5 Biggest MMOs at the Moment

Posted December 9, 2012 by Staff in Editorials

When MMOs came onto the scene, particularly when they came into their own with the introduction of the wildly popular World of Warcraft, they exploded in popularity. Today, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of MMOs out there. Some use the free to play or freemium model, while others use a subscription model. No matter what your preference, you can find an MMO to participate in. Here are the top five biggest MMOs at the moment.

5. Lord of the Rings Online
Most gamers are in some way familiar with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, the Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein. Produced by Turbine, Lord of the Rings Online takes place in that same universe. Originally, the game was based on a subscription model, but went free to play some time ago.

There are four races available to player characters. Choice of race also determines which classes a character can be. Crafting, farming and music are important within the game, and the game has a music system that allows for impromptu concerts.

There are several expansions for the game, and each expansion has several “books” within it. LOTRO is almost as large of a game as World of Warcraft.

4. Star Wars: The Old Republic
This game, obviously set in the much beloved Star Wars universe, is extremely popular and it’s easy to see why. Aside from the vast body of lore which practically everyone is at least somewhat familiar with, the game has slick graphics and strong combat. The instanced missions and personalized storytelling are brilliant in their execution, and Bioware continues to produce top notch content despite the game having gone free to play recently.

With nine species to pick from, and eight classes there is always something new to try.

3. Rift
Like so many other MMORPGs, Rift is one based in a world of fantasy. It does things a bit different than most, however. For example, there are only four classes from which to choose, but each class can have up to six different roles by assigning “souls” to them and can easily switch between each role as necessary during the game.

To date, there have been eleven patches, and each one has added a significant chunk of new content to the game. The game’s first true expansion pack, Storm Legion, is due out in November 2012.

2. Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is free to play, once you purchase the initial game. This MMORPG has been extremely popular since its release, and a large reason for that is that it has an extremely strong emphasis on your character’s personal story. The game also boasts a dynamic quest system which allows players to have actual impact on the storylines they follow. This replaces the traditional quest system from most other MMOs and gives a feeling of flexibility and freedom not normally found in MMORPGs, making it more akin to tabletop roleplaying than other MMOs.

1. World of Warcraft
The number one game on this list should come as no surprise to anyone, even many who do not play MMOs. World of Warcraft has reigned over other MMOs almost since its inception thanks to a combination of its expensive content and support of millions of players. Boasting several expansion packs, including a new one just released called Mists of Pandara, WoW is the MMO that most others want to be like. With a plethora of interesting classes and races and tons of things to do, WoW is sure to stay on top for the foreseeable future.

About the author: Sam is a game researcher at MMOBUX, an virtual currency research site. All of information about digital economy can be found in the site.