RF Online Glossary

A reference for the terms you will run into on RF Online (Rising Force) private servers. Each entry briefly explains what a term means and how it affects choosing a server and playing on it. Terms link to each other, so you can jump straight from an entry to matching servers.

Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia)

RF Online is built around an endless war between three races, and that is its defining feature. Bellato Federation combines technology and magic, Holy Cora Alliance relies on magic and creature summoning, and Accretia Empire is a race of robots with no magic at all but strong technology and firepower. The races are asymmetric: each has its own classes and mechanics, so choosing a race defines your whole playstyle. Related: Chip War, MAU (Bellato Mechs), Animus and Summoner (Cora), Launcher and Siege Kit (Accretia)

Chip War

Chip War (also Race War) is RF Online's central mass PvP event, the main reason many people play. The three races fight on the Crag Mine map: the goal is to destroy the enemy chip while protecting your own Holy Stone Keeper. The winning race gets mining rights and a buff, while the losing races take a temporary debuff. Joining usually requires a minimum level, and the outcome affects the whole server's economy. Browse Chip War servers Related: Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia), Crag Mine, Holy Stone Keeper (HSK), PvP

Crag Mine

Crag Mine is the underground map where Chip War takes place and where valuable resources are mined. It is contested territory: controlling it gives a race access to rich mining, which is why it is the main battleground. Between events the mine serves as a farming spot, but it stays a high-risk zone where you can run into players from other races at any time. Related: Chip War, Holy Stone Keeper (HSK), Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia)

Holy Stone Keeper (HSK)

Holy Stone Keeper is the key objective of Chip War: a guarded stone keeper that both attack and defense revolve around. Each race must protect its own Holy Stone Keeper while breaking through to the enemy's. The outcome of the event and how rewards are split depend on whose object gets destroyed. That is why organized defense and an assault on the HSK are the core tactics of Chip War. Related: Chip War, Crag Mine

MAU (Bellato Mechs)

MAU (Massive Armor Unit) is a combat mech, a unique feature of the Bellato race. It is piloted by the Specialist class: you climb into the machine and gain heavy armor and firepower for mass battles. MAU is Bellato's answer to the lack of this kind of heavy machinery among other races, and skillful use of mechs in Chip War can turn the tide of a fight. Related: Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia), Chip War, Launcher and Siege Kit (Accretia)

Animus and Summoner (Cora)

Animus are summoned companion creatures of the Holy Cora Alliance race, controlled by the Summoner class. Animus fights alongside the player, taking on part of the combat and reinforcing the race through magic and summoning. This is Cora's defining mechanic: where Bellato relies on machinery, Cora leans on magical support and its summoned allies. Related: Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia), MAU (Bellato Mechs), Launcher and Siege Kit (Accretia)

Launcher and Siege Kit (Accretia)

Launcher is Accretia's combat class, armed with rocket launchers that deal area damage, while Siege Kit is its siege rig built for mass battles. Accretia has no magic at all, so it relies on heavy weaponry and technology instead. In Chip War, Launcher volleys and deployed Siege Kits deal heavy damage against grouped enemies, making this race dangerous both defending and attacking. Related: Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia), MAU (Bellato Mechs), Animus and Summoner (Cora)

Classes (Warrior, Ranger, Specialist)

In RF Online, a character picks a base class that later develops into a specialization. Warrior, Ranger and Specialist are available to every race, while some classes are unique: Summoner belongs only to Cora, and piloting a MAU through Specialist is a Bellato feature. Class defines your role in combat and in Chip War, so you pick it based on your race and what you want to do on a server. Related: Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia), MAU (Bellato Mechs), Animus and Summoner (Cora), Launcher and Siege Kit (Accretia)

Episodes (Episode 1, 2, …)

Episodes are major RF Online development stages, each adding new content, zones and systems. Episode 2 "Pioneers of Novus" and later updates expanded the world and its mechanics. On private servers, the episode (together with the client version) determines what content is available, so it is listed in a project's description: it shows what stage of the game the server is at. Related: Client Version (2.1.x, 2.2.x), Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia)

Client Version (2.1.x, 2.2.x)

Version is the RF Online client release number, which determines the set of mechanics and compatibility with a server. On the private scene, the 2.1.x and 2.2.x branches are common, along with later updates. You can only connect with the client version a server supports, so the version is always listed in a project's description next to its episode. Browse Client Version (2.1.x, 2.2.x) servers Related: Episodes (Episode 1, 2, …), Rates (x1, x50, x1000)

Rates (x1, x50, x1000)

Rates are multipliers for experience, drop and resource gain compared to the official game. A low-rate server keeps slow progression close to the original, while a high-rate one lets you reach Chip War participation quickly. Rates are one of the first things players check when picking a server, so they are listed near the top of a description. Browse Rates (x1, x50, x1000) servers Related: Client Version (2.1.x, 2.2.x), PvP, PvE

PvP

PvP (player versus player) means fights between players rather than against monsters. In RF Online, PvP largely revolves around inter-race clashes and Chip War, so servers focused on PvP push for frequent mass battles. If you want competition against real opponents, look for projects where inter-race combat comes first. Browse PvP servers Related: PvE, PvR (Player versus Race), Chip War

PvE

PvE (player versus environment) means playing against the world: monsters, bosses and dungeons rather than other players. Servers focused on PvE favor leveling, farming and cooperative content with gentler rules. Many RF Online servers combine PvE with inter-race PvP, but this label shows where a project's main focus lies. Browse PvE servers Related: PvP, PvR (Player versus Race), Rates (x1, x50, x1000)

PvR (Player versus Race)

PvR (Player versus Race) is a mode characteristic of RF Online: confrontation between entire races rather than just between individual players. PvR is built on inter-race wars and Chip War: you fight not so much for yourself as for your race and its control over territory. A server labeled PvR emphasizes that the focus is on team-based inter-race conflict. Browse PvR (Player versus Race) servers Related: PvP, Chip War, Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia)

Novus (Game World)

Novus is the planet and world where RF Online's story takes place. The three races fight for dominance over Novus and its resources. Understanding that the whole conflict is confined to one planet with shared contested territories helps you see Chip War and the inter-race wars not as separate events, but as parts of a single struggle for control of the world. Related: Three Races (Bellato, Cora, Accretia), Chip War

RF Online Private Server

A private server is a project run by a team of enthusiasts outside the game's official infrastructure. The original RF Online's official servers are shut down, so private projects became the main way to play the classic version. Such servers set their own rates, version, Chip War schedule and race balance, so projects differ noticeably from one another — and that is exactly what to look at when choosing one. Related: Rates (x1, x50, x1000), Client Version (2.1.x, 2.2.x), Chip War