Game Mechanics

Keyboard and Mouse Usage

RO's character movement is entirely controlled by the mouse. The keyboard is used for chatting, typing manual commands, changing the camera angle, and using skills quickly. Jumping in Ragnarok Online is not possible with the exception of the TaeKwon class.

Mouse Controls

The mouse controls the following actions in RO:

• Movement: Left-click a cell to move to it. Hold down the left mouse button for continuous movement. If the cell is not highlighted or is highlighted in red, that place is impossible to reach.

• Camera:
  • Changing the side view: Hold down the right mouse button and the cursor will become two arrows curving left and right. Move the mouse left [while holding the right mouse button] and the camera will rotate around the character to the left. Likewise, moving the mouse right will rotate the camera to the right.
  • Changing magnification: Roll the mouse-wheel to zoom in and out. To do this without a mouse-wheel, hold the Ctrl key, right mouse button, and move the mouse.

    Changing the overview;;

    Hold the Shift key and move the mouse (wheel) up/down to change the height of the camera. To lower the height of the camera even more, hold both Ctrl + shift and move the mouse (wheel) up/down.

  • Resetting to the default view: Quickly right-click twice to reset the view to face north. Hold the Shift key and quickly right-click twice to reset the camera's position.

• Character Interaction: Right-click another character and a window will pop up with a list of actions to choose from. Some options only appear under certain circumstances.

• Item/Skill Description: Right-click an item or skill and a window will pop up giving detailed information on that particular item or skill.

• Drag-n-Drop: Allows the player to equip items, move items to the trade window or Kafra storage window, or drop items on the ground for someone else to pick up. The player can also drag-n-drop skills into the shortcut bar. NOTE: Drag-n-drop may be blocked if your equipment window is open.

• Auto-Follow another character: Hold Shift and right click on the target player to auto-follow him/her. This character will keep following the target until you attack or use a targeted skill. Note that /noctrl and /noshift need to be disabled in order to work.

Keyboard Controls

By default, F1 to F9 keys are used for quick access to most-used skills, items, and equipments. Chat anytime by typing in the dialog box and then pressing enter. Battlemode (/bm) significantly changes this aspect and is detailed below in the "In-Game Commands" section. The keyboard is not used to move your character.

UI Shortcut	Description
ALT + V	Opens the basic information window which shows the character name, class, LV & JLV EXP in %, current HP/Max HP, current SP/Max SP, current weight/max weight, and Zeny. Other windows can also be opened from here.
ALT + E	Opens the current inventory window. Tabs on the left control what section is displayed. From top to bottom, the sections can be described as usable items, equipment, and miscellaneous items respectively.
ALT + Q	Opens the equipment window. The Merchant class can open the cart window or un-equip the cart here.
ALT + W	Opens the cart window. This window is only accessible by a Merchant with a cart equipped.
ALT + U	Opens the quest window. Shows your current progress on various quests.
ALT + R	Opens the homunculus window. This window is only accessible by Alchemists.
ALT + J	Opens the pet window. This window is only accessible by pet owners.
ALT + S	Opens the skill window. From here, skills can be used and learned/improved. Also, skill icons can be dragged to the shortcut bar.
ALT + A	Opens the status window which shows your current stats.
F12	Cycles through sets of shortcuts in the shortcut bar. Cycling goes through Shortcuts Set 1, 2, 3, and off.
ALT + F10	Toggles the chat window.
F10	Cycles through the height of the chat window. The mouse can also be used to change the window height.
ALT + Z	Opens the party window.
ALT + P	Opens the party setup window. Adjust a party's EXP/item share here.
ALT + H	Opens the friends window which shows friends' online status.
CTRL + TAB	Cycles through how the mini-map is displayed through off, semi-transparency, and no transparency.
ALT + O	Opens the options window where the volume for background music and effects can be adjusted. The UI skin can also be changed here.
ALT + C	Creates a chatroom.
ALT + I	Allows one to change how the client alerts upon receiving private messages.
ALT + L	Displays different emoticons. Clicking the 'macro' button opens a window where different emotes or phrases can be assigned to ALT + # keys.
ALT + M	Opens the macro window.
ALT + Y	Displays a list of commands available.
ALT + G	Opens the Guild window.
ALT + D	Opens the graphics setup window where graphics quality can be adjusted.
CTRL + R	Opens the mercenary window.
ALT + T	Switches between passive and aggressive modes for homunculus.
CTRL + T	Switches between passive and aggressive modes for mercenaries.
INSERT	Makes the character sit down or stand up.
CTRL + ~	Opens the in-game World Map. Displays your location as well as that of party members.

In-Game Commands

• Add % in front of a message to send to Party only.
• Add $ in front of a message to send to Guild only.
• /set1 - Activates /skillfail, /showname, /noctrl, and /window.
• /set2 - Activates /skillfail, /showname, /noctrl, /q1, /q2, and /window.
• /miss - Hides the "Miss" animation.
• /sit - Makes the character sit.
• /stand - Makes the character stand.
• /chat - Creates a chatroom.
• /q - Leaves a chatroom.
• /memo - Memorizes a location for the Warp Portal skill.
• /hi <text> - Sends a private message to everyone in the friends list.
• /quickspell1 or /q1 - Enables the skill on the F9 hotkey by right clicking.
• /quickspell2 or /q2 - Cycles through all skills on the F7 and F8 hotkeys.
• /quickspell3 or /q3 - Enables /q1 and /q2
• /bangbang - Turns the character clockwise.
• /bingbing - Turns the character counter clockwise.
• /doridori - Moves the character's head from side to side.
• /h or /help - Lists the in-game commands.
• /bgm - Turns on/off background music.
• /sound - Turns on/off sound effects.
• /effect - Turns on/off skill effects and other flashy effects.
• /skip - Widens frame skip. This is recommended for players who lag excessively.
• /aura - Minimizes the aura effects for level 99 players.
• /tip - Opens Tip of the Day.
• /emblem - Turns guild emblems on and off.
• /bv (#) - Changes BGM volume.
• /v (#) - Changes sound effect volume.
• /where - Shows what map the character is in as well as coordinates.
• /am - Enter in a message to automatically reply when someone PMs you. Useful while AFK.
• /ex <Character Name> - Blocks PMs from <Character Name>.
• /ex - Displays a list of blocked players.
• /in <Character Name> - Removes <Character Name> from the "Blocked" list.
• /inall - Removes everyone from the Blocked list.
• /exall - Blocks all incoming PMs.
• /invite "<name>" - Invite a person to your party. Works across different maps.
• /refuse - Automatically declines all party invites.
• /accept - Disables auto-decline.
• /notrade or /nt - Blocks all trade offers and friend requests.
• /notalkmsg or /nm - Keeps public chat from being displayed in the chat window.
• /notalkmsg2 or /nm2 - Keeps guild and public chat from being displayed in the chat window.
• /organize "<Party Name>" - Creates a party named <Party Name>.
• /leave - Allows one to leave a party.
• /guild "<Guild Name>" - Creates a guild named <Guild Name>. This requires an Emperium to be in the creator's inventory.
• /breakguild "Guild Name" - Disbands a guild. Can only be used by the guild leader. All members must be expelled first.
• /shopping or /sh - Allows opening vendor windows with one left-click and closing shop windows with one right-click.
• /noctrl or /nc - Allows attacking monsters continuously with only one left-click.
• /noshift or /ns - Allows targeting monsters or other players in PvP arenas with support skills without having to press the Shift key.
• /window or /wi - Makes the RO window being moved snap to another window nearby.
• /savechat - Saves the chat.
• /battlemode or /bm - Starts Battle mode where the keyboard is used to instantly access shortcut-bar content without using F1~F9. Also, shortcuts of pages in the background can be used.
• /alchemist - Shows the top 10 brewing Alchemists in the server.
• /blacksmith - Shows the top 10 forging/upgrading Blacksmiths in the server.
• /taekwon - Shows the top 10 TaeKwon Kids based on completion of TaeKwon Missions in the server.
• /<"atr">+ <Number> - <"atr"> is the target stat (ie. STR, AGI, VIT, INT, DEX, or LUK). Provided that stat points are available for allocation, this command will increase the target stat by the amount specified. For example: /str+ 5 will increase STR by 5 points. If stat points are insufficient, the client will increase the target stat as much as possible.
• /emotion - Lists some of the in-game emotions.
• /skillfail or /sf - Turns off "Skill has Failed" messages.
• /loginout or /li - Turns off guild messages and login messages (ie. "<Character Name> has logged in/out" and "<Character Name> has dis/connected").
• /fog - Turns fog on and off.
• /mineffect or /minimize - Enables less graphically intense effects. This command does not work for Wizard's AoE skills.
• /hoai - Switches Homunculus AI between default and custom mode.
• /traceai - Saves Homunculus' status as a text file.
• /merai - Switches Mercenary AI between default and custom mode.
• /font - Switches the position of character name, party name, guild name, guild title, and emblem to above or below character sprites.
• /lightmap - Removes shade effects and a majority of lighting effects.
• /eqopen - Makes your equipment viewable by anyone.
• /battlechat - Activates the battlegrounds chat, with it enabled you can't use normal, party or guild chats.
• /check <text> - Produces [ <text> ] in a green font. Use is unknown.
• /camera - Turns camera "smoothing" off and on.
• /tingonly - Disables sound effects except the "ting" or "ding" sound when someone enters in a chatroom

Battle Mode

Battle mode is a configuration in which the player can use all three skill bars without having to change between them. To enter Battle mode, type /battlemode or /bm. While in Battle mode the second and third skill bars are controlled via q-o and a-l, respectively. The first skill bar can then also be accessed via the z-. keys, as well as F1-F9. To chat, simply press enter or the spacebar before writing. While in battlemode, the chatwindow will have a blue frame around it. Battle mode is extremely useful for Characters that have a lot of skills to use, i.e. support Priests, but be aware that if you forget to press enter before chatting you can accidentally use skills or waste items.

Outdated Commands

The following commands either do not work or were taken out.

• /showname - Changes font styles. This command still works on idRO & kRO, however it is not known if there are any other servers besides those two where this command still works.
• /w or /who - Shows the current number of players on the server.
• /report - Saves chat as a text file.
• /loading - Switches the loading screen mode between fixed and randomized.

Macros

Macros are used to access most used emotes or phrases quickly. Press ALT+M to open the Macros window. Here, a list of shortcuts and the values assigned to them will be displayed. When opening for the first time, default emoticons will be linked to "ALT + 1" to "ALT + 0". These can be replaced with other emotes, phrases, or in-game commands.

Communication

To talk, type in the chat window and press Enter. What is said will be seen by everybody within a certain range. If Battle mode is on, the Enter key must be pressed before chatting.

Some notes on communication:

• To send a message to the party only, type % before the message or press Ctrl + Enter.
• To send a message to the guild only, type $ or /gc before the message or press Alt + Enter.
• To PM another player, enter the character name into the small box on the left side of the chat window.
• To set the chat mode, click on the left bubble at the bottom right corner of the chat window. The right bubble controls the chat window height.

Interaction With Others

To interact with other players, right-click on a character and choose an action from the list provided.

• Common Commands:
  • Check (character name)'s Equipment Information - View the target players equipment if they have checked the "Open equipment" box on their equipment screen.
  • Trade - Allows trading items or Zeny with another character. After the target player accepts the offer to trade, the trade window will appear. Items can be dragged and dropped here for trading. Zeny can also be entered here for trading. Click "OK" and then "Trade" to confirm.
  • Ignore - If the character is annoying, this command will block that character's PMs and public speech as well.
  • 1:1 Chat - Allows talking to the character privately.
  • Add to Friends List - Adds the character to the friends list.
  • Invite (character name) to Party - Allows party leaders to invite characters into the party.
  • Invite (character name) to Guild - If given the power to recruit players into the guild, this option allows recruiters to invite other characters into the guild. This power to recruit must be given by the guild master.

Interaction with NPCs

NPCs are non-player characters. They are not real people but characters programmed into the game. To interact with an NP, left-click on the target NPC. Note that not all NPCs will talk.

Conversations with NPCs include:

• NPC illustration - Not all NPCs have this.
• Dialogue box - This is a window that shows what the NPC is saying.
• Interactive dialogue box - Sometimes, this window will appear below the main dialogue box with a selection of what to say to the NPC.

Notable NPCs:

• Kafra Workers - These NPCs are essential to Ragnarok Online and serve the following functions:
  • Storage access - Allows items to be stored.
  • Cart Rentals - Allows Merchant classes to rent carts.
  • Teleportation - Allows traveling to other cities instantly.
  • Saving - Allows setting a "Save Point". Using a butterfly wing will return the character to this Save Point. Also, should the character die, the player may choose to return to the Save Point.

NOTE: Not all Kafras offer all of these services.

• Town Guards - These NPCs are guides and can tell the location of important places in town.

NOTE: While interacting with NPCs, the character cannot move. If a player is moving when activating an NPC dialogue, they will be disconnected.

Based on https://irowiki.org/classic/Basic_Game_Control

Content is available under GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 or later unless otherwise noted.