The Abandoned realms mud has one of the most balanced combat systems out of any pk game I've ever played. I've seen several balance issues that were pointed out by myself or other players, which the immortals listened to and fixed almost immediately.

The community is newbie friendly and while competitive, supports each other. The staff is laid back and is completely okay with palling around with the players, and when there is rule breaking they are quick to enforce those rules. I've stopped playing several times over the years due to work or inability to log in, and I've kept on coming back.