Hi everyone! Ezalord from Draconis here.
I'm a returning player to ROSE (can't remember the last time I played the official version of the game but I was mostly active a very very long time ago, during the beta phase I believe. I've also played on private servers while the official was still P2P), mainly playing it out of sheer boredom and for nostalgia's sake. I'm not a big MMORPG fan but this game always had a certain something about it that made me like it back in the day, and I guess the fact that it made a part of my childhood is another reason for why I'm back once again. Although I don't intend to take the game too seriously, I've still got a lot of questions on my mind that I hope could be answered.
Just a note before I start, I won't be asking about the basics of "how to play". The game has changed a real lot since I last played, but I already have a general idea. On my own, I've been playing for about 14 hours now, and I'm currently sitting at level 39 (Muse going into Mage) from questing alone. Seeing as I've avoided grinding except for quest purposes so far, I'd think that's pretty good (although I'm not sure if it means anything in the current meta). As a reminder, I'm playing SOLO at the moment.
First off, how many people are currently active? I find it remarkable that a game that was never truly popular through its lifespan is still alive today and nearing its 10 year anniversary mark. What is it that keeps ROSE running? From what I have researched, most game guides are outdated (as the game is constantly changing, although content-wise, it still looks very much the same as I last remember it) and/or lacking in depth. This would lead me to believe that the community is not very active (unless I'm missing out on some secret archive of game info). If that is the case, how come ROSE is still in existence? I never hear anybody talking about it; I only decided to come back for my own reasons, and to my surprise I found out that it's even available for download from Steam yet I've never seen it mentioned anywhere. I know it's not exactly 2014 standard but it has its own merits, so why does it remain so low profile?
Secondly, is it even possible to get far when playing solo? With the lack of information out there I'd suppose that to learn more about the game, partying up would be a good idea. However, I feel that partying with other new players who are just as clueless as myself would probably lead to nowhere. If I were to continue playing by myself, what would be the best route to take to ensure efficient leveling and survival? At the moment I've been relying only on quests to level up which has been going good, but I also feel like I'm too weak (maybe Muse is not too strong of a class to solo?) for my level and that I will suffer in later levels. Also, if I ever get a clear idea of a character build, will I be able to make up for initial experimentation with stats/skills?
Lastly, what should I be looking forward to? I know there's cart driving at level 50 and castle gears later on, and three other planets to explore, but surely there are other reasons for me to keep leveling up. What kind of goals can I set for myself in order to enjoy the game even more? Most likely I'll be getting answers related to partying up, which I'm okay with, as long as I have a clear image of what to expect as I progress further. I noticed the item shop as well while I was playing, but didn't look into it so much. Is it any sign of the game becoming pay to win, or does it not affect gameplay all that much?
As a closing note, I'd just like to say that ROSE is a pretty simple and fun game. It always felt very casual to me which is something I appreciate. Seeing that it's still alive, I assume that there must be at least a few of you who are passionate about the game, developers included, so I feel like it would be awesome if you all put in a little extra to improve the game even further. That way, maybe it could get more recognition for being almost 10 years old, hehe. Thanks for reading and I hope to get some informative replies .