I’m seriously thinking about permanently hanging up my sword belt in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Ragnarok Online. What the hell for? Well, I’ve realized that I’m getting too old for this game.
Not.
Actually, I’m just a little flustered after a few hours of playing my merchant TikaWaylan on Valkyrie, the free-to-play server of Ragnarok Online Philippines. Oh, yeah, she’s now a blacksmith. Damn job change quest!
The source of my frustration is, as you may have already guessed, the Blacksmith job change quest. The Merchant job change quest is a walk in the park compared to that of the Blacksmith.
Nah. …read more

Talk about timing. Just as I was gearing up to put in some serious gaming time in the 2D massively multiplayer online role-playing game hit Ragnarok Online, the local publisher announced a new update, Ash Vacuum.
The update, which was launched on August 5, 2009, on the Philippine server of Ragnarok Online, promises great features, including new maps, monsters, guild dungeons, and a quest to gain one of two godly items, Asprika and Brynhild.
Oooh, where to start. Let’s begin by checking out the description and stats of the new godly items.
Asprika is a garment just like your basic hood and muffler. …read more

Don’t mind the title, folks. It’s not a new promotion of any online game publisher to get new players to patronize Ragnarok Online again. The title actually pertains to a bet I have made with my brother-in-law Jake as to whose character can reach Level 99 in the Philippine server of Ragnarok Online the fastest.
At the moment, my toon, Brighid, is ahead by four levels, 29 to 25, to Jake’s character, `Sugo. I guess mages level at a more decent rate than swordsmen. Or maybe our choice of training spots make the difference. My preferred training ground is mjolnir_09, which …read more

Most players of the current generation of massively multiplayer online role-playing games might view a return to Ragnarok Online as old school. Yes, Ragnarok Online may be that, really old in terms of online games, but it still manages to draw hundreds of players into its fold, especially in Asia, where the game was born.
What piqued my renewed interest in the game was Ragnarok Online Philippines’ Ultimate Game Guide, which features everything a player needs to know about the game, from characters to stat and skill builds to handy charts that clue you in on what monsters to hunt.

So with …read more

You can spot them a mile away—fans of the classic tabletop role-playing game Advanced Dungeons and Dragons may be a rarity in the virtual worlds of MMORPGs, but if you’re one, you’ll know one.
Yes, as I’ve said countless times in the past, I’m a fan both of tabletop RPGs and massively multiplayer online RPGs. Despite spending hours upon hours of rolling dice, taking down notes, and pumping my mind to produce images and play out scenarios, I find the allure of playing tabletop role-playing games nearly irresistible. It’s too bad I don’t get to play anymore, since most of my …read more

Ahhh, that’s the beauty of publishing on the Internet as opposed to print and broadcast media—publicity works both ways. I am both surprised and honored that MMOtaku (yes, that’s the blog you’re reading now) has been featured on the website of Perfect World Philippines.
Here’s a(n edited) screenshot:

Of course, I have my friends up at Level Up! Games, local publisher of Perfect World, to thank for posting a nifty thumbnail, brief blog description, and a link to MMOtaku on the game’s website. I’d like to extend gratitude particularly to Chino Yray, the ineffable GM SamHok, the beautiful Marjo, also known as …read more

Whew! What a year! Indeed, it’s been one hell of a ride for me and, hopefully, for MMOtaku’s loyal followers. What started out as a mote of light in fellow b5media Technology Channel blogger Jayvee Fernandez’s brilliant mind is now a good—not yet great (that has yet to come)—source of news for massively multiplayer online games in Asia and those made in Asia.
First off, I’d like to thank MMOtaku’s avid readers, those who visit the blog every day, those who come and go for a dose of MMORPG news, reviews and what-have-yous, and those who have dropped in just to …read more

Okay. Right after this I’m gonna stop writing about Level Up! Live because it’s making me a bit sick. Find out why here.
Anyway, overall, it’s been an amazing event, what with all the powerpacked competitions that occurred. Let’s count ‘em: Ragnarok World Championships, RF Online Novus Elite Squad, Perfect World Phoenix Council Wars, Fly For Fun Heroes of the Dragon Emblem, and Freestyle All Stars ‘08.
That’s five online games and five competitions, with the Ragnarok World Champions topping the list because it’s on a global scale, with a dozen teams from 20 different countries. Whew!
Sigh. To wrap up, I’m here …read more

Yes, sad, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve been looking forward to attending—and covering, to a certain extent for both print and online media—the much-awaited online event in the Philippines, and when it finally starts, my butt’s stuck in a town 900 or so kilometers from the venue. Don’t you just hate budget constraints?
Fortunately, Level Up! Games, the local online games operator and publisher that first introduced massively multiplayer online games in the Philippines through Ragnarok Online and OzWorld, has prepared well for the event, encouraging players who know how to blog to write live from the Level Up! Live venue. …read more

I came across this wonderful animated gif while browsing through the Ragnarok Online Philippines forums. It features two characters from the hit MMORPG, a novice and an acolyte, talking to each other. In the latter part of the animation, the female acolyte, in a puff of smoke, changes into a red spandex-clad superhero (heroine).
In my little corner of the globe, the heroine our little acolyte changes into is known as Darna, the local version of Wonder Woman and Supergirl rolled into one, with the help of a magical stone that Ding, the role being played by the male novice, hands …read more