8 old MMORPGs that are still played

Ragnarok Online

What is Ragnarok Online? In Ragnarok Online, you play a hero in a world inspired by Norse mythology. There is no major overarching story, but quests and events repeatedly tell small, exciting stories.

You start the game as a novice and can choose a “job” after reaching a certain level, which determines your progression. After playing your first job to the maximum level, you can have your character “reborn” and start anew as an ascended character.

The main content of Ragnarok Online consists of PvE and grinding. You will repeatedly level up or search for items on specific maps and in special dungeons. There is also PvP, which is particularly focused on the weekly guild battle for castles, but this is only a sideline.

Ragnarok Online makes its graphics especially unique. The world is fully 3D while characters and monsters appear in 2D as so-called “sprites.”

This is how active the community is: According to the website ROPD.info, about 1,500 players still regularly play the international version of Ragnarok Online, distributed across several servers. The game is particularly popular in South America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Ragnarok Online has different versions for many regions. The European version euRO was discontinued in 2010, and since then, Europeans have access to either the French version fRO or the US and international version iRO, although iRO is no longer easily accessible.

Are there still updates? Yes, Ragnarok Online still receives updates and even mobile variants of the game. Regular events and patches are released, which are often available beforehand on the Brazilian or Korean version. The successor Ragnarok Online 2 was released in 2010, but died as the first MMORPG in 2019.

Ragnarok Online is worth it for you if

• You want to try a unique art style and are into anime aesthetics
• You enjoy grinding
• You like to delve into theory to get the most out of your character