BlackoutRO has an extensive history as a private server, having existed in one form or another for more than a decade. Here, we have compiled a short account of the various eras it has gone through over time.

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Initial Start to Server Wipe (2006 – 2008)

Blackout first created the server with Onela and a few other people. The server began to rapidly expand, with player numbers approaching the thousands. War of Emperium strategies at this time were basic, and largely involved portal defense.

Notable guilds: Resurrection, Izludian Omega, Team-Philippines, Thug Ultimatum

Big events: Original Server Start

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Server Wipe to Guild Wars (2008 – 2010)

Certain egregious duping exploits occurred in June 2008, and a vote was put to the players whether or not to wipe the server. The players voted in favor, and the server was successfully wiped for a clean start. Most guilds regrouped afterwards, and for a period of several years continued their overall trajectory. War of Emperium strategies at this time involved more portal defense and chaotic group battles, as well as emperium room defense, for there was a time when High Jump was enabled in castles. Organization was crude, but effective. Additionally, several large multiplayer competitions arose, such as VIP Events, PVP battles, and Best of the Best for each class.

Notable guilds: Descent, Fallen, Resonance, Apostasy, Legion of Doom

Big events: VIP, large PVP, Best of the Best

Gameplay footage: First VIP Event, PvP Event, Best of the Best (Sniper)

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Guild Wars (2010 – 2013)

Around May 2010, a number of veteran players returned to BlackoutRO, fresh from War of Emperium experiences on other servers. They converged in a guild known as RIP and proceeded to revolutionize the War of Emperium experience with novel and heretofore unseen strategies: stacking, mass Devotion and Slim Potion Pitcher support, and element changing. Not to be outdone, a number of other guilds rose up to adopt their tactics and fight. This lead into an extended period of intense server involvement, with War of Emperium attendance regularly at 2000 players or over. This time was indisputably the peak of BlackoutRO’s existence.

Notable guilds: RIP, Carnage, Zerg Patrol, Anomaly, Torment

Big events: Large-scale GvG battles, Guild of the Month, Best of the Best

Gameplay footage: RIP WoE 1, RIP WoE 2, Torment WoE, Best of the Best (Gunslinger)

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Guild Wars to Original Server End (2013 – 2015)

After the main Guild Wars era, a number of guilds continued on with the legacy of large-scale battles for several years. There were also a number of isolated events run by various members of the staff team (as well as players). Eventually, the ever-decreasing RO player base and a lack of ability to update the server caused an eventual decline. The old server went offline around July 2015 and did not return.

Notable guilds: Brutality, Arch Enemies, Egg, Raiderz

Big events: Large-scale GvG battles, Guild of the Month events

Gameplay footage: Guild of the Month (March 2014), PvP 2v2 event

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Interim Rebuild Period (2015 – 2016)

In this period, beginning in December 2015, redcar and Wolfie began the long process of rebuilding the server. Blackout agreed to pass control of the server to redcar, including the old code, website and database. An agreement was forged, that redcar would rebuild the server and turn it into a charitable venture: to collect donations to keep the server running, and to funnel excess funds into charities of the players’ choice. The remaining denizens of the old forums agreed with the plan as well. Through many tribulations, including the birth of redcar’s child, the Rebuild Team finally got the server up and running for Open Beta Testing in September 2016.

Notable guilds: none

Big events: none

Gameplay footage: none

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Open Beta Testing (Sep 2016 – Dec 2017)

A fourteen month Open Beta Testing period saw various old players stop by to play again. New players made their way into the fold, adapting to the many new gameplay scenarios offered during the phase. War of Emperium remained the highlight, with guilds actively clashing throughout the weekly schedule.

Notable guilds: Classic, Delicious, Fools, Generic, Izludian, No New Friends, Tsuki, YOLO

Big events: Trial GVG Event, Jack’s 2vs2 PVP, Hyper War of Emperium

Gameplay footage: Tsuki WoE

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Official Re-Opening (Aug 2018 – Nov 2018)

The server officially relaunched on August 16, 2019. The online player count peaked at 250 players. All seemed well. Player numbers were growing, gameplay was competitive. Then, disaster struck within the Staff Team. What followed was a time known as ‘The Void’. Read on for further detail.

Gameplay footage:

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The Void (Dec 2018 – Nov 2019)

A scary period in time where the server was heavily neglected due to issues within the Staff team. Long story short, both Administrators, redcar and Wolfie, essentially disappeared due to a variety of reasons. Not enough power was bestowed on the remaining staff, crippling the server in the process.

Despite this, the server was maintained on life support by a core group of 20-25 hardcore AFKers and MvP hunters. We are forever in their debt.

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Let’s Go Again (Dec 2019 – )

Information to come.