Support NeoGAF

[Dot50Cal]

I've been playing WoW since around mid Wrath of the Lich king and things have finally been stale for me these past few weeks. I thought about it a lot and realized what drew me in was the sense of exploration that the world had. However, everything is a known quantity at this point. I'd really love to get that feeling back, but I just can't see it happening unless they re-tool the entire world and make it worth it to explore again.

So with that in mind, I'm curious if there are other MMO's out there that fit the same theme (fantasy) that have a strong sense of Exploration? Beautiful environments would be a plus and F2P or at least a trial version would be a huge help for me, since I'm on a limited budget and don't want to invest too heavily into something I might not like.

I was thinking perhaps Lord of the Rings Online since I had just seen The Hobbit 2 the other day, but the graphics look a bit dated at this stage.

Any suggestions?

TLDR: Sick of WoW, I'd like to play another fantasy MMO with good exploration. Bonus points if its F2P or has a trial edition.

Edit: and then I made this topic in community instead of gaming. God damnit.

 

[ShinMaruku]

I would suggest Tera but that is a bit hit or miss for some people. it has great combat and some of the old MMO trappings. (Which is it's weakpoint for some people)

 

[Dot50Cal]

I looked up a few videos of Tera and it really looks great, I'll definitely be trying it out. How is it in regards to playing without paying? Would I be gimped a lot if I got involved in the game?

 

[ShinMaruku]

Oh it's free to play. The none terrible way too.

 

[Arksy]

Before the GW2 crazies come in (Looking at you, guys!) I'd recommend checking out GW2....

If you want exploration, it's easily the best game for just running around exploring on the market by a long shot.

Plus there's an active community of really nice GAFfers that'll happily help you out.

It's not a huge investment either, you buy the game once...and you can usually get it at a discount.

I'd highly recommend it...it's fairly different to WoW though...and it may not be your cup of tea, but if you want to kill stuff and explore, it's unparalleled.

 

[fiore]

Why not dota2? It combines all the best parts of an MMO, takes out the crap.

 

[Arksy]

Why not dota2? It combines all the best parts of an MMO, takes out the crap.

Because Dota 2 is a great game for exploring.........

 

[Bomber Bob]

Why not dota2? It combines all the best parts of an MMO, takes out the crap.

what

 

[Benutzer]

for me WoW is still the king

Spoiler

and will probably reign for a long time...

. but i heard good things about GW2, you should try that!

Why not dota2? It combines all the best parts of an MMO, takes out the crap.

yes, dota2 is exactly what the OP asked for.

 

[Diggler]

LOTRO has been around for a long time now and is absolutely huge. There is a significant chunk of Middle Earth there to explore, so if you're into LOTR it's a must play. Gameplay-wise it starts out almost identically to classic WoW, diverges later on as it progresses (mounted combat, massive battle system, epic story volumes, etc).

SWTOR is worth a bash if you want to focus more on compelling story and characters. The MMO stuff isn't anything new, but the solo content is great fun and all free.