History VideoGame / Mabinogi

It is available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/212200 here]]

In 2023, Nexon announced the Eternity Project, a large-scale effort to port the entire game to UsefulNotes/UnrealEngine 5 and add brand-new content previously impossible on the Pleione engine, such as underwater exploration. The teaser trailer, featuring a visually-overhauled segment of the game's opening sequence, can be viewed [[https://youtu.be/wrbmZQF8g3E here]]. The Eternity Project currently has no release date and is expected to last several years of development at minimum.

** ShieldBash: When using the Charge skill, the player rams the enemy from a distance (Higher the rank, the longer the distance is), while lessening the damage from arrows. Once the player reaches foe, they slam the shield at them and stun them for 2.5 seconds. Giants can use Charge without a shield though.

** The Commerce AIrship (Not to be confused with the Skiff) is this in spades. It costs FIVE MILLION Ducats in order to purchase and can only be used in Group Commerce. What is worse, that the encounters cannot be avoided and must be fought. Fortunately, the airship have a decent amount of HP and encounters can end when it takes a certain amount of damage or by defeating the encounters. However, due to poor planning or lack of playtesting, there is a nasty bug if an encounter starts in an unclimbale sloped area, the encounter starts way higher than normal, forcing you to take multiple hits. What is even more worse due to lack of balance is when the Commerce Red Dragon spawns. Players are given 30 seconds to reduce a gauge by hitting the dragon, and unfortunately the gauge scales with party size. Failing that, the Red Dragon takes a HUGE amount of HP. What's even more worse about the Red Dragon is that you can encounter another Red Dragon after the first encounter! And the only way to repair the HP of an airship is by randomly encountering events.

** The Demigod transformation starts out powerful and only increases from there, but it ''costs EXP'' to even use them and risk ''downgrading'' the skill from overuse. This is averted later on, however. The transformation and its skills gain EXP on level-up and rebirth, and once you reach rank 1 and max out with 120 EXP saved up, you'll find yourself spamming it or even using it in town to goof off, just to avoid wasting points.

** Grandmaster status of a particular talent. Costing over a Million of gold, and tedious quests to just get some stamps, your only reward: A new medal in your beside your name, and little bonuses that may or may not help you at all.

* {{Bishonen}}: Oh, ''yes''. Kelpie is one of them, with long hair to boot! Though it's somewhat justified since he's fifteen. There's an elf named Lepus who also fits the bill, and don't get us started with Hamlet.

** The climb to Midgame to Endgame is seperated by having to craft your gear or obtain it from someone who crafted them. The Fake Difficulty comes from if one wants to craft their own gear, their first issue becomes the low drop rates on getting said materials to drop. When one does have to get their gear done, they have to grind again to properly enchant, upgrade, and reforge their gear to be in top shape and ready for anything.

*** Succubus Fiends, who attacks with Dual Guns and seems to only exist to annoy players with their attacks

*** The Illusion Zombies can only be damaged by being one hitted. You are required to kill multiple in a poorly designed DPS check gate.

*** Two mobs have invicibility frames. One of them is needed to be slain quickly or the time limit is reduced.

* TacticalSuicideBoss: The [[BonusBoss Arc Lich]] has 30,000 hitpoints and takes one damage from absolutely everything...except the Bomb Steeds he summons.

In 2023, Nexon announced the Eternity Project, a large-scale effort to port the entire game to UsefulNotes/UnrealEngine 5. The teaser trailer, featuring a visually-overhauled segment of the game's opening sequence, can be viewed [[https://youtu.be/wrbmZQF8g3E here]]. The Eternity Project currently has no release date and is expected to last several years of development at minimum.

In 2023, Nexon announced the Eternity Project, a large-scale effort to port the entire game to UsefulNotes/UnrealEngine 5. The teaser trailer, featuring a visually-overhauled segment of the game's opening cutscene, can be viewed [[https://youtu.be/wrbmZQF8g3E here]]. The Eternity Project currently has no release date and is expected to last several years of development at minimum.

* EmpathicWeapon: Every beginning player is given a special weapon like this, inhabited by a spirit. She's always named Eiry and she always looks the same. She leaves you after you hit level 26 and complete a certain quest. Once she's gone, however, you can give most weapons that have been used enough an "ego spirit." They make your weapon stronger (and make it glow), but they also are rather expensive to maintain, as they require FOOD. That is, random items that the weapon spirit "absorbs", with different items granting different stat boosts. The most effective stat boosts come from jewels, obtained through the use of the Metallurgy skill.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Morrighan and Neamhain both are barefoot, though in Morrighan's case this isn't easily noticeable for a while.

* OffModel:
** The North American servers once held a title design contest for users to have their art about Mabinogi a few years ago. Some of the winners however, depending on the the resolution, looks off, and one, uses a different art style that wasn't animesque like the game, causing some users to complain about the eye sore.
** Older Mabinogi equipments:
*** Equipment that has fanny packs, side packs, extra pockets (Such as the Tork's Hunter Wear), does not have them as seperate models, but as textures, unlike newer content which does have them.
*** Several female clothing that reveals the shoulders (Such as the Cores Thief, Blacksmith Suit), if the user is thin enough, their shoulder model can be seen dislocated!
*** Any hairdtyle/wig that is long (Such as the Divine Demigod F and the Miku hairstyle) can appear to make the character float when the character is small enough from a Tin Potion, Mini potion, or an age potion.
** When they made most of Chapter 1 Uladh flyable, they patched the areas with basic green grass terrain instead of mapping them with the correct terrain. This makes going to lower Gairech and seeing the Bangor entrance... and then seeing the green grass terrain a few feet away from it.
** The Old Giant model was like this. They were stiff, ugly, and had a seperate animation skeleton that causes issues to the developers, until the current Giant model was made.
* OminousPipeOrgan / OneWomanWail: The background music of Peaca Dungeon. [[BonusLevelOfHell Appropriate, considering...]]

* ArtificialStupidity: The pets. Oh {{God}}, the pets. Somewhat {{subverted}} in that players can modify the pet [=AIs=], and even create their own from scratch using an XML-based scripting language. You can also log in as them yourself to deliver a [[KillerRabbit fuzzy beatdown.]]
* AscendedExtra: Tarlach and Mari were both given [[{{Backstory}} backstories]] and motivations to try to save Morrighan, and continued to be important up to present time [[spoiler:though the player doesn't learn until after G1 that Mari was reborn as Nao.]] Ruairi was just a guy with a sword who might have wanted to save Morrighan mostly because he was infatuated with her. [[spoiler: Later storylines show that he survived, [[BreakTheCutie became much less]] [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids happy-go-lucky]] and [[FaceHeelTurn turned evil]].]]

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: The "rebirth" mechanic (see below) allows players to reset their character's age back to anywhere from 10 to 17 every once in a while, so players will gradually become more and more this trope as they advance. Additionally, their physical appearance stops visibly aging after 17 and they stop getting stat bonuses after 25, but their age still increases until they're reborn. A character who hasn't been played for several real life years can be ''hundreds'' of years old in-game and still look like a teenager.
** Also, Nao.
*** Nao is exactly as old as she appears. She just got a magical make over and looks much different then she did 10 years ago when she was 14.

* SwordAndSorcerer: Newer mages (and archers to a lesser extent) generally should seek out the aid of a meatier melee character to keep enemies away from them while they cast spells, since casting spells leaves you exposed and unable to move during the charge up while most physical skills can be readied while at least walking, if not running even.
* TakeYourTime: [[spoiler: So [[EldritchAbomination Glas Ghaibhleann]] is being summoned, and he's going to destroy the whole world soon?]] If you rebirth at a certain point during the G1 storyline, you have to train your character back up to a certain level before one of the [=NPC=]s will give you the quest to continue.

* FishingForSole: Using the fishing skill can get you fish, clothes, and [[InfinityPlusOneSword gargoyle swords]]. Some useful items, [[FridgeLogic including books]], can only be found via fishing.

* FullContactMagic: Blaze.

* MultipleEndings: Apparently G16 has them, while G15 had a variant. Depending on your choices, you could get one of two titles at the end of the G15 storyline, however this doesn't affect the actual ending

** Even pets have been refined, with every account receiving a free horse and eagle (without the inventory the cash shop versions have) to use as mounts or help in combat. And as of the Saga updates, for every character on the account you clear the saga campaign with you can receive a powerful Pegasus mount with a 10x10 inventory and includes a powerful AoE attack on summon. Allowing for a total of 10 pets, 8 of which are actually quite good, if you work for it.

* BrutalBonusLevel: When entering Peaca Dungeon, the game warns you that it's "beyond difficult." [[SincerityMode It's not joking.]] Enemies often have complete immunity to some forms attack and can churn out fully-charged spells five times faster than players can. The difficulty levels keep increasing, too: the hardest form of the dungeon can take from [[MarathonLevel five to seven hours to finish!]]

* JigglePhysics: Applies only to Nao. No other characters exhibit any sort of bounce at all. Not even [[GagBoobs Rua]].

** Rua also qualifies, both in her character art and her conversation. She's very aware of her MsFanservice status, and uses it to [[strike:extort]] [[strike:demand]] request an increasingly expensive series of gifts from the player characters as a mini-quest, which earns you a copy of [[OfCorsetsSexy her]] [[ImpossiblyLowNeckline highly]] [[BareYourMidriff fanservice-y]] [[ShowSomeLeg outfit]], as a gift for Nao. (Yes, [[JigglePhysics bouncy Nao]] in Rua's dress).

* BuxomIsBetter: Nao and Morrighan are the most obvious ones, but [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet]] is surprisingly endowed for a teenager.
** Rua is so famously hot that many players will shill out a million gold or more just because she asks them to, resulting in her giving you her dress (which you can, in turn, give to Nao).
** Players can invoke this, if you use a coin to allow transformation into Nao, Rua, Neamhain, Human Scathach... although some of these transformations essentially turn you into a living prop.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Mores looks like an old man at any point in the story, but he's actually only 36 as of his RP Math Dungeon. Juliet is only supposed to be 14 or so, but she's quite [[BuxomIsBetter developed]] for her age. Mores over-exerted himself during the 2nd Fomor war during a magical duel with the Dark Mage leader of the army and was presumed killed, but managed to survive. His aged appearance is the result of the strain using so much magic put on him. Also it's mentioned that magic, the power of the fomors, is difficult for normal humans to master and puts a lot of strain on their bodies when they attempt to delve into the more extreme forms of magic. Alchemy was created as a way for magic powers to be mass-produced without the need for innate talent or years of intense study.

* UltimateBlacksmith: In Generation 2, [[spoiler:Edern is the one to make the Paladin armour out of mythril, the {{unobtainium}} du jour that of course you must retreive in a FetchQuest... [[ClassicVideoGameScrewYous which is of course also a]] TimedMission.]]

* {{Gainaxing}}: {{Subverted}}. While Nao's breasts do bounce a bit, they stay together and don't go off in opposite directions. None of the other characters have any bounce at all.

* MagicMusic: Ranking the Musical Knowledge and Composing skills high enough gives the MagicMusic ability, which allows characters to play music that can buff teammates, debuff mobs, and even [[MindManipulation mind-control]] single enemies. One of three ways to get the "who [[RussianReversal seduced]] a [[HornyDevil Succubus]]" title.

* ChekhovsBoomerang/ChekhovsGunman: The Saga: Iria brings back [[spoiler: the Lia Fail from G3 as part of Tarlach's plan to destroy both Falias and the Soul Stream. However, this time it actually succeeds in summoning Macha, the goddess of destruction, who proceeds to [[HijackedByGanon hijack]] the BigBad position with her own plans to destroy Tir Na Nog.]]

* ObviousRulePatch/Nerf: Several, but most notably:

* ChainLightning: Lightning Bolt hits as many enemies as you have charges (assuming there are enough enemies nearby). The Thunder skill, depending on your skill ranks and charges, takes this UpToEleven. Or rather, thirteen (13 targets, that is).

* TemporaryOnlineContent: Any exclusive items from Gachapons and Limted edition pets falls into this. The Vocaloid Hairstyles and colors gives a special mention as being [[UpToEleven unavailable at the beauty shop/dressing room.]]

* DifficultySpike:
** G3 in Chapter 1 and G11 in Chapter 3. G3 is reduced somewhat in that it doesn't really get hard until near the end, but G11 is pain and misery the whole way through. Even worse, you're forced solo for nearly all of G11, while in G3 you can almost always bring backup. G14 includes another difficulty spike for Chapter 4, bumping up the {{Mooks}} considerably.
** Most of the harder G11 missions allow the player to bring one [[BadassBookworm Royal Alchemist]] to help, which depending on his/her power and skill level can greatly alleviate the difficulty of these missions. Buchanan Inside the Castle and Location of Destiny, however, do NOT allow Royal Alchemist assistance; Buchanan Inside the Castle is particularly infamous because its difficulty certainly warrants Royal Alchemist assistance.

* NintendoHard: The Generation 11 storyline pushes DifficultySpike UpToEleven compared to the dull-but-simple G10, and G9, in which you weren't forced to fight alone for the majority of battles.

* WikiRule: http://wiki.mabinogiworld.com/

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Mores looks like an old man at any point in the story, but he's actually only 36 as of his RP Math Dungeon. Juliet is only supposed to be 14 or so, but she's quite [[BuxomIsBetter developed]] for her age.
** Mores over-exerted himself during the 2nd Fomor war during a magical duel with the Dark Mage leader of the army and was presumed killed, but managed to survive. His aged appearance is the result of the strain using so much magic put on him. Also it's mentioned that magic, the power of the fomors, is difficult for normal humans to master and puts a lot of strain on their bodies when they attempt to delve into the more extreme forms of magic. Alchemy was created as a way for magic powers to be mass-produced without the need for innate talent or years of intense study.

* DeflectorShields: The Natural and Elemental Shields protect the user and surrounding allies from incoming arrows[=/=]magic...although [[AwesomeButImpractical they only last a few seconds and render the user immobile.]]

* VendorTrash: A rather nicely thought out example. Enemies across Uladh will drop "Fomor Scrolls" associated with the general race of the enemy killed; these scrolls are used by the Fomors to turn normally benign monsters feral. Selling these scrolls to NPC's themselves will get you no money, but you can purchase quests for chump change to [[TwentyBearAsses collect 10 of them]], at which point you complete the quest and turn the ten in for a nice profit. Enemies in Iria will instead drop body parts used to complete Exploration Quests. The reason for this is because the enemies in Iria are not Fomors or controlled by Fomors; they're simply naturally wild animals.

* ObviousRulePatch/Nerf: When Alchemy was first released many players went straight for the Summon Golem skill. For good reason- Snow Golems backed by high Alchemy Mastery could single-handedly obliterate entire rooms of enemies with their Rank 1 Windmill. When the Clay Alchemy skill was released some time later, said Golems got even bigger and stronger than before. Then came a series of patches which first reduced the Golem's size then later reduced their Windmill ranks from 1 to 6, greatly reducing their Windmill radius.

* OneWingedAngel: All players can undergo this when they learn their race-specific transformations. The Demi God transformation crosses the BishounenLine going a step above the first form, but simply takes the form of a BattleAura and [[PowerGivesYouWings energy wings]] over the player.

* PracticalTaunt: The giants' Taunt skill attracts the aggro of all nearby monsters, taking the pressure off any teammates. They can mix it with Wind Guard to avoid knockdown and reduce damage.