FFARR= PVE game only (if they have added pvp then it's nothing huge) and a good one, housing, great graphics, dungeon, end game raiding, very slow combat mechanics like wow but even slower. Otherwise great game but limited. box+ Sub
4vs4 and 72v72v72 PvP content has been added to the game, along with PvP only skills and rewards (gear etc.). PvE is definitely the main focus but casual PvP is possible and the devs will continue to support that playstyle.
If OP wants a game with the best dev support then FFXIV:ARR is the game to play.
Sorry didn't know, it didn't exsist when I played it but tnx for the info might just try it again if I get boared of gw2. And you are right that it's a great game.
It's funny when people say, they tried ESO but only in beta, could not stomach it after 2 hrs. BUT waiting it becoming B2P/F2P, so you can finally play it?
Just say you hate subs and just want to play for free.
Originally posted by ElRenmazuo ESO because theres a lot of solo and duo content at end game too and you guys will enjoy cooping the various public dungeons. Just make sure you guys stay in sync with the main storyline.
Played it at launch, now im waiting for more updates, and ps4 release so I can upgrade it to ps4.
Playing ffxiv atm on the ps4, its fun! Was just doing a quest, was standing still, a high lvl asked me you need help, great ppl in it! I always have my bluetooth keyboard next to me even when playing it on my vita in bed! Nothing can beat that!
Tried gw2 a few days ago. I was kinda lost, all my pvp gear was gone( Couldnt find rank60 pvp vendor.
Played rift a year ago, lvl 45 healer (
Lotro isnt a game for me.
I would say, try ffxiv, you have a 2 weeks trail, I can give you a recruit code), try eso (no recruit tho) try gw2 xD
Basically, I am looking for two games : (1) mmorpgs with decent popularity & endgame and (2) mmorpg that feels like a single player game.
I will be playing with my gf so duo-friendliness of a game is important.
For the first category, I found GW2 / Rift / FF ARR. I would like to avoid a game that focuses its end-game contents on structured & difficult raids as in WoW. Actually, I enjoyed playing WoW with world-class raid team 4-5 years ago but now I don't have enough time to do so and would want to avoid WoW style endgame.
But I am little worried because all game seems to have their own drawbacks.
GW2: Are there enough endgame contents?
Rift : Is it WoW-clone and its end-game is large raid focused?
FF ARR : Does it simply focuses on old-style grinding where I do the same stuff repetitively?
For the second category, I found TSW, ESO and Lotro. Basically, to me, it seems like I can enjoy most of them with my gf as we do in RPGs with co-op support. I am leaning toward TSW but would like to hear more opinions.
GW2 - I would say no, to your needs. The end game is loosely there but most likely not enough to draw you in and keep you staying.
Rift - Imagine WoW, with a different skin. It has its subtle difference but if you were an avid WoW fan you'll go into this recognising much the same. Which is nice, but you might get bored quickly.
FF14 - A solid game, very duo and solo friendly, lots of fun activities and sub-stuff to get involved with. Great story and the ability to do everything on one class.
TSW - Great game, lacks population and lacks some of the nicities of other games, I enjoy this game a lot. But on a more, casual basis.
ESO - This is a kinda hate it or love it game, personally I did not enjoy it. Found the game rather dull to be fair. End game, not a lot to be said I know more is coming though.
LOTRO - Assuming you don't mind paying for things, I would suggest the sub on this one then this is a nice solid game. Not much community in beginning but heats up mid-end game. Its a labor of love but a fantastic experience. Just takes some staying power to get there.
Seems like a prett fair appraisal. Re SWTOR when I tried it, performance was shocking and the maps were horribly tunnelled - however things may have changed.
My suggestion is since you can play GW2/Rift for free, play those along with subbex swtor (free version is horribly restricted) 1 sub for 3 games, while you decide
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
It's honestly going to depend on your preferences. Personally, I play GW2 with my girlfriend about 4 hours a week and can work on my own goals at other times. The crafting is improving leaps and bounds with the living story season 2 and the story this season seems very well done.
If you don't mind paying a sub (or 2 if you play with your gf) I would also recommend FF:ARR. I am someone who despises P2P games, but FF:ARR seems to actually be putting out enough content to justify it. Excellent story and the most amazing comeback that I can think of. I also have a special place for Final Fantasy in my heart as it's what brought me to RPGs in the first place.
TSW is an amazing game and it deserves a much higher population. The combat is iffy, though. I would not play it with my gf, but it's definitely something I enjoy solo.
ESO is JUST hitting its stride. It is something I would play first before making a huge investment.
Have not personally played Rift or LotRO enough to make an educated decision one way or the other.
Personally, I would play GW2, FF:ARR, and ESO. Any one or combination of those games should keep you happy. I will say that GW2 and FF:ARR are more gf friendly, imo
"As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days those are now the only two states youll find the world of Tyria."...Guild Wars 2
Originally posted by xlist21 Hi all,Basically, I am looking for two games : (1) mmorpgs with decent popularity & endgame and (2) mmorpg that feels like a single player game. I will be playing with my gf so duo-friendliness of a game is important. For the first category, I found GW2 / Rift / FF ARR. I would like to avoid a game that focuses its end-game contents on structured & difficult raids as in WoW. Actually, I enjoyed playing WoW with world-class raid team 4-5 years ago but now I don't have enough time to do so and would want to avoid WoW style endgame. But I am little worried because all game seems to have their own drawbacks. GW2: Are there enough endgame contents?Rift : Is it WoW-clone and its end-game is large raid focused?FF ARR : Does it simply focuses on old-style grinding where I do the same stuff repetitively? For the second category, I found TSW, ESO and Lotro. Basically, to me, it seems like I can enjoy most of them with my gf as we do in RPGs with co-op support. I am leaning toward TSW but would like to hear more opinions.
Why do people think tsw is a single player game when the bulk of the game requires grouping.
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
FF ARR seems not to be the right game for you. It is more for hard-core players who rush through the leveling process and then spend all the time raiding. However, their crafting system is very good. And there is cross-platforming between PS3 and PC.
TSW is the right MMO for players who want to try something different. The setting, the puzzle-quests, etc. If you want to level as a pair, this could be a lot of fun.
Rift is basically a game for players who like MMOs like WoW, but prefer a very deep and open class-system.
ESO is a huge disappointment - especially for players who like to quest together with others it is a painful experience.
GW2 could be the right choice. I like this game very much. Questing and especially exploring together with a friend is fantastic. Some of the dynamic quests a great, most feel like your standard MMO-experience. However, the overall system makes it very easy to do everything together. There are 100 little things in this MMO, that make you think "Why does not everybody else do it this way?"Combat is great. And there are always some hidden little dungeons full of traps and dangerous monsters. Keep in mind that there is no end-game-gear-progression and no raiding. For many players this is a huge problem. I think it has some advantages. There are enough 5-man-instances, special dynamic events and of course WvW. And due to downleveling just clearing the whole wold-map stays a challenging experience.
Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need.
Like many others, I have played all the games you mentioned. Since you talked about playing with your GF together, this narrows the list down IMO. First off someone mentioned SWTOR, I suggest you skip the game. Its the one game I didnt find appealing playing with someone else.
I think TSW or Guild Wars 2 will honestly provide the most fun for both of you. TSW is very different story wise but the only issue I see is the potential end game issue. If/when you finish it, there isn't a whole lot to do. Guild Wars 2 has a bunch of stuff to do and adds new content during seasons. I also found playing GW2 with someone else was a great experience and I had lots of fun.
All the games you mentioned are good, I personally think Rift and LOTR, unless you are both big time LOTR fans will be the games not best suited for what you said. In the end, I hope you both find a game you can enjoy!
Like many others, I have played all the games you mentioned. Since you talked about playing with your GF together, this narrows the list down IMO. First off someone mentioned SWTOR, I suggest you skip the game. Its the one game I didnt find appealing playing with someone else.
I think TSW or Guild Wars 2 will honestly provide the most fun for both of you. TSW is very different story wise but the only issue I see is the potential end game issue. If/when you finish it, there isn't a whole lot to do. Guild Wars 2 has a bunch of stuff to do and adds new content during seasons. I also found playing GW2 with someone else was a great experience and I had lots of fun.
All the games you mentioned are good, I personally think Rift and LOTR, unless you are both big time LOTR fans will be the games not best suited for what you said. In the end, I hope you both find a game you can enjoy!
SWTOR is awesome for duo. Actually it's in my opinion the best MMO to play with frend. I do it all the time. The cutscenes include both players and their companions, NPCs recognise that you are in group and have sometimes fun remarks about it. Dialog wheel's answers are won byt the highest roll, so it's sort of competition who win this time.
GW2 is pretty but I found it boring real fast. I found action combat not to my liking though.
LOTRO is OK but it's getting old, and characters are very "wooden".
FFXIV I gought it and played one day. No voice over or little and you have to like the eastern style. Combat is boringly slow.
TSW is a great MMO but grouping can be frustrating. There are plenty os solo instances that you cannot enter with priend and you have to do it separately.
EQ2 is a pretty good game, has a lot of content and pretty well established.
The only games that I could play longer that week or two are EQ2, LOTRO, TSW and SWTOR which is my main game and I play it from December 2011.
for the first one: if you like crafting or your GF does, I'd pick FF14 (i'm going to assume neither of you are big FF fans like I am because then it would be a no brainer) ; if you or her like theorycrafting and enjoy the occasional raid then Rift. If you like action combat over hotbar combat then gw2 but i like TERA over gw2 as an action game.
for the second one... well LOTRO has only one problem IMHO and it's that it has not too much large group content. but you guys arent interested in that, so it might be absolutely perfect for you. ESPECIALLY if you like RP. I literally broke down in tears when i saw the shire in LOTRO for the first time as i really felt it was the books come to "life". (not all the zones made me a teary skull but that one certainly did)
I would add to your suggestions: EQ2 if you are into player housing. you can get a mansion together and decorate it with the various things you collect and make. LOTRO has housing too but it's not quite on the stellar level as EQ2's.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Originally posted by Arthasm Try Rift, it's free. Not too much on raid, plenty other options and world raids/groups for rifts, but for top gear you need to raid, but you can live without it and it's not gamebreaking, or you can jump sometimes if you want. Second option - FFXIV ARR. It's gear grind in endgame, but still optional. Main storyline is one of the best since you looking for single player experince and you gonna love it. In GW2 there is no end-game, pretty easy game, solo play, but since you're new, maybe you gonna like it and will last for you few months.
Actually, that's not accurate. I would not describe ARR's story as "single player" at all.
A chunk of ARR's storyline can be solo'd/duo'd (with tons of running around and a series of quests that are so blatantly designed to waste time and drag it out, that even an NPC (Ysh'tola) comments on it at one point).
However, a pretty big chunk of it requires grouping through a series of dungeons (9 required for the main story) and at least 2 required Primal Fights (Ifrit, Titan - possibly Garuda as well, though my memory is fuzzy right now).
Those are all mandatory to get through the storyline. They can not be skipped, and they require a group (from 4 to 8 people, depending on the dungeon). There are also several side dungeons that you can do, but are not mandatory (as I recall). You are required to use the Duty Finder to access them, and if you don't have a group ready and willing to help, depending on your roles, it can be a long wait.
Also, if you're going through the dungeons, unless you're lucky and can get a group who is cool with you hanging back and watching the story cutscenes, fully expect to be yelled at for not just skipping them because others are in a hurry. A notable chunk of ARR's community is rather openly hostile towards people who actually care about and want to follow the story in a FF game.
If the ability to solo/duo through the whole game/story is what you're after, ARR is one of the last games I'd recommend.
I've played all these, GW2 is the only one that has stayed installed; I actually just recently started playing it again.
Rift = This game was alright, it feels more dated all the time though. The thing I notice most about it every time I play is that the gameplay seems choppy, but I think that's just it's age showing.
FFARR = Rofl. This game was pretty, but the jobs end up filling my back pack while the combat has a ridiculous global cooldown that makes the whole endeavor feel entirely unresponsive.
TSW = I really loved this game for a long time, the voice acting is incredible; going back after a break though the whole thing felt much less fluid than I had remembered. Definitely less fun for every new character. Quests are incredibly in depth but you really only want to do them once.
ESO = Oh eso, i had such high hopes for eso PvP, and it was fun, but everyone crouch-hiding and stalking around became super annoying quickly. Just imagine rogues in wow, now imagine all the warlocks, paladins, warriors, shaman, etc all have stealth too. X_X
Lotro = I would probably play Lotro if it didn't feel so old and clunky. I have played a couple times in the past and I just don't care to deal with 3 bars of skills in games anymore.
GW2 = GW2 is hard to describe. I think they did a lot of things right. The only bitching I see is from Grindheads who don't know how to play a game if they're not chasing a carrot. GW2 is like Mario, you don't play it because you want to become more powerful, you play it because it's designed to play well. I have 4 level 80s and still haven't seen the whole map.
TSw rocks, it has TONS of content during your way to "endgame", but once you reached it, it gets abit less.
good thing, till you reach it, some time will pass, it's b2p, and if you like it, you are free to spend some money on clothings and more content. those episodes are all well done so far - got em all and i am on the last one atm. but i play games on a nerd base / eg, i spend alot of time :P
they also have those neat "detective missions" (name not used ingame) wchi actually focus on NOTHING but your ability to come up with a conclusion, or rather find that one with the help of the internet.
if you decide to do em, my suggestion is NOT to do em WoW style (eg open the internet and have a page explain everything you need to do step by step), but to solve em yourself, no matter how long it takes :P
i think they added like 9 issues so far (first 4 for free) and one investigative pack (for the "detective missions").
the world is absolutely amazing and they have dungeons and raids as well. i think if you play it in normal pace, you won't run out of content for some time.
it's surely not my main game, but it's a game i can promote without shame
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
GW2 = GW2 is hard to describe. I think they did a lot of things right. The only bitching I see is from Grindheads who don't know how to play a game if they're not chasing a carrot. GW2 is like Mario, you don't play it because you want to become more powerful, you play it because it's designed to play well. I have 4 level 80s and still haven't seen the whole map.
That's actually a great way to describe GW2. It really is not a game designed to be "grinded through". Almost literally everything you can do in the game rewards xp and progresses your character. So there's no point in focusing on "just this" or "just that". The game encourages you to just log in and "do whatever you feel like", because it's all going to reward you. It also remains in my top spot for having a world that is not only beautiful, but literally screams to be explored. I've spent many sessions just logging in, picking a starting point, and just running off in some direction I hadn't been yet - or even one I had - just to see what I could find. And I'd almost always find something.
The thing with GW2 for me, though, is that after a while, I get this creeping feeling of "pointlessness" to it. I can't quite explain it. But I know that's when it's time to take a break and play something else for a while. At least I know when ever I come back, I'll be able to just log in and play, although I might have missed some major events in the interim. So, it's definitely a "push and pull" there.
The Secret World is one where, as a duo, I could see you really enjoying yourselves. I've known of many couples who play that, and work out the various puzzles and such together, as a team. Very rewarding in that way. The writing is excellent. The voice acting is top notch. The game absolutely oozes atmosphere from every pixel, and in a world dominated by high fantasy, it really stands out with an original setting, and a decidedly mature approach to the genre. It's not intended for kids. It has a very deep and versatile skill and "gear" system. The combat seems to be the most divisive part of the game. When people say they don't like TSW, the combat seems to be the aspect they most often cite. I personally have no problem with the combat, so I can't speak to that.
Originally posted by nearmys I've played all these, GW2 is the only one that has stayed installed; I actually just recently started playing it again.Rift = This game was alright, it feels more dated all the time though. The thing I notice most about it every time I play is that the gameplay seems choppy, but I think that's just it's age showing.FFARR = Rofl. This game was pretty, but the jobs end up filling my back pack while the combat has a ridiculous global cooldown that makes the whole endeavor feel entirely unresponsive.TSW = I really loved this game for a long time, the voice acting is incredible; going back after a break though the whole thing felt much less fluid than I had remembered. Definitely less fun for every new character. Quests are incredibly in depth but you really only want to do them once.ESO = Oh eso, i had such high hopes for eso PvP, and it was fun, but everyone crouch-hiding and stalking around became super annoying quickly. Just imagine rogues in wow, now imagine all the warlocks, paladins, warriors, shaman, etc all have stealth too. X_XLotro = I would probably play Lotro if it didn't feel so old and clunky. I have played a couple times in the past and I just don't care to deal with 3 bars of skills in games anymore.GW2 = GW2 is hard to describe. I think they did a lot of things right. The only bitching I see is from Grindheads who don't know how to play a game if they're not chasing a carrot. GW2 is like Mario, you don't play it because you want to become more powerful, you play it because it's designed to play well. I have 4 level 80s and still haven't seen the whole map.
Dude this is the best description I have ever seen about Guild Wars 2.
I keep heading back to LOTRO all the time. I think it does F2P the best out of all the games.
Really.?
Do you not have to pay for each zone in Lotro.?
Have you played Rift F2P model.?
Rift has a great model indeed, sadly the game itself never was among my favourites (except the Dimensions).
LotRO's model, I've wrote already numerous posts about it it's not as simple and straightforward as Rift's, but for former players it's almost as good.
For newcomers, Rift's f2p is much better, I agree (but you can unlock whole game for free in LotRO too, if don't mind the wasted time for grinding).
Basically, I am looking for two games : (1) mmorpgs with decent popularity & endgame and (2) mmorpg that feels like a single player game.
I will be playing with my gf so duo-friendliness of a game is important.
For the first category, I found GW2 / Rift / FF ARR. I would like to avoid a game that focuses its end-game contents on structured & difficult raids as in WoW. Actually, I enjoyed playing WoW with world-class raid team 4-5 years ago but now I don't have enough time to do so and would want to avoid WoW style endgame.
But I am little worried because all game seems to have their own drawbacks.
GW2: Are there enough endgame contents?
Rift : Is it WoW-clone and its end-game is large raid focused?
FF ARR : Does it simply focuses on old-style grinding where I do the same stuff repetitively?
For the second category, I found TSW, ESO and Lotro. Basically, to me, it seems like I can enjoy most of them with my gf as we do in RPGs with co-op support. I am leaning toward TSW but would like to hear more opinions.
You may want to be a bit more specific, because when most people talk about 'endgame content' they mean 'WoW-style endgame raiding & dungeon grinding'. Since you obviously don't want that, to you know what 'type' of endgame you are actually looking for?
That said;
GW2 has a ton of free content, and once you own the box you can go back and enjoy it any time you want. There is plenty to do at endgame, almost too much if you are serious about acquiring the cooler skins in the game (as they require lots of time commitments to obtain the more rare ones). There's quite a number of dungeons to enjoy (you can spend hours each night just going through each of the dungeons to get the daily rewards). There's fractals (randomized endgame dungeons), world bosses, and of course pvp (and RvR style pvp).
** GW2 would be my recommendation for an MMO with plenty to do, and non-WoW style endgame content. The other 2 games you ask about are both modelled after WoW, so if you don't like that, stay away.
- For the second category TSW might be your best bet. The story is really fun, especially if you like dark & creepy settings. if not, I would recommend checking out SWTOR. It also has pretty good story, and you don't have to go through the endgame raids to enjoy the game.
LotRO was a good game, but it's way too dated & it's hard to enjoy it anymore. ESO has too many problems to name, not the least of which is you will have issues questing with your gf becaue of the phasing system. The only issue w/ TSW is the combat, which feels a bit clunky and simplistic.
I keep heading back to LOTRO all the time. I think it does F2P the best out of all the games.
Really.?
Do you not have to pay for each zone in Lotro.?
Have you played Rift F2P model.?
Rift has a great model indeed, sadly the game itself never was among my favourites (except the Dimensions).
LotRO's model, I've wrote already numerous posts about it it's not as simple and straightforward as Rift's, but for former players it's almost as good.
For newcomers, Rift's f2p is much better, I agree (but you can unlock whole game for free in LotRO too, if don't mind the wasted time for grinding).
I'll just add that by this account SWTOR doesn't have a half bad f2p either. If you're willing to spend time leveling and gathering money only to buy unlocks, swtor can give you a HUGE game for free. I mean the only things you CAN'T(no way pedro!) influence are:
-> RE chances(a hit to high end crafting): 10% instead of 20%
-> Money limit(notable only during the endgame): 350k max(it can be purchased via escrows, but it'll get pricy as all hell)
-> Chat restriction: you can't chat normally. There's a limit(3 messages?) after which you have to wait 30s to chat again(annoying, but not make or break)
-> Forum restriction: you can't use the forums AT ALL. This could be a make or break(it is for me). But I understand and fully support them for doing this(otherwise they'd have a LoL forum on their hands!)
I mean with a high level char feeding the alts with xp boosts, you won't even feel the xp diff. And a fully unlocked f2p SWTOR feels more like a full game than some P2Ps do.
Just saying(if it applies to LoTR:O, it applies to SWTOR as well)...
I thought they also gated your characters & UI?
Did they undo that decision? Or are you saying you can use in-game gold to unlock them anyway? If that's true I may have to reconsider playing that game again.
Just saying(if it applies to LoTR:O, it applies to SWTOR as well)...
I thought they also gated your characters & UI?
Did they undo that decision? Or are you saying you can use in-game gold to unlock them anyway? If that's true I may have to reconsider playing that game again.
In theory, yes. In practice, nope. When I last time played (for the Nar Shadda house, I only play TOR when I drop in the sub, even preferred is a painful experience), I kept checking the GTN every day on two servers, just to check the unlocks: none for the free/preferred folks.
So while at the f2p switch it was a quite common practice to buy unlocks, nowadays, with the big f2p player influx is over and demand was dropped, you can't find anything within the cap.
(and I only say, the option is there in LotRO, I wouldn't suggest it to anyone, it's a massive grind. As i wrote, for a newcomer, Rift's model is much better. The difference is that in LotRO you buy the unlocks from Turbine, while in TOR you're depending on the greed of the other players.)
Comments
Sorry didn't know, it didn't exsist when I played it but tnx for the info might just try it again if I get boared of gw2. And you are right that it's a great game.
Just say you hate subs and just want to play for free.
Played it at launch, now im waiting for more updates, and ps4 release so I can upgrade it to ps4.
Playing ffxiv atm on the ps4, its fun! Was just doing a quest, was standing still, a high lvl asked me you need help, great ppl in it! I always have my bluetooth keyboard next to me even when playing it on my vita in bed! Nothing can beat that!
Tried gw2 a few days ago. I was kinda lost, all my pvp gear was gone( Couldnt find rank60 pvp vendor.
Played rift a year ago, lvl 45 healer (
Lotro isnt a game for me.
I would say, try ffxiv, you have a 2 weeks trail, I can give you a recruit code), try eso (no recruit tho) try gw2 xD
LoTRO.
My wife loves it and thats all you need to know.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
GW2 - I would say no, to your needs. The end game is loosely there but most likely not enough to draw you in and keep you staying.
Rift - Imagine WoW, with a different skin. It has its subtle difference but if you were an avid WoW fan you'll go into this recognising much the same. Which is nice, but you might get bored quickly.
FF14 - A solid game, very duo and solo friendly, lots of fun activities and sub-stuff to get involved with. Great story and the ability to do everything on one class.
TSW - Great game, lacks population and lacks some of the nicities of other games, I enjoy this game a lot. But on a more, casual basis.
ESO - This is a kinda hate it or love it game, personally I did not enjoy it. Found the game rather dull to be fair. End game, not a lot to be said I know more is coming though.
LOTRO - Assuming you don't mind paying for things, I would suggest the sub on this one then this is a nice solid game. Not much community in beginning but heats up mid-end game. Its a labor of love but a fantastic experience. Just takes some staying power to get there.
My suggestion is since you can play GW2/Rift for free, play those along with subbex swtor (free version is horribly restricted) 1 sub for 3 games, while you decide
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
That is a VERY solid list of games.
It's honestly going to depend on your preferences. Personally, I play GW2 with my girlfriend about 4 hours a week and can work on my own goals at other times. The crafting is improving leaps and bounds with the living story season 2 and the story this season seems very well done.
If you don't mind paying a sub (or 2 if you play with your gf) I would also recommend FF:ARR. I am someone who despises P2P games, but FF:ARR seems to actually be putting out enough content to justify it. Excellent story and the most amazing comeback that I can think of. I also have a special place for Final Fantasy in my heart as it's what brought me to RPGs in the first place.
TSW is an amazing game and it deserves a much higher population. The combat is iffy, though. I would not play it with my gf, but it's definitely something I enjoy solo.
ESO is JUST hitting its stride. It is something I would play first before making a huge investment.
Have not personally played Rift or LotRO enough to make an educated decision one way or the other.
Personally, I would play GW2, FF:ARR, and ESO. Any one or combination of those games should keep you happy. I will say that GW2 and FF:ARR are more gf friendly, imo
"As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days those are now the only two states youll find the world of Tyria."...Guild Wars 2
Just repeating that EQ2 is the best fit for what OP is looking for even though its not on the list.
Just make sure to pick AB server
Why do people think tsw is a single player game when the bulk of the game requires grouping.
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
FF ARR seems not to be the right game for you. It is more for hard-core players who rush through the leveling process and then spend all the time raiding. However, their crafting system is very good. And there is cross-platforming between PS3 and PC.
TSW is the right MMO for players who want to try something different. The setting, the puzzle-quests, etc. If you want to level as a pair, this could be a lot of fun.
Rift is basically a game for players who like MMOs like WoW, but prefer a very deep and open class-system.
ESO is a huge disappointment - especially for players who like to quest together with others it is a painful experience.
GW2 could be the right choice. I like this game very much. Questing and especially exploring together with a friend is fantastic. Some of the dynamic quests a great, most feel like your standard MMO-experience. However, the overall system makes it very easy to do everything together. There are 100 little things in this MMO, that make you think "Why does not everybody else do it this way?"Combat is great. And there are always some hidden little dungeons full of traps and dangerous monsters. Keep in mind that there is no end-game-gear-progression and no raiding. For many players this is a huge problem. I think it has some advantages. There are enough 5-man-instances, special dynamic events and of course WvW. And due to downleveling just clearing the whole wold-map stays a challenging experience.
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Like many others, I have played all the games you mentioned. Since you talked about playing with your GF together, this narrows the list down IMO. First off someone mentioned SWTOR, I suggest you skip the game. Its the one game I didnt find appealing playing with someone else.
I think TSW or Guild Wars 2 will honestly provide the most fun for both of you. TSW is very different story wise but the only issue I see is the potential end game issue. If/when you finish it, there isn't a whole lot to do. Guild Wars 2 has a bunch of stuff to do and adds new content during seasons. I also found playing GW2 with someone else was a great experience and I had lots of fun.
All the games you mentioned are good, I personally think Rift and LOTR, unless you are both big time LOTR fans will be the games not best suited for what you said. In the end, I hope you both find a game you can enjoy!
SWTOR is awesome for duo. Actually it's in my opinion the best MMO to play with frend. I do it all the time. The cutscenes include both players and their companions, NPCs recognise that you are in group and have sometimes fun remarks about it. Dialog wheel's answers are won byt the highest roll, so it's sort of competition who win this time.
Example of full group FP cutscens..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL3wReRQ1VY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaQJrxIMEJk
As for other games.
GW2 is pretty but I found it boring real fast. I found action combat not to my liking though.
LOTRO is OK but it's getting old, and characters are very "wooden".
FFXIV I gought it and played one day. No voice over or little and you have to like the eastern style. Combat is boringly slow.
TSW is a great MMO but grouping can be frustrating. There are plenty os solo instances that you cannot enter with priend and you have to do it separately.
EQ2 is a pretty good game, has a lot of content and pretty well established.
The only games that I could play longer that week or two are EQ2, LOTRO, TSW and SWTOR which is my main game and I play it from December 2011.
Sith Warrior - Story of Hate and Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxKrlwXt7Ao
Imperial Agent - Rise of Cipher Nine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBBj3eJWBvU&feature=youtu.be
Imperial Agent - Hunt for the Eagle Part 1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQqjYYU128E
for the first one: if you like crafting or your GF does, I'd pick FF14 (i'm going to assume neither of you are big FF fans like I am because then it would be a no brainer) ; if you or her like theorycrafting and enjoy the occasional raid then Rift. If you like action combat over hotbar combat then gw2 but i like TERA over gw2 as an action game.
for the second one... well LOTRO has only one problem IMHO and it's that it has not too much large group content. but you guys arent interested in that, so it might be absolutely perfect for you. ESPECIALLY if you like RP. I literally broke down in tears when i saw the shire in LOTRO for the first time as i really felt it was the books come to "life". (not all the zones made me a teary skull but that one certainly did)
I would add to your suggestions: EQ2 if you are into player housing. you can get a mansion together and decorate it with the various things you collect and make. LOTRO has housing too but it's not quite on the stellar level as EQ2's.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Dwight D Eisenhower
My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
Henry Rollins
Actually, that's not accurate. I would not describe ARR's story as "single player" at all.
A chunk of ARR's storyline can be solo'd/duo'd (with tons of running around and a series of quests that are so blatantly designed to waste time and drag it out, that even an NPC (Ysh'tola) comments on it at one point).
However, a pretty big chunk of it requires grouping through a series of dungeons (9 required for the main story) and at least 2 required Primal Fights (Ifrit, Titan - possibly Garuda as well, though my memory is fuzzy right now).
Those are all mandatory to get through the storyline. They can not be skipped, and they require a group (from 4 to 8 people, depending on the dungeon). There are also several side dungeons that you can do, but are not mandatory (as I recall). You are required to use the Duty Finder to access them, and if you don't have a group ready and willing to help, depending on your roles, it can be a long wait.
Also, if you're going through the dungeons, unless you're lucky and can get a group who is cool with you hanging back and watching the story cutscenes, fully expect to be yelled at for not just skipping them because others are in a hurry. A notable chunk of ARR's community is rather openly hostile towards people who actually care about and want to follow the story in a FF game.
If the ability to solo/duo through the whole game/story is what you're after, ARR is one of the last games I'd recommend.
I've played all these, GW2 is the only one that has stayed installed; I actually just recently started playing it again.
Rift = This game was alright, it feels more dated all the time though. The thing I notice most about it every time I play is that the gameplay seems choppy, but I think that's just it's age showing.
FFARR = Rofl. This game was pretty, but the jobs end up filling my back pack while the combat has a ridiculous global cooldown that makes the whole endeavor feel entirely unresponsive.
TSW = I really loved this game for a long time, the voice acting is incredible; going back after a break though the whole thing felt much less fluid than I had remembered. Definitely less fun for every new character. Quests are incredibly in depth but you really only want to do them once.
ESO = Oh eso, i had such high hopes for eso PvP, and it was fun, but everyone crouch-hiding and stalking around became super annoying quickly. Just imagine rogues in wow, now imagine all the warlocks, paladins, warriors, shaman, etc all have stealth too. X_X
Lotro = I would probably play Lotro if it didn't feel so old and clunky. I have played a couple times in the past and I just don't care to deal with 3 bars of skills in games anymore.
GW2 = GW2 is hard to describe. I think they did a lot of things right. The only bitching I see is from Grindheads who don't know how to play a game if they're not chasing a carrot. GW2 is like Mario, you don't play it because you want to become more powerful, you play it because it's designed to play well. I have 4 level 80s and still haven't seen the whole map.
TSw rocks, it has TONS of content during your way to "endgame", but once you reached it, it gets abit less.
good thing, till you reach it, some time will pass, it's b2p, and if you like it, you are free to spend some money on clothings and more content. those episodes are all well done so far - got em all and i am on the last one atm. but i play games on a nerd base / eg, i spend alot of time :P
they also have those neat "detective missions" (name not used ingame) wchi actually focus on NOTHING but your ability to come up with a conclusion, or rather find that one with the help of the internet.
if you decide to do em, my suggestion is NOT to do em WoW style (eg open the internet and have a page explain everything you need to do step by step), but to solve em yourself, no matter how long it takes :P
i think they added like 9 issues so far (first 4 for free) and one investigative pack (for the "detective missions").
the world is absolutely amazing and they have dungeons and raids as well. i think if you play it in normal pace, you won't run out of content for some time.
it's surely not my main game, but it's a game i can promote without shame
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
That's actually a great way to describe GW2. It really is not a game designed to be "grinded through". Almost literally everything you can do in the game rewards xp and progresses your character. So there's no point in focusing on "just this" or "just that". The game encourages you to just log in and "do whatever you feel like", because it's all going to reward you. It also remains in my top spot for having a world that is not only beautiful, but literally screams to be explored. I've spent many sessions just logging in, picking a starting point, and just running off in some direction I hadn't been yet - or even one I had - just to see what I could find. And I'd almost always find something.
The thing with GW2 for me, though, is that after a while, I get this creeping feeling of "pointlessness" to it. I can't quite explain it. But I know that's when it's time to take a break and play something else for a while. At least I know when ever I come back, I'll be able to just log in and play, although I might have missed some major events in the interim. So, it's definitely a "push and pull" there.
The Secret World is one where, as a duo, I could see you really enjoying yourselves. I've known of many couples who play that, and work out the various puzzles and such together, as a team. Very rewarding in that way. The writing is excellent. The voice acting is top notch. The game absolutely oozes atmosphere from every pixel, and in a world dominated by high fantasy, it really stands out with an original setting, and a decidedly mature approach to the genre. It's not intended for kids. It has a very deep and versatile skill and "gear" system. The combat seems to be the most divisive part of the game. When people say they don't like TSW, the combat seems to be the aspect they most often cite. I personally have no problem with the combat, so I can't speak to that.
Noo, I really didnt like the game, played it till lvl 20 ( Was hoping for a good game, I could play for a while
((
Dude this is the best description I have ever seen about Guild Wars 2.
Really.?
Do you not have to pay for each zone in Lotro.?
Have you played Rift F2P model.?
Rift has a great model indeed, sadly the game itself never was among my favourites (except the Dimensions).
LotRO's model, I've wrote already numerous posts about it
it's not as simple and straightforward as Rift's, but for former players it's almost as good.
For newcomers, Rift's f2p is much better, I agree (but you can unlock whole game for free in LotRO too, if don't mind the wasted time for grinding).
You may want to be a bit more specific, because when most people talk about 'endgame content' they mean 'WoW-style endgame raiding & dungeon grinding'. Since you obviously don't want that, to you know what 'type' of endgame you are actually looking for?
That said;
GW2 has a ton of free content, and once you own the box you can go back and enjoy it any time you want. There is plenty to do at endgame, almost too much if you are serious about acquiring the cooler skins in the game (as they require lots of time commitments to obtain the more rare ones). There's quite a number of dungeons to enjoy (you can spend hours each night just going through each of the dungeons to get the daily rewards). There's fractals (randomized endgame dungeons), world bosses, and of course pvp (and RvR style pvp).
** GW2 would be my recommendation for an MMO with plenty to do, and non-WoW style endgame content. The other 2 games you ask about are both modelled after WoW, so if you don't like that, stay away.
- For the second category TSW might be your best bet. The story is really fun, especially if you like dark & creepy settings. if not, I would recommend checking out SWTOR. It also has pretty good story, and you don't have to go through the endgame raids to enjoy the game.
LotRO was a good game, but it's way too dated & it's hard to enjoy it anymore. ESO has too many problems to name, not the least of which is you will have issues questing with your gf becaue of the phasing system. The only issue w/ TSW is the combat, which feels a bit clunky and simplistic.
So, in short:
Category 1: GW2
Category 2: TSW or SWTOR
Hope that helps.
I thought they also gated your characters & UI?
Did they undo that decision? Or are you saying you can use in-game gold to unlock them anyway? If that's true I may have to reconsider playing that game again.
In theory, yes. In practice, nope. When I last time played (for the Nar Shadda house, I only play TOR when I drop in the sub, even preferred is a painful experience), I kept checking the GTN every day on two servers, just to check the unlocks: none for the free/preferred folks.
So while at the f2p switch it was a quite common practice to buy unlocks, nowadays, with the big f2p player influx is over and demand was dropped, you can't find anything within the cap.
(and I only say, the option is there in LotRO, I wouldn't suggest it to anyone, it's a massive grind. As i wrote, for a newcomer, Rift's model is much better. The difference is that in LotRO you buy the unlocks from Turbine, while in TOR you're depending on the greed of the other players.)