Ashen Empires is one of the oldest MMORPGs still running, a 2D game in the spirit of early Ultima. It grew out of Dransik, launched in March 2003 and has changed hands several times; Iron Will Games brought it to Steam in September 2022. The land of Dransik has fallen into darkness, with the demon lord Talazar's forces roaming it.
There are no classes: you choose one of three races and train any of 71 skills, from weapon use and four schools of magic to mining and baking. Attributes decide your gear but don't cap your skills. The economy runs on player crafting, and you can sail, build a house or put up a guild hall with friends.
It suits fans of old free-form RPGs. Caveat: the systems and interface still feel very early 2000s.
