I've played WoW on and off since its release and I am really just tired of it. I started out as a casual player, and then during wrath I became a relatively hardcore pvper, and through cata and now panda I bought the expansion, geared my character, and then stopped playing. Just isn't fun. I've been thinking about Guild Wars 2, FF XIV when it re-launches, and a game called Darkfall: Unholy Wars. As of right now the only one out is Guild Wars 2. But did anyone play FF XIV before they took it offline? Or has anyone played the previous Darkfall? Darkfall looks awesome for the pvp, but that is one of the things that pissed me off the most in WoW. The game has never really been balanced, and it pissed me off when for one update warriors would rape everything, and then the next update it was druids, and then mages... Nothing was ever equal, so I'm not necessarily looking for just a pvp game. That is why FF XIV appeals to me, no pvp at all. Just a story. I tried playing FF XI to see if I would like XIV, but the graphics really held me back. That game is older than I realized it was, and they don't really update it (at least it doesn't look like they've upgraded the graphics at all). And Guild Wars 2 looks good just because you only have to buy the game and you're done. Anyone have any ideas?
Have you tried Dota 2? Not exactly MMORPG but great pvp. PS2 just released as well but it's more Haloish.
Dislcaimer: I'm pretty much only interested in PvP at this point (in terms of MMOs), so forgive me if you're the complete opposite of me because this post will be mostly useless to you. I'm still burnt out from WoW-type grinding even though I quit WoW over four years ago now. Also, haven't played Darkfall or FFXIV so I can't comment on those. GW2 has nothing that compares to the competitive (high-rated) arena play in WoW imo. The world PVP they have is a lot of fun in small doses though, especially if you have friends. I've been playing DotA 2 for a good bit now and while the learning curve is pretty high, the games are fun if you're able to make it into the higher skilled brackets. The "normal" skill bracket (which encompasses most of the players/accounts) isn't overly enjoyable because the games are usually unbalanced. DotA 2 isn't a game you can pick up in a week though. It will probably take a few months of fairly consistent playing (5-10 hours a week) to get good at the game depending on your ability. Also, I really enjoyed the halo campaigns if you have an xbox 360. Halo 4 campaign was pretty short, so I don't think it would be worth paying the full $60 for if you just wanted the campaign. You also might want to look into Skyrim if you just want a cool story and fun single player. The game I'm most looking forward to is the standalone of DayZ (a mod for Arma 2: CO); however, this game is A LOT more fun to play with other people. I wouldn't mind letting you join my little squad once the game comes out though assuming you're interested and willing to listen. Hopefully some of this info was helpful. :/
I really enjoy PvP, too, I just don't think any games have what I'm looking for in terms of PvP. The first MMO I ever played was Tibia (looking at the game today won't let you see how awesome it was back in the day, it is nothing like it was). Completely open PvP, with the exception of a few safe zones (the equivalent of the bank and temples (respawn points)). The best part was that you actually lost valuable equipment, gold, skills, and levels when you died, so PvP was always intense. In WoW, the only down side to dying is paying a few gold or losing some arena rating. Also, the PvP was unpredictable because your level didn't necessarily mean you were better. Skills were earned outside of your experience gain and your skills used to be a much bigger part of the game than your level. A good group of 2-4 people between levels 10-20 could easily take down players well above their level (also there was no level cap). I mean players level 60-100 could fall to level 10-20s. It was epic trying to figure out who you could trust and who you couldn't while you tried to explore the world and level your character. Also the lack of visible quests (retard ! and ? markers) made exploring actually fun. You didn't have a log telling you what to do all the time. Nothing has grabbed me like that game, and like I said the developers ruined it and made it like a 2d WoW clone kind of. So I really would like a game with PvP like that, although I'm not sure it exists. I have a 360 and Halo 4 although I haven't played it much. Played Skyrim and all of the Bethesda games (my favorite single player games by far). Fallout 1 and 2 were my favorite games as a child, and then I played Morrowind, the third elder scrolls game which soon became my new favorite. Then I learned that Bethesda, developer of my new favorite game, got the rights to develop the new Fallout series, my old favorite game! But yea... MMORPGs... Maybe I'll try dota 2.
League of legends is a lot more friendly and forgiving over dota. I suggest trying to learn lol first unless you are familiar with MOBA's.
if you like pvp try planetside 2. it should be a crime how intense that game is. gw2s pvp is alright to me, nothing amazing. i know people that love it though so who knows.
If you're into shooters, DayZ's PvP sounds similar to what you described in your first paragraph. The learning curve for DayZ isn't terrible either. It's very fun to play in groups once you know what you're doing. It's also pretty intense because you can die in one shot (either sniper shot or headshot) and there are zombies trying to eat you in (and around) all of the places of interest. If you die, you lose all the gear you had on that character and start over with basic things in a random location on the coast. I have significant experience with LoL, DotA (original on WC3), HoN, and DotA 2. IMO, DotA 2 is by far the superior game of those four. To be fair, I have the least experience with LoL (only ~50 games played and I've only watched a couple pro matches) and I agree that it is more forgiving for someone new to MOBAs; however, I did not find it to be more friendly. The shop in DotA 2 is way easier to operate. There are bot matches that you can play and the bots are actually reasonably good in the laning phase (first 5-10 minutes of the game). The community is similar in that there will usually be at least one person who starts calling everyone noobs. Finally, switching from LoL to DotA 2 is not trivial. You will have to relearn the speed of the game, tactics, what heroes do what, when (and in what order) to use your spells/moves, denying, effective jungling, etc. There isn't a whole lot that can be carried over except for maybe general theory regarding MOBAs e.g. chaining disables one after another, using AOE moves when people are grouped up, ganking enemy heroes/champions with superior numbers, etc. The layouts of the maps are also similar, but they're not identical.
I'm an original Tibia player, back when the only world was Antica. PvP was the only reason I stayed with that game for so long. If you enjoyed Tibia you'll love Dota 2. I do. Probably the single most played game of my gaming career. You don't lose items when you die but you do lose gold and each death plays an important factor (sometimes) in the sway of the game.
[quote name='"kstigs"'] If you're into shooters, DayZ's PvP sounds similar to what you described in your first paragraph. The learning curve for DayZ isn't terrible either. It's very fun to play in groups once you know what you're doing. It's also pretty intense because you can die in one shot (either sniper shot or headshot) and there are zombies trying to eat you in (and around) all of the places of interest. If you die, you lose all the gear you had on that character and start over with basic things in a random location on the coast. I have significant experience with LoL, DotA (original on WC3), HoN, and DotA 2. IMO, DotA 2 is by far the superior game of those four. To be fair, I have the least experience with LoL (only ~50 games played and I've only watched a couple pro matches) and I agree that it is more forgiving for someone new to MOBAs; however, I did not find it to be more friendly. The shop in DotA 2 is way easier to operate. There are bot matches that you can play and the bots are actually reasonably good in the laning phase (first 5-10 minutes of the game). The community is similar in that there will usually be at least one person who starts calling everyone noobs. Finally, switching from LoL to DotA 2 is not trivial. You will have to relearn the speed of the game, tactics, what heroes do what, when (and in what order) to use your spells/moves, denying, effective jungling, etc. There isn't a whole lot that can be carried over except for maybe general theory regarding MOBAs e.g. chaining disables one after another, using AOE moves when people are grouped up, ganking enemy heroes/champions with superior numbers, etc. The layouts of the maps are also similar, but they're not identical.[/quote] Ive never tried dota. Ive just heard lol is much easier to pick up and learn than dota. I wil have to get a beta invite im curious now