Abandoned Realms is a great MUD. I come from a myriad of others and there's none that get your heart pumping like this one. I started MUDing in a pure PVE MUD almost 2 decades ago on AOL called Terris and its sister MUD Cosrin. I played Magestorm right before this, so I had grown a thirst for online action games be they MUDs or FPS. Since then I've played a few MUDs here and there and none give me the same excitement as Terris/Cosrin once did. That is, other than AR which really does. The excitement and adrenaline this game gives me through PvP and RP is incredible. The imms have stepped their game up, bringing RP events regularly, and ensuring there is balance among the classes so that everyone can compete and participate. The imms of the various cabals often interact with their members, sending them on quests or assassination missions. Games like Imperian, etc. really turned me on to PvP, and it is a wonder that games like Abandoned Realms haven't reached the same popularity considering how in depth PvP is. The game has been around forever, and I doubt even the most seasoned vet doesn't learn something new about PvP every now and then.

Recently there's been a rash of new areas, and new developments with old ones. New combat spells, new skills for classes. To touch on one that is pretty cool, Dark-knights can now summon steeds to ride upon that come with both pros and cons in combat, but help them track good around the Realm no matter where it is.

The Herald and Mystics along with their respective imms are always using their particular skill-sets to bring role-play and diversity to the game. Be it holding events that can help players earn increased experience, skills and even titles - or officiating weddings, you can almost always find one of these folks around - often helping newbies. In fact that is the prime job of the Mystics, to help newer players, and their skill-sets are aimed towards that end.

So if you're looking for a new hobby, 'home' or just a place to blow off some steam with other role-player pkers, AR is the place for you. In fact I'd say AR would appeal to any brand of MUDer.