WoW, ESO, SWTOR, & FF14 thread

[mkultrafanboy]

Let's keep a dedicated thread to the main MMORPGs here. What's your favorites, and what about the game do you enjoy the most?

 

[Gvaedyn]

No love for Guild Wars 2? GW2's the only MMO I have ever really got into, and I've certainly sunk a lot of time into it. It's still a grind and even more-so now, but I think the PvE stands out amongst all other MMO's.

Otherwise, I'd say FF14 is the most polished and entertaining out of the list mentioned. I had a blast playing it, even though the base-game storyline was weak. If only I'd had the patience or felt like spending money on getting to Heavensword...

WoW just simply can't capture my attention. I've tried it many times, and dropped it soon after each attempt. Same with ESO, and it feels "clunky" in comparison to the others.

I'm just not a fan of the genre, to be honest.

 

[JR88]

I like the causalness of eso and content..wish it had some better group stuff tho. I think WoW declined immsensely in content BfA seemed thrown together...and raiding just isn't what it use to be.

 

[mkultrafanboy]

I like the causalness of eso and content..wish it had some better group stuff tho. I think WoW declined immsensely in content BfA seemed thrown together...and raiding just isn't what it use to be.

I think they fixed the group finder, cause i found a PvP match using group finder in ESO within 5 minutes today, and a dungeon group within 10 minutes using it. As for WoW, good god, they dumbed the game down to the point that it just isn't fun anymore. Then again I was never into hardcore raiding, the game has very good raids, I'll admit that.

 

[Frindis]

Of those you mentioned, Vanilla WoW and SWTOR are my favorites. Vanilla WoW because it was some of the earliest MMOs I played, next to EQ2 and DAOC and it gave me hours of fun exploring the first 30 levels of the game. I picked up WoW again when BC released and played through WOLTK. My crowning achievements were getting the Mastercraft Kalu'ak Fishing rod, ancient sea turtle and killing the Lich King on 25HC.

SWTOR had a nice mix of storytelling, PvP combat and datacron hunting that I liked a lot, with the exception of the one of Tatooine and that other incredible slow one I forgot the location of. The PvE is what stopped me from playing more as it was just so bad back in vanilla.

Of all MMO's, I had the most fun with GW2. I was in a PvP focused guild on the Descolas server and we competed against the top players in WvW. So many good times hatching clever (at times) plans to take out the enemy. The other thing I liked a lot about GW2 was the ability to dye your equipment. I used to prance around in my abyssal and celestial dye and getting whispers from admirers. Or maybe that was what I was hoping would happen. I also enjoyed the majority of the Jumping Puzzles, especially the Mad King clock tower. I and a fellow guild member used over 2 hours getting through that bloody puzzle and we had a blast doing it.

View: https://youtu.be/kXRTfI06pXY?t=23

 

[Lauren Morton]

I also enjoyed the majority of the Jumping Puzzles, especially the Mad King clock tower. I and a fellow guild member used over 2 hours getting through that bloody puzzle and we had a blast doing it.

View: https://youtu.be/kXRTfI06pXY?t=23

Oof! And that was back in the days when other players could block your view in the clocktower. It's a little easier now that other players are just glowing balls.

I've been a Guild Wars (and 2) player since...2007? Yikes, that's a long time. I don't play often anymore though. I love how dedicated ArenaNet is to new story content but I really struggle to log in without just feeling overwhelmed by my own inventory, honestly. Big mental hurdle.

I play ESO more lately because it's easy for me to log in a couple times a week, go on a few story quests, and do my usual thieving route. There's a lot to do in ESO but its out of sight enough that I don't constantly feel the paralysis-of-choice effect.

Edit: Actually the choice of games in the headline here reinforces a thing I noticed about myself (and maybe others) over the years. It seems easier to stick with an MMO in a universe that existed before it. Aside from WoW we have Elder Scrolls, Star Wars, and Final Fantasy represented in the header. I wonder if anyone else has felt the same.

 

[Frindis]

Oof! And that was back in the days when other players could block your view in the clocktower. It's a little easier now that other players are just glowing balls.

The Charr got soooooo much hate at that JP🤣

Edit: Actually the choice of games in the headline here reinforces a thing I noticed about myself (and maybe others) over the years. It seems easier to stick with an MMO in a universe that existed before it. Aside from WoW we have Elder Scrolls, Star Wars, and Final Fantasy represented in the header. I wonder if anyone else has felt the same.

I have not really thought about it like that, but it does make sense. You know some of the lore, have knowledge about characters and similar understandings about the different universes it all takes place in. To make an MMO from scratch is also quite hard, so from a developing standpoint, it sure would be easier to have some anchors already set.

I've been a Guild Wars (and 2) player since...2007?

I love how players get a birthday present each year.

 

[JR88]

I haddd bro Guild Wars one and the Xpac. I had the Hunter/pet Class man. he was OP. But be honest have a hard time getting into GW2 a lot different and the server was Barren...there was no one playing....

 

[Dan]

I came into Guild Wars 1 probably a bit late (shortly after Eye of the North was released), but it hooked me right away. It was the first mmorpg that really took all my time away from me. I had played other games like The Realm Online, but not to the level that I played Guild Wars. Strangely enough, I never really played Guild Wars 2.

I did re-log into Guild Wars 1 a few months back, and receiced many Birthday persents in it.

I've always loved ES lore, so starting ESO was a no brainer for me. It also helped because everything wasn't new and I was able to jump right into knowing qute a bit about the lore already.

 

[JR88]

I remembered my WoW account dudeeee….My holy Pally is cool and good...hes only 328ilvl tho...and they nerfed holy dude...I left again some months ago, the Priest was definitely out healing me. Quirky Raid Progression for sure....Think I started on Uldir or something.

 

[Lee_Bo]

Tried GW's, both 1 and 2 but there just wasn't many folks playing. Warcrack has become way to involved for me to even want to start back (something abut having to feed an alpaca for 7 straight days???). Got into Diablo in the beginning and eagerly awaiting the D4 release.

 

[Dan]

I remembered my WoW account dudeeee….My holy Pally is cool and good...hes only 328ilvl tho...and they nerfed holy dude...I left again some months ago, the Priest was definitely out healing me. Quirky Raid Progression for sure....Think I started on Uldir or something.

I still remembered my Guild Wars character name for when I was trying to get access to my account. 'Shadow Ranger Dan', I was definitely a teenager when I made that.

 

[DesolationGod]

Swtor i keep going back to periodically for the story aspects, but really cannot bring myself to give a damn about endgame content lol

 

[Antonius]

Just popping my head in to say if you're playing WoW on the EU realms...

PCG still has a guild on Horde-side...

 

[Dan]

The PVP event started yesterday in ESO. I haven't played that in a long time, I love the addition of bridges that can be broken, it really mixes up the gameplay.

 

[JR88]

I come back to WoW finish Battle for Azeroth and the dungeons have raid gear uber ilvl 400 gear lol....its higher than raidfinder lol...its so the the bads don't have to raid and want free and ez gear.

 

[jpishgar]

I play ESO more lately because it's easy for me to log in a couple times a week, go on a few story quests, and do my usual thieving route. There's a lot to do in ESO but its out of sight enough that I don't constantly feel the paralysis-of-choice effect.

This is exactly, precisely why I sometimes play ESO.

When it first came out, I wrote a review for the game over on Tom's Hardware. I was not kind. I even took to the ESO subreddit to savage the experience and defend my position on it. I tried it again, a year later, and encountered much of the same tragic underwhelming experience. I tried it a third time, with the same outcome.

The fourth time I came back to it, something seemed to have clicked. Either the content had been refined to a point of acceptable levels over time, the delves and dungeons amped up, the availability of quests and options and mods and all that got to that magical Goldilocks level of "juuuuust right", and I played through to the end of the storyline and into a second run-through.

ESO has really earned it's place as a good go-to for a nice, low intensity dip into an MMO. It's not outstanding, so don't go looking for a triple-A experience, but it's a deeply reliable go-to when you're experiencing that periodic ennui that comes with being in-between really stellar games and not knowing what you should play. It's gone from gas station sushi to McDonald's at worst, a Five Guys at best - a miserable experience into a reliable stand-by that isn't the absolute best, but you know what to expect and can reliably predict your experience will be decent to fine with the occasional "oh, nice". It's a worthy credit for making a comeback and keeping at it.

 

[JR88]

But eso has no end game hardly lol...WoW is fun but we never see spam for raids in chat anymore when id like to raid and heal.

 

[mkultrafanboy]

My final review of Final Fantasy 14:

They have an unnecessary payment system where you have to have two different accounts, which causes tons of confusion for thousands of players. In any other game, it's a simple matter of signing in, buying it, and subbing. That alone is a huge negative on this game.

They have unnecessary, overcomplicated skills and mechanics in many dungeons and single player quests, which also tends to drive away a lot of new players. That's another big negative.

While the game has a very good story, it has no replay value cause once you've beaten it, there's not really a whole lot to do after. This is a problem most MMORPGs face though, so I won't count it has a negative. Oh yea, as for the story, it is really good for an MMORPG, but they have an insane amount of cutscenes, and while some cutscenes are fine, they have put unnecessary amounts in, it would seem, as filler content. That itself began to really annoy me. So if you don't mind sitting through 300 hours of cutscenes, try the game.

Crafting/gathering is kinda alright in this game, but it's been done better in other games.

Housing: housing is pretty good in this game, tons of customization options. The only complaint I have is that there is no way to sell or get rid of your housing plot quickly for a refund, as a result I'm sitting on a plot which I don't use but I haven't gotten rid of it since there is zero profit incentive for me to do so. So that is a valuable plot in a very limited housing market that could go to another player, if they would simply create some motivation to abandon plots for a refund. Another reason why there is a housing market crisis in this game.

Community: Overall most players are pretty nice, at least on the EU server. It seems that Square takes action against toxic players, so that is good.

Try the game, it's pretty good, just be aware of the above issues and try to get around them, otherwise the game may very well cause you to get very frustrated. Square Enix also refuses to fix these problems, since they've existed from the start, even though tens of thousands of players complained about them, and yet the same problems haven't been fixed yet.

At this point, I have to give the game a negative review. The negatives outweight the positives.

 

[mkultrafanboy]

m for raids in chat anymore when id like to

This is exactly, precisely why I sometimes play ESO.

When it first came out, I wrote a review for the game over on Tom's Hardware. I was not kind. I even took to the ESO subreddit to savage the experience and defend my position on it. I tried it again, a year later, and encountered much of the same tragic underwhelming experience. I tried it a third time, with the same outcome.

The fourth time I came back to it, something seemed to have clicked. Either the content had been refined to a point of acceptable levels over time, the delves and dungeons amped up, the availability of quests and options and mods and all that got to that magical Goldilocks level of "juuuuust right", and I played through to the end of the storyline and into a second run-through.

ESO has really earned it's place as a good go-to for a nice, low intensity dip into an MMO. It's not outstanding, so don't go looking for a triple-A experience, but it's a deeply reliable go-to when you're experiencing that periodic ennui that comes with being in-between really stellar games and not knowing what you should play. It's gone from gas station sushi to McDonald's at worst, a Five Guys at best - a miserable experience into a reliable stand-by that isn't the absolute best, but you know what to expect and can reliably predict your experience will be decent to fine with the occasional "oh, nice". It's a worthy credit for making a comeback and keeping at it.

ESO is cool cause you can do any content, the game adjusts to your level, so you aren't locked into a quest chain. There's also no 500 hour cutscenes like in FF14 so that's a huge plus too. PvP is pretty awesome in the game, too. Also the combat is simple, they don't make you learn 20 different skills.

 

[Dan]

But eso has no end game hardly lol...WoW is fun but we never see spam for raids in chat anymore when id like to raid and heal.

I think ESO has good endgame. There many trials I am still unable to do in Veteran (as I don't yet know the mechanics), and that doesnt even include trying to do Veteran runs on Hardcore mode. I have yet to complete Maelstrom on Veteran. I haven't reached Emperor on PVP. There is plenty in the endgame to strive for.

 

[logainofhades]

Strictly a WoW player, these days. Been playing off and on, since late vanilla. Really lack the time to get to know and get good at anything else. I also play in the same guild, as one of my fishing buddies, so that helps. Our guild is fairly laid back. No pressure to raid, though the do raid some. I have mained a Ret pally, since Wrath. BFA has been a disaster. I do hope that Shadowlands will be good. It seems, since wrath every other expansion is good. Cata meh, MoP was good, WoD was trash, Legion good, and BFA is a hot mess. Wish Activision would sit down, and shut up, and let blizzard do it's thing, instead of screwing everything up.

 

[I Will Haunt You]

Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World are my two favorites (Though I won't return to TSW). SWTOR and Elder Scrolls Online are the only ones I've played recently and ESO is definitely in the running to be my 3rd favorite. I no longer play World of Warcraft, but I played that for almost 7 years.

I've dabbled in Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, Star Trek Online, Rift, DC Universe Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. By dabble I mean take at least one character to, or near, max level in the game (at that time). Nowhere near as much playtime or characters as the games listed above.

I have tried, but not gone too deep in several other games like Neverwinter, Tera, Aion, and Final Fantasy 14.

I was a founding member of ArchAge and that was a big regret on my part because my preferred play style was incompatible to most of that games systems. It was very intricate and in depth and overwhelming for my taste. I did not get my $150 worth that's for sure.

I'm really not expecting to play anything other than SWTOR or ESO for quite a while.

 

[mkultrafanboy]

Updated my FF14 review, I have to give it an even more negative review after I encountered even more bullshit in the game:

They have an unnecessary payment system where you have to have two different accounts, which causes tons of confusion for thousands of players. In any other game, it's a simple matter of signing in, buying it, and subbing. That alone is a huge negative on this game.

They have unnecessary, overcomplicated skills and mechanics in many dungeons and single player quests, which also tends to drive away a lot of new players. That's another big negative.

While the game has a very good story, it has no replay value cause once you've beaten it, there's not really a whole lot to do after. This is a problem most MMORPGs face though, so I won't count it has a negative. Oh yea, as for the story, it is really good for an MMORPG, but they have an insane amount of cutscenes, and while some cutscenes are fine, they have put unnecessary amounts in, it would seem, as filler content. That itself began to really annoy me. So if you don't mind sitting through 400 hours of cutscenes, try the game.

Crafting/gathering is kinda alright in this game, but it's been done much better in other games. They lock gathering nodes behind time periods, which is an absolutely stupid mechanic.

Housing: housing is pretty good in this game, tons of customization options. The only complaint I have is that there is no way to sell or get rid of your housing plot quickly for a refund, as a result I'm sitting on a plot which I don't use but I haven't gotten rid of it since there is zero profit incentive for me to do so. So that is a valuable plot in a very limited housing market that could go to another player, if they would simply create some motivation to abandon plots for a refund. Another reason why there is a housing market crisis in this game.

Community: Overall most players are pretty nice, at least on the EU server. It seems that Square takes action against toxic players, so that is good. Then again, after dealing with a lot of the end-game players, I notice many of them are super toxic, with an elitist attitude.

Square Enix also refuses to fix these problems, since they've existed from the start, even though tens of thousands of players complained about them, and yet the same problems haven't been fixed yet. The game devs themselves are clearly a bunch of toxic elitists, and that's fine. They want to create a toxic game for elitists, well don't be surprised when your playerbase never grows, or continues shrinking.

At this point, I have to give the game a negative review. The negatives far outweight any positives.

 

[mkultrafanboy]

Basically, every single time I have ever bought a Square Enix game over the past 10 years, I deeply regretted it. Square is not the same company as it was in the 90s. This is the problem, people achieve success, then all the successful people leave, and the company becomes a hollow shell of what it used to be, riding on nostalgia only.