What MMOs would you suggest for a n00b?

So I've toyed with the idea of MM Os for years, listened to a lot of friends talk about them, hearing good and bad about several. So, TV Tropes, tell me what YOU think!

What MMO would be good for a n00b like me to play? Factors I'm considering include:

1. Price. Low or free monthly fees are always desirable, as long as the game in question has any quality.

2. Grinding/Farming? As far as I know, pretty much all MM Os are guilty of this, but I'd much rather play one than doesn't require much repetitive drudgery. For example, Jade Dynasty effectively has a built-in bot that lets your character grind even when you're not playing.

3. Easy to Play. My gaming skillz suxor. I do much better at games where everything is based on stats rather than timing, aim, reflexes, etc. And where the difficulty level in general is just not too punishing.

4. Scale. In general, I like games with a lot of scale, where players can make a big impact across a large area. Granted, there's only so much of this that can happen in an MMO, but I understand EVE Online has an entirely player-generated area where it's the players (the many thousands of them) who shape what happens.

5. Magic & Tech. This is more an aesthetic value than anything else, but I like space fantasies like Star Wars and Warhammer 40,000 where magic and tech exist side by side. Low on the list of desired MMO traits.

6. Ability to Solo. While it is certainly fun to team up with with other players, I also like being able to play through alone; it makes me feel like my character is powerful, and not just a limited role in a team.

7. Cool Features. In Aion everyone can fly! In STO, new planets are generated randomly and infinitely. Lot RO has legendary weapons that level up with you! Cool features like that don't generally save a game if it's not a decent game to begin with, but they certainly add something.

8. "Tricks" for Becoming a Powerful Character? DDO has guild perks that most players don't seem to exploit, and reincarnation perks for better stats. Star Wars Galaxies has the whole Jedi class thing, which is powerful but limited to players who have master every talent tree (at this point, probably every player, lol).

And finally the most important...

9. How FUN is it? Even if a game doesn't fit any of the other criteria, maybe it's so goshdarn fun it doesn't matter, and I absolutely have to play it.

Some MM Os I've heard of that sound like that have fun elements are following, so if you have any comments on them, I'd appreciate that, too!

SW:TOR. Apparently, not only can you solo, you can have a whole party! Since I'm a Star Wars fan, this sounds especially good to me. Of course, it's not out yet, so we can't know anything for sure.

Star Trek Online. Massive tactical space ship combat. Infinitely generated planets. Customizable character stats, ships, and crew.

Co H/CO. I like superheroes, and I know these games offer a lot of customization, but that's all I know.

Dungeons & Dragons Online. Free to play, ability to solo.

Lord of the Rings Online. I just know that the idea of weapons that level up with you sounds quite appealing.

Aion. As does the ability to fly.

Jade Dynasty. All I know is that it's free, and will grind up for you while you're not playing.

How's that for a big block of text? Any answers or suggestions at all you can give me are greatly appreciated!

edited 17th Aug '11 1:17:33 PM by AlCiao

I would suggest more of the action MMOs that have been coming out recently. Dungeon Fighter Online is a fantastic game, playing kind of like Final Fight. Dragon Nest and Vindictus are also excellent games, though Vindictus can get rather hard rather fast.

Others include Lunia, Grand Chase, and Elsword.

These games tend to be pretty low on the grind, and when you do grind, the gameplay is often fun enough to not make much of a difference. I suppose they aren't exactly the easiest games, but they're loads of fun.

edited 17th Aug '11 1:22:02 PM by Deathonabun

City Of Heroes/Villains is also becoming free, and it is most certainly worth checking out at the very least.

If you like puzzle games, Puzzle Pirates is pretty awesome. You do things like crafting and combat through puzzles, and there is a completely user-driven economy. There are two types of free play available, depending on the server you play on: the subscription servers, where you are barred from certain features unless you subscribe, and the doubloon servers, where you can buy doubloons (they are necessary for almost any valuable thing) for both real and in-game money.

OP wants games where gear and stats trump manual dexterity.

Most of the MM Os I've played were pretty grind heavy but Eden Eternal has a ridiculously low EXP curve compared to other games and it's possible to cap (Character 55 and Class 55) just by questing non stop. It has a pretty nice gimmick where you can switch to any class in the game (there are 12) whenever you want provided you're out of combat and meet certain requirements. The game also nicely saves your equipment and hotkey configurations for Every. Single. Class.

Game's still in development and has about as much content as Vanilla World Of Warcraft (it's basically a Taiwanese ripoff with Animesque art style) but new stuff is being released on a fairly regular basis. Localization is pretty good and there are tons of pop culture references courtesy of the translation team (Quite a few anime references, unusually enough for an American provider). Free To Play with cash shop items buyable with ingame currency. No autohunt but you get a free pet with autoloot.

Also, there are 2 races playable with unique starting areas. Another 5 or 6 are planned, all existing NPC races. Finally the Spoony Bard class has an awesome exploit that lets you get rich and powerful for a small investment if that's your thing. Maps are relatively large but are all colorful and well designed, with each map having exceptionally pretty cul-de-sacs for those who bother looking. There are also randomly spawning destructible containers which can give nice loot.

Legend Of Edda has ridiculously awesome mass PVP and stats trump manual dexterity to an insane degree- the game even lets you queue multiple skills if you're lagging badly. Free To Play with cash shop but unlike the above most cash items are cash only though the game gives you essential ones at regular intervals in addition to the reward boxes.

Leveling curve is pretty ok in the beginning but you may hit a brick wall at around mid level. Plenty of quests to do, however. Localization also needs A. LOT. of work.

Pandora Saga is basically FFXI without the subscription fees and localized by Atlus Online. Unlike in FFXI a good grinding party can cap you in about a week without you needing to raise a finger to prepare you for mass PVP. Like FFXI, however, you can't get anywhere otherwise. The best leveling areas all have open PK so you'll want to go in a group anyway.

The player community is active and there's a great deal of Serious Business with regards to Realm vs. Realm PVP. It's also one of the few free MM Os which actually has player politics, or it had when I was on.

The major downside is that the game is ridiculously dependent on the cash shop. Selling cash items for in game gold is the main sanctioned method of making money and as such prices are insanely inflated.

Overall, there's more incentive to play in a group than in many other free MM Os. Art style is very Seinen (closer to Berserk than to FFXI itself) but runs on Real Is Brown despite the relatively optimized code.

edited 17th Aug '11 5:09:53 PM by Recon5

If you don't mind playing a MUSH, Urban Dead hits 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 pretty well. (Free, a level 6 character can conceivably outfight a level 40, if you're unsure of your combat skills you can ambush "sleeping" characters, you can have a lot of fun playing solo, and you can take over entire regions as part of a large group.)

edited 17th Aug '11 6:44:17 PM by feotakahari

I will second the recommendation for Eden Eternal.

Eve Online -snicker-

but seriously, if you want something that's stat based, it's basically a spreadsheet in space.

I would go with DDO and LOTRO. They have a very friendly community (Landroval in particular for LOTRO) as well as the former being very in-depth. Ask me if you want more details, as I love and play both of 'em.

Guild Wars would be my bet. It starts off easy enough, and has plenty of content and room for your skills to grow.

I would have suggested that but, it's buy to play, not free to play.

If you like RTS games then End War might be worth a shot, especially since it's going to be free-to-play.

Hokies, thx for the suggestions! I appreciate it!