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Any MMOs have a better end-game than just a gear treadmill?
I have realized that I have no interest in end-game content for most MMOs. The ones I get bored the fastest with rely on a simple gear treadmill system to keep players playing when they hit the level cap. Most of them make large, amazing worlds, but then funnel all level-capped players into instanced dungeons and all other content becomes irrelevant to the player. A few games have the gear treadmill but still have plenty of meaningful content to experience and advance your character even if you're doing the gear treadmill. I'm looking for more of those. Anyone have any suggestions?
I avoid games which force non-consentual PvP. Those bring out the worst type of people the world has to offer and I don't find it fun to get killed repeatedly by someone who just wants to ruin others' fun. Any other game should be fine.
Comments
Everquest
With AAs you are always progressing your character.
Most of the EQ/WOW variants are gear or 'alternate advancement'.
What are you looking for in place of the current flavors of repetitive endgame content? With a little more info we might be able to suggest a few MMOs that will fit what you are looking for.
EDIT: Have you considered the sandbox-focused MMOs (ex: EVE, LinkRealms, Life is Feudal)?
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Sandbox MMOs often have forced PVP areas. If it is possible to avoid those areas completely and not be at a PvE disadvantage to those who do choose to venture into the PvP areas, I would give that game a chance. EVE, from what I hear, has forced PVP for the higher progression. A quick google search indicates LinkRealms is an open-PvP game, so that's not going to work for me.
Everquest 1's graphics are far too dated for me to enjoy any kind of immersion. Everquest 2's screenshots look tolerable. I don't know if the UI is difficult to use, or if the animations ruin the game. I'll probably seek a free trial for EQ2 if no other games seem more interesting. I'm not too keen on 40-button games, though.
It really depends on what kind of players you are. If you need the game to lead you around you, you won't find anything out there. There is no game with enough none-repeatable content for you. If you can create your own adventures, look at sandbox games (although most of them are OwPvP these days or focus on building stuff instead of adventuring).
Otherwise there is GW2, it doesn't have "endgame" and with downscaling and the way loot drops work lower level zones are still interesting to (re)visit. It has progression past max level (somewhat, more once the expac is released) and gearing isn't hard (unless you are a masochist and really want the ascended gear or Legendary but neither are required). Players that need a carrot on a stick to play get bored quickly of it though, players with an obsession with gold vs time end up farming dungeons and world bosses like zombies too. You need to set your own goals in that game.
In case that doesn't do it either, I suggest waiting to see if EQNext end up the games the devs are saying they are doing.
"Why would I want to loose a religion upon my people? Religions wreck from within - Empires and individuals alike! It's all the same." - God Emperor of Dune
Unfortunately not many recent games have this. This is why (my theory) there has been such a surge in PvP players in the last say 5 years. When every endgame is the same gear grind, people naturally look for something different, and the most readily available and already known (see: not some revolutionary new idea, and most games have it in some form) is PvP.
Perhaps one day some dev will come along and blow our minds with something new and different, but for now it's either treadmill or PvP
The reason i enjoyed FFXI for so many years,is that you never needed to play the end game nonsense,you have 22 classes that can all be leveled up on the same player,no need for alts.If you play a game to PLAY THE WHOLE game,then crafting is another long time effort,but it pays off in the end with your many classes.
CHOICE,you have the choice to wander the entire world to fight mobs,so if you get bored in one place,try another.
For a side show ,i look forward everyday to entering Besieged it is perhaps the greatest idea in gaming ever and had to be implemented to work for a PS2,making it even more amazing.Prior to that you could also take part in Campaigns,a sort of similar outdoor idea,where the beast hordes attack outposts and you try to defend them with what were very tough battles when the levels were appropriate.
FFXI still offers a ton of quests,you are just not FORCED to follow them in a linear fashion for xp the way other games force you to play.Even though FFXI no longer is as tedious as once was,it still offers the option to solo with 3xnpc's or to group with friends.Yes the main focus of the population is end game gear grinding like every game on the planet but you don't have to,just enjoy the combat system and fun of playing 22 classes on the same character.
If you play ANY other game aside from the very old games,you will do nothing but be in a race to end level then grind end game,that is how all the games are made.I choose to NOT play that style,i want choice in where i go and fight and i want to do quests when i feel like doing them,not when the developer tells me i have to do them to progress.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
You don't need a free trial for EQ2,it is totally F2P and you can even research abilities to master level F2P.The biggest restrictions are not being able to sell on the brokers or move the aa/xp slider from 50/50 but you can get all the way to 95 without spending a penny.
There are also loads of achievements you can get by going back to old zones if that is your thing and you can self mentor.Don't worry about lots of buttons,just make hotbars and put them on there and mouse click.
Wife and I did EQ2 again about a 8 months ago. We had a blast and found it well worth a sub for the extras. People were friendly and helpful right up till you got to end game lol. May have been our server or just bad fortune but no one would make room for 2 new players at cap. Seemed like everyone had their friends they had been teaming with forever and dungeon crawls and raids where always full. We stopped playing, not because we didnt like the game, but because we got stick of not having anyone to team with lol.
Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.
^Unfortunately this is the case, though you could play GW2 or just delve into the crafting systems of various mmos and play the markets if you want. Hell you can do that in ArcheAge and FFXIV and in ArcheAge you can level solely by crafting all the way up to the end and just sell your wares to other players.
Any mmo worth its salt should be like a good prostitute when it comes to its game world- One hell of a faker, and a damn good shaker!
Yes I know what you mean,the last expansion there was a jump in gear from the last because of a level raise 95-100.I have regular groups I go with built up over 11 years playing.Best advice is to find a good guild that will help you,often you can get through the dino zones even at level 98 with handcrafted gear(as long as your not a tank ).That way you will get a set of blue gear.
I have taken a break myself from EQ2 atm,not sure if I will go back,after all this time I need something new ! Also Antonia Bayle is a good server to pick.
I would honestly suggest looking into GW2. It's pretty affordable (especially now that they've been doing huge discounts in prep for the new expansion), and the 'gear grind' is fairly minimal.
You can get full exotics without much effort (which is basically like the endgame base standard). You can do all of the endgame PvE (outside of fractals) with exotics. Which is the majority of the game, tbh. Fractals have their own specific type of gear which is harder to get, has slightly better stats, but is mostly used for a special resistance type that is only beneficial for that specific dungeon.
That said, the endgame is mostly about achievement hunting, exploration, acquiring cosmetic rewards, playing the market, crafting, and pvp (which isn't forced on you).
There are events going on all day every day that players take part in. Every zone has at least 1 world boss, etc. etc. etc.
- Word of caution, because this game isn't based on your standard gear treadmill, it plays quite a bit differently. Personal skill is a much larger factor in this game, than it is in other MMOs. At early lvls it may seem like the same type of game, but trust me it isn't. A lot of people get confused by that aspect of the game, because it tries to transition players who are used to gear treadmills into their own type of gameplay.
I should clarify. I don't mind character advancement involving the continued search for better gear. What I do mind is a gear treadmill which involves keeping players in the same area or instanced dungeon and repeating that over and over again until they can advance to the next one, where they rinse and repeat the same thing. The rest of the content produced for level-capped players becomes obsolete and you have no incentive to go back and help others with their progression. DAOC's ToA basically produced a treadmill and that frustrated the players who didn't want the same treadmill-style end-game progression that the recently-released WoW had.
I played Guild Wars 2 when it released and for a short time after they released Fractals. I felt the Fractals were just another treadmill, and I didn't give them much of a chance after playing through the first few levels of them. Has GW2's end-game been improved since then? If so, I might check it out again.
Some form of progression at end-game is required to maintain interest and provide incentive to keep playing. I just don't want to play games that make their content outside of the dungeon/instance obsolete. I guess City of Heroes is a good example of a game that kept all of their high-level content relevant and useful to run for almost everyone.
Have you tried Aion? It has forced PvP areas but you can actually play through without having to depend on going to those areas.
+1
Pretty much this OP. Just about any themepark that has released in the past 3-5 years have all of the same basic formula except GW2. It's the only MMO that has really dared to be different. I think that's why it's such a polarizing game. A lot of us love it because it's different in a lot ways, and a lot of people hate it because it's different in too many ways to their liking. /shrug
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
Have you checked out Rift? Pretty much you can play and enjoy the game with out all the endgame stuff and still get gear why taking your time, older content become more use now with the new wardrobe system, but yes it's a free to play but can avoid 99% stuff with out spending money or farming your eyes out. Even don't have to do 1 dungeon/raids your not force too or pvp.
I played Rift shortly before their transition to F2P. Their end-game seemed like the exact type I want to avoid. Doing a dungeon so I can do a harder dungeon and have the rest of the world be pretty much pointless to visit isn't an end-game I enjoy. A wardrobe system that lets you change your appearance doesn't offer much motivation for me, as I'm more interested in having character advancement opportunities outside of the dungeon treadmill.
I don't care if a game is free to play or costs money for a subscription. I do want to be able to experience a game before paying money, so the only ones I will avoid are those without free trials.
I would just wait for blade and soul NA release. It has what you are looking for.
Obviously you want to play daoc
Also don't listen to idotic retards who have not played it for 10 years and who think "they ruined it" or "toa grind" etc
NF and TOA did not ruin it! SURE sucked in the beginning but now that the game has matured... have you even fucking tried to play daoc recent years? TRY that and then switch and run zerg/8v8/duo on a classic freeshard. ITS RIDICILOUS how dumbed down the game feels... you loose SO MUCH; tactics, choices etc without the newer gear, keep design, abilities etcetcetc.. By the way you just buy artis from bountu points now. Also stop fucking glorifying OF, its not that awesome... god I HATE these people, they are frigging everywhere.
I hear you and I kinda have the same problem with most MMORPGs out there.
If you don't want a gear-grind treadmill, you'll end up with the (semi) sandbox MMORPGs out there. EVE is the best known example I think where you can do whatever you want, but if you don't want to really PvP, mining and crafting alone can become very dull at times.
Personally I always thought Lineage II was a good game because of it's semi lack of gear grind and a lot of things to do. I realize that L2 like most MMOs out there has a gear grind, but there's also a lot more to do. Castle sieges (I know PvP based, but in good groups/clans it's very enjoyable) and epic bosses. Sadly though with the 2011 expansion of Goddess of Destruction the game became more a regular gear (and token) grind than it was before