I have tried a few of them, and a lot of them got boring really fast. I'm told that LOTRO is pretty good, but I can't be sure. What do you guys think? Should I try LOTRO, or is there another one out there I should go for?

I've never actually tried that game but I was thinking about it. I've played so many games and the only one I can really recommend is Flyff but that's because I freaking love it xD If you've played it before, oh well lol But yeah, if you do decide to try LOTRO, I'd like to hear your opinion!

I've played LOTRO as a subscriber for awhile (though I'm not playing currently), and personally, I really liked it.

The main reason I liked it was the community. Even with the typical free-to-play crowd, the community is a lot better than what you'd see in other games. If you're stuck on a quest or need some help, you'll likely be able to find someone willing to help you. There is also a strong role-playing community if you're into that, too.

LOTRO also has a lot of different features that other free-to-play games don't offer, like crafting, player housing, kinship (guild) housing, skirmishes, mounts, and epic quests. Some of these are slightly restricted if you're a free player, but you can earn points in-game to unlock those features. Also, if you choose to subscribe, you'll automatically earn points each month, as well as unlocking the Monster Play feature, which is LOTRO's version of PvP.

I think one of the most important things to realize before playing the game is that LOTRO is based on the books, not the movies. I've seen a lot of people start playing the game and expecting huge battles and epic music, but when it's not there, they get angry and leave before giving the game a fair chance. That's not to say there aren't huge battles and epic music... they're just not exactly the same as Jackson's movies.

I know... I've written a novel here. :P But seriously, it's free, so give it a try. The worst that can happen is that you won't like it. :)

Thank you very much. :) I just plain don't have the money for the pay RPG's and I wanted to know about the free ones. This is one that was highly recommended by some people.

If you haven't tried it, I liked Perfect World International. Of all the free MMOs I tried to play over the fall of last year, PW was about the only one that I didn't get bored with after about 18 hours of play time and 16 level advances. PW I managed to get like one of every character type to level 10 and one to 36 or so within about a week of playing.

Other free MMOs I tried: Shaiya (it's okay but I've got an older system and so it was kind of laggy on the video end.) Requiem Momento Mori, which is only a valid option if you're over 18 for reasons of gore. It's fun, fast-paced, and dark, but it's a little...nebulous? There's enough structure to kind of get you where you're going but the system just sort of feels kind of chaotic for the user for a little bit.
Heroes of the 3 Kingdoms, which again was super laggy and the translations to English are kind of crap, but if you're a Dynasty Warriors fan, it's not bad, and there's another one that's kind of the same thing but isn't in beta at present like the other...one is made by Aeria and the other is made my Perfect World International. For the most part overall, I would advice going to both of those production company's home sites and having a look around to see if anything strikes your fancy. If you've already exhausted your options with Aeria and PWI, I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss for much else. Fiesta was fun, but it's one of those games where you don't HAVE to spend real money to play, but you gotta spend real money if you want more than like 1 inventory bag or any of the really cool stuff. That's how a lot of them are, so it's not anythin new. I'm not personally a big fan of Ragnarok Online, but I hear good things from others. I also hear good things about EVE online, but I've never really looked at it so I don't even really know if it's free or not.

As for pay MMOs, I'm waiting for the Secret World release in 2012. I played Everquest off and on for about four years, and I played WoW (vanilla WoW, before BC released) for about a year before I got so fed up with Stranglethorn Vale that I just quit in favor of...well...working and going to school because they were more fun and less frustrating (I had the world's WORST wireless internet connection and my video card was in the process of dying, so my computer would ritualistically shut off about every forty five minutes, and my internet would blip out about every twenty. With a level 25 troll warrior, it took me, a 25 undead warlock, and 2, count em 2 level 60s, SIX HOURS to get through Wailing Caverns...a dungeon crawl which should have totalled ABOUT an hour tops with the 2 60s.

Good luck on your hunt, and I hope you find something that will hold your interest for a long long time.

Oh, I definitely understand. :)

As far as free MMOs go, LOTRO is probably one of the best you can find. The world is gorgeous, and there are so many details that even non-Tolkien fans can appreciate. The game can be a bit slow at times, and being a free player can have a lot of grinding moments, but it's still worth a look. And the LOTRO store also has sales quite often, so that's another thing to look out for.

If you're looking for something with a bit more action, you should also look into Dungeons and Dragons Online. It's done by Turbine, the makers of LOTRO, and it also has a similar free-to-play model. The only downside is that it's easy to gimp your character, whereas you won't have that problem in LOTRO.

Also, if you're into superheroes, Champions Online recently went free-to-play. I'm not sure how their free-to-play model works or anything, though; I can't get the darn download to cooperate, so... :P

I had that problem with one that resembled wow. Just wouldn't load right. XD

I've played them all, and I have to say, I'm an avid DDO fan. It has it all - excellent graphics (no "pop-up" looking bushes like WoW), thoughtful and varied quests (there's not just hack-n'-slash, and there's a 'solo' setting for most quests if you're a loner like me). There's quests that take real talent outside fighting - like one which is basically a huge, really fun obstacle course in the pirate world. And because everything works through private and public instances, there's no need for stupid mounts, because frankly, you're not going to be running all over creation to get where you need to go. I hate games with huge travel time. It's free, and offers two pay-to-play options: you can buy points to buy specifically what you need, or subscribe and get everything opened up for you. Cheaper than WoW.

There's only 20 levels, but don't be fooled- level 20 in DDO is like level 80 in WoW - legendary and very hard to achieve. You have to fill your EXP bar five times per level.

The free servers on Everquest...:ninja:

Well, I know the ones you pay a subscription for are amazing, at least. The game is oodles of fun. o3o

I've herd the people are snobbish.

i recommend guild wars and guild wars 2 [when it comes out] buy the CD [or digital copy] make an account free forever afterwards

Yeah, but what's the quality like? I've heard it's not great.

if you wondering the quality of guild wars it's good. the first game is all instanced though the second is like a normal mmo. going to have mini games, vast worlds [trees to climb lakes to swim] 5 races, 8 classes. no healers [all can heal]
Guild Wars 2

Originally Posted by sarofset

I've herd the people are snobbish.

They can be?
But most people are that way in ALL MMOs. :/ It's not just an EQ thing.

But EQ2 is one of the funnest games ever, seriously.

Guild Wars is fun, too. But I haven't played in a long time, and you have to buy a copy of the game, which, last I looked, runs about $40.

it was twenty five for the game and both expansions at walmart, but I didn't get it, because I've had bad reports.

Hurp, the URL broke a little I think.

Anyway, try Planeshift.

What it really comes down to is what matters to you in a game. Maybe if you give us a list of priorities, we can help better. I've tried them all, P2P and free both, because my best friend's dad works in the gaming industry, is an avid gamer himself, and (for whatever reason) likes to buy his daughter and I subscriptions.

Personally, my priorities are in the following order:

1. Quest variation. Not all quests are slash-and-hack. I'm a puzzle person, and I like riddles in my quests, and obstacle courses- anything that takes skill, not clicking a bunch of times.
2. Soloing potential. While I have a guild of devoted friends, there's some days when I just want to play alone. Most games discourage this, and it's hard to find a game you can really play by yourself after the newbie levels.
3. Character design and graphic potential. I admit it, I'm a graphics whore. The first-gen WoW worlds with the 'pop-up' bushes still makes me gag.

This list may/will probably grow as I think of more to add to it later.

That sounds about what I like.

Also variation in monsters. I don't like how in perfect world there's about four monsters which just come in different sizes and colors. lol.

I understand this is hard to find, but If there is one, I'd like to know.

Ugh, yeah! Well, I stand by my DDO answer. It's free to play, so it's worth looking into.

I tried it a while back. I'm trying Lotro. it's taking freaking forever to download though. lol.

DDO is pretty good, i just started it myself

I know you're looking for MMOs, but two great free FPS are Counter Strike Online. (It's a Malaysian version of Counter Strike, all English. Just free) and Mission Against Terror.

I played them tons before I got Black Ops. :3