Recommend a MMO?

[J-H]

After reading through Book 1 of Awaken Online (on Royal Road), I want to try to find a solo-friendly free MMO - one with decently fast levelling and depth, not long grinds.

Tales of Maj'Eyal would fit the bill for gameplay, but it's single player only and has essentially no plot or change in the world.

I tried Path of Exile and didn't like it...don't recall why, something to do with speed, lighting, and gore I think.
I played DDO for a few years - the quests are too long, party-dependent, and un-pausable now that I have kids. I assume LOTRO follows the DDO model.

[Kesnit]

DDO has changed, in that you can do quests solo.

But really, if you want a free MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic would be my recommendation. You can solo it from start to finish. However, if you want to play with other people, the group finder is pretty good.

[t209]

And Wildstar is Free 2 play, (somewhat) Stable, and on Steam now.
But I think you have to pay, used to have an account before WS, or Signature subscription (CREDD included) to make a guild, circle though.
All part of privilege of having bought it for a buck just 2 months before f2p.
edit: Ummm, nevermind though you meant MMO. Not suitable for single players, especially if you are bounty hunting as settlers (or for snazzy equipments) and pretty much End-Game, grindy, and need to call for help from custom channels.

[Anteros]

I'll second Star Wars. You probably aren't going to find any MMOs like Maj'Eyal (It's turn based, how would that even work?).

[Togath]

Wakfu seems to make turn based combat work very well, but it's normal speed outside of it.

[Inarius]

Probably the most solo friendly mmo out there right now is going to be Star Wars. If you're looking for something a little more towards the fantasy side of the equation you can try Rift which is perfectly playable solo from start to finish though some builds will have an easier time than others.

[Gandariel]

Not exactly an MMO but I suggest Diablo 2.

You mentioned Path of Exile, so I take it you're considering the genre.

Diablo 2 is arguably one of the best games ever made, it still holds up now, Blizzard is still supporting it and there's still people playing it.

Not really an MMO, not really grindy, solo-friendly.
It's not deep in terms of story, but the gameplay is really good.

[Pronounceable]

Basically, every single MMO I've ever played is friendly to solo players for the most part. All of them had plenty of safe spots everywhere you can park your character and go do a thing for a while. All of them had loads and loads of soloable content as long as you're not ocd and need to finish every last little thing on all maps. So those aren't criteria by now (and if you can find an mmo is dumb enough to not have those this day, it's a game deserving of immediate death).

As for speed, Star Wars is fast, true. So is Champions and a bunch of others. I'd recommend Champs over it cos it's neater. DDO is also great and not just WoWknockoff#643 like most other mmos. But if speed is your sole and ultimate demand, nothing will beat Star Wars unfortunately.

[Hunter Noventa]

If you do play SWTOR you're going to want to drop some money on it. The default F2P experience is pretty bad (they limit the number of hot bars you can have, in a game with a bit too much ability bloat) and there are some other limitations. If you spend $5 on in-game currency though, you can remove a lot of limitations for the sake of your sanity, and pick up some convenience items while you're at it, I suggest the rocket boots.

There's also I believe a special package on amazon for like $30 that comes with a pile of Cartel Coins and 2 months of subscription, since you need to sub for at least a month to get all the content, it's not the worst idea.

But try it out and see how you like the gameplay before diving in.

[Brother Oni]

I enjoyed the Neverwinter MMO for a while until I took a break then whatever they did to the game in the meantime killed my framerate.

Pretty much solo-able in the levelling up to 60, except for dungeons but pickup groups can be found fairly easily. Once you hit the end game content it becomes very grindy, but most parts are still soloable. There is content that requires full parties which again can be found via PUGs, but its not recommended.

Outside of the parts requiring a party, you can park up in a designated quiet spot (or just a really out of the way section) very quickly to attend to real life.


Other than that, there's MMO-like games which have action in shorter spurts - for example in Warframe, missions only last about 5-15 minutes after which you can rest, re-arm and re-quip before heading into the next one.

[J-H]

I'll second Star Wars. You probably aren't going to find any MMOs like Maj'Eyal (It's turn based, how would that even work?).
Not necessarily turn-based, but one with a bunch of different character-build options... and top down/isometric instead of 3rd person.


Not exactly an MMO but I suggest Diablo 2.

You mentioned Path of Exile, so I take it you're considering the genre.

Diablo 2 is arguably one of the best games ever made, it still holds up now, Blizzard is still supporting it and there's still people playing it.

Not really an MMO, not really grindy, solo-friendly.
It's not deep in terms of story, but the gameplay is really good.
I have Torchlight 2... got 6 different characters to the desert and only 1 to the swamp. I've done maybe 15 minutes of swamp play and got bored. Too much sameness despite the semi-randomness of the maps.


As for speed, Star Wars is fast, true. So is Champions and a bunch of others. I'd recommend Champs over it cos it's neater. DDO is also great and not just WoWknockoff#643 like most other mmos. But if speed is your sole and ultimate demand, nothing will beat Star Wars unfortunately.
I downloaded Champions...not impressed so far (partway through tutorial).



Other than that, there's MMO-like games which have action in shorter spurts - for example in Warframe, missions only last about 5-15 minutes after which you can rest, re-arm and re-quip before heading into the next one.

Did Warframe a few years ago. Came back for a few weeks recently, and it seems like everyone just does "screw killing/looting, we'll sprint through the mission" now. Not friendly to stopping to help with baby for 2 minutes or anything like that.

[Psyren]

Not exactly an MMO but I suggest Diablo 2.

You mentioned Path of Exile, so I take it you're considering the genre.

Diablo 2 is arguably one of the best games ever made, it still holds up now, Blizzard is still supporting it and there's still people playing it.

Not really an MMO, not really grindy, solo-friendly.
It's not deep in terms of story, but the gameplay is really good.

Wait, "not really grindy?" Meph runs, Baal runs, Countess runs, Ubers...

@OP: I'd recommend Wildstar as well. I'm also interested in SWTOR (because Bioware and dialogue choices) but I'm not a huge star wars fan.

[Hiro Protagonest]

"Solo" "depth" "MMO" pick two.


Did Warframe a few years ago. Came back for a few weeks recently, and it seems like everyone just does "screw killing/looting, we'll sprint through the mission" now. Not friendly to stopping to help with baby for 2 minutes or anything like that.

Look, if it's not an endless mission or a Spy mission, count yourself lucky you found a group for it at all. Clearing it quickly to unlock more mission nodes is really all there is to it. I can understand being irritated when they do that in Void Capture/Exterminate/Sabotage, but just wait until you can solo those and then clear them at your own leisure.

[Brother Oni]

Did Warframe a few years ago. Came back for a few weeks recently, and it seems like everyone just does "screw killing/looting, we'll sprint through the mission" now. Not friendly to stopping to help with baby for 2 minutes or anything like that.

Warframe's just an example, based on what I'm playing at the moment. If part of your requirements are being able to take a 2+ minute break with zero warning (been there, done that, twice), then I would really suggest something pausable or turn based, neither of which are common features in the MMO genre.

Atlantica Online is the only free MMO I know of with a turn based battle system, but even then I think there's a timer on the moves and the advancement is about par for the typical Korean MMO (ie very grindy).

[MagmaCam]

elder scrolls online have a couple buddies playing it and we are having a blast!!

[Diovid]

The base game of Guild Wars 2 kinda sorta went free 2 play a while back and it is a great game (one of the best MMOs out there in my opinion).

I say kinda-sorta because while you can get to max level with the free version and get the highest tier gear and play the different pvp modes and play free forever, there are some restrictions which make some people say it is actually more of a free trial than a true free game. You can see these restrictions here: https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/95982157-Account-types-Free-Core-HoT

[Hunter Noventa]

The base game of Guild Wars 2 kinda sorta went free 2 play a while back and it is a great game (one of the best MMOs out there in my opinion).

I say kinda-sorta because while you can get to max level with the free version and get the highest tier gear and play the different pvp modes and play free forever, there are some restrictions which make some people say it is actually more of a free trial than a true free game. You can see these restrictions here: https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/95982157-Account-types-Free-Core-HoT

GW2 is also just buy once, no monthly fee. I can't really recommend the game as I got sick of it after a while, and it's parent company is literal pond scum, but it can be a fun time.

[Dorath]

For something fast and funny, I recommend Kingdom of Loathing (kingdomofloathing.com).

[Grif]

Isn't a "solo" MMO something of a oxymoron? After all, the multiplayer part is supposed to be the appeal of an MMO.

EDIT: Not to knock ya, but genuinely curious as to why you'd be wanting to play an MMO as opposed to a dedicated single-player game that'll far more suited to your needs.

[Brother Oni]

After all, the multiplayer part is supposed to be the appeal of an MMO.

Not after you've been playing with the pubbies I have... :smallsigh:

[Grif]

Not after you've been playing with the pubbies I have... :smallsigh:

Hey, love it, hate it, the core of an MMO (of any kind) is interaction with other fellow players. Otherwise, it'll be called a single-player game instead. :smallwink:

[Inarius]

Isn't a "solo" MMO something of a oxymoron? After all, the multiplayer part is supposed to be the appeal of an MMO.

EDIT: Not to knock ya, but genuinely curious as to why you'd be wanting to play an MMO as opposed to a dedicated single-player game that'll far more suited to your needs.

Honestly there are some things MMOs do that very few games outside the genre do. Crafting for instance is something MMOs almost always have and some MMOs have crafting systems that single player games can't compete with. Housing is another big thing most MMOs have these days which generally isn't covered by many single player RPGs. On top of that some MMOs excel in certain departments like SW:ToR has amazing storylines for many of the classes and planets while Blade and Soul has probably one of the best combat systems I've ever played. So yeah there are plenty of reasons to go solo in a MMO without even taking into account the quality of random groups.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Honestly there are some things MMOs do that very few games outside the genre do. Crafting for instance is something MMOs almost always have and some MMOs have crafting systems that single player games can't compete with. Housing is another big thing most MMOs have these days which generally isn't covered by many single player RPGs. On top of that some MMOs excel in certain departments like SW:ToR has amazing storylines for many of the classes and planets while Blade and Soul has probably one of the best combat systems I've ever played. So yeah there are plenty of reasons to go solo in a MMO without even taking into account the quality of random groups.

Crafting: Monster Hunter, Rune Factory, Fantasy Life. Etrian Odyssey and Dark Souls have you give parts to a blacksmith (Dark Souls is enhancement-only, but Etrian Odyssey has new weapons from scratch).

Housing: Rune Factory, Fantasy Life, Fallout 4.

Story: There are lots of single-player games with great storylines, RPG or otherwise.

Combat system: Um... I haven't played Blade and Soul, but MMOs are generally far worse at this. Warframe is pretty fun, though lacking the challenge of something like Monster Hunter. Hell, you can even get a traditional MMO "real-time with ability activation" system with Xenoblade Chronicles.

[NeoVid]

For a good MMO that's mostly single-player, I would recommend The Secret World. It's the MMO that got me out of the stance that there was no point in playing an MMO if you wanted to play on your own. The way so much of it is the exact opposite of typical MMO design has always kept me entertained.

Though I should also say that the few group instances (one dungeon per zone, made to be done at-level) are some of the absolute best I've played in my decade of being an MMO nut, and they're short enough that a player with a lack of free time isn't barred from running them. TSW's also got the best community I've seen aside from City of Heroes, another way it's the opposite of most MMOs.

[Inarius]

Crafting: Monster Hunter, Rune Factory, Fantasy Life. Etrian Odyssey and Dark Souls have you give parts to a blacksmith (Dark Souls is enhancement-only, but Etrian Odyssey has new weapons from scratch).

Housing: Rune Factory, Fantasy Life, Fallout 4.

Story: There are lots of single-player games with great storylines, RPG or otherwise.

Combat system: Um... I haven't played Blade and Soul, but MMOs are generally far worse at this. Warframe is pretty fun, though lacking the challenge of something like Monster Hunter. Hell, you can even get a traditional MMO "real-time with ability activation" system with Xenoblade Chronicles.

Never said single player games don't have crafting and housing but it's rarer and I find MMOs usually do them better and with more depth.

As for story, yes that's more of a single player game strength but some MMOs have really good storylines so its a valid reason to play solo in a MMO (more so if its a f2p title because free is hard to beat).

Finally you're right in general about combat in most MMOs being either bad or mediocre, but some of them have really good combat like Blade and Soul. In fact I really can't think of any single player game I've played recently that has better combat than it does. Granted the rest of the game is pretty mediocre/unoriginal but the combat is top notch.

[Sajiri]

Isn't a "solo" MMO something of a oxymoron? After all, the multiplayer part is supposed to be the appeal of an MMO.

EDIT: Not to knock ya, but genuinely curious as to why you'd be wanting to play an MMO as opposed to a dedicated single-player game that'll far more suited to your needs.

I like playing mmos solo for the most part. There are games out there like it, but I there are features in mmos that I like that just arent as common to single player games.

Character customization (both appearance and class/race/build), open world, regular updates and new storylines, etc. With mmos you can choose what you want to do based on what you feel like doing. Want to do something simple just to kill some time? Go grind or craft or farm something. Want to do some plot? Follow the game's story. Want to play with other people? Go find someone.

I also just like playing alone at my own pace, but still like the opportunity to play with other people if I feel like it. I just dont want to feel restricted to NEEDING to play with other people to get anywhere.

On to the actual thread, I'm also going to suggest the secret world. Blade and Soul can be enjoyable, I like the story and the combat but it's repetitive if you want to play through it again with a second character. There's a lot of mmos out there that all kinda feel the same unfortunately, lackluster story, and the quests tend to revolve around 'go talk to this npc' 'go kill x amount of this enemy'

Pay to play mmos have more to them, and less emphasis on cash shop...but then you have to pay of course. If you wanted to try something with a subscription, FFXI is old but has a great story. Combat is 'slow' but requires more thought than 'mash these hotkeys in this sequence' like most other games. It's also very solo friendly these days, used to be notoriously grindy and needing groups but they made a lot of changes to make it better for solo players/low man groups.

[Anteros]

If someone enjoys playing a MMO solo, who is anyone in this thread to tell them they're wrong? I've certainly played my share of MMOs solo, as well as single player games, and both can be perfectly enjoyable.

[Pronounceable]

As mentioned, you're never going to find a better story on an MMO than Secret World. However, you should wait until there's a giant Steam discount on its "complete edition", which will have everything in it and usually adds up to about 25 bucks to Gabe instead of about 150 bucks to devs.

It's also run by the greatest and most incompetent morons in gaming industry so the less money they, get the better. But you should still play their game.

[NeoVid]

It's also run by the greatest and most incompetent morons in gaming industry so the less money they, get the better. But you should still play their game.

TSW isn't run by NCSoft! :smallamused:

[Grif]

TSW isn't run by NCSoft! :smallamused:

NCSoft and Asiasoft have the displeasure of being the two worst run gaming company I know. :smallannoyed:

[Knaight]

Lunia was pretty solid, but that was at least one company ago, and I don't know the current state of the game.

[t209]

TSW isn't run by NCSoft! :smallamused:
Still both of them are on Steam though.
And N Coins are convertible to Protobucks.
I think Carbine has been trying to be self sufficient in case something happens.

[IssacFrost]

I want to recommend Guild Wars 2. Sure HoT unlocks some of the best stuff and costs about $60. But if you don't want to play HoT, its pretty much free. And I have to agree with Angry Joe's review on that particular MMO. Even Star Wars is not as good as GW2 (disclaimer: only in my opinion) and I have both.

[J-H]

I have gotten back into Maj'Eyal for now.... and I'm getting woken up a lot less than I thought by the baby :)

Thanks everyone.