Runes of Magic is a fantasy MMORPG released in 2009 by Gameforge and Runewalker Entertainment. Set in the fantasy world of Taborea, it launches you into an adventurous world filled with thousands of quests and challenges. The game is free-to-play yet offers dazzling storylines, twists, Player vs. Player encounters, a guild system, and so much more.

There are three races – Human, Dwarf, and Elf – to set your origin, and ten different classes to further craft your uniqueness. Runes of Magic has a dual-class system that allows you to mix two different classes. Imagine how terrific a Warrior/Knight class or a Priest/Rogue class can be. The endless possibilities these class combinations bring gives players an unforgettable experience.

Your Adventure in the Medieval World Begins

You start as one of the three races, then choose your class from a long list of Mage, Warrior, Knight, Rogue, Priest, Warden, Scout, Champion, Druid, and Warlock. There are lots of customization options to help tweak the appearance of your character. After personalizing your character to look more like what you want, you’re good to go. Next, you’ll receive three gift bags – although one can’t be opened till the next level – with potions to boost health, aid experience, and help with resurrection.

There’s a tutorial to help grapple the game’s intricacies, but skipping it won’t be much of a problem. Before clicking on the skip button, remember there are rewards attached to completing the tutorial. In my first gameplay, I was sent to a town already filled with different quests breathing hard at me. These quests are indicated by yellow marks on top of the head of people scattered over the city. Completing the quests turned exclamation marks to question marks.

Now, these quests aren’t so different from what you find in traditional RPGs – looting and combat. At some point, it felt I was playing the same game I’ve played a thousand times before. But things started to feel more outstanding when I climbed to higher levels, especially from Level 10. I could engage actively in any of the guilds – Armory, Blacksmith, and Disenchanting. There, I crafted my skills, got my house, and a sea of quests.

Also, from Level 10, the dual-classing option comes into effect. In addition to the Rogue class I selected at the beginning, I chose the Priest class. This diversity afforded my character healing capabilities. While it led to limited access to a Rogue’s abilities, the mix with those of a Priest made such limitation insignificant.

Become Much More with the Dual-Class System

A Knight in Runes of Magic is just like every other Knight in a fantasy game, and a Mage is as typical as ever. Combining both classes gives you something new and powerful. As a Knight-Mage, you have combined incredible defensive and offensive abilities both classes uniquely offer. In the dual-class system, the primary class has a set of primary and secondary skills you can always access. On the other hand, you can only access the secondary abilities of the secondary class.

After selecting the two classes you want, you then have to choose which is the primary and secondary class, while keeping the kind of synergy you want in mind.

Immerse Yourself in this Massive RPG

Runes of Magic is a 3D game that offers an entirely immersive experience. Of course, the graphics aren’t likely the best you’ve seen. However, that’s entirely understandably considering the fact the game is over a decade old. The game’s environment is splendid and highly detailed, full of goblins, boars, bears, and every mob you’d expect to find.

Moving from one place to another is possible with WASD keys or the normal mouse movement. In Level 12, I got a horse to move from one town to another, although I could have used that much earlier in the game.

Runes of Magic gives you two servers – PvE and PvP – for combat purposes. In the PvE server, you can only fight with other players during duels. On the flip side, you can attack all players once you get to Level 15 in the PvP servers. You also get to wage guild wars with members of other guilds in a battle tagged Siege War. Victory at any Siege Ware earns you Crystal Towers, and the guild more of them wins the war. 

So Much More to Do

It’s easy to get carried away with the regular questing, guilds, and all; there’s just so much more to do. For example, running your house is a huge part of the game to get your grips on. You can build your home – a comfortable place for refueling and get ready for the next task. Another is hunting for treasures in different locations around the map.

Interestingly, you can also lay your hands on musical instruments – something you don’t find every day. What’s even more intriguing is that there’s so much more to discover. The fact that Runes of Magic gives you such a vast world to explore will have you coming back over and over again.

The in-game shop is filled with items such as runes, mounts, furniture, enchantments, and clothing you can buy with Diamonds – the game’s virtual currency. Players can purchase these Diamonds with real money to enhance their advantage in the game.

Runes of Magic Does Indeed Offer Magic

The game overflows with quests that even get bigger as you level up. I had to leave so many things quests behind as I moved to another level but eventually returned to them.

Although Runes of Magic starts slowly, it easily lives up to its promises as you go higher. When you get to Level 10, the magic and possibilities of the game come to full glare. So a little patience is required in exploring the vast and exciting world of Runes of Magic.