Avendar was the first MUD I ever played, on the recommendation of a friend. I have been playing for slightly over a year, and the experience has only improved with time.

The staff is composed of superb and diabolically creative writers. The sheer amount of in-game lore and history to uncover is mind-boggling.

The world and races are entirely original, each race with its own strengths and weaknesses. Examples are natural flight for the stately aelin and fire resistance for the reptillian srryn.

The classes are for the most part very well-balanced and varied, with options ranging through most of the traditional classes (barbarian, bard) through many more esoteric and original ones like alchemists and void scholars.

The magic system works with an interesting mechanic allowing a scholar to “major” and “minor” in two of the six magic elements for great versatility or devote his study entirely to one element, unlocking the powerful “greater” spells.

The PK system is a compromise between open and non-PK, with ranges established permitting characters to kill each other as long as they are within certain levels of each other. It is an integral part of the experience of Avendar, with clashes sometimes involving groups of four or more players on a side.

Avendar is not without its issues, however. The code is very unstable, leading to frequent and aggravating crashes. Many of the players have been active for most, or all, of the MUD's years online, and there is much bad blood over OOC channels. This also leads to a punishing learning curve, especially where PK is concerned.

Despite its flaws, Avendar is by far and away the best MUD I have ever played. The world is enormous, with myriads of riddles to solve and books to discover. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys quality roleplaying.