Best 2018 mmo???

https://www.mmorpg.com/mobile/features.cfm?read=13322&page=2

I am kinda disappointed gw2 was not even mentioned. I do agree Eso should of won to be honest as the content in the game is insanely good but I think gw2 should of been a runner up over final fantasy. Yes final fantasy has more active members but that doesn't make it better.

Well here's to hoping for a great 2019 year for gw2!!!

You are delusional if you consider GW2 to be even decent mmo at this point.

What was the criteria? GW2 didn't release an expansion in 2018, which might mean they weren't eligible to be included. Or maybe they didn't pay enough for advertising on that site? It was voted for by fans and none of us heard in time to hook up a voting bot? (Or didn't care to do so.)

Personally I don't see it as a big deal that one site didn't include GW2 in their list. The game gets plenty of publicity through other sources - you'd have a hard time finding someone who plays MMOs who hasn't heard of it (they may not play it, but it won't be because they've never heard about it).

And for what it's worth I play both GW2 and ESO and GW2 is definitely my favourite of the two. I really like ESO, its a fun game but if I had to pick just 1 it'd be GW2.

Going by the fact all the other has multiple runner ups and that one only has ESO (winner) with FFXIV as runner up... they kind of missed alot of games. Not even WoW is mentioned. Then you know its kittened.

I've been playing MMOs since the late '90s (UO > EQ > WoW). And, in comparison to the games I've played so far... I don't consider GW2 to be a remotely serious game. I've got a hard case of "sunk-cost fallacy" going on right now. If GW2 DID make the list of top MMOs for 2018... it would be a sad comment on the state of the genre.

I don't care what others think. To me, Guild Wars franchise will always be the best.

2018 was a mediocre year for Guild Wars 2, in terms of content, so I don't think it "deserved" any top spot. I'm not playing ESO or FF14 to know what kind of content they got in 2018, but I assume it was loads of new content for them to be "best mmo" on the list.

Guild Wars 2 was included in the top 10 mmo list of 2017 on that same website:https://www.mmorpg.com/columns/the-10-best-mmos-of-2017-1000012359

I hope 2019 will have much much more than 2018 did!

Gw2 didn't have a 2018 release.

@Opopanax.1803 said:Gw2 didn't have a 2018 release.Neither did ESO or FFXIV, whats your point?

What new content is there for GW2 in 2018 that is worth returning every week? How much replayability was added since the last expac? Hell even since HoT? Pretty much none.

WoWs latest expac gets much hate recently and I must agree it lacks severely in terms of keeping ppl engaged. But at least WoW offers longterm progression and replayability, although no one cares, since the classes feel terrible atm and the replayable content is stale and has a bad progression system.

What is the progression in GW2? New shiny cosmetics? Well, you get them from the store or farming mindlessly gold for hours in the same many years old map, the only good one they've managed to get out, in regards to meaningful replayability. Imo GW2 currently is even worse than what is probably the worst WoW expansion.

GW2 absolutely has great classes and a nice world with awesome event systems, a pretty decent combat system, the best mounts in any MMO so far, awesome customization systems and so much more. But it has the absolute opposite problem that WoW has. While playing GW2 feels great and you want to play it, it absoluitely lacks a reason to do so. and while you always find something you could do in WoW to further Progress, the game just isn't fun enough to do that for a long time.

I just want WoW in the GW2 engine (or something even better of course) with the GW2 combat and mounts and detailed world environments, garderobe system, dye system etc. Just with the amount of manpower of Blizzard, the WoW artstyle, the entire lore, races, classes dungeons, raids etc

And I am also absolutely sick of the GW2 cash shop btw. PPl here praise Anet all day for how great their pay model is but I am telling you the cash shop ruined the already lacking reward system in this game. Sad to see that Blizzard turns out to maybe go down the same route, you just pay 12€ every month on top of it.

@Dawdler.8521 said:

@Opopanax.1803 said:Gw2 didn't have a 2018 release.Neither did ESO or FFXIV, whats your point?

ESO released the Summerset expansion pack back in May. It will probably be downgraded to a DLC next year like their previous expansion was, but at least for this year it's a 'boxed' release only available through the main site or retailers rather than an in-game purchase.

They also released a couple of DLCs; Murkmire which is like a GW2 Living Story release, a new map and storyline and another DLC which was just 2 dungeon paths. But if this is based on releases in 2018 then I assume DLC doesn't count, otherwise GW2s Living World would as well since that's DLC in all but name.

@Adenin.5973 said:While playing GW2 feels great and you want to play it, it absoluitely lacks a reason to do so.

This, all day.

2018 wasn't a great year for GW2 as they struggled to deliver throughout the year so I'm not surprised it didn't feature. Let's hope 2019 turns things around.

@Adenin.5973 said:

GW2 absolutely has great classes and a nice world with awesome event systems, a pretty decent combat system, the best mounts in any MMO so far, awesome customization systems and so much more. But it has the absolute opposite problem that WoW has. While playing GW2 feels great and you want to play it, it absoluitely lacks a reason to do so. and while you always find something you could do in WoW to further Progress, the game just isn't fun enough to do that for a long time.

Could you elaborate more? How guild wars 2 lacks a reason to do so? I'm interested how so, or in what way it can be different. I find it somewhat hard to come back to the game lately. I've had those periods before and I always come back though. I'm blaming it on getting older and having other priorities, but maybe that's not it so I'm curious about your findings.

@obcan.1470 said:You are delusional if you consider GW2 to be even decent mmo at this point.

There is not a single better one, that is the point.

@Dawdler.8521 said:Going by the fact all the other has multiple runner ups and that one only has ESO (winner) with FFXIV as runner up... they kind of missed alot of games. Not even WoW is mentioned. Then you know its kittened.

Id be mad if bfa was mentioned in the state it is.

Gw2 had a pretty meh year for 2018, excluding not having an expansion this year which is w/e we had multiple delays on content as well as the wvw restructuring which didnt happen in 2018.

@Bast Bow.2958 said:

@Adenin.5973 said:

GW2 absolutely has great classes and a nice world with awesome event systems, a pretty decent combat system, the best mounts in any MMO so far, awesome customization systems and so much more. But it has the absolute opposite problem that WoW has. While playing GW2 feels great and you want to play it, it absoluitely lacks a reason to do so. and while you always find something you could do in WoW to further Progress, the game just isn't fun enough to do that for a long time.

Theres nothing that feel rewarding or engaging enough semi longterm to keep ppl interested, unless u going at a snail's pace then u may find the content from lw sufficient. In general the biggest problem gw2 always had was replayability which was only made more apparent by the lackluster 2018.

They just released this article sorta trashing the game, so ......

https://www.mmorpg.com/guild-wars-2/columns/is-it-time-for-guild-wars-3-1000013321

Some videos going over the year of 2018 for eso and gw2 to make comparisons.

@"Lambent.6375" said:They just released this article sorta trashing the game, so ......

https://www.mmorpg.com/guild-wars-2/columns/is-it-time-for-guild-wars-3-1000013321

Not as much trashing than simply stating that the game has started showing its age. Tho the reasons arent exactly the ones i would consider, plus i think the move from the dual class was overall a good move as elite specs apear to be less of a struggle to balance.

@Adenin.5973 said:What new content is there for GW2 in 2018 that is worth returning every week? How much replayability was added since the last expac? Hell even since HoT? Pretty much none.

WoWs latest expac gets much hate recently and I must agree it lacks severely in terms of keeping ppl engaged. But at least WoW offers longterm progression and replayability, although no one cares, since the classes feel terrible atm and the replayable content is stale and has a bad progression system.

What is the progression in GW2? New shiny cosmetics? Well, you get them from the store or farming mindlessly gold for hours in the same many years old map, the only good one they've managed to get out, in regards to meaningful replayability. Imo GW2 currently is even worse than what is probably the worst WoW expansion.

GW2 absolutely has great classes and a nice world with awesome event systems, a pretty decent combat system, the best mounts in any MMO so far, awesome customization systems and so much more. But it has the absolute opposite problem that WoW has. While playing GW2 feels great and you want to play it, it absoluitely lacks a reason to do so. and while you always find something you could do in WoW to further Progress, the game just isn't fun enough to do that for a long time.

I just want WoW in the GW2 engine (or something even better of course) with the GW2 combat and mounts and detailed world environments, garderobe system, dye system etc. Just with the amount of manpower of Blizzard, the WoW artstyle, the entire lore, races, classes dungeons, raids etc

And I am also absolutely sick of the GW2 cash shop btw. PPl here praise Anet all day for how great their pay model is but I am telling you the cash shop ruined the already lacking reward system in this game. Sad to see that Blizzard turns out to maybe go down the same route, you just pay 12€ every month on top of it.

You forgot micro transactions

@"Bast Bow.2958" said:

Could you elaborate more? How guild wars 2 lacks a reason to do so? I'm interested how so, or in what way it can be different. I find it somewhat hard to come back to the game lately. I've had those periods before and I always come back though. I'm blaming it on getting older and having other priorities, but maybe that's not it so I'm curious about your findings.

Well, it's the core principle of GW2 to be not a game that is played the entire time until one day the studio stops making new content for it, like it's the case for example with WoW.

GW2 is from the ground up designed to be a game where you drop in to play a few days and then simply stop playing it. The devs/designers stated themselves that "it is okay to stop playing and come back later". Well that's honestly not so much okay for me. I expect something more from an MMO in 2019.

Now, how is this philosophy noticeably in game? Very easy. The main content of GW2, besides - and lets be honest here - pretty slim expac releases every few years, is the living world. What does living world offer? It offers several months of dev time, that created a few hours of okayish story and a map, maybe some skin you can get if you want to. That's it. It's content that you play through once, the hardcore ppl do it maybe for achievements several times but then it's done. It's one time content. You throw it away aftrer you've seen it. It's like a movie. Star Wars is fun and awesome. If you watch it, do you really want to watch it tomorrow again? The majority of ppl wouldn't want to do that, because the "progression" and "reward" of a film is not the nice visuals, it's the story that unfolds. Since you already know that story now, there's nothing you gain from doing that again.

What does the Living Story therefore not offer? For example a new mechanic that scales (endless coop horde defense modes etc.) , or a new way of enhancing and building your character. Something that you can do hundreds of times, is every time a bit different maybe, offers even after the 100th time still something as a meaningful reward (fractals are lackluster when it comes to meaningful rewards). The obvious thing here would be a gear treadmill, like WoW has, or another system like paragon points, that are a very longterm thing in some games, where you need to do specific things to get new abilities or better stats. There are obviously tons of other such things they can come up with. Now, again, this is very against the entire concept of Anet, to not get any more character progression, so that ppl are not "afraid" to get back to the game and have to grind a few weeks to get back to where other players are.

I was very excited about the HoT expansion. Especially because of one thing, that was promised to make up for the lack of a gear treadmill: "Masteries". Yet they turned out to be a complete joke, that was done without thinking too much within the first few days of each expac. There is no character progression in GW2 that would keep you playing for more than a few hours. Progression, which is one of the single most improtant things I consider when I decide what RPG I want to play.

Give me new skills, new mechanics, new gear, new skins, new auras, new ways to experience the world. And yes, GW2 surprisingly does that. Mounts, elite specs, gemstore skins etc. But here's the improtant thing: These things must build on each other to be progression and even more important, the key in longterm progression, is the word "long". In GW2 everything is super fast done.

Another game I've played for ages was Diablo3. Besides its flaws, it got one thing absolutely right imo. And that was the reward part and the progression part, combining them both together with a system that has an insane amount of replayability. Diablo essentially is a long story mission with incredibly amounts of trash mobs and tons of bosses in it. Once you complete the game fort the first time, you unlock a higher difficulty level. Now, why would you want to play the exact same game twice in a row? Here's the thing: Mechanics of encounters change, loot changes and you get more and more powerful until you're a literal god.

And then? You do it again, why, because the treadmill works. But that's again not all, because you start realizing, some of the items that drop make your class just gamebreaking. And completely alter the way your entire class plays. And then when a new season comes, there are new types of these items available, making new stupidly op or fun builds available, so you go out in the highest possible difficulty levels with the highest drop chances to get this loot. I don_t think I've ever played a game where RNG felt that good, not because the items I wanted dropped so much, but just the thrill of hovering with my mouse over a freshly identified legendary, knowing this drop could indeed change everything.And even then, you had almsot infinite amounts of paragon points to farm, to noticeably enhance your character stats.

GW2 has none of that. Really, literally nothing of that. there's not a single MMO, that had loot that lackluster, boring and uninspired or such a lack of longterm progression combined with one time only throw away content sparsely spread across each year.

@Adenin.5973 said:GW2 has none of that. Really, literally nothing of that. there's not a single MMO, that had loot that felt that boring.

Bfa. But ye i dont disagree, i just feel you are going on abit of a hyperbole.

@bravan.3876 said:

@obcan.1470 said:You are delusional if you consider GW2 to be even decent mmo at this point.

agree GW2 is by far the best mmorpg:

ESO - great PVE, however, everyone who has played that game for any length of time knows that the bastardized hero engine is not fit for purpose, and that destroys the game, i.e WVW - dead, massive lag, crashes, can handle only a fraction of GW2 wvw pop size. Same for raids and BG. Then There is the impact of this lag, its so bad your skills can take 10,20,30 seconds to fire off, lots of insta gibbing as the server catches up with hits on you, rubber banding, latency over 1k etc. Then there is animation cancelling - a scourge especially in a laggy game. Then there are the frequent random crashes followed by being sent back into the back of the server que, then there are infinite loading screens. It goes on and on the devs who acknowledged all the issues 4 years ago now ignore the problems because in reality they can't change the code engine, the game is cooked.

WOW -a game that has gutted itself literally through massive skill simplification and drowned itself in the past with self parody.

FF14, best of the rest.