common stuff like different classes (professions) and specializations (careers), different clans, different religions, different races (reincarnation into an elevated race also possible), the option to choose between joining PK (with pk-range) and not joining and all the other details most muds have. Had to mention it though ;o) Instead you should give it a try because of its uniqueness. Large parts of the world are handmage just for dawn and are under permanent construction. A lot of work is put into the atmosphere. There are also a lot of quests. You could have to search for an item, execute an assassination or browse through the large cities' libraries to find some lost knowledge. Just a few examples of course. Your reward might differ between "just" increasing your knowledge, gaining Questpoints, which can be spent for really nice items, an item of usually high value, a potion with that nasty spellup you always have been looking for... There is so much more to tell, I'm afraid I can't put it all into this small message. It's up to you to try. Have a look at the homepage http://dawn.netcologne.de as well. You will find almost everything explained you need to know and once entering the world of Ayreon questions sent over the newbie-channel will be answered very kind. Come and play :o)

Hey all, I have been playing this mud for a good 3-4 years now. Theres not much to be said, that other people haven't posted. The Mud itself is very orginal, the PK/Skill-spell/equipment system is great. Also the clan system is also great. Another reason I find this mud entertaining is that, because I'm competitive I love killing others because I'm stronger. Some may think that awful but many people enjoy that and it creates a great atmosphere for the game. Hope to see u there.

This will be a review on a long charade of trying to find a nice MUD better than the one I am playing currently (and it's pretty damn good.) Don't take any of this the wrong way, because the reason I only write reviews is that I am utterly disgusted with it or it was more than halfway decent. This MUD would be the latter. There are alot of improvements that can be made, the first and foremost being that you level faster than a bunny on steroids. Second would be that there is a tad too much color in one spot and not enough color in another. As with most DikuMUDs (at least that's what I think this is) it has a standard Midgaard, but the nice thing about this Midgaard is that you actually have to learn the area. The town actually has shape. Another neat feature about it is that it can practice up to a certain point depending on your intelligence. And lastly for the significant pros, it has a alot of diversity. Noob Tester

Hello all. I figured being I'm a hooked member to this game, and will be in rehab if this game ever goes, I figured I should write something about it :) Dawn of the Ages is a very well designed MUD. There is a wide choice of careers, profressions, skills...and more, yet the Immortals never give up, nor do the players and always offer more suggestions. If you like a Roleplay type of game this would be my recommendation. It may seem confusing as it was to me (never mudded before only about a half-year + into this game), but never give up. Its a pretty quick game to understand, and the people(or most ;) are very friendly.

I will throw in some quick reflections on dawn from my side, i have played here for about 3-4 years... Well, why do i play dawn? cant really pinpoint some specific thing that keeps me around i guess. Its the overall impression, the huge world to explore (that seems to grow faster than i can explore, haha it almost grow and change to fast for my liking=) Its also the favt that there are ALOT of nice players around and that there are SOOOOO many combinations possible to play. The system (class/carreer, skills/spells, standard eq/ quest eq/ limited eq/ legendary eq)is superb and the pace is very good, combat is fast and adrenalinpumping, man.. so exciting! Well i have to complain about something i guess, and it may be the playerbase, usually around 20-25 people around (at the times i play). Once i thought i wanted hundreds around, tried some of thoose muds and realised i was mistaking, but i would want like 5-10 more on average.. no more. I say try it out, and as with all muds you have to give it some time. Spend a couple of hours in dawn and if you see me around gimme a shout! I assure you wou will like it with all its clans autoquest playerkilling (if you want to) and the endless possibilities of exploring. Cya around!

Well seems the time has come to write a review myself. I have played Dawn for too many years now 3 or 4 mayhaps 5 i can't remember to be honest. Nevertheless I must admit i did enjoy nearly every minute on Dawn (my girlfriend was not amused i can tell you). In my eyes Dawn is a wonderfull mud, though similiar to another mud from which I came to dawn. The class/race system is great and possiblity to reinc makes Dawn even more addictive, the great variaty makes Dawn unique in my eyes. Though i often enough complain about things annoying me i must show great respect to the Immortals of Dawn they do a great job really, so "Keep up the good work" *thumbs up*

Well, it's half a year now since my latest review, and Dawn is still up and running... Half a year since the last review - is Dawn stagnating perhaps? From my personal (vast) experience, it is as alive as ever. There is no week without beig changes and news on their way, and the big immortal staff is active and coding/putting in quite some nice additions nearly on a daily basis. I could perhaps once again list the facts why I think that Dawn is competitive with any other MUD in existence, but seeing that the facts about Dawn did not change - come and see for yourself. A newbie-friendly playing environment, newbie area that explains the principles of MUDding and the underlying codebase, a complex character building system with breathtaking variety, a detailed clanrelation system, mortal laws and and and...this is the stuff that makes Dawn of the ages so intriguing and refreshing. You are still here? Go and check Dawn out now! What are you waiting for? *veg* Yours, Alzhayad, immo of Dawn of the Ages

I am quite amazed in my almost 2 years at this mud that I have never posted a review. Then I am sure some will cringe when they see this with my name attached it. This mud is probably one of the best muds I have ever played I am not just trying to pump it up and make it sound better then the rest. Like all things it has it pros and cons. I just got done reading some of the past reviews and I feel that I should update a few things about this wonderful world. The reinc systems in now automated. FOr some this is a good thing for others its bad but you also have the option to reinc through outstanding Roleplay as to be seen through immortal eyes of course. Clans are in a constant state of change the power shift at times is mind boggling its never been stagnant or lop sided as some will complain. New races have been added and also new religons to choose from. Role Play as a whole is starting to pick up something I am gratefull for. Newbies Are more then greeted with open arms and some clans go out of thier way to make them feel welcome and assist them when they ask for it. Random items have been reworked again and now they are more creative and imaginative then before. Quests , Arena, Pk fights we have it all it is at times rather fast and mind boggling as the screen flies by before your eyes. The Bad We still run into some of those people that are out to ruin the fun for everyone. I dont think they can be avoided though. Role play though on an upward bound is still a major lacking thing but with the ability of non pk joined to join clans it may become even better in the future. Player base could be be better being from the states I log on at times and there are only a few people on perhaps more of us from the US can start to jump in the mud and take a look around. Overall I would recommend this mud to anyway looking for a change and a good time Player interaction is amusing at times and well I am addicted just like every other person who writes a review. If you do stop in and need help I am always there to offer assistance. PB/Phule The Heartless Abbadon Of Lokatar

So here I am again, in front of my PC. *sigh* Yes, it is summertime, and all the guys are running around suntanned with not an inch of fat on their hard-trimmed muscles, getting the girls...and then there am I, cheesy-white skin, flabby tighs and no girlfriend. But who needs a girlfriend anyway when there is mud? *grin* Okay, back to some serious remarks about the highly addictive Dawn of the Ages. I have been playing on this MUD until about one and a half year ago. Some serious troubles with my studies *deep sigh* made me force away myself from any form of PC during that time, and I only very recently have taken on mudding again. What I still remember from the old days in Dawn is: Whoa, it was complex. The possibilities were endless, the areas mostly original and really good, kind and helpful immos (will always remember the immortal appearing out of thin air asking me why I had not chosen a career at level 20, and then explained to me what that thing was, even though there was a helpfile...thanks, Umbroso :-) )Well, only several players were a thorn in the side of my enjoyment. Now that I have come back...what can I say, it has hard to imagine, but the world has developed into a even more detailed place. The codebase was and is excellent, and the choice of race/profession/career/clan has become an even more complex one. Plus: Those few awful players from old days have, as far as I see it, gone. I have tried many a MUD since I saw my firt lines of text now, and they all pale in comparision. Yes, all the Top 10 Muds can't, in my eyes, compare to Dawn. They have got a larger playerbase, but that in my eyes is not really an advantage. In Dawn, you have got the family feeling...and it offers for free more than those you have to pay for...dunno why people tend to think that the more expensive something is, the better it is...You cannot buy experience points with reallife money on Dawn, yes...but what serious MUDder would do that anyways? :-) One thing though is that dawn, due to it's uniqueness, is hard. It is complicated. So be sure that to enjoy playing here, you will need some time. But then, Dawn is so damn addictive that you don't want to invest less time. Come and pay Dawn a visit, and you will find that it is more than worth every second you spend there. Have fun MUDding, PB Alzhayad Dawnflower, Emissary of the Crow, proud member of Lokatar.

played this mud for ... let me think, maybe two years? never had a good feeling for time ... since my start in dawn of the ages many things have changed and improved. it is quite impressing that the immortals and creators still work on the mud, adding new areas, races, careers ... these guys are really creative. although, some ideas were presented by ordinary players like you or me ... so, in general i have to say, i still havent found another mud with such variosity and still an easy handling. and after roleplay is wanted it is nice to play even if someone didnt join pk ... i enjoyed every minute of my time there

just checked this mud ... quite newbie friendly and still a challenge (spend several hours there although i just wanted to have a short look *g*) the possibilities there are really amazing concerning to othermuds it is really ok (even compared to the top muds here in list ... there might be more players but the possibilities are not so various) ls

I've been playing DoA for about a year and a half now. I've made and remade and tried all different types of characters, with a selection of races that seems almot endless you can make many combinations. When I first joined DoA it was through a first-time mudder's eyes. First thing i see when i am finished picking all the statistics and characteristics of my character and enter the magical world of Ayreon is 5 people welcoming me to the mud. Dawn of the Ages is very newbie friendly. As I progressed and became a better mudder i tried different combinations of races and classes and careers, even clans! So many branches you can take, endless playability. As I grew more accustomed to the mud I noticed something, well, Lack of something. Due to the time immortals spend on the mud and working on it there were no bugs! None that I could see anyway. There is only one drawback to this mud though, it's addicting, so if you start, kiss your loved ones goodbye because you will not be seeing them for a while :)

well, i am not a master of words ... so, i will keep it short: i played several other muds before and somehow i got stucked to dawn. i was a mage, a thief, a warrior, ... checked out every profession and in my eyes they are quite balanced (if there is something unbalanced the immos tend to get rid of the problem fast) the careers are astonishing (especially the various number and the fact, that the number is still growing) same for the possible choice of the race. where did i stop ... yes, i was mage, warrior and so on, i checked some races as well, lived in different clans ... and what comes up in sum: i got addicted ;) the variousity, the work of the immos and the character of most of the players, which usually are quite helpful (except they are on your tracks to get you *grin*) are causing so much fun that i dont want to miss it any more again ... (of course there are sometimes some black sheeps that are trying to ruin the fun, but their lifetime is rather short, thanks to the immos) and finally i became an immo myself ... because i dont have the time for an active player anymore *sigh* but that way i can keep contact to that special world, which is one of the best mud for me ... well, that was my "short" opinion but we are a free land :) so, come in and try for yourself ... and dont be surprised, if you notice an addicted immo which is some time afk, because he has to work but still most of the time there ...

Well, don't let yourself be detained by the rather biased recent reviews - After all, one of them is the former clanmaster of the Clan of War. Of course, this review is kinda biased, too, because if I didn't like the mud, I would probably not code and build for it :) Actually, and I have played quite a few chars myself, the classes and professions offered are very balanced - at least from my experience. Some fighting classes do have drawbacks against certain spellcasters, but some mages will have a hard stand against any warrior in PK, too. There are loads of areas to explore, with even more to come, and the quests offered are ranging from easy to very darn hard. Although the opportunities for RP are ample, the danger from other players is always present (if you chose to be able to fight players) - be it an assassin lurking in the shades, a pickpocket out for your precious equipment, an evil knight on his warhorse or a wizard who has dared his fate to encounter dangerous daemons on his travels through the demonic planes to reach you in the brink of a time. We have six clans, each of which stands for a certain principle in the world of ayreon, with two of them forming opposing parties in a constant struggle for the turn of history: Order and Chaos, Good and Evil, Darkness and Light - And one clan, who watches that they do not carry their wars into the boundaries of the cities, that the LAW is obeyed, the Judges. Our world is in constant development, and many improvements have been added lately, not a few of them stemming from ideas by the players. With our playerbase growing at the moment, it is especially unfortunate that some people resort to rather unfair methods as those employed by Dekkar. Namely, quoting people out of context to denounce them in public, just because the hold some kind of personal grudge. Let me, as one of the imms of dawn (no not the one Dekkar complained about :) give you the whole picture: Imagine a player trying to fake his IP. Imagine him being rather unsuccessful with his task, and, thus, caught by an admin. To show he was able to see through the fake, that admin gossiped: "Well, some people are really smart, especially if they come from sweden, right ?" Now, further imagine that player having been caught cheating only a few days ago and taking the opportunity to post a review on topmudsites accusing the mud admins of racism - and you got the whole picture.

Dawn of the Ages got the best skill/spell system, a fantastic clan system, limited items, mobs that vill hunt you down. To bad all the immo alts are playing mages, so they are rather much overpowered compared to the other classes. classes that does physical damage aint good here, but if you like beeing cleric/necromancer/mage then this is the best place, if else you should try somewhere else

I guess I should have written a comment long time ago, since I am now playing dawn for more about two and a half year. As I first entered it I could not believe it's fun, but something forced me for a second try and then I became addictet. But ok, maybe something about the mud. What other might see as drawback is what I like here most. The speed of the mud and the fight. I tried not much but at least some other muds and after playing dawn that long they seemed to be in slowmotion. Yes, dawn is fast, really fast sometimes, but I am used to it and I can't imagine any slower speed. The different races, professions, careers and clans open a wide range of chances and you can be unique if you really want, although there are of course some races fitting perfect to a special profession/career combination. Finally I turned to be an immortal too, but still feel more like a mortal player (and still have one as well :o). I like to help those asking for it, so feel free to visit dawn and don't fear to ask me anything if you see me around!

Summary: A good mud, could be more... Contra: quick, spammy fights old skill% system reincarnation not hardcoded - immortaldependand align restrictions not hardcoded too many wearlocations 100 stats which are not maxable. Pro: stable mud many professions + careers many races + reincarnations unique areas + quest RANDOM EQUIP powerbased magic (altering affects) Normally people read reviews to get some quick info. So I ll keep it short. You know: Dawn is a PK mud, got a good deal of professions which can be developed into unique careers of one or the other type. The races can be turned into reinc races on level 50 and maybe more later on. The bad: Dawn has many features, but not all are very playerfriendly. Amongst some is an unnerving, yet realistic day-nite code. Racestats dont count in with same amounts. Dexterity and quickness are far more important than strength or constitution. It can be very disturbing as well, that you need immortals to care about your reincarnation which hasnt been automatized. Likewise reincs are subjected to new "rules" like alignment which hasnt been hardcoded either. Likewise the fights are quite spammy and sometimes too quick for the "normal" eye. All in all, sometimes too many details with little regret to playerfun. The good: Its a stable mud. Its a diverse mud - many races and careers. The skill/spell system is unique with the power of the spells giving them a new edge and sometimes rendering new affects. The areas have all been reworked or especially created for the mud and a certain sub-engine allows a very nice and enjoyable questcode to run interactive quests in most areas. Funny enough, some of the more interesting feats which could actually make this mud a classic have not been truely been paid much attention too: RANDOM ITEMS exist, but are seldomly noticed. The colors have been integrated nicely, could be added a bit more to the spells or skills though. For the rest: There are clans of course, and the basic areas for those who want the usual stuff. Limited equipment exists. Have fun explorin.

Hehe, hi again. Well after reading more of the reviews i realized i didn't tell much about the MUD exept that it is the BEST MUD EVER!! Reason: It has a great number of skills spells aviliable for diffrent prfoessions and careers. For example: If you play a char with wizard as profession you can chose some careers, i would recomend the arcanist career (if you are a race with a large amount of intelligence as racebonus) Best PK chars there is... You should really try them out, maybe a bit hard for the newbie... And as you might have noticed now, races have racestats, bonus in strength, quickness, dexterty, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, charisma and appereance. (STR QUI DEX INT WIS CON CHA APP) Example: STR QUI DEX INT WIS CON CHA APP White elf: +5 0 +10 +10 0 -10 +15 +10 if i can remember right ;) When you make a new char you chose stats. with an average of 70 in all stats depending on how much you got in one stat, you get statsbonus -25 to +25 (example: 1str = -25 in str, and 100 str gives +25 str) not included but you will understand how it works soon enough. And I would recomend this MUD with all my heart ;) If you are a newbie, you can tyoe "who" to see which players are in. If you see: Nishlec Chaosfist, Ninja of Destruction (my title when i wrote this review) send me a tell if you want help, just tell me you saw my review and want some tips :) Nishlec Chaosfist, proud member of clan dartakan

I have played dawn for some time now, tested other muds, NEVER found any as good as this one, Aethar and The ethernal city (or what ever it is called) those are the ones i have tested most, they got -4 of 10 ;P And i would say that dawn gets 56 of 10 ;) hehe Nishlec Chaosfist, proud member of clan dartakan

Well, i´m playing Dawn of the Ages for more than a year now, and although i´ve tried almost every other popular mud, i´ve never found one providing a codebase of similiar quality. The mud offers an endless number of areas with a coherent theme, quests, intrigues or just a nice landscape ;). Also, there are a great number of races, profession and careers available. For those who like the excitement, it is possible to join PK and participate in the wars between the different clans. Life on Ayreon as a PKer is dangerous, but it definitively is fun. If you are a more peaceful character, you can spend your time exploring the realm or just doing roleplay which also can be lot of fun! Just give it a try, the newbie area will provide you with the basic knowledge you need. Of course, experienced players will help you if you have questions :)

Nice mud, really. The nasty guys that made a newbies life hard left the mud or turned into nice guys. :) Very stable, no dayly reboots. New areas comming on every now and then with lots of new stuff to collect and explore. A large majority of helping players, even some of the 'bad guys' are willing to help, at least while you are a newbie. I really like the fact that you do not have to join playerkilling. You can explore the world and have fun without it. Ok, you cannot lay your hands on those nice limited items then, but its ok. There are enchanters around that can improve your standard equip to really good levels, sometimes even close to matching the powers of limited equipment. I am hoping to reach lvl 50 soon so that I can try out one of those reincarnation races that are available for those that reach lvl 50. I can only say I love it and can only invite you to it.

This is a great mud, no doubt. Have played it for half a year and really enjoyed my stay there. There is no "dead-zones" where you just to walk and nothing happens (killing for a newbie with few moves), the game is fast with almost no lag and the areas are very creative and constantly being refreshed. I also likes the many charactercombinations that is here. There are a few problems though. Some immortals are too stubborn and can't ever think of anything that they're right. Some players over-all goal seems to be to ruin the fun for everyone else. Since the immortals don't take this seriously I've for now said farewell to my favourite mud with a tear in my eye and won't come back til those things have changed. But it is ,as i said, a great mud and well worth trying.

Well, in the recent years, I have tried quite a few MUDs, and still, I always returned to this one, and now, finally, even volunteered to join the immortal staff and expand upon the themes presented here. Why is that so, one may ask. The first, and to me, the most important issue is the amount of work, sweat, and even heartblood the creators of the custom areas have put into this MUD. Hundreds of custom areas have been added to the "usual, standard" DIKU ones, and the ones that have been taken over, have been intensivly modified to the point where quests, and "real" mobs with a true history and character seem to make up the whole of the MUD. Second, the MUD is coded completely in Java which leads to almost no downtime in my experience, and, furthermore, to none of the problems with the "lag-monster" other Muds experience. Third, most of the players there are friendly and really helpful, especially to newbies, which also includes the immo staff. This does not, though, lead to a softening of the PK-atmosphere there: If you join PK, and do one, only one single wrong step... you are dead, and probably missing a few of your most precious items, too. Areas, protected by the player-run clan of Judges, where PK-ing constitutes a crime, provide an (almost) save haven to those that have joined the ranks of PKers. The careers and clans there offer a really amazing choice of roles, so that probably all players can be served their taste, from the usual monk of the Lord of Battle, (Ulric), in the clan of Warriors, to the most absurd: the good genie, rogue and assassin, follower of the Patron of the Inquisition, Solkan, always at hand to kill some evil villain to the greater glory of her GOD. The community of players in the MUD always has a voice with changes, and/or new installments to the careers, professions and clans. With the new ranking systems in the latter, opportunities for roleplay have been created that are matched by few MUDs I have visited so far.

I have played quite some MUDs since now, and Dawn is somewhat special. First, the character generation is _VERY_ detailed, and the chances of developing your character are enormous. In fact, in this aspect it is the best MUD I ever saw. I created about a dozen characters now and can say that everyone demanded for a totally different playing style, so everyone should be able to create a chracter he likes to play for a prolonged timespan. The immortals are nice and polite, and if you ask for help, be sure you will be aided:) There are some stock zones, among them the beginner town (the infamous Midgaard;>), but also a lot of custom zones that are unique and detailed with a good deal of atmosphere. The religious system employed is very detailed and even affects your character, e.g. a cleric will gain a few basic spells and skills, and a number of others based on the belief he adheres to. However, with all that good aspects, a bad thing about dawn arethe players. Not all of them, however. In fact, most of them are friendly, kind and helpful, but then there are some that could be best described as grief players that don't care about the person on the other side of the screen, playing a MUD-based counterstrike, often to the point of unfairness. Sure, you can stay out of PK completely, but then you miss the Clan system as a whole. All in all, Dawn of the ages is one of the best MUDs I ever visited, and one of the few that made me stay for a longer time. If you are bored with your current MUD or are looking for one, give it a try, it's worth the effort.

Just to comment on Zavede's review... 1. The laws on the mud are there for player to player interaction. The Judges clan is a group of mortals that have very specific rules they must follow to use their powers. Personally, I prefer that mortals have the power rather than immortals to uphold the RP laws. But if we wanted to we could always change it to an immortal running that aspect. 2. According to the logs Zavebe, you played for all of a few mins and complained then deleted on your own. This is interesting as you have to set yourself PK on this mud. I have played on Dawn for over a year and a half both as a mortal and currently as an immortal. I have enjoyed it immensely and have recommended it to many of my friends who are active on Dawn now. We have an optional PK system (you choose if you want to join PK but the choice is irrevokable.) We have a very good and constantly updated help system, many unique areas (with more coming out frequently), and a nice stable JAVA based code. Feel free to come on and ask me any questions if I am on or email me at gelliotr@uncc.edu Umbroso

I have played this MUD until now. But I delete my char because, in this MUD there is no one who stands for law and right. No one helps a player who was killed in a PROTECTED AREA. There are some people calling "judges" they even do nothing!! I do not play there again until there are great changes in the system.....

This review is a composit of several weeks study conducted by myself and a group of testers. We found this MUD to be amazingly fun! Exploration was a highlight as well as character creation. There is a helpful newbie school upon creation that explains in detail the aspects of MUDing and navigating through this particular MUD. Very nice. The players are helpful but not suffocating. (Some can be a little over-zealous about helping newbies but not in this case) If you need help, it's there, not shoved down your throat. Interesting coding and mobs. Upgrades, easy navigation, adventures galore, player interaction and little interferrence from immortals make this MUD a personal favorite. You're on your own, but you are equipped to handle it. Sincerely, The MUD Investigator and testers

I've been playing this mud for over a year and I have to say as an experienced mudder that it has been an overall enjoyable experience. Many new features and areas have been introduced since I started and more are on the way. I highly recommend it! :)

I have been playing Dawn almost since it went public. Many changes occured, some not liked by the players but still surely improving the gameplay and atmosphere. Lots of friendly players and especially helpful immortals around. Definately worth checking out, you just gotta love it. :)