Breakfast Topic: We All Started Somewhere
by David Nelson 
Oct 19th 2006 at 9:35AM
Maybe more like a brunch topic for our US readers in the East, but better a little late than never, right?We all started somewhere playing MMORPGs. Whether WoW is your first, or you are old school and began with Ultima Online or Meridian 59, we were all a totally confused noob at some point. I started with Star Wars Galaxies which was an experience to say the least...and not really that positive of one if I may be totally honest. Then I moved onto City of Heroes, which was a lot of fun and sold me on the genre, but it was a little shallow. Then I bought WoW at release and have been addicted ever since.
What about you guys? Which MMORPG was the first for you?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mordiceius Oct 19th 2006 9:53AM
I started in Ultima Online. I was in jr high at the time and didn't get a lot of the game at first, was a real learning curve. I took a break for a couple years. Played some Earth & Beyond as well as City of Heroes. From there I went on to Guild Wars and resisted WoW until last November. I've been a hardcore player ever since.
Aaron Oct 19th 2006 9:52AM
I messed around a little bit with Everquest back in 2000 or 2001 but never really caught the bug. Started playing DAoC early in 2003. Started with WoW during the Beta.
Theadrick Oct 19th 2006 10:04AM
Everquest, right after Kunark was released (99 or early 2000). Played EQ for 5 years, and during that time also dabbled with DAoC for about 6 months. None of the other MMORPGs really interested me until WoW came along, as I was a huge fan of the Warcraft series and the Diablo games.
Hory Oct 19th 2006 10:01AM
I played SWG first for about a year and was pretty into it until WoW came out. I completely gave up SWG for Wow. However, after getting my Dwarf hunter toon up to lvl 47, and hearing the constant groaning about class abilities, nerfs and Horde... not to mention a guild that made it's members sit in specific, perfectly aligned spots for guild meetings... I lost interest.
Guild Wars came out... it looked interesting so I bought it and played that through a few times (I never really enjoyed the pvp parts of these games, only the story).
When I met my wife I stopped playing everything alltogether, but started up again when City of Heroes came out... though I only played the "trial". City of Heroes didn't interest me at all beyond the character creation screen.... and I thought back to what I used to have fun playing, World of Warcraft.
I grabbed the box, dusted it off, and haven't stopped since. I now have 2 60's (UD Priest, Tauren Hunter) and even got the wife interested (Tauren Druid). Oh, and I still haven't gone back to look at that boring old Dwarf hunter...
Bwani Oct 19th 2006 9:52AM
I started in Ultima Online but quickly moved to Everquest, my very best MMO experience.
WoW is far better as a game from every single aspect.
But the old EQ community had something I will never ever forget. People were so friendly and mature.
There was a great proportion of people who knew how to keep it friendly while challenging.
Jason Oct 19th 2006 10:08AM
I started in UO, moved to PSO for a bit, dabbled in EQ, DAoC, and loved EnB. I loved what SWG could have been, but what really hooked me in was FFXI. I played FFXI for a little over 2 years, amassing an outstanding 200+ days of /played on my active characters, taking a Paladin, Dragoon and Dark Knight past 60, although I never had the stamina to get them to 75 once the cap was raised to there.
FFXI was a game I enjoyed immensely, although having played WoW for the last two years, I look at it with longing, wishing that SquareEnix would revamp the leveling system. I doubt I'd go back even if they did, but I can always hope.
Mordiceius Oct 19th 2006 10:06AM
Hory, it wasn't the "constant groaning about class abilities, nerfs and Horde" that turned you off from WoW, it is just that you were playing on the wrong side. ^_^ I am glad you realized the mistake and joined the right side.
Jared Oct 19th 2006 10:08AM
I started playing around with MMOs with Everquest, but I never stuck with it for long. I then moved to Anarchy Online when it was released and could not stand the bugs that were there at launch. So, I moved to Star Wars Galaxies, but I did not like that and went back to AO and played that for a couple years (still think it is a great game, now). Then, you guys know, WoW came out and that was all she wrote.
Curt Oct 19th 2006 11:01AM
I started in beta4 of EQ1 and played that for 18 months. Next I moved to DAoC and AO which I liked neither. I played CoH and CoV for about a year. Since July I've been firmly absorbed by WoW.
Brohuld Oct 21st 2006 12:33PM
Was playing MUDs in text mode in the 90s... a lot of present MMORPG concepts were already there.
Matthew M Oct 19th 2006 10:36AM
Believe it or not, I started in World of Warcraft. Before this game, I never really enjoyed the idea of paying around $15 a month to play something. City of Heroes always sounded like fun...but the idea of paying monthly quickly turned me off. Plus, I was always more of a console person since I didn't have the time or money to always keep my computer up to date.
But then a friend of mine bought WoW, who was always into these MMO's, and I heard all about it from him. I checked out the website and read up about it, and decided I really wanted to check it out. I buy the game, do the free trial and if I don't enjoy it, then I don't have to pay later...but that's where they get you. They know you'll love it and won't be able to stop. And that was/is my first ever experiance with an MMO.
Duncan Oct 19th 2006 10:53AM
I started out with City of Heroes, I enjoyed that game quite a bit, but as was mentioned before the storyline was a bit shallow and the instances variation was less than spectacular. A friend convinced me to try SWG, before the "upgrades" and being a SW fan I enjoyed it much more than CoH. Then the changes that were made to "improve" the game absolutely destroyed the game experience for me and my friends. Having played all the original Warcraft and Starcraft games, I ended up on WoW has been fun for the short time I have been playing.
Psyclerk Oct 19th 2006 10:53AM
A friend of mine got me hooked into playing Asheron's Call back in 2000. I played that on and off for about three years. I think my main character there is level 109, which was close to the level cap at the time. The last AC expansion made it pretty apparent that I would not be going back to that game.
I also played a good chunk of Anarchy Online starting around patch 15.x, for maybe five or six months. I loved the instanced missions and that was a selling point for getting into WoW later.
I also tried a two week trial of CoH, which started out really fun, but after four days the grind was already getting bad. I'm surprised the game is doing as well as it is.
I tried DAoC and hated it. When the starter quests demand you get a group together, that killed my interest. I also have a boxed EQ set that has never been opened. One day I might give it a try...
Rober Oct 19th 2006 11:01AM
I started with the beta for a game called "Battle Realms", which was an odd game, and I didn't understand the whole MMO-ish concept. Just a year after that, my buddy and I went out and got EQ, which sucked in our opinions, and bought Anarchy Online instead. We played that for several years, and I got into betas for other games. Also played: Shadowbane, Earth and Beyond Online (ugh), EQ2,City of Heroes, Planetside, FFXI...but I always came back to AO. But now WoW is my new AO, just as addicting but ten times better.
Jesse Oct 19th 2006 11:19AM
Another EQ veteran from Firiona Vie. My boss back then (and current WoW-guildie :) ) got me hooked when Legacy of Ykesha was about to be released. My server was Firiona Vie, which was a thrilling place to play EQ.
The maturity and skill I found there is unmatched. Even as a 'newbie' (four weeks of WOW and counting) I find the general lack of politeness and playing skill appalling.
Dudespeak aplenty, but I really have to look hard for people who seem to know what they are doing.
Oldbear Oct 19th 2006 11:31AM
I started with UO - back in the dail-up 2.3k/sec rural connection days. I tried EQ for awhile, was in the City of Heros beta, Ass's Call beta, and then the WOW beta - WOW being the only one that grab my attention enough to buy the game and play...
Dave Bard Oct 19th 2006 11:27AM
What, no MUD people? MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons or Multi-User Domains) were the text-based precursors to MMO's. I played the biggest and the best, Realms of Despair, back in '97 (and back then it had been going for a few years already). My character? A paladin named Bjaden... and now I play a paladin named Bjaden (US-Daggerspine).
Mordiceius Oct 19th 2006 11:34AM
ooooh crap! Dave Bard, you just opened up a can. I can't even remember when I started MUDing. I started with a diku called Aardwolf, played about a year. Played for a while on a Lord of the Rings MUSH and a Final Fantasy 8 MUSH. While intermittantly playing Core 2650 (which I still play today coremud.org) I have played Achaea and Realms of the Dragon (which I occasionally frequent).
Of all Core 2650 (now Core 2656) is my favorite. You're a miner on a distant mining colony working for 'The Company'. really neat. player driven economy and everything. Check it out if you can.
Bee Oct 19th 2006 11:42AM
I started on DAoC because my bf played it. Didn't really get into it. Then I played Horizons and really enjoyed it, but the community began to dwindle and become stale. Then i twas COH which I loved! But ended up cancelling because i had no time to play with my school schedule. I finally picked up WOW during beta and have been playing various chars eversince!
Afroloop Oct 19th 2006 11:47AM
I started with Asheron's Call 2 and while it was not that popular I still enjoyed it. Played some others such as Matrix, CoH, CoV, GW but enjoy WoW the most out of all of them.