Runes of Magic is a free massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by the Taiwanese developer Runewaker Entertainment and adapted for the English and German speaking market by German company Frogster Interactive. After going through an open beta phase, the game was launched on 19 March, 2009 and Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy was launched on 15 September, 2009 in the US. The game client is free to download.
Players create a character from one of eight character classes, such as warrior, rogue or priest, and explore the fantasy world of Taborea while undertaking quests and fighting enemies. Characters can create items by practicing their crafting skills, avoiding combat altogether if the player wishes to play non-violently. Upon reaching character level 10 players are able to choose a secondary character class to increase their character's abilities. Core abilities from the secondary class are usable when the player remains in their primary class and vice versa, for instance a warrior with a mage secondary class is able to cast attack magic while still equipped with warriors' more effective armor. Runes of Magic currently features more than 2000 quests for players to attempt. Players may swap between classes by speaking with the housekeeper which lives in their accommodation, each player has their own private dwelling. Each character's home functions as a meeting place where other players can be invited. Additionally it serves as a visual demonstration of their progress within the game since it increases in size as character levels are gained.
Runes of Magic has been compared to World of Warcraft and also referred to as a clone, but Eurogamer's Daniel Etherington discounted this and stated the view "misses the point." Etherington stated that World of Warcraft "was a success because of how well it built on MMO conventions, how it refined them", adding it was unsurprising that World of Warcraft is so influential "but conversely it's got no great claim on gameworlds defined by cod-medievalism and pick-and-mix mythology". Wesley Yin-Poole of Videogamer.com stated "The guys at Runewaker have clearly constructed Runes of Magic with World of Warcraft running in the background." He stated that despite being "somewhat of a WoW clone" and free-to-play, Runes of Magic contains elements which World of Warcraft does not, and that the latter's developers "would do well to consider." Online gaming website Massively's Shawn Schuster highlighted the range of crafting abilities in the game, as well as the ability to gain proficiency in them all without penalties.
Or is it really a clone to WoW?
Epochs of Lore
Runes of Magic has an in-depth lore that takes you back to the time of Taborea's creation. It all started when Ayvenas created a book in the shape of the world and recorded the origin of life. This was known to be Taborea. Taborea and the inhabitants underwent many different changes, good and bad, as millennia passed by. Each chapter of the book was called an "Age," and further subdivided into Epochs. The inhabitants fell and rose time and again because of their advancements, failures and sins. This is until we reach Taborea's epoch of discovery, the game's setting and timeline. This is an era filled with uncharted lands, monsters, and numerous discoveries waiting to be revealed. And that's where your journey begins.
Magically Surprising
Runes of Magic has top-notch visuals. Maps are highly detailed, from the wee little grasslands to enormous stone and marble cities. Day and night effects are amazingly portrayed, having beautiful skies from dusk 'til dawn. Every area is eye candy. The sparkle of crystals and water, the lush greens of Taborea's flora, and every single area in the game is worth exploring and discovering. Taborea's audio nuances give justice to every environment you explore. Calm and fierce tones blend together in harmony with the world you are in. There are times when the music is inappropriate for battle, however, especially when traversing the green, peaceful lands (usually having the calmer tones). You might also experience deafening silence in-game, since some or most of the BGMs don't loop automatically after playing.
You may encounter NPCs and monsters of the same models along the way. Repaints, resized and renamed monsters from other maps may be derived from the monsters of the lower-level maps. There are elite and boss monsters having unique appearances, thankfully. And other quest-giving NPCs have their own model, distinguishing them from the other town locals.
Map areas are huge and transition from one area to the next is definitely seamless. There's a lot to explore in the Runes of Magic world. The monsters are also evenly spread out through each area. There are numerous instanced dungeons to explore as well. However, the game usually forces you to party with others whenever entering a dungeon. There's often little to no chance going solo in a dungeon at all, especially when no one would really want to group with you for a quest or for the heck of it.
Character customization is limited, with only around 20 face types and hairstyles to choose from. Body colors can be changed, like hair and skin. Face archetypes include an androgynous male, which is somehow disturbing or enticing (depending on your tastes), and feels out of place in a medieval world. Your looks can be complemented by fashion styles of the armor or clothing that you wear around.
Runes of...Warcraft?!
Three words sum up most of the game's features and systems: World of Warcraft. The interface, windows (character, inventory, bank, trade, quest), and the tradeskills have strong influences from World of Warcraft. Most of the common interfaces and systems shall be skipped for the purposes of shedding light into the game's more important aspects.
Tradeskills, though reminiscent of World of Warcraft, do not severely limit the character's capacity to learn. If World of Warcraft allows for only two main professions to learn (and access to all secondary ones), Runes of Magic enables you to learn all of them but enough comparing! Runes of Magic partly gives justice to the motto "Jack of all trades, master of none." Your character can learn every single tradeskill in the game, but you can only increase one tradeskill until master level. Other skills can be developed until one or two tiers below master level. Specific skills, such as forging a certain weapon or armor, can be bought and learned in the specific tradeskill NPC masters. This limitation in tradeskill development allows great leeway for players to think about what skill they should master in due time.
Another highlight of the game is the Dual Class system. Somehow, this is reminiscent of another game that had it, Holic Online. For those who've played Holic, you can recall what a pain it was to grind your second job all the way through a certain level just to maximize its full potential. The same can be said for Runes of Magic's dual-class system. You're given access to a second job of your choice that starts out at level 1. You're forced to grind (or level the second job through quests) just to unlock the skills you can complement with your first job. There are only a limited number of second job skills accessible to your first job, which sometimes makes it disappointing and frustrating to tediously unlock them. And, you can only change jobs by talking to an NPC, not by a certain command instantly available in your interface. This feature is not without a positive side though. Upon having a second class, your character automatically has a third bar showing energy, rage, focus or MP, depending on the class you've chosen. Skills initially available in the first class are also immediately available upon taking it up as a second class. Your stat distribution also automates changing from one build to the other in changing classes, and also automatically distributes them appropriately depending on the pair of classes you've picked.
What's Runes of Magic without runes? Runes are comparable to the gems and socketable items found in games such as Diablo and World of Warcraft. These runes amplify your item and provide additional stat bonuses. The system is pretty basic, same as what you see in other games. The runes are also easy to acquire from monster loots or quest rewards, so stat distribution is still open-ended in a way, giving room for character hybridization.
Little Wonders
Character development is fairly easy to manage. Stats distribution is automated and dependent on the classes you chose. Skills are learned and mastered by spending varied amount of skill points depending on the current level of the skill. The learning cost changes as the skill goes up. An extensive tutorial and help interface helps the new player adjust to the game. Quests are plentiful, ranging from mundane pickup tasks to heroic dungeon crawling adventures. Though most of the quests involve killing monsters, these tasks are often connected to the game's lore and provide generous rewards. PvP lovers can opt to create and develop their characters in the PvP servers, or engage in an optional duel in the PvE servers. An activateable PK option is also present, providing bonuses and penalties for those participating in PK/PvP.
Of Runes and Magick
Despite the close resemblances with World of Warcraft, Runes of Magic proves to be an amazing game. Its deep lore and quest-filled journeys provide hundreds of hours of gameplay. Great graphics and sounds appropriately complement the gameplay. Runes of Magic is free to play with an item mall option. The developers' team and the community stay solid even after CBT, a sign of a stable foundation for the game. Runes of Magic is one of the must-play MMOs today. This game is sure to be a top contender in the MMO world, catering to both serious and casual gamers alike.
Credits: MMOsite and Wikipedia
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