Which non-WoW MMO's Do You Actually Recommend?

[Tysyacha]

I tinkered around with the free trial of WoW once, but I really wasn't that impressed. Are there any other MMO's that you play? If so, which ones would you recommend?

[Alkonium]

How could you not put Lord of the Rings Online in the poll options? That's what I'd recommend.

[Jeff]

I added LotRO.

 

I've played guild wars and some of my friends play that and I know a bunch of members here play it too, so thats probably a good one, though I only played it for a short amount of time before I started WoW. But yeah WoW is the best.

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

none of them

[Jae Onasi]

I love playing Guild Wars, I might pick up LotRO and DDO sometime too, since they also look like a lot of fun.

[Miltiades]

Guild Wars. No monthly fees, balanced & challenging gameplay in both PvE and PVP, doesn't require a high-end PC while still occasionally showing some beautiful scenes, fun Guild action and more. It's different from other MMO's, though, in that it works with instanced zones, which means you can't meet other people in PvE areas except for those in your group, which you added in towns and cities. No stealing loot or kills, but you can't meet people randomly while on a quest. That doesn't bother me, personally, however.

[jawathehutt]

My 14 day free trial with LOTRO is almost over, and even though I played around 20 hours in the first 4 days, I realized that its just WoW and every other grindy mmo in a way cooler setting, I would love to be able to explore middle earth like LOTRO lets you, but like WoW, I dont have the time or patience to do a bunch of work just to experience the real game, and unfortunately there aren't any private servers so I cant just "Cheat" to reach the actual game.

I have mixed feelings about guild wars, I find it fun for a few hours a month, but if I play longer than that I just start to miss being able to actually explore things and get immersed in the world. Its PVP is more fun than most MMOs though, if they made a duel system, it would be almost perfect.

[Boba Rhett]

I cannot in good conscience recommend any of them.

[ChAiNz.2da]

I play DDO, and it's pretty darn good. Especially since I was an MMO naysayer at one time

 

Of course, I was/am a big D&D nerd, so any option to play it on an electronic medium just sat well with me

[Astor]

I cannot in good conscience recommend any of them.

 

Quite true. Unless you want to subject yourself to endless grinding, and people with no social skills and a superiority complex who whine if they don't get their way.

[Inyri]

I play Guild Wars and don't subject myself to any of that.

[ChAiNz.2da]

I play Guild Wars and don't subject myself to any of that.

 

same here (well DDO rather). Good to know that not everyone likes to generalize and stereotype

[Astor]

same here (well DDO rather). Good to know that not everyone likes to generalize and stereotype

 

Maybe i've just had bad experiences then, but my first days in LOTRO and WOW were terrible.

[Inyri]

Well being able to filter the local chat is handy, plus there's a minimal amount of grinding in Guild Wars to begin with, in addition to the fact that it's optional. Of course if you think about it, you can enjoy most MMO's decently without grinding. It's just that most people are too impatient and don't understand the meaning of casual play.

[ChAiNz.2da]

Maybe i've just had bad experiences then, but my first days in LOTRO and WOW were terrible.

Understandable Granted, alot of what you say can happen, inevitable really.. but Inyri said it best:

 

Well being able to filter the local chat is handy, plus there's a minimal amount of grinding in Guild Wars to begin with, in addition to the fact that it's optional. Of course if you think about it, you can enjoy most MMO's decently without grinding. It's just that most people are too impatient and don't understand the meaning of casual play.

 

Definitely the steps I take to avoid the MMO 'blues'.

DDO is coming out with a Mod 8 soon that will allow us to hire henchman to avoid said grind-groups as well. Definitely looking forward to it..hehehe

[Corinthian]

You're missing a lot of MMOS -Tabula Rasa, PlanetSide, EVE Online, just for starters. If I had to reccomend, I'd suggest Tabula Rasa or Planetside. Hellgate: London is boring as hell. Guild Wars might also be a good pick.

[Astor]

Hellgate: London is boring as hell.

 

I might be wrong, but isn't Hellgate more of a single player game? I read that the multiplayer really seemed to be an afterthought.

[stoffe]

it works with instanced zones, which means you can't meet other people in PvE areas except for those in your group, which you added in towns and cities. No stealing loot or kills, but you can't meet people randomly while on a quest. That doesn't bother me, personally, however.

 

In my opinion instanced explorable areas is a big plus, and a significant part of the reason I play Guild Wars instead of some other MMO. There are, unfortunately, too many people out there whose idea of fun is to ruin the experience for others. Being able to just ignore them with no impact on your game play, and team up with the people you actually want to play with, is a good thing.

[ChAiNz.2da]

In my opinion instanced explorable areas is a big plus, and a significant part of the reason I play Guild Wars instead of some other MMO. There are, unfortunately, too many people out there whose idea of fun is to ruin the experience for others. Being able to just ignore them with no impact on your game play, and team up with the people you actually want to play with, is a good thing.

Couldn't agree more.

It's another reason I like DDO as it's entirely instanced other than the main city where you do your gear shopping, mail, auctions, etc. And even there, there are specific places you have to go to for PvP. It's entirely optional.

[Balderdash]

What's DDO like, Chainz? Is it much like the tabletop game with the rules and whatnot? If so, which edition is it most like?

[ChAiNz.2da]

What's DDO like, Chainz? Is it much like the tabletop game with the rules and whatnot? If so, which edition is it most like?

Currently it's v3.5 ruleset (I believe. Definitely in the v3+ range).. however there's talk, read: rumor, that Turbine is weighing the option of going v4. Not sure to be honest.. but the current system is in the 3 range

 

It's as close to tabletop as an MMO/game can get though. Diverse party structures. Feats, Class, Skill trees are weighed somewhat.. though there can be changes or overhauls during upgrades.

 

Some things have changed from table top rules, only because it fits more of an MMO style than PnP. One example, casters have a mana pool based on their Primary casting ability score +- racial/class/gear bonuses rather than memorized per day slots. Though luckily they've still retained the spellbook, where while it's not spells per day but spell level slots. While you can have many spells.. you still have to choose what spells (via slots) are at your disposal at any given time. Chosen spells then use your pc's mana pool to cast.

 

Alignments are "retained" but there are no 'evil' alignments that can be had (yet).. plus they really don't have much bearing (though they still come in to play). Alignments are mostly used for class/spell options, gear requirements, dialog choices, etc.

 

It's not a complete divergence from the system though, and I think DDO did a fine job of balancing the demands of PnP vs MMO playability.

 

Definitely worth trying the free trial account to see if it's something you're interested in.

[Balderdash]

Wouldn't that kind of system make lower level spells an irrelevance once you grind your way to higher levels? One thing I've always liked about the classic vancian system is that it forces you to make use of your whole spellbook to get the most out of a spellcasting character/mage.

 

(It does sound interesting though, but I remain skeptical of all MMOs).

[mur'phon]

Age of Conan, but make sure your comp can run it. The fighting is especially well done, wether you do with a sword, bow, or a huge mamoth. It also requires a fair bit of thinking on the fly, among other things because you can choose which directions to defend in, use your "favorite" strike too many times, and your oponent will absorb most of it. It is faster paced than most others tho, which can be a bit of a love/hate afair. I'ts a pity I can't run it.

[ChAiNz.2da]

Wouldn't that kind of system make lower level spells an irrelevance once you grind your way to higher levels? One thing I've always liked about the classic vancian system is that it forces you to make use of your whole spellbook to get the most out of a spellcasting character/mage.

 

(It does sound interesting though, but I remain skeptical of all MMOs).

Low level spells can be enhanced via metamagic feats.. so even lower level spells become quite useful during all stages of the game. Especially since the introduction of (Mod 6?) devils. As highly resistant to magic as they are.. a good ole empowered, maximized web (3rd level spell) will stop them in their tracks for the meat shields to do their work

 

By use of metamagics, you can essentially raise a low level spell up to your maximum level of spell casting (ie.. a 3rd level web becomes a 7th level web). So you can imagine how effective a simple magic-missile, fireball or scorching ray spell becomes.

 

Metamagic feats can alter anything from damage output to duration so a creative mix pretty much makes a large variety of spells even more powerful and varied (and ups the save to resist it).

[Balderdash]

Heh. At least I know magic resistance actually works for monsters, then.

 

*glares at NWN2 on the shelf*

 

And yeah I'm familiar with metamagic feats from playing 3rd Ed games. Sounds like it works pretty much the same in DDO, I guess.