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Best MMOs To Play This December 2021

In this article, we’ll take a look at the Best MMOs To Play This December 2021. Although New World was very popular during the first week of its launch, the game’s player trend started going down in the succeeding weeks due to bugs and exploits that affected nearly everyone involved. These include things from disappearing equipment to an imbalanced and vulnerable economy that was made worse when Amazon Games accidentally gave away way too much gold that resulted in a rollback, and the Trading Post being shutdown for days. While we’re waiting for New World to bounce back and to be the game we’re expecting it to be, let’s dive into the other MMOs, which have endured the test of time.

Best MMOs To Play This December 2021

MMOs are designed to be played with others on the same server. They involve cooperation and collaboration, and are often seen as a way to socialize and meet people virtually. Although it isn’t mandatory to do so, the experience is more often than not exciting when you join a guild and participate in group events such as dungeons and raids.

Best MMOs To Play While Waiting For New World To Fix Itself

Most of the MMOs we’ll be talking about fall under the MMORPG category, which includes classics as well as fairly new ones that have garnered a ton of attention for their unforgettable quest designs, interesting storylines, and distinctive combat mechanics. Not only are they sustainable but they’re also able to go above and beyond the expectations of the community. We’ll be publishing a separate video with some MMOs you likely haven’t heard of before very soon, but without further ado, let’s discuss the Best MMOs To Play While Waiting For New World To Fix Itself.

Star Wars: The Old Republic (December 2011)

Star Wars: The Old Republic is Bioware’s first attempt at making an MMORPG. It’s also the only MMO where you can fulfill your fantasy of being a powerful Jedi or Sith since Star Wars Galaxies was shut down prior to the launch of SWTOR in 2011.

Star Wars The Old Republic in Combat

SWTOR played to Bioware’s strengths and was a game that heavily relied on story and player choice that actually changed the flow of the narrative, which wasn’t common for the genre at the time. These missions are not repeatable and all choices are permanent and can potentially affect how you experience the game. Of course there are still many traditional MMO styled quests called “Non-Critical Missions” that do not directly relate to your character, but are essential for world-building.

SWTOR boasts a total of 8 classes like the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, and Sith Warrior, to name a few, with options to specialize into advanced classes. Another feature about this game is that each class has a unique storyline. Every major character is also voiced, including the player character.

Star Wars The Old Republic

True to Bioware, this MMO also features multiple and memorable companions that are unique to each class, fully customizable with extensive backgrounds, and some are even romance options themselves.

On December 14, 2021, the 8th expansion known as Legacy of the Sith is planned to be released. Initially, it followed World of Warcraft’s monthly subscription model but when the playerbase started to decline, EA made the decision to convert it to a free-to-play model with an optional subscription method for additional perks. As such, you can try out SWTOR for free on Steam.

Guild Wars 2 (August 2012)

In 2012, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Guild Wars by ArenaNet was released to the public. Guild Wars 2 was one of the earliest MMOs that tried to break away from WoW’s static questing system. Instead of traditional quests where you would simply go from one NPC to the next, the game has touted dynamic events where players could participate and contribute to. These events have objectives from disposing pesky wasp nests or collecting apples for hungry citizens to multi-stage missions where you all defend cities, assault enemy bases, or repair villages together.

Guild Wars 2

What was unique for GW2 at the time was that these missions would change depending on the map’s state, or if players succeeded or failed in the previous steps. For instance, failing to defend a town triggered a new goal later on in order to recapture said town. If they were successful, their follow-up quest involved going on the offensive to bring the fight to the enemy’s doorstep.

Unlike WoW and Final Fantasy XIV, GW2 moved away from the holy trinity of MMOs. It doesn’t not have dedicated tanks, damage dealer, and healer classes. Instead, characters could fulfill multiple roles. Additionally, combat was much more active as players had the freedom to move around, even while casting their spells. It was a very active system that encouraged movement and dodging.

Guild Wars 2 in Combat

GW2 has had two expansions, namely, Heart of Thorns in 2015 and Path of Fire in 2017. In between major releases, there have been many content drops called the “Living World”, which has introduced new storylines as well as gradual changes to the world. A third expansion has also been announced for early 2022. This promises to bring in more subclasses, a new storyline, and a combat mount such as a war turtle with a jetpack. What more could players want?

GW2’s base game is free to play but with some restrictions. Having one of the expansions, which costs $29.99, removes all F2P limitations. Although the game can be played on its own client, it will be released on Steam sometime in the near future.

Final Fantasy XIV (August 2013)

If WoW is an MMO with RPG systems, Final Fantasy XIV is an RPG with MMO systems. In FFXIV, the narrative takes the center stage, and it does so extremely well. While the early story beats of A Realm Reborn are somewhat repetitive and simple, it later on becomes a roller coaster of intrigue with multiple twists and turns and betrayals and murder. You’ll also save the world in between. Some expansions, particularly Heavensward and Shadowbringers, are considered by many to contain the best stories in any MMO, and even, in all of gaming.

Final Fantasy XIV

But it didn’t start out this way. When FFXIV was initially released in 2010, it was met with substandard reviews as well as poor player reception. As a result, a remake was warranted to completely overhaul most of its gameplay mechanics so in 2011, Square Enix started rebuilding and salvaging the title. FFXIV was then rereleased in 2013 under the moniker of “A Realm Reborn”, signaling the coming of “version 2.0”. This breathed a lot of new life into the game, essentially saving it.

FFXIV is unique in the sense that you can have and level up all professions in one character. The job system allows you to completely change your class by simply switching to a different weapon. This reduces the need to create alternative characters and redo early game quests so you can always choose to move forward. Additionally, the game has a very generous trial period such that you can play A Realm Reborn together with the first expansion, Heavensward, up to level 60 for free. Although there are a few restrictions to prevent bots and others from abusing the system, it lets you experience the story, which is arguably the strongest part of this game.

Final Fantasy XIV in Combat

FFXIV can be purchased on Steam and via Square Enix’s website. FFXIV is also available on MacOS, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Endwalker, the latest expansion, releases today, so now is a great time to give it a go if you haven’t already.

Elder Scrolls Online (April 2014)

Similar to FFXIV, Elder Scrolls Online didn’t start out as a beloved MMORPG. In fact, it had one of the worst launches back in 2014 due to multiple bugs and crashes as well as an outdated and mandatory subscription business model. What made this worse was their player base, which largely consisted of solo players who were hoping to experience a world similar to Skyrim.

A year after the MMO’s release, it was rebranded as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, resulting in largely positive reviews. Primarily, Zenimax removed the monthly subscription and made it optional (in the form of ESO Plus) for those who wanted additional inventory space for crafting items and for storage, among other privileges. It also opened its doors to massive exploration on top of skill line changes. Additionally, ESO became buy-to-play where buying the expansion once allowed you to play the entire content.

Elder Scrolls Online in Combat Against a World Boss

Nowadays, you can expect to cycle through 6 Classes composed of healers, tanks and damage dealers, own and decorate your house, choose Companions as you explore multiple regions together, engage in several PvP maps, and apply transmog to customize your outfit.

ESO is an incredible MMO to get into if you’re a longtime fan of the Elder Scrolls games as there are familiar references here and there, especially with the expansions. This is non-linear so you can choose which storylines to follow first. You’re able to basically explore the majority of Tamriel with immense freedom since the main line Elder Scrolls games only let you traverse single regions.

Elder Scrolls Online in Combat in a Dungeon

However, if you’re new to the game, then that’s totally fine since you’ll still enjoy its amazing and in depth lore, group activities such as dungeons, trials and world bosses, multi-layered crafting system, and a ton of free trials to experience the base game and the perks that come with ESO Plus.

ESO is available on Steam, MacOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia. On Steam, the Standard Edition, which includes the base game and the Morrowind Chapter, costs USD 19.99 whereas the Blackwood Edition, comprising the rest of the expansions, costs USD 59.99.

Bless Unleashed (March 2020)

Bless Unleashed, not to be confused with Bless Online, is an action MMO developed by Round8 Studio. There is a confusion that Unleashed is a rebranded version of Bless Online, which was officially shut down in September 2019. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, as it’s a new game entirely, which has been built using the Unreal 4 Engine. As such, it looks absolutely gorgeous and is perhaps one of the best looking MMOs available today. Landscapes, cities and characters are beautifully rendered, and lighting effects are top-notch. Open world areas can also support a large number of players that’s especially fun to watch when everyone gangs up on world bosses.

Bless Unleashed

You’re able to choose between 5 distinct classes like the Berserker, Crusader, and Mage, to name some, and 4 races as you explore the land of Lumios. Note that classes are locked to specific races.

BU doesn’t look like what you would expect from an MMO. The game has a reticle to select targets similar to third person shooters. Combat is fast-paced and relies heavily on performing combo hits. When you chain together multiple attacks, you’re able to deal greater damage. Combos can also get quite complex because a single skill can have one or two combo options, which have different effects. You also unlock more of these as you level up. Additionally, in order to customize your character further, you’ll unlock Blessings to provide you with unique buffs and more skills for combat or gathering purposes.

Bless Unleashed in Combat

BU is free-to-play with an optional microtransaction shop, various founder’s packs, and a premium Battle Pass. It’s available on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Black Desert Online (July 2015)

Black Desert Online is an action MMORPG that was developed and published by Pearl Abyss back in 2015. A remastered version was released in August 2018, which included enhanced audio and visual elements. What’s definitely the biggest hook in BDO is its extremely detailed Character Creator. You get a plethora of options to choose from, and you can mix and match features and even tweak even the smallest details of your characters. Because of this, you’re able to truly tailor some beautiful (or horrendous) looking creations.

Black Desert Online

BDO features a huge roster of classes. While they are gender-locked like in Lost Ark, you won’t have a hard time finding something you’d enjoy playing. Of course, you have the basic classes such as the Warrior, Ranger and Sorceress. But BDO also has exotic classes like the Musa or a blade-wielding samurai type or class, the lithe Lahn who dons a deadly bladed pendulum, and the Corsair or a pirate who wields a blade and commands the seas in battle. Each class also has 1 to 2 advanced classes that they progress into later on.

BDO is an action MMORPG that shies away from the tab-based targeting that FFXIV and WoW are both known for. You are encouraged to move around freely, zipping around the battlefield with grace and brutality. Combat is quick and visceral, and looks very flashy. It goes without saying that the rest of the game looks just as breathtaking because of the combat effects and its character creator.

Black Desert Online in Combat

BDO is available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. Via Steam, it starts at USD 10.

Mortal Online 2 (November 2021)

At the time of its release in 2015, the first Mortal Online sandbox MMO relied on heavy skill progression as opposed to character levels, directional combat, and city building. However, it was mired with issues related to balancing and bugs. For the sequel, Star Vault AB has decided to expand the franchise even further by adding more skills, refining the crafting system, and improving PvE with Mortal Online 2. Both features and graphics have been enhanced thanks to the Unreal Engine 4.

Mortal Online 2

MO2 is a difficult and complex MMO, which prides itself on open and free-for-all PvP, where equipment and skill mastery are equally significant. When you die, any player can easily swoop in to claim your loot. Similar to its predecessor, combat is multi-directional so you need to be precise when it comes to moving your mouse in order to angle your blocks and attacks accordingly. This comes in handy when you’re sieging or defending the castle you and your guildmates have built.

Crafting is integrated with MO2’s lore so much so that the armor and weapons you make, since you’ll be creating everything from scratch, will end up becoming stronger than before. There are more than a million possible combinations that require extensive testing and trial and error.

Mortal Online 2 in Combat

Currently, you can enjoy Early Access via Steam for 39.99 USD with no monthly subscription, but the plan is to have a monthly subscription to continue playing after MO2’s launch, which is targeted for January 25, 2021. As such, you can expect to enjoy the game without any microtransactions.


If you enjoyed this list be sure to check out the Top 10 Soulslikes to Play While You Wait for Elden Ring, Top 10 ARPGs You Should Play In 2021, Top 10 Metroidvanias To Play In 2021, and Top 10 CRPGs You Should Play In 2021. Don’t miss out on our latest previews, read next Wartales Gameplay & Features Impressions: Open-World Medieval RPG and Anvil Gameplay & Hands-On Impressions: Sci-Fi Action Roguelike Shooter.

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