I reccomend changing FFXI's crafting degree to Deep - as it requires a lot of work and knowledge of the worlds mechanics - Unlike others it has been grouped with where you have "recipies"  and listed materials needed with no chance of failure etc.

It's quite advanced/deep - if not harsh aswell.

Hi there I am new to this forum, and actually created this account to reply to this particular thread, as I found a few things mentioned disturbing.  I am not sure how much "playing" of all these MMO's you did but you have put down quite a few things wrong.  FIrst of all yes I am biased as I am a HARDCORE Lineage II player (on a free server - NOT retail !)  But I feel I need to clear a few things up that you have totally wrong.  For starters, you did not put Lineage II down under either the Faction PvP section OR the Arena section - It has both !  Second, it should be in ALL 3 sections under PvE  - NOT just the first one.  Thirdly, you obviously never crafted anything or you would realize how "deep" the crafting system is.  Fourth, it is a VERY easy game to learn.  Fifth and MOST important, sorry but compared to the "NEWER" games around - Lineage II still has better graphics than ALL of them and you do NOT need a supercomputer to run it - I know as I have played it just fine on a PII !  I know you are trying to make an unbiased list, but it really bugs me that Lineage II doesn't get the respect or attention it deserves, especially since there are TONS of free servers to play on with their own "special stuff" to attract players.  I have played wow and most of the other ones you have mentioned as well, but IMO Lineage II is still better than anything out now or anything coming out.  I have been looking for another MMORPG to try - whether free or not - and Lineage II still makes everything else look lame.  If you like the "cartoony" graphics like wow etc great....  You want a REAL MMORPG - Try Lineage II ! 

P.S You also failed to mention that Lineage II doesn't use instanced dungeons or have loading of any kind.  If you want to run ALL the way across the world - go ahead - there is no loading or waiting in line to go somewhere.  You want to go into a dungeon - then run inside lol. Lastly you never mentioned dualboxing (having more than one client running at a time) which you are able to do on MOST Lineage II free servers.

You are obviously talking about playing Lineage II on retail.  Why don't you try playing it on a private server ?  You can spend real $$ to buy stuff on TONS of servers.

Should remove runescape from full loot games since wildy was removed hence no more full loot :P

Hmm online racing games, u mean like Project Torque? Find racing games v affected by lag...

the bulk of my online gaming (some 5+ years now) has been spent playing  Lineage 2 and WOW.  I prefer Lineage 2 because of the following: the overall look of the game - best graphics IMO of any out there, open PVP - you have some dillweed in your party... Gank him!  Sieges are complete fun and running one while using vent is a blast.  the subclass system - it's nice to be able to switch things up and try a different grind.  I have had pretty decent success with enchantment so that is a plus.

The things that make me quit L2: damn bots and the lack of NCSoft's response to them.  I don't understand the need for cheating at a game.  the point is the challenge of it.  the botters ruin it for legitimate players because they take the punk way to level advancement, they ruin the economy of the game, and affect the overall gameplay experience.  The quest system is weak and the grind can get so tedious. 

When I walk away from L2 for a while I typically play WOW.  what I like about WOW:  the interface and the ability to use adds, the quest system is more viable and often fun, the mail system - mailing gear and items is very helpful, and finally the auction system.  Being able to sell items without being online is awesome.  Why I walk away from WOW: it's too easy, I advance so fast through it I get bored.  It's totally gear driven.  Once at max level, all there is to do is grind rep for gear or instance for gear.  While faction PVP is ok I still want the option to kill that jerk you pick up trying to fill your party when they do something stupid.  and it's still too cartoony for me.

I finally quit WOW for good and am back to L2. But I got to say the bots are getting on my nerves and the grind is back bordering on tedious. I even rolled two new toons (on two separate accounts) and am two-boxing, but it's getting to that point again.... yea I'm playing on official server - Phoenix.  I am a legit player and have always been - since beta.

So now, my dilemma.  I really wish someone would take the best parts of these games and make one great game.  It would be nice to find a home to keep me satisfied for 5 more years.  I'd pay to play if I could find that one.

Originally posted by brutemus

the bulk of my online gaming (some 5+ years now) has been spent playing  Lineage 2 and WOW.  I prefer Lineage 2 because of the following: the overall look of the game - best graphics IMO of any out there, open PVP - you have some dillweed in your party... Gank him!  Sieges are complete fun and running one while using vent is a blast.  the subclass system - it's nice to be able to switch things up and try a different grind.  I have had pretty decent success with enchantment so that is a plus.

The things that make me quit L2: damn bots and the lack of NCSoft's response to them.  I don't understand the need for cheating at a game.  the point is the challenge of it.  the botters ruin it for legitimate players because they take the punk way to level advancement, they ruin the economy of the game, and affect the overall gameplay experience.  The quest system is weak and the grind can get so tedious. 

When I walk away from L2 for a while I typically play WOW.  what I like about WOW:  the interface and the ability to use adds, the quest system is more viable and often fun, the mail system - mailing gear and items is very helpful, and finally the auction system.  Being able to sell items without being online is awesome.  Why I walk away from WOW: it's too easy, I advance so fast through it I get bored.  It's totally gear driven.  Once at max level, all there is to do is grind rep for gear or instance for gear.  While faction PVP is ok I still want the option to kill that jerk you pick up trying to fill your party when they do something stupid.  and it's still too cartoony for me.

I finally quit WOW for good and am back to L2. But I got to say the bots are getting on my nerves and the grind is back bordering on tedious. I even rolled two new toons (on two separate accounts) and am two-boxing, but it's getting to that point again.... yea I'm playing on official server - Phoenix.  I am a legit player and have always been - since beta.

So now, my dilemma.  I really wish someone would take the best parts of these games and make one great game.  It would be nice to find a home to keep me satisfied for 5 more years.  I'd pay to play if I could find that one.

If you haven't already, I advise you to check Aion, the latest of NCSoft's work. You'd feel great, since it has L2's graphics (Atleast similar, MAYBE better). I'm not sure about the references you made to WoW and L2, but it sure is a great game. It's p2p, but worth it. I haven't played yet, betas are still undergoing, but i'm buying it as soon as its out ;)

Good List, needs to be updated though,

- Vanguard has always been heralded as group forced mmo, since the release, so this is news to me that you can solo effectively.

- Guild Wars, should not even be on this website, seriously, if its here then put Diablo 2 on the list too lol. (Yes, I have played both).

- EQ 2 has deep crafting at SWG level? Vanguard does, but EQ2?

- SWG  = some1 has mentioned here that its not full sandbox, correct as of right now even 2 years ago it really has not been as \sandbox\ it   was at release and prior to NGE.

- AoC = after Tortage, it was easier to Solo as Priest of Mitra then Ranger effectively at release, and very often I found people grouping or looking for groups to quest, unlike if you were to compare to WoW you would never see that, all quests in WoW are solobale until the level cap.  In AoC they are not.  Still is the case as of July 2009 (aside from Priest of Mitra being nurfed).

Great List, someone needs to update it though, since some mmos changed  significantly,

yea I downloaded Aion and installed - beta 3 just closed, I'll try to get on... problem is - it's still NCSoft and based on their handling of bots on L2, I'm pessimistic at best that Aion won't eventually turn into just a rework of L2, - fingers are crossed!

RuneScape has crafting:

-General crafting

-Rune crafting

-fletching (making bows and arrows)

-smithing

-the list goes on

Originally posted by Herkfixer

Rohan Blood Feud is F2P and has amazing graphis, and easy to follow storyline and PVP features that allow newbs to progress without getting "ganked" all the time.  Check it it, its great.

I may be F2P, but being ganked is the name of the game. And unless you use the online store with real money, you won't be able to compete or stay alive in later levels. Good graphics and play, but it relies too much on the store to be a worthy micro game. Only game to do the in game store correctly was Perfect World with aesthetic things that are not necessary to the game and all items can be sold in game to other players.

This is a very valuable tool!

/bow

Hey i was wonderin if there was a good or even descent mmo out there that is free to play...im about to be a dad and were tryin to save money but i still want to play somethin so i dont get too rusty lol...If this was already answered im sorry but i would apreciate it if someone would repeat themselfs lol.

thanks for the help!

Originally posted by Netzoko

The Unofficial "What MMO To Play" Thread!

One of the first things an MMO seeker asks if how much of a grind the game is. Below is a basic list of the newer MMOs and the time is takes to reach level cap in a hardcore setting. Casual play will be longer. It gives a comparison of the game's grind status. Keep in mind, these times are hardcore grinding.

• Lineage II (100 days)
• RuneScape (100 days)
• RF Online (65 days) 
• Archlord (60 days)
• MapleStory (60 days)
• Vanguard (35 days)
• Final Fantasy XI (35 days)
• Lord of the Rings Online (27 days)
• EverQuest 2 (25 days)
• World of Warcraft (15 days)
• Star Wars Galaxies (10 days)
• City of Heroes / Villains (6 days)
• Dark Age of Camelot (3 days)
• Guild Wars (2 days)
• Warhammer (10 days)
• Age of Conan (25 days)
• Pirates of the Burning Sea (7 days)

 

One can reach level 50 in Vanguard in less than 5 days played without ever grouping or grinding.  Solely from doing solo quests.  This has been the case now for over 2 years and before you wrote this post.

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but Tabula Rasa is no more so you should consider removing it from the lists.

Villan4115 A fairly new MMO out there called Runes of Magic might be what you are looking for. At least it will give you a taste of WoW/EQ2 style game that is F2P. Not spending money on the game makes it a little harder but there is basically nothing you can't do without spending money on the game. The micro transactions are based on you buying "diamonds" which are then spent to buy in-game items. You can buy diamonds from other players for in-game gold so you are not limited by not spending money.

The diamond purchases start at around $5 so you don't have to spend a lot if you only have a little cash available here and there.

Thanks Greater-Force im actually downloading it as we speak.  I tried a game called Rappelz but i didnt care for it too much...it was like diablo and pokemon thrown together with alittle bit of wow.  I just wanted to say thx for the reply and if there are anymore that ppl want to metion that would be great  :)

Here are two games I think you could add.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dofus

Section 1: Grind
No real level cap, go up to more than 200 levels. “Jobs” (craft) are limited to 100 levels

Section 2: PvP
Faction PvP
Angels against Demons, Bonta vs. Brakmar
+ A neutral3non-aligned faction

Open World Objective Based PvP
Territory-specific resources to gain

Section 3: PvE
End-Game Raiding
Grouping Instances
Solo Ability

Section 4: Crafting
Deep Crafting
Lots of jobs in three great sub-groups collecting, crafting, and maging (modifying crafted items)

Section 5: Performance / Graphics
Below Average
Well it’s five years old and in Flash, though a version 2.0 is supposed to get out next December

Section 6: Difficulty
Average

Section 7: My Personal Recommendations
"I want a game with crafting that matters, not some sidestep in the game that's ignored."
"I'm looking for a PvP-based game with set objectives"

Section 8: Payment Plan
A small portion is F2P, the rest ask for a subscription of about 8$ a month. [[/quote]]
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GalaXseeds
Section 1: Grind
What I call “casual grinding”: lots of mini-games, so whenever I want to play some casual games, I log in instead. That way, I have my little break, but I also level up my character.

Section 2: PvP
None

Section 3: PvE
Grouping Instances
Solo Ability
Yes, although collective minigames or battles are more effective.

Section 4: Crafting
Has Crafting
Once level 10, you can fuse seeds together to create new seeds.
(Note that specific combinations give seeds that can give special object)

Section 5: Performance / Graphics
Below Average
Flash, so cute and colourful, but the game lags quite often.

Section 6: Difficulty
Easy
The game is mainly aimed at tweens, so...

Section 7: My Personal Recommendation
"I'm looking for an MMO without PKs and gankers all the time. PvP annoys me"
No PvP, so...

"I want a game with crafting that matters, not some sidestep in the game that's ignored."
Once level 10, you can fuse seeds together to create new seeds.
(Note that specific combinations give seeds that can give special object)

Section 8: Payment Plan
FF2P

This is, frankly, an amazing and well put together list. I am sure this took some serious time and effort. I applaud you.

 Warrior Epic

http://www.warriorepic.com/

This game's a little different. Instead of playing one character, the object is to collect an army. Level them all up and you can convert them into sprirts. Use the spirits for special attacks or to upgrade other gear.

Section 1: Grind

Quick instanced quests. Short runs for high exp.
Section 2: PvP
Coming Soon

Section 3: PvE
Groups of up to 5. You stand to gain more XP by grouping.

Section 4: Crafting
None

Section 5: Performance / Graphics
Great looking game for a F2P. Run different maps (there are 3 with 20+ quests in each)

Section 6: Difficulty
Easy
Gets easier as you collect equipment. All equipment gathered you can use on all your warriors of the same subclass. Like, if you get a new weapon for your Pit Fighter/ Outcast all of them can use it.

Section 7: My Personal Recommendation
Using spirits is pretty fun. They're like ghosts that you use to attack. The whole game plays like Gauntlet. Very hack n slash.

Section 8: Payment Plan
F2P

 i am looking for a multiclassing

f2p

3d first person

grinding with quest 

a classical but sci fi game stlye so swords and guns

and one that is compatiable with vista 64bit  and that is not dod

In Section 4, Runescape does have crafting. It has several crafting skills and is related to game play, quests, and can be a very profitable way to make money.

As a side note, I played that game waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy tooo much a while back.

I am missing Fallen Earth in the Sandbox section and Deep Craft. Rather new game and this list hasn't been updated for awhile. But it is definitly a game to add to the list here.

Originally posted by sueaddaht

 i am looking for a multiclassing

f2p

3d first person

grinding with quest 

a classical but sci fi game stlye so swords and guns

and one that is compatiable with vista 64bit  and that is not dod

Hard one dude, if there is atleast one at all.

I would just like to add Rohan Online to section 2 since it has a lot of PVP. You can PK anybody who is outside the town. You can test your strength inside the Arena and etc.