I've played most MMOs over the last few years, notably:
- WoW: since vanilla, up to, but not including, the last expansion. Not going back there
- FFXIV: best PvE I've ever seen. Got all classes maxed. Waiting for the next expansion
- ESO: it's... ok, I guess. There isn't a real sense of progression, very linear
- GW2: man, I really want to love this game, but the lack of dungeons, and especially the lack of Trinity, doesn't keep me addicted
- SWTOR: I'm a SW fan, and love the stories, but the community is very toxic and elitist. Also waiting for the new expansion
- LOTRO: loved this to death. Then the server changed hands (again) and wiped all my characters, without reason, nor chance to recover them. Not going to restart again. Excellent community, by far the best I've seen
- AION: played at release, and like most Korean MMOs, a grindfest
- WildStar: very spammy/clicky. Dead
- EVE: PvE is very repetitive, dislike the progression system
- Albion: Extreme P2W, extreme grind, PvP-centric
- Runescape (3 and Classic): tried several times, doesn't click with me. Don't know why. Feels very grindy
- Rift: loved the classes system. Now on life support, leeching money from its players
Some I haven't really played much, but after some research, they don't seem for me (prove me wrong):
- TERA: similar feel to AION, grindfest, elitist community, only endgame matters
- Black Desert: P2W, PvP-centric
- Blade and Soul: seems PvP-centric, low population
What did I miss? Should I keep trying Tera or BnS? I need a popular MMO, with some decent Trinity dungeons with teamwork and without a toxic community
Comments
As for your question itself, your preferences are so wildly different from mine that I really can't help you. I thought of FFXIV as a mostly combat game with bad combat, though it did do everything else besides combat well.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
Alive and with a decent population on the PvE server Crom (Fury, the pvp is quite empty, but you seek the PvE anyways).
Funcom's focus is still on Exiles, so AoC gets nothing besides themed progression servers sometimes, so far there were two, the second with a pvp ruleset will end soon.
I'm curious about the "Then the server changed hands (again)" part, was it the server transfers, or earlier the Codies - Turbine handover? If the latter, the chances are low indeed, but either way, the Support might be able to do something. If it was the transfers, there's a chance they have backups somewhere...
If at first you dont succeed, call it version 1.0
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
If it was from the server merges, then his characters are still waiting in limbo to be transferred to an active server. Someone on the official forums just came back after 8 years and transferred his from his old dead server to an active one.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
About two years ago I was hot in playing this game again, ignoring the fact it turned to crap with easy and cash shop.
I went against my rule of NEVER purchasing anything in a cash shop and bought a Rune Keeper class (scumbag trick, they have going). I was about to purchase the second expansion too, but the game was so easy it was a waist of my life going through the motions of "easy" I decided to give up on the game all together.
Now they have a new (scumbag trick, they have going) server changing hands, new company and other changes.... All so they can pretend something new but never any talks about easy and the cash shop, THAT STAYS.
I can't see myself ever re-downloading it to find out if I lost anything.
It's not an mmorpg, its a trick.
My mains are Necromancer, Guardian and Bear Shaman with some Ranger on the side when I don't want to have to think.
It's a vanilla wow private server which I believe I cannot name specifically here due to rules. If only there was some symmetry between real world expressional freedom and restricted yet legally responsible forums.
You stay sassy!