Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Top Five Favorite MMO Zones
Hardanger
Member Posts: 226
Simple, list your top five favorite regions from any MMO, past or present.
5: Teldrassil
Like many others, my first character in WoW was a noob elf. The whole theme and idea of living in a giant tree was pretty cool to me. It is still a special place within the virtual world to me.
4: Altdorf
Not exactly a zone, but big enough to count in the list. The detail in that place is great, and the amount of stuff you can do there never seems to end. Not to mention the really cool end-game mechanics.
3: Ruins of Ascalon
My favorite region from my first MMO besides Runescape. This one is included mostly because of the memories, and the great, well executed lore.
2: The Marshes of Madness
I don't know what it is about a horrible, stinking, green-glowing swamp filled with war and mayhem that turns me on so much... But I must've raided Fangbreaka Keep about a billion times.
1: The Shire
I have always loved Tolkien's world. I grew up on the books, and the movies are my favorites of all time. The zone of the Shire in LotRO is by far my favorite zone of all. Everything is so incredibly well done, it really makes me want to fight for the freedom of Middle Earth, just to protect the Shire.
Well, there you have it. I rushed a few of them, but that's more or less my top five. If it was top ten I would have thrown the Barrens, Milennium City, and definitely somewhere from ToonTown (yes, ToonTown - I actually enjoyed that game when I was nine).
Comments
5.) Mortal Online's Jungle (pre-release) - This giant jungle inhabited by these ferocious satyr people. The satyrs were more like lizard men than typical satyrs. You would be walking through very thick shrubbery and come into an opening. Suddenly you would hear this shriek come out from in the bushes and start getting pelted by these things. The first time I heard one shriek I near shit myself.
4.) Ashenvale - The Mid 20's zone in WoW. I just really liked the feel of this zone. It had a lot of jungle foliage, diverse mobs, including a giant wandering one, and a pretty cool dungeon. The place had a very mystical feel for me, especially around the Satyr encampment.
3.) Devias - One of the first three major zones in MU Online. It was the snowy zone where all the creatures were ice based. There were yetis, wyrms and creatures made entirely of ice. It was one of the larger zones and had a really cool dungeon that could keep you busy for something like 70 levels. I spent most of my time on the global server in this zone killing yetis with friends and running groups of lower levels through mobs for the enhanced party exp. It was also where you would enter the Blood Castle. I have a lot of good memories in that zone.
2.) The Athaeneum - Another Spellborn zone. This was an ancient uncovered temple ruin at the top of a vastly gigantic mountain. The place was truly monumental and it actually encompassed the feel of looking up at and climbing your way up to a very high summit. Plus it was on a shard in the deadspell storm that had no canopy so the sky was this open magical vortex. You would receive a message through the in-game mail system every few levels inviting you back, because in your personal storyline you were supposedly able to enter the different vaults which allowed you to relive parts of the story from the lore. Each vault had a really cool and unique feel to it.
1.) The Green District - It was a quarter of the main city in The Chronicles of Spellborn where a magic-based explosion had essentially radiated and mutated the inhabitants. The entire zone had this horror feeling to it, like being in a zombie game. There were mutants all over, mazes, buring buildings and trees, narrow walkways that induced claustrophobia, and the entire place had this red hue to it with debris flying around and a giant vortex in the center. It had the coolest atmosphere of any zone I think.
Great thread!
Let's see, in no particular order except for #1, which really is my favorite so far:
1. The Shire (LotRO) - Turbine nailed it with this one. My first toon in LotRO was a hobbit, and The Shire was every bit as awesome as I had imagined it to be from the books. Quaint little villages and buildings. Freshly plowed fields. Rolling hills. Green pastures. So perfect.
2. Ashenvale (WoW) - Like someone earlier said, my first WoW toon was a night elf, and when I eventually made it to Ashenvale it blew my mind. It felt magical and ancient with all of the large trees, sparkling sprites, dryads, etc. The music fit well with the scenery. Plus my first taste of vanilla WoW open world PvP was here.
3. The entire world of Atys (Ryzom) - I know, not a zone, but I can't help it. Of all the MMOs I've tried, none felt more like a living, breathing world than Ryzom.
4. The entire world of Telon (VG) - Hey! Another non-zone?! Yes! Amazing vistas, colors and scenery. I played VG for a couple of months, and still didn't see a fraction of the entire game world, but what I did see was awesome.
5. Eh... can't come up with a fifth one. Maybe Un'Goro Crater in WoW or Eregion in LotRO.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
This Really is a great Thread, mate!
I am listing these in no particular Order, as I am simply recalling areas where I was liie 'this place is so cool!'
1. Ashenvale (WoW), i see I am not alone in this point, its beautiful, the music was angelic and ethereal at the same time...it felt like a paradise....Pandora in 'Avatar' reminds me of what Ashenvale would look like in a Movie.
2.) The Ferry Between Maura and Selbina (FFXI): One word, PIRATES! first time I head that music start up, i was like 'WTF and then we were under attack!
3.) Underwater Elements of Azshara (WoW), This was the first MMORPG I played tat let you jump in the water...and man was that cool, to me! Old sunken ruins, weeds, sharks, it was just cool. It never really occurred to me....water doesn't just have to be something pretty to look at!
4.) Tatooine (SWG): It was so cool being able to run around this barren world after countless stories, movies, books, etc. Searching for Ben Kenobi's house and the Sarlac Pit, Jabba's Palace. It was one of the most 'Star Wars' aspects fo the whole game to me.
5.) Jita (EVE Online): While every single region of EVE online is pretty, with the gaseous backgrounds, planets and moons (especially now after the planets upgrade)...seeing all of the traffic in Jita (even with the Lag it brings) was the only real time I felt like i was a small grain of sand in a vast universe!
Frank 'Spankybus' Mignone
www.spankybus.com
-3d Artist & Compositor
-Writer
-Professional Amature
1)Surefall Glade EQ1
Started a ranger here in beta...the cave bears, a archer named Sureshot, rain and fog effects, night/day cycles(the 3D graphics were almost unseen in those days) and dying repeatedly to a yellow con skeleton--my introduction to on-rails MMO design.
2)Moonglow(?) UO
It was a mage city hidden in a mountain that required a certain level of mage skill to enter. Liches and abundant reagents made this a great place for a mage to skill up.
3)Duskwood WoW
All RPGs have their "haunted" area and this one's great. After playing Horde for two years I finally got to see this place right before BC came out.
4)Castle Mistmoore EQ1
Still my favorite hunting zone in EQ and another place I didn't get to fully explore until years later. Awesome trains.
5)Echoes of Faydwer starting zone EQ2
EQ2's overburdened graphics engine finally paid off here. As glowy and mystical as you could ever want.
My youtube MMO gaming channel
I've played every MMO under the sun and WoW has the best zones by far, it would take all top five for me but I'll only choose one from each MMO....
1. WoW - Westfall.
The best zone in any MMO to date because when the game launched everyone came to this zone to do the chain quests leading up to The Dead Mines. The story here and quests were so perfectly zone and they even have some easter eggs like clucking at the chickens.
2. SWG - Tatooine.
I loved the feel of this zone and it's so iconic from the movies. For me they nailed this zone and it was everything I wanted it to be and it made it even more amazing to have player cities. The fights between Anchor head and Bestine were epic!
3. Everquest 2 - Common Lands.
I loved this zone in beta when I played because of the amazing group quests and how harsh it felt. I just loved sitting down at night with my group, waiting for our cool downs to refresh and it was like a camp fire moment. The armour quests at the end were just perfect and it was the best grouping experience of any MMO. Just a shame SOE ruined that zone by dumbing down the game so much.
4. Planetside - Amerish.
My first island I went to as I was Vanu and it was the best design for the foot zergs. I just loved that experience when the game was busy of hundreds of people all running between bases on foot and shooting it out, was amazing. Though again SOE ruined it by changing the gate layouts and putting some giant ugly planet in the skybox.
5. EVE Online - Anywhere in lonely space.
I just loved this game at launch cause you always felt alone. Really all the zones are the same but with different backgrounds, however that doesn't matter cause there is so much atmosphere and it is just amazing when you first play... well it was back then. I just wish there were a few servers so I could have some alone time in that game, it is far too crowded now.
When I think about it Everquest 2 and WoW both had so many amazing zones. Just a shame both games suck now and I can't stand to play them anymore.
Age of Conan had that zone which blew me away at first when you entered cause it played some amazing music...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXccS8lclRA
Would love to play this game again but I couldn't stand all the loading screens, hope they would make it seamless one day but I doubt it could be done.
I'm sure people will say this doesn't count, b/c Diablo II isn't really an MMO, but the thread says favorite so, how about the desert sections of Diablo II? Those are my favorite parts of the game just because i like how it looks, i like egyptian themed stuff and i like the music for that section of the game.
Theres a section of City of Heroes I always liked too...i haven't played in a while, but theres a part of the city where "Blue Steel" the "Captain America" style cop here with a police badge for his shield (love that!).
Running around in that part of the city when the game was fairly new was great b/c it was obvious that it was a depressed gritty, dirtier part of town and chasing gangers around seemed fitting and satisfying to me.
I like running around "Drakkar Lake" in the EOTN section of GW b/c of a spoiler for GW2 that's out there if you look.
Only 1: Temple of the Three Winds (Anarchy Online) - Great dungeon, very interesting bosses, awesome loot useful for both free and paid players, the place where you find good teams.
That was not Moonglow, it was Wind.
If being a developer means being quiet, mature, well-spoken, and disconnected from the community, then by all means do me a favor and believe I'm not one.
=============================================================
YOU WILL LOVE MY STORIES - I am retarded AND a nerd!
============================================================
Don't pass them up. It's not TLDR :P lmao!!
1) Unrest - Everquest1
Nothing has ever imprinted on my mind such an amazing zone. The ironic and god-awful part? I never actually entered Unrest... I only ever gazed near it from the outside. All I ever did was dream of entering Unrest while fighting scarecrow pumpkins outside of the Mansion.
2) Moonglow & Ophidian Forts in T2A accessed from Moonglow - Ultima Online
Moonglow was my home where I spent the majority of my Ultima Online life (which for 4 years from 12 to 16 WAS my life, lol). The Ophidian Forts were my favorite hunting spot where- at 12 years old, I met my first "love" who I was teenager-obsessed about crying "BUT ASHLEY I LOVE YOU. BUT I LOVE YOU. DONT LEAVE ME. LOVE ME! WHY DONT YOU LOVE ME? BUT I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!" roflmao. I held on to a diamond ring in UO for 4 years before I literally lost it in the sand on the exact same spot I proposed to her on. The actual story is IMO epic, as a rich old mage (he had tons of gold, and I was a Swordsman, but she was charmed by his Magery and Gold) took her away, and I met them both 2 years later when I was no longer a newb, chased my nemesis down, and in the streets of Trinsic I brought him to his knees (1 hp), chatted with him, he literally begged me not to kill him (I guess he had good loot? lol) and I said "Revenge!" and killed him, cutting up his corpse. I actually got to take the head of my arch nemesis who stole the "love of my life" at 14 years old. Ultima Online rules!!! roflmao. You know the real kicker? Zhar had the exact same thing happen to him (an even richer guy than him stole her, wow she was a gold digger lol) and I found out that Ashley lied to me and wasn't 13 (when I was 12) she was actually a 34 year old woman who totally digged me, a 12 year old, and then Zhar a 64 year old. Wow, lol, does that classify as pedophilia or reverse pedophilia on her behalf? lmao!!!
And anytime we hunted at the Ophidian Fort, I gave my best friend TinMan all the gold in exchange for me getting all the Fame (deathblow) and gems (to give to Ashley) lol. Little did I know that fame was worthless compared to gold. I was awesome at 12 years old...lol! Not to mention one of the best PvPers, despite the fact I was retarded at age 12.
3) Qeynos & Qeynos Catacombs - Everquest1
4) Qeynos Hills & Karanas & Blackburrow & Everfrost & Surefall Glade- Everquest1
Nothing compares to Everquest1, Qeynos & Catacombs, and Qeynos Hills & Blackburrow/Everfrost. I spent 2 years playing EQ2 in only these zones. I rarely ventured further than these zones for 2 years never reaching past level 19. I pranked sooo many people (I was like...14 I believe). I even remember celebrating new years of 2000 (Y2K) with my family at the same time as I was on the computer in a Qeynos Inn with an alt Monk character I made, when I was grouped with two girls (one which was a guy, lol) and I wanted to pull the lever to shut off the circuit breaker to make all the lights go off the moment Y2K hit, as a hilarious prank, but I actually didn't because I would have been kicked off Everquest...rofl... DAMN YOU QEYNOS!!!!!!!!!!!
5) Thidranki & Battleground Zones - Dark Age of Camelot
From when I beta-tested DAoC as a teenager, to when I returned to it at 24 years of age, Thidranki was one of the funnest times I've ever had in an MMORPG gameplay wise. I felt (2 times) in my life an immersion so deep it actually FELT like I was in a large-scale medieval battle. Thidranki was one of those times. And when I beta tested? I remember waiting 15 minutes just to re-enter the battlefield, only to sit around (I was a Scout) in stealth, watching the enemy leave their keep, and firing at SITTING wounded casters with Critical Shot. Roflmao. I never killed anyone, but I made sure no enemy could ever sit down to heal up :P
Honorable Mentions-
The Pink grass field in Vanguard was beautiful, as well as several spots and zones. I loved Vanguard's zones.
Deadmines- WoW
This was a really cool zone which was the first time I ever saw an instanced zone which had bosses. Several bosses. ANd cool ones at that. I must have run this a billion times.
If being a developer means being quiet, mature, well-spoken, and disconnected from the community, then by all means do me a favor and believe I'm not one.
Moonglow was still GREAT for guild pvp.. Atleast on the Chesapeake server it was. The hedge maze in the middle and the round about way the town was laid out was one of the best PvP cities. IMO Wind was lameness.
Best zone in UO in my mind was Cove + Bucs Den area. Insane PvP.
pink what in vanguard? Can I have more details? I'm thinking about resubbing as it is.
Unrest EQ
Mistmoore Castle EQ
Dungeon Deceit UO
Crushbone keep EQ
Guk EQ
Sebillis EQ
Listed in no particular order.
Buc Den (UO)
Dungeon Deceit - bottom floor (UO)
Amamake (EVE)
Old Man Star (EVE)
The Direlands - Ayan Bakur area (AC)
I enjoy small group PvP and chaotic PvE. Each of the place listed above were areas that I had specific sets of gear for, preset travel to and was always anxius to dive into whenever I got a chance.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Uhhh this is a hard question,
I have a lot i liked from WoW, a lot I like from FFXIV, a lot I liked from FFXI, a lot i liked from AoC, a lot I liked from GW, a lot I liked from SWG pre-NGE, a lot I liked from City of Heroes, I mean it goes on... so I'll just pick the ones that come to my head and in no specific order
Grizzly Hills WoW
Mor Dhona FFXIV
Coerthas FFXIV
Kazaam FFXI
Kara Korum AoC
I mean, and FFXIV only comes up twice cause that is the game I am playing at the moment... gosh. Too many nice places in games nowadays.
Warhammer also had some nice zones that I really loved.
1. Dantooine, SWG - "Solo Groups" pre-CU
2. Molden Heath, EvE - Mission running & low-sec pirate hunting
3. Valkurm Dunes, FFXI - What can I say, I am a glutton for punishment.
4. Stranglethorn Vale, WoW - Skinner's paradise.
5. Tortage, AoC - best starting area of any game.
Great Thread!
1. Thurgadin - Everquest- Thurgadin was an awesome and beautiful zone! Was so amazing!
2. Kurn's Tower- Everquest- Oh man the hours i spent here leveling and getting lost in the basments! Great, great zone!
3. The Shire- LOTRO- I will admit that i didn't even think of this one until someone mentioned it but it truly was awesome!
4. Butcherblock - Everquest - Loved this zone! Spent a lot of time there leveling and enjoying the game!
5. Field of Bone- Everquest - Spent a lot of time leveling here as well. The whole zone seemed massive and it felt dangerous, especially when you swam out to the island the Tangrin was on and realized that he was gonna smash you haha.
Lots of Everquest zones that is for sure. Mostly anything from Kunark is one of my favorite zones because they were really well done.
1. The undead area and orc fort north on Delucia in T2A UO
2. Deadmines in WoW, see that Juggernaut in the end was awesome back in early 05. Warcraft 2 anyone?
3. Jita in EVE. It's epic watching all the trade ships coming in and out non stop 24/7. Oh and camping to wait for war targets to undock and try to warp away!
4. I don't know the name of the area, but in Darkfall my clan (420 what!) was hired to defend a shard holder so we hid him on the top of huge spire that only one 20 to 30 second lift ride would take you up to. It was an awesome fight, but we lost in the end!
5. The graveyard north of Britain, some crazy fights there...
If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG - Bill Gates
In no particular order:
Dathomir (SWG) - Nightsisters, Rancor's, Maximum Security Prison's. Oh, did I mention the Rancors and Nightsisters!
Ymir's Pass (AoC) - Amazingly beautiful zone with a great instance at the end of it (Amphitheater).
Jita (EVE) - First time you jump into Jita your jaw just drops at the sheer amout of traffic. It's insane.
Conall's Valley (AoC) - Another beautiful zone, my favourite starter zone once you complete Tortage. Total immersion.
Tatooine (SWG) - Eh, it's Tatooine FFS! I have dreamed of that place since I was 4 years old and saw Star Wars for the first time.
MMORPG History:
Playing - EVE Online.
Played (Retired) - AO, SWG, MxO, WoW, RFO, SoR, CoX, EQ2, GW, L2, Vanguard, LotRO, AoC, TCoS, Aion.
Favourite MMO - Pre-CU SWG, 3 Years, 4 Accounts, 2 Pre-CU Jedi (1 Pre-9).
Awaiting - Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Secret World, Earthrise.
Tower of Frozen Shadow - EQ
Unrest - EQ
Plane of Time - EQ....cause it took forever to key up. Got to make a Quarm WTD pet with my necro.
Burnt Woods....err Burning Woods- EQ (Chardok, Lower Guk, and a few Velious zones could be here as well)
Some zone in CoH that had a huge cliff mountain. You could knock a mob off the edge, and sometimes that didnt kill him, so he would climb back up. The 2nd time with same mob was just too cool. Like "you didnt learn the first time?".
Asking Devs to make AAA sandbox titles is like trying to get fine dining on a McDonalds dollar menu budget.
Jita-eve, what more need be said. Really unprecendented your first time.
storm peaks- wow,just a cool zone,with nice scenary, and feel.
Ironforge-WoW. I must say, i've never had an experience like the one i had when first entering ironforge on my little dwarf way back. It was just epic, running up that large ramp, seeing a guild meeting and duels outside the gates, then just the awesome city itself , teeming with life, and the christmas event at the time.
Mortal online, pretty much any zone. The game is pretty bad shape, but the world itself i just found to be amazing.
The final spot i would say is old tarantia from aoc, i just liked the city architecture.
Given the era and available technology..
1) Karnor's Castle (EQ1) I loved all the different camp locations for groups to play in, and all the danger that followed, especially those that fell down the well.. Ooops..
2) Kedge Keep (EQ1) I stayed away from this zone as much as possible.. It was a love/hate relationship.. Underwater zone that would KICK your groups butt.. woot woot..
3) Rori Planet (SWG) My first starting zone on Day 1, I even went out of my way to find a player city on Rori to call home.. It was truely sad to leave it shortly before NGE.. So much hope, so much sadness..
4) Paludal Caverns (EQ1) I so loved this zone for grinding with a group.. cha ching bada bing.. Now that was great social fun.. I put that in with my good times in the commons, highkeep basement, or OT..
5) This one is a tie. I loved the starting zones in Aion, or many of the zones in EQ2.. Toss a coin..
I remember a lot of fun experiences I had in EQ, but the most fun, and frustrating were definately crushbone as a newb and unrest. so many trains in crushbone lol. and getting killed after falling pretty deep in unrest and having to get a high lvl rogue to drag the bodies of a RL friend, my bro and me was just entertaining.
1)The Obsidian Plains - Asheron's Call. Incredibly cool place - a blackened, cracked plateau of basalt, filled with strange blue crystals everywhere. Virindi were all over the place, they're these floating cloaked beings with creepy doll masks. They carry sickles and make alien sounds. It was really atmospheric.. so mysterious when players first discovered it.
2) Southern Direlands - Asheron's Call. There were times where I would just go exploring for hours in AC, running as far as I could and seeing how long I could survive. The South Direlands is a really cool place. If you run across the southern landbridge you can see how the landscape changes...jagged mountains give way to this maze of rock spires. It was rare to see anyone running around in the middle of nowhere. Truly a massive gameworld.
3) Crater Lake - Asheron's Call. Modelled after Crater Lake IRL. The only way into Crater Lake was this narrow passageway from the outside. In the middle of crater lake were all these damn fire elementals,but it was the only place you could forge Atlan Weapons.
4) Moonglow - UO. So glad others have mentioned this place. Used to be my home. I have many fond memories from Moonglow. I spent too many hours killing undead, haha. I should really have explored more.
5) Neocron - the whole city was great. The Pepper Park district, Via Rosso, I can't even remember the rest properly. Had such a great vibe and feel to it, the game was just so damn hard and the community wasn't the greatest from what I can remember, but that comes with the territory I guess. I really miss this game though.
- LoTRO - Any zone. Just the best overall zone feel and immersion of any game. from mountains to glades, to crystal lakes to rundown ruins to giant statues of ancient kings. And then there is the sight of Bree at night as viewed from a distant hill with lights like coloured stars across a black canvas.
- AO - Adonis. When word first came it was a mystery. You needed a underwater suit just to get there... there was an access quest... then you get there and it's massive and so different. Fantastic open content, hecklers, mini-bosses and spawning bosses. Odd, beautiful and challenging - solo and in group. Many, many levels were to be spent in this zone and well-spent they were.
- Tabula Rasa - Any zone after level 15 (I DO have a favourite, but i just don't remember what it was called). No game before or since has given me the same visceral rush of being on a battlefield in the middle of invasion. intensifying with every progressive zone, drops ship dropping more mobs, mobs fighting friendly NPCs, things (people?) blowing up in the distance - the immersion was palpable. The sound was incredible as well and added a lot to the game.
- EQ2 - Mistmoore Castle and Catacombs. Tons of challenging named, good loot, good progressive feel through the zone. Variety of content ranging from soloable to small group to hardcore group to two groups to full raid. Secret doors, secret quests, interesting ring events all over the place. Everything connecting up to the master of the house. Cool stuff.
- SWG - Tattooine. Yep, that's Jabba's palace. Yep, that's a city in the distance. Yep, those are jawas. Yep, those are tusken raiders. zomg, AWESOME!
this one really needs no explanation. Except, wtf is with the chiss in the Mos Eisley cantina?!
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
Currently Playing: ESO
Hahaha, I agree. There was definitely no place for Chiss on Tatooine, I don't know what the devs were thinking. They're supposed to have been reclusive around that time. Also, I don't know if you ever played Jedi Outcast, but do you remember the one level on Nar Shadaa with the Chiss bartender? "Corellian ale. In a CLEAN glass"