The Ragnarok Online franchise has established itself among the grindiest titles in the MMORPG genre. With players vying to reach high levels quickly or earn loot, many spend countless hours on the field killing monster after monster within their means. This level of freedom is certainly what makes MMORPGs, in general, engaging and addicting.
However, on the other side of the amusement are issues that affect the players’ lives—often, problems caused by the disruption to their otherwise normal living as they become overly preoccupied with extensive hours of playtime. Addiction to the game as being the primary driver of the problem.
More modern and more recent iterations of mobile-based MMORPGs have sought to address this issue by imposing a cap on the benefit that a player can get by excessive grinding. Or, otherwise, make the advantages of the activity be reaped than just simply given.
Older entries of Ragnarok mobile titles have implemented those ideas to some positive results—players become more responsible with their time and felt rewarded for some break time from the game they play rather than feel punished by it. The game also became substantially accessible even to casual gamers, given the leeway to play at their own pace rather than be obligated by it.
Furthermore, the level of the playing field is made balanced among players because of it. This meant that even the most ardent of players are not leaving everybody else behind by a wide margin by having too much play time on their hands, including long sessions of farming while literally away from the keyboard (AFK farming).
Ragnarok Origin Fatigue System and Monster Annihilation
Ragnarok Origin applies a similar scheme referred to as the “fatigue system.” At its most basic, it essentially limits the benefits of AFK grinding, in terms of EXP gains and item drops, to just 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) per day, otherwise known as Battle Time. In other words, players receive EXP and item drops within the specified extent as they AFK grind but would soon enter a “fatigued state” going beyond.
Although “fatigued players” are removed from the chances of getting EXP and getting loot drops for their kills in the wild, drops involving Magic Dolls and Elemental Specimens, or the possibility of completing Monster research for bonus stats rewards, remain valid. This makes any time spent in the fatigue mode not wasted.
Additionally, during a fatigued state, players would be able to activate Monster Annihilation, which grants six times the chance of getting drops, including cards. This makes for an ideal time to farm for loots that drop at an infinitesimal rate.
Merely acquiring the fatigue status does not enable the Monster Annihilation, however. Another element must also be in play for it to take place—Blessing Time, which can be accrued by fulfilling daily quests that reward a maximum of 100 Daily Activity points per day. In turn, accumulating 100 Daily Activity Points render 30 minutes of Blessing Time.
Players can have as many as 210 minutes of Blessing Time, tantamount to 7 days of relative effort doing quests. Inevitably, this makes the Blessing Time a valuable resource for every player, particularly for targeting specific drops, while simultaneously calling for wise decisions on when and how to use an exhaustive Blessing Time.
Maximizing drop rate in Ragnarok Origin
Entering Monster Annihilation mode is an ideal way of grinding for stuff. But there is a way to further boost the chances of getting loot—that is, by using Lucky Candy, which singly grants twice or thrice the usual chances of an item drop.
As of writing, it is known that there is a synergistic reaction to the effects of the Monster Annihilation and Lucky Candy. On the one hand, while Monster Annihilation boosts the drop rate of items by up to six times, Lucky Candy, on the other hand, doubles or triples the chances of a player getting the same loot.
A simple example would be a jellopy with a presumptuous drop rate of 50 percent, which gets enhanced to 300 percent via Monster Annihilation and therefore, a guaranteed drop. But instead of just dropping once per kill, the item drops at twice or thrice the rate per kill due to the effect of the Lucky Candy.
Blessing Time bug is now fixed
Fresh from its launch, Ragnarok Origin suffered a bug that prevents players from getting Blessing Time even after accumulating 100 Daily Activity points. Citing the error “Blessing time is 0, can’t activate Blessing,” players were unable to enter the Monster Annihilation mode as a result. However, as of April 9, 2023, the bug was fortunately addressed, following an immediate response from the developers.
Rested EXP in Ragnarok Origin
It can be quite confusing to understand the meaning of Rested EXP based on the in-game description alone. But looking into technicalities, rested EXP essentially works by taking into account any unused fraction of the 150-minute Battle Time given to players daily for use on another day. This meant that any leftover time carries over for the next day.
However, even Rested EXP comes with a caveat—while it does have the power to extend the player’s Battle Time on the field beyond the daily 150-minute allocation if merited, it cannot be equal to three days’ worth of Battle Time for the average free player. That privilege would be exclusive to players with Kafra VIP subscriptions.
TL;DR
In summary, Ragnarok Origin comes with interesting features aimed at curbing excessing play sessions and balancing out the game for the entire player base, as follows:
- Allocation of 150 minutes of Battle Time, which restricts players from spending too much time grinding on the field, especially away from the keyboard (AFK)
- Battle Time offsets the likelihood of gamers playing excessively
- Introduction of the “fatigued” status where players stop gaining EXP and getting item drops when grinding on the field upon reaching a certain but set the condition for the “Monster Annihilation” mode
- Inauguration of the Blessing Time, which is another critical element in triggering Monster Annihilation
- Implementation of the Monster Annihilation, which grants players six times the usual drop rate for loot
- Use of lucky candy for maximizing drop rate
- Addition of the Rested EXP, which lets players take advantage of their unused Battle Time for another day