GU106 - What do you think?

I'm not sure I'd call Rift well supported anymore. Their version of a TLE server ended up stealing a lot of the focus from their standard server ruleset; it's not clear when the live servers are going to get any more substantial content and even their TLE server is in a weird place with no real roadmap anymore. It's "okay" as a leveling game and if you're into decorating it's actually pretty cool for that, but if you're looking for a long-term PVE I'd tell you to look elsewhere.

WoW Mists of Pandaria was fine; Warlords of Draenor (the expansion after) was where they really **** the bed in terms of content release cadence. That said, if WoW hasn't grabbed you by this point it likely never will. I keep going back each expansion but it never sticks for me because I feel zero attachment to my character. Damn you WoW and your beautiful zone art but unappealing (to me) character art.

 

I quit EQ2 probably about a year-1.5 years ago now, and had to quit all MMOs (thanks satellite internet) once I moved, but prior to moving I really found myself enjoying ESO. Not mentioned thus far is the fact that if you are an altoholic, your champion points (their version of AA that unlock once you hit level 50) are shared account-wide, so if your main has, say, 500 champion points, your level 1 alt that you create will also have 500 champion points to spend. It also means that if you are so inclined, you can make a new alt to putter around with, speed level, and be grouping/raid worthy very quickly. Max level gear is for level 50 with 160 champion points and for some classes, crafted is still BIS. The graphics are also gorgeous, imo. Since I can't game online, I've been playing Skyrim which is also very enjoyable (in some ways moreso than ESO/other MMOs), but there is zero multiplayer aspect so it has a different feel.

 

Minor correction regarding ESO: With the recent Summerset Isles expansion, jewelry is now craftable.

This was a great example of ZOS listening to customers and adjusting a fundamental game design philosophy to accommodate them.

Also, when searching, I really like TheLazyPeon (youtube). He reviews a massive number of games and is fairly objective about it.

 

Thank you! I haven't played actively since the end of last summer. I remember talk about crafted jewelry, but didn't know it had gone in.

A clarification on Rift: I recommend that game to folks who want to build and decorate with some game play attached and there is a lot to do in the world. It also doesn't have a dev team that appears to be playing the 'who can tank it faster' game, like EQ2. When I finally stopped playing EQ2 in late spring this year, I ultimately didn't go back to Rift because while I absolutely adore the housing, events and all the little things, it's on the same (albeit slower) trajectory as EQ2, and I'd rather invest my time and money elsewhere, even if it means no deco.

I played WoW off and on up to Lich King, but not since. I just remember hearing a lot of negativity about Pandaria for some reason. I almost went back to play a goblin, almost. Tricksy Blizzard.

One thing I forgot to include in the original post:

Rift - free to play, paid expansions with decent patron bonuses
ESO - buy to play, paid DLC/expansions, free with decent patron bonuses (including DLC access)
GW2 - buy to play, paid expansions, chapters free during active play that are purchasable later as DLC
FF14 - free to try, unlimited time, up to level 35 - subscription required to continue

I think WoW has a similar free to try model, up to level 20.

Edit: I also recommend having a look at the reviewer Fuli mentioned, some of the folks on the Youtubes are very good at giving you an idea of what you're getting in to and what to expect.

 

Because it's the internet, where you can find complaints about literally everything.

All of Rift's current expansions are actually free. The first expansion, Storm Legion, was paid, but then they made the transition to F2P and all of the SL content was made free. The content of the second expansion, Nightmare Tide, was released for free but they charged money for features (sound familiar? *cough* AOD) like the new earring slots and also the ability to equip certain items, kind of like EQ2's prestige items but tied to a feature rather than a subscription. Their third expansion, Prophecy of Ankhet (formerly Starfall Prophecy until a legal snafu -- oops), was paid for so they could avoid the weirdness of having people pay for certain features and so they could deliver more content since they knew they'd be getting money for it (which didn't actually happen, lol). They eventually made it free for anyone who logged in during a certain time period (IIRC, not too long after the paid version launched -- sucked for people who paid money for it but people who did so close to when it went free were able to get refunds), and then ended up making it free all together.

Base GW2 is F2P with limitations does come with limitations; no sub still of course so once you buy the expansion you clear those limitations.

 

I tried Rift and couldn't get into it.. the character models, especially, are cringe-worthy to me. The way the female characters move *shudder*

I have zero interest in PvP, so that leaves out a bunch.

I'll give some of the others a look.

I'm 'play all sorts of stuff' (minus pvp) type. Crafting, questing, heroics, etc. If I don't find people I enjoy playing with, however, I'm not going to shell out any cash for an online game. For me it doesn't make sense to pay for something online if I'm either always soloing or always playing with random strangers.

 

Ah! Thank you for clearing that up. I played Rift near launch, came back and bought Storm Legion, came back again just before Prophecy launched and got the pre-order because TINY SQUIRREL MOUNT. I have always subscribed when I played, so I didn't realize about the free content. Still, I only include it in the recommend list because of the deco.

And with GW2, I pre-ordered and as soon as the game launched promptly unlocked all sorts of storage stuff and slots and whatnots. I stopped playing when Nexon began to strongarm NCSoft (who can seriously eat a bag of <edited for content> to begin with) and my master account got deleted in the great City of Heroes debacle. I think because of the age of my account (once I was able to recover it, go arenanet!) I might have some of those features grandfathered.

Gamers specifically - if they didn't bitch about all the things, I'd know the end was nigh. It's one of the Hidden Signs of the End Times, you know

 

It's always super active, but man does their free trial need some serious updating. My wife wanted to give WoW a try after EQ2, and while I was reluctant to go to another MMORPG, I had nothing better to play so, eh, why not. Aside from the wide, open world, nothing gripped me at first. The basic classes felt generic, the male character models were ugly, and the quests were par-for-the-course of what you'd expect from an old-school MMO.

I wasn't sold, but she was. Regardless, she always plays the stuff I like, so we both bought Legion (which came with a free character boost) and went on to check out the modern content. Holy crap was it different in just about every single respect. I loved Death Knight and the spec system, I loved the Legion cinematics and opening missions, and I loved the sheer amount of stuff I had to do and things to collect. It's far from perfect (world graphics need updating, it's REALLY hard to come by good guilds, and the hunchbacks....why? Why are almost all the men hunchbacked!?) but it's the most fun I've had since EQOA, and I can enjoy content up to whatever difficulty I want (outside of mythic raids) without having to dedicate myself to a raiding guild. Just about every rumor I'd ever heard about it from years within the EQ community turned out to be complete bullshit.

ESO is a lot of fun as well, but like anything else it does have flaws. I think my only major gripes were the lack of stamina morphs on abilities and how much of the best aesthetic stuff has to be bought from the cash shop. Regardless, I still really enjoyed it and how casual most of its content was.

 

If you can take the anime art style FF14 might be a good fit.

That being said, my first inclination would be to suggest ESO. It has it's bumps, like Fuli said, but the game play is solid. There is a nice mix of easy to grasp and complexity of tweaks. Mounts are fun and actually useful for more than getting you from Point A to Point B and adding to stat bloat. The crafting is pretty simple to get started, but actually takes some time and effort to master.

A lot of former EQ2 folks have landed there, and BONUS! you know one of them!

 

yeah... FF14 won't work for me. I can handle anime style in small doses, but SWORDS AS BIG A HOUSE!!!! is more then my suspension of disbelief can handle

I've been browsing the ESO site.. and am actually surprised that while they list the class, races, etc, they doesn't seem to be any page with actual information on what they are/do/etc

 

Also, relating to the social aspect for eso, there are 4 mega servers, 2 pc and 2 consol - tons of people, always.

And as far as guilds are concerned, there are tons of them and you can join up to 5 - there is a very active guild recruitment page on the eso forums.

Lastly, for those who give eso a try, I recommend downloading the minion ui mod app. It will provide you with a list and maintenance tool for useful ui mods.

 

Those others seem to move SO SLOWLY. FF14, Rift, the movement feels so slow. Of course I'm sued to EQ2 with flying mounts

 

ESO's classes are fairly fluid; each of them can fill any of the standard archetype roles since you also get a lot of skills from leveling up your weapon skill lines, though some classes are better suited to certain roles than others. This page has a good breakdown.

FFXIV isn't really that anime when it comes to stuff like weapon design. Some of the story beats can be, but really no worse than any other fantasy-based MMO.

 

Well, one thing about ESO, you can take any class and play any role. All how you build the toon.

That being said, each class has an advantage.

Dragon knight -tank
Nightblade - rogue
Sorcerer - finger wiggler
Templar - healer.

I will also say this, with eso, race and class pairings matter A LOT. So do attributes.

The good news is there are tons of blogs and YouTube vids for newbies.

A blog I have found very useful is the Alcast blog.

The Kevduit YouTube vids are pretty damn funny, and He's got lots of eso for beginners stuff.

P.s. for a lot of us eq2 vets, the combat take some getting used to. It's kind of a shooter/tab target hybrid. Awkward at first, but once you get used to it, It's really easy and intuitive.

For example, there is no auto attack. You can light attack, heavy attack, block, interrupt, and dodge, and you have to incorporate these skills into your rotation of ca's to stay up.

There is no standing there just mashing buttons. Once I got used to it, I found eso combat so much more rewarding than eq2.

 

LazyPeon talking about AOC.

 

LazyPeon likes a game for a month then hates, then 6 months later its amazing.

And then the cycle continues.

 

Well, that's how you make money on YouTube. Gotta get them clicks somehow.

As for Ashes itself, I dunno, it just looks so ugly right now that I find it hard to be interested. I think the game needs a major art overhaul. And I mean the cinematic shots look good, but any time it's actual gameplay it looks like a PS2 game.

 

Plus, khajiits >>>> kerrans

 

I am not sure that there are many games left with the breadth of the original EQ2. EQ2 in it's current state doesn't have that either. I often though that Star Wars Galaxies was very close but maybe it's crafting side was a bit stronger. It no longer exists except as an emulator and the social side of that game required large numbers of players for it to function correctly.

Personally I have decided that rather than find one game like EQ2 I would seek out games with the core parts that I like.

For crafting I play Factorio. Pretty sure that I have gone past 900 hours with this one. Mega factories are the go and I never think big enough .

For group play I have played Fortnite Save the World with my cousin and currently Elite Dangerous neither of which is an MMO. I play Wow like a single player game as I enjoy the quests and leveling in each new expansion. Wow also has some amazing mechanics for creating on the fly groups to complete various parts of Legions contents.
While I like ESO I have found the lag to be a bit much from Australia which makes its twitch based game play not a lot of fun. Unless you like running in circles that is , to avoid the telegraph mechanics.

For RPG's I play everything from Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4 exclusive) to Divinty Original Sin 1 and 2. In fact I have a back log of game currently to complete. Might buy an Xbox yet to experience some of their exclusive content as well.

I think that you really need to decide what core mechanics interest you the most and then look for an MMO or alternative that may offer them.


@Mermut For ESO have a look at the wiki link and work your way through the sub links http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Classes_(Online)

If you want to be a healer in ESO it's Templar or Warden. I have both but only my Templar is max level and you will have to chase gear sets for the synergies.

PS. Warden requires the Morrowind expansion and @Fuli resource recommendations where spot on.

 

My husband played Elder Scrolls single player.. I think we've still got a copy around somewhere. Is the gameplay similar in the single player and multiplayer? Combat, skills, etc, I mean?