Ranking fantasy games

RAID: Shadow Legends is a free to play fantasy MMO with strong RPG elements. Developed by Plarium, it puts players in control of their party of hero characters in combat.

At the game's core is the PvE progression in which you'll embark on story campaigns, dungeons and faction wars in order to level up your heroes and give them better gear.
Combat is turn-based, complex enough to keep it stimulating on the long run, but also easy to grasp for beginners.

You'll recruit new heroes over time (there are hundreds of them!), each one with its own strenghts and weaknesses that can be enhanched\mitigated through the use of artifacts, potions, glyphs and other items.
Only those who will understand how to maximize the potential of their champions will be able to climb the rankings in the PvP arena, the ultimate objective for the advanced player.

RAID features very good visuals: all of the in-game artworks (characters, locations, items, etc..) are beautiful, and this contributes a lot to the lore and atmosphere of the game.

Overall, RAID is a very good and fun MMORPG.
Plarium was known for making top-notch, though ordinary, strategy browser-games... with RAID, they markedly upped their ambitions. While it does feature some of the mechanics typical of the company's browser-based titles (like the Bastion to grow your hub), its core lies in the brand-new RPG elements of turn-based combat and heroes collection, which is where the real fun begins for MMORPG lovers.

➔ Main points:

• Free to play party-based MMORPG that's fun and visually pleasing.
• Hundreds of unique hero characters with individual skills and combat animations.
• A combination of strategy and RPG turn-based combat mechanics.
• Extremely popular title with active playerbase (also on mobile platforms).
• Simple for beginners, but can become really tactical for hardcore gamers.

Wizard101 is a free to play and family friendly MMO that puts players in the shoes of a wizard. In the graphically pleasing world of Spiral, players will use magic that's determined by their school of choice in turn-based combat using a deck of cards which provides for a fun and strategic combat experience.

Questing in Wizard101 feels like a grand adventure that will be familiar to Harry Potter fans, and the game's story is funny and well written with voice acting to boot.

It may be free to play, but the game does have restrictions on the amount of play areas, so players will have to front some money monthly if they want to access to areas and advance the stories.

As a whole, Wizard101 is great MMO that is suitable for kids and adults, providing a lot of magical fun through it's gameplay and story.

➔ Main points:

• Unique and fun turn-based combat that uses a deck of cards for skills
• Funny and engaging main story
• Low system requirements due to dated graphics
• Family friendly MMO
• Free to play with restrictions

RIFT is a free to play MMORPG that's considered a classic game and a great alternative to games like WoW Classic. It features tab-targeting combat, an in-depth class building system that supports the MMO trinity archetypes, and full PvE campaigns and stories for its two factions, The Guardians and The Defiants. RIFT in today's market has evolved by offering some unique gameplay experiences like its dynamic open-world rift events, excellent housing system, quick leveling adventures and of course, PvP battlegrounds for those that want some competitiveness.

➔ Main points:

• Free to play MMORPG that offers classic gameplay experiences
• Unique open-world rift events that's dynamic
• Multiple ways to level your character
• Excellent class build system that lets you create hybrid classes
• Great housing system called Dimensions

Neverwinter is a new free-to-play MMORPG based off the classic table-top RPG, Dungeons and Dragons. The game immerses the player into the Forgotten Realms, the world in which Dungeons and Dragons takes place.

As usual, at the beginning of the game you create your own personal character, choosing their race, class and even their "faith" and back story. The battle system is rather fluid and is controlled by the player in real time, allowing the rhythm of the game to keep steady.

Neverwinter gives the players even more control of the game with its online quest creation system. Appropriately called the "Foundry", it allows you to make your own personalized adventures which all players are able to play.

Neverwinter is a great MMORPG thanks to the originality of its combat system and quest creator all while still holding to its classical RPG roots. If you've played Dungeons and Dragons, there's no excuse not to try Neverwinter.

CRSED is a grotesque battle royale online shooter that lets you play as one of eight unique hero characters, and each one will offer a different combat style thanks to their skills.

Unlike most generic battle royale games, CRSED has littered its maps with ritual sites offering mythical superpowers and magic abilities (that of course bring advantages to the players who use them), alongside traditional weaponry and... yes, the frying pan.

There's plenty of progression with skill trees for your characters, new seasonal content to keep things fresh, and a cosmetic shop to dress them up when you want to look fancy.

CRSED offers the familiar battle royale gameplay experience with a much-appreciated touch of humour.

➔ Main points:

• Free to play battle royale shooter that feels familiar
• Eight character heroes to choose each with unique skills and progression system
• Plenty of authentic weapons mixed with funny cooking utensils and magic spells
• Decent player base with a steady stream of new content

A browser-based strategy, city-building game, Elvenar allows you to play as either humans, or elves, while taking control of your civilization's economy and army.
The game starts off with a Town Hall, but as with other city building games, the settlement can be expanded, constructing roads and buildings in the process.

Elvenar doesn't require a player to over-commit to the game, and you can 'come and go' as often as you like through the day and manage your city step by step. To make things easy, there is no PvP mode in the game, so players don't get attacked every now and then, and don't have to log on and play to defend the city.

The absence of a PvP mode in Elvenar is made up for by a truly engaging PvE experience where you can fight battles which aren't fully automated like in many other similar, yet boring games.
The combat is turn based where you have to use a lethal strategy to beat your opponent using an army of fighters with varying skills and abilities.

➔ Main points:

• Pacific strategy browser-game.
• Co-existence of humans and mythical creatures.
• Economy is key to building an army.
• Different types of buildings and unique soldiers introduced.
• No PvP mode, but innovative PvE with turn-based combat system.

Star Trek Online is an MMO developed by Cryptic Studios and inspired the eponymous television series.
Chronologically, it is set thirty years after the conclusion of the events of Star Trek: Nemesis and drops us in the middle of the rekindled conflict between the Federation and the Klingons, without forgetting about the Borg, always lurking in the background.
Character customization is very good and allows you to choose between three different factions, with numerous races for each, and three distinct classes between them.
Customization also extends to physical appearance and choice of skills.
During the game we will have the opportunity to complete assignments on foot or aboard our personal spaceship.
On foot, the game seems like an action/RPG hybrid where we directly control our character through a third-person view.
Aboard the ship, however, we will have the opportunity to fight and to explore the surrounding area.
Graphically the game is very good but is lacking in some technical fields, one of which is the animation in the third-person sections.
All in all, it's a good game for fans of the genre and a great game for avid fans of Star Trek.

UPDATE: since June 2017, the game isn't easily playable via browser anymore. Only a few combinations of browsers and java versions will keep working, but everyone will still be able to play the game after downloading its client.

Drakensang Online is an excellent free hack & slash, published by BigPoint, based on a famous and popular series of role-playing games.
The game has many typical features of a MMORPG (such as skills, level-ups, crafting, etc...), with the welcome addition of a combat system based on combos and dodges, just like a typical third-person action game (anyone who knows the Diablo saga will certainly find it all very familiar).

As well as the ability to carry out the plot quest (either alone or in the company), there are also different PvP modes (including an original "Storm the fortress 6vs6") for those who prefer a competitive game.

The various available classes are well diversified from each other, and ensure a different gameplay depending on which is used, thus ensuring also a great replay value.

One of the highlights of the game is its impressive graphics, capable of displaying a great number of details in a simple web page.

Drakensang Online is really a well-done game: varied, entertaining, technically clean and able to keep the player glued to the PC for hours.

A title that should not be missing in any “free” gamer’s collection.

➔ Main points:

• An Hack'n'Slash A-RPG playable either via browser or downloading the game's client.
• Several PvP modes, including an original "Storm the fortress 6vs6".
• A vast game world with constant updates from the developers.
• All the main elements of a traditional client-based MMORPG.

Runes of Magic has everything you might expect from an old-style MMORPG.
It is captivating, extremely varied and rather vast; offering a fun and challenging experience to new and veteran RPG players alike.
The game's strengths undeniably rest with its variety, as there are hundreds (if not thousands) of objects to find, collect and / or create.
Whilst the graphics may appear dated by modern standards, Runes of Magic is a perfectly good title for anyone who wants a decent MMORPG without having to spend a fortune.

➔ Main points:

• Fantasy themed, free to play MMORPG.
• Huge number of PVE quests to get stuck in with.
• Staggering variety of items to find, collect and craft.

Entropia Universe is a free to play, open world sandbox MMORPG that is unlike most games in the genre. Entropia Universe utilizes a simulation-driven gameplay where players are encouraged to explore their new home world planets and progress their characters through activities such as hunting, mining and crafting. There are no traditional quests and a main story, but players can instead take part in a real cash economy, and invest real money within the game to make profit over time.

From a graphic's standpoint, Entropia Universe does look decent for a game made in 2003, and has had it's engine upgraded. However, players who've played modern MMORPG's may find the graphics to be below par, and may struggle with the complicated UI system. Overall, Entropia Universe offers an alternative way to have fun in an MMORPG that doesn't rely on traditional theme park mechanics.

➔ Main points:

• Deep and immersive open world sandbox MMORPG
• Players can invest real money and make profit returns
• Upgraded graphics and game engine to modernize the game
• Skills and character progression unlike any other MMORPG