Gavel Review: An Upgrade That Exceeded My Expectations

Ok. So I have decided to post my honest review for Gavel. I have experienced a lot of the systems so far and explored Gavel to Olux with my level 42 character (Just to get a taste of the swamp). I also created a new character which is being used for the Wynncraft Gavel Series.

In this review, I will be going over many sections of Gavel and outlining them in my honest opinion. My computer is not super great so you will get a point of view from a more low-class player on a laptop. I am also not a VIP so there is no bias to anything.

The sections I will be going through are Resource Pack, Bugs, Quests (What I have seen so far), Builds (What I have seen so far), Mob changes, Potion changes, Website changes, Item system and Starting from scratch.

RESOURCE PACK:
Wow. This resource pack amazed me from the second I began to see it in use. It fits WYnncraft so well that I would find it hard to top. The only nitpicks I have on it are that some blocks around the world do not fit in anymore like they used to so they will have to be changed. The WynnPack has really done a good job of immersing me.

The textures for the weapons are very nice and detailed. They have made a lot of the weapons that are common have the same block type but that is ok with me considering that each weapon having its own design would be a bit much. It makes your hard earned weapons feel that extra bit more special. If I had to nitpick about some weapons, it would be that there is some inconsistencies between them. For example, pixel or curved? This was probably due to the pressure put on them. But it doesn't affect my opinion on Gavel too much overall.

BUGS/TRANSITION:
This is something people are really angry about with the Gavel update. LAG and BUGS. Lag for me was near non-existent on my computer which usually got around 20-30 FPS. It was near NO change from what I usually experienced and It to me felt smooth and good. BUGS of the otherhand were a bit bigger of a problem. I encountered a few where the chat became weird and mobs stopped in time for everyone. But these are sure to be ironed out soon.

The transition was handled with near perfection. I came on with my 42 character and I did everything I needed. I was thrown into the world and nothing bad happened along the way. Any bad things that happened to other people were probably due to bad luck on their part. They got a community warning 2 days before Gavel was released!

QUESTS:
This topic is definitely something I have near to no experience on but I have heard other peoples opinions and I have experienced the first quest (Ragni's recruit) my self in its new and shiny Gavel form. The quest was definitely a step in the right direction for quality. It was longer, had a small but nice puzzle and the dialogue was of a higher capacity but not so much that it was boring and monotonous. It introduced the mechanic of the blue mob AI which was a GREAT touch for Gavel. I do find that some of Wynns old quests when repeated again felt a bit mixed but the quests I observed with my friends were very well done and story rich! The new amount (Almost double of what was there before) of quests really seemed to open up new paths in play for me. I was given 2 while other were given over 12 as soon as they logged in! What a great change!

BUILDS:
This one is going to be shorter than the other sections because there is nothing to nitpick. AMAZING! SPECTACULAR! The builds are stunning! Not too big yet not too small and all were thought out with equal quality and attention. Everything felt right in Gavel and the touches put back on Wynn made it feel upgraded as well. Everything was integrated seamlessly with new systems such as Gavel's door using command blocks. Oh content team you have done it again! Better than ever!

MOB CHANGES:
This one was executed very well. Each mob had been redesigned to some degree and the overall feel from fighting them was more fun. I encountered a few berserker style mobs in Gavel which jumped n top of me. Such fun fights. Thrilling and full of excitement. It was refreshing! The AI's as I mentioned before were done as a nice touch that now feels needed. Mobs are now more realistic. Some will run like cowards, others will ally with you, others will fight like warriors, like mages, like archers, others will sneak up, others will jump from higher places to get a vantage point on you.

This change has left a lasting effect on me and made me feel like fighting was not grinding, fighting was a bit more of a challenge that should be approached at different angles.

POTION CHANGES:
Though very small, potions now have such more intuitive uses. The insta-drink and multiple uses really made potions more worthwhile and useful. The sheer amount of new potions really did help with the increased difficulty with alot of the mobs due to their AI changes.

WEBSITE CHANGES:
Again, small but needed. The new website looked fabulous, amazing and grand. The feel really wet from alpha website feel, to full website feel. New buttons, better organisation and cooler art attracted me to the website a lot more than it did before.

ITEM SYSTEM:
This one is big and very well done but with its flaws at the same time. The change was great! I looked at it from a level 40 stand point and it was very complex and then I went to my level one, hoping that the change would be more tolerable. The only noticeable complexness in the item system at level one was the attack speeds. I was happy to see that it was a progressive complexity as it should be.

I must admit that It was confusing at level 40 but by level 10 on my first character, it was insanely easy to use and work around. I knew a few attack speeds by then and was introduced to the XP bonuses and defences against elements. The elemental mobs were starting to appear and it was easy to tell that some weapons had different use and weaknesses against other mobs.

The flaw I talked about earlier was the explanation on the item system. I am 14 and common sense in daily activities is very easy to people around my age. But for someone who does not relate certain aspects of the item system together, like a 9 year old (We have a few of those), it was poorly explained in a few parts. This could easily be fixed by a quest near the level of 10.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH:
This is what I was waiting for. Starting from scratch is an absolute must. TRUST ME! Getting to level 100 with a convoluted item system will be your demise. You will blame it on the owners, but it is actually your fault. You will feel like Gavel is in complete and missing something that is needed. A RESTART.

Doing this will let you see Wynn in new eyes and it will great you to many Gavel systems slowly and easily. Sure, restarting 30 quests is in your mind "not worth it", but it is. You will feel the difference. Like Salted said, you will feel it! It feels amazing, rejuvenating if you will. I feel amazing playing Wyncraft and Gavel as it is supposed to be played. Grian is right. Restart. If you must get to 100 before anyone else, do it. mBut restart at some point to enjoy Gavel as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Would you rather half-heartedly finish a game because you "Have " to or would you restart to get the full effect of the game?

CONCLUSION:
Lastly, I will conclude on how I feel about this grand update! It is has been amazing and every aspect of it that I said was bad WILL be without a doubt fized within a month or two. It is somthing that cannot really be conveyed in the words othe human mind can conceive. You msut FEEL it to believe it!

Gavel as is now: 9.5/10 - Worth the wait in almost every aspect!

Thankyou for reading this. As you have seen, I have not properly gone into the flesh of Gavel, the province but the other additions were there to give me the bulk of this review!

 

Nice review !
Gavel is 100% worth the wait :P