It’s finally happened. You’ve crashed landed on a desert island with your trusty laptop and a stable satellite internet connection. Unfortunately, the island is on a distant planet where you’ll be marooned for a decade. You’re in luck though, aside from an abundance of food and water you also had the foresight to install 3 MMORPGs before you left. Which ones did you choose?
Welcome to this week’s One Good Roll! This week’s article is influenced by a real-world event that is transpiring as you read this. I have been tasked with the (good?) fortune of heading to an island for work related purposes. The island is undoubtedly populated, and I won’t be reliving castaway, at least, I hope I won’t due to the lack of sports equipment, but it did inspire me to think about this VERY REAL AND POSSIBLE SCENARIO of being stranded with only 3 MMORPGs to play for the next decade. Here are the three MMORPGs that I’ve chosen:
1: Guild Wars 2
Whether I’m playing the legacy game or one of the expansion areas, Guild Wars 2 still manages to feel alive no matter where I am. There are a lot of classes and class builds to try out, and I always loved theory crafting new ways to play my favorite classes. To this day, there are still parts of the story I haven’t completed, and trophies I have yet to earn. If I’m going to be stuck on an island somewhere, I want some solid achievements to work towards, and I think Guild Wars 2 fits that bill quite nicely.
Besides, with the End of Dragons expansion, they introduced Shing Jea Island. I think, if I were on an island cut off from the rest of the world, I feel like the people of Shing Jea Island would just get me. They would understand me. We would be a big virtual island family, and I would learn their ways. Connecting with my Guild Wars 2 islanders may be the only thing that keeps me sane. (If you consider my current state as “sane” that is)
2: Star Wars Galaxies
Hey, I’m stranded on a desert island on a distant planet. Maybe I went through some sort of dimensional rift and Star Wars Galaxies is still running and wildly popular. You don’t know! If I’m going to be stuck for a decade, I think much of my time would be spent living my virtual life in SWG pre-NGE (Yeah I'm a SWG-CU guy, don't hate me for it). I would destroy pirates in the Jump to Lightspeed expansion, and sidle up to an entertainer in a cantina when I wanted to relax from a day of Krayt Dragon hunting.
I may even attempt the Jedi trials after all this time, and learn the ways of the Force. I also feel like the characters in the Star Wars universe could teach me the survival tools I need to stay alive. Afterall, armed with the Jedi code, Obi-Wan Kenobi spent plenty of time alone when he was exiled to Tatooine, and he turned out alright. (Lightsaber death notwithstanding)
3: New World
When you’re blazing new trails, survival skills can go a long way. New World may not have lived up to everyone’s expectations, but Amazon Game Studios has still created a solid world with some enjoyable PvE. If we do away with the bugs and duping problems at launch, and focus on the gathering, crafting, and exploration, there is plenty here to keep me busy during my isolation. New World also has a more meaningful PvP system than the other two games on my list, and it would be nice to have a change of pace every now and then.
As I would also be stranded on a new world, playing a game centered around establishing myself on a new world, that is actually called New World would also just be too good of an opportunity to pass up. Perhaps there could be no greater teacher than the virtual action of hunting and gathering in an online game. (Aside from actual experience in hunting and gathering, or maybe a book)
This scenario may not seem plausible, MMORPG friends, but it never hurts to think ahead. Crash land in our comments and let us know what your picks are for your 3 desert island MMORPG, and why you chose them!
