PristonTale is a 3D fantasy MMORPG that centers on action-based role-playing. It was originally released in South Korea, 2001, by Yedang Online. It was created by Triglow Pictures Inc. (now known as Priston Inc.) and has since been published for Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, England, Philippines, Brazil and the Spanish-speaking countries. In 2004, the English version of PristonTale went out of public beta (in which it had remained for nearly 2 years) and became a commercial pay-to-play game. On May 17, 2007, PristonTale announced free-to-play service for everyone; instead of paying for the game, PristonTale has a cash shop in which players can pay real money for game items. On September 30, 2008, the English server for Priston Tale closed; Suba Games opened a new English server three days later.
Some of the features of PristonTale include a clan system, in-game shops, ten character classes – all of which can use every item available if they have the correct upgraded statistics (with the exception of armour, robes, and orbs) – a five-tiered skill system for each class, item upgrades, a simple yet involving battle system and an easy to use interface. PristonTale is also intensive in potion using, and dying is moderately easy. The experience loss per death also tends to climb quite steeply (experience loss is based on a percentage of obtained experience), mirroring the ever increasing experience needed to level.
Due to the old-style nature of the game and the heavy grind, the game's current population is on a rapid decline, with many players moving on to newer MMORPGs with more modern features. The active playerbase is estimated to be around 35 players as of September 2017, with each player owning multiple 'alts' or alternative characters, creating the illusion that the game has over 100 players. A recent attempt at getting the game to Steam to increase player base has resulted in failure.
Gameplay mostly consists of levelling up, though there are several activities players can participate in that are essential to the game. Some of these activities are: