True MMORPG that are still alive

[KenaiPhoenix]

MMORPG are kind of like a lost art:

I played FF14 for like 2-3 years recently, my first "real in" MMORPG. It was fun and all, but one day the illusion of world was destroyed, I realize I just sit down on one of the cities and press U for the "Duty roulette" that is nothing more than just a matchmaking system. So I realize I wasnt living in an "virtual world" like old MMORPG used to be, it was just a more expensive matchmaking waiting room. And I understand, it is way more conformable to just sit down and get your instant gratification in seconds, but I think we are lost something important on the simplification of MMORPG.

So I get into the the search of real RPG (not action based like 9/10 of current "RPG") that actually feel like a world, like you have an actual adventure. And it was hard, but so far I think I have found a couple that are alive:

- Horizon XI: The private server of Final Fantasy 11 that usually have above 1k in players. It is caped on level 75 and even if it shows it ages in many systems it is really refreshing with what we have now.
- EvE Online: A big one, the "impossible learning curve" is real. A full sandbox MMORPG with layers and layers of stuff to learn that have you living on an amazing Universe.
- Mabigoni: I havent played too much this one, not because it is bad, but because it can be a little hard to run on linux, and for some reason it is locked on my Steam region. However it feel like a world and a good RPG.

So, does anyone else know about good (real) RPG that have that "adventure on a virtual world" vibe?

 

[Vexicrypt]

I'd recommend something like Phantasy Star Online, the og one from Dreamcast. It has its own PC build and private servers with a small but passionate community that welcomes newcomers. From what I've seen its pretty good for capturing that old MMO vibe, though it might feel a bit disjointed because of how instanced everything is (Dreamcast had some limitations). Also Dragon's Dogma Online has a pretty big community now but that game might be too new and grindy for someone who has more appreciation for the world itself rather then its mechanics.

 

[ShadowsofCreationAga]

I'm very confused by people mentioning Phantasy Star. That is literally what the user DOESN'T want. A small hubworld for matchmaking that puts you in four people parties to do a dungeon before kicking you back out. I honestly don't get how Phantasy Star even has the genre label 'MMO'. It plays more like a really stiff Monster Hunter or Diablo than it does anything remotely close to an MMORPG. Doesn't make it a bad game, mind you, just doesn't fit the label most often attributed to it.

OP You mentioned FFXI which fits the mold. You can also play the original Everquest for free on steam.

People like to hate on it, but.. World of Warcraft, especially the classic servers might scratch the itch you are looking for.

 

[Golden Bat]

Ultima Online

 

[UnDubious]

I'm very confused by people mentioning Phantasy Star. That is literally what the user DOESN'T want. A small hubworld for matchmaking that puts you in four people parties to do a dungeon before kicking you back out. I honestly don't get how Phantasy Star even has the genre label 'MMO'. It plays more like a really stiff Monster Hunter or Diablo than it does anything remotely close to an MMORPG. Doesn't make it a bad game, mind you, just doesn't fit the label most often attributed to it.

OP You mentioned FFXI which fits the mold. You can also play the original Everquest for free on steam.

People like to hate on it, but.. World of Warcraft, especially the classic servers might scratch the itch you are looking for.

That's what I was gonna say, there is NO virtual life aspect whatsoever in PSO, it's an action-based dungeon crawler. It is a type of action RPG, and it was the first online console RPG. But yeah the "massive" part of MMO doesn't really apply either. Monster Hunter is widely considered to have been inspired by PSO btw. But keep in mind that:
1) many people here don't read the original post before replying. They just want to talk all the time, and never listen/read.
2) many people here just want to talk about the games they like, whether they fit or not.

 

[GardeniaSky's icon GardeniaSky GardeniaSky]

I've been playing a little Elder Scrolls Online recently. It's pretty good and worth the monthly subscription if you can spring for it.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine despite being dead has a fan revival called New Moon that’s still around. I think it’s mainly via the Discord because I can’t find a download or link about it anywhere. Does that count?

AFAIK it doesn’t require multiple player parties or whatever

 

[99nereids]

You can also play the original Everquest for free on steam.

People like to hate on it, but.. World of Warcraft, especially the classic servers might scratch the itch you are looking for.

EQ also has a bunch of private servers that the devs turn a blind eye to & are pretty populated, project 1999 is the big one but there are others. wayyy better than dealing with the f2p monetization of the live server imo
servers aside, every interaction ive had with an EQ veteran has been so nice they really want new people to play with

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine despite being dead has a fan revival called New Moon that’s still around. I think it’s mainly via the Discord because I can’t find a download or link about it anywhere. Does that count?

AFAIK it doesn’t require multiple player parties or whatever

did not know smt had an mmo ill have to look this private server up this sounds cool

 

[chxshire22]

World of Warcraft. I love that freakin game. like... LOVE. exploring anything anywhere felt like an adventure, doing anything felt like an adventure. like even the retail version. go to zones from older expansions and just quest through when im bored. the lore is intense.

 

[here4outbreak]

EQ also has a bunch of private servers that the devs turn a blind eye to & are pretty populated, project 1999 is the big one but there are others. wayyy better than dealing with the f2p monetization of the live server imo
servers aside, every interaction ive had with an EQ veteran has been so nice they really want new people to play with


did not know smt had an mmo ill have to look this private server up this sounds cool

thankfully it didnt take long to find a link that worked (for now) but in case anyone wanted to try smt imagine

Join the Project New Moon Discord Server!

Check out the Project New Moon community on Discord - hang out with 7763 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.com

 

[GrimRiven]

Lord of the Rings Online is still going! There are frequent updates, as well as new expansions and quests from time to time.

 

[Moreno909]

The Elder Scrolls Online
Tibia

 

[Moth_Lobster]

thankfully it didnt take long to find a link that worked (for now) but in case anyone wanted to try smt imagine

Join the Project New Moon Discord Server!

Check out the Project New Moon community on Discord - hang out with 7763 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.com

EQ also has a bunch of private servers that the devs turn a blind eye to & are pretty populated, project 1999 is the big one but there are others. wayyy better than dealing with the f2p monetization of the live server imo
servers aside, every interaction ive had with an EQ veteran has been so nice they really want new people to play with


did not know smt had an mmo ill have to look this private server up this sounds cool

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine despite being dead has a fan revival called New Moon that’s still around. I think it’s mainly via the Discord because I can’t find a download or link about it anywhere. Does that count?

AFAIK it doesn’t require multiple player parties or whatever

more people to join the smt imagine gaming (I haven't gotten on in forever but still good to see people interested)

 

[Adrastia]

I was surprised to see that Flyff still existed. I hadn't played it in forever so I tried it out again. I don't really want to play it. I just wanted to look around. It's one of the few that will run on this potatotop. Not sure if I will go back to it or not.

 

[Deleted member 2077]

Guild Wars 2 is probably still alive, I stopped playing it 7 years ago. They kept releasing expansions of its story as well new classes and maps. While I was part of it I had probably the best gaming experience of my life, there I found love, friendship and, of course, adventure. IIRC the game itself is free, you just have to buy the expansions once, no subscription.

 

[Sackboy]

star wars the old republic (it's free you only have to get the subscription once and you gain permanent access to all DLC)
old school runescape (the worst subscription fee it's awful and you only get one character slot great game though)
WoW Classic (objectively the best mmo ever made idc bit pricy subscription but not half as bad as osrs)
elder scrolls online is probably the best mmo of the last 10 years
WoW flagship is decently poppin and it's a one time fee it's just not as good as WoW classic

 

[marxcore]

Dungeons and dragons online is still going and still gets updates and new content regularly. Also Neverwinter online as well for a different experience and newer take on d&d

 

[irkella irkella]

Guild Wars 2 is probably still alive, I stopped playing it 7 years ago. They kept releasing expansions of its story as well new classes and maps. While I was part of it I had probably the best gaming experience of my life, there I found love, friendship and, of course, adventure. IIRC the game itself is free, you just have to buy the expansions once, no subscription.

This was my first thought, sounds exactly like what OP is looking for and it's still fairly active (Current daily player count is over 150k).

The party system is very fluid, with events happening in real time around the open world, and the whole base game is free at this point, as you said.

Didn't play as much GW2 as GW1, but I have had a great time myself in the past and it's still supported.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

Guild Wars 2 is probably still alive, I stopped playing it 7 years ago. They kept releasing expansions of its story as well new classes and maps. While I was part of it I had probably the best gaming experience of my life, there I found love, friendship and, of course, adventure. IIRC the game itself is free, you just have to buy the expansions once, no subscription.

I can second this one.

Gw2 is very much still alive and a truly enjoyable MMO experience that I still keep coming back to periodically.

 

[werewolfx]

Keep your eyes open for Monsters and memories, and Pantheon. I would not invest in either currently, but keep your eyes on em.

 

[Bonkers225]

Amazon really taking their sweet ass time bringing Blue Protocol over. Severely impacted the hype by now.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

Amazon really taking their sweet ass time bringing Blue Protocol over. Severely impacted the hype by now.

 

[irkella irkella]

Amazon really taking their sweet ass time bringing Blue Protocol over. Severely impacted the hype by now.

Amazon cancelled and discontinued it quite a while ago. Tencent revived the project and is apparently backing a Western release at some point, but... well, guess it'll happen if it happens.

 

[jiyuuboyetsvi]

Amazon really taking their sweet ass time bringing Blue Protocol over. Severely impacted the hype by now.

that version of Blue Protocol got axed
now its being brought over by some chinese company under the name Blue Protocol: Star Resonance

Edit: just saw @irkella 's post xD well now u have a name. its wishlistable on Steam but eh

 

[Boularingos29]

I used to play WoW, it's still alive, and i am flirting seriously with the idea to start playing Lineage, to see how it feels, it's also alive as they said:)