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Runes of Magic

A free MMO whose ingenuity does little more than simply streamline what weve seen elsewhere.
Runes of Magic Game Cover
61%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, optimization
64% User Score Based on 617 reviews
Critic Score 53%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Runes of Magic Game Cover

About

Runes of Magic is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with fantasy, mystery and historical themes. It was developed by Runewaker Entertainment and was released on August 29, 2018. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Runes of Magic (RoM) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by the Taiwanese developer Runewaker Entertainment and adapted for the English and German-speaking market by German company Frogster Interactive. Frogster has also opened servers for France, Spain, Poland, Italy, and Australia as well as servers dedicated to the European Union. After going through an open b…

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64%
Audience ScoreBased on 617 reviews
story16 positive mentions
grinding17 negative mentions

  • Unique and deep dual-class system allows for extensive character customization and hybrid builds.
  • Good amount of content including quests, dungeons, crafting, guild events, housing, and a diverse world to explore.
  • Free to play with the option to enjoy most content without spending money, supporting casual and dedicated players alike.
  • Persistent technical issues including frequent crashes, memory leaks, and lag, especially in large cities or busy areas.
  • Heavy pay-to-win elements that impact endgame progression and PvP, with many expensive cash shop items required for competitive play.
  • Declining player base leading to difficulty finding groups and a sense of a 'dead' or low population game.
  • story
    81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story offers a large variety of quests and a rich, expansive lore appreciated by casual and PvE players, though it often suffers from repetitive fetch quests, vague or buggy quest instructions, and occasional technical issues that hinder immersion. While some players enjoy the unique class-combination mechanics and specific story arcs, others find the narrative mundane, underdeveloped, or difficult to follow due to unclear quest guidance and pacing problems. Overall, the story experience is mixed, balancing enjoyable quest chains and lore depth with frustrations over quest design and execution.

    • “Only reason I play it still is good story and rich of quests.”
    • “The game has a rich storyline if you bother to actually read the quests; the triple-class system allows you to have three classes on your character in general and two classes simultaneously, which adds new skills and sometimes new mechanics to the main class; the graphics are dated, but unique and charming; tons of things to do besides questing: crafting, gardening, events, daily mini-games, monster cards, guild wars; a relationship system rewarding you with buffs if you play regularly with friends; responsive community and game support.”
    • “If you are a PvE player, then this game has everything you could ever ask for; quests are engaging and fun, lore is abundant, expansive, and informative.”
    • “The story is like it’s written by a five-year-old.”
    • “The story became mundane and lacked depth at times.”
    • “So after I got done with the basic tutorial or so it seems, I can’t even find out where the main quest is or if there is one at all.”
  • graphics
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in this game are widely considered outdated and reminiscent of older MMORPGs like early World of Warcraft, with many reviewers describing them as dated but occasionally charming or nostalgic. While some praise the art style and character customization, others note frequent crashes and performance issues, especially on higher settings, limiting smooth gameplay. A graphical update is commonly suggested to improve visual appeal and stability, but the core gameplay and depth often overshadow the aging visuals for dedicated players.

    • “Graphics are actually okay (I was expecting that would be a problem). I was surprised the dwarves had quite funny and cool character creation. The hair textures are really well painted and the faces, haircuts, and beards had a lot of variety, and I could use all of it (none of it was bad). You could even customize body!”
    • “There's 4K resolution support and a range of graphics tweaks, so despite the age the game runs well enough, if it does look a little like a game from 2 decades ago.”
    • “Has beautiful graphics.”
    • “The graphics are awful and the sound is bad.”
    • “The graphics quality is about what you would expect from a game from 20 years ago, yet it lags constantly, as the server seems to give the client frequent hiccups.”
    • “The graphics are, above all else, thoroughly uninteresting and almost completely without personality.”
  • gameplay
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay is generally praised for its deep, classic MMO mechanics, including a unique dual/triple class system, engaging quest lines, crafting, housing, and pet features that offer variety and depth. However, complaints highlight dated graphics, confusing interfaces, frequent crashes, technical issues, and a dwindling player base that detracts from the overall experience. While the game holds nostalgic value and complexity for longtime fans, new players may find its mechanics less accessible and the gameplay repetitive.

    • “One of the best classic WoW-like F2P MMORPGs with most things you'd want and expect from the genre, plus some very fun mechanics.”
    • “The quest lines are great and the mechanics are nice.”
    • “Interesting crafting system (runes!), great multi-class (dual/triple) character progression, housing system, pets, mounts, guild wars... I think the gameplay aged surprisingly well, there's always something new to do or discover.”
    • “I think they should have made the game a bit more user friendly; it lacks good gameplay explanations and sometimes locating characters or key items can be a bit confusing.”
    • “Because you'll crash if you teleport within a few minutes or less; you'll spend more time reloading the client and relogging than actual gameplay.”
    • “Judging by the description and how it actually looks, it's an awesome looking game that can work on lower end PCs; however, its servers are deserted, the gameplay mechanics are hard to understand, inventory management and menus are confusing, the combat system and camera control both suck; with no players around to help new ones, it becomes annoying, making the game no longer worth playing.”
  • music
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music is widely praised for being immersive, relaxing, and memorable, often considered one of the game's standout features. Many players highlight the orchestral soundtrack as a major positive, even recommending listening to it independently of the game. However, some mention that sound balance between music and effects may require manual adjustment.

    • “The game's soundtrack and sound effects perfectly complement the atmosphere.”
    • “One of the best game OST ever.”
    • “The only redeeming qualities I can think of are the incredible orchestral music and the dual class system, which is pretty interesting because each class combo actually has a special set of exclusive spells, affected by the class order (mage/warrior differs from warrior/mage).”
    • “The sound balance is way off, meaning music, atmospheric, and combat sounds have to be adjusted manually to be somewhat balanced.”
    • “This is one of my favorite soundtracks, but I suggest listening directly to the music because the game it's bundled with is terrible.”
    • “Also the Spellforce 2 music I can listen to while being in the game... another nostalgia which funnily was a complete coincidence that these two are my most prominent games I played in the past.”
  • grinding
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is a significant and time-consuming aspect, with players often facing long, repetitive farming sessions for gear, leveling, and rare drops like monster cards, which have frustratingly low RNG rates. While the grind can feel tedious and daunting, especially for reaching peak levels or upgrading equipment, it is balanced by diverse activities and rewarding gameplay for those willing to invest the effort. Overall, grinding caters to players who enjoy classic MMO mechanics but may be discouraging for new or casual players due to its intensity and required dedication.

    • “Absolutely ridiculous RNG drop rate percentage on monster cards: I spent 9 hours farming one boss, even using 15 free 15-minute luck drop potions, and still got nothing.”
    • “Upgrading equipment either through refining gems or the arcane transmutor is just not worth it and takes too much grinding in the case of the arcane transmutor.”
    • “Going from peak level 0 to peak level 1 takes over a month of non-stop mob grinding, making it nearly impossible for new or returning players to catch up.”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from poor optimization, including data leaks, frequent crashes, and performance issues such as stuttering and frame drops even on newer PCs. It lacks 64-bit support and ongoing developer maintenance, making it generally unplayable and inefficient on modern hardware. Users recommend alternative titles with better optimization for a smoother experience.

    • “Perfect with low PC performance, this is really a good game!”
    • “No surprise there because of how old the game is and how unlikely it's optimized for modern 64-bit hardware.”
    • “Rom isn't optimized in the slightest with data leak related crashes, but if you're looking for a free alternative for the natural aspect of tab-style MMORPGs, Rom will absolutely scratch your itch.”
    • “I can't recommend this game... the requirements say one thing, but you can't actually run it smoothly on max graphics on newer PCs... I experienced a lot of stuttering and frame drops for no reason.”
    • “Heck, for 99% of the game's lifespan it was almost unplayable because of crashes due to absolutely appalling optimization.”
  • stability
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and long-standing glitches that remain unresolved. Technical problems and a buggy experience heavily impact gameplay, although some players still find it enjoyable despite these flaws.

    • “There are glitches that have existed for years, and PvP is basically dead save for siege war.”
    • “5 PC freezes, multiple game crashes, and I needed to repair the game three times before I could start it.”
    • “The game suffers from technical glitches that never seem to get fixed, and customer support could be much better than it currently is.”
  • monetization
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's monetization is heavily criticized for being overly aggressive and cash grab-focused, often hindering the enjoyment and feeling predatory rather than optional. While some players still find the core gameplay enjoyable, many are frustrated by expensive in-game stores, non-cosmetic microtransactions, and problematic refund policies. Overall, the monetization model is seen as a major drawback compared to other games.

    • “This game here is just a low effort cash grab.”
    • “Plus, it's published by Gameforge and as a Gameforge game, it has a very expensive in-game store backed by very predatory monetization schemes.”
    • “The microtransactions aren't just cosmetics.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its charming graphics, abundant exploration areas, and a relaxing, player-paced experience supported by frequent events. However, sound issues such as imbalance and gradual fading of effects can detract from immersion, despite the soundtrack and effects generally complementing the mood well. Overall, the atmosphere is engaging but occasionally hampered by audio inconsistencies.

    • “The game's soundtrack and sound effects perfectly complement the atmosphere.”
    • “Every area is so atmospheric, with plenty of areas to explore and level up. The game is chill, allowing you to play at your own tempo, and the events are practically daily, so you never run out of things to do.”
    • “The graphics are old but still very charming, contributing to the unique and immersive atmosphere.”
    • “The sound would start to go missing footsteps, spells, mobs, ambient, atmosphere; this would just gradually fade away.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the humor aspect enjoyable, particularly appreciating the quirky and amusing character customization options and the fun social interactions during gameplay. The presence of humorous minigames adds to the lighthearted experience, though frequent crashes and related player bans introduce some unintended irony.

    • “I met some funny dudes, spent some great evenings sitting on Teamspeak, talking and meeting several people.”
    • “It has a guild system, you have your own house and you can build your own castle that you can upgrade with in-game resources to get buffs for your character and funny minigames that give points that you can invest in more equipment.”
    • “The dwarves had quite funny and cool character creation; the hair textures are really well painted and the faces, haircuts, and beards had a lot of variety—all of which could be customized.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players found the game emotionally impactful, with moments that evoke strong feelings such as sadness, particularly when significant characters face tragic events.

    • “I cried when my hero was killed.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Runes of Magic offers strong replayability through its versatile dual-class system, customizable player housing, and extensive endgame content, standing out favorably among similar MMOs.

    • “Compared to similar MMOs, Runes of Magic offers solid replay value with its versatile dual-class system, customizable player housing, and extensive endgame content.”
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3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Runes of Magic is a open world role playing game with fantasy, mystery and historical themes.

Runes of Magic is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Runes of Magic.

Runes of Magic was released on August 29, 2018.

Runes of Magic was developed by Runewaker Entertainment.

Runes of Magic has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked Runes of Magic for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Runes of Magic is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Atlantica Global, Allods Online, TERA, Anarchy Online, Ashes of Creation and others.