Runescape is an unmatched example among MMORPGs. Although more than 20 years have passed since the first version of the game, it is still developed and, unlike many other such productions, it is difficult to get bored here.
In terms of popularity, the game had to acknowledge the superiority of Tibia, which did not look very attractive. However, in my opinion Runescape was and still is in every way a better production. Today I will discuss why it is worth playing the oldschool version (there is also Runescape 3). On the screens you can see the game with 117 HD plugin installed, which improves the graphics quality.
1.) 23 Skills - Among them we have skills related to fighting, item crafting, alchemy, fishing, cooking, farming, creating title runes, setting up your own house, mining, and even hunting and making fire. There is a minimum level 99 in each skill, which requires hours of play. Maxing out all the levels is not hours, but years of grinning and defeating monsters.
2.) Thousands of possibilities - We can train, for example, train mining, and then from the acquired fossils create armor or helmets, which is also a separate skill. While from cut wood (Woodcutting) we will create a bow (Fletching), which will allow us to hunt monsters (Ranged and Slayer)
3.) More than 150 unique quests - while many RPGs offer us quests like "kill 100 skeletons and come back", in Runescape each quest creates a gameplay storyline. We'll read hundreds of dialogues, help a lot of NPCs and overcome a lot of puzzles, which are difficult to solve without a tutorial. This is a typically old-school game, which does not lead by the hand. The plot is sometimes delightful and I can safely say that some quests are on the level of those in The Witcher or a good fantasy series. Quests are worth doing because thanks to them we discover...
4.) Huge world - the game map is huge and full of mysteries. However, the one you see below is just the surface. The underworld of Runescape hides many dangers and a lot of exp to get! In addition, there are plenty of rivers, where we will train fishing, mines (mining) and forests, from which we can get wood.
5.) No character class - You don't have to choose whether you want to be a mage, archer or warrior. You can gain skills in a variety of battle skils. When you get tired of walking around with a sword, you grab your wand and with the help of dozens of spells eliminate monsters. It is definitely worth betting on different skills.
6.) No Pay 2 Win - you can play for free in a limited version of the game, which is enough for many hours of fun. An optional small subscription unlocks access to a larger world, new quests and skills. If you don't want to pay, you can buy the subscription with money earned in-game. It can be time consuming, however, it can be done! My friend cut some wood, sold it and it worked. It is worth mentioning that at later stages of the game you can earn real money and sell items on auction sites.
7.) An amazing community - Despite the years Runescape is alive and well! Here you can meet players at every turn and have a chat while fishing. Players associate into clans, and at the time of writing this post (2:42 am) 7 of my clansmen are active. Some of them after reaching level 99 of a given skill do drop parties, giving away valuable items to others. Moreover, the community creates a lot of useful mods supported by Runelite client, which is a more convenient alternative to steam or mobile version of the game.
8.) Brilliant music - Excellent music is played during the game. It was created back in the days of the Midi format, but of course now sounds much better. Today you can play it on Spotify and even buy it on vinyl.
https://open.spotify.com/album/75cteI9yLXTEZGJQhOvQJF
9.) It's hard to get bored here - I've been playing Runescape for 15 years on various accounts, and yet I don't know everything about this game. The production is massive and updates are still being made. Hundreds of items, monsters, various bosses and quests. All this makes the game very interesting and encourages to play at every step.
10.) PVP - For fans of Player vs Player games, the excitement is guaranteed here. You can head into the Wilderness, where players can fight each other and the loser drops equipment often worth millions. Still not enough excitement? Create an account in Hardcore Ironman mode, where you only have one life.
11.) It works on any computer - the game has very low hardware requirements, but you can enable the mentioned plugin to make it look much better.
I encourage everyone to play the game that shaped me as an RPG enthusiast :)