I have played this game for over 15 years and have over 290 days (7000+ hrs) of in game play time accrued since I was in middle school.

I love this game. I love this community. Runescape has and will always be a special game to me. It was the very first MMO I ever played, and the first PC game besides original Starsiege Tribes by Sierra Entertainment I ever played when I was 10 and first got a crappy hand me down computer. I couldnt afford a 15 dollar World of Warcraft subscription, and my computer couldnt play it anyways. But i could justify doing extra chores to pay the (then) 5$ a month for membership.

Runescape has so many pros and cons and everyone knows it because it is a behemoth of a game and a titan in its own right. Its connection into steam represents a phenomenal opportunity to bring some renewed player growth to the community.

With that, comes concerns. So many other eloquent reviews have been posted that discuss this already. For a new player, this game is daunting. There are mountains of content. It is a HUGE commitment.

Runescape is not like WoW. Runescape is not like Final Fantasy or any other generic JRPG MMO you may have played. Its not Mabinogi, or FlyFF, or Desert Online, or ESO, Guild Wars, Everquest, or any of those.

Its Runescape.

So many MMOs claim to have giant open worlds but all you really do is move from one big forest/swamp/zone of generic mob spawns in a 10 level range with a zone guide to talk to until youve grinded up enough to shift to the next region. Gielinor is a fully fleshed world that might not be gorgeous everywhere but it is vast and yours to explore.

The quest system of Runescape is what I truly fell in love with in this game. Quests in every other MMO I have played are NOT 'quests'.

Quest; noun: "A journey toward a specific mission or a goal."

So many other games use the word quests for menial tasks that include [Kill 'X' of 'Y' monster' / Find me 'X' of 'Y' drop from 'Z' monster. / Go talk to 'X']. Runescape doesnt do any of that (except Slayer). Runescape quests are truly adventures. They are journeys. Enjoy them.

Highest recommendation for NEW players: Dont buy membership right out of the gate. There are loads of free content. Give the game a shot before you over invest, and if you like whats on offer, know that youve only dipped your toe in the water, and there are YEARS of content for you to play through before youll ever reach the point longtime players complain about 'dead content'.

Find me ingame at USNVox. Ill gladly help anyone.

I have played this game for over 15 years and have over 290 days (7000+ hrs) of in game play time accrued since I was in middle school. I love this game. I love this community. Runescape has and will always be a special game to me. It was the very first MMO I ever played, and the first PC game besides original Starsiege Tribes by Sierra Entertainment I ever played when I was 10 and first got a crappy hand me down computer. I couldnt afford a 15 dollar World of Warcraft subscription, and my computer couldnt play it anyways. But i could justify doing extra chores to pay the (then) 5$ a month for membership. Runescape has so many pros and cons and everyone knows it because it is a behemoth of a game and a titan in its own right. Its connection into steam represents a phenomenal opportunity to bring some renewed player growth to the community. With that, comes concerns. So many other eloquent reviews have been posted that discuss this already. For a new player, this game is daunting. There are mountains of content. It is a HUGE commitment. Runescape is not like WoW. Runescape is not like Final Fantasy or any other generic JRPG MMO you may have played. Its not Mabinogi, or FlyFF, or Desert Online, or ESO, Guild Wars, Everquest, or any of those. Its Runescape. So many MMOs claim to have giant open worlds but all you really do is move from one big forest/swamp/zone of generic mob spawns in a 10 level range with a zone guide to talk to until youve grinded up enough to shift to the next region. Gielinor is a fully fleshed world that might not be gorgeous everywhere but it is vast and yours to explore. The quest system of Runescape is what I truly fell in love with in this game. Quests in every other MMO I have played are NOT 'quests'. Quest; noun: "A journey toward a specific mission or a goal." So many other games use the word quests for menial tasks that include [Kill 'X' of 'Y' monster' / Find me 'X' of 'Y' drop from 'Z' monster. / Go talk to 'X']. Runescape doesnt do any of that (except Slayer). Runescape quests are truly adventures. They are journeys. Enjoy them. Highest recommendation for NEW players: Dont buy membership right out of the gate. There are loads of free content. Give the game a shot before you over invest, and if you like whats on offer, know that youve only dipped your toe in the water, and there are YEARS of content for you to play through before youll ever reach the point longtime players complain about 'dead content'. Find me ingame at USNVox. Ill gladly help anyone.