DreamerRO server - Review

Started by Nahmei, Dec 09, 2017, 06:26 AM

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Nahmei

Hello.

I have decided to make a review based on my experience. I've been playing ragnarok for over 5 years on and off.
I'm more into pre-renewal servers, so DRO's recent renewal change is new to me.

Before anything, I post below some basic info so you would understand my review in a better way.


  • DRO is High rate.
  • DRO changed to renewal from pre-re this november.
  • DRO has been up and running for over 8 years
  • I started playing 2 years ago.
  • I went on a hiatus for around 4 months.
  • I've tried most features.
  • DRO has so many custom items/features.

Alright, now that's done, let me start.

1. Availability / Stability
In the past few months, dRO has been up with barely any down times. There are times when the server has to be restarted to fix bugs etc etc, but that's fine as it helps the community. I recently found out that the server has a DDOS protection and that's a really a good feature for me.

There are times when it's laggy, but this is rare even with my pitiful internet connection.

2. The Client
I've reinstalled the client 4 times and I've never had any issues with it.
My only issue with this is that there's no lite client right now when there used to be one during the pre-renewal period.
A bit of meticulousness, I like the loading screens. They're visually appealing.

3. The server rate : HIGH RATE
Before DRO, I used to play in servers with 2 different rates: Mid and High rate.
Preferred mid rate over high rate simply because of the grind that isn't too easy.
Here in DRO, it feels just like that.
The drop rate is high but with the quest and grind, it certainly feels like a mid-rate.
Leveling is easy, can be done in less than an hour, even less than 30 minutes if you're really into it.
They have maps for leveling, makes it easier.

4. Difficulty level
I'm going to divide this into two.

Newbie's perspective:
If you think that being in a high rate server will ease your life, boy you are wrong.
DRO is somehow grindy. You have to farm a lot if you want to gain zeny.
You have to kill hard if you want a better weapon.
DRO is going to be difficult for a Newbie who is absolutely clueless about anything.
Good thing their forum offers so many guides about how to start.
The best thing about this is that when you're in game, you can ask players and they will help you.

When I was new, I spent months doing anything but the main quest to try and get zeny.
I wasted a lot of time when all I had to do was read and ask. It helped me a lot. Trust me.

Times have changed and now, they give a free 30 day set for players (Called Returner's set = Donation effect, surprisingly good, does not include weapon though!), and the achievement system which would help them get started.

Veteran's perspective:
Been here for 2 years, that should be enough time to be considered as a veteran. If not, just consider me an old player.
If you know the tricks, everything is easy. I tried playing in a new account and since I knew the tricks, it was easy to get by.

5. The community:
The community is mostly Asian. Sometimes there are players from the west. (From my observation because I'm not awake during western time.)
It's a nice community. Most times, you just have to ask in Caspen (the main city) and you'll be answered.
The presence of the channels lets you ask the whole server; from what I see lately, players answer.
Some players help you kill Draconus (A custom MVP that drops a scale needed for Hero quest).
Some players give you items. Some players invite you to their social guilds, etc etc.

But all this depends on your timing. Sometimes some players will treat you badly but don't ever feel bad and think of this as a reason to leave the server.
This server is the nicest I've been. It's been the most helpful and most accommodating.
I wouldn't have stayed this long if it wasn't for the people who helped me when I was new.
Some of them gave me basic loots, some of them showed me their MVP equipment, some of them hosted their own events just to help newbies.
There even are newbie guilds in here, all dedicated to helping new players. My advice? Join one of those as they'll really help you with the basics.
Once you've grown, move on to the bigger leagues, to the pvp and woe guilds.
Sometimes all it takes is to say hello and not beg and you get yourself a friend that might help you throughout.

6. The Staff team
Support players: Yes. The server has support players. These are players who are assigned a position in the staff team without any special permissions.
They're players who were hired to help you. Yes, that's basically what they do. They answer a special feature called the @request, where players can ask their questions. When I was new, they were the people who guided me. They're helpful, the only issue is that they're not as many as they were before. Even so, just ask in the channels and someone is bound to answer you anyway. There are active ones though, dedicated even if they're not paid for this.

Game Masters: Honestly, I don't see them in Caspen (Main city) that much.
They do host manual events regularly but you won't see them hanging out in the cities.
Support players have more presence but even so, GMs do more in the dark. I haven't had any issue with any GMs, never been banned, so I can't say anything about how punishment goes.

7. The Economy
It's bad for someone who's starting from nothing. Some veterans control the prices and sell them in a high price. This is annoying and should be controlled.
Since the server recently moved to renewal, some items are more expensive than it was. Some are cheaper. The prices vary depending on the seller. Examples are cards like Kiel and Addax, which are cheaper this time.
Making money is a difficult task if you don't grind. You have to farm, hunt, sell, be patient and be hardworking. Once you get the hang of it, the rewards are worth it.

8. Events: A lot
The server has automated events. The GMs also host sometimes. These events give out tickets that lets you trade them for some good items too. And with the addition of the achievement system, you'll get extra billions by winning for the first time. No issue here.

They also have seasonal events, where there are more contents for the users. I personally enjoy the seasonal events. I look forward to it. Bit excited for the Christmas event actually. Last year was a blast, I'm hoping this year will be too. The staff team was generous last year, it was really that wonderful time of the year. They gave so much, there even were donation items. It was my most memorable event. During seasonal events too, they do a raffle that gives you a chance to get an item that will help you in your PVP endeavors. My only issue? There's a 6 month gap in between. There's 6 continuous months of drought. These seasonal events happen during january, april, november and december. Many players look forward to seasonal events, as they're extremely helpful to the players. Veterans and newbies alike farm for the items. There's equal ground in here.

9. Custom items.
Headgears, weapons, equipments and even pets. All these are balanced in my opinion. It's not a pay to win server. The server gives you the option to vote and get donate-tier items. There are also tradable donation headgears which you can just buy from other players using zeny. If you're the supportive and capable type, the server also lets you donate (which is used to support the server) and in exchange, you get credits that you can use to buy donation items that in my opinion, is balanced. These two will be helpful if you want to get in the PVP scene. None of these cause crippling cancer to the server.

The server also has questable items, the best ones are available during seasonal events and they're really helpful to players.

The server also offers shops where the currency used can be acquired from doing PVP-related activities. DM shops both from killing and doing quests, Combat shops, Forged items and etc etc. 

10. Mining and Forging.
This is my favorite feature so far, because it's going to make me rich! I've heard so many players say that they've become rich all from mining and forging. I've told someone to try mining and he did and now he's richer than me. It'll take a lot of your time to reach a high level but once you reached this, you're on your way to profit. This feature lets you forge items from the minerals you've gathered from mining. This is the only server that I know where mining works like this. I like it very much.

11. General idea of customization
It's a lot. DRO is like stepping in another world of RO. Every customization was such a wonder to explore. Even when I'm no longer new, I always look forward to the donation rotation, the items that will be added, the events to be done, every new feature makes me feel what I did when I was new.

12. Achievement system
New? This will help you! It gives rewards by just exploring the features that the server offers. I believe I have mentioned this before?
This system is new but has been helpful so far.

13. The forums
GUIDES. Yeep. This is where I went when I had nothing else to do, and it showed me things to do. It's amazing how the community decided to help each other through these. Extremely helpful.

14. PVP
It's currently between 3-5 guilds right now. I see players challenging the whole server to kill them in the PVP arenas. I used to be very active in this. During that time, you won't be able to survive without a party. Going solo is suicide. It's tough like that. With the amount of old players (meaning they're geared) roaming the arenas, it would be like walking into a lion's den. This is why you have to be prepared and geared whenever you step in the arenas. It's a tough competition. It'll take time and friends or a party, to get in par with these guys. Also, personal experience! Don't choose AB as your first class. AB is expensive to gear and since heals are helpful, some PVP guilds will use you without giving you anything in return. No salary, no kills even from party share (Another feature that lets you share kills between your party members, equally).

15. WoE
I don't feel it. Used to have 2-3 guilds fighting for that emperium. I used to play for WoE guilds and it was so crazy, it was good. Everything was happening all at once. It was so fun, the feeling of healing the breaker as he tries to break that emperium as the enemy tries to kill you, the devo and him, Oh my! Then it stopped.
WoE is dead right now. It's reality. No brave soul wants to try because the enemy guilds are far too strong. The rewards are too good though! There are requirements to start a WoE guild. They take a while to collect. I hope they remove this and update WoE.

16. Balance
Long ago all classes lived in balance, and they still kinda do lol, this isn't the last air bender lol. I say there are more balancing to be done because of the recent renewal shift. It's moving so you don't have to worry about OP classes. I think the balancing is going great and so far, things will soon be just like what it was in the pre-renewal era.

17. Renewal
The server was previously pre-renewal. Now it's renewal. The amount of work that the staff team placed on this update is tremendous. This is/will be my first renewal server. I've only been to pre-renewal servers. With this comes the option of enabling the quests available in the original RO servers, which I hope they'll come to do someday. Kudos to all who have helped make this happen, you guys deserve all the praise.

18. Hero quest / Elite hero quest.
It's the server's main quest. Unique. With just enough dedication, you'll be able to get the best weapon in the server. I've never seen this in other servers. It's one of those custom quests made specifically for this server. It gives you a goal. Most players including myself treat this as our goal.

19. Updates
Regularly happens. Shop rotations, new features, buffs, nerfs, and even new items.
I don't always agree with everything but I'm leaving that out of my review.

So... Why should I try this server?
My dear, you're in for a treat. This server is an adventure you'll want to try. I enjoyed my time even if there were negativities.
There's always a new feature. Updates happen a lot. The staff is dedicated. They work in the shadows while we enjoy the light.
It's not always butterflies and rainbows, just like how it goes in real life.
I've seen players quit and come back. DRO is the type of server you'll always come back to.
DRO is an experience I'll keep, it may also be an experience for you to try. :)

This is the server's website: http://www.playdreamerro.com/


If you want to try this server, and have questions, you can PM me here. I'll try my best to reply.  /ok


Hope to see you?  /lv