Runes of Magic

March 19, 2009

Spain France September 15, 2009

July 22, 2009

Game mode

Keyboard , mouse

system advantages
preconditions

CPU: Pentium 4 with 2.0 GHz or comparable
RAM: 512 MB
Graphics card : Direct X 9.0c compatible with 128 MB graphics memory
Storage requirement HDD : 16 GB
Internet connection

medium

Download , DVD-ROM

language

multilingual, u. a. German , English

Current version

7.3.0.nnnn.en (Runes of Magic: Legacy of the Soulless)

Age rating

USK

PEGI

Runes of Magic (German: Runen der Magie , short: RoM ) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Runewaker Entertainment from Taichung ( Taiwan ) and is being developed on behalf of the publisher Gameforge , and since Frogster 2011 by Gameforge AG was acquired. It is based on the Asian MMORPG Radiant Arcana , but is adapted to the western market according to Gameforges specifications.

In January 2009, 300,000 players were registered, although the game was still in public beta at the time . Just one day after the official release, there were already 700,000 players. In March 2010, the community consisted of over 3,000,000 players, of which about 500,000 were active; since August 2010 there are over 4,000,000. In addition, Runes of Magic received several awards before the official release date, such as the Gold Award from Mmorpgloads or Best New Game from MMOsite.

The most striking difference to other MMORPGs is the multiple class system. Since 2014, it has been possible to play all classes that are available for the selected race of the character (the fourth and further classes must, however, be bought in the item shop for real money currency (diamonds). Otherwise there have been three classes since Chapter IV, two classes before that. This multiple class system was previously known in a different form from games such as Guild Wars , NosTale, Final Fantasy XI and Neverwinter Nights .

financing

The game client of Runes of Magic is available for free download. The game does not require any monthly payments.

The operator's income comes mainly from an item shop included in the game . There, game items can be purchased for real money. This micropayment system is based on the various currencies with which the character can pay for his equipment. For real money, the player can purchase diamonds , the in - game currency , which can be exchanged for in - game items in the item shop . Since mid-2009, the costs incurred have been around 5 euros for 100 diamonds .

Of RoM , however, there is also a paid version for around 10 euros, which on a DVD installation files and a redeemable code for various items, such as a special pet has. This was published on March 19, 2009 at the same time as the game was released. Other special promotions - such as additions to computer game magazines - also enable players to receive game items by entering special codes.

The operator Gameforge regularly emphasizes that one is careful to keep the game balanced and interesting for those players who do not want to invest real money in game objects in the item shop .

The item shop that can be used in the game contains a diamond shop as well as a ruby shop. Rubies are obtained when buying items in the diamond shop.

Game objective

Like most MMORPGs, RoM has no final game goal, which is mainly due to the fact that the player should be tied to the game for as long as possible. For the same reason, new "chapters" (expansion packs with new areas, quests , equipment and possibly new classes , races and increased maximum level) should appear every six months.

An obvious goal for the players is to train one or more characters up to the maximum level (currently 100). Epic rewards, which are received in raids with up to 12 players in difficult dungeons , also offer an incentive to play your character even after reaching the maximum level.

Game mechanics

The player controls his character in a third person perspective or from the first person perspective using the keyboard and mouse. To gain an advantage in combat, use the right skills at the right time. This usually requires a certain amount of an energy type determined by the class of the game character.

You can interact with other characters to a large extent. You can trade with other players, play with them in groups and form guilds. In addition to the players and the computer opponents, there are also a number of non-player characters who provide the player with tasks, repair and sell equipment or teach the player in professions.

By killing enemies and completing tasks ( quests ) you receive experience points (EP) and talent points (TP). If you achieve a certain number of experience points, the primary class (→ #Multiple class system ) rises one level, which increases the attributes and unlocks new skills if necessary. The accumulated talent points can be used to improve skills so that they become more effective (for example, do more damage).

If a character dies at level 10 or higher, he receives experience and talent point debts. 75% of the experience and talent points that you get are used to reduce the debt, and only 25% are added until you have completely paid off the debt. Up to level 31, all player characters are accompanied by a companion who issues an atonement voucher once a day with which all debts of the primary class are paid off. In addition, you can purchase Divine Redemption Coupons , which pay off all current debts, and Angel's Sigh , after which you will not receive any debts by dying for 24 hours, in the Itemshop or you are in a guild with a library in the Gildenburg, where you can also and reduce talent point debt.

Attributes

A character's strength is determined by their attribute points. The basic attributes are strength, dexterity, endurance, intelligence and wisdom. In addition, there is physical attack power, physical defense, magical attack, and magical defense. These four values depend largely on the basic attributes, for example strength and dexterity increase the physical and intelligence the magical attack power. All attributes can also be increased directly through attribute bonuses on the equipment.

However, the effect of the attributes is different for each class. For example, skill gives a villain more physical attack power than a scout.

Multiple class system

One of the special features of RoM is that, in contrast to other MMORPGs, you not only develop one class, but three by default and up to six with the help of special expansion cards. When creating a character, you first choose your primary class. If you reach level 10, you can choose your secondary class. You repeat this process when you have reached level 20 and select the 3rd class (from June 16, 2011 through Chapter 4). Since August 14, 2009, the choice of class can be reversed by purchasing the “Fruit of Forgetting” item in the item shop , so that the secondary class is deleted at a price of around 10 euros. While playing, only the primary class receives experience points. If you want to bring your secondary class to a higher level, you first have to change the primary and secondary class.

The skills of the classes are divided into “general” and “class-specific”. Class-specific skills can only be used by the currently active primary class; general skills are available from both the primary and secondary classes.

Another advantage of the multiple class system is that from level 15 on every 5th level up to level 50 (15, 20, 25 ... 50), as well as on level 60 and 70 with all existing classes, so-called elite skills can be learned through the respective class combination can be determined. These skills are class-specific.

By combining the 10 player classes, there are numerous class combination options, which are, however, restricted for the individual races.

Classes

There are currently 10 classes in Runes of Magic . Each class has unique skills, and depending on which class the player chooses for his character, he can wear different types of armor and weapons. Apart from the classes magician, priest, keeper, druid and knight, who all use the typical RPG energy “ mana ”, each class has its own energy type.

Warrior : The warrior is a pure melee and is well armored by chain armor. Its energy type is anger, which builds up in combat when damage is done to the warrior and, to a lesser extent, when the warrior deals damage. He is allowed to use all kinds of melee weapons. This makes the warrior the only class besides the keeper that can carry axes, which do more damage per second compared to swords and hammers.

Scout : The scout is the best single target damage dealer (English damage dealer ) of all and a ranged fighter armed with a bow or crossbow. A scout tries to keep his opponent at a distance as possible, since long-range combat is his greatest strength and only leather armor is available to him. However, he can also carry a one-handed sword or a dagger. Its energy type is called focus and is regenerated while standing. If he is running, less focus is regenerated than when standing.

Rogue : The rogue is a close-range fighter who, like the scout, wears leather armor. Its strength is concealment and cunning; so he can sneak so that his enemies don't notice him. In addition, there are attacks that can only be used from the back of the enemy that stun the enemy. He also has abilities that cause bleeding and can then be broken up with a strong attack. Classically, the villain fights with a dagger (from level 16 also possible in the off hand), but can also use one-handed swords. (In conjunction with the warrior, he is able to carry two one-handed axes that cause greater damage, but do not cause bleeding on the enemy.) The villain's energy type is called energy and behaves similarly to that of the scout, but will larger amounts of it are required for an attack and therefore also charges faster.

Mage : The mage is a master of conjuring and mastering the elements (wind magic, fire magic, light magic (with the knight as secondary class) and earth magic (with the druid or keeper as secondary class)). Each type of magic has different playful advantages. Wind magic is used more often to control opponents (for example by paralysis or immobility), while fire magic does more damage. The magician can only wear cloth armor, so is not particularly protected against physical attacks, which is why he seeks distance from the enemy. Nevertheless, he has, among other things, abilities to immobilize his opponent or to create a magical shield around him. As a weapon, the magician uses one-handed or two-handed sticks, which give him a bonus to his magical attack power, but have little effect in close combat. In the second hand he can carry a talisman or dagger (with the villain as a secondary class). The magician's energy type is called mana, which can be increased through the attributes of intelligence and wisdom. Accordingly, the magician's spells use up a lot of mana. Since mana regeneration takes a long time, there are mana potions with immediate effects or restoration over a longer period of time.

Priest : The priest is primarily a healer and supporter (with the scout as a secondary class) (see group play and raids ); However, he also has damage spells, for which he is the only class to use the element water. Like the magician, the priest can only wear cloth armor and has mana as an energy type. In addition, however, he may use shields and striking weapons.

Knight : The Knight is the Tank class in Runes of Magic . He can wear the strongest armor (plate armor) and draws his power from mana. Typically, knights wear one-handed swords or hammers and a shield to bolster their defense, which is essential to a tank . But you can also carry two-handed swords and hammers. The attacks of the knight are not particularly strong, but like the priest he has several buffs (longer-lasting spells that increase attack power, for example).

Druid : The druid takes on the role of a priest among the elves and, like the latter, only wears cloth armor and a staff or a striking weapon. Most of his spells cost mana. Through these spells, however, he generates natural power with which he can cast even more powerful spells. It can both heal injuries and cause damage.

Keeper : The keeper is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter and is considered the guardian of nature. He can wield daggers, one-handed swords, one-handed axes and two-handed staves; From level 32 he can also fight with two-handed swords or axes. Instead of a shield, however, he may only wear a talisman and the knight's plate armor is also denied him, unless he has a second class warrior, so the keeper can also wear plate armor. For this he is able to summon strong nature spirits to accompany and support him.

Champion : As a tank, it can support the knight and cause area damage. He can use all weapons except bows and wear chain armor but no shield. He draws his strength from "anger", an energy that only builds up during a fight.

Warlock : He can deal dark damage from a distance and help other players with buffs. He can only protect himself with cloth armor, not with a shield.

people

Originally, only people (of both sexes) were playable in RoM . With the second chapter of the game from September 2009 players could also choose elves and with the fifth chapter from June 2012 also dwarves as game characters (as the only male sex only). The starting areas of the peoples are different:

People start in the pioneer settlement in the Howling Mountains.
Elves start on Elven Island.
Dwarves start in the Yrvandis Caves.

The following classes can be selected:

Classes
people	Keeper	champion	Druid	Sorcerer	warrior	Scouts	magician	priest	Knight	Villain
People					X	X	X	X	X	X
Elves	X		X		X	X	X			X
Dwarfs		X		X	X		X	X		X

The following restrictions apply to the choice of secondary classes:

Secondary classes
Primary classes	Keeper	champion	Druid	Sorcerer	warrior	Scouts	magician	priest	Knight	Villain
Keeper	-		X		X	X	X			X
champion		-		X	X		X	X		X
Druid	X		-		X	X	X			X
Sorcerer		X		-	X		X	X		X
warrior	X	X	X	X	-	X	X	X	X	X
Scouts	X		X		X	-	X	X	X	X
magician	X	X	X	X	X	X	-	X	X	X
priest		X		X	X	X	X	-	X	X
Knight					X	X	X	X	-	X
Villain	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	-

Numerous guides and tips (compiled by players) on the various class combinations are available in the official forum.

Player dwelling

In Runes of Magic , each character can have his or her own house available for free, in which you can store decorative furniture, chests for stowing objects or special furniture from the item shop that improve your TP or EP gain or professions . The house is only visible from the inside and is not located in the accessible play world. At times it was planned that a house would be usable for all characters of an account on one server, but currently each character still has its own house.

A housemaid is available in the living room, who allows the character to change primary classes or to open the bank. Since Chapter III - The Elder Kingdoms , you can buy more housemaids from a list and then change them at will. These housemaids offer the possibility, after individual education / training, to produce potions, food for the character or to work temporary buffs on him; Furthermore, this resident has a storage space function and a kind of clothes preview through textile items. All household helpers are free of real money. “Gardening” is also possible with various types of plants in order to be able to produce resources. The living space of the house can be extended by several floors and rooms, but this costs diamonds or playable Phirius tokens (→ # currencies ). You can even add entire floors to a house. It is also possible to rename your house against what is known as house energy and to set a password free of charge to prevent others from entering.

Game components

Regions

The action of Runes of Magic takes place in the game world Taborea . A very detailed prehistory was invented for this, which is divided into a creation by the god Ayvenas , prehistory, antiquity, dark times and a "new era". In recent times, known as the "Epoch of Great Discoveries," human civilization has expanded from the old continent of Kolydia to the new continent of Candara . This is where the game characters begin their adventure career.

Candara is shaped by several organizations that often act as clients of the characters by giving tasks ( quests ) to explore or secure wild areas. In addition to the “Eye of Wisdom”, the “Order of Dark Glory”, the “Silver Shade Adventurer's Guild” and “Ailic's Community” are of particular importance. The most important organization that these groups have to oppose with the help of the player characters is the secret society of the "Zurhidon". These are related to demons and offer their followers access to secret knowledge and power. The unscrupulous Zurhidon wear special robes and masks. They operate operating bases in most of the Candara regions.

The Candaras region, which is dedicated to training newly arrived adventurers, is called Howling Mountains . There the game begins in the pioneer settlement and continues in the village of Logar . The most important city of Candaras, Varanas , is located in the area of Silberquell to the north. It was built by the “Eye of Wisdom” in the form of a large, white cathedral at the beginning of the colonization of Candara around 120 years ago. The wooded Aslan valley in the west, in which the village of Silberfall is located, forms the transition to the wintry Ystra highlands . The regions mentioned are intended for increasingly experienced player characters with increasing difficulty. The Sascilia Steppe to the west and the snow-covered Dragon Tooth Mountains in the south are available for climbing the secondary level . The dust devil canyon in the north with the obsidian fortress located there and the eastern coastal region Rabenfeld , in which the “eye of wisdom” has to deal with the “black sail pirates”, have been designed for higher-level figures. The Lamentation Coast beyond Ravenfeld was introduced before Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy started . To the north are the Wild Lands , which can be reached via the Lamentation Coast or the Hall of Survivors to the north of Silberquell. Through the Great Barrier, which in the Wild Lands is, to get to the Aotulia volcano . Since Chapter III - The Elder Kingdoms you can get to the continent of Zandorya, where there are new areas to explore. These are called Thunderhoof Hills , Southern Janost Forest , Northern Janost Forest, and Limo Desert, and are designed for level 55 to 62 players. Since Chapter IV - Land of Despair , the areas of Land of Doom and the Red Hill Mountains for levels 62–65 have been added , as well as the Coast of Opportunity and Xaveria . The latter are intended for third grade training and offer level advancement up to level 50.

Dungeons

Dungeons are caves or buildings. There are two different types of dungeons in RoM:

Normal dungeons, in the form of persistent ones, which the player can freely enter and explore (including the outside areas).
Instanced dungeons, often also called instances , which are separated from the rest of the game world and intended for groups. To enter you have to step through a blue portal. As a rule, the instance is regenerated for each group, so that several identical instances exist at the same time. The exceptions are the "Bloody Gallery" ( Bloody Gallery ), the "Varanas Nightmare" ( Varanas Nightmare ) or "Dalanis Sewers" ( Dalanis Sewers ), which are indeed separated by instance portals, but by all groups or individual characters that they want to enter are shared.

Group game and raids

In RoM , it is often necessary to group together with some characters. A group consists of up to six players and can be expanded into a raid , which consists of a total of up to six groups, i.e. a maximum of 36 players. Groups are required for certain elite opponents (stronger than other opponents of the same level) and instances. Often, however, so-called level groups also come together, the aim of which is to complete quests together.

In groups or raids, each class has a special role. A distinction must be made between three roles: tank , healer / supporter and damage dealer .

As tank characters apply to the primary class knight, and some multiclass with the keeper or as a primary champion class, as they carry the strongest armor and can withstand most dealt damage by opponents because of their special skills. They try to contain the entire threat ( aggro ) of the computer opponents so that only they are attacked.

Healers are typically priests or druids in the primary class, as only they can resurrect dead characters. They heal their group members with special skills.

The warrior, villain, scout, magician and keeper classes can be summarized as damage dealers , as they can deal a lot of damage in a short time ( Damage per Second , DPS), but can withstand less than knights. However, the focus and style of play of the five damage dealer classes differ significantly from one another. For example, magicians can cause high area damage (AoE damage), while scouts and villains cause comparatively high instant damage (burst damage).

In addition, all classes have skills with which opponents can be controlled (crowd control), for example by stunning, inability to move (stun), silence (the opponent can no longer use skills).

List of some instances that can be carried out in groups or alone (solo runs): Abandoned Abbey (group (6): 25+, solo: 50+), tombs of mirrors (group (6): 40+, solo: 60+), Dalanis Sewers (Group (6): 55+, Solo: 65-70).

Guilds

A guild is an association of players for various reasons (for example, doing quests together, organizing raids, PvP or similar). In contrast to a group or a raid, a guild is geared towards long-term existence. The players organized in the guild have their own chat channel ("guild chat") available. A special feature of the guild system in Runes of Magic is that the guilds can move up ("level up") in levels similar to the players. For this purpose, fixed amounts of raw materials, guild runes or rubies (see currency ) must be collected and given to the guild. For example, higher-level guilds can accept more players. At a certain level, the guild can build its own guild castle. There are also useful NPCs inside . Helpful buildings, for example a training ground, rune towers (also called buffalo towers), an academy, a library or a stable, can be erected and / or upgraded by the guild paying a one-time price in gold, guild runes and raw materials. Only "active" buffer towers cost small ongoing fees. The castles are also warlike "upgradeable", z. B. other reinforcement. However, this only makes sense if you manage to register in the siege warfare registration phase below.

Siege war

A siege war (or guild battle) is when two guilds (mostly from different servers) meet on a special map. The goal here is to capture and secure all six towers distributed on the map. For a quick victory, it is an advantage to take the opposing guild castle, i.e. H. overcome the outer wall by tearing down the gates. After entering the castle, the inner castle gate must be destroyed. Then the opposing guild crystal can be captured to decide the battle for yourself.

The siege wars take place several times a day. The guilds must register in advance in order to participate in the siege wars. Guilds from different servers compete against each other. This game feature is in beta. Due to the many bugs in the siege war, a regular implementation is not to be expected.

Mounts

There is a wide variety of mounts such as horses, ostriches, tigers and other exotic and fantastic animals; most of them are available in different colors. Normal horses can be rented for either 15 minutes or two hours in all major towns and villages. In the item shop you can rent mounts for 7 or 30 days or buy them for permanent availability. Some special mounts are only available on special occasions. With mounts, the speed of movement in the game can be increased by 55 to 75 percent. Since patch 3.0.2 - Warnorkenburg there are also mounts on which two game characters can ride at the same time.

Currencies

There are seven different currencies in RoM:

Gold : Gold is the primary currency in Runes of Magic . Gold is used to pay for equipment repairs and to buy items from dealers or other players. Gold is obtained, among other things, as a reward for completed quests and by selling goods in the auction house or at dealers.

Diamonds : Diamonds can be purchased for money on the provider's website. Some time ago diamonds could also be traded with other players, but this option has been deactivated due to the gold seller problem. There is currently a diamond NPC where diamonds can be exchanged for gold. The rate is continuously adjusted (see #Currency exchangeability ).

Phirius tokens : For completing a task from the category of so-called daily quests, there are 10 (in exceptional cases 20) Phirius tokens as a reward, regardless of their severity. Phirius tokens form a separate currency for shopping in the item shop ; however, the range of goods for Phirius brands is limited compared to that for diamonds. In addition, Phirius tokens are also used as the “entry price” for various mini-games, including “Goblinmine” or “Malatina's survival game”. Each character can submit a maximum of 10 daily quests per day. However, you can buy a daily quest card for diamonds or phirius tokens , which allows you to submit another 10 daily quests.

Rubies : Rubies have been officially available since June 2009, however, due to a bug in certain transactions, they could already be purchased in the auction house. The selection of goods that can be purchased with rubies in the item shop differs in part from the offer for diamonds or phirius tokens. For a purchase with diamonds, the player receives a percentage of rubies displayed when purchasing the item.

(Old) Mementos : Old Mementos can be earned by killing bosses in the highest levels of the "Heart of the Ocean" instance. With old mementos and sometimes a sum of gold, you can purchase items from a special range of goods from certain dealers, the members of the “Black Codex”, who are in front of the instances or in the cities. These include various potions, which z. B. temporarily increase the attributes of the group or the player, as well as armor, jewelry and weapons.

Phirius mussels : The Phirius mussel currency was introduced with the release of Chapter IV and can only be obtained via mini-games such as the above-mentioned "Malatina survival game" and is therefore limited to a certain number per day. With this currency and a sum of gold you can buy armor parts from certain NPCs in the cities of Varanas and Dalanis, which are especially popular because of their high, random stats.

Energy of justice : From the zone "Tergothenbucht" you can get energy of justice for participating in the public battle . To do this, points must be collected at the public event. When a total of 6000 points is reached it ends and the energies of justice are distributed to the participants. These can be redeemed for pieces of armor.

Convertibility of currencies

At the beginning of 2010, the function of buying diamonds from other players via the auction house (trading house) was blocked due to the use of this transaction option by gold spammers (players who illegally sell the in-game currency gold for real money). At the end of November 2010, with the patch 3.0.6, a possibility to purchase diamonds without real money was made available again. This function was already adjusted with the patch 3.0.7 so that you could buy 15 diamonds a day. On September 25, 2012, with Patch 5.0.3, this number was reduced to 3 per day. At the same time, diamond trading in the auction house was made possible again. From January 15, 2013, diamonds could only be purchased in the auction house or for real money. On January 28, 2014, trading through the auction house was stopped again.

server

The operator of Runes of Magic provides two different server types that differ in terms of the rules and requirements of player versus player battles (PvP). Both server types have a reputation system adapted to these conditions. Since the open beta phase, the two largest German servers have been Laoch (PvE) and Aontacht (PvE), other German servers are Muinin (PvE), Tuath (PvE), Riocht (PvE), Ionsai (PvE), Cogadh (PvP ), Draiochta (PvE), Scabtha (PvE) and Dochas (PvE).

Since November 2015 there are only PvE servers. In addition, Scabtha (PvE) and Cogadh (PvP) were merged into Maidin (PvE).

Player vs. Environment

Player vs. Environment (short: PvE , German player against the environment ) can be practiced in RoM mainly in two ways: On the one hand, completing quests alone or in a group is a main element of the game, on the other hand, up to 36 players can play challenging dungeons together (see #Dungeons ) plunder. PvP is only possible on PvE servers under certain conditions: If both the attacker and the attacked want PvP, they can indicate this by activating their PvP status so that they are PvP flagged . On the other hand, fellow players can bechallengedto duels , which can, however, be refused at will and in which the opponents do not suffer any permanent damage. Third, organized individual or group fights are possiblein so-called arenas .

Player vs. Player

Player vs. Player (short: PvP , German player against player ) describes the battles between two or more players. Every player from level 15 who has completed a PvP introductory quest can attack any other player from level 15 on PvP servers (which are operated significantly fewer than PvE servers). In addition to the fight to the death, there is also the possibility of fighting duels, in which the fight is ended as soon as a player is close to death. If a player is killed in PvP, they will lose randomly selected items (excluding item shop items) from their current equipment and inventory (backpack). Special items from the item shop enable valuable equipment to be locked so that they are not lost. Similar to “equipment locks”, “equipment releases” for diamonds are also available.

Reputation system

An extensive reputation system in the form of “good and bad” is implemented. Each character starts with a reputation of 0 and is therefore neutral. With a positive reputation the player is “good” and with a negative reputation he is correspondingly “bad”. If a player kills another good or neutral player, he loses reputation points. If he kills an evil player (or a computer opponent outside of instances who is at least five levels higher), he gains reputation points. If the reputation increases, the player name slowly changes to blue in several stages, and if the reputation decreases it changes to red. If the reputation is badly negative, the player is attacked by the city guards. The two titles “demon” (absolutely evil) and “hero” (absolutely good) can be acquired in competitions. All players with either a positive or a negative reputation have special items available in the item shop.

Stage of development

Runes of Magic was in open beta from December 15, 2008 to March 18, 2009. The official release took place on March 19, 2009. The first published part is called Chapter I: Rise of the Demon Lord . At the same time, a box was brought onto the market containing, among other things, a special pet for the game character and a map of the game world Taborea.

On September 15, 2009, the first extensive expansion entitled Chapter II: The Elven Prophecy was released. This expanded the game with the new classes keeper and druid as well as the associated elves as a new playable race. The regions "Wilde Lande" and "Aotulia-Vulkan" as well as the "Elf Island", a starting area for elven characters, extend the play area Taborea to the north and east. On March 10, 2010 the beta phase of the siege wars of guild castles was introduced.

The second of the planned three parts of the 3rd expansion Chapter III: The Elder Kingdoms , Patch 3.0.1 - The Elder Kingdoms , was released on May 18, 2010. The game was expanded to include the area of Southern Janost Forest , while Thunderhoof Hills was in the wake of Patch 3.0.0 - The Call of the King had already been implemented on April 22nd; with these areas the new continent Zandorya was introduced. The maximum player level has been increased to 58 and some other innovations, such as set skills and an improved maid system, have been introduced. With Patch 3.0.2 - Warnorkenburg , a new companion system, two-seater mounts, two public events and the "Arena von Warnorken", an instance, were brought into play on July 1, 2010 . Since August 10, 2010 with Patch 3.0.3 - In the Depths of the Forest, the maximum achievable level for player characters was 60. The next part of the 3rd expansion was played on the server on August 11, 2010. Several hundred quests and the new Northern Janost Forest area were added. With the Treasures of the Desert patch on November 30, 2010, the level cap was increased to 62 and there was another new area called Limo Desert .

On April 5, 2011, the closed beta test for Chapter IV: Lands of Despair began . This chapter started on June 16. This introduced a freely selectable third class. Four new areas Coast of Opportunity , Xaviera , Land of Doom and Red Hill Mountains , two new instances Burg Grafu and Burg Sardo , as well as World Battlefields were added. The level cap has been increased to 67. On November 24th, the Tergothen Bay region and the instance of the Tomb of the Seven Heroes were added with the Patch Souls of the Past . The level cap has been increased to 70.

On June 12, 2012, Chapter V: Fires of Shadowforge was released. Among other things, a new race, the dwarves, and two new classes, the warlock and the champion, were introduced. The areas of Yrvandris and Rorazan , as well as the instances of the outskirts of Steel Rock and Eternal Circle were added to the game. The level cap has been increased to 72. On September 25, 2012, patch 5.0.3 Chrysalia's shadow added the new area Chrysalia and the new instance of the Kulech's Bone Nest . The level cap has been increased to 75. On January 29, 2013, Patch 5.0.7 added the Merdhin-Tundra zone and the Bedim instance . The level cap has been increased to 77.

On May 28, 2013 Gameforge announced that the future patches will not receive any new chapter numbers. However, this was revised again on August 10, 2015.

As of September 19, 2017, seven German-speaking servers were merged into three "new" ones in order to concentrate the reduced number of players and give the worlds more life.

Patch	date	new zone	new instance	Others	Upper level limit	source
6.0.0	4th June 2013	Syrbal Pass	Bethomia		80	Patch 6.0.0
6.0.2	September 10, 2013	Sarlo	Belathis fortress	new mini-game: Lyliya's Magical House	82	Patch Notes 6.0.2
6.0.6	February 25, 2014	Jammerförde	Grotto of horror		85	Patch Notes 6.0.6
6.1.0	June 10, 2014	Hortek jungle	Pillars of Morfan, Hall of the Earth		87	Patch Notes 6.1.0
6.2.0	December 16, 2014	Salioca Basin	Crypt of eternity		90	Patch Notes 6.2.0
6.3.0	19th May 2015	Kashaylan	Kashaylan Vault	Maximum level for gardening: 100	92	Patch Notes 6.3.0
6.4.0	23rd September 2015	Splinter Stream Coast	Bone tip		95	Patch Notes 6.4.0
6.5.6	May 9, 2016	Farsitan Hills	Lair of the Madro trolls, raven heart		97	Patch Notes 6.5.6
7.0.0	15th August 2016	Tasuq	Valley of the Rites		98	Patch Notes 7.0.0
7.1.0	March 25, 2017	Korris	Ice blade plateau		99	Patch Notes 7.1.0
7.2.0	28th September 2017	Enoch	Sun temple of eternal sleep		100	Lease notes 7.2.0

Awards

The game has won multiple awards including:

TenTonHammer Award for the "Best Free-to-Play MMORPG 2008"
Reader's Choice Best Crafting in an MMO 2009
Reader's Choice Best PvP MMO 2009
Reader's Choice Best Capacity for Roleplay 2009
Reader's Choice Best Free-to-Play MMO 2009
Reader's Choice Best Visuals / Graphics 2009
Reader's Choice Best MMO Studio 2009
Reader's Choice Best Launch 2009
Staff Choice Best Launch 2009
Reader's Choice Overall Best New MMO 2009
German developer award for the "Best international PC game 2009"
German developer award for the "Best Online Game 2010"
German developer award for the "Best Casual Game 2011"

Problems

safety

Due to a video on YouTube in 2010 it became known that user names and passwords were sent in clear text over the Internet. In the meantime, the encryption has been converted to SSL . It is recommended that players with an existing account change their password. At the beginning of November there was a global password reset with which every player received new complex passwords for every login area (game, web account, forum). Since then, when changing passwords, there has to be a certain complexity (at least one lowercase and uppercase letter and one number with at least 8 characters). Since the end of January 2011, the secondary password is also required to log into the game.

Legal

The Federation of German Consumer Organizations saw an advertising campaign for the item shop as an impermissible purchase request to children and in 2009 sued the then operator Frogster. After the Berlin Regional Court and the Court of Appeal initially dismissed the complaint, the Federal Court of Justice approved the appeal on July 17, 2013. The advertising, which "is linguistically characterized by the consistent use of direct addressing in the second person singular and predominantly child-typical terms including common anglicisms", was aimed specifically at children. Gameforge appealed against the default judgment .

The judgment met with criticism, as the BGH did not provide any further reasons why it regarded the address with you, which is generally not uncommon on the Internet, and the use of a few anglicisms as "typical for children".

Novels about the game

Shareena - Legenden Taboreas by Michael T. Bhatty , ISBN 3-8332-2046-5 , is the first official novel for Runes of Magic and was published in March 2010 by Panini Verlag . On April 12, 2011, the second official Runes of Magic novel, Asiya - Legends Taboreas , which was also written by Michael T. Bhatty, was published. Another book is currently in the works, The Community Novel Volume 1 - In the Shadow of the Mask , which is written exclusively by the community. It is not yet known whether a printed edition of this book will appear. Michael T. Bhatty's third Runes of Magic novel Iszma was published in July 2012.

Web links

Official Runes of Magic website

Individual evidence

↑ Official release date . At: forum.runesofmagic.com.

↑ Installation & first steps ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . On: runesofmagic.com.

↑ nnnn are the four-digit numbers of the subversion that change every 1 to 2 weeks due to smaller patches.

↑ See the background reports on Frogster's work on Runes of Magic: Sören Kittel: Monster, Elfen und Piraten . On: morgenpost.de, August 21, 2009; Video “Runes of Magic” - Behind the Scenes ( Memento from August 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ). On: welt.de, August 17, 2009.

↑ Runes of Magic: Open Beta of the online role-playing game reaches 300,000 players . On: PCGames.de, January 8, 2009.

↑ Milestone: 4 million players! Retrieved August 22, 2010 from runesofmagic.com.

↑ Exemplary Axel Schmidt: “ [W] e will take care that this system won't harm the balance in the game. All players who don't buy items should be able to enjoy the game alike without constraints. ”Quoted from: Daniel Etherington: Runes of Magic. Hands on . On: eurogamer.net , September 30, 2008, p. 2, last accessed on February 20, 2010.

^ Fruit of oblivion . On: runesofmagic.com, August 14, 2009.

↑ Overview of the classes . On: runesofmagic.com.

↑ ^a ^b Chapter II - The Elven Prophecy . Announcement on runesofmagic.com, June 4, 2009.

↑ The Kingdom of the Dwarfs!

↑ Class combinations ( Memento of the original from May 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ ^a ^b Cf. revised world map Taborea . Retrieved July 16, 2009 from runesofmagic.com.
↑ The Gildenburg is here! On: runesofmagic.com, March 10, 2009.
↑ Two-seat mounts since patch 3.0.2 . Retrieved August 22, 2010 from runesofmagic.com.
↑ ^a ^b Explanation: Diamanten NSC Diamanten-Handel ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. As of November 30, 2010@1@ 2

↑ The ruby shop is open . On: runesofmagic.com, June 18, 2009.

↑ Diamanten Handel: Feedback ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; As of December 8, 2010@1@ 2

↑ Diamond trade with patch 5.0.3

↑ Deactivation of the diamond NPCs ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ Shutdown of diamond trading through the auction house
^ Runes of Magic News: Siege Wars , accessed March 14, 2010.
↑ In the depths of the forest ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ Chapter III: The Elder Kingdoms
↑ Details on Chapter IV Closed Beta
↑ Starting the game Chapter IV
↑ Souls of the Past - Patch 4.0.5
↑ Patch 5.0.0 - Fires of Shadowforge ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ Patch 5.0.3 - Chrysalia's shadow ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ Patch 5.0.7 - MerdhinTundra ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ The chapters end, the story begins ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ Runes of Magic - An update. August 10, 2015, accessed August 10, 2015 .
↑ http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/leipzig08/awards/
↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/07/runes-of-magic-wins-nine-awards-in-massivelys-readers-choice-and-staff-choice-awards-2009/
↑ http://www.gamesteady.com/runes-of-magic-wins-nine-awards-in-readers-choice/
↑ http://www.mmog-welt.de/onlinegames/3315-bestes-internationales-pc-spiel-2009-runes-of-magic/
↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
↑ http://www.gamestar.de/news/branche/2562838/deutscher_entwicklerpreis_2011.html/
↑ Improvement of account security ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. On: forum.runesofmagic.com, September 27, 2010.@1@ 2

↑ Account security measures with patch 3.0.8 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. On: forum.runesofmagic.com, January 26, 2011.@1@ 2

↑ BGH, default judgment of July 17, 2013 - I ZR 34/12, MIR 2014, Doc. 013 - Runes of Magic

↑ Duzen problematic: Gameforge appeals against BGH judgment. heise.de, January 9, 2014, accessed on February 2, 2014 .

↑ Konstantin Ewald, Felix Hilgert: BGH: Runes of Magic reasoning for the judgment is available - a critical appraisal. Online.Spiele.Recht, January 3, 2014, accessed February 2, 2014 .

↑ Community Novel - Book 1 - In the shadow of the mask ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2

[Off._Erscheinungsdatum-1] Official release date . At: forum.runesofmagic.com.