"RO perfect?!" - you ask. Indeed. Out of the many MMOs I played, RO was the most addictive one (right next to WoW, but that one for other reasons). Here are just a few examples of the features DEVs seam to have forgoten about:

1) Character classes - you start as a newB, means you have no class at all. It gives new players time to get to know the game a bit more before they make their decision. Then they can choose 1 of 6 basic classes, witch later can turn into one of 2 diferent classes each. A very nice solution that keeps you motivated, giving you a purpose while lvling.

2) Stat/Skill system - probably the best thing about Ragnarok. Not only do you have over 30 classes (you do if you count the first classes and the rebirth classes), each of them has lots of diferent ways of playing them, depending on what skills you pick and how you set up your stats. Some players say it sux for new players becouse its easy to screw up you first char that way. Nothing a game manual or a stat-reset couldn't fix.

3) Guild Levels - another great feature that seams to be forgotten for some reason. Each guild member can be given a tax, wich is a small amount of EXP (usualy about 5%, can be set by the guild master)  that is being tranfered to the guild itself making it DING every now and then ;) I just cant find the right words to describe why this is such an awsome feature. Makes the guild so much more then just a TAG under your name. Also, every guild has the posibility to upload an emblem witch makes the guild more recognisable in the crowd.

4) War of Emperium - if there was a perfect endgame feature, WoE would be it. In game there are castles, that can be taken over by the strongest of guilds. Once a weak, the castles become re-takable, and the War begins. This event is about 2 hours long, after that time, the guild that is currently in hold of the castle gets to keep it for the next weak. Having a castle = cool items for the guild members, a personal high - level dungeong just for the guild (in Ro there are no instances so having such a thing is rather nice), and ofc respect from other guilds.

Now, before you say "and what about the endless grinding" - RO is a VERY old game. With this post I wanted to show the great features that for some reason are being forgotten by the DEVs. Today the ultimate feature is "quests instead of grind". Also splitting the comunity into 2 or more factions and calling it a WAR, witch is in fact an example of completely meaningless and frustrating PvP. To me, the simplest solutions are the best ;)

ROs grind is over.  You can go from 98 to 99 in about 2 hours now with a good party.  I really loved the changes Gravity has been making with thier new CEO.  Its definetly growing into a much better game.  Next years updates are also very exciting.  Its kinda hard to take away hype from RO2 when it comes to Gravity Games, but they managed to with next years RO updates.

I'm not hyped about RO2 at all. I was, but after I've seen video footage my hype died faster then a caster tanking the final boss in a 40 man instance (yea, long time ex - WoW player like so many of us). As 2d miniatures, the characters in RO looked kinda cool. Now in 3D they just look silly. I just can't imagine playing RO2 on a LAN. My buddies would be laughing their asses off xD.

I agree that RO is a classic. I played WoW for a while but am now bored with it so I'm returning to the RO I know and love. You still see the same guilds which existed years ago. And WoE is one of the best PvP systems in any mmo. Never has 2 hours gone by so quickly before! If you like the Asian style mmo, this is the one to get.

Originally posted by CleffyII

ROs grind is over.  You can go from 98 to 99 in about 2 hours now with a good party.  I really loved the changes Gravity has been making with thier new CEO.  Its definetly growing into a much better game.  Next years updates are also very exciting.  Its kinda hard to take away hype from RO2 when it comes to Gravity Games, but they managed to with next years RO updates.

I wonder if anybody watches this board anymore... Anyway, is this true? I quit a couple of years back when I finally hit 97 and decided it wasn't worth doing 1-96 all over again to play from level 1. It might be worth a comeback if they solved the problem.

You might wanna play with friends.  Getting to level 80 is the pain now.  Once your 80 and in an active guild, you can go to the new dungeons and group beat on the monsters.  They are really tough but worth 100k+ exp.  If you assemble a party like, Dancer/Bard, Priest, 7 melee classes.  You can gain 50% of that exp for everyone.  So thats 50k exp/monster, and each one takes about 2 minutes to take down with a lower level group.  However, these monsters are like the MVPs you fought pre-comodo, and now they have skills that can one-shot some characters.

If you go in with a 95+ group you can go after the monsters worth 300k each, and take them out in a minute.  Also the few quests in this game give 1 million+ exp at high levels.

not to bash anyone that enjoys RO. I used to play the game once upojn a time as well but there were a few things that i didn't like....

1) personal shops suck...they clutter the city and click to move becomes a real pain.

2) click to move with no option of using "WASD" or arrow keys is annoying

3) last time i played the servers were cluttered with bots and farmers

There is an auction house in Prontera now.  However, I think the player owned shops adds some charm to merchantilism.

The bot problem has pretty much been answered rescently on iRO.  They did something to the client that was effective, and the game is old enough so that the bot community cannot get the people together to create a new bot.

WASD would kinda be wierd in a 2D game where your angles are above 30 degrees.  It's not like you have to constantly click click click to move, you can just hold down the mouse button.  In WASD games you have to do something similiar anyway.

RO will always be my favorite MMO :3 There is nothing else like it. The feeling you get while playing it you just can't get anywhere else.

a TON of games have every single one of those features you mentioned

The difference is how well they were done.

The Job system in RO is only rivaled by the Job system in FFXI due to its complexity.  The seperation of Job level and Base level also offers a much vaster customization of skills system with imposed limits that creates distinct builds.  Many games that try to imitate cannot achieve this because the limits were taken off or they just don't have enough skills.  There are also many different job routes to go which further increases the diversity of builds.

The stat system has been done away with in many mmos which is a shame.

The War of Emperium has just gotten more complex with defense positions.  Its also another system that has not been mirrored well by clones of RO.

Guild Leveling is distinct to RO in the form it is in, because there is an actual benefit to leveling them.  You gain guild skills.  Also Guild Leveling offers players a choice for joining guilds, because the only way to level is to sacrafice your own exp.

Anyone know what the deal is with RO2?  I know it has been in production for some time and think it is in beta someplace however I can't find much info on it in english.

Its been delayed again until mid next year for a US release.  They are holding off on the release especially in the US until it is of good quality.