Geeks on a Budget: MMOs on a Budget (part 2)
Welcome to the second part of MMOs on a Budget! I’m going to be listing another three free (or soon to be free) MMORPGs for fans of online play. If you love playing online but don’t like the idea of a subscription, there are a number of legitimate free to play games out there for you instead of having to resort to a pirate private server. Last time, I told you about Lord of the Rings Online, Star Trek Online, and DC Universe Online. Here are a few more to be considered.
I had a good friend that played this, so I got to see some of it firsthand. It’s very pretty, definitely a fantasy universe. It has allowances for 80-person PVP (player vs player) battlegrounds and tons of room for exploration. You can choose from one of three races, and there’s all the things people expect from fantasy MMOs: mounts, flying, and magic. The artwork is lovely (just go look at the site), and you can purchase “zen” in game to buy more items outside of what you get for free.
What? WoW is Free to Play? Not really, but there’s a 20 level trial period to see if you like it, so I’m including it on the list. World of Warcraft is probably on of the biggest MMORPGs to date, and really, I think Blizzard has earned that popularity. You don’t get all of the interactivity with the trial (no mail, no guilds, no trading), but you do get to see what the fuss is about, and that alone is why I’m listing it. As they say, don’t knock it before you’ve tried it.
3. Guild Wars
I’m listing this as Free to Play because it is. You still have to purchase the game, but once you have it, you never have to pay for your experience. You have choices of class (Warrior, Ranger, Monk, Elementalist, Mesmer, Necromancer, Ritualist, Assassin, Dervish, and Paragon), character customization, exploration, PvP, and a well-supported online community. It does allow for a bit more in the way of instant gratification as you can simply go to where your unlocked quests are and have unique dungeons waiting. It’s a pretty game, too, and it definitely has enough to stay interesting.
That’s today’s list! I’ll come back next week with part three! If any of you have MMORPGs that you want listed, please comment and let me know, and I’ll be sure to incorporate them, as long as they’re free to play or will be free to play.
Geeks on a Budget is a weekly column about saving money without sacrificing the geek lifestyle.
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