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I Need a New MMO Before I Make a Big Mistake

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I’m starving for an MMO to play. I love PixARK and the myriad of other games I’m playing, but I just can’t go long without a dedicated MMO to log into. That’s a dangerous place for me to be in, believe me. When this happens every 2 years or so, you know the game I go back to and always hate myself over as a result.

I dabbled for two weeks on EQ’s Coirnav server. Given recently events over whether or not it’ll be legal for people to do business with them anymore, I don’t feel the greatest amount of security investing any time into the game.  If you’re curious what’s going on, some Russian’s assets are frozen and that involves Columbus Nova which is the company someone is going around the internet and deleting any associates to Daybreak. If you’re confused, I think the internet is too. Google it up to learn more. Yeah, maybe I won’t play EQ right now until we see how this shakes out and who else they’re sold to in the near future.

My friend Bartillo is begging me to play FFXI on Nasomi. He streams FFXI on Twitch (he’s trying to get affiliate status, check him out) and it’s pretty fun to watch. It’s old school, and right up my alley in terms of gameplay, but I’m struggling with that UI and the controller-ish gameplay. If I go that route, that’ll be an experiment. I’d lean towards RDM/BLM combo, unless there was some other super-easy group-friendly combo anyone tells me about.

Also considering a run at Elder Scrolls Online. Werit — who you may remember as one of my old-school mmo blogger colleagues — streams ESO quite a bit and is giving me that itch. You can check out Werit’s Twitch as well. ESO might be a fun game to dabble in, but I’d have to buy the expacs and stuff. That might even out with no subscription.

There’s also that game that must not be named. I have an army of friends playing that right now. They’re tempting me over with the new races and changes coming. Every time I look into it though, I see the themepark grind ahead. I see the grind for reputations and the grind to max level just to potentially unlock a race I want to play, followed by a repeat of that same themepark grind to level that race, and I get a little nauseated.

I might need a support group or meetings or something.

  • ESO is great, but have you also considered GW2?
    Also, regarding the game that shall not be named, have you considered going in without the mindset that you need to race to endgame content?
    I enjoy my time in it a lot, but I’m extremely casual in my approach to it.

    • GW2 wasn’t for me. None of the classes clicked with me, and I just didn’t like the gameplay. It was a questy grind mixed some some game mechanics that made for a world that felt hollow to me.

      For WoW, I’ve considered a great deal what the game would be like to me if I went in without any end-game racing or cares at all. When I played Legion, I was under constant pressure to race to keep up with friends who could and wanted to play a lot more than me. I’d have to be chill.

  • I’ve been using ESO as a time sponge. The game has really evolved since launch and there’s no lack of content.

    It’s a fun solo experience and it can easily be shared with friends. The main quest lines are fantastic, and I really appreciate that quests are fully voiced. Instead of speed reading through the quest dialogues, you can sit back and enjoy the show. It sets a different ‘pace’ compared to the usual “go kill 10 of ‘insert_mob_name_here’”. These type of quests still exist, but at least they’re a little more interesting due to the voice acting.

    Like everything there is a flip side. Once you hit lvl 50 the grind is far from over. Now you’re going to need champion level 160 (gear stops scaling after cp160). Without decent gear some of the endgame content will be challenging/impossible. Battlegrounds and veteran dungeons will be rough without a good build.
    In my opinion, ESO has the closest RvR experience to DAoC. Fighting two different factions is a blast, but the zone can feel very “themeparky”. The combat can be hit or miss for some folks. I like it, but as you know the internet has been very vocal about “how terrible the combat is”.

    If you’re going to level with a few friends and play the game like its an Elder Scrolls game, I highly recommend ESO. If you’re looking for the “classic/ideal/OG” endgame experience, I’d be wary of the time investment needed to be competitive. You grind out your ultimate build and the next patch comes along, and your gear is useless. I guess this is true with any MMO, but ESO endgame (at least for me) doesn’t hold up to the leveling experience.

    Side note: I’d love to hear your thoughts on Project Gorgon.

    • Im waiting for a sale to pick up Project Gorgon. It still has a very positive rating on steams and heard awesome things! probably best new mmo of 2018

    • I would 100% be alone without friends in ESO — until I tried to make some. That, and the grind, make me hesitant. I didn’t like the PvP at all compared to DAoC. It was definitely more themeparky and temporary feeling.

      I want to try Project Gorgon. I’m hesitant to drop $40 knowing so little and having no group to play with, but I’d like to try it.

      • I’m temped to pull the trigger on Project Gorgon this weekend. It looks like a very different experience compared to MMO’s of late.

      • It does look fairly different. I’m only hesitant because it’ll either be really cool and different, or a flop. And that $40 would go a long way toward paying some of my other gaming habits.

  • It’s not bad to go back to the themepark once and awhile. 🙂
    While it’s not an MMO, I’ve recently picked up My Time in Portia and have been immensely enjoying it. It reminds me of stardew valley and it’s still in early access.

    • My Time in Portia is a fun game! Definitely a fun spin on that genre.

      I agree with you about going back to themeparks once and a while. The love-hate relationship and resentment are often hard to overcome. 😛

      • WoW will always be like that cozy blanket you need to curl up with once and awhile. It’s unique and wonderful. One loves to log in, hear the music, and take the gryphon out for a ride.Go play! 😉 Then you will have more to write about.

  • I’ve tried ESO a few times but always bounce off it. I don’t like the combat at all. Floaty, bad animations and sound effects… doesn’t feel good to play.

    “The game that shall not be named” will be increasingly hard to resist. Expansion winding up for August, with lots of pre-release events probably starting in June/July. Personally I’m still subbed and enjoying it. I like the themepark experience and there’s really no other MMO that comes close to its quality.

    • That has been my experience in ESO as well. Graev and I played until 40’ish I think? I went back a few times and got to the 20’s. I just always end up being unattached and never feel like it grabs me and pulls me in.

      Curse that quality of the game that shall not be named.

  • Id like to help but im currently leveling up one of the new race in that game that cant be named.

    Lets just say that the recent changes to leveling, notably zone scaling and dungeons being a bit more difficult. Plus theres a lot of people in leveling zones these days and short queues.

    Definitly doing it chill, no rush.

      • I like the changes and i can imagine that for a newcomer it would be way better. The simple fact that you can now finish a zone without ever outgrowing its content or rewards makes it more enjoyable for sure. People are now making list of the most enjoyable route to level, imagine that. I can always find a zone that was remade or touched vy cataclysm that i never reexperience fully since. The pace is slower and you get to complete a full rotation on thrash mobs so for me thats more enjoyable. Ive seen whipes in classic dungeons so again thats a plus. So id say, a clean pair of old socks 😉

      • I like the changes, no more need to travel around all over the world to get to a zone that’s level appropriate. I leveled an Orc Shaman 1-60 on Kalimdor only, in fact in total I only quested in five of the zones there before hitting 60, so you have much more freedom to level in the zones you like rather than where you are forced.
        When I got 60 I got a pop-up asking me if I wanted to continue my journey in Outland or Northrend, I chose the latter.
        I’m now 67 and still haven’t finished all the quests in Borean Tundra, might be 70 before I’m done with the zone. Think I’ve done two or three random dungeons.
        I guess one could complain that you don’t get to see all the content in an area, but I prefer the freedom of getting to choose where to level over being forced to level in specific zones.

  • Off topic but check out massivelyop.com’s story (I know you are not a fan) or eq2wire.com’s forum for some crazy Daybreak Games drama. Very real possibility that there is no EQ or EQ2 by the end of june.

    • I’m following it on twitter, and TAGN has a good writeup too.

      From what little I know about this kind of business law stuff, and what people are sorta telling me, is that the company and its assets would sooner be sold off than just shut down. Also, there are much deeper pockets.

  • I enjoyed FFXIV quite a bit, it is a themepark just like wow but just different enough. I sadly enough couldn’t get through the massive story slog/grind you get to halfway through. I did find FFXIV quite a lot grindier than wow, but that does not bother me much, nor should it bother you I guess, as you do enjoy the EQ grind.

    Wow is still great and will be great, but now is not the time to start, at least wait till bfa starts

    • I went back to try it out a few months ago, but the story slog killed it for me. I couldn’t make it past the story to get to the part of the game where I felt any freedom.

      I also find it grindier than WoW.

      Yesterday Graev and I were talking, and I told him straight up that if I’m going to play a themepark, it’s going to be WoW.

  • Not sure you’d ever have interest in going back but LOTRO finally got to Mordor, I went back a couple months ago and have enjoyed going through Gondor and Mordor. Might scratch the mmo itch for awhile.

  • Haha, you and me both… I just installed ESO last night. I’ve been meaning to give it more than an hour of my time. Maybe this time it’ll stick. But I miss the warm embrace of a loving MMO. 🙂