Best MMORPG for a newbie?

[KitariSan]

I want to get started in the MMO world but don't know which to go with.

The things I am looking for include:

Free to play, or at least to start. I don't want to make an initial investment and not know that I like it first. I don't mind paying a bit after the first so microtrans and (low) subscription fees are okay as long as there is a trial.

Easy to learn. I don't want to spend the first 3 days reading instructions only to still feel lost.

Good intro to MMO mechanics. Never played MMO and I would like a gentle intro to guilding and all that, preferably with the option to solo so I can level a bit and figure out what I'm doing before I mess up someone's raid. On the flip side, I've been playing RPG's for years and don't need my hand held there. So nothing that doesn't at least have the option for interesting strategic combat.

Friendly community. I would like to not be bombarded by NooB! or plowed by some lvl 80 jerkwad my first 15 minutes.

Also, I would prefer the traditional fantasy setting and a good degree of character customization.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Whips&Chains]

ddo-dungeons and dragons online would be perfect for you if you want something free easy to learn and still (way better than runescape! )

 

[runescape person]

Runescape!!!!!!!!!
dungeon and dragons is a nerds game
runescape is an awesome persons game.

 

[Dean]

Lord of the Rings Online would be a good start. It has a much more mature community than most games. Right now there might still be a free trial available. But it will become Free to Play in the Fall so it might be something you could try out.

I've played the game on and off for close to 4 years now. It was worth every penny just because of the great friends I've made there. The community was worth the $10 subscription fee.

 

[Stephen]

you sound like you already have something in mind so i dont know what to suggest to you really. Ragnarok online's one of the strongest mmo's i've played. It's good fun, it's free, there are plenty of private servers with different leveling / item drop rates. i.e 15x exp... or 4000x exp. You could find hundreds of servers simple by googling "ro (ragnarok) servers". it'll probably give you a top 100 server list, which are reliable. You could choose to play it like it's meant to be played and play lower rates such as 1-30x exp. Or if you want a cheap thrill, go into the 1000+ rates. up to you. enough on that though

Dont get discouraged by the graphics, it's actually very different and you don't see anything like this game anywhere. It's very open and has hundreds of maps, loads of different and interesting monster, and the craziest boss (theyre called mvps) monsters you've seen. it's a deep game and almost every item is customizable in that you can give it any effect you can imagine by putting cards into them. Cards are drop by any and all monsters, and every card has it's own effects. (+2 str.. some even give you skills that your job doesnt normally get.) There are infinite possibilities. Its also huge in pvp if you're into that. (player vs player) I could go on explaining everything but I dont know if you even want to read this. I highly suggest getting into it because like I said, it's an extremely solid game and it's got everything you could need in an MMO. Download directions should be on almost any web site you find.

quick instruction though: download kro, install, let it patch. it will create a folder. Any private server you find, you want to install it directly into the kro folder else it wont work. very simple. As far as what kro is, there will be a link to download it.

sorry if i wasted your time, but i've played hundreds of mmos. Ragnarok is the most reliably enjoyable game out there.

 

[Alan Y]

id recomend runescape. although members get more benefits there is still free to play.

they have a tutorial but it doesnt help much. it will be hard at first to know how to play but you can add me and i know alot about it. im lvl 99 of 138.