Runes of Magic US / AU

Quoted from "TheStig04;533252"

I used to play Eq2 but the population is quite dead now and the game play has just got me bored, how is Runes of Magic's population compared to either Eq2 or WoW? I chose RoM since I saw it was #1 on the Free MMO list and I was hoping it would be quite full of people.

Also I see that its free to play and in some free games I've noticed that your content is limited until you get a full subscription, is this the case for RoM?

I also see that you can buy game cards from Wal Mart, what are these used for if not for a subscription?

Thanks for reading and any input you can give!

ROM is free to play in that you will never be charged for playing it. If you want to be a top player quickly you will need to pay to get certain items out of the cash shop. You can free play - end game status but it will take alot of time and effort.. I mean alot..

Runes of Magic allows you to access all content without paying a thing. In that sense, it is completely free to play. The way they manage to keep the servers on is by selling gear modification items in the cash shop, which are essential to raiding, and helpful for leveling.

That's what those game cards are for.

Should you choose to invest in this game, you will find yourself spending considerably more on the cash shop than you ever would on a subscription game. Some of us are OK with this- others, not so much. It's just one of those things you have to accept about RoM. You can trade in-game gold to other players in return for gifted cash-shop items, but you need an awful lot of them, so expect to either spend a lot of money or a lot of time farming gold.

The population on the US servers is a bit low. Some servers have it much better than others- if you like a high population, choose Artemis, Govinda or Reni.

RoM is free to play, some people call it pay to win
Paying for diamonds to make better gear does give an advantage but it is not needed.

There is no special content that is only available to paying players.
You get to play the entire game when you download.

Play the game, make several characters, visit the different servers, join some guilds, just explore and enjoy the game.
Eventually through time, you will like a certain character, like a certain server, and enjoy a certain guild you want to be in.

Have fun in Taborea!

Quoted from "tenscales;533500"

There is no special content that is only available to paying players.
You get to play the entire game when you download.

Sure...up until level 60 or so. If you want to progress past that, you better be willing to dive into the cash shop in one way or another. You either have to trade gold with someone to buy diamonds from them, or you have to use real money and buy diamonds that way. The "advantage" is needed if you want to get even remotely close to endgame.

Not to mention that in the higher level zones, some degree of gear modding is required, as mob HP/pdef/mdef scales pretty high, as does their damage.

@ OP - RoM is very pay-to-win, in that the cash shop is incontrovertibly mandatory, but if you're willing to spend a long (and I mean a long) time grinding up gold to buy diamonds as a free player, it's possible to get geared without paying. Putting some money in will help quite a bit, but money really doesn't go far in this game.

It's worth a try, as it is a fun game, but just be aware that after level 60 or so, it's a very steep climb to the top. Rewarding, if you make it, but it is time-consuming if you don't pay.

Quoted from "effervescent;533508"

Sure...up until level 60 or so. If you want to progress past that, you better be willing to dive into the cash shop in one way or another. You either have to trade gold with someone to buy diamonds from them, or you have to use real money and buy diamonds that way. The "advantage" is needed if you want to get even remotely close to endgame.

"Special content" meant areas or classes or chapters that could only be unlocked with payment.
Your response (I do agree with you that paying is needed at higher levels) has nothing to do with my statement on "special content."