ValiantRO - Why?

[ProtobeltNunu]

To be upfront, I've never been one to leave reviews. Typically, if I'm not a fan of something, I'll simply move on to the next option without much thought. Conversely, when I find something I enjoy, I tend to savor it in silence. However, this time around, I feel a strong urge to support the Valiant Team by sharing a candid review of their efforts. Having played in the server for over five weeks (the server is 7 week-old), I believe I've gathered enough insight to distinguish the highs and lows of this experience.

The good things:

1. I respect Solis and his vision. In Discord, he claims his role as a coder, but I think he is the admin of this project. The team's approach to skill rebalancing is both comprehensive and thoughtful. It's 2024 and while most servers out there have done the skill rebalance things, most of them barely scratch the surface of real problems in classic Ragnarok Online. The Team's rebalancing ideas are unique and did bring back lots of obsolete builds in a pre-renewal server. People actually want to play auto-cast sage, battle priest, trap hunter, and alchemist in the PvE environment, which is inspiring. You can validate my point here.

2. Their roadmap is clear. They start at Episode 8 right before Rebirth and gradually release later episodes with great consideration. For example, the next episode will be Einbech/Einbroch and they revamp every map belonging to that episode to solve the problem Solis has stated:

"Ragnarok Online has so many unused maps, so many untouched mobs, and will-never-be-used equipment."

They're even eyeballing Renewal content and thinking, "Hey, let's remix this for the old-school vibe." Talk about ambition 

"The Airplane and Airship are released on episode 9. I mean, why don't we bring Airship Crash Instance to Ep 9 as well? It would be refreshing!"

3. Last but not least, I have seen and felt that the Valiant Team is very dedicated, and they do know and understand the game. Their ability to empathize with the player's perspective is a standout trait not often seen in other teams.

The bad things:

1. You will feel a little bit left out because 90% of the community is Vietnamese people with their language. They are friendly and helpful, but they tend to play with each other as groups. If you ask them, they will give answers. A guy named Loyt even lent me some money to start the journey. I don't know if it's because they are shy or their English is not that great. Either way, you must be very communicative to interact with them actively, or you better join with your own group of friends.

2. The server connection is not that great. Solis has tried so hard that he literally set up 8 proxies all over the world to reduce latency but the spiking lag is sometimes terrible. They promised to upgrade the server at the end of this month, and I hope they keep their word.

3. This might be a good point to someone, but I myself dislike the fact that the Cash Shop doesn't sell any valuable thing. There is a VIP system that provides good QoL, but I don't see any good headgear with a decent status bonus. The Cash Shop is full of nice costumes though but I'm not into those things.


For the sheer guts of their content and vision, easy 10/10. But on making it feel like home for us international folks? More like a 5/10. It's a bit of a bummer seeing players bounce because of lag or feeling like an outsider. It's disheartening, given the team's evident efforts to improve server stability.

This review comes from a place of honesty, and I hope it reaches Solis and his team: You're doing remarkable work. Stay driven and persistent, and success will follow.

Thank you.

[Felione]

great review.