Questions by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer
Answered by: Itoki, Rappelz GM
Rappelz is a popular MMORPG hosted by none other than Gpotato. We at Onrpg have had the opportunity to ask them some quick questions… and even got a sneak preview as to what will go on during Valentine’s Day in the game! "Our in game event will run from the 4 to the 17 and Monsters will be dropping heart candies in the game, which can then be exchanged for heart pets or buffs" said a member of the Rappelz. Read on to find out more about the event, and much much more!
Onrpg: What are some of the latest improvements to the game?
With the two part release of Epic V in the fall, Rappelz has seen a large influx of improvements in-game. Most notable, was the drop rate for all high level equipment and rare pets has increased significantly. We’ve also added armor sets to the high level dungeons which grant additional bonuses when all pieces of the set are equipped.
Epic V also brought two brand new dungeons and a time challenge dungeon where players try to kill as many bears as possible within a time limit to gain points which can be spent on potions, decorative equipment, and other prizes. The release included a rebalancing of character skills and the addition of new equipment and a new mount.
Onrpg: Rappelz Epic V is now very elaborate with part I and part II being fully released and available to the public. Congratulations on your release! What feedback have you received on this matter in the past few months?
Most of the changes have been well received. Players are more powerful now, and new high level dungeons have been added with additional difficulty to take advantage of that. Our new time challenge dungeon has been popular as well, with players of all levels taking part. Another feature that players enjoyed a lot is the addition of decorative pets that pick up loot for you.
Onrpg: An interesting feature we have discovered is the GM event. Could you please explain to us what a GM event is?
We have both large, monthly GM events and smaller, impromptu GM "mini-events" that occur several times a week on various servers. The large events are usually timed competitions between servers and often advance the storyline of Rappelz, a conflict with an evil Witch. For example, January’s event was about a pet that had witnessed the inner workings of the Witch’s cultists and had to be protected as it tried to flee to the safety of the city before the cultists killed it for what it knew.
The smaller GM events are just about interacting with the community – sometimes GMs will summon monsters for players to fight, or they will go to an arena and duel with the players, or simply hang out in town and answer players’ questions. The nature of these impromptu GM events is all about interaction with our community and building a rapport. Last month for the holidays we asked players to create Rappelz holiday-themed poems and artwork that we could post on our Community Center and granted holiday wishes to the ones we posted. One winner got armor and a weapon for his pet, for instance, and another got the GMs to shout "All Hail the Chicken!" every day until Christmas.
Onrpg: What is the Rappelz library? Why is it so significant?
The Rappelz Library is our official wiki, with information on character and pet skills, equipment, and more. It’s still under construction, but we hope that when it’s complete (or as complete as it can be in an evolving game!) it will be an excellent repository of knowledge about all things Rappelz.
Onrpg: The community center is an interesting section of your site that allows players to share videos, pictures, and stories with everyone who plays the game. How have you come up with the idea of creating such a creative page?
We’re continually looking for ways to get our community more involved with the game. They’re an intelligent, creative group, and we wanted to give them a highly visible place to express themselves. Just recently we’ve added even more incentive to the community center -players who submit cool stuff to the community center get $25 worth of Item Shop items when their work is showcased on the website.
Onrpg: How strong is the customization level of Rappelz? Will players be able to truly stand out?
Rappelz has a lot of options for customization. In addition to a wide variety of armor and weapons, players can also customize their equipment with enchantments and soul stones that increase their stats. Any class can use any weapon, so players have the option of customizing their look and gear to complement their play style. That’s not even touching on the decorative costumes available from the item shop, the branching skill trees, or the ability for anyone to tame and raise a pet.
Onrpg: Is partying necessary to advance in Rappelz? How party oriented is this MMORPG?
Partying isn’t necessary at all, but many players prefer it. The Rappelz world is built to accommodate both solo players and parties, and we see both styles of play at every level. We’re proud of the fact that any class can solo in Rappelz, but every class is also useful in a party.
Onrpg: Do you have any special activity or event coming up?
We will be having a special event for Valentine’s Day. Our in game event will run from the 4 to the 17 and Monsters will be dropping heart candies in the game, which can then be exchanged for heart pets or buffs. In celebration, every user who has played Rappelz recently will receive a 7 Day Hidden Village Pass. Heart pets and 9 Day Hidden Village Passes will also be on sale in our cash shop during this period at 50% off.
Onrpg: What is your favourite feature in Rappelz and why?
The pets in Rappelz are my favourite feature. All players can get a pet to help them in combat. There are different types of pets that have different combat specialties. Some are healers; some are crowd control, tanks, direct damage, etc. And just like players pets have their own set of skills – you can customize their build just as you can customize a character’s build. You can equip them with weapons and armor to make them more effective. The pets are extremely customizable and level with you, so you never have to abandon a favorite companion. However, if you do decide to pick up another pet-your old pet can still be useful. You can put the pet card in your belt slot and gain additional stats on your character.
Onrpg: If you could change one part of the game, what would it be and why?
We’ve added quite a bit of high level content to the game recently, but we can always use more. There are a couple of high level areas that could use a little more polish and a little more fleshing out, and that is one of our priorities going forward.
Onrpg: What kind of items can players purchase from your item mall? Can a player play the game without restriction if they do not make use of the item mall?
Players can purchase items that help them level faster, horseshoes that make their mounts travel faster, special cloaks and helmets, decorative pets and costumes, as well as many other items. Nothing in our item shop is required, and most of our players do not purchase anything from the item shop at all. Additionally, almost everything in the item shop is tradable between players, so free players have the opportunity to obtain nearly every item from our item shop without spending real money.
