11. GAMEPLAY & CONTENT

PLAYING THE GAME

Delivered from a cutting edge implant that engages all Player senses while they are logged in, « ΔRK // FANTASY » is capable of presenting uncanny realism in its otherwise fantastical setting. Bracing breezes and rays of sunlight feel as relaxing as they would in reality; delicious food tastes as though the Player were truly eating, and the game can even simulate a feeling of "fullness" after meals. This does mean, however, that feelings of hunger, thirst, and fatigue are also genuine and must be dealt with while Players are in game. Those who ignore their hunger, thirst, and fatigue suffer the [Weakness] debuff.
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This realism applies to the feeling of pain as well and, while Players are unable to actually "die" in « ΔRK // FANTASY », the mental strain pain, death, and respawning puts on them has been known to cause some to suffer complete mental breakdown.[break][break]

While stats play a large part in determining a Player's effectiveness in the world and against enemies, certain habits and traits from reality do translate into the game to some extent. For example, a naturally clumsy person may drop items accidentally, while a person with little sense of direction may be unable to read the game's map without help from special skills or spells.

INTERACTING WITH THE WORLD

Empyrea's non-player characters react to Players as though they were one of their own and, despite the game being so incredibly advanced, these NPCs aren't programmed beyond basic dialogue designed to help Players along, provide tidbits of lore, or pass along helpful information for a quest.
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Players are marked by a barcode on their character's right wrist which, when pressed against, brings up their user interface— including options to organize one's inventory, message nearby Players or friends, view a map of the area they're in, recruit others to a party for various reasons, and log off. This user interface appears as a virtual screen in front of a Player's face, and NPCs do not react to it.

PVE CONTENT

Player versus Environment (PvE) content includes all forms of exploration, dungeon crawling, raiding, and questing. Players of any strength are able to tackle these activities, although some prove more difficult than others to clear depending on their level.
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Players are also encouraged to tackle PvE content with a guild or party, utilizing each of their unique skills to solve puzzles, defeat bosses, and progress. To emphasize the importance of working as a team, quests, dungeons, raids, and other PvE content provide equal rewards to all participating Players in a party once the content is cleared.

PVP CONTENT

Players hoping to fight one another are able to do so anywhere and at any point. Some Players from Player Killer (PK) guilds may also lay ambushes and traps to kill as many unsuspecting Players as possible in the wild. While looked down on as something morally reprehensible due to the mental shock 'dying' in the game causes a person, there are no rules against killing Players.
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Players do not lose anything on their person when they are killed, although they do give small amounts of experience. Player Killers simply do what they do out of a sick sense of enjoyment than anything else.
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For Players hoping to test their mettle against one another without the fear of death and in a controlled environment, the Game Masters have announced the future arrival of a Player Versus Player arena— to be introduced at a later patch.