Pirate King Online, almost always shortened to PKO, is the English form of the Chinese title of MOLI's cartoon pirate MMORPG. The same game reached English-speaking players through IGG as Tales of Pirates, with an open beta in March 2007, and it stood out among the free-to-play MMOs of its day for one thing: from level 15 you could buy your own ship and take the fight to sea.

The official English service did not last. IGG released Tales of Pirates 2 in 2011, letting players carry their characters over, and closed it in February 2016. Since then the game has lived on through fan-run private servers, which keep the bright art style and the land-and-sea progression while setting their own rates, level caps and content.

Life as a Pirate in PKO

Character creation starts with one of four models - Lance, Carsise, Phyllis or Ami - and that choice already narrows your future, because each model can only take certain classes. Lance, for example, can never become a Herbalist. Decide on a class before you pick a face.

After the first levels you choose a primary class: Swordsman, Hunter, Explorer or Herbalist. Each later branches into an advanced class. Swordsmen go Crusader or Champion, Hunters become Sharpshooters, Explorers become Voyagers, and Herbalists become Clerics or Seal Masters. A good Cleric is the player every party is looking for.

The sea is what sets PKO apart. You can buy and captain a ship, sail between islands, fight monsters and other players on the water, and later chase treasure maps and island battles. Alongside your character you raise a fairy, a small companion that helps you along. The social game runs through guilds: guild PvP, larger fights in areas such as the Demonic World, and instanced battles from one-on-one up to five-on-five.

What to Look For in a Pirate King Online Private Server

The Version It Runs

PKO private servers are built on server files from a particular point in the game's history, and most say which version they use. That version decides which maps, dungeons and gear tiers exist and how high the level cap goes. Servers on early files feel closest to the original launch; later and heavily customized versions add content the official game never had. Know which one you want before you compare anything else.

EXP Rate and Time at Sea

Rates change PKO more than most games because so much of it happens on the water. On a very high-rate server you can reach the cap before you ever need to sail seriously, which skips one of the best parts of the game. Low and mid rates keep players spread across land and sea zones, and that keeps the world feeling inhabited.

Item Mall Policy

Most PKO private servers fund themselves through an item mall. Costumes and convenience items are one thing; mall-only gear, fairy items or upgrade materials are another, because they go straight into guild PvP. Read what the mall sells, and whether its currency can also be earned in game, before you put weeks into a character.

Guild Battles and Events

The endgame is other players. A server that runs regular guild battles and events, and publishes the schedule, gives you a reason to log in every week. If the guild scene has collapsed into one dominant guild, the PvP side of the game goes quiet no matter how good the files are.

Community and Time Zone

Guild fights and sea battles need people online at the same time. Check where the server's players are and which language its Discord or forum uses, and make sure peak hours land in your evening rather than at four in the morning.

Classic Feel or Custom Content

Most servers lean one way. Classic-leaning servers keep the original classes, maps and pacing, and they appeal to returning players who want the game they remember. Custom servers add new gear tiers, raise the level cap, open new maps or rebalance classes. Both can be good, but a custom server depends on its staff to keep updating and balancing what they added, so look at how long it has been running and how often it patches.

Before You Set Sail

Pick your class first and your character model second, since the model locks some classes out. Choose a server whose version and rates fit the time you have, read the item mall list, and join a guild early - PKO is a far better game with a crew behind you. Vote for the server you play on; rankings here start again every month, so the list below follows where players are now.