Ragnarok Online 2, developed by Gravity, is a sequel to Asia’s classic epic MMORPG Ragnarok Online. Well, story-wise, it’s a prequel. It contains many of the same monsters, characters, and places as in the first game, and gameplay-wise, it’s pretty much a World of Warcraft (WoW) clone.
Ragnarok Online 2 has a rather unique history in its development. Reaching closed beta stage in 2006, Ragnarok Online 2 was known as Ragnarok Online 2: The Gate of The World. It contains numerous changes to the gameplay and storyline from the original game. The open beta stage started in May 2007 and continued for three years, until it was finally terminated in August 2010. The open beta was a disaster, totally failing to get players interested in the game. Thus, Gravity started a separate development, building Ragnarok Online 2 from the ground up, and even changing the game engine along the way.
A beautiful view of Mjolnir Mountain
On March 26, 2012, Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of The Second, was finally released in South Korea, after a successful closed beta. It wasn’t until early 2013 that the game finally got published outside Korea. Now the game has been rolled out in lots of places, such as North America, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Note: During the review of this game, I used Lyto’s version of Ragnarok Online 2, an Indonesia-based server.
Gameplay: Slightly upgraded version of the tested and proven WoW
World of Warcraft was clearly studied by the developers of Ragnarok Online 2, as much of its gameplay is very similar. It only took me around 10 minutes to realize this. Ragnarok Online 2 uses systems such as talents, equipment, raids, dungeons, and nearly everything that World of Warcraft has. You’ll definitely have a much easier time adapting yourself to the game if you have experience in WoW – but experience in playing the first Ragnarok Online will not help you at all.
Mage skill tree
Ragnarok Online 2 does possess some unique features, some of which are upgraded versions of common systems in MMORPGs. The Khara system for example, is pretty much an achievement system that earns you various rewards. The title system in the game also grants you stat increases, making it much more useful than just showing everyone that you’re “Super Powerful Epic.”
The game also possesses a skill upgrade system, which stays true to the first installment. Leveling gets you skill points which can be allocated to skills which in turn will increase the repertoire of abilities your character has. One of the best features would be the Guild War system, but this is not yet implemented. The guild window shows locked guild war skills, which means it will be implemented in the game at a later date. In the first Ragnarok Online, the guild war or, as the game calls it, the War of Emperium, is the best PVP scene in an MMORPG I’ve ever played in my life. Extremely fast-paced and chaotic, you can clearly see the difference between veterans and newbies. I can only hope that Ragnarok Online 2’s guild wars will be as good as the first one. The game also has a crafting system, which is in all aspects a total rip-off of World of Warcraft.
Graphics: Not up to standard for a modern MMORPG
For an MMORPG released in Korea in 2012, the graphics are generally bad. While I appreciate the anime-style graphics staying true to the first game, they’re nothing amazing. It is indeed priceless to see the 2D characters and monsters of the first game in their 3D form, but it’s far from jaw-dropping. From what I gather, Ragnarok Online 2 uses the Gamebryo engine, but it definitely doesn’t show what the engine is capable of. With an engine used for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, Ragnarok Online 2 has graphics nowhere close to the engine’s maximum capability.
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