Now that WoW is on the backburner for a while, i have a lot more free time on my hands. I’m not going to lie, it actually feels great and rather relaxing. My blog posts may suffer from it though but i’m sure no one cares what mount i just looted this week. That’s basically all i logged in for anymore it seemed. Even when i’m not playing it i can’t seem to not talk about it in some way so i apologize. I have been playing GW2 and rather enjoying it again but i thought i’d load up some other MMORPG’s still sleeping on my SSD and give them a whirl again.

My go to default option whenever i’ve been bored in the past has always been Lotro. There’s just something about it that always calls my name and makes me hop in here and there. Perhaps it’s a certain ring from a certain someone we do not dare speak of. Wait, i confused two worlds there, sorry. I tend to do that to annoy my friends some time. Who am i kidding, they do it to me because they know it drives me bonkers.

Anyways, i’m currently updating and patching with the possibility of logging in sometime soon. I’ve been stuck on my Champion at i think level 50 for some years now. I never manage to make my play times last long enough to get anywhere but i always enjoy myself. I know that doesn’t make sense but it is what it is. I’ve been determined for some time now to eventually hit the level cap in game so maybe now is finally the time? I’ll try and give it a serious shot this time!

Another option, and still one of my favorites is EQ2. There’s a certain charm that always draws me back that i can’t quite put my finger on. I think it has a lot to do with the wide variety of classes, including my SK. I absolutely love my SK which should be a surprise to no one. Talk about the ability to pull an entire zone and not have to worry about dying. Every time i play this archetype in another MMO i always wish it was more like my SK. It’s been a few years and i think a few expansions since i last loaded up this game so i may have to give it another whirl as well.

Then there’s FFXIV. I have such a complex relationship with this game that i think it would be impossible to give it a fair shake after all these years. I won’t get into how disappointed i was when it launched after having played FFXI for so long because i think they basically built a new game when they fixed it a few years after launch. I’ve never seen an MMORPG get a second chance and actually exceed expectations upon relaunch. It was such a vastly improved game from it’s 1.0 iteration that i have nothing but respect for it.

However, i don’t see myself ever really returning to the game any time in the future. I’ve actually tried to return a few time and every single attempt ends the same way – i can’t find a class or job that i like. You see, my two favorite jobs from FFXI were Dark Knights and Warriors. Well in FFXIV the only role i can play them as is a tank. I’m really not interested in that in any shape or form. If the game ever allows me to play both of those as a dps then i’d be all over returning. Possibly even full time. If this is possible now someone better tell me!

There are a few in the works crowd funded MMORPG’s i’m interested in and one of them is Pantheon. I actually invested in the $100 pledge option a few years ago. It’s the only game i’ve ever done that for because the game checks off a lot of aspects i’m looking for in an MMORPG. I’m fully aware of the risks and i like to keep my expectations as low as possible so that i’m pleasantly surprised. Should there be a playable version available for my pledge level some time this year, i’ll be ecstatic. I’ll try and share as much as i’m allowed to if that happens. Hopefully i’m not too engrossed in it to remember to do so.

That’s pretty much where i stand right now in terms of MMORPG options for the foreseeable future. I’ve left off a few Korean games i’ve tried in the past as i feel like they provide more style than substance and are way too focussed on PVP for my tastes. I’ll stick with GW2 for now and on occasion i’ll try and boot up some of the other ones. At the least i’ll grab some interesting and fun screenshots worth sharing.