Elysium RPG is a mildly enforced roleplay MUD that I have been playing for about 5-6 years. I abandoned the game twice, each break lasted for about one month. I kept coming back however mostly because I couldn't find anything like it.

It all began with my search for classless MUDs. Once I logged in I wanted to test the game mechanics. Not being a native speaker I wasn't going to stay, I knew my written English was so much worse than my skill at understanding written text. However the Empress of my city noticed me and offered her help. In the end I accepted it only to discover what a hidden gem this game was (my first impression wasn't great, more on it later). The conclusion? Ask more experienced players for assistance should you get lost - it will make your first steps so much more enjoyable.

My favorite feature is the skill system. With over 40 core skills and the ability to choose any 6 there is plenty of space for customization. No longer are you a yet another wizard with the exact same gameplay as your peer. Also skills that you learn in a guild are kept once you leave it which goes well with roleplaying. I also like projects - a system where you can make progress towards unlocking research topics for your city, items with interesting properties or lore. While they can be grindy and slow to progress the feeling of achievement can offset that. Some other notable features include player-governed cities, industry system with player-driven economy, homes for sale as well as some minor thematic features like fishing records, vermin fighting and player families. Also the screenreader support is decent and still worked on. And of course a friendly community with a developer that is eager to listen to player opinions.

I don't like wasting people's time so here are some things that you might not like. First death isn't permanent - to people that get used to characters they create this might be a feature, to others it might be a deterrent. Second the help system could be improved - help from other players might be necessary in order to overcome this obstacle. Also some people might prefer MUDs with plenty of colours - Elysium doesn't have that - it only highlights the most important things. New players have trouble navigating sometimes but there is the 'directions' command to help them.

Overall Elysium is pretty unique MUD set in an original fantasy MUD and the only one that managed to keep me playing it. I highly recommend giving it a try.