Which MMO should you play in 2025?

[@sawmanUK]

Thanks for watching, be sure to leave a like if you want more content like this and maybe comment some MMOs I should check out in the future. Link to Private Server guides here: dogwatergaming.com/guides/

[@BL00DYBUTTC0UGH]

mmo scene is so dry that most of "the top 10 whatever "can be reuploaded after 10yrs and still be true

[@sawmanUK]

Sad but true 😹

[@SCHMKTV]

Ashes of Creation enters the room

[@allgoodnamesrgone6029]

​@@SCHMKTV and it will stay at the door because it isnt out and will not be for years.

[@SCHMKTV]

@@allgoodnamesrgone6029 What? It will be out within the next year.

[@SCHMKTV]

@allgoodnamesrgone6029 I'm playing it right now and it is a million time better than any other MMO and it's only in alpha lol

[@SaintInix]

The fact that you played and enjoyed aspects of both Wurm Online, AND Haven and Hearth, you've got a sub for life buddy. Godspeed toward that 100k subs and Merry Christmas, good sir.

[@sawmanUK]

Two great games 🥲 and merry Christmas to you too

[@daledelatte9607]

Probably won't play any of these games again, but I'm here to support one of my favorite content creators with the algorithm!! ❤

[@FatherKofo]

19:29 you can buy expansions in GW2 in game with in game currency

[@OfDeath]

LOTRO is my main game atm. Sitting at 500.5 hours played, I can say it is worth questing in. I find myself taking way more screenshots than any other game because the world is so beautiful. Slow paced game but worth it if you like exploring.

[@Jamz43]

I have a few months of play time and keep coming back because they keep making vast open world beauty. Granted I also love LOTR but I’ve tried so many MMOs and nothing really relaxes me and kidnaps me away from the real world like LOTRO

[@OfDeath]

@Jamz43 agreed. Very immersive mmo.

[@OfDeath]

@@Jamz43 I am really enjoying lotro atm. Until Turtle WoW 2 is released.

[@blargblarg-jargon9607]

@@OfDeath shenna needs more money, also hope your garbage server gets taken down turtle wow sucks d!ck.

[@xrenzo98x]

Personally I had plans to try out Classic WOW next year, but after seeing this video I had to add to the list Mortal Online 2 and Haven & Hearth. Probably will keep playing OSRS as well, and maaaaaybe try out New World again, unless I have to throw in more money, I had a fun 200 hours on release, who knows what the new update might bring. Also, will keep an eye out for new vids here, you always manage to dig out of their graves decent games I never heard about in my life

[@skuzbuxet997]

As much as I enjoyed most of these, I still just go back to playing Phantasy Star Online, more of an OARPG than an MMO, but literally 25 years later damn near and it’s still just as enjoyable, still comfy, Pioneer 2 is still home.

[@RalseiSmokinAFatBlunt]

Yea surprised i didn't see PSO2

[@additivealex4566]

Oh man thanks for reminding me of all the good memories

[@Caladir]

None. That's the true and hardest answer. As someone who spend years playing MMO's, my best advice to people, is to not play them. You will only suffer.

[@appalachiangaming]

With the recent Fresh servers for WoW Classic I'd honestly recommend it right now, but I would also absolutely recommend SW Galaxies, SWTOR, and maybe Entropia Universe if that's your jam. I want to recommend LOTRO but I just can never get it to work for more than 15-20 minutes EDIT: For reference, I do have a few thousand hours in SWTOR. I absolutely recommend it but it has gone downhill in the last 2 years. Since it got moved to a different developer, I'm not actually convinced we'll ever get more true "expansions" like KOTFE, Shadow of Revan, etc

[@Vedgy]

Hearing you rating DAoC without doing PvP is like rating the dentist when no one looked at your teeth

[@sawmanUK]

Im British, thats how our dentists work?

[@nonnel0355]

100% pvp .. realm / battlegrounds is DAOC

[@Krunkeridleios]

Giving LOTRO a C tier is a damn shame

[@mercster]

Yeah, for all its age and issues, it's gotta be S tier for sheer beauty.

[@DrPluton]

I love it, but the servers stall out pretty often. Dying to lag is more common than dying to enemies.

[@samu999]

great vids man, I watch alot of MMO channels, and have been for years, you're already one of my new favs!

[@waterdrinker90]

I just got into OSRS. I never played it back in the day, and I never played any other version of the game. I started completely fresh. And I can say, it is as good as people say it is, *if* you're into oldschool slower paced MMOs. Which I am.

[@dl0l.l0lb]

Try wurm online

[@Zinljiraya]

i like the fact you added "community / social " aspect in your factors , well made

[@Zappieroth]

There are multiple servers for Dragon's Dogma Online, I recommend trying them all to see which one you like best as they are highly configurable.

[@Tzar230]

New World is honestly peak. I started playing it again like a month ago, and it's actually pretty good right now

[@soneca798]

@@Tzar230 same, i was very surprised

[@Tzar230]

@soneca798 I think it's a game that hit such a low point, people didn't even know they fixed a lot of issues. Like for me, it was performance. I left because the game was a laggy mess and came back to a pretty clean performance. If I miss my shots now, I'm pretty sure it's just because I suck, and not lag. There's also enough of a "BIS chase" now to keep me busy outside of pvp

[@binarysurfer5066]

I am also an 'ex ESO' player and original DAoC player; Eden Private server is fantastic, has great pop (season 2 is ending, season 3 early next year), great RvR action and caters to solo, duo, small group, large group and zerg playstyles plus keep takes etc. They have also made some fantastic QoL adjustments to bring the game up towards 'modern' standards. Give it a try when season 3 launches in early 2025.

[@Saxony]

it's worth mentioning that Salem was originally made by the same devs as Haven & Hearth before they sold it off and it changed hands a couple of times before its current fate of abandonment

[@soneca798]

Have you ever tried Albion? With how you speak of hardcore with pvp mmos I think you'd really enjoy it. Don't let the phone game aesthetic fool you. Go in, try to join a guild, do some avalon roads, it's honestly the best pvp mmo I've ever played

[@sawmanUK]

I’ve got about 8 or 10 hours , nothing special . I should really try it out some more next year

[@soneca798]

@sawmanUK I hate to be the guy to tell you that "it gets good after x hours", but with only 10 hours you wouldn't really be able to do much on it. Try joining a guild, and try roaming the roads of avalon, or the mists. Those are the highlights for group and solo play respectively imo

[@aev6075]

Lotro would have to take the cake. If you have even one friend you can form a mini fellowship and have your own adventure through middle earth. It's absolutely fantastic. But even going solo can be fun even if quite hard since, you know, no population. I would personally probably push lotro to B tier. It's absolutely fantastic, extremely good value for your money even if abit on the quiet end and you can buy more content with very little investment. By no means is it A or S tier, but still solid and something everyone should take a look at.

[@aresisis5427]

the one i've been playing for the past 20 years. everquest

[@sawmanUK]

I feel like I should play that at some point but then I should also play Asherons call …

[@renatoruiz8534]

​@sawmanUK currently playing AC with my 12yr old son. I played it back when I was his age. Referencing the wiki is mandatory. Lol.

[@SLCLN]

Hell yah Mo2 !! free access jan 3rd-6th? see you there.

[@kristianflamsted9038]

Here's my 5 cent to anyone that has tried ESO and thought it was bad because of the combat: Try ESO again but with a controller instead of mouse + keyboard and give it 10 hours and see if you like it better. That's what I did and I love it now.

[@binarysurfer5066]

Tip if you decide to do Warhammer Online over DAoC Eden server...WAR is almost entirely PvP centric, and tanks actually have a strong role in PvP with guard (damage split between you and another person) and detaunts (reducing damage done by the taunted player(s) to anyone except you). My advice as a starting player is roll a ranged DPS like bright wizard or sorc; you'll be familiar with the burst-kite playstyle from ESO Sorc.

[@PipsterSays]

FFXI hype!!!!!! lol Great video!

[@sawmanUK]

@@PipsterSays 🥹👍

[@rb7619]

You deserve 43 million subscribers my man I hope you channel blows tf up in 2025 ❤❤❤

[@hvdiv17]

Eso is going seasonal aka destiny 2 get ready for $40 battle passes instead of one big chapter every year this is a big money grab by zos.

[@Jef_Vermassen]

Really solid list (the ones you played and ranked), I had 0 comments on where they landed. And since I'm old, played most of them when they were a thing. The ones I didn't play: Mortal Online and Haven & Hearth. It's interesting to see that the industry keeps spending as much time and money on their live services as it would take to make an MMO. I remember them arguing: MMO's were just too risky, took a lot of time and money and may flop... How the turns have tabled. :>

[@Jef_Vermassen]

Oh, where are my manners. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year Plobb!

[@ricky6608]

Star citizen just added a new system focused on PvP/piracy so I’d definitely jump in

[@mcbizzle1906]

Ive recently got bk into eso cyrodiil and i have to say its pretty good.

[@Jtom783]

Gw2 is great, i love the gear progression. Idk why people like gambling and grinding for gear. I want to get my gear and have it be good forever. People complain about wvw but its my favorite mode to play solo. Theyve made it even easier to play solo now by letting you have your own cheap siege equipment. Also the combat is the least boring of any mmo ive played, with a good mix of targeted abilities and aimed abilities

[@WasabiiNA]

I see Mordhau slotted in there. I bought the game on release and played it like a full time job for a few weeks. Frequently went back and played it on and off. If you need some info about what the game was like when it released let me know!

[@digestiveissue7710]

People hate Tab-Targeting, yet it's the only type of combat that works in a good MMO, that's why the genre is dead.

[@SpaceNick__]

I'm a directional combat kinda guy myself the worst of the worst 😂

[@mikesomeone4055]

I like tab targeting.

[@mysteryblankdspace4342]

I like it to :>

[@BLUEPELICAN234]

Can you play RuneScape 3 aka RuneScape ?? I love it and I think you would, even though it’s no where near as popular as OSRS

[@sawmanUK]

I have played it for a whole 10mins already… it seems ok 😹👍

[@BLUEPELICAN234]

@ it’s a tough intro but it DOES get very good

[@samkibbey6321]

1:39 oddly enough, that video is what sent me here

[@sawmanUK]

The circle of content 🥹

[@gazc00p]

Star Wars Galaxies in S-Tier. I knew there was a reason I love you.

[@wiiagent]

nice list

[@sawmanUK]

Glad you enjoyed it🥲

[@Max44321]

City of Heroes is still really neat all those years after official closure

[@sawmanUK]

Yea, I've only briefly played it, but seeing how popular the servers are, I can tell they are doing a great job

[@Max44321]

@@sawmanUK The various servers differ in content and how they're ran but Homecoming seems to be the best medium, also probably most populated. I could go on and on about the game's (even while it was live) insane amount of customization, the details littered throughout the city (including actual litter placement to make it feel like a huge metropolis), the power sets and gameplay styles not available in MMOs anymore (the control/buff/debuff playstyle is my favorite and it just doesn't exist anywhere else and not to that level of power), and of course the freedom of movement with its travel powers!

[@ryuzclown1]

i find myself missing alot of what Wildstar had to offer. wish they pulled a FF14 cause it had soooooo much potential

[@NickAndWolf]

Played almost 500 of Mortal Online 2. Can’t go back. It was a violent fling, an abusive cycle of chaos and thrills and tracking a dude down out of town just to murder him for being a fuck in chat. Been playing throne and liberty. Got about 280 hours in that. Slowed down now and am happy to say a number always dings when I play. So I never feel like time is wasted. Finally I recommend Dark Fall Online (Darkfall Online?). And the HorizonXI FF11 private server for a vanilla+ experience

[@vic8230]

I actually had never heard if Dark fall Online so i googled it and from what Im seeing its shut down:/. But im seeing theres a private server of darkfall called Rise of Agon still going! Definitely look cool

[@dl0l.l0lb]

Honestly if you like RuneScape I recommend trying and learning to play wurm online it’s actually crazy fun with so much to do

[@sawmanUK]

Wurm online ? Never heard of it 👀

[@Zandonus]

Amazing. I sure want to play the solid C tier MMO for a year.

[@sawmanUK]

No one specified the timeframe 😹👍

[@-anonymous-7192]

ive just started with wow after over 6 years playing eso active..... best decision ever

[@Blade12113]

My favorite part of this video? Mentioning tge JSH vide that dropped coincidentially, I assume, on the same day

[@sawmanUK]

100% not planned sadly

[@windanger2023]

How about RF Online? Id love to see a newer version of it, Race vs Race vs Race

[@dankeykang4219]

Sawman playing asherons call is gonna be an S Tier video. Play on Levistras server no bots. Active and helpful community

[@renatoruiz8534]

I'm on Coldeve. Bots galore.

[@FatherKofo]

18:03 sc has server meshing, 4.0 is amazing and again, its an alpha and still runs laps around all these others you have higher. Just a thought

[@Guildm4ster]

Shouldve made this a top 20, 2 months ago and forced Hayes to include the best MMO ever made Haven and Hearth into his chart

[@miserablecuss3744]

Disasterously underrated channel. Keep it up, partner!

[@sawmanUK]

Glad you think so! 🥹🥹🥹

[@rudged]

Check out Dofus they had an engine upgrade from flash to unity very recently, it's top tier turn based combat with good PvE/PvP and very chill.

[@CurlyCross]

MMO you've never heard of because I'm a bloke that no lifed an MMO for 5+ years, watched that 250+ MMO video and it wasnt on it. The 4th Coming (T4C - Realmud Server)

[@lejeffe1663]

STARWARS GALAXIES!!!!

[@sula2315]

honestly speaking PoE2 isnt probably a real mmo, but it seems one of the games worth playing atm, which isnt plagued by korean lifestyle choices and looks good graphically.

[@triple1]

Curious for why you think GW2 is just an average B tier game ? Maybe you tried only the base game and didn't touch the expansions at all ? I can't think of a reason tbh... I'm a wow and ff14 veteran and I think gw2 has the best features overall. I'd give it S tier easy. Maybe I missed that there's already a video that explains your reasoning for this.

[@traviscue2099]

While I can't stand retail WoW, the private servers (3 of the bigger ones coming out early next year) are great for custom content.. I'd love something fresh and new, but seems so far inbetween these days sadly. But the private server community of all mmos seems to be a massive chunk of the population now.. Warhammer Online is another great one!

[@sawmanUK]

I have thought about the private servers for wow but I’m just not sure how different they will be tbh

[@nonnel0355]

how can you make an MMO list with no everquest ? also ultima online ,pantheon has been released when you made this .. monsters and memories have had many play tests .. embers adrift .. project gorgon all newer mmos to look at if you have not yet

[@bminturn]

Warhammer Online was a good game. Same with Rift. I couldn't really tell you why they tanked as I sit here today. I just know that my group of friends all kind of decided "well I've seen enough" after about 9 months with both games.

[@sawmanUK]

Guess Ill find out soon enough!

[@Z-MACx]

did you and josh strife hayes coordinate your videos to drop on the exact same day? lol unlucky...

[@sawmanUK]

Nah sadly not , there goes my algorithm

[@detroitarrow794]

FFXIV is S tier to me, because it's the first MMO I had to quit because I don't have the time anymore to do everything in the game, and I do mean EVERYTHING. FFXIV is the only MMO that made me want to level every job, do all the quests, the raids, the old content, get all the mounts, spend all the time in the golden saucer, etc. I just can't make good money off of playing an MMO all day everyday.

[@mysteryblankdspace4342]

Josh is cool but your a funny dog man, soo...here i am

[@Frogspy0]

Yea good video mate

[@ZombroESOGod]

I actually DO love Retail WoW, way more than Classic. But, that said, it isn't for everyone. Secondly do you by chance stream on Twitch?

[@sawmanUK]

Nah not anymore , I do monthly streams on KZbin though , can’t find time at the minute though as life has been hectic

[@ZombroESOGod]

@sawmanUK alright, I've been a longtime subscriber since you actually halfway enjoyed ESO, so next time you're live I'm sure I'll get the notification! Love your content brother!

[@DrPluton]

I think people are smoking pure copium by rating any version of Runescape that high.

[@StonedViper]

I have fond memories of Anarchy Online.

[@Cynndora]

DDO's on my list, will prob convince a friend to play with me when i get around to it.

[@sawmanUK]

S Tier, I’m telling ya

[@VikoReEkore]

Forgot the best part of Lord of the Rings Online. The classic private server Echoes of Angmar - superb

[@fedeph665]

No mention of Throne and Liberty? mass pvp there is pretty fun.

[@SetariM]

A huge game that's gonna blow up is WORS, under the Ascension WoW umbrella of servers. It's OSRS but in WoW.

[@sawmanUK]

I’ll check it out , thanks 👍

[@whovegas]

Ffxiv for me. I just be spending my time modding in outfits and fighting styles. I love it

[@vic8230]

I've always wanted to play MO2, but I hear everywhere that its pointless starting because youre just gonna killed by chad players and lose your gear. Besides for just that I hear the community is toxic, still wanna give it a shit one day but the new sub seems like a terrible idea for them to further isolate their mmo.

[@sk8legendz]

Runescapes the move You can support poor venezuelans by buying gold actively contributing to the better of society You can afk, you can chill an chat, or lock in for sweaty pvp and pve Its a grind but unlike other MMOs it respects the grind. It wont ever make you feel like 99 str was pointless because they dont nerf hammer player achievements like ZOS and other companies Fishing while drinking and watching a tv show is S Tier

[@jasonlee8842]

How is the Everquest Project1999 not being listed?? It's better than SWG, hope you give it a shot.

[@RazorCamel]

play mortal online 2 thanks for covering mo2

[@vic8230]

wanna play fallen earth so bad, i dont even care that it only has 30-35 active players. Just sucks cause the anticheat doesnt support Linux and since I only have my steam deck atm im screwed. You can get it to run I guess its just a massive, massive pita.

[@pipz420]

Would love to see you come back to final fantasy 11 private server or retail.

[@pozisus7712]

good old daoc days man best days of mmo life

[@dust921]

i love DDO the endless leveling systems i wish all games had :)

[@kny2563]

What about albion online? Pretty hot nowadays

[@SirSquash]

us: wouldnt it be cool if Bethesda did a TESIII: Morrowind remake? Bethesda: the players want morrowind. lets reboot oblivion.

[@Maka魂]

who tf is "us"? you Bethesda drones are hyucking goofy as hell. 🤡

[@dalekinium]

Salem mentioned let's go

[@tagnar8962]

H&H getting an A made my day!

[@andipajeroking]

Hero Online, yea baby, best mmo ever, the goat, the goat. There is no other grind slog as hero, 300 levels, took me 20 years to reach level 100 😂

[@mercster]

LOTRO is S tier, for sheer beauty and its implementation of Middle Earth alone. Even with low population, even with dated combat and other systems...

[@sawmanUK]

It is a good game , I’m just not sure how long it has left sadly 🥹

[@mercster]

@@sawmanUK Agreed, it can't go on forever... it should be enjoyed while it still can be.

[@MBBOWOLVERINE]

I miss singing with sawman in dungeons 😢 ❤

[@sneakymitchell7802]

New world would been good decent but it’s too C for Cozy. PvP is a A at least.

[@lyricistlockbox]

New World gets such a bad wrap - Kids are too spoiled these days, it's an amazing MMO, everything we used to wish for back in the day.

[@delcien9697]

veery interesting vid

[@andipajeroking]

Still checking Guild Wars 1 from time to time 😂

[@Munax.]

Play The Secret World if you can. Not the free to play shit SWL but the classic one. But it might hard to find a key. Because they are not sold anymore but the servers are running.

[@sawmanUK]

Added to the list :)

[@Munax.]

@@sawmanUK Let me know if you need any help if you decide to try it.

[@NobushigeAzai]

MAYBE YOU DO DESERVE A SUB! NOW WHAT!? HUH?

[@sawmanUK]

Sub and unsub and sub again. ?

[@NobushigeAzai]

@@sawmanUK I could never unsub for even a millisecond.

[@THE_REAL_MISFIT]

2 of my favorite MMO's that I never see on any list is Star Trek Online and Elite Dangerous. STO is a lot like SWTOR meets EvE Online to me. Much more sandboxy goodness. Elite is just way better than Star Citizen in almost every aspect, whilst also being much more mature and serious than NMS.

[@sawmanUK]

I’ve played both and even dedicated a video to sto. Elite dangerous I would say has the most potential though

[@braddollahite]

Star wars galaxies and FFXIV online, hell yeah S tier

[@grynszpan]

3:45 Dark Age of Camelot (eden!) - yes!

[@sawmanUK]

I had countless people shout at me last time , not making that mistake twice

[@garyblubaugh2517]

Asherons Call always being not even a mention as even an OG MMO

[@sawmanUK]

I use footage from Asherons call, so I'm aware of it and I know theres private servers you can still play on. But until I play it and form my own opinion of the game, I'm just going to not offend and not list it lol

[@colehartson5171]

Bro is just chasing his ESO glory days

[@sawmanUK]

There was never any glory just disappointment

[@MrDwightSchrute]

22 hours and LOTRO? Come on man, that’s like barely even touching the surface.

[@sawmanUK]

I agree , but I’ve watched countless videos , spoken to many members of the community and researched as much as I can. I will go back to it at some point I promise

[@isth3reno1else]

This dog has legs

[@barfbot]

putting daoc in A tier despite not trying the pvp is very funny

[@sawmanUK]

I have seen people play PvP and heard the stories … I know though it’s criminal

[@renatoruiz8534]

Asheron's Call when?