One of the two MMO's (the other being DC Universe Online) I always end up coming back to. Along with Elder Scrolls, this game meets my definition of what I call a 'true RPG.'
Other RPG games, while calling themselves "role-playing," in reality still force you into a particular niche within that world. For example, games like Dragon Age, Fable, and Baldur's Gate let you choose your race, your class, and your morality, which is cool and all but at the end of the day you're still just a warrior, and that's all you're ever gonna be.
But in Runescape, you don't have to engage in any kind of combat at all if you really don't want to. It is perfectly viable just to level up non-combat related skills, or to just do quests (many of which don't require combat), or play minigames, or simply engage with the community by joining a social-focused clan. Your character can live whatever kind of life you want for them, and there are no pre-determined classes, archetypes, or professions. You never even have to actually do any quests if you don't want to. It's a fantasy life simulator. You are truly free to set your own goals and accomplish your own milestones.
You're not forced into any kind of box. The world and everything it has to offer is what you make of it. Say what you will but almost no other game offers that.
Sure, this game can be grindy, but it's grindy in the same way real life is. Everybody in this game starts at zero. The rewards you earn and the heights you climb are a reflection of your own willingness to work for it.
Other RPG games, while calling themselves "role-playing," in reality still force you into a particular niche within that world. For example, games like Dragon Age, Fable, and Baldur's Gate let you choose your race, your class, and your morality, which is cool and all but at the end of the day you're still just a warrior, and that's all you're ever gonna be.
But in Runescape, you don't have to engage in any kind of combat at all if you really don't want to. It is perfectly viable just to level up non-combat related skills, or to just do quests (many of which don't require combat), or play minigames, or simply engage with the community by joining a social-focused clan. Your character can live whatever kind of life you want for them, and there are no pre-determined classes, archetypes, or professions. You never even have to actually do any quests if you don't want to. It's a fantasy life simulator. You are truly free to set your own goals and accomplish your own milestones.
You're not forced into any kind of box. The world and everything it has to offer is what you make of it. Say what you will but almost no other game offers that.
Sure, this game can be grindy, but it's grindy in the same way real life is. Everybody in this game starts at zero. The rewards you earn and the heights you climb are a reflection of your own willingness to work for it.