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Help! Had enough of WoW!
Hello, everyone!
First of all, this is not a WoW bashing thread. Not at all. I think WoW is a game that deserves many praises but I'm just not cut out for it. In a short anology, WoW is an awesome ship; it's just going east when I am looking at west.
Please allow me to share my experience with WoW so that those who would like to be kind enough to recommend a great mmorpg can take into account the things I would like to stay away from 
WoW - How Long?
Since the Beta, I've been on and off. But the time that I was 'off' in total is WAYYY longer than the time I was 'on'. I'm not at the skill level of someone who has embraced wow for over 10 years.
How I played it.
Except for the past 6 months, I would make a character (most often shaman), do solo-able quests/achievements, and get owned by the opposite faction. (I always had bad gear and worse skills haha)
Past 6 months, I joined a 'real' guild and tried end-game contents for real. Ran some raids and bgs. Struggled to get my dps up, struggled to move out of 'death pools', so struggled to NOT SUCK for the first couple months. Still, I'm nowhere near good, but definitely better than before. (I'm not being modest when I say "I am not good." I'm just really not good at making fast decisions, pressing the right key at the right time, and keeping track of cooldowns).
Why I had enough of WoW
Prior to my recent, 'end-game' experience, I was having fun. Aside from a bold alliance paladin popping out of nowhere and killing me in 3,4 shots, or a hunter just keeping getting away and away while its gay pet just pecking and pecking my ass to death (I'm not even gonna bother with rogues.), my experience soloing was fun.
End-game contents were definitely fun too. I raided more that bgs, so trying different specs, reading up on class tips and trying the optimal rotation, seeing myself get better were all very enjoyable.... UNTIL!
Until I started noticing something.
When I sucked hard, I was busy looking at what the boss looked like, I cared about the names of my skills and their visual effects and how cool they were. I cared about how my character looked and its animation as it cast various spells. I cared about everything I could see!
As I started sucking less, I realized I cared less and less about all those things above but cared more about 1 thing: numbers.
Numbers (or figures) was basically the only thing it came down to. (I used that word to summarize my differences with wow in a somewhat abstract way. please allow me to explain below)
It's no longer my troll versus 15 bats, its my green bar versus 15 red bars and the numbers that range from 0% to 100%. I'm not complaining about the existence of health bar itself! It is necessary of course, but I'm saddened that 'reading the health bar' became more important task that looking at the monsters.
Also, I found that good dpsers (again, I'm not trying to sound condescending at all, I respect the effort they put into achieving their status) are good because they have good motor reflexes to execute their rotation. To be good, you keep track of the seconds remaining on your trinket cooldowns, you keep track of how many seconds are left until your primary skills are off cooldown. Under most PvE circumstances, you are using a certain skill not because it's the most effective in that situation but because a numeric value shows that a certain button is ready to be pressed and should be pressed for optimal damage output.
I will try this example. Let's say I'm a real life hunter, and My son and I have to catch a tiger or two a week to feed my family. According to WoW I would catch a tiger by standing next to it for a few minutes while coordinating my gun shots, punches, kicks in proper order. One day god(or a new patch) comes down and says 'from today on, if you kick the tiger after you shoot him, he will be hurt more.' What do I do? I make sure I do shoot-kick-punch and look down on anyone who does otherwise. Even if I have the option to keep a distance from him, no I still have to get up to his face and land that kick to get that damage bonus.
Yes, this example does not fit perfectly for some class and Yes I did exaggerate in an attempt to state my point clearly. In case I managed to confuse some people, let me summarize this.
I want an mmorpg that is more easy on the fingers and eyes (less cooldown tracking and spamming a key to minimize the off-cooldown loss and etc),
I disagree with the whole 'threat' system but elaborating on that topic could make me seem like an anti-WoW person, so I will shut up
I can go on with several other minor things but that will just bore people. And i'm tired, so I'll just wrap up.
Please recommend games that
-do not require intensive math, cooldown tracking, button spamming (but not to a point where you click one button and shit works itself out for next 5 minutes lol)
-encourage graphic interaction as opposed to bars, numbers, percentages, etc.
-have good solo contents
- have good community (more fun to play with people who are considerate)
Comments
Probably..
- LOTRO
- D&DO
- Ryzom? Maybe..
Stages of a new mmo: 1) It's just beta. It still has plenty of time before release. 2) It just launched. Give it time. WoW wasn't built in a day. 3) We don't need you anyway. 4) F2P announced. 5)Huge influx of players. 6) Look how much has changed. 7) Cash shop is the only thing developed lately. 8) It has been a long journey and we thank everyone who was part of it. Shutting down in 3 months. (Courtesy of Robokapp.)
meh... I'd throw Tera into the ring. Visually pleasing and you're not staring at action bars and health bars the whole time. Also f2p so you're not investing anything besides time to try it out.
Neverwinter
Terra
Rift
These 3 are absolute on par with WoW specialy Neverwinter.
I dint like Neverwinter when i started the 1st few hours, but when i did a few dungeons i was sold.
Next Xpac announced and it comming soon with alot of improvements.
Terra also a fun game with lots of stuff to do but the dungeons are quite boring.
Rift is looking the most similar to WoW has alot of dungeons and raids and is quite fun to play.
These 3 are all solid choices and is just a patter of preference.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
Would not suggest RIFT... Raiding in RIFT requires a lot of focus and the OP sounds like he wants something a bit easier than having to read a book just so he can raid.
Smile
Hmm is it give mmos a break?
Or is it your playing the wrong game!
Right you have a few choices. You want it rough m8ie then try Mortal Online but try and find a friend to help teach you it, you will not be in kansas anymore.
Er other game I recommend.
Age Of Conan. Its combat system is pretty top notch but the game is quite unpolished compared to "WoW" you may get to cap and find boredom awaits you.
Nope a little off the mark but you make good points.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
I would suggest Guild Wars 2. It has nice graphics and you only have a skill bar of 10 skills to manage. You can almost do anything solo except dungeons and there are no dps meters or anything. It's really just playing as you want because no one can track what you do and if you are having fun just using a few skills you can. There are no raids, but there are dungeons and pvp zones.
I recommend the following games, in this order:
Guild Wars 2
DDO
LotRO
Everquest 2 (good game, but not many people playing anymore).
I miss Vanilla WoW
This website is a great self research tool, you're probably going to have to try quite a few games before you find one you can ruin your life with as badly as WoW again. You could start with Aion it can be a keeper.
Chief complaint as I see it ( pretty convoluted post) Is that when playing WoW, the OP tends to get hung up in combat stats and health bars and reptitive spammning of combos, to the point where he isn't really playing the game, he is just looking at bars and stats, etc.
Sounds like basic WoW gameplay.
So he is looking to get away from WoW gameplay. However, isn't the consensus on this site that the vast majority of games out since WoW are merely copies of that gameplay?? And yet you have people here, suggesting that he play those very games? Had enough of WoW? Well what you want my friend is the new improved WoW 2!
Seriously I was thinking of suggesting Puzzle Pirates or something!!
But no, try Rift, Swotor , GW2, Tera, Aion , yada yada .......
No cooldowns or healthbars in those games!!
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
There really are no games out there easier then WoW but you could try EvE-Online, it is more complex in lots of ways but very simple once you get past the initial learning curve. Just depends on what you like to do. As long as you don't play zoomed out like some, the game looks good and certainly is different then WoW.
I second Guild Wars 2. Your 1-5 cd are very very low and your 6-10 are longer but are not used like your 1-5 weapon skills are. I find myself looking at the world and players when I play instead of the hotbar. With a smaller selection of skills to manage you are able to enjoy the game.
I have GW2 community to the be the friendliest and helpful community I have come across. I have found it super easy to make friends and find guilds that mesh with my interests.
PVE content is separate from pvp gankers so you will not have to worry that. However, there is ow pvp that is massive but you have to enter a very large zone to get there and imo is more pve than pvp (that was not a troll).
I find the game refreshing wow and the first game since I came from wow that I have stuck with for an extended period of time. It can be for the casual gamer to hardcore gamer as you are not gear dependent.
BTW GW2 ruined me for other mmos with their dodge rolls and fluid movement. They also have small new content releases 2 weekish.
Also GW2 is always on sale and is F2P. So, if you do not like it whats 30-60 depending on sale.
If you do choose this game I would pick a more populated server so you can exp all the events that take place that smaller servers do not have the population to participate in. Like the lower level things and meta events that were more popular early on.
Most other mmos are just inferior copies of wow.
Hello Kitty Online?
lol, yeah, I would agree
@OP: You will find cooldowns and healthbars in many mmo's, however, try Ryzom, Tera, Possibly Dungeons and Dragons online though you would have to think a bit about making "a build", The Secret World might be a choice,
Those games will at least feel different from WoW.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Altough i loved GW2 at release, for some reason after reaching 80 i just quited and cant stand it anymore
Each class feels the same button mashing potato.
Then again i played over 1000 hours of WvW so i got my money out of it easy
I regret buying GW2 I bought it a long time after launch but caved in a fit of boredom. The problem for me is the trinity system in some form or another provides me with a normality in mmorpgs that I just can't live without (virtually).
I made the same statement and I received the cyber tar and feather treatment here. But, I totally agree with you. I don't know what it is, but all classes feel the same to me.
Vendetta Online may be a nice change of pace from WoW. I played the two side by side for about 6 months, then ended up going back to VO full time.
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
Love it.
Vendetta Online, Age of Wushu, Atlantica Online, Vindictus and either of the KingsIsle games have great team based content but can be played solo, unique combat for the genre, and (IMO) rather good communities.
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
That he needs to find a sandbox type MMO, where there are other roles, in a symbotic community, outside of the fighter / adventurer?
What comes to mind is how Ultima Online used to be. If expert timing on your skill / spell rotation isn't your thing, you could make just as good of a "living" in the game as a full time trader / merchant (Blacksmith, Carpenter, Alchemist, Tailor, Miner, Chef, Fisherman, Cartographer, Animal Tamer, Bard, Tinkerer, etc.)
No, the crafting profession in UO was not like WOW. Crafting / Merchant professions were full time professions that supplied the combat players in the game with gear, that was only marginally less effective than the limited magic items available in the game. Given UO was a full loot game, players constantly needed to replenish their equipment...creating a market demand for said crafting / trade professions.
Unfortunately, I don't think a good replacement for the old UO is here *yet*. I know there have been a bunch of indie sandbox games that are in development, but I'm not sure on the progress, or when they expect to be release.
Point being, games in the mold of WOW define progression based on the magic loot you get from raiding dungeons / killing badies means that your primary objective, regardless of what class you pick, will involve you engaging in some form of combat....with the idea being, the greater your combat effectiveness is, the more progress you experience in the game.
You have to find a game that doesn't work off that linear combat profession, gear based progression paradigm.
Bad news is, there hasn't been a lot of established & polished games like this over the last 5-10 years. The good news is, there are a lot of indie developers trying to fill this gap in the market....but, since they are indie outfits, will take some time & patience for a good one to emerge.
GL!
Nope a little off the mark but you make good points.
What family eats 2 tigers a week?
If you are on a ship that is awesome and you do not plan to get off it then it should not matter in what direction the ship is headed.
Even games with simple rules are hard to master, such as chess. I personally believe that any MMO you choose will be hard to master if mastering it is your goal instead of just having fun like you did with WoW initially.
I can however related to what you write since I never stand a chance against the hardcore players in any MMO that I've played over the years. I am frankly not interested in crunching numbers or become a rotation robot. To me it is a game and the day it becomes work or competition I will no longer have fun and I will likely stop referring to it as a game. You will never hear "learn how to play" when teaming up with me
With that said, maybe SWTOR could hold your interest for a while being solo oriented and story driven. I also play The Secret World which is story driven and can be played solo, it has a great community.