From BTS’s record label to a billion-dollar MMO experience, here’s everything we know about Aqua Tree’s ambitious new title, Architect: Land of Exiles.
Recently, there have been a lot of MMORPG releases, and we now have a new contender, Architect Land of Exiles, being developed by Aqua Tree, Inc. and published by HYBE IM. This Architect: Land of Exiles is shaping up to be a multiplayer online role-playing game, focusing on exploration within a large open world.
Architect takes place in a fantasy world that has been destroyed by a huge event called “The Deluge.” You can explore areas that have been sealed off and left empty. The story is built around the mystery of the Tower of Giants, which is the game’s main plot pillar. You can look forward to a strong story campaign, deep open-world exploration, and ways to get from one place to another by flying, climbing, and swimming.
For the record, Dream Age has made it clear that this is a full AAA Unreal Engine 5 MMO. The game looks polished, smooth, and atmospheric, especially considering it’s not even out yet. First impressions from the G-Star event confirm that the game is fun to play, with responsive controls and effects that look good.
Architect will have five playable classes when it first comes out: Warrior, Sorceress, Battle Cleric, Assassin, and Hunter.
- The Warrior uses a two-handed sword and has a lot of health and explosive attacks.
- The Sorceress excels at using staffs to perform elemental magic, which can burn or freeze enemies.
- The Battle Cleric uses orbs and is great at both fighting and healing.
The Assassin uses two daggers and stealth to attack and kill enemies without being seen.
Finally, the Hunter excels at taking down enemies from a distance with a bow, often killing them before they even get close.
It’s important to note that classes are not limited to one gender, and you can change a lot about your character, though not as much as in Black Desert Online. Based on what was shown, the demo gave two free character slots, for a total of five.
Like Tera, combat in Architect uses an action system that doesn’t target, giving you full control over your character. The C key lets you enter and leave combat mode, and being able to move around quickly is important—jumping and double jumping are key to avoiding obstacles, especially in boss fights that remind me of Throne and Liberty.
You can use your wings by double jumping, and your stamina bar goes down as you fly or climb, giving traversal a physical feel. Like Genshin Impact, you can climb any vertical surface by holding down W. You can also swim as part of the exploration suite. You usually avoid or dodge attacks, and there’s a small map in the middle of the bottom of your HUD that you can click to see a bigger version of.
You can also use the X key to call up mounts, which show up almost right away. There will be timed trials in the world, like flying through rings or climbing up and down towers of obstacles. The loot gets better as you do better.
Ancient ruins are another important part of the game that work like timed dungeon challenges. Monsters and elite enemies called “blessing-marked” can be found in these maze-like ruins. They drop temporary boosts like more damage, a higher chance to critically hit, or shorter cooldowns.
Each ruin has two main doors that can be opened by getting close or solving a puzzle. But time is running out, and you need to get out of the dungeon and beat the final boss quickly. There is even a parry system in boss fights that lets you block and counter major telegraphed attacks to stun bosses and do a lot of damage to them in return.
What about NPCs? Early reviews were especially good about the cute Otter quest givers that were spread out in the open world. These little guys are already a fan favorite, and they’ll give you tasks, rewards, and lore.
The platform is one of the questions that people still have. Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, Architect appears to be a cross-platform MMO for both PC and mobile devices, given its layout and the limited number of skills. Aquatree’s job listings for developers also show work related to making online PC games, mobile games, and RPGs, which supports this idea even more.
That is, Architect seems to want to go in the same direction as games like Throne and Liberty, Black Desert Mobile, and ION 2. You can expect a control scheme that works on different devices, with fewer action keys, so that touch controls can be used.
At this point, Architect: Land of Exiles is set to come out in Korea in late 2025. It will then be released around the world in 2026 and beyond. The brand website and YouTube teaser videos are now live, but they only show basic footage and don’t give much more information. A more in-depth trailer or developer summary should be out in the next few days.
It looks like Architect: Land of Exiles will be one of the most interesting new Korean MMOs coming out soon, and not just because it uses the flashy Unreal Engine 5 engine or has an open world to explore. It also has a lot of talent and money behind it. With a billion-dollar MMO veteran and the financial power of BTS’s parent company behind it, it’s clear that this project isn’t a gamble; it’s a statement.
