I have just quit my 3 years of WoW, sold my account so there is no going back. I need a new game to play and i need some advice i was thinking along the lines of

City of Heroes

Vanguard

DAoC

SWG

I believe DAoC and SWG are dead if i am not wrong. I tried tabula rasa beta i liked the first 10 mins but there are too many things that make the game not playable IMO. Age of Conan and WAR are nice, but i really want a game i can get into now. Although Vanguard got mediocore reviews I really liked the better, but went back to WoW because I couldn't let go of it. So can anyone tell me if vanguard has a big enough community to play in or did it die quickly? Is CoH fun and is it dead? I know DAoC and SWG are oldies but do people still play them? Please give insight on these questions or suggestions on games you play with a community that is not on the downfall thanks.

EQ2

DAOC has one active, populated lively server, which is good enough really. I would be playing it as it is the best mmo out there, but I dont want to put in the time into a game im not absoulutely sure will exist by the time I reach lvl50. Then again, better to experience the game while its still here...

FFXi is a good change of pace if your looking for something different.

DAoc the people that say its dead , have not even logged on. I get groups non stop and the game is the best mmorpg still. (sadly)

EQ2 is one of the most solid MMOs out there right now especially if you're more into questing rather than raiding. The sheer amount of quests is staggering and a great deal of them are pretty fun especially the heritage quests. If you do try out EQ2 try to get on a high pop server and establish a good quest group with people to help you out or some higher levels that will 'mentor down' to you. Its really a very enjoyable game but there really isn't any 'instant gratification' to it, it was a game made from the very beginning to make you feel like you don't have to powerlevel in order to have fun.

Its one of the true games where the fun doesn't just start at 'end game' but does a great job of keeping you busy throughout.

My honest suggest is EQ 2 if you enjoy:

a mature, fun spirited, and welcoming community;

Quests that are diverse, deep, and range from World Events to Heroic Quests to environmental Quests to collection Quests;

Dungeons with variety that are in the spirit of Everquest 1;

A non-linear and non-forced way of experiencing the game

in a large world where exploration can be very fun;

and a crafting system that is actually fun and useful.

Additionally, I like my house a lot; I like how I can have "trophies" on my walls and other fun stuff like a bar.  The Guild Halls are very cool too to visit. 

I also suggest EQ2 for reasons already stated.

One option you could try is to get a station pass. WIth that you could try Vanguard, EQ2 and SWG and see for yourself which one you enjoy playing the most. Plus, you'll be able to play PotBS as well when it comes out if you wish. I have one but I only play Vanguard with it at the moment. I can't speak for SWG because I haven't tried it but of the other 2 games mentioned.

EQ2: Lots of content and well established. It's not for me but I don't think it's a bad game. Tons of quests.

Vanguard: Huge open-ended world. It's pretty much a sandbox in that you can do whatever the hell you want to do and you're not forced to play the game a certain way. Tons of quests and the combat (especially in groups) is a lot of fun. It still has bugs to be worked out but the game is in nowhere near the shape it was in when it launched. It has massive potential. It's not dead and has a strong community since the server merges. The best way I can describe it is complete and total freedom.

But as much as I love Vanguard, take my comments with a grain of salt. Try them all and see which one YOU like the best.

Shadowbane

Finding a new MMORPG will probably be a process.

And during that process you NEED to try out EQ2.

I'm not saying you're 100% gonna like it, but its one of the most solid games out there, with so much to do and so many aspects of gameplay.

I would highly suggest that you look into Aion , and you will be hooked! make sure to see the videos!

I suspect you'll be returning to WoW.. they always do.. Wahahahaah! 

But If I was on the look out for a new game then I'd wait for Spell-born.

1. I find EQ2 a little up-tight from coming from the laid back WoW.
2. I found CoX shallower than a toddlers swimming pool, in the middle of desert in the middle of a two year drought.
3. I found VG.. not ready.. waiting on the trial.
4. I found EvE unessesarily complicated.
5. I found a certain beta of a game too much like WoW.
6. I found LoTRO too much like WoW only smaller scale.
7. I found GW too lonely.

So I am waiting for PotBS and CoS. and WotLK ofc. 

My advise take an MMO break, We got Teamfortress 2 coming out in a few weeks for your FPS fix, Company of heroes expansion in Novemember for your RTS fix.

Originally posted by Jetrpg

DAoc the people that say its dead , have not even logged on. I get groups non stop and the game is the best mmorpg still. (sadly)

Don't listen to him, DAoC is dead. Being a DAoC player since beta, I can attest the game died a long time ago. This doesn't mean it is extinct though. Dead is where a once-amazing and thriving game is sparesely populated and no longer amazing, but actually one of the worst PvP MMO's now that the populations are low. RvR is plagued with population imbalances. Battlgrounds and the frontier consist of one side having two or three times as much as the second side, and the third side having only half of the second side. (So something like 60v30v10.) Extinct is where the servers are a ghost-town, which hasn't happened yet....but will unless they make it a FREE GAME.

Originally posted by cupertino

I suspect you'll be returning to WoW.. they always do.. Wahahahaah! 

But If I was on the look out for a new game then I'd wait for Spell-born.

1. I find EQ2 a little up-tight from coming from the laid back WoW.
2. I found CoX shallower than a toddlers swimming pool, in the middle of desert in the middle of a two year drought.
3. I found VG.. not ready.. waiting on the trial.
4. I found EvE unessesarily complicated.
5. I found a certain beta of a game too much like WoW.
6. I found LoTRO too much like WoW only smaller scale.
7. I found GW too lonely.

So I am waiting for PotBS and CoS. and WotLK ofc. 

My advise take an MMO break, We got Teamfortress 2 coming out in a few weeks for your FPS fix, Company of heroes expansion in Novemember for your RTS fix.

The Company of Heroes expansion blows chunks. I'm so disappointed with that crap. Not to mention regular Company of Heroes is plagued with balance issues (Not for sides, but for doctrines.)

I REALLY hope that the expansion plummets sales, gets horrible reviews, and ruins the regular CoH game, ruining the entire franchise. The developers deserve that for making one of the greatest RTS games ever, and then ruining it by having doctrine imbalances and a horrible expansion. Regular CoH only blows chunks because it is so good, but so bad.

Hopefully someone will do to CoH and RTS what every MMO company did with WoW and MMO --------> Copy WoW.

If they made a CoH-clone, I'd probably love it to death. CoH gameplay is amazing, but the balance isn't there. A clone that is balanced would be perfect. If others make something amazing, but fail at making it playable, then you only need to COPY their idea to the T, and then fix it.

"I found a certain beta of a game too much like WoW."

LoL nice troll we have here, go rot with your crappy WoW expansion

Originally posted by Archin

"I found a certain beta of a game too much like WoW."

LoL nice troll we have here, go rot with your crappy WoW expansion

Im sorry did my personal opinion of a certain unnamed game offend you in some way?

Yes it did actually, but no worries cause im laughing really , hope you do enjoy your expansion, don't loose to much of your life in another grindfest trap :)

Originally posted by RonnyRulz

Originally posted by Jetrpg

DAoc the people that say its dead , have not even logged on. I get groups non stop and the game is the best mmorpg still. (sadly)

Don't listen to him, DAoC is dead. Being a DAoC player since beta, I can attest the game died a long time ago. This doesn't mean it is extinct though. Dead is where a once-amazing and thriving game is sparesely populated and no longer amazing, but actually one of the worst PvP MMO's now that the populations are low. RvR is plagued with population imbalances. Battlgrounds and the frontier consist of one side having two or three times as much as the second side, and the third side having only half of the second side. (So something like 60v30v10.) Extinct is where the servers are a ghost-town, which hasn't happened yet....but will unless they make it a FREE GAME.

So you played in beta ?    Are you playing now? If not be quite. because we are talking about now not some other time.

I believe all of those games minus Vanguard, have a free trial.

Give them all a go.  Free trials are your friend.

Personally, of your listed choices, IMHO DAoC is the best pick if you roll on a classic server. Although I like Vanguard and am currently playing it, I just don't think its performance is up to par yet and can't recommend it without feeling guilty. The game itself is pretty good but the technical issues...still a long way out until its "finished" IMHO.