5. Black Desert
At the end of 2014, the probably most beautiful MMORPG, Black Desert, was released. It aims to combine theme park elements with a sandbox world. This means that while there are quests and a story, these are not the focus.
Much more, it is about building a virtual life in the game world. Whether as an adventurer, trader, or blacksmith. Every player has their task, and a society emerges in which everyone is dependent on each other.
You can engage in PvP in the open game world and participate in gigantic battles. After the Xbox One and PC version, a PS4 version of the MMORPG is also coming soon.
4. Final Fantasy XIV
The MMORPG variant of the popular Final Fantasy series had a rocky start in 2010, but was released in a new version in 2013. Since then, the online role-playing game has celebrated great success. It primarily appeals to those who want to experience many quests and fight against gigantic enemies with friends.
While PvP is also part of Final Fantasy XIV, it is not directly integrated into the gameplay. There is no open PvP; instead, you fight against each other in arenas.
The latest expansion Shadowbringers expands the story and brings new features, including new playable races and areas.
3. Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is the 2012 sequel to ArenaNet’s Guild Wars. The focus of the online role-playing game is on telling exciting adventures. You experience challenges not only through quests, but also through events that happen in the game world that you can participate in.
The story of Guild Wars 2 is told through seasons of the so-called Living Story, which lets the heroes face newer and more dangerous threats over time. This way, the characters become more powerful over time.
Guild Wars 2 can also impress with an interesting PvP mode where players from different worlds (servers) compete against each other.
2. The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO)
Since 2014, fantasy fans have been experiencing numerous adventures in the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online in the fantasy world of Tamriel. Three expansions have been released so far – Morrowind, Summerset, and Elsweyr, which expand the world and introduce new stories and features.
It is a classic theme park MMORPG where you explore the world with friends, fight monsters, and complete many quests to improve your character.
Especially the new expansion Elsweyr has significantly boosted the popularity of the online role-playing game. The battle against the dragons simply appeals to many fantasy fans.
1. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft was released in 2004 and immediately made its way into the hearts of role-playing fans. The well-known scenario from the Warcraft strategy games combined with what has worked well in MMORPGs so far even appealed to those who had previously had no interest in the genre.
You experience numerous adventures in the fantasy world of Azeroth, create your own hero, and complete many quests and dungeons together with friends. Over the past 15 years, seven expansions have been released, each bringing a lot of fresh content.
Currently, WoW is back in the spotlight because the Classic servers will start in the summer, of which there will also be German servers. These Classic servers are intended to bring back the player experience of the early days of the MMORPG.
On the next page, we will explain how we proceeded with the evaluation.
