You want to venture into the vast world of online role-playing games but don’t want to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the game right away? Then you will find here 5 MMORPGs from different sub-genres that are particularly well-suited for beginners.
How did we choose? We focused our list of the most beginner-friendly MMORPGs on five categories. Therefore, you will find one game each from the following areas:
- Science-Fiction setting
- Subscription model
- Free2Play model
- Buy2Play model
- Solo-friendly
You will find more information about the five games in the following paragraphs and what makes them recommendable in their category.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) – The best SciFi MMORPG
Developer/Publisher: BioWare/Electronic Arts | Release: December 20, 2011 | Model: Free-2-Play | Platform: PC | Download: SWTOR Homepage
What kind of game is this? Star Wars: The Old Republic is a classic MMORPG set in the Star Wars universe. You play as either a supporter of the Republic or the dark Sith Empire. Since the story takes place over 1,000 years before the movies, the developers had the freedom to expand and especially reference the two popular role-playing games “Knights of the Old Republic.” This is why characters like Revan and the mysterious Sith Emperor appear.
You can play SWTOR for free and dip your toes in without worries. However, if you want to dive deeper into the game, you can unlock more features through a subscription.
What are the highlights? SWTOR is the optimal game for fans of the SciFi epic Star Wars. At its release in 2011, the fully-voiced quests and sequences were revolutionary, and one felt more like being in another Star Wars RPG than in an online role-playing game.
The many NPC companions also contribute to this, who were unique for each character class. You can interact extensively with them and even start romantic relationships.
There are also cool mini-games in the game, such as the PvP mode Huttball or a mode where you pilot spaceships and engage in epic space battles.
What are the drawbacks? The gameplay and graphics of SWTOR may have been attractive at the time of release, but now the game shows its age.
Especially the gameplay, where you aim at opponents with tab-targeting and then knock them out by mashing various skill keys, is not very dynamic. Those expecting fast lightsaber battles will find mostly static animations where you continually grind down the opponent’s health points.
Moreover, you can only play the game for free with restrictions. If you want to experience everything, you eventually have to subscribe.
Why is it particularly good for beginners? Especially if you want to experience a cool Star Wars story, SWTOR is suitable as a beginner MMORPG. The gameplay is classic for an MMORPG and you quickly learn how the game works, and the tutorials and beginner areas are particularly well-suited to introduce new players.
By the time you encounter the first group instances, you will have gained enough experience to handle them easily. Once you are deeper into the game, you can try out the numerous addons and new campaigns. Recently, there was Onslaught, in which the war between the Republic and the Empire flared up again. SWTOR will continue soon with the upcoming addon “Legacy of the Sith“. Therefore, SWTOR is worth checking out in 2021.
