Tales of Pirates
Tales of Pirates II, also known to many players as Pirate King Online, is a colorful 3D MMORPG built around a lighthearted pirate fantasy theme. You pick from four preset protagonists and begin in one of three beginner regions, a snowy fortress zone, a wooded city, or a desert settlement, then work toward class upgrades after level 10. It is a very traditional, grind-friendly MMO with quests, instanced areas, collectible fairy companions, and plenty of “old era” design quirks that come with its age.
 | Publisher: IGG Playerbase: Low Type: F2P MMORPG Release Date: March 30, 2007 (NA/EU) PvP: Arena Pros: +Classic MMO vibe. +Convenient auto-pathing. +Very high level cap (130+) Cons: -Clunky movement and input. -Aging presentation. |
Tales of Pirates Overview
Tales of Pirates II (often referred to as Pirate King Online depending on region and version) is a 3D MMORPG that mixes island-hopping exploration with classic monster grinding and dungeon runs. Progression is structured around traveling between hubs and adventure areas using teleport services and sea travel, with early gameplay funneled through three different starter zones that each provide their own opening quest lines and enemies to farm. While the game leans into a whimsical pirate setting, the core loop is familiar to anyone who played free-to-play MMOs from the late 2000s, complete quests, improve gear, learn skills, and steadily push levels to unlock stronger class paths and better equipment.
Character choice matters more than in many modern MMORPGs because you are not creating a blank-slate avatar, you are selecting one of four distinct heroes with fixed class availability. After reaching level 10, you graduate from the Newbie phase into a basic class, and later step into advanced classes at level 40, expanding your skill options and gear potential. Outside of the leveling path, the game supports group-focused activities such as dungeons and competitive modes, and it also features a ship system that lets you take to the sea in a vessel you build and upgrade over time. Tales of Pirates shut down on February 29, 2016.
Tales of Pirates Key Features:
- Four Unique Characters – (Lance, Carsise, Phyllis, Ami) Each character has specific class restrictions, so your starting pick shapes your long-term options, for instance Lance cannot become a Herbalist, while Ami can.
- Four Basic Classes – (Swordsman, Hunter, Explorer, Herbalist) At level 10 you promote out of Newbie status, unlocking class-appropriate spell books, equipment, and a clearer combat role.
- Six Advanced Classes – (Crusader, Champion, Sharpshooter, Cleric, Seal Master, Voyager) At level 40 you can evolve your basic class into an advanced specialization with stronger skills and access to higher-end gear.
- Build and Customize a Ship – The naval side includes a personal ship that can be upgraded and tuned for different stats as it levels, improving its overall combat strength.
- Fairy Pet System – Fairies function as collectible companions, and you can equip up to two at once to enhance stats and provide extra help during fights.
Tales of Pirates Screenshots
Tales of Pirates Featured Video
Tales of Pirates Review
Tales of Pirates II is best understood as a snapshot of a particular era of MMORPG design. Its strengths come from straightforward progression, a bright and readable world, and a long runway of levels and class upgrades that reward players who enjoy steady grinding. The overall tone is light, with a cartoony style and a playful pirate theme that avoids taking itself too seriously, and that makes routine questing feel less heavy than in darker fantasy MMOs.
Moment-to-moment play revolves around moving between quest NPCs, clearing monster packs, and slowly improving your character through gear and skills. Combat is serviceable and clear, but it shows its age, with movement and targeting that can feel awkward by modern standards. The game’s auto-navigation helps reduce friction when traveling between objectives, which is useful because older MMOs often ask you to bounce between zones repeatedly. When the systems click, it delivers that familiar “one more quest, one more level” momentum that made many early free-to-play titles so sticky.
The class structure is one of the more distinctive parts of the experience. Because each of the four characters is tied to certain class trees, you are making a meaningful decision right at the start. The level 10 promotion into one of the four basic classes gives you a defined role, and the level 40 advancement into one of the six advanced classes is a big power and identity jump. This branching progression provides clear mid-term goals, and it can also encourage alts if you want to try a completely different toolkit rather than simply respecing.
Content variety largely comes from mixing overworld grinding with instanced activities and the ship system. Dungeons are where group play and loot chasing become more pronounced, and they break up the rhythm of open-world farming. The maritime component adds a different flavor to progression by letting you build and improve a custom ship, which gives the pirate theme some mechanical weight instead of being purely cosmetic. The fairy pet system is another layer of character optimization, since fairies offer stat boosts and combat support, and collecting them becomes its own side pursuit.
Where Tales of Pirates II struggles is in presentation and feel. Visuals are dated, and interface and control quirks can be hard to overlook if you are used to newer MMOs with smoother input and cleaner readability. The playerbase is also labeled low, which matters for a game that benefits from parties and community activity. Still, for players who enjoy classic free-to-play MMORPG loops, high level caps, and older-school progression pacing, it remains an interesting historical entry in the genre, even though the official service ended in 2016.
Tales of Pirates Links
Tales of Pirates Official Site
Tales of Pirates Wikipedia
Tales of Pirates Wikia (Database / Guides)
Tales of Pirates System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP, 2000, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
CPU: Pentium 3 800 MHz+
Video Card: Any GPU
RAM: 256 MB
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP, 2000, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
CPU: Pentium 4 2.4 GHz+
Video Card: GeForce FX 5200 / ATI 9200 or better
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Disk Space: 3 GB
Tales of Pirates is a remake of a much older game called Travia. It can run on practically any modern system.
Tales of Pirates Music & Soundtrack
Tales of Pirates Additional Information
Developer: MOLI
Publisher: IGG
Release Date (Closed Beta): March 15, 2007
Release Date (Open Beta): March 30, 2007
Release Date (Version 2.0): December 15, 2009
Shut Down Date: February 29, 2016
Tales of Pirates II was created by MOLI, a Shanghai-based developer, with publishing handled by IGG out of Singapore. This release represents the second iteration of the title, expanding on earlier versions with refreshed visuals for its time, additional class routes, new monsters, maze-like dungeons, and a broader item pool, while still being widely known under the Tales of Pirates name. Depending on region, players have also encountered related versions and older releases associated with the Pirate King Online branding.
IGG has published a number of other free-to-play MMOs internationally, including Voyage Century Online, Angels Online and Brave Trials. Ultimately, IGG ended service for Tales of Pirates 2 on February 29, 2016 as the company shifted attention toward its successful mobile titles, including Castle Clash and Brave Trials.