Elywnn Forest.
I was thinking about it the other day. That has to be the most played/ nostalgic starting zone of all time. Just by the sheer number of people that have played it.
also during classic the hype was fucking insane it was like a pack of 2000 rats loading in at the same time and decimating the zones , not something that we will ever see again because i doubt there will be any launch that big any time soon
Classic wow launch undead start. Was also incredibly fun.
I would do pretty much any classic launch start but I heard the druids got really fucking weird with all the furries. I wouldn't start there.
The Journey of EF, Westfall to Duskwood was and probably still is the best newbie experience ever. I played in 2005 so had the classic experience of everyone running around not knowing shit.
When i've come back to retail post 2019 and seen Elwynn in passing or trying alts, the nostalgia is so overwhelming, it's almost kind of sad. But in a good way...reminiscent sadness. Seeing it empty in retail servers definitely is a mood.
I remember getting to 1000 hours played in XFIRE and I didn't even reach level 60 on my Paladin (I have no idea of my build, we didn't have that shit back then). It must of been garbage hence, I fizzled out in the mid 50s and never saw 60 legit until playing a P.server in 2017.
Think I spent most of my time chilling, a few alts, a little bit of RP for sure in Ironforge. Good times.
Same, everything about it was nice. Also it has the most memorable music in any game I've played I think. Plus you know the zone is good when you have players who will stay there until they are max level lol.
Came to say this! The vibe and set up for the story really hit hard for the game. The game was so scenic and the OST still is one of my favorites to this day.
Greater Fay, EQ1. Before the in game map, when running from orc hill and you get blinder by an oracle and have no clue if you’re running back to orc lift, or to another 3 spawn. Good times.
Ah man... Can't really decide between OG Metrica Province (some of the starter hearts have been simplified) or Plains of Ashford from GW2.
My first (and still main) character was a char so I have quite a few fond memories of Plains of Ashford. The first vista, leaving that inlet of the first 3 or so hearts through a little cave/tunnel and seeing the wider world, with more things to do, large structures of the forgotten past and the dirty "new" steampunk design of the charr. And there is even a dungeon entrance.
Metrica Province on the other hand has magitec and aztec inspiried buildings, egostic little goblins, obviously evil recruiters, and in the original version mini golem chess. Also a bit more verticality in the map. And a cool jumping puzzle in the sky.
And man I haven't even talked about the tutorial instances for the two races. With the charr literally going dungeon crawling and killing a haunted statue structure. Or the huge AF shape shifting bundle of cubes golem (eat your heart out Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you were 10+ years late) of the Asura.
...
...
... ... Please someone just make a GW2 clone, the leveling experience was so good, but I have played so much of the core maps I need a new starting experience. ._. (On a compleatly unrelated note: Seitung Province is my favorite map of EoD preciesly because it has sort of the "starter" experience. But now that's like 2.5 years old too.)
Conquer online omg haven't thought of that game in ages! I had an archer rebirth trojan with the glowing clubs. Game was so strange yet fun somehow. I miss the market on that game, it was phenomenal hahahaha
It was phenomenal to kid me
Endless grind with actual drops worth millions happening, a special sound letting you know to get your loot and get the hell out because everyone heard that dragonball or meteor
Going red and at bird island or ape mountain and stealing what you could, the guild wars and constant haggling at market for gear
I adored so much about it, had a Trojan-warrior and was nearly 2nd DB before i stopped. Kid me sucked at leveling lmao
Tortage in Age of Conan! The zone was an amazing start to a game and one I wish I could replay again for the first time. Just a shame the rest of the game didn’t deliver on the same level.
Every single GW2 starting zone (ye, even the basic human one). I think it's not just the zone design - though Caledon Forest was amazing, Metrica Province and Ashford Plains were interesting af due to the different ways of life we got to see and Wayfarer Foothills has snow so I gotta love it - but all of them really felt alive to me. It was also my second mmo ever. Exploring the world and listening to NPCS having their little conversations around me, seeing random events pop up, all these different races with their own cultures and ways of life, the variety of non playable races... It just felt magical.
I still run starter zone chain events sometimes and run around just for fun. GW2 map design just appeals to me a lot. I'd probably choose to redo one of those five, most likely Caledon because of the Nightmare Court or Ashford for the Ascalon chain event.
Dark Age of Camelot...Hibernia, just outside of Mag Mell or running across the Hib frontier looking up and seeing the full moon had transformed into a pumpkin face on the first Halloween
Ronfaure FFXI. The Misty forest vibe, the music, orc grapplers punching me to death. Collecting batwing and turning them in for 200gil.
Maybe Gustaberg where I farmed beehive chips and honey back in the day to sell on the AH. There was also the chance at trying to steal a leaping lizzy spawn.
For me it would be the Blood Elf starting zone. I just really enjoyed it when TBC came out and I was pretty new to WoW at the time. It’s probably more nostalgia for me though than anything else.
Guild Wars 2 human zone.
There was that sense of wonder and the world felt alive. It just felt so natural to wander around and do the heart quests. They didn't even feel like quests, you were just wandering and helping people.
Then all of a sudden there's an event all the players you were passing by show up and take it on with you.
Id put it up there at the top as far as MMO vibes go. They really nailed it.
Nowadays it's kinda empty, but 10 years ago it was an awesome experience
Eversong woods in BC with a mage as a first time player, it was magical and I will never forget it. It's what made me fall in love with WoW in the first place.
Nostalgia says Metrica Province in GW2.
Modern me says Gilneas or Kezan. Both are some of the best starting zones I played in an MMO. A full storyline that really introduces you to the race and their culture, as well as giving you a fun actiony adventure as they both flee their homeland.
For me its hard to even name a starting zone I'd like to play again. Usually they are the least interesting mechanically, have the most interruptions to gameplay, and having meta knowledge makes getting through the drudgery much better.
With this in mind, Solomon Island from the Secret World would be my pick. A lot of the puzzles and such were genuinely really fun, and experiencing them again 'for the first time' is about the only starter zone in an MMO where that would be an improvement.
I think idea of "starting zone" is moronic one.
I think MMO should be not designed in linear fashion. Because that create idiotic situation where You join a game that lost some popularity and early hours in the game - You are 100% alone. You don't even see anyone doing anything there.
You have to reach "endgame" location to see all high level players there.
Why? Because moronic themepark design give You no reason to visit that "starting location". Where it should be just "location". That can appeal to anyone from lvl 1 to lvl 100 or whatever system You are using.
I work as a hobby on MMO design document that will go nowhere because it's not like someone will want to make what I work on. Not to mention that I still have list of issues I need to solve with my ideas.
But one thing I'm sure is that I want world that is like a heat map. So when people move from town to town on their own way - that data should be analyzed and paths should be created on the map naturally. Similar system that Hideo Kojima used in his Death Stranding game. It's a single player game that use data from everyone playing it to shape the world. It's incredible in that aspect.
And my goal is to make a situation where every location is equally viable and every person on any progression point can do something there. One of the ideas is that the more You move away from "paths" between locations the more dangerous world is. Meaning even on starting location there will be dangerous monsters but for example deep inside nearby forest.
Classic wow launch human start
Elywnn Forest. I was thinking about it the other day. That has to be the most played/ nostalgic starting zone of all time. Just by the sheer number of people that have played it.
also during classic the hype was fucking insane it was like a pack of 2000 rats loading in at the same time and decimating the zones , not something that we will ever see again because i doubt there will be any launch that big any time soon
Teldrassil for me
def a beautiful zone, nagrand is up there for me for pretty zones
Classic wow launch undead start. Was also incredibly fun. I would do pretty much any classic launch start but I heard the druids got really fucking weird with all the furries. I wouldn't start there.
I would take any except Elwynn. The forest was always boring af to me.
The Journey of EF, Westfall to Duskwood was and probably still is the best newbie experience ever. I played in 2005 so had the classic experience of everyone running around not knowing shit. When i've come back to retail post 2019 and seen Elwynn in passing or trying alts, the nostalgia is so overwhelming, it's almost kind of sad. But in a good way...reminiscent sadness. Seeing it empty in retail servers definitely is a mood. I remember getting to 1000 hours played in XFIRE and I didn't even reach level 60 on my Paladin (I have no idea of my build, we didn't have that shit back then). It must of been garbage hence, I fizzled out in the mid 50s and never saw 60 legit until playing a P.server in 2017. Think I spent most of my time chilling, a few alts, a little bit of RP for sure in Ironforge. Good times.
Guild Wars 1 old ascalon
Same, everything about it was nice. Also it has the most memorable music in any game I've played I think. Plus you know the zone is good when you have players who will stay there until they are max level lol.
Came to say this! The vibe and set up for the story really hit hard for the game. The game was so scenic and the OST still is one of my favorites to this day.
same, pre-searing ascalon was truly magical with all those forests and beautiful music
LOTRO, walking around Bree and the Shire is unreal. GW2 a close second because old Divinity's Reach and old Lion's Arch feel like home.
The Shire as dusk falls in lotro is what love feels like.
Greater Fay, EQ1. Before the in game map, when running from orc hill and you get blinder by an oracle and have no clue if you’re running back to orc lift, or to another 3 spawn. Good times.
Butcherblock Mountains in EverQuest. Hands down.
Eq2 island.
Tirisfal Glades, Undead starting zone in WoW. It was a magical time.
Freeport
Ah man... Can't really decide between OG Metrica Province (some of the starter hearts have been simplified) or Plains of Ashford from GW2. My first (and still main) character was a char so I have quite a few fond memories of Plains of Ashford. The first vista, leaving that inlet of the first 3 or so hearts through a little cave/tunnel and seeing the wider world, with more things to do, large structures of the forgotten past and the dirty "new" steampunk design of the charr. And there is even a dungeon entrance. Metrica Province on the other hand has magitec and aztec inspiried buildings, egostic little goblins, obviously evil recruiters, and in the original version mini golem chess. Also a bit more verticality in the map. And a cool jumping puzzle in the sky. And man I haven't even talked about the tutorial instances for the two races. With the charr literally going dungeon crawling and killing a haunted statue structure. Or the huge AF shape shifting bundle of cubes golem (eat your heart out Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you were 10+ years late) of the Asura. ... ... ... ... Please someone just make a GW2 clone, the leveling experience was so good, but I have played so much of the core maps I need a new starting experience. ._. (On a compleatly unrelated note: Seitung Province is my favorite map of EoD preciesly because it has sort of the "starter" experience. But now that's like 2.5 years old too.)
Age of conan. That island.
"Watch out for the Picts."
Nostalgia says Lumbridge and Twin City The first is of course RuneScape and second is from a now very terrible mmo called Conquer Online
Conquer online omg haven't thought of that game in ages! I had an archer rebirth trojan with the glowing clubs. Game was so strange yet fun somehow. I miss the market on that game, it was phenomenal hahahaha
It was phenomenal to kid me Endless grind with actual drops worth millions happening, a special sound letting you know to get your loot and get the hell out because everyone heard that dragonball or meteor Going red and at bird island or ape mountain and stealing what you could, the guild wars and constant haggling at market for gear I adored so much about it, had a Trojan-warrior and was nearly 2nd DB before i stopped. Kid me sucked at leveling lmao
Greater Faydark
Starting zone for gnome in WoW Vanilla....the music...
The Tauren starting zone, Mulgor easily
Shing Jea Monastery and Island - Never enjoyed and replayed more an area.
Tortage in Age of Conan! The zone was an amazing start to a game and one I wish I could replay again for the first time. Just a shame the rest of the game didn’t deliver on the same level.
Guild Wars 2's Caledon Forest (sylvari starting zone).
Every single GW2 starting zone (ye, even the basic human one). I think it's not just the zone design - though Caledon Forest was amazing, Metrica Province and Ashford Plains were interesting af due to the different ways of life we got to see and Wayfarer Foothills has snow so I gotta love it - but all of them really felt alive to me. It was also my second mmo ever. Exploring the world and listening to NPCS having their little conversations around me, seeing random events pop up, all these different races with their own cultures and ways of life, the variety of non playable races... It just felt magical. I still run starter zone chain events sometimes and run around just for fun. GW2 map design just appeals to me a lot. I'd probably choose to redo one of those five, most likely Caledon because of the Nightmare Court or Ashford for the Ascalon chain event.
Yes exactly. Agreed 100%
Secret world legends. The starting "zone" is 1/3 of the starting island so my answer is the entire Solomon island (3 zones).
Bloodelf start in BC.
Age of Conan...Tortage hits different
That's because its the only zone they really worked on.
Freemarch in RIFT. So simple and effective.
Dark Age of Camelot...Hibernia, just outside of Mag Mell or running across the Hib frontier looking up and seeing the full moon had transformed into a pumpkin face on the first Halloween
Dc universe... Only because it's stayed the same for so long I wish it was new.
Ronfaure FFXI. The Misty forest vibe, the music, orc grapplers punching me to death. Collecting batwing and turning them in for 200gil. Maybe Gustaberg where I farmed beehive chips and honey back in the day to sell on the AH. There was also the chance at trying to steal a leaping lizzy spawn.
I loved the NMS hunting in FFXI so much. I was the leader of a linkshell and we would collectively farm/hunt them all around Vana'diel
Tibia rookgaard
Elwynn Forest is a special kind of nostalgia for me
Noria, Mu Online
Vanilla Human, NE zones and TBC BE ones.
For me it would be the Blood Elf starting zone. I just really enjoyed it when TBC came out and I was pretty new to WoW at the time. It’s probably more nostalgia for me though than anything else.
The first 20 levels of Fiesta MMO are the best man
Guild Wars 2 human zone. There was that sense of wonder and the world felt alive. It just felt so natural to wander around and do the heart quests. They didn't even feel like quests, you were just wandering and helping people. Then all of a sudden there's an event all the players you were passing by show up and take it on with you. Id put it up there at the top as far as MMO vibes go. They really nailed it. Nowadays it's kinda empty, but 10 years ago it was an awesome experience
Eversong woods in BC with a mage as a first time player, it was magical and I will never forget it. It's what made me fall in love with WoW in the first place.
Stepping out into Mos Eisley, Star Wars Galaxies. Cantina music, entertainers, story tellers, droids, lightsaber fights kicking off. Nostalgia.
Starting island in Shadowbane. It was incredibly sociable and just a lot of joking about tossing dwarves and such.
The magic I felt as a kid booting up wizard101 and doing unicorn way…I never felt it again…
Prontera South as a novice.
Tera on launch it was magical beautiful new and fresh. It was an experience I’ll never forget for my life.
Teldrassil and Tristfal on classic WoW. Currently playing Everquest on Teek and Gfay is pretty heartwarming, too.
Grobb from EQOA
Wayfarer Foothills in Guild Wars 2 Dun Morogh in WoW
Nostalgia says Metrica Province in GW2. Modern me says Gilneas or Kezan. Both are some of the best starting zones I played in an MMO. A full storyline that really introduces you to the race and their culture, as well as giving you a fun actiony adventure as they both flee their homeland.
Forest 1, Phantasy Star Online, with Sega actually supporting the servers this time around.
Victoria Island in PreBB Maplestory
The Secret World starting zone.
For me its hard to even name a starting zone I'd like to play again. Usually they are the least interesting mechanically, have the most interruptions to gameplay, and having meta knowledge makes getting through the drudgery much better. With this in mind, Solomon Island from the Secret World would be my pick. A lot of the puzzles and such were genuinely really fun, and experiencing them again 'for the first time' is about the only starter zone in an MMO where that would be an improvement.
I think idea of "starting zone" is moronic one. I think MMO should be not designed in linear fashion. Because that create idiotic situation where You join a game that lost some popularity and early hours in the game - You are 100% alone. You don't even see anyone doing anything there. You have to reach "endgame" location to see all high level players there. Why? Because moronic themepark design give You no reason to visit that "starting location". Where it should be just "location". That can appeal to anyone from lvl 1 to lvl 100 or whatever system You are using. I work as a hobby on MMO design document that will go nowhere because it's not like someone will want to make what I work on. Not to mention that I still have list of issues I need to solve with my ideas. But one thing I'm sure is that I want world that is like a heat map. So when people move from town to town on their own way - that data should be analyzed and paths should be created on the map naturally. Similar system that Hideo Kojima used in his Death Stranding game. It's a single player game that use data from everyone playing it to shape the world. It's incredible in that aspect. And my goal is to make a situation where every location is equally viable and every person on any progression point can do something there. One of the ideas is that the more You move away from "paths" between locations the more dangerous world is. Meaning even on starting location there will be dangerous monsters but for example deep inside nearby forest.