When massively multi-player online role-playing games first became popular, you had a couple of choices. You could either be a member of the Alliance or the Horde, in World of Warcraft. WoW exploded in popularity and more and more MMOs have joined the scene.
Now that there are a multitude of MMOs, you may have trouble deciding which one you want to drop your money into (or not drop your money into). Some are free, some are relatively pricey and yet worth it. Read our guide to decide which one is right for you!
World of Warcraft:
Classics tend to only have staying power when they’re good. Blizzard created and perfected the formula, so it’s no surprise that it’s still the front-runner when people think of MMOs.
WoW has its own lore, but it shares some themes and creatures with Dungeons and Dragons, the classic tabletop RPG. From kobold-killing to mixing classes and races, D and D players will find a soothing familiarity in the world of Azeroth. If you’ve ever considered an IT Degree to design video games when you were 12, you’ll definitely be in good company in Azeroth.
Everyone from the casual player to the mildly obsess play WoW. Be careful when you’re choosing a guild that you can commit to their expectations of how often you’ll be online. More casual guilds exist, so make sure you find one of those casual guilds if you’re not interested in playing several times a week.
World of Warcraft has become the Chuck Taylors of the gaming universe: It’s a classic that shows you have style and aren’t afraid to do what’s popular as long as it’s good.
Rift:
Rift, which just celebrated its six-month anniversary, is the newest of the paid MMOs. Players in Rift choose whether to be Defiants or Guardians. Guardians are the heroes of the past who have been resurrected by their gods to fight the evil Regulos who is spreading terror across the plains of Telara. Defiants use their own technology to fight Regulos from the future.
Rift is great for those who are new to MMOs because there are so many new people still joining up. It’s also slightly simplified from the more complex formulas of WoW. For land-wide events, a button will pop up allowing players to join a public group instead of making them take the time to form individual groups.
The classes are also easy to choose, since you can choose between four different paths (rogue, mage, warrior, or cleric) and then choose later which distinct paths you would like to follow. If you change your mind, you can always spend a little money to reset your points or even add a new character build.
Other than newbies, people who enjoy a good moral distinction will find the plot lines intriguing. Though ever so slightly morally polarizing, it’s fun to be able to fight for either your belief in a higher power or your faith in humanity’s ability to create technology.
Everquest 2:
Everquest has long been the MMO of choice for students and those who have a little more time on their hands. Recently, it’s also become one for those who have a little less money in their wallets, too, since it was made free-to-play. There is still a subscription available that lets you access slightly more content, but it’s not worth it starting out.
There is a heavy focus on social interaction and quests—many of which can only be finished when you’ve joined up with a group of other players. Whether those players are members of your guild, or just people you find loitering in the area doesn’t matter.
With over 6,000 quests available in the world, there isn’t much chance of getting bored with the game. There are 19 races and 24 classes that can all be mixed and matched. Some will be better paired with others, but quick internet searches can help players make the most of their racial abilities.
Instead of fighting a common evil, a portion of the races are automatically the good or the bad guys. Signing on as a troll or a high elf will decide your faith automatically, but a neutral class like a half elf or a gnome will allow you to choose your path either way.
League of Legends:
If you’re eating Ramen and craving the days when you could afford multiple MMO accounts, League of Legends might just be for you. There isn’t a permanent world, but every battle you win will add points and let you upgrade your characters.
League of Legends allows playing from a web browser, so you won’t have to be on a specific computer to play. This ability makes it key for students who might be frequently switching between computers and professionals who might want something fun to do on their lunch break.
Gameplay borrows slightly from Starcraft or Warcraft’s DotA, where you have two opposing teams on opposite sides of the map who are fighting to conquer the Fields of Justice. You can queue up with your friends or alone and be matched up with players with similar scores.
League of Legends is great for a small taste of an MMO, but if you have inspirations of being as cool as Vork on The Guild, you may want to try another game first.
