Although you could quite easily say the MMO Industry has more than enough fantasy MMORPGs as it is, it's always a nice surprise to see one released that is of high quality and free to play. Rohan is exactly that, and is so largely successful due to just how high quality it really is. In many cases, it's a better choice than a large number of the subscription MMOs, and as baffling as that may seem it's truly great to see.

Hungry for Blood
There are 6 races in the world of Rohan but unfortunately each race is also a single class, and since each race has its own starting area it's sad to see so much wasted content. Add to this the very limited appearance customization and what you have are starting zones filled will identical looking players of the same race and class. Luckily things change later on as PvP and more difficult monsters require a blend of classes to overcome. With that said, the six Races/Classes are: Human Knight, Elf Healer, Half Elf Archer, Dhan Assassin, Dekan Fighter, and Dark Elf Mage. Most of these races/classes should sound familiar to RPG veterans but the Dhan Assassins warrant further explanation. Unlike the other races, Dhan's cannot group or do quests. Instead, they gain experience by killing other players and specialize at PvP.

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.