Browser MMORPG with no download: what to play and how Zarhold works

Browser games stopped being “five-minute Flash games” a long time ago. Today a single browser tab can hold a full-blown MMORPG, with an open world, classes, dungeons, an economy and hundreds of quests. No multi-gigabyte client to download, no waiting for patches, no clearing disk space — you open the page and play. Here’s what to look for when you choose a browser MMORPG, and how it all works in Zarhold.

What a browser MMORPG is today

A browser MMORPG is a multiplayer role-playing game that runs entirely in your browser window. All the heavy lifting happens on the server: that’s where your hero, their items and their progress are stored, where fights are verified and where trades between players are processed. The browser just draws the world and sends your moves.

That gives browser MMORPGs their main advantages:

• nothing to install — no launcher, no client, no patches;
• play on any device: start in the evening on your computer, carry on in the morning on your phone;
• your progress isn’t tied to your hardware — the laptop breaks, the hero survives.

The genre really has just one drawback: no internet, no game. But that’s true of any MMORPG — the world lives on the server, not on your computer.

How to choose a browser MMORPG: five questions

There are plenty of browser games, and from screenshots alone they’re easy to mix up. These questions quickly separate a real browser MMORPG from a clicker in a fantasy wrapper.

1. Does it really run in the browser? Some games call themselves browser games but actually ask you to download a program. A real one opens from a link.
2. Is your progress stored on the server? If your hero lives in your browser’s memory, it disappears when the cache is cleared. You need an account.
3. Is there any depth? Classes that play differently, professions, dungeons, PvP — everything people play MMORPGs for in the first place.
4. Can you play on your phone? A good browser game doesn’t fall apart on a small screen.
5. Is there life around you? Guilds, chat, trading between players, shared leaderboards — the things that turn a game into an MMO.

Here’s how Zarhold answers them.

Zarhold: a card MMORPG right in your browser

Zarhold is an MMO-RPG where fights are played with cards rather than buttons: your hero has a deck, a hand and crystals, and every turn is a decision. We covered combat in detail in “Card MMORPGs: what they are”. Here we’ll look at everything around it.

In the game within a minute

To get started, just open the game page and create an account — with an email and password (you’ll get a code by email) or with Google. Your hero and all your progress are stored on the server, so you can play on any device: just sign in to the same account.

The game is available in Russian and English, and quests are voiced in both languages.

On your phone

Zarhold runs in your phone’s regular browser. It’s played in landscape — if you hold the phone upright, the game will ask you to turn it. You can also install it on your home screen like an app: the game will show you how on Android and on iPhone.

Who to play

A hero is made of a class and a race. There are ten classes, each with its own deck and its own role in a group: a tank, a healer, damage dealers and hybrids who combine roles. There are eleven races across three factions, and any race goes with any class — 110 combinations in all. Your race gives a permanent bonus and two abilities: one against creatures and one against players. How to pick the right class for you is covered in “Which class to choose”.

A world from level 1 to 60

The world of Zarhold is made up of 26 zones for levels 1 to 60: from Brightdale, where you take your first steps, to the level-60 lands that only seasoned heroes reach. Each zone has twelve quests of five kinds: defeat, gather, talk, find and deliver.

Dungeons, raids and world bosses

For group PvE there are 23 dungeons, 6 raids and 3 world bosses — more than a hundred and fifty bosses in all. Dungeons are run by three: a tank, a healer and a damage dealer. You can go in alone, but it’s almost impossible solo — better to join the queue, and allies will fill the free slots. Raids and world bosses take a group of five.

Experience and gold are awarded in full for your first run, at half for the second, and not at all after that until the timer resets: a day for dungeons and world bosses, a week for raids. Loot, though, drops on every run. More about bosses and loot in “Dungeons and raids”.

Professions and trade

There are twelve professions. Six crafts — blacksmithing, tailoring, enchanting, engineering, leatherworking and alchemy; three gathering professions — mining, herbalism and skinning; and three secondary ones — cooking, first aid and fishing. You can take two crafts, while the gathering profession paired with a craft and the secondary professions don’t take up a slot. Fishing, by the way, is a little reaction game: cast your line, wait for a bite and strike in time.

For trading there’s an auction house for in-game gold, mail and direct trade between players. How to make gold from all of this is covered in “MMORPG professions”.

Guilds, friends and chat

A guild has ranks with permissions, a shared bank, an event log and its own chat, and every guild gets a page on our website in the Guilds section. You can form a party of up to five, add friends and see which of them are online. There are several chat channels: world, trade, guild, party and private messages. Everything about playing together is in “MMORPG with friends”.

Arena and battlegrounds

When you want to test yourself against other heroes, there’s the arena, from 1v1 to 5v5, and the battlegrounds, each mode with its own rating ladder. You can see who’s on top in the Ratings, and how it all works in “PvP in a card game”. Any hero — gear and stats included — can be looked up in the Armory.

Once your hero hits level 60

The game doesn’t end at level 60. By then your hero has 51 talent points and two specialisations — you can keep one for dungeons and the other for the arena. Ahead lie raids and world bosses, 60-day PvP seasons with a separate top tier of the ladder, and 160 achievements that will keep you busy for months.

Browser MMORPG FAQ

Do I need to download anything to play Zarhold?

No. The game opens in your browser from a link, and installing it on your phone’s home screen is entirely optional.

Will my progress carry over if I switch devices?

Yes. Your hero is stored on the server, not in your browser: just sign in to the same account on another computer or phone.

Can I play solo?

Yes. Open-world quests are made for a single hero, and the arena starts with one-on-one duels. For dungeons it’s easier to join the queue — allies will fill the free slots — while raids and world bosses take five.

The bottom line

A good browser MMORPG is one where a browser tab hides a genuinely big world, not a row of “claim reward” buttons. That’s what Zarhold aims to be: 26 zones, a couple of dozen dungeons, professions, guilds and PvP — all without downloading a thing. It only takes a couple of minutes to find out: open the game, create a hero and finish your first quests in Brightdale. Not sure where to start? Our beginner’s guide will help.