Zarhold review: a free card MMORPG in your browser, from A to Z

Zarhold is a free card MMORPG you play in your browser: a huge world with dungeons, raids, an arena, professions and guilds, where every fight is a duel of decks. This review puts everything that matters in one place: how combat works, which classes and races there are, what to do while levelling and at level 60, and where and on what you can play. Every section links to detailed guides on the blog and in the knowledge base.

Zarhold at a glance

• Genre: card MMO-RPG — an online role-playing game where your hero’s abilities are cards.
• Where to play: right in your browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and on VK Play. Nothing to download.
• Price: free in the browser and on VK Play.
• Your hero: 10 classes, 11 races in three factions, levels 1 to 60, talents and two specialisations.
• The world: 26 zones, 312 quests, 23 dungeons, 6 raids and 3 world bosses.
• PvP: a 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 arena, a 5v5 battleground and duels.
• Economy: 12 professions, an auction house, mail and player trading.
• Languages: Russian and English.
• Status: in beta, with no wipe coming — your progress is kept for good. Details in “The Zarhold beta”.

Combat: a deck instead of a hotbar

In classic MMORPGs your hero presses ability buttons on a bar and waits for cooldowns. In Zarhold, instead of a bar you hold a hand of cards:

• you start a fight with 6 cards in hand and draw one more every turn after that;
• cards are paid for with crystals: 1 crystal on your first turn, one more each turn after, up to 10; anything unspent is lost;
• once per turn you can use your Class Power for 1 crystal, and your hero also has a racial ability.

Every turn is a small puzzle: what to play now, what to hold back, who to hit or heal. Your deck is built from your class cards plus cards from talents, so two heroes of the same class can play completely differently. Why this beats buttons is covered in “Card MMORPGs: what they are”, and the full rules are in the knowledge base: “How combat works”. Every card of every class is collected in the Spellbook — more on it in “The Spellbook”.

Your hero: 10 classes, 11 races and talents

Classes and roles

The ten classes cover three roles — tank, healer and damage:

• tank — Barbarian, Lightbringer, Revenant and Druid;
• healer — Priest, Lightbringer, Stormbringer and Druid;
• damage — any class, while Ranger, Rogue, Mage and Warlock are damage only.

Lightbringer and Druid can fill all three roles, so every group has room for them. The Mage is the classic glass cannon, while the Barbarian soaks more hits than anyone. For help choosing, see “Which class to choose”.

Races

Eleven races are split across three factions, and any race goes with any class — 110 combinations. A race gives a permanent bonus and two abilities: one against creatures and one against players. A faction is your people’s story, not a wall: you can group, join a guild and fight in the arena alongside heroes of any faction. All the bonuses are in the knowledge base: “Factions and races”.

Talents

From level 10 talents unlock: points go into branches, add new cards to your deck and change your Class Power. From level 20 you can keep two specialisations — say, one for questing solo and another for groups or the arena. Resetting is free, so experimenting costs nothing. More in “Talents in a card RPG”.

Hero stats

A hero has just four stats, and each one makes sense at a glance:

• Health — how much damage you can take. At level 60 with no gear it ranges from 331 for a Mage to 632 for a Barbarian.
• Power — your main stat: a single bonus to the damage, healing and shields of your cards, your Class Power and your racial ability. The more a card costs, the more Power it gets.
• Hardiness — defence against creatures, found on regular gear.
• Resilience — defence in PvP only, found on PvP gear.

There are no critical hits: every number on a card is exactly what will happen. That means you can calculate a fight instead of hoping for luck. More in the knowledge base: “Hero stats”.

First steps: from creating a hero to level 10

1. Create a hero. Pick a race, a class and a name — you can keep several heroes on one account.
2. Play the tutorial. It’s short and shows your hand, crystals, Class Power and your first fights hands-on.
3. Follow the quests of the first zones. Quests lead you from zone to zone and give experience, gold and your first gear.
4. Pick up professions. Learning is free at any level, and you gather materials as you go.
5. At level 10 talents and dungeons unlock: choose a branch and queue for your first dungeon.

Step by step, with tips for each stage, it’s all in the beginner’s guide and in the knowledge base: “Your first hour”.

The open world: 26 zones and 312 quests

Your hero’s journey runs from level 1 to 60 across 26 zones. Each has quests, packs of enemies, elites and zone bosses; in all, the world holds 312 quests. A fight with a regular enemy is the same card duel, just shorter, while elites and zone bosses already call for a well-thought-out deck.

Along the way your hero gathers profession materials, finds gear and unlocks new features: dungeons and talents at level 10, a second specialisation at level 20. What opens when is listed in the knowledge base: “What unlocks as you level”. Your first steps are covered in detail in the beginner’s guide.

Dungeons, raids and world bosses

PvE in Zarhold means 23 dungeons for three (tank, healer, damage), plus 6 raids and 3 world bosses for five: 32 locations and 166 bosses in all. The first dungeon opens at level 10; raids and world bosses wait for level 60 heroes.

• Your group. Gather friends or join the queue: allies — world residents of the right role — fill any free slots. In a live party everyone plays their own hero, and you all act at the same time.
• Bosses. Each has its own phases and tricks, and a drawn-out fight stokes their enrage. The tank’s taunt keeps the boss focused on them.
• Loot. Items are rolled for, and repeat dungeon runs within one lockout give 100%, 50% and 0% rewards. In raids and at world bosses, loot comes from your first run of the day.
• Heroic mode. In raids and at world bosses, enemies are twice as strong, and bosses’ epic items are item level 232 instead of 226.

All of this is covered in detail in “Dungeons and raids in an MMORPG” and “Co-op MMORPG”.

Goals at level 60

Level 60 isn’t the end of the game — it’s where the hunt for gear begins.

Item level

An item’s power shows in its Item Level: at level 60 a blue item is 187, an epic 200, raid and world boss epics 226, epics from heroic bosses 232, and legendaries 280 — the top of the scale. Your hero’s average item level shows in the Armory and tells you which content you’re ready for. The road from your first blues to 232 epics is laid out in “Endgame gear at level 60”.

Tier 1 and the Regalia Forge

The big long-term PvE goal is the Tier 1 class sets: each of the ten classes has its own eight-piece set at item level 232. Bonuses unlock at 2, 4, 6 and 8 pieces and change with your talent branch, and the full set grants a new card or changes how your branch works. Set pieces don’t drop directly: heroic bosses drop regalia, and the blacksmith Halvard the Sightless reforges them at the Regalia Forge. Everything about them is in “Tier sets: class armour sets”.

The Item Atlas

So you never have to guess where an item drops, there’s the Item Atlas: all loot from dungeons, raids, the open world, quests and crafting — with search, filters and drop chances. How to use it is explained in “The Item Atlas”.

PvP: the arena, battlegrounds and duels

The arena is open from level 1. Each of its four formats — 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 — has its own rating and leaderboard, and levelling heroes and level 60 heroes play on separate tiers: before 60, your opponent is never more than six levels away from you. Seasons bring titles and rewards, and the ladders are on the website under Ratings. How your rating grows and who makes the Hall of Fame is covered in “Arena rating and the Hall of Fame”.

The battleground hosts 5v5 team fights in two modes: Brawl and Multi-Duel. You can challenge any hero to a duel — staking gold or items if you like — and the Honor Circle keeps its own duelist rating; more in “Duels in an MMORPG”.

PvP combat rules are a little stricter than in PvE: you can’t lose more than 60% of your Health in one round, and healing and shields weaken as the fight drags on. Tier set bonuses don’t apply in PvP — only item stats do. For an overview of all PvP, see “PvP in a card game”.

The economy: professions, the auction house and trading

Zarhold has 12 professions: six crafts (Blacksmithing, Tailoring, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking, Alchemy), three gathering professions and three secondary ones — Cooking, First Aid and Fishing. A hero has two craft slots, the matching gathering profession comes free with a craft, and the secondary professions are open to everyone. Learning is free and possible at any level. More in “MMORPG professions” and “Fishing in an MMORPG”.

What you make and gather is sold on the auction house, sent by mail or traded directly. Gear of green quality and above becomes personal the moment it lands in your bag — it’s worn by whoever earned it — while materials, consumables and crafted items are what people trade. How to list a lot and make gold is covered in “The MMORPG auction house”.

Playing with others: parties, guilds and chat

• A party holds up to five heroes. Before entering, everyone clicks Ready, and either everyone goes or no one does; in combat you all act at the same time, with 60 seconds per phase.
• A guild is a permanent crew with its own chat, ranks and bank. How to found a guild and pick the right one is covered in “Guilds in an MMORPG”; the guild list is under Guilds.
• Friends and chat — world, trade, guild and party channels, a friends list and who’s online. How to play as a pair or a crew is covered in “MMORPG with friends”.

Achievements, the pass and the Hall of Fame

The game has 212 achievements in 14 categories and 77 titles, and the first heroes to reach level 60 stay in the website’s Hall of Fame forever. The Battle Pass, Path of the Hall, is 50 levels of rewards with no seasons: quests and victories in the world earn points for it, and the free reward track is open to everyone. Every achievement is listed under Achievements.

The game’s website: Armory, ratings and the knowledge base

Zarhold’s website is more than news. Here you’ll find:

• the Armory — any hero with their gear, stats, professions and ratings;
• Ratings and Records — arena ladders and the best dungeon and raid clears;
• the knowledge base — over 140 searchable guides and references covering the whole game;
• the Spellbook and the Item Atlas — every class card and every drop;
• the forum, News and Updates — the life of the game and every build by date.

World residents: a world that never empties

Alongside the players, Zarhold is home to world residents — heroes with their own names, classes, races, gear, talents and professions. You can inspect them like any player.

• Allies. A free slot in a dungeon, raid or world boss fight is filled by a resident of the right role — tank, healer or damage, matched by level and strength. They play on their own: healing, protecting and hitting.
• Opponents. If there are few player heroes in your level window on the arena, a resident around your level becomes your opponent; in team fights residents fill the free slots on both sides.
• Practice. You can challenge a resident to a duel — a practice fight with no rating and no stakes, handy for testing a deck.

A resident never plays in place of a live player, and a party leader can enter a run with no residents at all — party members only. More in the knowledge base: “World residents”.

Where and on what to play

Zarhold runs in your browser — on a desktop, laptop, tablet or phone. There’s nothing to install, and your hero and progress live on the server, so one account works on every device: start on your computer and carry on from your phone. On a phone the game runs in landscape — the battle board needs the width. To pin a shortcut to your screen, see “Play on any device”. You can also play through VK Play with the same account.

Who Zarhold is for

• Fans of classic MMORPGs — classes, roles, dungeons, raids and the gear chase, without installing anything.
• Card game lovers — a deck that grows with your hero and a decision on every turn.
• Players who like to think — combat is turn-based: your card plays decide the fight, not your reflexes.
• Anyone who plays with friends — live parties, guilds and duels with your crew.

Zarhold FAQ

What kind of game is Zarhold?

Zarhold is a card MMO-RPG in your browser. You create a hero, level them to 60 in a shared world, team up with other players for dungeons and raids, fight in the arena and trade on the auction house — and every fight is a duel of decks.

Is Zarhold free?

Yes: you can play for free in the browser and on VK Play. All you need is an account, and creating one is free too.

Do I need to download the game?

No. Zarhold opens right in your browser on a computer, tablet or phone. One account works on every device.

Can I play solo?

Yes. Zones, quests, professions, 1v1 arena and duels are all open to solo players, and you can queue for dungeons — allies, world residents of the right role, fill the free slots. Raids and world bosses are built for a group of five.

How many classes and levels are there?

Ten classes and eleven races — 110 combinations. Levels run from 1 to 60, and at 60 the hunt for gear, tier sets and arena rating begins.

Is there an English version?

Yes. Both the game and the website are available in two languages — Russian and English.

The bottom line

Zarhold blends what people love about classic MMORPGs — classes, roles, dungeons, raids, the arena, professions and guilds — with card combat where every turn calls for a decision. It all runs right in your browser, for free, with one account across every device, and there will be no wipe after the beta. Start playing Zarhold — and keep this review as your map: it’s the easiest place to jump to any detailed guide.