Ragnarok Online (RO) is an MMORPG created by Gravity Corporation of South Korea. Much of the background of the game is based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-Jin .
Currently, there are official versions of the game in Korean, Japanese, English, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, Brazilian Portuguese ('Brazilian RO' or 'bRO') and Bahasa Melayu. There is also a version for players in India (RO India), Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey and Switzerland (better known as European RO or EuRO). An Oceanic version known as Oceania Ragnarok Online (oRO) is now fully released and went pay-to-play at the start of December 2004, finishing the beta stage.
Ragnarok is continually being revised and revamped, having new features added periodically. Most official licensed versions are now pay-to-play. There are many free private servers all over the world, but these servers are generally illegal and not tolerated by Gravity Corporation or any of the independent hosting companies outside of South Korea.
An offline version, Ragnarok Battle Offline, was created for Windows by French-Bread.
Both "Ragnarok" and "Ragnarök" forms are used by the game's creators and its licensors, with no real consensus.
The game
Basics
The MMORPG is loosely based upon the Manhwa, being set in the world of Rune-Midgard. For the most part, there is no story to the game, but there are small side-quests or events set up by the administrators of the game sporadically to add depth and maintain interest.
The game's tutorial does mention that there is a war between man and monsters, an accurate observation given the fact that experience is given to the player when they kill monsters. However, warring is not limited to man v. monster combat, as ingame guilds can fight against each other in the War of Emperium , a battle between several guilds for castles in town, which give them access to dungeons and treasures that are not accessible to people who are not in the residing guild.
The currency of the game is Zeny, which may be obtained by the selling of items recovered from defeating monsters. The economy in Ragnarok Online is driven heavily by rare items that are not sold in stores and there is a very large difference in wealth between players, for the most part.
There are eight equipment slots. Three for headgear (top, middle, bottom), one for a shield, one for a weapon, one for body armor, one for footgear, one for a cloak, and two for accessories. (Note: The type of headgear you wear actually appears on your head, and the weapon you choose actually appears in your hand.)
Each character has an HP bar, and an SP bar. Hit Points (HP) tell you how healthy you are. If you have 0, you have died (which causes a loss of 1% experience for any characters other than Novices if you are not in a town). Skill Points (SP) are needed to use many job-related skills. If you have 0 SP remaining, you cannot use any skills that require SP. Both HP and SP regenerate on their own, while the character is not walking. It regenerates at twice the speed if the character is sitting down. The regeneration speed of HP and SP depends on the Vitality and Intelligence attributes, respectively.
The game is very open-ended: After completing novice training, one is free to roam the world at their leisure, with the only restictions being the ferocity of the monsters in a given area. Low levelled players generally have to stay close to towns or else the enemies will be too powerful for them to handle.
Also, the character is given complete control over their Stats (Strength, Agility, Vitality, Intelligence, Dexterity, and Luck) and Skills (class-based) to create the type of character they want to play.
Cities
There are several major cities in the world of Rune-Midgard, the world of Ragnarok Online. Players are allowed to visit any of them at any time, or any of the many places in between.
- Prontera
- The capital city of Rune-Midgard, located right in the middle of the world. It's the center of commerce for most servers, as well as the home to the acolyte classes. Prontera also houses the only official church in the game, and is the place to go to get married.
- Izlude
- Satellite of Prontera. Izlude is the official home of the swordsmen. Izlude's port is also the only place by which one can reach Byalan Island.
- Geffen
- Located northwest of Prontera. Home of the Mage Academy, where novices may become mages. The Geffen Tower, located in the middle of the city, has an extensive dungeon. The Wizard and Blacksmith guilds are also be found here.
- Payon
- A city nestled in the forests which also bear the same name. This city is reminiscent of ancient Korean culture, and is where one becomes an archer. It's located southeast of Prontera.
- Alberta
- A port city to the south of Payon, and home of the merchants. Alberta's port is the only access without teleport to the sunken ship, the Turtle Island, Amatsu, and Kunlun.
- Morroc
- A city in the desert south of Prontera. Novices can become thieves in the pyramid just northwest of Morroc and assassins in the desert to the east of Morroc
- Al de Baran
- Due north of Prontera, with its large clock tower. Al de Baran is also the only way to reach Lutie. The Alchemist guild can be found here.
- Lutie
- Also known as Christmas Town, is the home of Santa Claus and the toy factory dungeon.
- Comodo
- Gambling capital of the Southwest, is a cross between Hawaii and Las Vegas. Fireworks can be seen in the sky at all times, and the night is eternal in the city. Comodo's main attraction is its non-functional casino, and decent leveling spots nearby. The Bard and Dancer guild can be found here. Added to iRO in August 2003
- Juno
- A large city north of Al de Baran. The Sage guild can be found here. Added to iRO in May 2004.
- Amatsu
- Styled after Ancient Japan. The pink-white blossoms of the cherry (sakura) trees are always in bloom, and the architecture also resembles the period. One of the major draws is the Tatami Maze. Amatsu was the first of the "Global Project", in which new cities with themes based on countries with licensed RO servers were (and still are) added in rapid succession. Amatsu was added to iRO in September 2004.
- Kunlun
- Designed in Ancient Chinese style. In October 2004, Kunlun became the second city in the Global Project to be added to iRO.
- Umbala
- A lost village, located to the north of Comodo. Home of the self-denominated Utan tribe. Umbala was the third city of the Global Project. It was added to iRO in November 2004.
- Nifflheim
- A city of the dead. There are many types of undead and demon monsters here. It was added to iRO in December 2004.
Game mechanics
Level and class
Unlike most other RPGs, each character within Ragnarok has two different levels: Base Level (blvl) and Job Level (jlvl). This is denoted as "Base/Job". So, a character who is 5/1 would be Base Level 5, but Job Level 1.
Base Level indicates personal growth. Through base levels, your Stats grow- you become stronger, faster, or smarter, for example.
Job Level indicates your progression within your chosen profession. For example, you become a better Archer or Blacksmith. In game terms, that means you get more Skills and bonus stat points.
The maximum level for first and second classes in most versions of RO is 99/50. Advanced classes can reach 99/70 and the Super Novice class can reach 99/70.
You begin the game as a 1/1 novice. Upon reaching Job 10, a novice can change job, and become stronger. There are six basic classes, also known as 1-1 classes:
- Swordsmen deal with swords, spears, and excel in direct combat.
- Thieves hide and use sneaky tactics to defeat enemies.
- Mages use their magic to destroy foes.
- Archers excel in long-range bow attacks.
- Merchants have poor battle skills, but instead deal with the NPCs and other players.
- Acolytes harness the power of God to aid themselves and others.
Each class branches off into two different "Second classes", to make an effective selection of 12 different classes. There is one additional special class, the Super Novice, bringing the total to 13, not counting the advanced versions of each second class.
2-1 classes:
- Knight – The primary 2nd class of the Swordsman has mastery of the sword and spear. Has a skill which enables ability to rent and ride the Pecopeco.
- Assassin – The primary 2nd class of the Thief uses katars or daggers in both hands. Can apply poison to attacks.
- Wizard – The primary 2nd class of the Mage uses powerful magic of the elements: Fire, Ice, Lightning and Earth.
- Hunter – The primary 2nd class of the Archer has mastery of the bow. Can use traps to kill or give enemies status ailments. Has a falcon to assist in battle.
- Blacksmith – The primary 2nd class of the Merchant can make weapons. Has axe mastery and combat abilities relating to hammers and axes.
- Priest – The primary 2nd class of the Acolyte has powerful healing magic and exorcises the undead. Usually the foundation of a party.
2-2 classes:
- Crusader – The alternate 2nd class of the Swordsman has skills with the spear and shield as well as healing and holy magic. Has a skill which enables ability to rent and ride the Grand Pecopeco.
- Rogue – The alternate 2nd class of the Thief uses bow and arrows or dagger and shield while sneaking around and stripping the enemies armor and weapons.
- Sage – The alternate 2nd class of the Mage can give temporary elemental enchantments to weapons or small areas. Also has a unique skill allowing the Sage to cast spells while walking.
- Bard and Dancer – The alternate 2nd classes of the Archer can sing and dance to support party members. Male Archers can become Bards, while female Archers can become Dancers.
- Alchemist – The alternate 2nd class of the Merchant can make and throw healing and offensive potions.
- Monk – The alternate 2nd class of the Acolyte uses fists and has powerful combo attacks.
Recently, new additions have been added in the form of "Advanced Second Class" jobs were released in kRO, and soon in iRO. These are NOT the 3rd class jobs. To achieve these classes you must reach 99/50 in your current second class form, then become reborn-that is turned once again into a Novice (actually, Novice High) with a level of 1/1. You level the same as before, going through the "High" first class jobs (Swordsman High, Archer High, etc.) and when you change into second class, you will be in the new advanced form. All advanced jobs can level up to 99/70.
2-1-2 classes:
- Lord Knight – The primary Advanced 2nd Class of Swordsman High, with all the abilities of knights plus a few new abilities pertaining to swords.
- Assassin Cross – The primary Advanced 2nd Class of Thief High, with all former abilities of assassin, in addition to more poisoning skills, advanced katar mastery, and a few better melee attacks.
- High Wizard – The primary Advanced 2nd class of the Mage High that uses even more powerful magic, with a few new major nuking skills.
- Sniper – The primary Advanced 2nd class of the Archer High has further mastery of the bow. Traps are now even better than before, and the Falcon helps you a lot more.
- Whitesmith – The primary Advanced 2nd class of the Merchant High can make weapons better than ever before. Has axe mastery and combat abilities relating to hammers and axes, and now can utilize these abilities better than ever.
- High Priest – The primary Advanced 2nd class of the Acolyte High has powerful healing magic and exorcises the undead. Usually the foundation of a party, but the advanced skills seem to be rather lacking in usefulness.
2-2-2 classes:
- Paladin – The alternate advanced 2nd class of the Swordsman High has skills with the spear and shield as well as healing and holy magic. Has a skill which enables ability to rent and ride the Grand Pecopeco, and is now a super tank.
- Stalker – The alternate advanced 2nd class of the Thief High uses bow and arrows or dagger and shield while sneaking around and stripping the enemies armor and weapons, and now can strip everything at once.
- Professor – The alternate advanced 2nd class of the Mage High can give temporary elemental enchantments to weapons or small areas. Also has a unique skill allowing the Professor to cast spells while walking, as well as take over the soul of its enemy.
- Clown and Gypsy – The alternate advanced 2nd classes of the Archer High can sing and dance to support party members. Male Archers High can become Clowns, while female Archers High can become Gypsies.
- Creator – The alternate advanced 2nd class of the Merchant High can make and throw healing and offensive potions.
- Champion – The alternate advanced 2nd class of the Acolyte High uses fists and has powerful combo attacks. This advanced class seems to have gotten the best treatment as now they are super leathal in battle.
There is no advanced class for Super Novice.
Stats
In RO, there are six attributes that determine your stats:
- Strength (STR)
- increases physical attack damage and carrying capacity.
- Agility (AGI)
- increases flee (dodge) rate and attack speed.
- Vitality (VIT)
- decreases damage taken, increases maximum HP and the rate at which HP is regenerated while at rest.
- Intelligence (INT)
- increases magic damage, magic defense, max SP, and SP regeneration rate.
- Dexterity (DEX)
- increases hit rate and cast speed, and increases damage dealt with bow and arrows.
- Luck (LUK)
- increases critical hit and perfect dodge probability.
Due to the open-ended nature of the game, one can "build" their character any way they choose. However, due to the low number of overall stat points (and the cost increases that arise with higher stats), it is generally advised to excel in a few stats rather than indulge in them all. The maximum stat is 99 without item or job bonuses, and only two stats can be raised to 99 (as well as nine other stat points which one can gain during character creation) before the stat points are exhausted.
Most classes pick one or two "main" stats, and raise those two above all else. An offensive stat and a defensive stat often create a potent combination that allows the character to succeed.
Skills
Each class has a unique set of skills. Skills often have several levels, which normally range from either 1 to 10 or 1 to 5. Like learning a new skill, improving a known skill also takes a skill point.
After a first-level class player changes to a second-level class, the learned skills are maintained.
Other ways of learning a skill include taking a quest (apart from "First Aid", all skill quests are class-specific) or applying a card to equipment. Quest skills are permanent; card skills are only available as long as you're equipped with the item. However, skills learned with either method can't be improved, and are always at level 1 (or in the case of a card, set at a certain level described on the card, i.e.: Magnum Break level 3).
Conduct
There are many things that are frowned upon in Ragnarok Online, as well as many people who do these things.
- Shorthand messages like "heal plz" and requests for rare items, cash, or "tanks" are common, but are considered very rude by most players.
- Bots are against the rules of most servers. A bot is a computer program that effectively plays the game for you to get levels and items without even being at the computer. Similarly, programs that allow for a rapid succession of item or skill use called 'macros' are illegal but are used by many players, especially those involved in War of Emperium guild vs. guild battles. Most companies running officially licensed servers ignore or even encourage the use of bots in order to have more paid accounts.
- Private servers are illegal in most countries. Some use pirated copies of Gravity's server software, AEGIS. Most private servers use reverse engineered server emulators such as eAthena and its many variants. Server software like eAthena is legal by itself, but Gravity's client software and data (maps, sprites, etc.) are also used, which still makes these servers illegal. Regardless of that, many private servers have well over 1000 people playing at the same time, and spend a lot of money to maintain them. Private servers are free, but tend to keep a low profile for obvious reasons. Because eAthena works best with the Korean version of RO, Gravity, in an attempt to combat the problem, has blocked non Korean IPs from downloading from their website. They have not, however, blocked IPs from downloading patches from the game clients, leaving private server players free to continue playing.
Ragnarok The Animation
In the first quarter of 2004, an anime based on the MMORPG, as compared to the manhwa, was released on TV Tokyo. Ragnarok The Animation has 26 episodes, and a second season is on the way. The Philippine distributor of the game, Level-Up Games, Inc., teamed up with ABS-CBN Broadcating Corporation for local licensing and distribution rights of Ragnarok The Animation.
The story happens in the same world of Rune-Midgard, yet the progression gets darker. An evil entity called the Dark Lord wants to sow chaos in the world with the help of seven crystals that represent seven evil forces who are his subordinates.
Characters
- Roan
- A swordsman whose motivation is to gain power to protect his childhood friend, Yuufa. Later turns into a crusader.
- Yuufa/Yufa
- An acolyte and Roan's childhood friend. She is haunted by memories of her elder brother, Keough. Later turns into a priestess.
- Takius
- A mage who wears a blindfold (a blinker) and searches the world for the ultimate truth. Later turns into a sage. Her other name is Catherine but she does not like to be called this, for mysterious reasons.
- Iruga
- An assassin who became best friends with Keough. He regrets the event where Keough was killed in Glast Heim.
- Judia
- A hunter who has developed a relationship with Iruga. In the Japanese version she speaks with a Kansai accent; in the Philippine version she speaks in the Marinduque accent.
- Maaya/Maya
- A merchant who has a penchant for items. She also has compassion for monsters. She is accompanied by her pet Poring named Poi-poi .
- Keough
- Yuufa's elder brother, a knight, and currently a subordinate of the Dark Lord. He was cursed to be that way after he was killed in Glast Heim.
- Zephyrus
- An insane wizard who was Takius' teacher.
External links
