Place 15: Ragnarok Online
Developer: Gravity Corp. | Platform: PC | Release Date: August 31, 2002 | Model: Free2Play
MeinMMO editor Benedict had his first time with the MMORPG oldie. Ragnarok Online is for me and probably many others the very first MMORPG ever. And although it is essentially just about grinding and nothing else, it still holds a big place in my heart today.
With a system of evolving classes and the “Rebirth” function, which resets you and makes you stronger, the ancient MMO had me hooked back then. I didn’t even need big features like raids or PvP: chatting with people in the guild while looting and leveling is all one needs. And Ragnarok does that just excellently.
Combined with a top-notch musical score and entire cities full of vendors, all of whom are players, the feeling of a truly vibrant world comes across better than in all modern MMORPGs that I know.
Unfortunately, the developments of Ragnarok Online have all not gone very well and the actual game is hardly played officially anymore. However, there are plenty of private servers with various settings, like speed leveling. I still play there every few years for a nostalgia kick.
Place 14: Black Desert
Developer: Pearl Abyss | Platform: PC, Xbox, PlayStation | Release Date: December 17, 2014 | Model: Buy2Play
MeinMMO editorial manager Gerd analyzes: Black Desert came relatively out of nowhere. The MMORPG was the first game developed by the newly founded company Pearl Abyss starting in 2010. In October 2013, it started in South Korea in a closed beta and by December 2014, it was practically permanently playable in an open beta.
We in Europe had to wait enviously until March 2016 – then the MMORPG launched for us and was the first major MMORPG release since ESO, WildStar, and ArcheAge came out in 2014.
Black Desert is an action MMORPG with sandbox elements and a pretty big grinder. Although the reviews for the release were mixed in the West, the combat system is excellent and over the years the MMORPG has received more and more classes.
From a European perspective, Black Desert unfortunately has some quirks that Western players often do not appreciate, such as a somewhat intrusive cash shop, a frustrating upgrade system, and gender lock. However, house building and the combat system are considered top-notch. Furthermore, in recent years the MMORPG has oriented itself more towards PvE and has reduced open PvP.
Back Desert was such a huge hit on PC in Europe that Pearl Abyss recognized the opportunity and released a version for PS4 and Xbox One in 2019 – something that Korean studios had never done before.
But even on consoles, Black Desert did so well that it established a trend and now more next-gen South Korean MMORPGs like Throne and Liberty are pushing onto consoles. In order to gain more ground in Asia, Pearl Abyss developed a mobile version of Black Desert in 2019.
Black Desert brought the Koreans from Pearl Abyss, who now serve as publishers for Black Desert, such good money that in September 2018 they could buy the Icelandic MMORPG EVE Online and its studio CCP for 425 million US dollars.
The MMORPG feels like it’s already at the end of its lifecycle in 2024; the unofficial successor Crimson Desert is said to not become an MMORPG, but it should be the new flagship of Pearl Abyss, which has been planning an attack on the MMO scene worldwide for years. Crimson Desert shines in the new gameplay trailer with sword fighting and parkour gameplay
