Rusty Hearts is an action brawler MMORPG from the Korean studio Stairway Games. It launched in Korea in May 2011 and in North America that September through Perfect World Entertainment, with Sega and Xunlei running it in Japan and China. It played more like a beat-'em-up than a typical MMO: a vampire story, dungeons fought room by room, and combat where your combos matter more than your gear score.

Every official version closed between 2014 and 2016. Japan went first in March 2014, the North American servers went offline on September 15, 2014, China followed in January 2015 and the Korean version was gone by January 2016. Fan projects and private servers started almost as soon as the lights went out, and they are now the only place the game is played.

Brawling Through Bramunez

The story follows the vampire lord Vlad, sealed inside Curtis Castle in Bramunez. Towns work like a normal MMO, with a free camera and quest givers, but dungeons are a fixed path you fight along, split into rooms you have to clear before moving on. You can replay a dungeon as often as you like, and higher difficulty settings throw in more large, almost mid-boss enemies rather than just inflating their stats. Parties hold up to four players.

Each character has its own combat style and weapons. The original three were Frantz with swords and axes, Angela with a magic sword and scythe, and Tude with a gauntlet and claw. Natasha, a gunner, joined after beta, and later updates added Leila, Edgar, Meilin and Roselle among others. There is no holy trinity of tank, healer and damage; you learn your character's combos, grab and throw enemies, and clear rooms by skill.

PvP opens at level 10, with Solo and Team Survival, Deathmatch, Leader Match and Tag Team, along with guild battles and tournaments. Gear wears down and is repaired in town, and players can craft and forge their own equipment.

What to Look For in a Rusty Hearts Private Server

The Character Roster

Rusty Hearts eventually had nine playable characters, and rebuilt servers do not always have all of them working. Check which characters are available, whether their full skill sets function, and how the later additions are balanced against the original three. If you have a favorite, make sure they are actually in before you start.

Combat Feel

A brawler lives on timing. Combos, cancels and grabs have to respond the moment you press the button, or the game stops being fun. Play a few dungeon rooms and a PvP match before you settle in, and check where the server is hosted relative to you.

Dungeons and Difficulty Modes

Find out which dungeons are open, whether every difficulty level works, and whether bosses behave as they should. A server with a complete set of dungeons and working hard modes gives you far more to do than one that stops halfway through the story.

PvP Modes and Balance

With five PvP modes plus guild battles and tournaments, PvP can carry a server on its own. Check which modes are active and populated, and whether the staff run tournaments or ladders. Balance changes matter here more than anywhere, since characters fight on equal footing.

Cosmetic Shop or Power Shop

Officially the cash shop leaned on avatar skins that changed a character's look and sound without changing their moves. A private server that keeps the shop cosmetic leaves PvP decided by skill. One that sells stats or top gear does not. Read the shop before you commit.

Your First Dungeon Run

Pick the character whose weapons you enjoy - Frantz swings swords and axes, Angela mixes blade and magic, Tude stays up close - and spend your first hour learning combos, not rushing levels. Then try the PvP modes. Vote for the server you play on; rankings here start again every month, so the list below follows where players are now.