MMORPG without magic

Ever since the Dungeons & Dragons series of board games won the hearts of fantasists around the world, role-playing games have become firmly associated with the fantasy genre. More books by John Tolkien made their contribution - and as a result, no RPG, then the elves with dragons, mages and dwarves, as if someone put an 80-level curse on other entourages. Especially massively multiplayer games - it seems that all of them have the same classes from D&D, among which there is a wizard. But what to do, if the spells have already hit the nerve, and the soul asks for MMORPG without magic and fantasy attributes? In this case, we have collected for you several works that are free from genre stereotypes - you will find neither elves, nor dragons, nor wizards here.

Let's start with Bethesda's game, which, as all gamers know, is skilled in the fantasy genre - just remember The Elder Scrolls series. Perhaps, that's why in "Fallout" American developers still use one vestige of Dungeons & Dragons. It's about the role-playing system with the "talking" name S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Under the letters in the abbreviation are the properties of the hero you create - strength, perception, endurance and so on up to luck. But otherwise this MMORPG is completely devoid of magic. People in the post-apocalyptic world rely on marksmanship, armor, knowledge of the terrain and the ability to collect something useful from the resources found in the wastelands.

The designers also had to invent another version of Middle-earth, because the action of Fallout 76 is set in the United States after the nuclear war. Here you can visit the wooded slopes of the Appalachian Mountains, cross the Shenandoah Valley and come to the fire in Atlantic City, where passions are boiling over poker tables. In short, if you know anything about the geography of North America, you will find familiar places, and no one will make you break your tongue over fantasy names. But adaptation in the game universe will take some time.

The thing is that the bombing not only turned the USA of XXII century into a pile of ruins, but also led to the appearance of mutants. There are ghouls, mole-rats and burners everywhere, and if you are unlucky enough to wander into the territory of the Death Claw, you will be mauled by a chameleon-overgrowth weighing a couple of tons. If you decide to take a walk near the forest, expect to meet a yao-guay, similar to a bear, but more aggressive. In general, the neighbors are not pleasant. But even here you can find a quiet corner to camp there using the C.A.M.P. system and then build a base, decorating it to your liking. What's nice is that other gamers will only be able to attack you with your consent - the game is designed more for cooperative missions. What's not so nice is that Fallout 76 costs money.

Do you like Fallout's post-apocalyptic setting, but don't feel like splurging on it? Then try the free Fallen Earth - you can download it from Steam or from the official website. This is the second coming of the classic MMORPG - it was revived by the employees of Little Orbit company and then published with the Classic subtitle. The action of the game takes place in the year 2156 on the territory of the Grand Canyon in the USA. The world has been destroyed by nuclear fire and biochemical weapons, but some people have survived. They unite in squads and create new settlements to gain power over the entire map of over 1000 square kilometers. You can become one of these survivors, if you are ready to fight for resources and repel raiders' attacks.

Fallen Earth gameplay is based on two pillars. On the one hand, you have to search every trash heap and every defeated enemy to collect something valuable. On the other hand, you have to fight constantly. The peculiarity of the game is that being a role-playing game, it has no classes - you can be anyone and pump up your hero as you like. In addition, there is a minimum of items created by developers, and most of all things, even rare and legendary, are collected by ordinary users. Finally, the world of the game is split into several parts because of the wars of six factions. It's not just about skirmishes, but also about capturing cities and resources. In other words, the situation on the map is constantly changing. You can choose one of the sides and help it in the fight.

If fantasy and sci-fi are the same for you, and mutants are akin to black magic, then in Life is Feudal you will find the harsh truth of medieval life. No elves with dragons and fireballs - only personal growth within the feudal hierarchy. And what you will become in this harsh world, a warrior, a blacksmith or a farmer, it depends only on your ambitions. Although the action of the game takes place on a fictional continent, it is similar to the real Europe and includes different biomes - from steppes to mountains with forests. Where you start your journey depends on your choice of race: you can become a southern nomadic Hurs, settle in the snowy north among the Slavards, or enlist in the Gothlungs from the central lands.

Wherever the hero appears, he has neither a stake nor a yard. It is necessary to cut down trees, gather wild apples, weave fibers from grass - in a word, to survive. The game makes you realize that one is not a warrior in the field. It is necessary to find a company, to go under the protection of one of the guilds, otherwise constant clashes with bandits will nullify all good endeavors. But everything in the group is not just like that - everyone has his own role. If you decide to get on a horse and take up a spear, you should seriously develop your combat skills and do not shirk from service. Do you like the life of a farmer? Then cultivate beds and tame animals. Your character can have only one profession, and with it you will benefit your guild. Everything here is just like in real life, without the fairy-tale "zhuh - and ready". But the game is conditionally free.

And here is one of the most unusual MMORPG available for free. Here you control not just some hero, but the whole company in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Nevertheless, the hero is also present - it is an admiral, giving orders to his sailors. Since the game is based on historical events, there is no magic in it, of course, but it was made in Korea, and the publisher was Tecmo Koei Corporation. The only thing Asian here is a hint of anime style and bravura music, which is more suitable for Zelda fairy tale than for the project where trade routes are closed because of plague epidemic in one of the ports. You start the adventure with a small choice of ocean - nothing prevents you from going to the Pacific or, for example, the Indian Ocean.

There is also a choice of character, and a historically based one at that. You can take a Turkish admiral, a Spanish admiral, or a Portuguese admiral. Then they give you the focus of your company: whether you will manage a gang of pirates, engage in fair trade or guard other people's ships as a military - it's up to you. Ship control is arranged in much the same way as heroes in other RPGs: in third-person view, the gamer changes course on the fly, activating attack or defense skills. The oceans here are really spacious - represented at a scale of 1 to 320 of life-size. As in life, bad weather sometimes rages on them, and on the paths between two hundred ports there are robbers, not to mention the intrigues of rival companies.

Agreed, the Force in Star Wars is the same magic, and the Jedi who use it are the real sorcerers. That's the only reason why the wonderful Star Wars: The Old Republic has no place in this selection. On the other hand, the Star Trek universe is much more restrained - you can't scatter enemies with your mind and hypnotize an Imperial Stormtrooper into believing they're not the droids he's looking for. The sci-fi in Star Trek is far more scientific than in George Lucas' universe. Although, as writer Arthur C. Clarke said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. In this sense, the world of "Star Trek" is truly magical: it is home to dozens of different races, flying through space on starships using warp engines.

Even at the character creation stage, it's clear how seriously the game's authors took the legacy of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the original series from the 1960s, seriously. Because all races are represented, including humans, Vulcans, Klingons, Borg, Romulans and Betazoids, and if something is missing, you can invent a unique alien in the constructor. Faction selection is also like in the movies. The galaxy is divided between the Federation (the conventional forces of good), the Klingon Empire (they usually act as advanced, but still bad guys) and the Romulan Republic.

Instead of spells in Star Trek Online - orders, which the gamer gives to officers on the bridge of his ship. And the shield and sword successfully replaces the phaser. When necessary, the captain himself descends to the surface of the next planet to fulfill the story mission and engage in battle with enemies interfering with the Starfleet. On the other hand, there's plenty to do in space too - you have to maneuver, shoot, and fix broken starship components. As in any RPG, you can upgrade your hero. In addition, you can change the composition of crews and improve vehicles for resources. Of course, the graphics from 2010 is a bit outdated, but who watched the old series with William Shatner, the cheap design will not scare him.

If a Vulcan or Romulan from afar can still be mistaken for an elf because of his pointy ears, then in Entropia Universe the universe is ruled only by representatives of mankind. And they are driven solely by scientific interests, not the fight against evil. Well, and mercantilism, because everything here, including philosophy, politics and culture is subordinated to the extraction of resources and trading them on the online market. Though there are no fantasy villains like Sauron in the game, it doesn't cancel wars: gamers unite in guilds and organize skirmishes because of profitable mines and strategically favorable territories. However, with the freedom of self-organization, the project does not spoil users with epic stories - everyone entertains themselves by hunting, oil extraction, trading or fighting in PvP-zones.

The peculiarity of the "sandbox" is that no one is limited by class or race, but chooses a role according to himself. One way or another wagering is connected with some kind of business. You can use digital currency to transport people from planet to planet, repair equipment, become farmers or mercenaries, but in the end only resources and profits matter. It's all grown up - you can't fill your starship's tank with mana. Fans of the game even invented their own currency for internal settlements, which can be converted into US dollars.

Entropia Universe is free of charge, but if you decide to exchange your magic staff for a blaster, keep in mind that the entry threshold here is high. Not only do you have to understand the rules, but you also have to figure out who you can become in this universe.

Even among MMORPGs without magic EVE Online stands apart. It is also a game about space, but the universe here is huge - 60 thousand planets. And there are plenty of people piloting ships. That's why mass battles with hundreds of starships can't be confused with anything else - by any frame you will immediately determine that the project of Icelandic studio CCP Games is in front of you. Its events take place in a distant galaxy called New Eden, where four states are at war: Caldari, Gallente, Amarr and Minmatar. But on the choice of the side of the conflict wagering does not end, because you still need to determine the role - you can become an industrialist, scout, warrior or mercenary. And at least once look at your hero in the editor to forget how he looks like.

Because here you control not a character, but a ship. Moreover, some players command fleets and entire corporations. Although EVE Online has nothing to do with fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons, there is a very developed role-playing system, which is based on professions - nothing prevents you from building, mining, transporting and offering any demanded services from pharmacological to military. Just as long as you like it, because the choice of specialization will affect what you will do 90% of the time. But the profession is not given for nothing - to master it you need to complete a lot of quests, designed to develop one of the four hundred skills. You can do it for free, if you are ready to play without indulgences in the alpha status.

What MMORPGs without magic can you remember?