It’s very disheartening when a favorite MMORPG goes offline. Not only do all the hours, effort, and money you’ve put into the game seem to go to waste, but you’ll never again be able to play your favorite quests and missions.
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If an MMORPG is popular enough, however, or well-built, it may withstand the test of time. Some of these MMORPG’s came out over twenty years ago now, but are still available to play. Not only that, but the devs are still working on them, still trying to improve the player experience and add more to the game for those loyal followers.
Updated by Kristy Ambrose on March 14th, 2021: Nostalgia and money continue to drive the revamp and return to the MMOs of old. There’s an aging gaming population that isn’t into all that busy new kid’s stuff. They have just as much money to spend, and contrary to what some developers believed up until recently, their tastes are economically viable. Considering the amount of revised enhanced versions of old games that are currently available, it seems that the pendulum of gaming is swinging back to a more mature audience. In that spirit, we’ve added three more vintage MMO games for your grinding and gold-farming pleasure.
13 Age of Conan (2008)
While this game has declined in popularity in recent years, its servers are still alive and going. Age of Conan is inspired by the fantasy legend Conan the Barbarian. Set in Hyboria, the game follows an action-based combat system, where players design and build their characters in a traditional fantasy setting. The goal is to “tread in the footsteps” of Conan the Barbarian.
The game offers a free-to-play version, but must be fully unlocked by a subscription fee. The game has been criticized for its portrayal of women and the revealing female armor.
12 The Lord of the Rings Online (2007)
Middle-Earth is the perfect basis for an open world MMORPG, so it is surprising that it took as long as 2007 to make one. The game was originally P2P but a restricted free version was released in 2010.
When starting The Lord of the Rings Online, players choose a race for their character and a class based on the ones from Tolkien’s work. Classes include Burglar, Beornling, Hunter, Champion, Lore-Master, and Warden. The game features several quests and areas from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as building several original regions inspired by Tolkien’s work.
11 Guild Wars (2005)
This MMORPG introduced various elements into the genre. Set in the fictional world of Tyria, players choose a main profession for their character that affects their skill-set and abilities. The main professions are Warrior, Monk, Elementalist, Ranger, Necromancer, and Mesmer, but others have been added in expansion packs.
Guild Wars is also credited as being the first major MMORPG that didn’t focus on subscription fees, going with the more traditional “pay for the game and you can play it forever.” A sequel, Guild Wars 2, was launched in 2012, but the original is still going strong!
10 World of Warcraft (2004)
Arguably the most popular and well know MMORPG of all time, World of Warcraft still hosts almost five million subscribers, sixteen years after it’s release.
WOW is a fantasy-themed MMORPG, set in the world of Azeroth. Again players choose a race for their character and a skill set, but unlike many MMORPG’s some skill sets are restricted to certain races. Since it’s release, several expansion packs and updates have been added. In 2019 the developers released World of Warcraft Classic, set in the original 2004 gameworld.
9 EVE Online (2003)
This space exploration MMORPG is a great fit for sci-fi fans, wanting to get away from the traditional fantasy MMORPG setting. In EVE Online, you pilot a starship and travel through various galaxies, leveling your character and building your resources. Each account can create up to three characters, with four unique races- Amarr, Gallente, Minmatar, or Caldari.
EVE Online has had steady popularity, increasing in 2011 with a free-to-play version of the game. The devs continue to work on the game, releasing regular events for players.
8 Maplestory (2003)
Released in 2003, this MMO includes both side-scrolling levels and areas where players can interact. Maplestory was one of the earliest MMOs to offer a large number of choices when it came to character customization, which explains its popularity. It was also poised to break new ground when games for Andriod became a lucrative trend, another one of the features that have assured its longevity. Several local versions also exist, making the game a worldwide phenomenon in recent years and poised to continue expanding.
7 Second Life (2003)
This game is very much a staple in nineties fashion and style. Second Life is a much more basic game, with a strong The Sims comparison. Here you build and create your own character, dress them up, style them, build their houses, and control their relationships. Relationships can be forged with other players and your character can explore a game-world based in reality rather than fantasy.
Second Life is often referred to as an MMORPG, but many including their own developers dispute this, stating that, “There is no manufactured conflict, no set objective.”
6 Final Fantasy XI Online (2002)
MMORPG’s based on already popular games and game-worlds don’t always live up to expectations. Final Fantasy XI Online proves that an MMORPG installment can become as popular as other installments in the series and stay relevant.
Final Fantasy XI was created by the same developers as the rest of the series, Square Enix. It also broke ground as the first MMORPG to step out of PC, releasing on PlayStation 2 and XBOX. Today the game severs only run on PC. Add-ons and expansions have been added to the game since its release.
5 Anarchy Online (2001)
Released in 2001 and still going strong, part of the draw is the expansive, open-world which is based on science fiction instead of the standard fantasy. This wasn’t just one of the first MMOs, either, it’s also one of the first online games to use a science fiction aesthetic and first-person shooter (FPS) instead of melee or magical combat. There’s no endgame or instances, but a steady path of character progression through leveling your skills and collecting a precious ore unique to this harsh planet. It’s a simple formula with complex potential that has lasted for 20 years so far.
4 RuneScape (2001)
This game has a bit of a mixed reputation. While it can prompt eye-rolling from some gamers, RuneScape has always been incredibly popular. Every gamer has played it at one time or another.
RuneScape is a fantasy MMORPG set in the world of Gielinor. Unlike most MMORPG’s you don’t choose a race or skill set. All players are human and can train in a variety of skills, all of which affect your character’s stats in some way. RuneScape’s popularity came from it being very accessible, with a restricted but fulfilling free-to-play world and being able to run on almost every PC.
3 EverQuest (1999)
Earlier this year EverQuest celebrated its 21st birthday, which is quite impressive for an MMORPG. Another fantasy MMORPG, EverQuest is set in Norrath and focuses mainly on PVP combat. Given the length of time, since its release, EverQuest offers players a lot of content, boasting five hundred in-game zones. There are sixteen classes to choose from and sixteen races, although fourteen of these are from the original game. The continued input for the developers to improve this game shows that it won’t be ending any time soon.
2 Tibia (1997)
This game goes all the way back to the last century, 1995 to be precise, when it was started by some German university students as part of a hobby. Tibia was released in 1997 and is still based in Europe. The game uses a classic fantasy setting, and it still enjoys updates and bug fixes along with a loyal fanbase even after all these decades. Modern MMO players would call Tibia “hardcore” with features like making death frequent and often resulting in losing stats or items permanently. The graphics haven’t changed much from the top-down, two-dimensional view, either.
1 Ultima Online (1997)
This MMORPG game from the Ultima game series, the first of which goes all the way back to 1981. Like EverQuest, Ultima Online focuses mainly on PVP combat. Maybe back in the days before internet trolling it was easier to engage in friendly competition. Although several expansion packs and updates have been released for the game including a new client in 2007 called Ultimate Online: Kingdom Reborn, which improved the game’s graphics, the developers have done their best to maintain the original spirit of the game.
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