Allods Online is a free-to-play fantasy MMORPG developed by the Russian company Astrum Nival. The game entered its open beta stage on February 16, 2010. Ever since then numerous levels of polish have been added on top of the original design and the vast majority of the game’s problems have been ironed out. The game has been finally launched on May 11, 2011 together with the game’s fourth volume called Astral Odyssey.

Many of the game’s composing elements could be considered traditional for the fantasy MMORPG genre, but there are a few a bit more original than expected. Among them is the players' ability to build ships and with them sail the magical space called The Astral. To make things even more interesting, players can engage in ship-to-ship combat and explore zones otherwise unreachable.

The Allods Online player base is split into two factions: The League and The Empire, each of them with three races and a panoply of classes to choose from. While the class system might see a bit overwhelming especially to a new player or to someone unaccustomed with the fantasy MMORPG canons, it does provided a most welcomed variety and the time invested in understanding the system and what each and every class brings to the table is eventually well worth it.

Allods Online managed to impress gamers and critics alike by providing triple-A quality gameplay, graphics and sounds in a free-to-play business model. The artistic direction of the game bearing the unmistakable influence of the Russian art school is particularly impressive.