Some MMORPGs attach great importance to an exciting, well thought-out story and a harmonious game world. We tell you our top 5 story MMORPGs that you can play in 2023.
Over the years and decades, numerous MMORPGs have appeared in which you can put hundreds or even thousands of hours of gameplay. Everywhere people are grinding, farming, knocking down raid bosses or denting their armor in PvP. But for many players it is not the pure gameplay that is decisive, but the story of a game. We have compiled our top 5 and present the five MMORPGs that we believe have the most compelling, most exciting or simply most interesting story.
Update 04/30/2023: The article has been updated for 2023.
Cortyn has been playing MMORPGs for over 20 years and has spent so many hours in fantasy game worlds that you might not even want to know the exact number. 10 years of this are already written for MeinMMO articles.
It was always sniffed in all sorts of MMORPGs – especially when an interesting story lures. Because hardly anything motivates more than a gripping story.
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft can now look back on nine expansions, each of which has expanded the game by several hundred quests. In the meantime, cutscenes are also included and more and more missions are set to music. After there was no big story arc in “classic” WoW, but rather the problems of the whole world were dealt with, there has been a clear main quest line in almost every area since the “Cataclysm” remake.
Especially in the two more recent expansions (Legion, Battle for Azeroth and Dragonflight), the focus is clearly on the story and it comes with many dramatic twists and interesting highlights. The Shadowlands expansion is viewed rather critically by many.
While there aren’t any significant choices and many quests are just text, the sheer richness and attention to detail of the game world alone earns WoW a spot on this list. If you want to experience a large, well thought-out game world with many unique peoples and their background stories, you are in good hands in WoW.
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The downside, however, is that World of Warcraft is a Pay2Play title. The basic game and the latest addon must be purchased and then a monthly fee must be paid (subscription). A trial version is only available up to level 20 – and this is usually reached after a few hours.
What the story is about: At the beginning the focus is on the classic conflict between the two great powers “Horde” and “Alliance”. But the further you progress in the game, the bigger other stories become, such as the fates of individual peoples or well-known individuals from the Warcraft franchise.
Who is the story for?: Fans of “classic” fantasy, readers and anyone who doesn’t see a contradiction between comic style and a serious plot. However, getting started can be confusing, so you need to bring a little time and will to find your way around.