Place 2: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment | Platform: PC | Release Date: November 13, 2008 | Score on Metacritic: 91 | Number of reviews: 47
What was special about the expansion? Wrath of the Lich King allowed WoW players to finally confront the ultimate villain they had been waiting for since Warcraft 3. Arthas captivated all players with his aura and the new area Northrend.
In addition to the battle against the Lich King, the new Death Knight class was also a real highlight. It came with a special storyline and skipped part of the leveling process, which many viewed positively.
Furthermore, WOTLK also brought many technical and content advances, including better storytelling, an improved phasing system, achievements, Dalaran as a new city, and challenging dungeons and raids.
What is the best score on Metacritic? Out of the 47 reviews, five gave a perfect score of 100. Notably, many ratings were over 95+. Giant Bomb wrote about WOTLK:
The new content makes WOTLK an epic and excellent expansion that surely will bring back long-time players. And the improved accessibility and optimized character of World of Warcraft 2008 compared to World of Warcraft 2004 means that even players who had quit long ago will find many reasons to return to Azeroth.
G4 TV wrote in their conclusion that Blizzard blew them away with the expansion and Gameplayer was sure that WOTLK would ensure WoW remains the “undisputed king of MMORPGs” for a long time.
What is the worst score on Metacritic? A single 80 was given by the Czech site LEVEL. They criticized that with Wrath of the Lich King, the content had become easier.
Game Revolution also rated it with an 83, after which the scores jumped to 85 or higher.
How do players see the expansion today? Wrath of the Lich King is number 1 in nearly all polls regarding World of Warcraft expansions. In our survey in August 2022, nearly 45% of our readers voted for WOTLK as the best expansion. Only Legion and Burning Crusade received similar numbers of votes.
Place 1: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Developer: Square Enix | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5 | Release Date: December 3, 2021 | Score on Metacritic: 92 | Number of reviews: 28
What was special about the expansion? Endwalker brought many new contents, including a new level cap, two new jobs, new areas, dungeons, and raids. Small highlights were a new PvP mode and the own island, which is a bit reminiscent of Animal Crossing.
However, the expansion is truly special due to the areas and the story. They conclude an overarching narrative, paving the way for a brand new branch with the upcoming addon.
Additionally, the new areas are beautifully designed and do not feel as if you have just landed in a zone to level up and prepare to fight the next great evil. Overall, FFXIV manages to maintain a pleasant level of difficulty.
What is the best score on Metacritic? Five reviews gave a perfect score of 100. Gaming Trend writes about Endwalker:
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker concludes a long narrative arc in the best possible way. The main adventure offers many unexpected twists and satisfying rewards for both new and old fans. The jobs Sage and Reaper are a lot of fun, and the new dungeons and raids will put your skills to the test. If you’re not playing yet, you should start now.
Many other reviews also praise especially the story and instances in Endwalker.
What is the worst score on Metacritic? Three reviews each gave Endwalker only an 80. Het Nieuwsblad criticized that you need to engage deeply with the story of the other expansions to fully understand Endwalker. For active players, it may be a good addon, but new players or returnees would not be well taken care of.
GameSpot also criticized the story:
Although Endwalker suffers from pacing issues and the sheer amount of plot lines, the entire story is carried by a certain seriousness. Endwalker is exuberantly sincere in its treatment of life and death, inevitable failure, and the weaknesses of humanity. It does not shy away from grand proclamations that would seem cheesy in any other game and with any other cast of characters. Endwalker is a fitting, emotional conclusion to a years-long journey for us adventurers, and I can hardly wait to see how it continues.
How do players see the expansion today? Endwalker and Shadowbringers both compete for which is the best expansion of Final Fantasy XIV. Overall, however, Endwalker is well received and receives a lot of praise from core players. After all, Square Enix had to temporarily halt the sale of the expansion due to overwhelming demand.
So Endwalker is rightly in first place on this list.
What about ESO, Guild Wars, and SWTOR?
In the list of the largest and most successful MMORPGs in the West, titles like The Elder Scrolls Online or Guild Wars 2 play an important role. However, their expansions miss the jump into the top 11:
- Guild Wars 2 received a score of 82 for Hearth of Thorns, 83 for Path of Fire, and 81 for End of Dragons.
- ESO received the best rating for Summerset – an 83. Elsweyr with 80 and High Isle with 79 follow behind.
- Guild Wars 1, surprisingly with a score of 91 among the best MMORPGs on Metacritic, only achieved a score of 83 for the expansions Factions and Nightfall.
- For SWTOR, hardly any expansions were even given a detailed review. Shadow of Revan, which many see as the best expansion of the game, does not have its own entry on Metacritic.
What do you think of this ranking? Did you expect WoW and FFXIV to dominate everything? Or do you miss an expansion that you think should have been rated higher?
The currently best MMORPGs can be found in our tier list:
Where do the 50 largest MMORPGs currently stand? The Tier List 2022
