Getting In & Setting Up
Getting into the RO3 Pioneer Test felt a bit like opening the gates to a long-lost city. Access is still by invitation only, and I was lucky to get in thanks to a friend code. The first one didn’t work, but a second one came through — and I wasn’t going to waste it.
Since the game is Windows-only, running it on my Mac wasn’t an option. My workaround was installing Windows on my Steam Deck, running the game from there, and capturing it via an Elgato card into my Mac. It’s not the most conventional setup, but it worked surprisingly well. I played with a Rode NT1 mic, streaming through Ecamm Live, while exploring the world and gathering data for RO3hub.com — the community-driven database I’m building together with Lucas.
The World of RO3
From the moment I stepped into Prontera, it was clear that this wasn’t a simple remake. The city layout is instantly familiar. The fountain, the gates, but everything feels refreshed. The lighting, shadows, and small details like benches, leaves on the ground, and pigeons give it life.
Traveling through the Pioneer Test maps was like revisiting an old friend’s house that had been completely redecorated. Geffen’s magic city atmosphere still shines, Payon feels warm and traditional, Morroc bakes under the desert sun, and Prontera Southgate has that classic vibe. Even iconic places like Poring Island, Goblin Forest, and Orc Village are here, just waiting for curious adventurers to wander through.
The world map is already sizeable, with familiar names like Alberta, Pyramid, and Sograt Desert. Many areas still feel like they’re waiting for future updates, but the foundations are here.
Monsters & Encounters
My goal for this session was simple: walk every accessible map, click every monster, and record their level, type, element, size, card stats, and drops. The UI makes this easy, clicking on a monster shows a clean info panel with everything you need.
While many monsters drop a common pool of items like Jellopy, Sticky Mucus, Animal Skin, Worm Peeling, Skull, Crystal Fragment, and Zeny, each has its own unique card effect. Some standouts from this run:
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Poring Card: Luck +1, Flee +6 (binds to armor)
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Poporing Card: Luck +2 (binds to accessory)
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Horn Card: Physical Damage Reduction +3.84% (binds to offhand)
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Muka Card: INT +1 (binds to accessory)
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Snake Card: Magic Attack +90 (binds to weapon)
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Poison Spore Card: A skill effect dealing poison damage and applying stacks
One surprise was seeing Angeling on Porings Island. clearly marked as a mini boss. Orc Hero was also alive and well in Orc Village, towering over players in all his glory.
Gameplay Feel & Systems
Combat feels clean and responsive, but the biggest talking point in the community is auto-play. In the Pioneer Test, there’s an icon you can click to have your character automatically attack a chosen monster type. It’s functional but controversial. The developers have acknowledged this and stated that it’s not final.
For this run, I ignored endgame content like raids and Guild vs Guild, focusing instead on the open world and monster data collection. At max level (99/40 in this test), monsters died quickly, so I didn’t get to experience the real grind.
Bugs & Oddities
It wouldn’t be a pioneer test without some rough edges:
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Some monsters, like Savage Babe, had missing icons in the info panel.
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A few areas had navigation quirks, where characters got stuck trying to walk around terrain.
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Certain attacks, like Charge Attack, could hit enemies through walls or across terrain boundaries.
None of these broke the experience, but they’ll need to be ironed out before launch.
Final Thoughts & What’s Next
After nearly three hours of walking the maps, clicking monsters, and filling my notes, I came away impressed. The RO3 Pioneer Test isn’t complete,far from it. But it captures enough of Ragnarok’s charm to feel worth the wait.
The visuals are strong, the world feels alive. My next session will focus on skills, gathering their descriptions, levels, and icons for the database.
For now, the maps are explored, the monsters are logged, and RO3hub.com is one step closer to becoming the go-to place for RO3 information.
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