Looking for an "Exploratory MMO"

Jalaris

Hey there. I've been on the market for a new MMO for awhile, and while there are alot of options, which of the (way too many) choices do you all think would best fit my style?

I want to be able to start a character, and explore. For the most part, without too many issues "level-wise" etc... The game also must have a strong story. Kind of like Guild Wars 2, but not really. I already have GW2 and it's very good, but I'm not quite sure if it's exactly what I'm looking for.

Suggestions?

Helleri

Runescape.

Equinoxx

I think eve online is the game your looking for

Helleri

If you want everything to look the same no matter where you go. And, you don't mind having your life sucked away, and you want every profession to feel like your basically doing the same thing for a different reason, then EVE is your game....

 

Besides runescape is free play for as long as you need it to be, and within free play their is 100's of hours of exploration. Especially if you are the kind who goes "hmmm wonder whats down there". And really appreciate little jokes and bad references. They also have had a big interface. combat, and graphical update within the last 8 months. And most monsters are non aggressive now which makes exploring more fun.

 

Also you get rewarded through the achievements diary for doing the dumb little things you just do when you explore. Unlock tons of music tracks for discovering new areas. And most sealed off areas are unlocked through skill or quest(as apposed to combat) progression.

 

The quests are not kill and collect either (there is a whole skill for kill and collect if that's what you like). they involve persuasion, exploration, crafting, puzzle solving, riddle fixing etc.

 

And depth of the lore is heavy there. There is also even a skill called dungeoneering where you will get a lot of lore and explore a massive complex of deeper and deeper levels that is never the exact same way twice.

Quizzical

If you want to go exploring, you need to try Uncharted Waters Online.  "Exploration" in most MMORPGs means "a really inefficient way to find out what is already on the wiki", and consists of wandering around while the game constantly bashes you over the head with, "You really should be doing something different to level faster."  UWO makes exploring the world into a major game mechanic, with over a thousand quests to go discover something--most of them without necessarily needing to do any combat on the way.  Most of the best land-combat weapons and many of the best armors in the game come from discovering them, not from looting monsters or even crafting them.

CactusJack

I don't know how you couldn't at least try EvE Online. It has over 5k solar systems with each system sharing basic commonalities. However, there are many that require player interaction to find, i.e. wormholes. You should also know that there is no fast travel meaning you can't jump from one side of the galaxy to the other.

Visually speaking, I find that EvE is beautiful. I haven't played too many games that were visually more appealing. 

On a side note, one of the things that I did when I first started EvE was to travel from one side of the galaxy..Geminate to Fountain in a shuttle. The idea was to see if I could actually make it. There was a fat prize to whomever could do it the fastest.

Good luck in your search.

Kazuhiro

Originally posted by CactusJack

You should also know that there is no fast travel meaning you can't jump from one side of the galaxy to the other.

eh... no, sorry that's simply not true. There are both jump clones that let you instantly teleport from one end of the universe to the other. And then there are jumpdrives, that let you cover vast amounts of space in seconds. Both of these have downsides and conditions such as not bringing stuff with you using jumpclones, and having to have a ship with a jumpdrive for the other, but fast travel most certainly exists in eve, just not to the level of ease in most mmos.

Kilrain

Originally posted by Kazuhiro

Originally posted by CactusJack

You should also know that there is no fast travel meaning you can't jump from one side of the galaxy to the other.

eh... no, sorry that's simply not true. There are both jump clones that let you instantly teleport from one end of the universe to the other. And then there are jumpdrives, that let you cover vast amounts of space in seconds. Both of these have downsides and conditions such as not bringing stuff with you using jumpclones, and having to have a ship with a jumpdrive for the other, but fast travel most certainly exists in eve, just not to the level of ease in most mmos.

Fast travel in Eve is expensive and skill intensive, so it's rare. Besides, he said you can't go from one side of the galaxy to another, and if I recall correctly jumps can only be made so many systems long per level with a max, so traveling the full length in one go is not possible.

feena750

Elder Scrolls Online and EQ Next are both focusing on exploration more than previous MMOs.  However they aren't out yet so that doesn't help you currently.

CactusJack

hey yea...thanks for jumping in with an example that clearly isn't intended...(jumpclones) or Cap Ship jump drives..not something a new player looking for an exploratory MMORPG would have access to. Never fails there is someone on the internet that wants to tell you how wrong you are.

 

Thanks for the support anyway Kilrain. 

IridescentOrk

forget MMOs? play a single player game like Skyrim

Jalaris

Yeah, I've pretty much tried everything everyone here has suggested. I guess its just GW2 for my till EQ: Next and ESO come out. Those two are what I am really looking forward to. I was just hoping that maybe someone knew of a hidden gem lol.

Theocritus

I dont get the fascination with Eve online either....You jsut sit spinning in a tin can clicking on things....That isnt exploration, thats tedium......Vanguard is a good suggestion......You'll want to look for a game that isn't heavy questing as those usually have the world based around quests and not so much for exploration.

Theocritus

Originally posted by Jalaris

Yeah, I've pretty much tried everything everyone here has suggested. I guess its just GW2 for my till EQ: Next and ESO come out. Those two are what I am really looking forward to. I was just hoping that maybe someone knew of a hidden gem lol.

 Basically once WoW came out everyone started copying it......Most of the games with the best exploration came before WoW, but many of thiose changed later because they felt WoW is what everyone wants....There are stil lgames like Anarchy Online and sopme other older ones with good exploration but there are trade offs.

flizzer

I am like you actually and enjoying GW2.  I would second the suggestion of Skyrim, however. One of the reasons I love Elder Scrolls games is because they are single player games that come close/match the MMO experience.  Exploring in Skyrim is very real and with mods you almost never end.  Just select easy combat and you can dispatch anything that comes in your way with ease.  For my first play through that is what I am doing and it is amazing.  Play late at night, turn out the lights, get trapped in a snow storm and get totally disoriented. Lots of fun.  Oh, look, there is a cave.  Hmm... I wonder what is in there.  I have a companion who said"  Oh, look , a cave . I wonder if there is gold in there?.   So many dungeons/caves and mountains to explore.   You can't go wrong. 

DaezAster

Op have you looked into the secret world. It is a very interesting world to explore and dig through even if not a game you stick to for many months. Way worth the cheap box price. Might want to take a look...

Jalaris

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Originally posted by DaezAster
Op have you looked into the secret world. It is a very interesting world to explore and dig through even if not a game you stick to for many months. Way worth the cheap box price. Might want to take a look...

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Actually, yeah. I bought it on a Steam sale, and LOVED IT. But then NVIDIA did some card update, and it started crashing my graphics driver every time I would play. It's been like three driver updates since then, and it still does it every time. I pretty much gave up after the third time downloading it. I would love to freaking play it if NVIDIA ( or maybe Funcom?) would fix their stuff.