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LF PvE MMO; Akin to pre-WotLK WoW
Heyas,
I've always liked WoW, but after having played it for so long, it's starting to become the usual case of log in, wander around Dala/Ogrimmar and log off again. Compounded by the fact that I have no urge to raid or indeed play in the current climate, as well as my guild and friends list falling apart, I'm looking for a new MMO. Basically, here's a rundown of what I'd like:
-Reasonable time to level cap (i.e. it isn't 1 week of casual play but it isn't 1 year either.)
-Easy grouping and dungeons whilst levelling, along with solid solo content.
-*IMPORTANT* The endgame is active at all levels, and goes something like this (in terms of PvE progression): crafted/quest ---->dungeons------->harder/heroic dungeons------->Tier A raid-------->Tier B raid etc etc. This has to take a fair amount of time as well, and has to be done in order, no just grinding dungeons for two days and then being ready for the latest raid tier.
-Easy and quick grouping for this end game stuff.
-Open community (i.e. can make friends fairly easily in pugs)
-Must have a solid future as a game (i.e. not closing down soon, population is stable or growing slightly.)
-Graphics can't be terribad, lowest I'd accept is DaoC-level. I have a fairly strong computer as well so demanding games aren't an issue either.
The only thing I'm definately against is AoC, since I'm playing that right now and it just isn't clicking with me. Anything else is fair game, f2p or p2p, although p2p is preffered. 
Thanks for reading
RIFT was a *crushing* disappointment; a shallow, loveless, generic MMO the likes of which hasn't been seen in a P2P format since, well, forever.
Eagerly awaiting: World of Darkness, ArcheAge.
Comments
Well Lord of the Rings Online ticks most of what you want, and it's the only one I can really think of tbh, Lineage 2 and EQ 2 are the other ones but i believe they have lower populations as they are quite old.
Yeah I was thinking LOTRO as well, although I hear that the current max-level stuff is basically 3 dunegons and a raid, which sounds pretty, well, crap, tbh/
RIFT was a *crushing* disappointment; a shallow, loveless, generic MMO the likes of which hasn't been seen in a P2P format since, well, forever.
Eagerly awaiting: World of Darkness, ArcheAge.
If you want a linear end-game PvE progression: EQ2, LotRO, or AoC are probably your best bets. From my experience, but I played all of these a while ago. I hear Runes of Magic? Is pretty much in that same vein, but I never took it beyond the starting areas due to non-game related garbage.
Something to keep in mind:
- Research the servers and choose wisely. Seriously, that can make or break th game for you in these medium-market games.
And AoC may come across as a big bad PvP game, but if you want to be carebare it can be totally carebare. Or at least it could when I ran through it. I didn't play that way but we definately had raiders that did.
It's not so much the PvP (I don't mind that) but rather the combat and healing in AoC that really turns me off. It just doesn't feel visceral enough to really work as an "action game" but at the same it isn't as responsive as WoW (although nothing I've played is ><.) The healing is just...odd.
RIFT was a *crushing* disappointment; a shallow, loveless, generic MMO the likes of which hasn't been seen in a P2P format since, well, forever.
Eagerly awaiting: World of Darkness, ArcheAge.
Problem is, in your OP you basically described that you are looking for wow.
WoW is the only game on the market right now that has everything you listed. You do not want to play WoW, but you want to play WoW. Confusing.
My suggestion, reroll on another server and try a different approach to what you are really seeking which is WoW.
Get into a guild that has a diff focus aside from raiding. Like going after achievements just to do it.
Try an RP server where they actually do something with a prupose instead of doing it like a job. Might change the perspective.
I agree with the previous poster.
You described WoW, I would say just take a break or run around the world to places that you've never been.
Try to get as far in to the opposite factions territory as possible, go fight an old world boss.
With your list of looking for the same thing, you will find exactly that.
The only difference will be starting over and even more burnout / boring-ness.
Try and make the best of what you are playing now / try other non MMO's.
Stick with the game you love as long as possible imo, once you leave and go down the wrong road of MMO hopping, it's hard to go back.
You also have the expansion to look forward to I guess.
just remember why you were originally attracted to the game (a sense of adventure? the unkown?) and embrace whatever it was.
EDIT: you also said you don't want to raid, but are looking for a game with teired end-game raiding?
"In life we are all turds, some sink and some float but in the end we all get flushed."
OP, I am much like you, and I went down that road. I quit wow for 7 months and I tried EVERY game, STO, LotRO, AoC, even F2P like Aika, Allods, you name it I played it.
In the end I went back to wow. I am in the #1 horde raiding guild on my server and we raid tues-thurs.
What do i do after raiding? Well I have been going after rarer mounts, like getting exhaulted with Cenerion Expedition for the War Hippogryph. (Did that last night)
I put together small 5 man teams of friends and run AQ20 and AQ 40 just for achievements and mounts in there.
I solo ZG and try to get tiger and raptor mounts.
I Go into the old lands and pick fights with alliance.
I just occupy myself, because there is SOOOOo much to do in wow, I know you haven't done it all. The achievement system is great because it gives you guidelines to follow to do and see some cool stuff.
I am a BS, So I even go to MC just to get the parts to craft a Sulfuron Hammer just because I never made one and would like to own it.
Think I might try to quest out a Thunderfury also just to do it.
I run around every once in a while and kill the old world dragons, just to see what they drop. So much you can do and see, if you just want to do and see it.
I've been on the same line of thinking lately (though not in wow), I've come to realize that I really forgot how to PLAY a game in the last 4 years or so...
it's a good feeling for sure.
"In life we are all turds, some sink and some float but in the end we all get flushed."
Go play something different. Pick a mmo with out tab targettting for instance? where you have to ain.
WoW today is not the same game as it was a few years ago. The sense of Progression has been nullified with the heroic and badge system as well as the "hard modes" for the raids.
I have to agree with LoTRO which, to all intents and purposes, is a WoW clone. The LoTRO community doesn't seem to think so, but most of them never played WoW. Those who have usually end up staying with LoTRO for a while when they play it because it is just so familiar.
I know when I had WoW burnout (even before the first expansion!) that when I booted up LoTRO many years later it was like visiting an old friend, only with a fresh new persepctive and (dare I say it) a grown-up playerbase where the average age was much higher. You'll not find as much content as in WoW as others have said, but it would take you a very long time to run through it all - surely that's better than playing the same content you've been playing for ages. I will say that LoTRO has plenty to occupy you on the way to the 'end-game', mainly in old end-game content. You'll probably find their approach to this content interesting enough to actually want to play through it (several times) on your way to the new end-game.
Another option would be DDO (Dungeons&Dragons online), which is also Turbine (who do LoTRO). It definitely has the polish of WoW and shares a lot with it, but has some unique features that set it apart in a way that LoTRO wouldn't. That's free to play, too - so nothing to lose.
Happy gaming!