For me its:

  1. Ultima Online

  2. Final Fantasy XI

  3. Ragnarok Online

UO was a game I just recently discovered and it's fantastic, best sandbox experience I've ever had in a game.

FFXI was another recent discovery. It took the formula from Everquest and made it better. The game is even less grindy today with the QOL changes.

RO was a big part of my teenage years. I love the look of the game, it reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics. It's a great casual game to just pop into and grind out some levels or explore.

  • TheLepidopterists [he/him]
    ·
    23 days ago

    I loved FFXIV although I last played it during Shadowbringers and I only got a touch through the MSQ there.

    As a dad I just have zero time for daily login bonuses. If China ever bans them and it ripples through the industry in a way that makes MMOs quit doing that toxic shit I'd consider coming back, but these days I just don't have the time or energy.

    The quests/story were very cool though, and all three roles were pretty fun to play, in the more casual content at least, never touched the really hard stuff, even back in the day I didn't have that amount of time to commit.

    • lorty@lemmygrad.ml
      ·
      22 days ago

      I mean if what you liked in FFXIV was the story, you can be pretty chill about it and not do the daily roulettes (specially since they only really give exp and take time to do). You can even do all the dungeons (and most recent trials) with an npc party, so no need to wait for queues.

      • TheLepidopterists [he/him]
        ·
        22 days ago

        No, I do. Also like the gameplay, I just didn't like having up-to-date gear being gated behind either playing an unreasonable amount, or having to play several days of the week to hit cap on tomestones.