The Beginning
As of now, my Realm of the Mad God account is almost 10 years old — I created it on October 2, 2015. The game has come a long way since then! I haven’t been playing non-stop over that decade, but I’ve had long stretches of activity, followed by breaks that sometimes lasted a year or more. Still, I always find my way back.
Among Realm players, there’s this ongoing joke that the game is like an addiction. And honestly? It’s not far off.
I first got into ROTMG because my brother was playing it with some friends. I didn’t have many games to play at the time, so I joined in — and I still remember that first impression. It looked old, kind of crude even, but it was fun. This was during the Flash era, and I played it directly in the browser.
I used to start tons of NPEs (new player experiences) because my pet was useless, and I’d usually die by level 7. I remember getting excited over a purple bag like it was Christmas. Now? Purple bags are the baseline, and on non-seasonal characters, you can’t even check what you got half the time.
Getting a pet used to be a huge milestone. I still remember the thrill of getting my first egg — even though I didn’t know back then that Heal and Magic Heal were essential first abilities. My poor first pet had something like Savage and Attack Far — utterly useless.
Kabam → Deca: A Turning Point
Back in those days, Kabam still owned the game. They weren’t known for innovation — events were rare, and new dungeons were few and far between. That’s why it felt like a breath of fresh air when Deca Games took over in 2016.
Deca not only started actively developing the game but also made one of the biggest changes ever: the Exalt client. Moving away from Flash was a huge deal. At first, there were bugs (of course), but over time, the new client made a massive difference. Playing in full-screen instead of a tiny browser window? Game-changer.
Since then, Deca has added a ton of content — more dungeons, new mechanics, and consistent events that actually pull old players back in.
Seasonal Characters: Mixed Feelings
When seasonal characters were first introduced, I thought it was a cool spin on the old-school PPE (Petless Player Experience) runs. Back in the day, people would upload PPE videos that were fun and impressive to watch.
Seasonal characters are essentially a modern take on that concept, but with a twist: they come with quest systems that offer progression and rewards — some of which are crazy powerful, like apples that instantly max your stats to 8/8.
But here’s the issue: those quests are locked to seasonal characters. You earn more XP, get better drops, and unlock rewards faster on seasonal runs. This has made regular characters feel like second-class citizens. It’s a bit demotivating when you know your main account can’t access the same benefits.
Grinding & Fame: Lazy Mode vs. Skill
I consider myself an active player. I don’t like sitting back and farming safely — I like pushing into tough zones with high-risk mobs and keeping up with the group’s pace. Dungeons like Lost Halls? That’s my jam.
But I’ll admit, one thing bothers me about the current meta: the best way to stay alive is to play “lazy mode” — sitting in the back with auto-fire on and letting other players carry the fight. It works. It’s safe. But it’s not particularly fun.
Most of my deaths come from impatience. I rush. I get greedy. But that’s also where the game feels most exciting. Reaching 15,000 fame isn’t hard anymore — it’s just time-consuming. And frankly, high fame doesn’t mean much. It just shows you’ve spent a lot of time in Realm. Skill comes from experience — learning patterns, understanding bosses, and reacting fast.
Where I Stand Now
Even after all this time, Realm of the Mad God still has that spark. It’s chaotic, unforgiving, sometimes frustrating — but always thrilling. Deca has done a lot of good for the game, even if I don’t agree with every direction they’ve taken (looking at you, seasonal characters).
It’s not perfect. It never was. But it’s uniquely Realm, and that’s why I keep coming back.