FREE alternative WoW: Runes of Magic
Runes of Magic
I jumped into WoW when it was pretty new. I loved it and I played for a very long time. However, I just could not justify the 15$ a month for the service. I felt I needed to get my money’s worth, so a lot of time was devoured playing WoW. I also felt that if I was paying 15$ a month, I should not have paid 40$ (or close to that) for the software and updates / expensions should be free.
Yes, I am cheap.
Despite the fact that it takes an amazing force to pry a penny out of my clutches, I recently had the urge to get back into WoW. I kept resisting, but the Wrath of the Lich King was calling me. I almost caved. I saved up some cash and was ready to pay for 6 months up-front. Then, a game called Runes of Magic was mentioned in one of my favorite podcasts, Totally Rad Show. They said it was a free alternative to WoW! I did not expect it to be as good as WoW (being free), but I thought I would give it a shot.
An initial 3.5GB download for the client, plus a hefty update after the install made me doubt my decision. Once the software was installed, it took some “beyond the average user” skills to get the game going. I had to open firewall ports (which was expected), but then I had to make some strange entries into the config file. After the long, painful struggle, the game was finally installed and I was ready to make a character.
You can choose classes, but not races. This is not terrible but since the character customization is limited, everyone starts looking pretty similar. The nice thing that RoM offers that WoW lacks is a dual-class system. Once you are level 10, you can take on a second class and utilize their strengths. The quests are fun and overall it is a close, almost knock-off, version of WoW.
The servers are very responsive, but there is more down-times than WoW. Since it was free, I expected ads all over the place. I have been playing for quite some time and I have yet to see an ad. I think the way they make money is buy selling diamonds in the game. You can purchase diamonds which are used as currency to gain access to some upper level equipment. However, I have not spent a penny and I do not feel like I have been cheated out of any experiences.
Another thing I was worried about was the quality of players in the realm with me. Since it was free, would it be filled with punks? I have not been bullied or messed with at all since I have been playing. In fact, I have been treated very well by the other players.
If you are looking for a WoW game without the investment, this is right up your alley. Since I have started playing, I have not had any regrets with my decision to take a pass on the costly WoW.
Download and install RoM today!
Here is the Wiki, which is quite handy!
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