Alternative to WoW for wife and I?

DustyBottoms · September 2011

I know there is another thread somewhat similar to this but I don't want to hijack it and I am looking for something slightly different.

For about 6 months before we got married, I got my (now) wife to play World of WarCraft with me because we couldn't see each other too much. We stopped our subscriptions before the wedding and honestly I kinda appreciate not feeling like I NEED to play WoW to feel like I spent my money well. We also don't have quite the time anymore where we can play consistently, making the monthly subscription even less attractive.

We are looking for something similar to WoW that we can play together. No twitch gaming, as she does not feel comfortable with anything too fast-paced. Something with some sort of character progress, probably an RPG, with slower-paced combat than something like Diablo II.

I'd even take a MMO that doesn't have monthly fees. The game doesn't necessarily have to be free, we just don't have enough time to justify paying a monthly fee if we don't have time to play for a week or two.

Magus` · September 2011

I'm told Guild Wars (2) is nice and has no monthly fee. I cannot vouch for it personally, however.

AaronKI · September 2011

Lord of the Rings Online's Free-To-Play model might be up your alley. Rather than paying a monthly subscription, you can buy "quest packs". It's usually $7 to $11 to unlock all the quests in a particular zone (the Store Points have variable pricing so it's hard to translate the prices into real money) . They have sales for quest content and expansions every once in a while too.

If you're interested, there's a LoTRO thread that can tell you how to save money when you're just getting started.

The LandoStander · September 2011

I have some friends and a sister who were pretty into the WoW for a nice stretch of time and throughout that time some other friends in our group were often exploring alternatives that we could play for free and I'll say that my experience was that no free MMO ever beats WoW, so be prepared to lower your standards.

I played and enjoyed Perfect World for awhile. PvE and PvP options are available and rather than play CtF or some other thing you can join guilds and fight for territory which earns you a stipend dependent on your rank within the guild I think. I didn't do much guild stuff because like you I wasn't looking to invest a lot of time. The same company that made Perfect World also made several other MMOs that are all free to play and vary slightly in their style but it makes a nice one stop shop for decent free MMOs.

I should note again that this is not as good as WoW but it is a playable and decently populated MMO.

http://www.perfectworld.com/

Figgy · September 2011

I second the LOTRO suggestion. I played quite a bit back when it was subscription-based. It's much more lore-oriented than WoW. I recommend starting in the Shire, because that zone nails the amotsphere more than any other starting zone in any MMO I've played.

X5 · September 2011

Gonna have to "Third" the LoTRO idea.

The Free2Play model is really sweet. The quest packs are ideal, level at your own pace, and when you both are ready, drop a few bucks for the next quest pack and continue on. I was very impressed with the game for the time I played it.

The crafting/gathering can give you plenty to do if you or she wants to play when the other is not online. As well, the music system is pretty sweet.

Good luck!

ceres · September 2011

City of Heroes sounds a lot like the sort of gameplay she's looking for. It's going free to play this coming week. It's a pretty good game, but doesn't have the same fantasy setting a lot of them have.

I really enjoy Aion, but it's a much smaller community and has a subscription fee.

Druhim · September 2011

Magus` wrote: »

I'm told Guild Wars (2) is nice and has no monthly fee. I cannot vouch for it personally, however.

It's also still in development.

RoyceSraphim · September 2011

Druhim wrote:

Magus` wrote: »

I'm told Guild Wars (2) is nice and has no monthly fee. I cannot vouch for it personally, however.

It's also still in development.

Guild wars is 3 campaigns plus an expansion pack that leads into Guild wars 2, its all about $50. Get the demo for the two of you and try it out. I mean thats the only way you are going to find out, jump into the demo.

The Crowing One · September 2011

I asked a somewhat similar question awhile back. Here's the link to the thread.

I didn't end up getting too into any of them, as I moved back to console RPGs shortly after (Fallout: New Vegas hooked me), but Vindictus was pretty cool and action-y.

Champions was pretty cool and LotRO was at the top of the pile, as well.

DustyBottoms · September 2011

Thanks for all the excellent advice. I like the free-to-play models that LotRO and CoH seem to be offering, so we will definitely look into those.

I tried Guild Wars years ago when it was supposed to be the "Diablo-killer" and I wasn't impressed, but probably because it was a slightly different style and I don't think anything could have killed Diablo for me at that point. It's good to hear there is still a demo available, we can give that a shot and see if it works as well.

I actually used to play CoH, but she may be more interested in sticking with fantasy-themed stuff. We'll see. I'd still be happy to take other suggestions, though, in case these don't work out.

Thanks all!

Aldo · September 2011

Another recommendation in the F2P category is edeneternal.aeriagames.com

Or if you're looking for more of an SRPG (with turnbased combat): atlantica.nexon.net

LOTRO is also great and the ultimate game to play with your wife, considering the amount of couples I run into.

WildEEP · September 2011

Star Trek Online is supposed to go free soon.
But if you really want a wow replacement...you're waiting another 0-90 days. Star Wars: The Old Republic is due out for the holiday season.

Magus` · September 2011

Druhim wrote:

Magus` wrote: »

I'm told Guild Wars (2) is nice and has no monthly fee. I cannot vouch for it personally, however.

It's also still in development.

Is it? Taking awhile, they are.

AaronKI · September 2011

Aldo wrote:

LOTRO is also great and the ultimate game to play with your wife, considering the amount of couples I run into.

I'll vouch for this. My girlfriend and I have been working through the game together since we started back in 2008. The switch to F2P has been a godsend because we move through the game at a snail's pace.

useless4 · September 2011

DC Universe is going free to play to (a large) degree. My wife is addicted to that even though it's got some growing pains going on this early into it's life.
I thought Dungeons and Dragons Online was pretty fun the bit I played to see if I liked it or not.

Robes · September 2011

Sex. Or Minecraft. Or Terraria. Civ V can be fun, if you do co-op against easy AI. Portal 2 isn't really twitch like.

If she doesn't want anything fast paced, you can ease her into it with TF2, because it is free.

spool32 · September 2011

Not to toot my own horn (because I'm no longer playing or involved with the world), but try out the game in my sig.

Steev · September 2011

I haven't touched LotRO in years, but loved what I played. Definitely worth checking out.

DustyBottoms · September 2011

Played about 15 minutes of LotRO last night while the wife was watching and she seemed interested. Don't think I'd be able to get her into DC Universe or Star Trek Online (though I may try STO myself.. it's going F2P?). She seemed vaguely interested in CoH but I think it will be easier for her to make the step to another fantasy game. We'll see how it goes.

Loving the response to this thread, thanks guys!

ceres · September 2011

STO is going f2p in December, I think. Not that soon, anyway.

E.Coyote · September 2011

Ultima online is decent if you don't mind dated graphics. There are a number of free servers that cater to various tastes as well.

Squirrelmob · September 2011

If you don't mind limited graphics (very, very, veeeery limited) and are willing to go for something that pokes fun at pretty much everything under the sun, then Kingdom of Loathing is a fantastic free internet rpg. But it might not really be in the vein of what you're looking for.

Muriden · September 2011

I'd second minecraft if you and your wife are inclined to lego building.

Natas_Xnoybis · September 2011

another vote for LOTRO, Lotro is f2p done right. and as of next week you will be able to enter the pvp zone as an f2p reaver. As for what server, Landroval server is pretty active and friendly folks, lots of husband and wife duos.

Kuroi Ookami · September 2011

I am going to second Dungeons & Dragons Online. My boyfriend and I enjoyed the time we put into it, and while it's free to play, there is a cash shop to buy items and things to open certain quests. I think though the game gives you shop currency for game progress or something though, so we never spent real money on it for the time we played it, while being able to open some of the quests. Also, these quests didn't appear to be required to progress the game, but we wanted to check them out.

Dhalphir · September 2011

Most of them have already been suggested, but any major free2play MMO will be right up your alley.

Lord of the Rings Online is the best, as it was originally a subscription game and thus has a level of polish that others don't often have.

Also, it gets a bit of bad press and is considered a kiddy game at times, but Runescape is quite good for a free2play MMO, and can be played in a browser.

DustyBottoms · September 2011

I have installed LotRO on her laptop and maybe when she finishes her midterm paper for this online grad class we can actually play a little. She watched me play a little and does seem interested.

On a side note, I was playing around with CoH last night (because I used to enjoy the game and would love to get back now that it's free) and she actually did seem kinda intrigued by that as well. We'll see.

Thanks guys for all your suggestions. I think we've found stuff that will work for us for a while.