Currently, there are official versions of the game in Korean (often known as kRO), Japanese (jRO), English (International RO, or iRO), Thai (tRO), Chinese (cRO), Indonesian (idRO), Filipino (pRO), Brazilian Portuguese (bRO) and Bahasa Melayu (mRO). There is also a version for players in India (RO India) (July 2004), Germany, Italy, Austria, TurkeyFrance, United Kingdom and Switzerland (better known as European RO or EuRO) (2004, and now, a Hispanic version (hRo). 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. The game is continually being revised and revamped, having new features added periodically. Most official licensed versions are now pay-to-play.
Basics
The MMORPG is set in the world of Rune-Midgard. For the most part, the game lacks a plotline, 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 versus 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. The Merchant class offers vending of items to other players, overcharging of items, and even discounts.
There are eight equipment slots - three for headgear (top, middle and bottom), two for accessories, and one of each for shields, weapons, body armor, cloaks and footgear. Currently, only the 3 head pieces show significant external graphic variety. Weapon and shield are the only other items that can be seen externally, but are significantly less limited in variety.
Each character has an HP bar and an SP bar. The HP (Hit Points) bar represents the character's health. When HP is reduced to 0, the character "dies" and is returned to the city that the character had set their save point to. This also results in an experience reduction of 1%, though this does not apply for the Novice class. Skill Points (SP) are needed to use many job-related skills. A character with 0 SP may not use any skills that require SP. Both HP and SP regenerate on their own when the character is at rest (not moving), and at twice the speed if the character is sitting down. However, if the character holds more than 50% of their total weight capacity, they cannot automatically regain HP/SP. The regeneration speed of HP and SP depends on the Vitality and Intelligence attributes, respectively. In addition, every character has a special bar, indicated in green, that shows how many online friends you have. If that number is zero, a special message will be sent to your account, warning you not to forget your social life. This is a very handy medium that can be consulted to see how bad you've become addicted. Many players hold this system in high regard.
The game is very open-ended; after completing novice training, players are free to roam the map at their leisure, with the only restriction being the ferocity of the monsters in a given area. Low-leveled players generally have to stay close to towns, lest the enemies become too powerful for them to handle.
In addition, players have 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.
Story
Template:Spoiler
"... A long and grueling holy war waged on for many years.
The war between the gods, the humans, and the demons caused a great deal of damage to everyone involved. After the war, human beings entered into a truce with the gods and the demons.
This uneasy period of peace would last a thousand years. In the times of peace, in the world of Midgard, the humans would eventually forget about the miseries and hardships of war. They became conceited and selfish with little knowledge of their part in the war of the past.
Bizarre occurrences begin to break the balance of peace in several places of Midgard. A roaring sound that blocks the gods, humans, and demons suddenly appears. Unprovoked attacks from wild animals along with earthquakes and tidal waves devastate the people of Midgard.
As the peace begins to break down, legends of the mysterious demons begin to be told by various adventurers. Stories of Ymir, which has been responsible for maintaining the peace for so long, begin to circulate as well.
Excited adventurers begin to search for these pieces. Some search for wealth, others to make a name for themselves and some for their own twisted goals. The search begins without anyone knowing the true essence of the pieces of Ymir...."
Tristan Kingdom
Rune Midgard lives under the King Tristan's reign since humans defeated monsters in the last holy war. The castle is located in Prontera where Tristan lives and organizes the War of Emperium, giving the possibility to the warriors to govern parts of the kingdom and its sub-castles located in Prontera, Geffen, Al De Baran, and Payon.
The Emperium
The Emperium stone is the most powerful piece of Midgard's lands. This mineral gives humans (or monsters) the power of conquest, hegemony and authority. The War of Emperium consists of conquering a castle and breaking the Emperium in training for the REAL Holy War against monsters and evil forces that threaten Rune Midgard.
Turtle Island
Out of evil forces and the wars with humans, the ancient turtles are in the last times rebelling against all the war that just starts disturbs their island. In an order of Turtle General, their soldiers attacked humans in Byalan dungeons starting a side-war and threatening people of Izlude. Turtles are not part of Evil forces, they just want live in peace in their island but the problem is the war is already affected their lives.
Munak
Munak was a girl that lived in Comodo 30 years ago and in an attack by Evil forces was kidnapped and killed. Her spirit was replicated and used by monsters to attack humans in Payon dungeons. Munak's life history is very mystical and rumored. Some people says she always had strange behavior, others say that she always was a sweet girl. Some monsters have a similar appearance of Munak: Bongun, that many say to be their sequestrador and always close to her; Hyegun/Yao Jun, a very powerful creature that lives in Louyang and many believe to be the real Munak spirit.
There is a greater rumour that says Munak was loved by both Bongun and Hyegun/Yao Jun. This is proven by both Bongun and Hyegun/Yao Jun's card, Munak is present in them. In Bongun's card, he is looking very nervous when Munak, in the background, is crying about her diary which seems to be lost. Otherwise in Hyegun/Yao Jun's card, he and his Munak doll are sharing a table (much like a Chinese tea ceremony) and he is pouring tea for the doll and himself. As mentioned earlier, Munak and Bongun are close which explains why they fight together in the Payon dungeons. Hyegun/Yao Jun resides in Louyang (as well as away from Munak, whom he loves), which explains his card. Bongun may have a greater approach towards Munak while Hyegun/Yao Jun has a crush. Another proof that Bongun and Hyegun/Yao Jun admire Munak is from their drops which are often Munak items. The story among these three creatures are hard to determine but most believe that it is a love triangle.
Of course, this is all just theory, and in no REAL way proven in-game.
Glast Heim
An old reign of Rune Midgard that was defeated, destroyed and totally taken by evil forces and many believe all Rune Midgard will appear if nothing it will be made. A complete castle, church and chivalry exists in ruins with very powerful monsters around. Close to Geffen.
The Yggdrasil Tree
Yggdrasil is the source and symbol of life and vitality among the humans of Rune Midgard. In addition to its serene setting and the calming effects of being in close proximity, its fruit, leaves, and seeds can all be used to heal and nurture human life whenever it is in agony.
Yggdrasil is found near Umbala, and directly connected to Niffleheim, the city of death.
Nifelheim
The place for where all the deceased go; a spiritual plane of sorts. There is a phantom village filled with humans, their spirits, and the undead, and a field cursed by immoral humans and dark spirits. Many believe that all who die dwell in Nifelheim.
There is a path from Nifelheim to the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. Death and life are connected.
There are many major cities in Rune-Midgard, the world of Ragnarok Online. Players may visit them by paying the Kafra service to warp them, taking the airship from Yuno or train from Einbroch and Einbech, being teleported by a priest with the appropriate warp point, or by walking through the maps in between.
The capital city of Rune-Midgard, located approximately in the center of the world. It is the center of commerce for most private servers, as well as home to the Acolyte, Knight, Priest, and Crusader classes. Prontera contains the only official church in the game, and is the place to become married. It is the easiest place for many novices to start, due to the abundance of low-level creatures, and most characters automatically enter Rune-Midgard through here.
The satellite of Prontera, Izlude is the official home of the Swordman class. Izlude's port is also the only method through which one can reach Byalan Island and Jawaii, the latter of which is also known as the Honeymoon Island.
Northwest of Prontera, and home of the Magician, Wizard, and Blacksmith classes. Geffen Tower, located in the center of town, holds a small dungeon that once was ideal for low-leveled vitality-based characters until populated with Hunter Flies. Glast Heim to the north is occasionally considered a dungeon of Geffen, as it is nearby and not particularly difficult to reach.
The village of the Taekwon class, often disliked since its remodeling. This city is an allusion to ancient Korean culture and located southeast of Prontera and west of Alberta.
A small village connected to Payon, where one can become an Archer. It can also be called the satellite city of Payon. The Payon Caves located here are a popular choice to level first class characters.
A port city to the east of Payon, and home of the Merchant class. Alberta's port is the only means of accessing Sunken Ship, Turtle Island, Amatsu, Kunlun, Ayothaya, and Louyang, excluding teleportation.
A desert-themed city southwest of Prontera, themed after Mexico. Novices can become Thieves in the Pyramids just northwest of Morocc, and Assassins or Rogues in the temples and dunes south of Morocc.
Due north of Prontera, with its large clock tower dungeon, Al de Baran is the only path to Lutie: via Santa Claus. The Alchemist guild can be found here. It is a popular gathering spot for many high level characters, lending an aura of conceit to its community.
Also known as Christmas Town, Lutie is the home of Santa Claus and contains the Toy Factory. As suggested by its name, it snows constantly and many Christmas-themed enemies and items are found here.
File:Ragnarok comodo city.JPGFemale Mage resting in Comodo Gambling capital of the southwest, Comodo is a cross between Hawaii and Las Vegas. Night is eternal in the city, as it lies in a cave, and fireworks can be seen in the sky at all times. Comodo's main attraction is the infamous Seal Beach, and its casino. The Bard and Dancer classes can be accessed here. Added to iRO in August 2003.
A large city north of Alde Baran, and the capital of the Schwartzvald Republic, a kingdom separate from Rune-Midgard. The Sage class can be accessed here. In the northwest corner of the city, characters may rebirth and become Transcendant Classes. Added to iRO in May 2004.
Styled after Ancient Japan, here the pink-white blossoms of the cherry (sakura) trees are always in bloom. One of the city's major attractions is the Tatami Maze. Amatsu was the first product of the Global Project, in which new cities with themes based on countries with licensed RO servers were added in rapid succession. Added to iRO in September 2004.
Designed in Ancient Taiwanese style, and also known as Gonryun. In October 2004, Kunlun became the second city in the Global Project to be added to iRO.
File:Umstairs.jpgFemale Super Novice in the Umbalan rainforest A lost village located to the north of Comodo. Home of the self-denominated Utan tribe, and the only path to Niflheim. Added to iRO in November 2004.
Commonly nicknamed the "Honeymoon Island." Most married couples go here to celebrate their marriage; only married players are allowed here. Single players may only reach Jawaii's pub for a drink. Added to iRO in March 2005.
City of the dead. There are many kinds of powerful Undead and Demon monsters here, and the city may only be reached through Umbala's Yggdrasill Tree. Added to iRO in December 2004.
Like Kunlun, designed in Ancient Thai style. It features the atmosphere of the former Thai capital in Ayutthaya period. Ayothaya is the fourth and last city of the Global Project. Added to iRO in April 2005.
A city made from steel, supposedly one of the first cities in the Schwartzvald Republic to go through an industrial revolution. Einbroch is heavily polluted, and lives mainly off of the profit from work in Einbech. Added to iRO October 2005.
A small mining town reached only by foot or train, and satellite city to Einbroch. In the game's history, Einbech was settled first, and Einbroch was annexed as a factory site. However, Einbroch quickly outgrew Einbech, and lives off of its profits, leaving it a poor mining town. The Einbech Mine Dungeon is located here. Added to iRO October 2005, as a set with Einbroch.
A city of commerce and research with a surprisingly dark history, Lighthalzen is the home of the Rekenber Corporation, which owns the Bio. Labs. Lighthalzen also has a section of slums, in contrast to the rest of the wealthy city. Added in June 2005 to kRO, and implemented in iRO as of March 21st, 2006.
A small 'Garden City' town that currently serves an entrance to the Odin Dungeon as well as holding the Hunter class. It was added on January 2006 to kRO, but has not yet been implemented in iRO. Located near the Hugel Fields on the Destin's Glorious Kingdom.
Added on 30/05/06 kRO Patch. It appears to be a desert town based on Arabian culture, possibly Turkey. It is surrounded by the desert-scened Rachel Fields. Located near Rachel is the illusive Ice Dungeon, with monsters that fit the environment.
Game mechanics
Level and class
Each character within Ragnarok Online has two different levels: Base Level (blvl) and Job Level (jlvl). This is denoted in shorthand as "Base/Job". So, a character with Base Level 5 and Job Level 1 would be described as 5/1.
Base Level indicates personal growth without job modifiers or skills. Generally, Base Level only raises the character's stats. Some equipment has a minimum limit to the Base Level of the characters that can equip it, i.e. one must be at least Base Level 12 to be able to equip the Stiletto weapon.
Job Level indicates the character's progression within its chosen profession. For example, the higher a Blacksmith's Job Level, the stronger he or she becomes. Specifically, the character earns the ability to allocate points into Skills. Additionally, Job Levels also add statistic modifiers depending on the type of class.
The maximum levels for first and second classes in Ragarok Online are Base Level 99 and Job Level 50. Advanced classes can reach a Base Level of 99 and a Job Level of 70, and the Super Novice class can reach 99 for both Base and Job levels.
All players begin the game as a novice. Upon reaching Job Level ten, a novice can change into a different, stronger, and more specialized job class. However, if a player wishes to become a Super Novice, he or she must keep their character in the Novice class until Base Level 45.
There are six basic classes, also known as 1-1 classes:
Swordsman – They excel in direct combat and are commonly used as tanks due to their higher HP regeneration and higher defensive armor. Deals damage with both one-handed and two-handed swords, spears, and axes. Starting Weapon: Blade
Thief – This sneaky class is able to dodge most attacks, hide from enemies when in danger, attack twice with every weapon swing, and can poison enemies. They usually wield daggers in battle, or much less common swords, small axes, and bows. Starting Weapon: Composite Bow.
Mage – Specializes in their knowledge of magic and offensive spells. Can also regenerate SP at a faster rate then other 1-1 classes. Mages can equip only rods and knives.
Archer – Uses bows and arrows to shoot enemies at long ranges. Gains passive and active boosts from skills. Starting Weapon: Bow
Merchant – The backbone of commerce, the Merchant makes deals for better prices with NPCs, is able to carry a cart (which holds excess healing items and loot) and vends items to other players. Merchants can use axes, knives, maces, and some swords in battle. Starting Weapon: Stiletto
Acolyte – Harnesses heavenly power to aid themselves and others in battle. They can also cast debilitating effects on enemies and have both resistance and bonus damage to demons and the undead. Acolytes can only equip maces or rods. Can "heal-bomb" undead to kill them. Starting Weapon: Mace
Each class branches off into two different second-level classes, to make an effective selection of 12 different classes. There is one additional special class, the Super Novice (which can choose from any of the 1-1 classes' skills), bringing the total to 13, not counting the advanced versions of each second class.
Expanded classes
Taekwon Boy/Girl - One who has given up use of their hands and fights with their feet. They are not allowed weaponry or shields. They may later evolve into Star Gladiators or Soul Linkers.
Star Knight / Star Gladiator - Star Gladiators become one with the cosmos and use celestial powers against their enemies. For some odd reason, their weaponry consists of books. They cannot use shields.
Soul Linker - Soul Linkers can use only a few of the special Kick skills learned as a Taekwon, but they can Link their souls to another, giving their allies special abilities for a short duration. They may use any equipment available to mages and wizards.
Gunslinger - These characters are probably the most advanced characters. They can only use guns. But their equipment are combined with other classes. They are similar to archers but use guns, look a lot cooler and has quite powerful skills.
Ninja - Ninjas use elemental attacks much similar to Mages. Their builds are somewhat like Battle Sages allowing them to cast jutsus/magic attacks and be able to dodge enemies.
2-1 classes
These are the original second level classes, the other second-level classes (usually referred to as 2-2) were added afterwards.
Knight – The primary second class of the swordsman has powerful melee skills and mastery of the two-handed sword and spear. Knights also have a skill which enables the ability to rent and ride a Pecopeco, which grants a bonus to walking speed.
Assassin – The primary second class of the thief uses katars or daggers in both hands. They can apply poison to their attacks, or spread poison over the ground.
Wizard – The primary second class of the mage uses powerful, wide-range magic of the elements: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth.
Hunter – The primary second class of the archer has further mastery of bows and long-range attacks. Hunters can use traps to kill, immobilize or give enemies status ailments, and can rent a trained falcon that assists in battle.
Blacksmith – The primary second class of the merchant can forge all sorts of weapons, even those with specific elements. Blacksmiths have weapon mastery and combat abilities relating to maces and axes, and can boost party members' attack power with those same weapons as well.
Priest – The primary second class of the acolyte has powerful healing and supportive holy abilities and can exorcise the undead. Priests also have mace mastery skills.
2-2 classes
This is a second alternative for a character's second class. These were added a while later than the original second classes.
Crusader – The alternate second class of the Swordsman excels with shield skills as well as healing and holy magic. Has the ability to rent and ride a Grand Pecopeco and can use spears and swords like the Knight class. Utilizes some of the most powerful (and heaviest) defensive gear in the game.
Rogue – The alternate second class of the Thief uses bows or daggers while sneaking around and/or stripping enemies of their equipment, lowering their effectiveness in battle. Has the ability to copy one offensive skill at a time from other enemies when the Rogue is attacked by that certain skill.
Sage – The alternate second 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, and cancelling enemies spells and boosts.
Bard and Dancer – The alternate second classes of the Archer can sing and dance to support party members with various boosts. Male Archers can become Bards, while female Archers can become Dancers. Bards use musical instruments for hand-to-hand combat, while dancers use whips.
Alchemist – The alternate second class of the Merchant can make and throw healing and offensive potions. Has the ability to protect other players' armor and weapons from being stripped by the Rogue class or being broken. This class is more defense based, unlike the attack-based Blacksmith. Alchemists can also summon a helper creature called a homunculus, which has programmable AI.
Monk – The alternate second class of the Acolyte uses strength-based fist attacks, spiritual sphere skills, combo-based skills and the deadly "Asura Strike" ability.
Transcendent classes
New classes were added recently, termed Rebirth Classes in kRO, and were released in iRO (July 2005) under the name Transcendent Classes. These are advanced second classes, and to achieve them one must reach level 99 in their original second class, then become reborn - their character is reset back to level 1 as a Novice (now called High Novice). Leveling is the same, except approximately three times more experience is required to gain levels. Skills will have to be relearned (which leaves room to correct previous errors or choose different skills entirely), but any earned quest-based skills will be returned immediately upon reaching the appropriate level. The player will then find their character going through the first class jobs again (now called High Swordsman, High Archer, etc.) until they change into second class, where they will officially enroll in the advanced job class. All advanced jobs can level up to Base Level 99/Job Level 70, receive 30% more HP/SP, and have access to both old second class abilities and new advanced-only skills.
Transcendent 2-1 classes / Advance 2-1 Classes
Lord Knight – The primary Advanced second Class of High Swordsman, with all the abilities of knights plus a few new abilities. Lord Knights are also the fastest and highest hp class due to Frenzy skill (which increases max hp by 3x, attack speed by a tremendous amount, moving speed, doubles the damage done, however the player loses a small percentage of hp at intervals and cannot speak till it ends). They're also one of the strongest, capable of doing tremendous damage with Spiral Pierce.
Assassin Cross – The primary Advanced second Class of High Thief, with all former abilities of assassins, in addition to more poison skills, advanced katar mastery, and the Soul Destroyer: a devastating, almost unavoidable physical/magic attack. Also, Assassin Crosses can create a deadly poison, and enchant their weapon with it. Unlike the skill "Enchant Poison" this skill will not change the element of their attack. The reagents needed to make deadly poison bottles are rather common, however, the creation itself requires a high amount of DEX and LUK, which most assassins do not have an excess of. Therefore the success rate of the skill is low, and whenever it fails, will decrease the HP of the user by 20%. It is possible to die from failing too many times.
High Wizard – The primary Advanced second class of the High Mage that uses even more powerful spells. With the new ability Amplify Magic they can increase their magical attack power by 50%, and with Soul Drain can restore SP after killing monsters.
Sniper – The primary Advanced second class of the High Archer has even further mastery of the bow and the falcon. They also have a skill for dealing large damage to multiple enemies (Focused Arrow Strike), as well as Falcon Eyes (for increasing all stats by 5 and damage dealed by 20%) and Wind Walker, a skill that increases the walking speed of the character, as well as gives 5 flee. It affects the party members that are in the screen as well. Unlike agi up, this skill does not give any points to the stat AGI.
Whitesmith/Mastersmith – The primary Advanced second class of the High Merchant can make weapons better than ever before. They have a skill that increases their walking speed if a cart is equipped, as well as an upgrade to the skill "Power thrust" which gives 20% atk. The upgraded version, "Maximum power thrust," doubles the damage dealt, but unlike power thrust, does not affect party member's damage. They also have the devastating skill called Cart Termination, in which the character slams the cart into the enemy, as well as using zeny, and causes very high damage. The name Mastersmith is used in iRO.
High Priest – The primary Advanced second class of the High Acolyte has unparallelled healing magic and the ability to exorcise the undead and demons. They also have the extremely useful skill Basilica, which allows them to stop all offensive skills and any attacking in a certain area for a short period of time. Assumptio is another great skill which cuts all physical damage by half.
Transcendent 2-2 classes / Advance 2-2 Classes
Paladin – The alternate advanced second class of the High Swordsman has skills with the spear and shield as well as healing and holy magic. They have a skill which enables the ability to rent and ride the Grand Pecopeco (same as the crusader's, but with a different sprite). They gain some new skills such as Battle Chant (the paladin casts an area of effect spell around him/her, which can curse enemies while casting buffs on allies such as blessing, agi up, increased stats, and removal of bad status effects), Martyr's Reckoning which deals 5 shots where the damage of 1 shot equals to 9% of that paladin's MAXHP times 1.65), Gloria Domini (a skill that will always deal out 2000 damage and ignores defense as well as damage SP), and Shield Chain (called Rapid Smiting in iRO).
Stalker – The alternate advanced second class of the High Thief uses bow and arrows or dagger and shield while sneaking around and is capable of stripping the enemies' weapons and equipment all at once. Their new hiding ability, Chase Walk, enables them to remain hidden from detection skills (Acolyte's Ruwach, Mage's Sight, Archer's Improve Concentration, Hunter's Detect) although the player will be able to see faint footprints left by the Stalker, and the danger remains of being damaged by area of effect skills (Wizard's Storm Gust, etc.). Stalkers also have the ability to keep copied skills of the enemy from being overwritten and the ability to deflect damage from swords.
Professor/Scholar – The alternate advanced second class of the High Mage, they have an ability that can automatically cast a bolt-type spell after the initial casting. Probably in response the to High Wizard's Mystical Amplification. Professors have a unique skill allowing them to cast multiple spells while walking; they also are capable of removing SP from enemies and restoring their own. They are able to transform HP into SP, as well as completely "burning" an enemy's SP in PvP, causing physical damage. The name Scholar is used in iRO.
Clown/Minstrel and Gypsy – The alternate advanced second classes of the High Archer can sing and dance to support party members. Clowns and Gypsies also gain Arrow Vulcan, a skill which does 1200% damage in 9 arrows at the highest level of the skill. Male High Archers can become Clowns/Minstrels, while female High Archers can become Gypsies. To the delight of many players, the name Clown was changed to Minstrel in iRO.
Creator/Biochemist – The alternate advanced second class of the High Merchant can make and throw more powerful types of healing and offensive potions, can apply a defensive coat to all of an ally's weaponry and armor at once (unlike the alchemist, which can only coat one piece at a time), and like the Alchemist, is capable of calling a Homunculus. They gain the ability to cultivate plants, in addition to the powerful "Acid Bomb," capable of dealing over 10,000% damage to some MVP's. The name Biochemist is used in the International version of Ragnarok Online.
Champion – The alternate advanced second class of the High Acolyte uses fists, more advanced powerful combo attacks, and the ability to collect 5 spirit spheres at once using the Zen skill. Champions are now considered one of the most powerful and destructive job classes (together with Paladins, Lord Knight and Assassin Crosses) due to their powerful "skill combo" using 2 or more skills in a precise sequence: the Tiger Knuckle Fist and Chain Crush Combo and the finale, the Guillotine Fist.
Statistics
File:Leveling up.JPGWhen a character gains sufficient experience by killing monsters, he or she will gain a level
In Ragnarok Online, there are six basic attributes that determine a character's strengths and weaknesses:
Intelligence (INT)
Increases Magic Attack
Increases Magic Defense
Increases Max SP
Increases SP regeneration rate
Decreases chance of certain status ailments
Slightly increases potion craft rate
Maximum Magic Damage bonus every 5 points
Minimum Magic Damage bonus every 7 points
SP regeneration bonus every 6 points
Increases damage of Hunter's Falcon
Increases damage of Hunter's traps
Dexterity (DEX)
Increases Hit
Slightly increases Attack Speed
Decreases casting time
Raises minimum damage
Raises success rate of potion and weapon craft (includes Create Deadly Poison)
Contrary to belief, has no basis in refine rates, even for Whitesmith
Increases Attack, if using a bow, musical instrument, or whip
Luck (LUK)
Increases Critical every 3 points
Increases Perfect Dodge every 10 points
Slightly decreases chance of all status ailments
Raises success of potion and weapon craft
Includes Create Deadly Poison, but at half effectiveness to DEX
Slight bonus to Attack every 10 points
Increases chance of Falcon attacking independantly (every 3 points chance is increased)
Strength (STR)
Increases Attack, if using a melee weapon
Increases character's carrying capacity by 30 each point
Reduces chance of being afflicted with Bleeding status
Melee attack bonus at every 10 points.
Agility (AGI)
Increases Flee (dodge rate)
Increases Attack Speed
Decreases delay between skill usage, if the skill's delay depends on Attack Speed in the first place
Vitality (VIT)
Decreases damage taken by 1 each point
Increases Max HP
Increases HP regeneration rate
Increases effect of healing items
Decreases chance of certain status ailments such as Stun (100 VIT for immunity)
Increases Magic Defense by 1 every 2 points
HP regeneration bonus every 5 points
The calculation for Attack Speed is:
Where m is SpeedMods, the content of which is not quite clear, w is Weapon Delay, a' is Agility, and d is Dexterity.
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 increase that arises in higher stats, it is still a delicate process. The maximum base value of a stat, without item or job bonuses, is 99, and only two stats can be raised to 99 and one more to 9 before the stat points are exhausted. It is unwise to absolutely master two stats to the detriment of all others, with exceptions:
Blacksmiths and Alchemists wishing to focus on item production should raise Dexterity and Luck to 99 and Intellect to 9. These characters will not be able to fight for themselves, and must level with great aid. However, if successfully raised, they will rarely fail when crafting weaponry or healing and elemental resistance potions, which will allow them to become a source of funds or a great asset to other characters.
Hunters forsaking any sort of player combat may raise Agility and Dexterity to 99 and raise Intellect to 9. This will allow them to level on monsters with ease, at the cost of being helpless against other players.
Besides these three characters, it is generally advised to raise two statistics to 80 or 90, and raise a third -- often Agility or Vitality -- to 20 or 30 as a backup. In all characters, Dexterity should be at the very least 40, to be able to hit anything.
Cards
File:Baphomet card.jpgAll cards in Ragnarok Online come with a graphic of their monster, such as this Baphomet Card
In Ragnarok Online, some equipment may come with slots with which to append cards. Cards are dropped on a very low chance -- 1:10,000 -- by various enemies. Coupled with how difficult the owners of rare cards can be to defeat, it can be very unlikely to obtain a useful one.
Each specific card is given an equipment you may allocate them to. It is technically possible for a card to be available for any equipment, but they are often only allowed for one, such as headgear, armor, or footwear. Equipping this card will give any character that wears the item a bonus, until that item is removed. Some cards may also offer drawbacks.
The equipment a card is appended to is, in the game's code, independant of the bonus it gives, but is often logical when the effect of the card is taken into account. A few examples follow:
Peco Peco Card - Max HP + 10%. Appends to Armor.
Doppelganger Card - Attack speed + 30%. Appends to Weapon. Does not stack.
Drops Card - Dexterity + 1, Hit + 3. Appends to Weapon.
Geographer Card - Chance of casting Blessing, level 2. Appends to Armor.
Some cards stack their bonuses, and others do not. A card that stacks will function multiple times, such as the Drops Card which will add 1 Dexterity and 3 Hit for every Drops Card equipped. However, the Doppelganger Card does not stack, and will only add 30% to Attack Speed regardless of how many of that card are equipped. Card combo bonuses never stack.
Card bonuses often mimic the bonuses from a similar skill; in most cases, the skill and card will stack with each other, but the card will not stack with itself. This is true for the Knight skill Two-Handed Quicken and the Doppelganger Card which both add 30% to Attack Speed, and together will add 60%.
Hats and Headgear
While not an actual mechanic, hats and various head accoutrements are a large feature in Ragnarok Online due to its social nature and visual style. While most equipment types range from ten to twenty, i.e. there are about only ten types of shoe, there are currently around 160 types of hats with new sets in most updates. ("If it fits on your head it can be a hat.") With such a huge selection, naturally most hats are not "useful" for game play. Most players use them to personalize a character's appearance. Second to style, hats are a status symbol, derived from how easy or difficult it was to find or create.
Parties and guilds
Players in the game may form parties to help by providing the party with added experience, as there is a bonus to the experience received by a player in a party. They can also benefit from it by having the ability to benefit from some skills normally usable by only one character.
Guilds are on the other hand, a way for people who already know each other well to show their uniqueness as a group, or as an expression of power or influence in the game. Each guild has a guild-master who has the initial ability to invite and reject possible members, and guilds also have levels, which members can push higher by contributing some experience to it through taxes on their own experience gain. Guilds with high levels may invite more members, and be officially recognized. This added attraction of being recognized entitles the guild to participate in massive player vs player / guild vs guild warfare called the War of Emperium.
War of Emperium
The War of Emperium, also known as WoE, is fought in castle maps, located near major cities, each castle having unique layouts. Guilds who manage to control the castle at a war's end get access to treasure boxes, which may yield extremely rare equipment, as well as access to secret guild dungeons for leveling purposes.
Castles can only be taken during WoE time, which happens on most servers for 2 hours, twice a week, usually on weekends when there are the most players on. In the heart of every castle there is a yellow stone called the Emperium; the objective of the players is to break that stone and thus take that guild's castle. The guild that currently owns the castle must do everything to protect the Emperium from being destroyed, otherwise they lose the castle and need to re-take it. The only thing a character needs to seize a castle is to be in a guild, and that guild has to be recognized (a guild skill). If a character has no guild it may still fight, but will be unable to hit the Emperium. Even if multiple guild representatives attack the Emperium, only the one that delivers the final hit and breaks the Emperium will take the castle. Once the Emperium is broken, every guild inside the castle (except for the castle's new guild) will be warped back to their respective respawn points. A castle can be taken and retaken infinitely until WoE time is over.
Conduct
The official rules of conduct is posted on various RO's websites. The rules of conduct for iRO can be found at official website.
Shorthand messages like "heal plz", "Buff plz" and requests for rare items, cash, adoptions or "tanks" are common, but are disliked by many players.
Bots are against the rules of most servers. A bot is a computer program that effectively plays the game for the player. Therefore, the bot enables a character to obtain levels and items without the player even being at the computer. Certain companies running officially licensed servers appear to ignore the use of bots, allegedly in order to maintain their steady income. Many players despise the use of bots and will actively try to find bots and report them to the GameMasters. In most versions of Ragnarok Online, getting caught botting will result in a permanent ban on all known accounts immediately.
Programs that allow for a rapid succession of item or skill use are called macros. These are sometimes plugins for bot programs, and are illegal but are nevertheless used by many players, especially those looking for a cheap advantage in War of Emperium.
Kill-stealing of common monsters or mini-bosses is against the rules and will result in suspension of account. Kill-stealing is defined as attacking monsters that are already engaged with another player. The same applies to looting, where one player takes all the dropped items from another player's kill. Neither of these rules apply to any monsters marked as MVP (Most Valuable Player), which are boss monsters. In many places with a high, disorientating concentration of enemies, such as Orc Dungeon, kill-stealing is common and usually pardoned.
Private servers are, in the end, illegal in many countries. Some use pirated copies of Gravity's server software, AEGIS. Most private servers use reverse engineered server emulators such as eAthena, Vidar, Prometheus SVN, Freya, and its many variants. Although these emulators are not illegal, they use resources from the official Ragnarok Online game. Regardless of legal issues, many private servers have well over 1,000 users playing at any given time, often advertising features such as control panel websites, higher drop rates or Base and Job experience than pay-to-play servers, and spend a great deal of money to maintain them, and are often largely member-supported. Because the Korean version of Ragnarok Online is in a more advanced state of development than the other versions, due to its company being based in Korea, Gravity KR has blocked non Korean IP's from downloading from their official website. Unfortunately for them, many private server players bypass this block by using South Korean proxies to download from the site. Gravity also has not blocked IP's from downloading patches for kRO and Sakray, leaving private server players free to continue playing.
Game account hacking. This is easily done by installing stealth key loggers on the player's computer. Beware of playing in internet cafés, as the risk that the workstations might be infected by these software is relatively extremely high. Remote installation of key loggers can also be easily done by including a Trojan Horse in a package such as a *.ZIP or *.RAR file disguised as utilities like bots and speed-hacks. There are other ways to steal accounts on private servers, as users are often not very cautious or conservative of their account information.
Cheating
Cheating in Ragnarok Online servers are actually very common outside servers managed by Gravity (licensees tend to be much more lenient to botters or cheaters).
Serious offenses
Methods of serious cheating includes.
The usage of bots to level or collect items.
Using an MVP (boss) detector to hunt boss characters.
Using a speed hack to speed up the character's attack.
Using area spells at the warp portals, called spawncamping or precasting.
Hexing the game's client to allow the player to open 2 RO program at the same time. Usually referred to as "dual-clienting," this allows players to log into two different accounts at once, although many people use this to utilize all their accounts simultaneously without buying another computer.
Hexing the game's client to allow damage to be shown in guild wars, or to detect characters using the skills Hide, Cloaking, or Chase Walk.
Impersonating a GameMaster or Gravity official
These offenders are usually punished with a ban, especially in iRO but in pRO, these are ignored. The company that holds the franchise for the game, Level-Up-Games, insists that these acts makes their company profitable since majority of the country's players are into cheating. The company, for the past few months, have been able to show that they indeed have the capability to stop botting and the usage of the different "tools" (referring to the different programs that hook up with the Ragnarok client and enabling some of the said cheats above to work) in order to provide a cleaner game. However, this system is still not implemented on the commercial (paid) servers but instead, on their test server, Sakray.
Minor offenses
Minor offenses include:
Attacking a monster already engaged with a player, known as kill-stealing even if the monster is not killed.
Leading a multitude of monsters to another player, either to disappear and kill the player or allow them to cast an area spell and destroy the lot, known as mob-training
Vulgar language
Harassing another player
Server types
Sakray
Sakray is a term most commonly used to distinguish between the various Korean Ragnarok Online computer servers. The Sakray server is a "test" server, where new features, content, and bug-fixes are tested on a large scale with thousands of users before being placed into a package suitable for licensing to other companies. While the Sakray game servers are mostly stable, it is accepted that the entire virtual world housed within them may change at any time based solely upon the whim of the Gravity Corp. development team.
Parodies
VG Cats has several comic strips dedicated to RO, namely "Working On Your Knees", "Cat's Got Your...Oh Wait...", "Helm, The Other White Meat" and "Magic Beans" (strips 66 and 76, respectively.)
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