This table contains a list of MMOs that I’ve spent time researching. I’m always on the look-out for a new MMO to capture my interest (but they rarely do). Some day, I’m hoping to find the next “first time I played World of Warcraft” type experience (iykyk).
| MMO | Worth a try | Notes |
| Albion Online | Yes | Looks interesting |
| Black Desert Online | Maybe… | but seems like the same old formula |
| Camelot Unchained | Unsure | May never release |
| Chrono Odyssey | Yes | Looks interesting |
| Corepunk | Yes | Looks interesting |
| DDO | Maybe… | but probably not |
| Destiny 2 | Yes | I need to give this another shot |
| Dune | Maybe… | It was ok |
| ESO | Yes | but same old formula |
| Fallout 76 | Unsure | |
| FINAL FANTASY XIV Online | Maybe… | but same old formula |
| Genshin Impact | Yes | Looks interesting |
| Guild Wars 2 | No | I’ve played enough |
| Lost Ark | Maybe… | but probably not |
| LOTRO | Maybe… | but same old formula |
| Neverwinter | Yes | |
| New World | Yes | Try it out again |
| Once Human | No | Not my style |
| Palia | No | Not my style |
| Runes of Magic | No | Very outdated |
| Star Trek Fleet Command | No | Meh |
| Star Trek Online | No | Meh |
| Star Wars: The Old Republic | Maybe… | but probably not |
| Throne and Liberty | Maybe… | looks ok |
| Tibia | No | |
| Trove | No | not my style |
| Wizard101 | No | |
| WoW | Maybe… | reuniting with some friends |
| WoW Classic | Maybe… | reuniting with some friends |
Criteria to consider
- Exploration: A big part of my interest lies in exploring mysterious lands.
- Theme: The world, lore, and story need to be something I’m genuinely interested in. For example, I liked WoW’s world and lore. I did not like New World’s world and lore.
- PvP: There needs to be a fun PvP battlegrounds mode. Preferably not a simplistic Zerg mechanic like in GW2.
- Old school: deally, hit points, damage, and stats are low values like +5 and 50 damage instead of +100 and 3,000 damage. Big numbers lose meaning.
- Simplicity: I don’t like games like GW2 that inundate you with items.
- Art style: The graphics and art style need to capture my imagination.
- GW graphics and style captured my interest, but their art style did not.
- WoW graphics and art captured my interest.
- New World was somewhere in the middle and not very memorable.
- Mysterious: What lies around the next bend? What lies beneath the next layer of the onion?
- World size?
- Achievements?
- Reputation?
- Fast travel?
- Feral druid?
Possible approach: Test out the free MMOs first. Level to 5, 10, or 20 to give it a real shot then move on.