Guild wars 2 is the only MMO that didn't bore or annoy me.

• feels like a real video game. You can jump and dodge and stuff
• much quality of life stuff is free and baked in. Deposit most stuff to the bank from anywhere, craft from the bank, etc
• minimal gear grind. The tier you can buy for cheap is good enough. The next tier is a small improvement.
• generally helpful folks
• lots of different stuff to do.

FFXIV!

Guild Wars 2. I'm not really into grinding for hours or optimizing my characters, so I appreciate that the game can be played quite casually. That's also true of ESO, but that one feels basically like a single player game to me, while GW2 feels much more social with a lot of player cooperation just arising naturally through its design. Also love the zone design, having a lot of exploration and things like jumping puzzles. Story is pretty decent as well.

Currently Guild Wars 2, I suppose.

Guild Wars 2. I like that my progress in the game will always matter and that it’s free to play, once you’ve bought it.

Consider crack cocaine as a safer alternative.

When I was a kid, I played a lot of Runescape. I loved that the quests were all unique and had their own, sometimes genuinely well written and engaging stories, with point'n'click style puzzles, reminiscent of Sierra games. It was the most fun I've ever had in an mmo.

But my god is there a lot of repetitive grinding. I tried to get back into it a few years ago, but my patience for killing the same mob for 3 hours straight, or cutting and burning trees like a giant line of cocaine, simply isn't there anymore.

I wish I could play a version of it without the grind, and just the quests.

Eve online, despite not playing it as much as some others. It's as close to the MMORPG experience as I imagined it before ever playing one. Everything in that game is player driven, and that's just insane and so cool, and ultimately exhausting for someone who is slightly introverted and cba to be social after a long day. Fantastic game and community for those who have the social batteries for that kind of stuff.

I still have vert fond memories with Maplestory. Granted, I stopped because it was getting quite Grundy, but I still remember the stories for lv 1 to 100

I have 2.1k hours in Warframe and it seems that counter's not gonna stop any time soon... Took a two-year break after some grind-heavy new content, returned to catch up with the updates and it's all I've been playing for 5 days now.

Edit: on second thought, I don't really know if the MMORPG classification fits Warframe, but I have no idea what else to call it, to be honest...

Does Destiny 2 count? Cuz that’s mine.

None. I don't appreciate games with mechanics that are intended to mess with my already fucked dopamine signaling.

Valheim, easily

Ultimate Online is where I have my fondest memories. On private servers, not on the origins one. Loved the people and the skill system where you could be anything. Also getting wrecked by a dragon 3 mins in game was nice. Also pack llama bombing the britania’s bank. Fun times.