Ragnarok Online (Korean: 라그나로크 온라인, also called Ragnarök or The Final Destiny of the Gods) is a game where many people can play online together. It was made by a company called Gravity and is based on a Korean comic book titled Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. The game was first released in South Korea on August 31, 2002, for computers running Microsoft Windows. It led to the creation of an animated series called Ragnarok the Animation and a follow-up game named Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of the Second. In the game, players control characters in a world filled with non-playable characters (NPCs) that can be talked to, and creatures that appear in different areas. Players must defeat these creatures to increase their character's level and collect items.

Gameplay

The game is centered around Norse mythology, with characters from stories about Ragnarök. Players move in a 3D world, but their characters are shown as 2D images from different angles. The game supports several types of play, including Player vs Environment, Guild vs Guild, and Player vs Player. Other modes include Group vs Group, Arena Combat, Player vs Monster, Player vs All, and specific scenarios in special areas of the game world. Non-player characters also host challenges and contests that offer prizes, awards, or entries into a hall of fame.

Players can join quests and turn them in for rewards. They can also use storage and teleport services for a small cost. Each town has stores and shops where players can buy and sell items. The shops vary by city because each city is connected to a specific job type. The items sold in each city’s shops are related to the job type the city supports. Quests often give unique rewards, such as learning a new skill or receiving a rare item.

The job system began with 13 classes but has expanded to over 50 through updates. Each class has skills that match roles in role-playing games. Some equipment is only available to certain classes. The quality of equipment depends on a character’s attributes.

When a player reaches level 99 and job level 50, they can "rebirth" their character (not available for expansion classes or Super Novices). Rebirthing resets a character’s level to 1 for both player level and job level. Reborn characters function like regular characters until they reach their second class. Instead of choosing a second class, reborn characters can switch to a new second job. These jobs have more skills and more stat points to assign than regular second classes. The experience needed to level up for these jobs is much higher. Players can also advance to third classes, which offer new skills and allow them to exceed the traditional level cap of 99.

Setting

Ragnarok Online is split into different maps located on two large continents. Each continent has unique landscapes and monsters that live there, although some monsters can be found in more than one area. To move between maps, players must load the new map. Monsters cannot travel between maps unless they are directly connected to the player, such as a pet, mount, or hireling. The game also includes areas inspired by Norse mythology.

History

Ragnarok Online was released in South Korea in August 2002. In 2010, the official servers of Ragnarok Online went through major changes called "Renewal." These changes updated how the game works, including how player stats, equipment, and modifiers function, how characters earn experience, and the introduction of third job classes. Other updates included changes to the game's interface, hotkeys, and skills.

On May 25, 2018, which was the day European General Data Protection Regulation rules began, the Ragnarok Online and Ragnarok Online 2 servers were closed in most European countries, except those in the CIS region. The Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines (MSP) servers of Ragnarok Online were shut down on November 28, 2021.

Reception

In general, Ragnarok Online has been praised by experts and sold many copies, particularly in South Korea around the year 2005.

Related media

Gravity worked with SkyZone Entertainment to create a series of separate mobile games that support Ragnarok Online. Five games were made, each based on one of the six original starting classes, which means the Acolyte class was not included. The only game released in North America, called Ragnarok: Mobile Mage, allows players to use the mage class. Players can move the zeny they earn in the mobile game to their Ragnarok Online account.