There's so much that a new MMORPG has to prove in the game's starting area. Besides establishing the plot, setting, and introducing your role in its massively multiplayer world, the starting zone is your first impression of the game, and sets a strong precedent for everything that will follow.

That being said, there were no idyllic fields of level one butterflies to kill for butterfly wings - of which you need ten - so the buttercup fairy can make you a butterfly potion that gives you plus five to your health in Gods and Heroes' starting zone for the Nomad and Scout.

Above: Part damage dealer and part healer, the Nomad feels versatile and powerful

Instead, you find yourself imprisoned by Rome's greatest enemy, the Telchine. Exiled by the gods of Rome, the Telchine are raring for revenge, and the first step in their master plan to reclaim Rome is your death. According to their intelligence reports, you are destined to be a hero of Rome. In an attempt to nip tide-turning people like you in the bud, you've all been rounded up and sentence to death in the cold catacombs of their prison.

Like the bloodthirsty Romans who enjoy some ultra violence at the local coliseum, the Telchine take great joy in teasing you with challenges to slay your prison mates for a shot at freedom. It's quite a dark change of pace from the usual boar-kill quests, but in terms of gameplay, it's more about setting the mood and introducing you to the game's combat system.