Everybody loves Freebies

The early levels in Rohan are very fast paced - the optional tutorial alone will take players up to level 8 and provide helpful gear. It is highly recommended you complete the tutorial as although it is not so helpful in information, the rewards received upon successful completion most definitely are. The only problem with the generous tutorial is that it makes all other beginner quests in the starting areas worthless. After leaving the tutorial, it’s far more efficient to skip all the level 1-8 quests and simply grind until you are eligible for the higher level quests.

Making the Right Choice

Rohan provides a button on the interface that gives players information on nearby quests; players can then use the excellent map to locate NPC quest givers. Each character gains 1 skill point and 4 stat points per level. The six stats in Rohan are: STR, INT, AGI, DEX, VIT, and Psyche (magic resist and max mana). Each class has a unique skill tree whereby new moves are unlocked by putting points in earlier skills. This tree structure allows members of the same class to specialize in various ways. Upon reaching level 50, players can choose between two second jobs.

Once players reach level 30, they are open targets in all but a few safe zones. Rohan does place some penalties for excessive PKing - like if a player is found murdering more than 5 players per hour they are designated as murderers and not allowed into town for an extended period of time. This is obviously meant to restrict higher level characters from picking off new players continuously, how well it works however still remains to be seen. At higher levels, players can also participate in guild scale PvP battles for control of towns which is adds much to the ‘end-game’ content.

A Happy Medium

Outside of combat, Rohan has several bonus features that are usually only found in pay to play games. For example, players can fish or play a card game, raise pets, and ride mounts. As I mentioned earlier, the early levels progress rapidly in Rohan though the grind kicks in considerably once you reach the mid teens and with a max level of at least 100, the grind is there to stay.

Rohan is not as ‘hardcore’ as Lineage 2 in terms of PvP and grinding, and not quite as ‘casual’ as World of Warcraft - but is instead a great combination of the two. You’ll never forget that Rohan is a Korean MMORPG, with all the grind that goes with that distinction, but its certainly more playable and enjoyable than many of its cousins. Rohan is not ground breaking but an improvement over its predecessors and well worth playing. 3.5/5 – Definitely worth a try.

Review Cody Hargreaves
October 10, 2009