Dofus is a Flash based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Ankama Games[1], a French computer game manufacturer. It is primarily a Pay to Play game, though it still offers a limited amount of free content. Its success has led to the marketing of spin-off products, such as books, art and comics. It has also led to the development of two continuations: Dofus Arena, released at the beginning of 2006, which is an alternative "tournament" version of Dofus; and Wakfu which is currently in the process of beta testing.

Dofus takes place in the `The World of Twelve` (although many players just refer to it as the Dofus World), named after the 12 character classes which inhabit it. Players control a 2D avatar (with a slight anime/manga feel) belonging to one of the 12 character classes in a 3rd person view. As with any other massively multiplayer online role-playing game, players gain levels by obtaining experience. As in most other MMORPGs, experience can be gained by defeating monsters and completing quests. With each level, players gain 5 characteristic points and 1 spell point: which can be used to improve the characteristics of a player and upgrade their spells. As a character`s level advances, new spells and equipment becomes available. Players recive a special `aura` when they reach level 100, and gain another at 200. The maximum level a player can be is 200. Players may also decide to take up professions and frequently band together to undertake dungeons. Many also become part of guilds, letting them interact with others more easily. Although the majority of the game is PvE (Player Vs Environment) Dofus does provide some PvP (Player Vs Player) opportunities – mainly in the form of alignments (which are more alike to factions rather then true alignment) and ‘tax collectors’ placed by guilds (known as Perceptors).

Whist the game takes place in real-time, combat in Dofus is conducted more like a turn based strategy game – where each player takes it in turns to make a series of moves and attacks within a time limit. As such, when a player attacks monsters – they are transported to a `copy map` where the fighting takes place. Once a fight begins, no other players may join that fight. Players use a series of spells (which are unique to that character class) to either: attack, heal, buff or drain one`s Action Points (AP) or Movement Points (MP). All actions done in combat (by both players and monsters) consumes an amount of AP and all movement consumes MP.

Characters in Dofus can learn professions . Each character can choose up to 3 normal professions and may choose to specialise in those 3 professions further. There are two categories of professions: collecting and crafting. Collecting professions involve players going out into the wilderness and collecting natural resources, such as certain wood and flowers. Crafting professions involve the player piecing collected resources together to make a vast array of different items. Most often, a collecting profession will lead onto a crafting profession (with the exception of alchemy). Each profession range from level 1 to 100 (but F2P are restricted to a max level of 30). Experience is gained in each profession by gathering the resources of that profession and/or by crafting items. The higher a player’s profession level the more resources that can be obtained (in type, time and quantity), the higher the items that can be crafted and the more a player can carry in his or her rucksack. Players are able to learn up to three professions, but a new profession cannot be learned until existing are level 30 or higher. Lastly, crafting professions gain access to a special "Magus" specialization at level 65. The Magus specialization allows a crafter to modify the characteristics of the objects using smithmagic, runes and certain potions.

The alignment system makes it possible to participate in the eternal war between the cities of Bonta (City of the Angels) and Brakmar (City of the Devils). It makes it possible for characters to benefit from advantages: such as the ability to wear a shield, access exclusive areas and the resources. Since an update at the end of 2007, a territorial conquest system was created, allowing most areas to be controlled by one alignment. Players from the current alignment of the area can benefit from increased drops and experience in that area. The bonuses are determined by which alignment has the most areas, the one with the most gaining less. Since update 1.26, bounties may be placed by NPC against a player of an opposing alignment. However, one problem with the alignment system is that there is often only a one-sided competition, with the one alignment completely dominating the other. On a limited number of servers, a third alignment is present. The Mercenary alignment, which is an exclusively roleplaying alignment and has the ability to carry out contracts assigned by other players. This last alignment is governed by players and not by NPC characters.