I want to get lost in the world!

Skillzeroo

Looking for a new MMO that is currently out . I can think of quite a few MMOs coming out that I'd like to try but I want to play something NOW!

Looking for

• 
  POLISH! This is important.. Ultimately this is what decides if I stick it out with the game. Good performance, smooth engine, decent animations, etc.
• 
  HUGE Amounts of exploration. This is the second most important.. I want to see cool zones and be surprised by what I find.. I want to be able to spend a good amount of my time leveling just finding new and interesting things throughout the world.
• 
  Decent PvP .. WORLD PvP is very important to me, I want to be able to take over castles and attack cities... Or just have some good fighting throughout the world is nice too. Instanced (Battleground, Arena) PvP is also important but world PvP matters much, much more to me.
• 
  Prefer non "asian" art style.. I know there are many, many Korean MMOs out there that I might like but I'm not much for the cutesy art style asian games tend to have.

Do NOT Care About

• 
  Graphics as long as they aren't absolutely terrible.. I'm not looking for Age of Conan or something.
• 
  Cost of play.. Doesn't really matter to me. I can pay monthly or FTP.. Or even buy to play.

Would Appreciate But Don't NEED

• 
  Player Housing or Guild Housing

 

Those seem like pretty flexible requirements to me... Any suggestions? Only games I'm REALLY closed to are WoW and EVE Online (I like EVE but it doesn't fit the whole exploration thing much)

 

PK4Gold

I think you are out of luck tbh.

Uraby

Based on your criteria I'd say your options are:

WoW

Vanguard

Runescape

 

WoW has great gameplay. If you're worn out on it, well, bummer, try Cataclysm maybe?

 

Vanguard is good. The gameplay is not particularly intuitive, nor are the zones are rich as the WoW zones, but the game is more challenging and if your GPU can handle it, exploring can be exciting.

 

Runescape is clunky in both graphics, UI, and controls, but it is a big world to explore and there is open pvp in the wilderness. It's got a distinct feel which is fun, it's just a bit slow and less interactive than other mmos.

Laroque

Even though you request heavy world pvp and non asian arts.... FFXI will be the most amazing "Adventure" you will come across. It is a challenge compared to most MMOs if you are in a hurry to level. The zones are stunning and the advanced job system is brilliant. You will never get bored if you do actually enjoy the game. Alot of people don't like it because of the difficulty but the exploration which you seem to be most enthused about is never going to be matched as it is in FFXI. And i have not played in so long, but have been thinking about playing it again from scratch. If you do take my advice and would like someone to static with and a friend let me know i'd be more than happy to have a reason to start playing again lol.

MMOman101

I suggest everyone play Vanguard; however, it is not polished and does not have PvP.  The world is huge, rich, and deep.  If you want to really feel like you are in a vast world Vanguard is the place.

Darkor_hXc

I've been trying to find a good mmo too since I'm trying to stay away from drugs and parties (for some time at least). But just getting frustrated. So I just resubed to EVE. And you know what, that's the only game that I really enjoy.

 

• 
  It's very polished
• 
  The exploration as you want it is not as good cause all systems looks kinda the same....BUT! If you get a Black Ops ship, a cloak device, a probe launcher and actually some probes. I can tell tath EVE brings a freaking great exploration. You will find different types of wormholes, hostile npcs, complexes and (what's important for me) PvP.
• 
  So PvP, it's not easy but EVE offers the best PvP I've ever played. It's HUGE, not items/equipment dependent and fun. You can go from pirate to anti-pirate, mercenary, scort, explorer...well lots of "jobs". You can attack w/e you want on Low/Null Sec, from POS (Player Owned Stations) to Towers. So there's great PvP.
• 
  Well...about art style. You already know that.

• 
  Graphics are sick. IMHO

You should give Eve a try, not a 21-day or even worst a 14-day trial cause you will not even know wtf the game is about. Do some reading. ISK 3.0 guide it's a good resource of knowledge, make a decision, then join a corp that is willing to teach you and make the game fun for you, faster.

anemo

WurmOnline is the only game I've managed to get "completely and fully" lost to the point that I had no idea where I was.   The world is simulated well enough that you can actually relay on the sun and stars if you happen to not have a compass.

A bit lacking on polish, over a decade worth of indy developement time.   But when it comes to crafting and building it's in the top 5 lists when it comes to the "individual" player building and in the top 10 to group building.   Can fully deform terrain, build anywhere, and similar.   You could tunnel all the way through a mountain and come out the other side if you wanted to and had the manpower,  Terraform normal terrain(make this hill flat, make earthen walls).   And there is the wild server where an RvR mechanic is an aspect.