I have found the perfect MMORPG game... Mabinogi
At first you will look at the game as some stupid lil' cartooney game, but you have not tried it yet...
Mabinogi is an addictive, cute, fun, mature, and challenging game. The players who play this game are nothing like the children who play RuneScape. Most people I have met either have children or are 15+. People actually participate in the consistent updates and events, along with the almost never-ending stream of the storyline.... G1* - G9 (*Generation*).
Mabinogi also greatly succeeds in skills. While yes you do need to practice the skill by using it, but right when you get full practice in the skill you don't 'advance' it yet. You must level up and earn 'AP' (Ability Points) and advance the skill rank. The ranks for skills are F-A then 9-1 and finally Dan 3, Dan 2, Dan 1. It is very hard to master skills as there is a large variety, but all of them are just large goals for you to accomplish.
There is a much more advanced 'et' system compared to any other game with pets involved. Pets must be bought or earned from an event or completing G1 (You earn a Russian Blue Cat). Pets range from $5-$12. Each pet is unique. There is flying mounts, brooms, chests (mimics), dogs, cats, birds, horses, cows, sheep, snake, and even a pig. Every pet has a special charastic that make it unique. Such as an Eagle (Flying Mount) will be the fastest at flying, but a Sheep (Productive) will allow you to collect wool, vital for production of items, at any time. PEts also have levels but have a 'summoning time'. Which limits how long you may have it summoned. This time ranges from 70 minutes - 120 minutes.
Another great part of this game is the Productivity/Gathering features of this game. There is no simple 'Smithing' 'Woodcutting' blah blah. The most basic 'life' skill is Production Mastery. After that there are skills such Fishing, Weaving, Smithing, Tailoring, Herbalism, Potion Making, and even Metallurgy. All of these skills are VERY HARD to level up, but they are rewarding. If you can get to about r3 smithing for example... You can make armors and weapons that cannot be bought, but can be traded for a very high price. Because players have been playing for a long time... There are buyers.
The fighting system is not time based... It is SKILL BASED. You don't click a monster and see if you hit enough 3's or something... Mabinogi accomplishes a more realistic PvP and combat style fighting. For example... If you are to hit a goblin then just sit there, your character will merely hit the enemy once. The gives the enemy a chance to attack you and they will attack you until you fall back... At this point you may charge a skill... Such as defense, windmill, or counterattack to counter an enemy. Once you have done so it is reccomend to distract the enemy with a simple attack an then charge. Usually you land 1-5 hits on an enemy. Depending on how long the enemy has had time to recover from a previous attack, they will not be able to attack because they are flinching/stunned temporarily. There is still a range/mage/melee system. Range dominates PvP mainly because your character will flinch from very shot, and because range can be launched about once every second w/out missing at rank 1 it is a very useful skill against players and players only.
Another great benefit to Mabinogi is the character customization. Your character reflects you personality and feelings with a large variety of ways to style your hair, eyes, face, and clothes. Because Mabinogi has allowed players to make designs of clothing. There are many MANY choices to chose from, and because these people we're good at drawing the clothes actually look very nice.
The Guild (Group) system is a very successful part of Mabinogi. Guilds can hold up to 500 members for the highest level of a guild. I am in a guild that currently has a maximum of 250 players. Guilds have a special guild chat and you do not have to add everyone in your guild, they are already on your friend's list but just in the 'Guild' tab. You can also view your guild stats in-game and out-game becaus of the website features. Anyone merely a member of a guild can see the members and how much until it takes to the next level for the guild. While it is reccomended to make your own forum for your guild, the Mabinogi website will provide of you for one as long as your guild is up and running.
Another amazing feature I have to say about Mabinogi is the 'Marriage System'. Both boys and girls play this game and are very mature about it. Some married couples or BF/GF's will marry each-other in the game of Mabinogi. Marrying allows you to earn a title that shows the players name 'is [Name Here]'s Husband/Wife' and the title gives you a bonus depending on how skilled your husband/wife is. You will also earn a pretty little ring that will have your 'loved one's quote on it. Some people obviously ignore and put a blank. :P
And another thing that makes Mabinogi very special is the forever long 'Title' system. Titles are slightly like an achievement in Mabinogi. Because you will age from 10-100+ in Mabinogi there are titles such as... 'the one who slayed a Bear at 10' or 'the Golem Slayer' or even 'The one who was defeated by a fox at 17'. Each and every of the 100+ titles give a different stat bonus. Titles will give 'x' amount of Strength, Dexterity, Will, Intelligence, or Hitpoints/Stamina/Mana. Some people don't wear titles at all and will just have their name above them. If you choose to wear a title it will look something like this... 'Sodacan the Golem Slayer'. The looks will vary depending on which title you choose.
And finally there is the newish 'Paladin, Dark Knight, Beast, and Falcon' abilities. To earn 'Paladin' status you must complete G2 as a human. This allows you to transform giving you about 3x more HP and extra STR/Dex/Def/And protection depending on your rank. Dark Knight is earned by completing G3 as a human and you will be able to stay as DK as long as you like, but you will begin losing HP when the game will want you to return to normal. Beast is earned by completing the storyline for a 'Giant' character. This will give the same effects as a paladin, but stat boosts as a Dark Knight. Falcon is earned by completing the storyline for an 'Elf'. Falcon will give you the same ability as a Paladin, but you will run faster, as do elves. Each of these 'ower-ups' are much more complicated than this.
In Conclusion, Mabinogi is long, challenging, complicated, and fun game to play. MABINOGI IS FREE and has a system where you can still donate to the company 'Nexon' and earn special benefits. Anyway this is my favorite MMORPG and I have a very long and strong argument for why.
