Choosing the Right MMORPG for Me

KMiller82 · May 2007

I realize this has been done probably more than anyone here cares, but I am having a real problem deciding on what to play. I can't stand to play WoW any longer, I have been playing since release and I'm looking for something more challenging overall. I'll first try to describe what aspects of a MMORPG I like and list the five I am choosing from. Any opinions are accepted!

So far I have played: Ultima Online, EverQuest, Anarchy Online, Dark Age Of Camelot, Final Fantasy XI, and World of Warcraft.

What I am looking for:



Playtime:

    I'm looking for something that you need to invest time in. I like to work for things, not handed them. I have a decent amount of time, but I'm going to say I will probably play around 10-15 hrs a week.

PvP:

    I really do not have a lot of experience PvPing. I tend to stick to PvE but I don't mind PvPing, I just really hate getting ganked multiple times in succession (once is ok, but constantly just ruins it).

Solo/Group:

    I lean more toward group play, but if I can't find a group I would at least like to do something productive. Sitting there wasting time just gets on my nerves. I don't mind searching for a group and then finding members, but sitting there for an hour with no luck at all isn't for me. This is usually where I like to go crafting, so a decent crafting system is preferred.

Quest/Grind:

    I'm a sucker for story lines and lore so I really like doing quests that mean something. Grinding does not really bother me though as long as I can do it in a group of decent, talkative people.

Power gaming/Role play

    I prefer to take my time, read what NPCs have to say and really learn the back story to the game I play. I would role play more but there just aren't a lot of people out there so I am more of a casual role player with an interest in the back story of the games I play.

If anyone needs more information let me know.

Here is the list I've got.

    Final Fantasy XI (I liked this game, but my old comp couldn't handle it, now I have one that can easily)

    EverQuest II (Loved EQ, this seems like a solid game with a good balance of quests/grinding/solo/group)

    Lineage II (All out PvP/grind fest from what I have red, but I have an itch to try it out)

    Vanguard (My computer can run it, and I will be upgrading soon so it should only get better, assuming the devs keep improving the performance issues)

    Lord of the Rings Online (not as hardcore I know, but I love the lore and hope to find some good role playing.

    In conclusion, sorry for the long, sometimes confusing mess, but I really can't decide and I do not have the money to buy em' all (so don't suggest it!).

Squal'Zell · May 2007

hey there

i know most of you will say its not an MMORPG but wtv

game that fits your description is GuildWars

right now its an instanced game, everythin gis instanced with skills and what-not.. www.guildwars.com read some

you could also wait for GW2 which will be persistant world oriented (so they say) but also keeping lots of aspects of the original GW

i sugest you get prophecies since that one has a VERY good story line with a twist at the end... its the first game story line that made me go WHOA OMG when i was playing it.

you can play solo, with groups or NPCs you have trained.

PvP vs PvE its your choice, you can play all the time in pve but if you want you got choices

pvp with a group you make (you and 3 friends /guildies)

pvp with group random (every one presses join and computer makes random teams)

GvG guild versus guild (gladiator mode)

PvP tournament style (teams of 8 chosen, guild or friends) with tournament style matches for the cool endprize

PvP Ladder GvG

and more

and of course PvE world with linear storyline AND explorable areas and instanced missions.

has everything you need

EverSkelly · May 2007

I would suggest EverQuest 2. In my opinion, it's most solid game at the moment, and you can go to roleplay server if you are not interested in pvp and like RP aspect of the game. It can keep you occupied for a long time with lots of things and you can choose from grinding, questing, crafting... everything is top quality.

Vanguard would be second choice, although it still lacks that feeling of solid good mmorpg and i think there are less and less people in VG everyday : (

Peregrine2 · May 2007

I have to agree that when I read the list, it screamed EQ2 to me. It's a very solid game which has almost all the qualities you listed, especially a lot of lore, plus they recently released a new expansion which has brought a lot of new players into the game.

Taera · May 2007

Originally posted by Squal'Zell

hey there

i know most of you will say its not an MMORPG but wtv

game that fits your description is GuildWars

right now its an instanced game, everythin gis instanced with skills and what-not.. www.guildwars.com read some

you could also wait for GW2 which will be persistant world oriented (so they say) but also keeping lots of aspects of the original GW

i sugest you get prophecies since that one has a VERY good story line with a twist at the end... its the first game story line that made me go WHOA OMG when i was playing it.

you can play solo, with groups or NPCs you have trained.

PvP vs PvE its your choice, you can play all the time in pve but if you want you got choices

pvp with a group you make (you and 3 friends /guildies)

pvp with group random (every one presses join and computer makes random teams)

GvG guild versus guild (gladiator mode)

PvP tournament style (teams of 8 chosen, guild or friends) with tournament style matches for the cool endprize

PvP Ladder GvG

and more

and of course PvE world with linear storyline AND explorable areas and instanced missions.

has everything you need

Hm, I'm not getting Guild Wars from his list as much as I'm hearing VG or EverQuest II. GW is a very PvP-centered game, and realistically, you can get max level in two to three days.

OP- I recommend checking out Vanguard or EverQuest II.

brostyn · May 2007

I gotta go with LOTRO, although, I personally don't like the game. EQ2 and VG do not have the populations to support groups. I've played EQ2, as little as 3 months ago. Its barren. Too bad, its a really decent game.

L2 is PvP, FF11 may be an option. Never played it myself.

Peregrine2 · May 2007

Originally posted by brostyn

I gotta go with LOTRO, although, I personally don't like the game. EQ2 and VG do not have the populations to support groups. I've played EQ2, as little as 3 months ago. Its barren. Too bad, its a really decent game.

L2 is PvP, FF11 may be an option. Never played it myself.

I have to say that it's completely untrue that EQ2 is barren. I mean it may be low population on a few servers, but on the ones I play on there's tons of people around and I rarely have to work more than 10 minutes to get a group. Especially in the new expansion zones, there are tons of people running around. Saying it's barren goes completely against my experience.

Faur · May 2007

Lineage 2 doesn't have to be all-out pvp if you choose not to involve yourself with the political scene. There are harsh penalties for killing someone who doesn't fight back, and I believe they recently put in a safeguard system to prevent level 80 guys from even being able to attack level 10's.

Repeated ganking is usually very rare, since the ganker builds up a practically irreversible penalty, effectively making his character permanently open to attack by other players, where they will get no penalty for attacking him and he will lose a bunch of equipment every time he dies.

It's not unheard of that people have played for weeks and months without getting pk'ed randomly.

Even if you want to just dabble in pvp, there are arenas and consentual duels which incur no xp or equipment loss.

Torak · May 2007

Hiya KM, very detailed post, picking a new MMO can be a pain especially since everyone has their own opinion of what the games are like to begin with. I've played all the games you listed except for Vanguard BUT I did beta test it for about 4 months so I have a good idea what its like.

FFXI - sounds upfront like a good match for you however, the game is totally group centric. If you don't have a group, you aren't doing anything. Now thats not a big problem if you are able to make friends easily. FFXI has a very healthy sub base and it should be no problem. It is really grindy and can get dull though. The storylines and quest are very good. FFXi is going to take up a lot of time. It has a very tough grind and if you aren't a socializer don't even bother with it.
EQII - hmmm....pretty generic level grinder. From what I experienced. I haven't played in a year but it was one of the few MMO's to make me sleepy. Thats IMHO. I would rank this one dead last of your list. You can solo in EQII but its horribly dull and slow paced. Its average in terms of time demands. Since there is no real compelling reason to play GQII (generic quest II) you can play is much or little as you like, it doesn't really matter. Its not such a solid title as you might think. They already consolidated servers about a year after launch and did a few major revamps. Its only considered "solid" now because its still kicking but it does nothing new and takes no risk. Its probably the most conservitive, standard MMO out there.
Lineage II - thats a tough one mainly because its a PvP game. There are neutral guilds and the penalties are somewhat harsh for ganking, so you could theoretically PvE your way through but that misses the point of L2 and thus you are missing 90% of the game once you get higher level. (I got NCSoft's newsletter with a portion titled "L2 fun facts" and one of the "fun facts" about L2 was that there are only 33 level cap characters on the North American / Euro servers, so level 80's killing anyone is a non-event) You are going to need to be social in this game also or else the grind will kill you. So you can solo in L2 but grouping is much better. L2 demands a ton of time. Grind - powergaming, L2 is king.
Lord of the Rings - ok, I play it. I admit it. I have a toon right now. Sue me. However its easy to play. Community is good but its not overly compelling. Its beautiful and all that but its missing a bit of something. I haven't tried the monster play since launch so maybe thats what I'm missing. The grind is not hard at all, in fact it hardly is even there. You can literally just follow the quest stories and level up although you will be flat broke. You can solo much but not the stories. Don't need much playtime.
Vanguard - well...I played the beta. It shares alot of EQII qualities but is a but harsher in many respects and the world is unmanagably big. It also had a mountain of technical issues that about made it unplayable for everyone at launch. I hear thats getting better. Oh joy. The grind is longgggg and dull with really no payout for your trouble, just more grind. You need a group just to keep sane. There was no fast way to get around at all at the time I played so just getting anywhere is a pain in the arse. It was a very incomplete unrewarding game to play. I wouldn't even put this on your list until they have their quality issues completely fixed and all the features advertised on the web site are active and working. Unless you don't mind paying to beta.

So I noticed you listed all the "hot" fantasy clones. Are you dead set on a fantasy game? Honestly, how many different ways do you want to play dwarves and elves fight orcs and goblins? They are all pretty much the same. Whack mobs with your elfie or dwarfie with a sword until you level then do it again, maybe zap them with a lighting bolt or something.

There are a few other types of games out there that are worth playing that are not fantasy based.

Research these titles: EVE, Ryzom (strong RP game) Auto Assault, also City of Heros might be worth taking a look at. Despite what the whinning vets say, SWG isn't bad either. (If you ever played SWG ignore that one, if not...its worth a look)

EDIT

By the way, why are you going to buy the game first before trying it? Most of the games listed here have free trials.

healz4u · May 2007

Originally posted by Taera

OP- I recommend checking out Vanguard or EverQuest II.

I actually agree with the above suggestions based on your criteria. The issue for me in terms of EQ 2 is that it is an older game, and my understanding is a heavy guild-orientation. That is, Guilds have levels and in order to progress joining a guild is crucial. My friend who plays Everquest II, in addition to Vanguard, has to pay Guild duties (money) to his Guild for various upkeep.

Jo-Gamer · May 2007

Hi Kmiller82! Hmm, well if you like PVE, quests, roleplaying, etc... I like PVE myself, but I am more into 'Korean Grinders'! =P But for you I'd say Everquest 2 seems the game you should try, if not perhaps try Saga of Ryzom. I don't believe Ryzom is massively focus'd on quests, however it has a friendly community and a large amount of role players. I hope I helped. ^^

KMiller82 · May 2007

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I didn't even think about the free trials so you make a good point. I think I'm going to see if I can get a free trial for EverQuest II, and I'll also look into EVE & Ryzom because they are flying under the radar. EQII seems to be a cookie cutter generic but I don't really need anything cutting edge. As long as it has an interesting world and decent community I will probably be satisfied.

Vion1x · May 2007

If anyone needs more information let me know.

im wondering about crafting? im not a craft person my self, but i tell ya EQ2 really made me enjoy it alot, not because it was needed, but it was really fun... build ur own bed in ur house get a table and all stuff, even make some usefull items so u can craft stuff from ur own house even have a storage there, share house with other ppl, and maybe buy a bigger appartment, it really made me feel home in EQ2

just alittle info.

edit: 1 thing i really remember was alittle dragon i had for some reason (got it for buying a exspansion or something) but it could sprey fire and do handstab and all, was really sweet.... it could even play dead

u could also loot items and place it in ur appartment

psyconius · May 2007

EverQuest2 will certainly make you work for what you earn, and is very immersive.

LoTRO is a bit less psycho on the time investment, but there are also perks involved for hardcore play. Also very immersive.

Ultimately, I fall back on newer being better in the MMO world, so go with LoTRO

ferthala · May 2007

I think EQ2 fits pretty well your requirements.

Vanguard is nice too, but its still pretty beta. It will probably become a nice game in the future, but is not jet.

i am new to LOTRO (subscribing today to give it a try) but from what i have read it seems is not a game for hard core players but just for easy play and fun. (so, im subscribing because it seems to be a nice complement for Eq2)

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