If you’re a keen follower of the Chinese mobile gaming scene, you know all about Oath of Peak.
Developed by CANGMING NET – a specialist in the world of Xianxia mobile games – Oath of Peak has already made its mark in the Asia-Pacific region by attracting more than half a million downloads and rocketing to the top of the iOS and Android charts. For the North America open beta specifically 500k players signed up for pre-registration, with 200k taking part in the open beta.
For the uninitiated, Oath of Peak is based on a legendary Chinese text called The Classic of Mountains and Seas – or Shan Hai Jing to its friends.
Like the epic story that inspired it, the game features a menagerie of mythical creatures, including Qilin, Baize, Zhulong, and Qiongqi. Playing as a Spirit Bender, your aim is to corral, tame, and train these Spirit Beasts before taking them into battle.
Spirit Beasts come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and ranks, and you’re free to train them, equip them, and boost their powers as you see fit to create the perfect non-human battlefield companions.
You can even breed your Spirit Beasts, creating offspring that fuses the characteristics of two parents to create an entirely new animal.
But there’s a lot more to Oath of Peak than animal husbandry. The campaign – which, as you would expect given its literary origins, is epic in scope – takes place in a vast epic open-world environment: the fantastical Omnispirit Continent.
There are tons of modes, too, including PvP, GvG, and more. You can take the hardcore route, hopping into raids with other players, or you can while away a few hours on casual pursuits like fishing and raising your Kun (a legendary creature found in the Shan Hai Jing).
Like any self-respecting MMORPG, Oath of Peak features a range of different classes to manage, each with its own unique talents and skills.
There’s Alkaid, a warrior-style melee fighter who can both deal and sustain an awful lot of damage; Megrez, a mage with a devastating claymore attack; Dubhe, a stealthy assassin who can turn into a devastating tornado of spinning blades; Phecd, a healer who attacks from range and uses magic to meddle with spirits; and Alioth, another ranged fighter who uses puppets to overwhelm foes.
Oath of Peak also features a rich social system, made up of peer, team, and guild elements. These all encourage you to explore the game and complete quests, alone or with friends.
The guild system helps you to meet new friends and virtual co-workers, giving you vital support as you attempt to conquer the Omnispirit Continent.
Each guild in Oath of Peak comes with its own territory, and within this territory you can participate in guild events to earn rewards.
But, as ever, there’s give and take involved in being part of a guild. While there are plenty of rewards to be had, you need to contribute to the maintenance and growth of your guild by donating Shells to the Guild Fund.
This in turn gives you ever greater crafting abilities, allowing you to make things to sell on the Shell Market.
You can even form kinship bonds and get married to other players, giving you companions to stand beside you in combat against hostile guilds, formidable monsters, and more.
There’s a lot of fun waiting for you on the Omnispirit Continent, and right now would be an excellent time to start playing. That’s because Oath of Peak is holding a Valentine’s Day event.
From 5am on the 14th of February you’ll be able to grab yourself a brand new limited Hare outfit, which will be available at a 30% discount for 4 days.
To learn more about Oath of Peak, check out the game’s official website, Facebook page, or Twitter profile.
Alternatively, you can just get stuck in and download it for free on the App Store or Google Play.