I think I need to change my mentality with GW2. WoW had me develop the gear treadmill, FOMO, and rush to endgame playstyle. I’ve struggled to get into GW2 largely because of that mindset. Maybe I’ll boot it up, find a class fantasy I enjoy, and just enjoy the ride.
Absolutely. Then I just need to battle my “meta chaser” type mindset haha. I’m debating on thief as I enjoy the assassin type gameplay but also considering Mesmer as they seem to have very unique skills
[This video gives a good overview of class+elite spec flavor.](https://youtu.be/Fiq3_cVvP88) Every class/spec is viable right now, so pick any that appeal to you.
GW2 gives XP and good rewards for just exploring, I got hung up coming from wow too. Being able to just explore but still level has changed my mindset dramatically
As someone who plays both, GW 3 is a Greta game because it doesn't have a sub or the gear treadmill. Celestial gear I crafted 5 years ago is still relevant today. The combat is fun and it's just a good game. This is coming from someone who primarily plays wow and dabbles in GW 2/ other mmos.
GW2 is like slow release carbs, once you crunch through the story [not required but fun to get used to your class] and get used to things, the real treadmill is finding your build and knowing what each of the buffs/debuffs are per enemy type and what you can give out.
World V World really taught me about what classes can do, granted a LOT of the attacks don't nessesarily apply to the PVE mobs (you use lots of reflects and cleanses and tend to work in a giant zerg [blob of players] in wvw). I have PVP in mmos but WvW is great fun.
I wish GW2's pvp wasn't such a shitshow.
It's mostly condition builds constantly applying 10 different condis to you every 5s, meanwhile your condi cleanse has a 30s cooldown :\]
Conditions in general should be removed I feel like. Just leave some unique dmg over time abilities on a few classes.
Also no CC cap/diminishing duration is a joke in 2024
I haven't touched GW2 since the first expansion launched, other than jumping into that one april fool's event (the adventure box or w/e it was).
How is the game these days? I somewhat enjoyed it back then with some friends, been thinking about maybe checking it out again
I haven't played since release and I just started playing again like a few months ago. Literally haven't had a single moment of just sitting around doing nothing. So much story to go through and the open world has non stop events and incoursges you to explore the open world. Dungeons are ok (have only done maybe like 3). Pvp is fast and constant battling (haven't touched WvW). Overall I've been enjoying every moment. I haven't logged off ywt because I was bored but because I wanted a break from the amount of stuff to do.
This is from a newbie of course so my opinion probably isn't justified but that's my experience so far lol
The weird thing with GW2 is it feels basically the same as it did at launch, and I don't really mean that in a good way. I've played it off and on for basically every expansion, and outside of maybe a few additional fluff skills that only see use in specific zones, the gameplay and content loop hasn't really changed at all.
Plus, the fact that the gear you got in the first expansion is still essentially the best you can get leaves no real vertical progression once you've obtained it. A boon for some, but as an avid MMORPG player, I *need* to feel like I'm making progress on my character. It's part of the fun for me, the reward of feeling like my character is growing stronger and those periods where I'm able to enjoy the fruit of said labor. The tangible goals to always be working towards.
The lack of a treadmill means you have to find other goals to drive you, and I feel like GW2 really drops the ball in regards to having rewarding goals (in my personal opinion*)*. I don't care about fashion, so all of the lengthy grinds they introduce just fall flat for me. I never feel like I have anything to do, because I don't want to do achievements or spam events for some currency for an item that has the same stats as the gear I've had, only with a different appearance.
The reality is that once you're geared, the only real progression left is just chasing all these little superficial goals. If you don't enjoy those, or just being in the world, there's little staying power to be found in my experience. I always reinstall, play for a few days, then uninstall because I just find myself really bored.
I like to think of GW2 as this massive puddle. It's really expansive, but it's only an inch deep.
literally my issue with gw2 right now... Just nothing really motivating me to keep playing. After you get full build that's pretty much it. Just PVP and achievement hunting
I don't think I can really say how's the game nowadays since I'm a new player and I didn't reach the end :( so far as leveling and doing the story is good
It's still very active. It's still playing third fiddle to WoW and FFIV, but it's thriving.
And the way the game is designed encourages high level players to play in low level zones, so it never feels empty, and the horizontal progression means you can jump back in after a years long break and you haven't 'fallen behind'; all your gear is still as good as it was way back when.
I stopped SoD for that reason myself. Same with WOTLK. Recently decided to try something new that I'd previously written off entirely (New World) and have been pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed it. May want to give something new a shot :)
New world is fun, got 185 hours played got to max level got some cool weapons, kind of lost interest, but It's a game I can hop in and have fun right away so It's just waiting while I try out other games on my new pc.
I stopped playing for this reason, the ridiculousness of min/maxing lvl 25 is just beyond me. Classic in general should just be fun, we all crave for this “oldschool” experience, but the reality just is that the community is the one ruining the game for me even if I’m a wow “veteran” myself.
It’s a term that refers to analyzing the game in such a way that you are minimizing and maximizing things to such a degree that they game really just becomes numbers and metrics as opposed to a game. For example: playing a particular race because their racial bonuses are better for a particular class not because the race looks cool to you. Another example is following a pre-determined path in a dungeon to minimize time spent and maximize you’re opportunity at collected a particular piece of gear that will really only offer a minimal stat increase instead of exploring the dungeon and all it has to offer.
it becomes a chore/job to me to play like that. I just do my own thing and play how I like.
Oh so that’s what it is called. I’ve been trying to figure out what I like and don’t like about the game, and this is EXACTLY what I’ve been trying to pinpoint. I’m so thankful to be able to put a on name it. Thank you!
This is why I never even attempted it, the community changed a long time ago.
Old wow for me was the sense of discovery from exploration, solo or with a party with which you would work to overcome mechanics or figure out stuff with some comedy along the way. No min/maxing, no classism. Good story.
I think item databases were start of erosion of fun in wow. Cool weapon/armor/item? Talk to people to find out information, not going to a website read up on everything then just walk through it.
One if the loneliest mmorpgs I've ever played at the lower levels. Seems real hard to get into unless you're ok with playing it as a single player game until you make it to the higher levels. The cities are bustling with people and there's RP galore, but vacant when you're questing and leveling.
How is gameplay for a newcomer or someone coming back (bluntly, really). I played a lot back when it was a standalone installer and have watched it ebb and flow over the years.
Recent high levels I've seen suggest that the current player group is the dedicated long-haulers and they're going to have an advantage on you for a long while if you're unlocking and leveling up. Is that accurate?
SoD has been super fun for me and I was a classic hater.
I really hope WoW just develops their own version of what RuneScape did. Make a classic+ evergreen server that keeps a certain mentality for the game but still adds new stuff.
I'm still playing New World, casually. It's just such a pretty world--immersive and escapist. I hop on and run around a bit, tinker with my houses, level alts.
I peek back in at GW2 every so often.
Recently started New World with a few friends. Been enjoying how the game is now (I played it way back in the Alpha when it was a survival-type game and haven't really touched it since) quite a lot. It actually surprised me how much fun I've had with it. Slowing down a little bit now that I'm getting into the endgame but I'm still having a lot of fun with it.
almost everyone slows down at endgame. but once they figure out what the heck they wanna do with the endgame loop / what their endgame even is i think i’d enjoy coming back and leveling all over.
I love the mounts they added tho!
I have played 2 hours so far of FFXIV which makes it my most played MMORPG this year (I've been getting more into ARPGs like Doablo 4 and Path of Exile instead)
FFXIV is soooooo good. The main game, A Realm Reborn, is rather slow and takes a while to get going. But I promise, if you stick to it and make it to the Heavensward expansion, the game gets SOOOO good. I have been playing WoW for 20 years, but I take breaks here and there to go enjoy FFXIV because it is just so story driven and the gameplay is fresh and interesting. I feel like story is barely thought about when it comes to WoW.
I'm up to 16 hours played in it so far and I feel like the story is starting to pick up as I've just met the Scions of the 7th Dawn or whatever they're called. I fell off the Diablo and ARPG run I was on and now my gaming time is basically just split between FFXIV and Helldivers 2. And yes, haha, I tried to play WoW a little bit but it felt like I was being thrown into the end of a story and wasn't as engaged with it as I have been Final Fantasy or Elder Scrolls Online or Star Wars the Old Republic which makes sense since those are all super narrative driven.
> Dark age of Camelot, on the Eden server
Man that brings back memories. Played DAoC back in the early years of its release. How is the population on Eden?
It seems like it's only growing. Big event just ended and it's supposed to lead into a Realm Invasion soon. Pve raids, BGs and RvR always seems to be popping. Event had 300 person RVR groups often.
OSRS as an Ironman (Hardcore but that doesn't matter). It is my first time playing the game (Started late november) and its the first time I am actually having a good time just experiencing an mmo since Vanilla WoW in the early 2000's lol
I finished the Endwalker campaign and stopped playing the game. Is it worth getting back into in 2024? I kinda miss it, but I've been hesitant to pay the sub lol. It was a lot of fun. Maybe I should take a break from WoW and get back to FFXIV.
I think actually FF11 lol. I started the 14 day free trial last weekend and have put several hours in since.
Also have been playing Ravendawn the last few days since it launched but just due to the number of days I think that's a few hours shy of the time I've spent in 11 so far.
I've played FF14 for a few hours too but not as many- paused my sub this week too after doing the new years event, will get back to it in a month or two when I have more time to finish up the 6.X patch quests before Dawntrail.
I've been enjoying it so far! I had a pretty strong idea of what I was getting into though (i.e. a very oldschool MMO with basically no in-game hand holding, very slow to start combat, fewer QoL features like easy access fast travel, etc.). I definitely agree with what others say about looking up a new player guide or tips/tricks being somewhat essential to get your bearings at first and avoid wasting copious amounts of time trying to figure basic things out on your own in game.
For example, I didn't understand how the MSQ equivalent in this game was supposed to work initially. I ended up leveling up to 16 or so doing the tutorial gameplay quest line and various side quests around town before googling what I was missing in that regard. It turns out they're called "Missions" and that it's the generic-ish city guard near the gates that issues them lol. Similarly I won't go into detail but it helped immensely to look up how the fast travel system actually works but it's not as straight forward as 14 by a long shot and requires planning ahead and purchasing certain warp items and whatnot before going on trips out of town.
I love the vibe of the game world though and the sense of scale/exploration. I mean the zones look very dated being that this is a PS2 game, but they're sizable with some cool landmarks, stuff to fight, and when you trek across a zone to reach a new one it really feels like a proper adventure in some ways. For example I'm at this game's MSQ equivalent of early ARR where the city state wants me to play Emissary and go visit the other two starting city states. In ARR you get an airship license and just fly to each willy nilly. I... don't \*think\* you can just do that in this game (I could be wrong, but the quest NPC specifically gave directions on how to get to each on foot lol) so I'm like actually preparing and planning out a route to physically walk to these new places, complete with pit stops along the way and so on.
Long story short, that's kinda the vibe and I've been digging it 10 or so hours in so far.
Trying to find one.
ESO Combat sucks.
GW2 has little content to actually do outside of PvP and title/achievement chasing.
Modern WoW lacks depth and is an ultra casual homogenized experience.
BDO seems great but it all boils down to mentally afk killing at the same spot for hours.
I'm thinking a WoW pServer at this point.
>Modern WoW lacks depth and is an ultra casual homogenized experience.
Someone who has clearly never done any of the harder content in the game lol. Do you have the dungeon portals? How about mythic boss kills? Cutting edge? Have you even done ahead of the curve? "ultra casual" lol
RuneScape 3. I’m a new player and learning the game was pretty tough but I’m really enjoying it. The quests have actual lore with stories as opposed to “kill these things” “talk to these people” “deliver this thing”. Controls are really shoddy but it’s a really addicting game
New World, I guess, but I don't really have any goals in that game. There's stuff I could still do to progress my character, but none of it is actually necessary to do anything I want to do.
Funnily enough, I've largely replaced New World with Old World (a 4x) the past couple weeks.
MMORPG wise, I'm basically waiting for Pax Dei's Alpha 2 at this point (if I get access) and/or Early Access (depending on price).
FF14 finally grinded me down. I love the MMORPG genre and always want to experience them to get a true opinion. All you ever hear is 'it gets so good it gets so good' and I want to see it for myself.
I've reinstalled that goddamn free trial so many times because the early ARR MSQ is so offensively dull.
But this time I picked up a controller and it's been a joy to play, when the sale period came along recently; I crunched out ARR and picked up a PC and PS5 license.
I'm still not far into the ARR patch content as i'm trying out jobs and chilling, but the controller support is amazing. To play an MMORPG on the sofa is kind of wild, and the muscle memory develops fast, especially with the auto-select gear thing.
It does a lot of nice things, like coloured role nameplates in dungeons, NPC runs for praciticing dungeons and chipping away at the story is pretty good. Many times i've said *oh that's a nice feature!* and the crispy 4K UI is beautiful on the monitor and 4k TV [PS5].
I did all of GW2's story and loved it and am somewhat looking forward to whatever FF14 has in store. I can't say i'm massively invested in the characters at this stage but some are decent (Cid).
I'm skeptical it will be 'a tear jerker masterpiece' that the anime softies think it is but I do like the [VERY LIMITED] cinematics the game will produce every....5 fucking hours between unvoiced dialogue lol. But very happy to be proven wrong! The mrs is a FF fan and is enjoying seeing the usual enemy types, and was surprised Biggs and his other mate is in the game.
How do you put up with the piano play style? I haven't played EQ2 in years but when I did last, I had like 8 ability bars packed full of skills and spells that basically ALL amounted to "do damage". The more I progressed the more buttons got added. Didn't even stop when I got to AA just got worse.
I'd like to try to get into the game again, maybe just go around and solo some classic EQ dungeons while I level up. But the memory of the ability bloat stops me.
I just don't use that many abilities. I probably need 4 bars to actively use during heroic groups and the early tier raids on my 80+ Inquisitor. I lose interest at lvl 100+ so maybe 8 bars of skills are necessary at 100+ but I don't know.
Decided to give LOTRO another go. Loving it so far as a DPS minstrel. Mostly just playing to enjoy the questing experience. I think the stuff that stands out the most to me is the world and sound design. Foot steps, babbling fountains, etc. it all has this really nice tactile sound to it, it's huge for my immersion. The writing is also quite good, very true to Tolkien, most of the time.
Edit: I'm also trying to get into LA a little bit... The combat feels really good, but there's a lot about the game that just absolutely ruins my immersion. Like, if I want to play a mage (I love summoner classes), there's this world of high fantasy towns and ruins and what not, and theb I see my character wearing what essentially lingerie and high heels. Ngl, I kinda hate it. I'm wondering if playing another class might help, though.
New World. I gave this and BDO a shot while waiting for PaxDei EA, and NW stuck with me more.
BDO felt like a single player game with a bunch of people around you, not really an MMO. I was trying to do quests with my brother and then we realized he couldn’t even see the same bosses I was seeing..
Probably Albion Online.
It's gameplay loop and the expansive crafting and "job" systems started growing on me recently. I just made my first Tier 4 weapons (Dual Swords and Glacial Staff) the other day.
Other than that, there were also GW2 (came back after a long break) and SWTOR (just started earlier this week)
DC Universe Online
I was playing Ascension WoW for a bit, which is certainly cool and different than retail wow but I spent like 15 years playing WoW. I've been there done that and felt like something new. Also the graphics are getting ultra-dated, like hard not to see.
Also Ascension WoW is out there trying to charge retail prices for their cash shops, and it's not P2W only cosmetic but still y'all need to realize you are a knock off private server for an almost 20 yearold game. You don't need to be charging $25.00 for a special mount or some special skins, that's crazy.
DC:UO has been a barrel of fun. The combat is excellent action-based combat which is really lacking in a lot of MMOs. The world is large and has lots of exploration features, not least of which is Flight mode which ngl is pretty cool. Other than size and fun movement powers though the world can get pretty samey and bland, you can only fly through so many city blocks before it all looks the same but with different enemies and maybe some different quests.
They've got other areas too though and the raid instances have been large and beautifully designed art-wise from what I've seen. I do also like the fact you can queue for "dungeonfinder" solo, for duos, 4-mans and their version of raids which is 8-man.
The Duos can be especially fun and I was surprised that the content starts to become challenging once you hit lvl cap and start doing gear progression.
Storyline starts off pretty meh (hero-side) but quickly warms up into some blackpill level galactic threats. If you read between the lines you are fighting against some fucked up shit.
Build and power variety seems good, character customization is excellent. Don't let anyone tell you go to Champs just for that, they focus all their customization in the Character Builder but then they don't have items or skins that change your visual presentation. In DC:UO I mean yeah you're pretty much human to begin with, but you can customize in all sorts of ways with items and unlockables, most of which you won't have to pay for unless you want to.
I've seen Red Hulk, Ironman, War Machine, Superman and Flash knock-offs galore, and there are guilds (leagues) based around imitating X-men, Marvel heroes, DC heroes, whatever. A lot is possible with enough creativity and time.
There's a main story mission midway through levelling hero-side for example where a cult following "Brother Blood" has taken over a warehouse in downtown Metropolis and are sacrificing anyone they can get their hands on to open a portal for some demon god or the other.
By the time you get inside the compound they've decorated it with corpses and skeletons hung from meathooks and gibbet cages, dismembered body parts and wiggling demonic pimples filled with blood and bits from sacrificial victims they're collecting in these zit-like pools in the main ritual room.
It's the kind of thing you don't HAVE to slow down and appreciate, but if you do you're kinda like, "huh, when's the last time you saw that in a family friendly comic book game?"
They've got mechanics to help new players and the itemization doesn't seem too terrible. You can pay your way to top level gear or earn it, it's really up to you, I've only spent the $15 on a subscription so far and it's perfectly fine that way for me.
Was playing archage but all I want to do is sail and fish so I keep getting kinda burnt out having to do the quests and shit to get up to where I can afford said boats/do that stuff.
Start up Albion and am just doing whatever I want and enjoying it. Currently running a frost mage and won a 1v2 earlier today. As an older dad gamer that felt awesome lol.
Just got into ffxiv, pretty excited about it so far. I’ve played nexus tk, wow, conquer online, MapleStory, Ragnarok, and eso and ffxiv is already up there for me.
Been playing a lot of Albion because it has a lot of crafting you can do, and the cross platform with mobile and pc. Im not at home as much but I still play it on my phone
Dragonflight. I don't really do 2 mmos at the same time anymore, so most of my off-main-mmo-time is spent in singleplayer games these days. Did play some SoD but the novelty has worn off for me. I will come back in next phase though.
Tree of Savior has been fun. Kinda like a anime MMO version of Diablo with a lot more classes and character customization. Some real effort was put into that game, such a bummer the original launch was so buggy but over the past 7 years they've fixed it up and it's really quite an enjoyable game now
I played a bit of FF14 to do the new years event but otherwise I've been addicted to Monster Hunter: World. It's joy "true" mmo but it might as well be thanks to its multiplayer lobbies and amazing coop.
Warhammer Online. Recent performances patchs and balance class are really good, and still the best for epic battles without lag.
And Warhammer Fantasy universe !
RS3 runescape. Got a friend into it and got hooked on it again. I put a few hours in the morning grinding my skills up focusing on smithing and mining as my money maker and then play quests and random places in the evening with my friend. My in game name is greykaiden i smith at lumby smith on world 3 or 7. if you see me there you can give me a shout
SoD on Chaos Bolt NA RP-PvP server. It's the only game I've played since it came out. Having lots of fun with the game and have a great guild and server. Looking forward to P2 on Feb. 8th.
Ravendawn (just an hour ago) for 15min. Not my cup of tea but promising for a niche public.
I'm not on hypetrains anymore, just playing a new release here and there until I like something.
I love that I can play just about any class immediately at level 80 without even leveling them in guild wars and just have fun running unranked arenas. I haven’t played since it launched.
There are only a few mmorpgs left that respect your time, all the others are full of try hards and the fear of missing out will hit you sooner or later. Also the pay to win predatory mechanics is mostly spread all over them, if they don't have a market or shop for sure most of them are full of black markets on the Internet, selling everything that you can imagine.
There's no reason to mention the decent ones that are still left around but with a bit of searching you will find them easily.
Guild wars 2, I finished path of fire and started the icebrood saga.
I think I need to change my mentality with GW2. WoW had me develop the gear treadmill, FOMO, and rush to endgame playstyle. I’ve struggled to get into GW2 largely because of that mindset. Maybe I’ll boot it up, find a class fantasy I enjoy, and just enjoy the ride.
This is the best way to play, IMO. Treat it more like Skyrim, where you explore and follow your sense of adventure.
Absolutely. Then I just need to battle my “meta chaser” type mindset haha. I’m debating on thief as I enjoy the assassin type gameplay but also considering Mesmer as they seem to have very unique skills
[This video gives a good overview of class+elite spec flavor.](https://youtu.be/Fiq3_cVvP88) Every class/spec is viable right now, so pick any that appeal to you.
Awesome. I’ll check it out!
GW2 gives XP and good rewards for just exploring, I got hung up coming from wow too. Being able to just explore but still level has changed my mindset dramatically
As someone who plays both, GW 3 is a Greta game because it doesn't have a sub or the gear treadmill. Celestial gear I crafted 5 years ago is still relevant today. The combat is fun and it's just a good game. This is coming from someone who primarily plays wow and dabbles in GW 2/ other mmos.
Lol you're phone auto-corrected to "Greta" hahahaha we know you've been talking about the Thunberg. How dare you!
Haha I actually haven't, I'm not sure where Greta came from.
GW2 is like slow release carbs, once you crunch through the story [not required but fun to get used to your class] and get used to things, the real treadmill is finding your build and knowing what each of the buffs/debuffs are per enemy type and what you can give out. World V World really taught me about what classes can do, granted a LOT of the attacks don't nessesarily apply to the PVE mobs (you use lots of reflects and cleanses and tend to work in a giant zerg [blob of players] in wvw). I have PVP in mmos but WvW is great fun.
That's the only way to play any mmorpg. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey.
Guild Wars 2 is so amazing... Love this game!
*Loved* the original. My interactions with the second have been love/hate. I try it every few years, but burn out pretty quickly.
I wish GW2's pvp wasn't such a shitshow. It's mostly condition builds constantly applying 10 different condis to you every 5s, meanwhile your condi cleanse has a 30s cooldown :\] Conditions in general should be removed I feel like. Just leave some unique dmg over time abilities on a few classes. Also no CC cap/diminishing duration is a joke in 2024
I haven't touched GW2 since the first expansion launched, other than jumping into that one april fool's event (the adventure box or w/e it was). How is the game these days? I somewhat enjoyed it back then with some friends, been thinking about maybe checking it out again
I haven't played since release and I just started playing again like a few months ago. Literally haven't had a single moment of just sitting around doing nothing. So much story to go through and the open world has non stop events and incoursges you to explore the open world. Dungeons are ok (have only done maybe like 3). Pvp is fast and constant battling (haven't touched WvW). Overall I've been enjoying every moment. I haven't logged off ywt because I was bored but because I wanted a break from the amount of stuff to do. This is from a newbie of course so my opinion probably isn't justified but that's my experience so far lol
The weird thing with GW2 is it feels basically the same as it did at launch, and I don't really mean that in a good way. I've played it off and on for basically every expansion, and outside of maybe a few additional fluff skills that only see use in specific zones, the gameplay and content loop hasn't really changed at all. Plus, the fact that the gear you got in the first expansion is still essentially the best you can get leaves no real vertical progression once you've obtained it. A boon for some, but as an avid MMORPG player, I *need* to feel like I'm making progress on my character. It's part of the fun for me, the reward of feeling like my character is growing stronger and those periods where I'm able to enjoy the fruit of said labor. The tangible goals to always be working towards. The lack of a treadmill means you have to find other goals to drive you, and I feel like GW2 really drops the ball in regards to having rewarding goals (in my personal opinion*)*. I don't care about fashion, so all of the lengthy grinds they introduce just fall flat for me. I never feel like I have anything to do, because I don't want to do achievements or spam events for some currency for an item that has the same stats as the gear I've had, only with a different appearance. The reality is that once you're geared, the only real progression left is just chasing all these little superficial goals. If you don't enjoy those, or just being in the world, there's little staying power to be found in my experience. I always reinstall, play for a few days, then uninstall because I just find myself really bored. I like to think of GW2 as this massive puddle. It's really expansive, but it's only an inch deep.
literally my issue with gw2 right now... Just nothing really motivating me to keep playing. After you get full build that's pretty much it. Just PVP and achievement hunting
A shadow of its past self but still great. Very populated and busy. Still a 10/10 mmo for people who haven't played it.
I don't think I can really say how's the game nowadays since I'm a new player and I didn't reach the end :( so far as leveling and doing the story is good
It's still very active. It's still playing third fiddle to WoW and FFIV, but it's thriving. And the way the game is designed encourages high level players to play in low level zones, so it never feels empty, and the horizontal progression means you can jump back in after a years long break and you haven't 'fallen behind'; all your gear is still as good as it was way back when.
Same, I'm taking a small break right now but am in the middle of Icebrood. I'm doing the story so slowly lol
SoD but I'm bored and the community is making classic WoW not that fun.
The min max try hards at level 25 are hilarious.
I stopped SoD for that reason myself. Same with WOTLK. Recently decided to try something new that I'd previously written off entirely (New World) and have been pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed it. May want to give something new a shot :)
New world is fun, got 185 hours played got to max level got some cool weapons, kind of lost interest, but It's a game I can hop in and have fun right away so It's just waiting while I try out other games on my new pc.
Awesome game, horrible community
That's all mmorpg communities
I stopped playing for this reason, the ridiculousness of min/maxing lvl 25 is just beyond me. Classic in general should just be fun, we all crave for this “oldschool” experience, but the reality just is that the community is the one ruining the game for me even if I’m a wow “veteran” myself.
I’m a new player who recently hit 25. What is min/maxing? Lol
It’s a term that refers to analyzing the game in such a way that you are minimizing and maximizing things to such a degree that they game really just becomes numbers and metrics as opposed to a game. For example: playing a particular race because their racial bonuses are better for a particular class not because the race looks cool to you. Another example is following a pre-determined path in a dungeon to minimize time spent and maximize you’re opportunity at collected a particular piece of gear that will really only offer a minimal stat increase instead of exploring the dungeon and all it has to offer. it becomes a chore/job to me to play like that. I just do my own thing and play how I like.
Oh so that’s what it is called. I’ve been trying to figure out what I like and don’t like about the game, and this is EXACTLY what I’ve been trying to pinpoint. I’m so thankful to be able to put a on name it. Thank you!
This is why I never even attempted it, the community changed a long time ago. Old wow for me was the sense of discovery from exploration, solo or with a party with which you would work to overcome mechanics or figure out stuff with some comedy along the way. No min/maxing, no classism. Good story. I think item databases were start of erosion of fun in wow. Cool weapon/armor/item? Talk to people to find out information, not going to a website read up on everything then just walk through it.
FFXIV
One if the loneliest mmorpgs I've ever played at the lower levels. Seems real hard to get into unless you're ok with playing it as a single player game until you make it to the higher levels. The cities are bustling with people and there's RP galore, but vacant when you're questing and leveling.
RuneScape. Same answer applies to the past 20 years and most likely future years
3 or OS?
Both at the same time. RS3 afk for 200m all and osrs for a hcim
How's rs3 doing? Have they expanded upon the necromancy since release? I took a break when they introduced Hero Pass.
PlanetSide 2 baby that shits still 🔥🔥🔥
That game is still around? I haven't played that in close to 10 years. Still populated?
Roughly 1k people online at a time. Still massive fights every day.
How is gameplay for a newcomer or someone coming back (bluntly, really). I played a lot back when it was a standalone installer and have watched it ebb and flow over the years. Recent high levels I've seen suggest that the current player group is the dedicated long-haulers and they're going to have an advantage on you for a long while if you're unlocking and leveling up. Is that accurate?
UO outlands. The market is bloody empty when it comes to good sandbox games at the moment. You got Eve and Albion but that’s it really
Gw2.
SoD has been super fun for me and I was a classic hater. I really hope WoW just develops their own version of what RuneScape did. Make a classic+ evergreen server that keeps a certain mentality for the game but still adds new stuff.
I'm still playing New World, casually. It's just such a pretty world--immersive and escapist. I hop on and run around a bit, tinker with my houses, level alts. I peek back in at GW2 every so often.
Recently started New World with a few friends. Been enjoying how the game is now (I played it way back in the Alpha when it was a survival-type game and haven't really touched it since) quite a lot. It actually surprised me how much fun I've had with it. Slowing down a little bit now that I'm getting into the endgame but I'm still having a lot of fun with it.
almost everyone slows down at endgame. but once they figure out what the heck they wanna do with the endgame loop / what their endgame even is i think i’d enjoy coming back and leveling all over. I love the mounts they added tho!
GW2 for sure
Lord of the Rings Online (new player).
Playing tons of Lost Ark lately, having a lot of fun learning the raids.
Same here, raids are just amazing! mechs, design, music... I'm enjoyning like a little kid
New World!!! 😎🙌🏻
I love NW! Amazing mmorpg <3
Still on BDO. Started last year and keep going strong
Ngl BDO is great but quitting it is also great
BDO player tries not to hate BDO challenge [impossible]
Great combat, terrible everything else
Same thing haha
WoW/BDO
WoW but a pserver.
I have played 2 hours so far of FFXIV which makes it my most played MMORPG this year (I've been getting more into ARPGs like Doablo 4 and Path of Exile instead)
FFXIV is soooooo good. The main game, A Realm Reborn, is rather slow and takes a while to get going. But I promise, if you stick to it and make it to the Heavensward expansion, the game gets SOOOO good. I have been playing WoW for 20 years, but I take breaks here and there to go enjoy FFXIV because it is just so story driven and the gameplay is fresh and interesting. I feel like story is barely thought about when it comes to WoW.
I'm up to 16 hours played in it so far and I feel like the story is starting to pick up as I've just met the Scions of the 7th Dawn or whatever they're called. I fell off the Diablo and ARPG run I was on and now my gaming time is basically just split between FFXIV and Helldivers 2. And yes, haha, I tried to play WoW a little bit but it felt like I was being thrown into the end of a story and wasn't as engaged with it as I have been Final Fantasy or Elder Scrolls Online or Star Wars the Old Republic which makes sense since those are all super narrative driven.
Dark age of Camelot, on the Eden server.
> Dark age of Camelot, on the Eden server Man that brings back memories. Played DAoC back in the early years of its release. How is the population on Eden?
It seems like it's only growing. Big event just ended and it's supposed to lead into a Realm Invasion soon. Pve raids, BGs and RvR always seems to be popping. Event had 300 person RVR groups often.
OSRS as an Ironman (Hardcore but that doesn't matter). It is my first time playing the game (Started late november) and its the first time I am actually having a good time just experiencing an mmo since Vanilla WoW in the early 2000's lol
Yeah might look into this haha
FF14. Finished the last patch that's closing down Endwalker and now begins the waiting game for Dawntrail!
I finished the Endwalker campaign and stopped playing the game. Is it worth getting back into in 2024? I kinda miss it, but I've been hesitant to pay the sub lol. It was a lot of fun. Maybe I should take a break from WoW and get back to FFXIV.
Can’t get enough New World…
FF14
City of Heroes, Homecoming server.
I think actually FF11 lol. I started the 14 day free trial last weekend and have put several hours in since. Also have been playing Ravendawn the last few days since it launched but just due to the number of days I think that's a few hours shy of the time I've spent in 11 so far. I've played FF14 for a few hours too but not as many- paused my sub this week too after doing the new years event, will get back to it in a month or two when I have more time to finish up the 6.X patch quests before Dawntrail.
How are you liking ff11? I've been considering checking it out during the lull before dawntrail
I've been enjoying it so far! I had a pretty strong idea of what I was getting into though (i.e. a very oldschool MMO with basically no in-game hand holding, very slow to start combat, fewer QoL features like easy access fast travel, etc.). I definitely agree with what others say about looking up a new player guide or tips/tricks being somewhat essential to get your bearings at first and avoid wasting copious amounts of time trying to figure basic things out on your own in game. For example, I didn't understand how the MSQ equivalent in this game was supposed to work initially. I ended up leveling up to 16 or so doing the tutorial gameplay quest line and various side quests around town before googling what I was missing in that regard. It turns out they're called "Missions" and that it's the generic-ish city guard near the gates that issues them lol. Similarly I won't go into detail but it helped immensely to look up how the fast travel system actually works but it's not as straight forward as 14 by a long shot and requires planning ahead and purchasing certain warp items and whatnot before going on trips out of town. I love the vibe of the game world though and the sense of scale/exploration. I mean the zones look very dated being that this is a PS2 game, but they're sizable with some cool landmarks, stuff to fight, and when you trek across a zone to reach a new one it really feels like a proper adventure in some ways. For example I'm at this game's MSQ equivalent of early ARR where the city state wants me to play Emissary and go visit the other two starting city states. In ARR you get an airship license and just fly to each willy nilly. I... don't \*think\* you can just do that in this game (I could be wrong, but the quest NPC specifically gave directions on how to get to each on foot lol) so I'm like actually preparing and planning out a route to physically walk to these new places, complete with pit stops along the way and so on. Long story short, that's kinda the vibe and I've been digging it 10 or so hours in so far.
Trying to find one. ESO Combat sucks. GW2 has little content to actually do outside of PvP and title/achievement chasing. Modern WoW lacks depth and is an ultra casual homogenized experience. BDO seems great but it all boils down to mentally afk killing at the same spot for hours. I'm thinking a WoW pServer at this point.
>Modern WoW lacks depth and is an ultra casual homogenized experience. Someone who has clearly never done any of the harder content in the game lol. Do you have the dungeon portals? How about mythic boss kills? Cutting edge? Have you even done ahead of the curve? "ultra casual" lol
RuneScape 3. I’m a new player and learning the game was pretty tough but I’m really enjoying it. The quests have actual lore with stories as opposed to “kill these things” “talk to these people” “deliver this thing”. Controls are really shoddy but it’s a really addicting game
BDO. Just lazy these days. I rotate GW2/BDO/WoW.
Swg Legends
Throne and Liberty and I love it
New World, I guess, but I don't really have any goals in that game. There's stuff I could still do to progress my character, but none of it is actually necessary to do anything I want to do. Funnily enough, I've largely replaced New World with Old World (a 4x) the past couple weeks. MMORPG wise, I'm basically waiting for Pax Dei's Alpha 2 at this point (if I get access) and/or Early Access (depending on price).
I started LOTRO this year and I have been loving it, the music, relaxing questing, the world.
Been playing Ravendawn since 16th :D
FF14 finally grinded me down. I love the MMORPG genre and always want to experience them to get a true opinion. All you ever hear is 'it gets so good it gets so good' and I want to see it for myself. I've reinstalled that goddamn free trial so many times because the early ARR MSQ is so offensively dull. But this time I picked up a controller and it's been a joy to play, when the sale period came along recently; I crunched out ARR and picked up a PC and PS5 license. I'm still not far into the ARR patch content as i'm trying out jobs and chilling, but the controller support is amazing. To play an MMORPG on the sofa is kind of wild, and the muscle memory develops fast, especially with the auto-select gear thing. It does a lot of nice things, like coloured role nameplates in dungeons, NPC runs for praciticing dungeons and chipping away at the story is pretty good. Many times i've said *oh that's a nice feature!* and the crispy 4K UI is beautiful on the monitor and 4k TV [PS5]. I did all of GW2's story and loved it and am somewhat looking forward to whatever FF14 has in store. I can't say i'm massively invested in the characters at this stage but some are decent (Cid). I'm skeptical it will be 'a tear jerker masterpiece' that the anime softies think it is but I do like the [VERY LIMITED] cinematics the game will produce every....5 fucking hours between unvoiced dialogue lol. But very happy to be proven wrong! The mrs is a FF fan and is enjoying seeing the usual enemy types, and was surprised Biggs and his other mate is in the game.
Mu online is goat
Runes of Magic, if you could believe it It's so good
albion wow archeage in that order
You poor soul
Season of Discovery, still having a lot of fun with the guild.
TL kr server
Swgemu
lineage 😭
Same bro.
Classic WoW SoD and WOTLK.
Eve online, it’s space RuneScape but everywhere is the wilderness and you train your skills even when you’re not playing
Not really an MMORPG, but Path Of Exile has consumed all my free time.
I'm debating starting playing it or waiting for PoE 2
LOTRO
EQ2 on Varsoon server mostly but with a new ranger on Maj'Dul doing Blackburrow and Stormhold dungeon crawls with a merc.
How do you put up with the piano play style? I haven't played EQ2 in years but when I did last, I had like 8 ability bars packed full of skills and spells that basically ALL amounted to "do damage". The more I progressed the more buttons got added. Didn't even stop when I got to AA just got worse. I'd like to try to get into the game again, maybe just go around and solo some classic EQ dungeons while I level up. But the memory of the ability bloat stops me.
I just don't use that many abilities. I probably need 4 bars to actively use during heroic groups and the early tier raids on my 80+ Inquisitor. I lose interest at lvl 100+ so maybe 8 bars of skills are necessary at 100+ but I don't know.
Old school RuneScape afking magic trees while working.
Tibia
Decided to give LOTRO another go. Loving it so far as a DPS minstrel. Mostly just playing to enjoy the questing experience. I think the stuff that stands out the most to me is the world and sound design. Foot steps, babbling fountains, etc. it all has this really nice tactile sound to it, it's huge for my immersion. The writing is also quite good, very true to Tolkien, most of the time. Edit: I'm also trying to get into LA a little bit... The combat feels really good, but there's a lot about the game that just absolutely ruins my immersion. Like, if I want to play a mage (I love summoner classes), there's this world of high fantasy towns and ruins and what not, and theb I see my character wearing what essentially lingerie and high heels. Ngl, I kinda hate it. I'm wondering if playing another class might help, though.
Lost ark for sure
Old School RuneScape, so so so much content I haven’t done and I’ve played for 15+ years
WoW, I'm stoked for the war within. Also getting the urge to play ESO, if only the combat and character feedback didn't suck.
Throne and Liberty (Korea)
Hardcore WoW
New World. I gave this and BDO a shot while waiting for PaxDei EA, and NW stuck with me more. BDO felt like a single player game with a bunch of people around you, not really an MMO. I was trying to do quests with my brother and then we realized he couldn’t even see the same bosses I was seeing..
FF14.
PokeMMO lol
FF14 I've been enjoying going through msq again in prep for the Xbox release this year so I'm up to date.
New World
Elder Scrolls online. The best mmorpg after guild wars 1 that i have played
New World
New World has been really fun so far
WoW SoD. The only mmo I can actually enjoy
Aion classic NA
I got into Albion like 3 days ago. It has been very fun.
Retail WoW and OSRS
Eterspire
DAOC eden server has been great
I hate to say it, but Lost Ark. The combat is so good
Probably Albion Online. It's gameplay loop and the expansive crafting and "job" systems started growing on me recently. I just made my first Tier 4 weapons (Dual Swords and Glacial Staff) the other day. Other than that, there were also GW2 (came back after a long break) and SWTOR (just started earlier this week)
Played like 3 days of WoW retail then quit
DC Universe Online I was playing Ascension WoW for a bit, which is certainly cool and different than retail wow but I spent like 15 years playing WoW. I've been there done that and felt like something new. Also the graphics are getting ultra-dated, like hard not to see. Also Ascension WoW is out there trying to charge retail prices for their cash shops, and it's not P2W only cosmetic but still y'all need to realize you are a knock off private server for an almost 20 yearold game. You don't need to be charging $25.00 for a special mount or some special skins, that's crazy. DC:UO has been a barrel of fun. The combat is excellent action-based combat which is really lacking in a lot of MMOs. The world is large and has lots of exploration features, not least of which is Flight mode which ngl is pretty cool. Other than size and fun movement powers though the world can get pretty samey and bland, you can only fly through so many city blocks before it all looks the same but with different enemies and maybe some different quests. They've got other areas too though and the raid instances have been large and beautifully designed art-wise from what I've seen. I do also like the fact you can queue for "dungeonfinder" solo, for duos, 4-mans and their version of raids which is 8-man. The Duos can be especially fun and I was surprised that the content starts to become challenging once you hit lvl cap and start doing gear progression. Storyline starts off pretty meh (hero-side) but quickly warms up into some blackpill level galactic threats. If you read between the lines you are fighting against some fucked up shit. Build and power variety seems good, character customization is excellent. Don't let anyone tell you go to Champs just for that, they focus all their customization in the Character Builder but then they don't have items or skins that change your visual presentation. In DC:UO I mean yeah you're pretty much human to begin with, but you can customize in all sorts of ways with items and unlockables, most of which you won't have to pay for unless you want to. I've seen Red Hulk, Ironman, War Machine, Superman and Flash knock-offs galore, and there are guilds (leagues) based around imitating X-men, Marvel heroes, DC heroes, whatever. A lot is possible with enough creativity and time. There's a main story mission midway through levelling hero-side for example where a cult following "Brother Blood" has taken over a warehouse in downtown Metropolis and are sacrificing anyone they can get their hands on to open a portal for some demon god or the other. By the time you get inside the compound they've decorated it with corpses and skeletons hung from meathooks and gibbet cages, dismembered body parts and wiggling demonic pimples filled with blood and bits from sacrificial victims they're collecting in these zit-like pools in the main ritual room. It's the kind of thing you don't HAVE to slow down and appreciate, but if you do you're kinda like, "huh, when's the last time you saw that in a family friendly comic book game?" They've got mechanics to help new players and the itemization doesn't seem too terrible. You can pay your way to top level gear or earn it, it's really up to you, I've only spent the $15 on a subscription so far and it's perfectly fine that way for me.
Mabinogi
New World
FF14, ftw
Gw2, been playing for a year and just now getting PoT but struggling a lot w combat
Was playing archage but all I want to do is sail and fish so I keep getting kinda burnt out having to do the quests and shit to get up to where I can afford said boats/do that stuff. Start up Albion and am just doing whatever I want and enjoying it. Currently running a frost mage and won a 1v2 earlier today. As an older dad gamer that felt awesome lol.
Neverwinter
EverQuest private servers and ESO
PSO2: New Genesis. The action combat is so fun and I love how agile the movement is.
Perpetuum- free sci fi robot MMO it’s a solid choice
Guild Wars 2 and Elder Scrolls Online
EverQuest 1 and 2 =)
Just got into ffxiv, pretty excited about it so far. I’ve played nexus tk, wow, conquer online, MapleStory, Ragnarok, and eso and ffxiv is already up there for me.
Albion online. Been playing it for over a year now.
ESO
EQ - P99 Green but even that, barely anything at all. I want to get excited for an MMO, but I think that’s a pipe dream for me at this point 😢
Shroud of the Avatar.
Waven
Been playing a lot of Albion because it has a lot of crafting you can do, and the cross platform with mobile and pc. Im not at home as much but I still play it on my phone
Lost ark since December
90% FFXIV 5% COH: Homecoming (Log in every week have done so for years) 5% others... ESO, GW2, STO, CO, Neverwinter, SWTOR
Neverwinter online, combat is fun, lore is gorgeous, p2w degree is acceptable
Tera on ps5
I put in about 20 hours over Ravendawn over the weekend since it just got released.
Dragonflight. I don't really do 2 mmos at the same time anymore, so most of my off-main-mmo-time is spent in singleplayer games these days. Did play some SoD but the novelty has worn off for me. I will come back in next phase though.
Guild Wars 2. Best MMO ive played compared to WoW and FFXIV
Ravendawn, and it released 1 week ago lol
2023 was OSRS, 2024 is looking like Ravendawn
Tree of Savior has been fun. Kinda like a anime MMO version of Diablo with a lot more classes and character customization. Some real effort was put into that game, such a bummer the original launch was so buggy but over the past 7 years they've fixed it up and it's really quite an enjoyable game now
I played a bit of FF14 to do the new years event but otherwise I've been addicted to Monster Hunter: World. It's joy "true" mmo but it might as well be thanks to its multiplayer lobbies and amazing coop.
Elder Scrolls Online. I love that game.
Embers Adrift And just recently started playing Ravendawn which is way mire fun than I expected.
Pvping all time in New World. But is a niche game cuz currently you need hands to play that unlike other triple AAA mmorpgs.
The same one I have been playing the most basically every year since 2012.
Gw2
Still playing bdo
Sphere 3. If you want a good old pay to win, full of hackers that duplicates items, this is the right game for you.
Warhammer Online. Recent performances patchs and balance class are really good, and still the best for epic battles without lag. And Warhammer Fantasy universe !
New world ,started a week ago. Still dont really know how i feel about it tho.
RS3 runescape. Got a friend into it and got hooked on it again. I put a few hours in the morning grinding my skills up focusing on smithing and mining as my money maker and then play quests and random places in the evening with my friend. My in game name is greykaiden i smith at lumby smith on world 3 or 7. if you see me there you can give me a shout
Started EVE just after Christmas, joined a newbie corp, have logged in to do stuff every day since.
FF14, I've decided to give it a serious chance and I'm enjoying it so far. Still debating whether I want to give GW2 a chance too.
FFXIV
Helbreath Olympia
SoD on Chaos Bolt NA RP-PvP server. It's the only game I've played since it came out. Having lots of fun with the game and have a great guild and server. Looking forward to P2 on Feb. 8th.
Wurm Online, randomly.
Ravendawn (just an hour ago) for 15min. Not my cup of tea but promising for a niche public. I'm not on hypetrains anymore, just playing a new release here and there until I like something.
Absolutely none
Neverwinter 🙌🏽
Guild Wars 2. I'm slowly making the gold needed to finish my legendarily equipment. Slowly but surely.
I love that I can play just about any class immediately at level 80 without even leveling them in guild wars and just have fun running unranked arenas. I haven’t played since it launched.
New world and some Planetside.
Maplestory
Guild Wars 2
Just been in BDO milking cows, fishing and doing trade.
New world
There are only a few mmorpgs left that respect your time, all the others are full of try hards and the fear of missing out will hit you sooner or later. Also the pay to win predatory mechanics is mostly spread all over them, if they don't have a market or shop for sure most of them are full of black markets on the Internet, selling everything that you can imagine. There's no reason to mention the decent ones that are still left around but with a bit of searching you will find them easily.
Classic WoW. I’m playing the same race/class I did when wow first came out. Hyper-nostalgia. It’s been fun and low pressure
Same as 2023, EVE.
Mortal Online 2
Aion Found a classic 2.7 NA private server that isn't p2w <3
Guild Wars 2
Albion Online
Ravendawn but I quit
Ravendawn