The free-to-play MMO Age of Wushu has added a new mechanic that will take more than just your breath away.
“Ganking the noobs” is about to take on a whole new meaning in Age of Wushu, a free-to-play martial arts action MMO inspired by the lore of medieval China. Among the new factions and schools being added to the game is the “Rootless Clan,” and they’re not rootless because they’re nomadic: It’s a clan made up primarily of eunuchs.
There are three ways a player can become part of the clan, which in case it needs to be said is designated as an “evil” faction. Male characters who train the “Sunflower Manual” to level 25 will automatically be sent an invitation; players may obtain a “recommendation staff” which will allow them to enter the clan as long as they’re willing to undergo castration first; or they can be forcefully castrated by a gang of Rootless Clan members.
It sounds incredibly bizarre (and disturbing) but according to MMO Culture, it’s completely true. The site actually reported on the new faction and its unique initiation rite earlier this month and, apparently in the face of some disbelief, confirmed it today. The process begins with a special daily quest that’s available only to Rootless Clan members of a certain fame level. Five eligible players must form a party and then find a suitable victim, who actually can’t be a newbie but must instead be a powerful player of sufficiently high level.
The castration process lasts for two minutes, during which time random “good” NPCs will try to intervene and the player being attacked may also seek help, and even when the process is complete the likelihood of success is low; the player may only suffer “significant damage” rather than the full chop. But if the process is successful, the player will be officially castrated and will then receive an invitation to join the clan.
That may be the strangest part of the whole thing. Cutting off a dude’s virtual junk, even without a graphic depiction, is disturbing but hardly the worst thing most of us have done in videogames – especially if you’ve played Soldier of Fortune. But slicing a guy up and then asking him if he wants to join the club? That’s just weird, man.
Source: MMO Culture
