Ranking fantasy games

Shaiya holds a place in many people’s hearts as the first MMO they’ve ever played. And as such, people looking back on it today might be viewing it through those dark-tinted nostalgia glasses which may obscure their objectivity when talking about it.

Over 11 years since its’ release, does Shaiya hold up? In a way (Private servers), yes, but for the most part, Shaiya is as dead as an MMO can get. The way it works with old-school MMOs is they either need to have a large enough player base to keep them going, or they need to modernize with the times to draw in newer players.

Shaiya does neither. Few veterans of the game are left, and the changes that the developers have made to the game over the years have only pushed old-school players away even more. There’s nothing on offer here that the new generation of gamers won’t find somewhere else. Somewhere better. The uniqueness of Ultimate Mode, is little more than a novelty feature now, and the P2W aspects of the PVP just kill the game, despite its’ potential. Shaiya still has its’ high points, but the official game is long past its’ prime.

➔ Main points:

• Downloadable F2P traditional MMORPG
• Good versus Evil, Faction-based PVP battles
• Permadeath Ultimate Mode Difficulty
• Heavily P2W PVP
• Very low player base on official servers, dead community
• Fairly active community on private servers

When playing Skyforge, you can’t help but feel appreciative of what the creators were doing: the foundation for Skyforge itself is based around really unique concepts.

The multi-class system, the interesting storyline, the beautifully animated environment and vast character customization skills come together for quite the impact.

The flaws in this game (mostly regarding PvP balancing) are not big enough to overwhelm all the great aspects of this new MMORPG, which has a lot to offer both to players looking for something new and for those who are looking for a traditional RPG experience.

Skyforge trapped me in this elaborate world that continues to prove itself worth it.

➔ Main points:

• 2015 MMORPG with great graphics and action combo-based combat system.
• A fantasy universe mixed with sci-fi elements.
• Possibility to become a God, with divine superpowers and followers all over the world.
• Several different PvP modes.
• Change your character's class anywhere and at any time as long as you aren't in combat.

Stormfall: Age of War is a browser-based MMO strategy game by developer Plarium.
In the game you must create and upgrade your castle, while also building an army to pillage the castles of other players and defend yourself from their attacks.

While the combat mechanics of Stormfall are not particularly interesting, there is enough to do in this well-crafted game to make up for it.
Between the endless buildings, units and skills to construct and upgrade within your castle, and the different kinds of conquests to plan and execute outside it, the game can almost feel too busy for a beginner.

However, this also ensures that you won’t get bored of Stormfall too quickly – there’s almost always something new to learn.

➔ Main points:

• Classical fantasy browser game by Plarium
• You'll have the chance to meet Oberon, the sarcastic, world-weary soldier who will guide you through the quests while poking fun at you, other non-playable characters and even the game itself
• Lots of things to do, even for beginners: events, daily missions, pillages (both PvE and PvP)
• Recommended for people looking for a game to play for more than a couple of minutes per day.

A big budget MMORPG, TERA originally required a subscription fee but it has recently become free-to-play. This title was released in Korea in 2011 and then later in 2013 for a Western audience. TERA was published in the US and Europe by En Masse Entertainment and Frogster, respectively.

The game has one big advantage: its combat system which was extensively highlighted during the game's marketing campaign. TERA's combat system is far from what people are used to seeing in other titles. At times the action will remind you more of a third person action game with its much more direct and visceral presentation.

Despite all this, the repetitive quests will quickly remind you that this games is an MMORPG, but fortunately the very sophisticated graphics along with the combat system make up for the repetitiveness of the quests.

More or less free-to-play, there isn't much from stopping you to at least try the game's new adaptations, except maybe its long download times.

➔ Main points:

• A very popular MMORPG, which happens to be also the most played free to play game on Steam.
• Typical Korean gameplay, with lots of enemies to kill and farming quests.
• Action-based combat system with combos and special attacks.
• Amazing graphics.

Thirty Kingdoms by Bytro Labs is a free to play empire building strategy game for web browsers. As the ruler of your kingdom, the gameplay will have you look after your provinces by managing your resources, building new structures from well fleshed out tech trees, and players will need to expand by taking over hostile territories. To do that, players can build up an army of various units and send them away in real time to do battle, and the outcome is decided by multiple realistic factors such as army morale and terrain.

The most interesting thing about Thirty Kingdoms is its level of realism, and actions such as moving armies and building structures will take a long time to complete. Game progression will be slow which means that not everyone will enjoy it. However, the game does provide multiple socializing options that allows for diplomatic and cunning styles of play.

Thirty Kingdoms is a good immersive kingdom building game that offers hours of fun that lasts for prolonged periods of time. While the graphics are minimal and there are no in-game sounds, players who enjoy strategy games without the hassle of additional downloads or slow internet will definitely find something to like in Thirty Kingdoms.

➔ Main points:

• Long-term empire building that feels realistic
• Immersive and strategic gameplay
• Fantastic socializing options that helps diplomatic gameplay
• Good variety of buildings and army units to build
• Minimal requirements for a browser-based game

Throne: Kingdom at War is a Browser game, released by Plarium in August 2016. While it does have its little quirks that can serve to be an annoyance to some, its overall gameplay, visuals, and gaming structure make it yet another incredible addition to the avid gamer’s collection. With new players continuing to join every day, it is a game that is well worth checking out, with some heavy addiction warnings in place (coming from personal experience).

➔ Main points:

• Free Browser Game set in a medieval fantasy realm
• Build your own kingdom and watch it come to life
• Assemble an unstoppable army and take other kingdoms by force
• Building takes time (or just some money instead)
• Join an Order and have allies watching your back

Trove is a free to play voxel-based MMO that while inspired by Minecraft, offers tons of features that makes it stand out on its own. Players can play between any of the 16 classes available and jump into sandbox worlds to create, destroy or whatever else they want to do in the game's many modes available. Gameplay is fluid enough to pick up even for casuals, and offers good social systems to ensure that playing together is as much fun as going it alone. The cash store offers no significant advantages, and it's a great alternative to the almighty Minecraft.

➔ Main points:

• Free to play voxel game that's very popular
• 16 classes available to level and swap to on one character
• Non-intrusive cash shop that's also fairly priced
• Great combat system and content available
• Excellent modding support and community

Twin Saga is the latest high fantasy setting MMORPG to come out from Asia and offers a promising outlook for the genre by putting the power of choice in the hands of the player. rassembler du matériel ou forger. The game features 10 different classes that players can swap between freely at any time without cost or restriction. Player housing also takes a different approach – the Terracottage is a mobile house that can move like mounts, and is a place where guilds and friends can hang out, gather materials and even craft.

If you enjoyed games like Final Fantasy, Ragnarok and Kingdom Hearts, Twin Saga’s 3D art style and animations will definitely appeal to you as it hovers between anime and cartoon, but the graphics do look a little aged which is surprising.

Overall, Twin Saga is a fairly good MMORPG that contains rich lore and story that is complemented by a fast-paced action combat system that suits the art style. There’s plenty to do in PVE ranging from hidden quests, Astral Adventures and Dungeons, while the competitive players can try their hand at PVP in arenas or battlegrounds. Ultimately, Twin Saga should be credited for its fresh approach but doesn’t do enough to stand out from the MMORPG crowd.

➔ Main points:

• Ability to switch classes without restrictions or cost
• Story-driven MMORPG
• No pay to win in cash shop
• Mobile player housing

Wartune is developed by R2Games, known for League of Angels.

Graphically, both games seem very much alike in terms of gameplay, but they have their own strengths and weaknesses.
The combat in Wartune is nice and simple with a kind of automatic turn-based system, but not reaching the degree of automation in League of Angels.
Also you get to build your own town.
There are many options for both PvE and PvP,
The game is suitable for people who just want to play a nice casual game, but hardcore players will have to pay a lot of money to enjoy it.

➔ Main points:

• You can choose between three classes: Knight, Mage or Archer
• You can build and upgrade your castle
• Semi-automated, turn-based combat
• Full legion system
• Different modes for PvP: Arena, Battlefield, Guild Battles and Duels

LOTRO is a fun MMORPG for the casual RPG player or the Tolkien fan. The world has plenty of content with many skirmishes to be had, dungeons to explore and raids to wage or defend against. Unfortunately, a lot of this content requires either spending real money or an absurd amount of time to unlock.

The quests of the game and the environments they take place in are visually engaging - picturesque and sweeping or dark and creepy, but always atmospheric.

Hardcore gamers or those looking for a game with challenging end game content, however, should look elsewhere.