I played on DS for years back in the 90s and was once even a member of the imm staff. However, due to growing drama (created mostly by the imms) I decided it was time for me to leave. That was in 2000. I felt the game itself was great, if the people who were running it would just chill out.

Then on a whim, I recently decided to check DS out again (that was in early March of this year), and I have to say that Dragon Swords is hardly the place I remember. Sure, the parts of the game that I enjoyed were still there, but there were also a huge amount of changes and improvements. Things like a remort system had been added; as well as tier levels. Even a nifty bonus exp system has been put in place that can either be triggered by the immortals or randomly when a player levels, granting up to 6x normal experience gains.

Best of all, however, was the new atmosphere. Gone were the stuffy, anal, power-hungry admins of old. A new generation of imps and imms had taken their place, injecting much-needed life into the game. While it might have to do with the smaller player base than before (20-30 players on at a time as opposed to over 100 when I played there last), it doesn't really matter to me. The staff is warm, friendly, and engaging. Overall, Dragon Swords has seen vast improvements over the past 10+ years and the imms seem dedicated on keeping the game from becoming stale. The remort system is a blast, as well as being able to gain special tier levels after level 400 that allow players to gain or buy helpful bonuses. Throw in all sorts of goodies, such as study skills, gems that can be embedded into equipment for bonuses, and a new laid back atmosphere, and you have the recipe for a deep and rewarding experience. If you have never tried DS, I encourage you to do so, and if you're an old player, now is definitely the time to come back.