NosTale or "The Tale of Nomads of Silver Spirit" is a simple fantasy mmorpg originally released in Korea in 2006. Recently, two English language servers have been published for NosTale and this may cause some confusion. The two publishers are; GameForge (UK license) and Servex (Global license.) Both servers are nearly identical but I've linked to the Global version for the sake of simplicity. If you have friends who play NosTale, be sure to ask them which of the two services they play on.

NosTale is a much more casual game than the average MMORPG. Character creation is simple; players chose their gender and one of two hair styles. After a brief cut scene, players find themselves in the beginner town and are guided via NPC dialogue through the tutorial. Experience gain is rapid during the early levels and like several other Korean games, there are two different levels in NosTale. The primary level is called 'Combat Level' while the second is called 'Job Level.' New players begin the game as the Adventurer class but will soon qualify to transfer to one of the three primary classes: Swordsman, Archer, or Sorcerer. Later, players can job change into various other classes through the use of special cards found by questing.

Combat and movement in NosTale is handled with the mouse while skills, potions and abilities are set to hotkeys on the keyboard. One great feature in NosTale is the ability to catch and train pets. Pets you catch fight along side you and can even be controlled separately. Though you can only have one pet with you at a time, the others you catch can be kept in your 'mini land' (more on that later.) Players also have the option of hiring a 'Nosmate' which is an NPC that levels up and can even be equipped. NosTale has plenty of quests to keep the grind moving. The main quest line is broken up into 4 Acts, each of which is quite length. Each Act in NosTale has multiple special instanced missions called 'Time Stones.' These stones are littered across the game world and clicking on one will take you into the instance. These missions can be completed alone or with a group. These Time Stones are useful and add content but I found their design repetitive.

NosTale may be a simple game on the outside but it does have its share of features. Every player has a special zone called their 'mini-land' where their captured pets roam and where they can construct houses and other buildings. Players can open private shops, and form families (guilds.) Surprisingly, NosTale also has a PvP element to it. By drinking a 'battle potion' a player leaves himself open to attack from others and there are scheduled PvP events around the clock. Lastly, NosTale has several raid zones which involve 15 person groups. Lastly, families with high level members gain access to special dungeons with level 70+ bosses which drop rare loot. NosTale is easy on the eyes and can be played by both casual and more dedicated gamers. There's something in here for everyone so be sure to give it a try.