Since many people seemed to appreciate the article I did in April for the top 10 free MMORPG’s for PC, I thought it would be nice to show some love to the Mac community. As someone who regularly uses a Macbook, I know that it’s difficult being a Mac gamer: there aren’t many big titles that release on OS X, and the ones that do often require the super high end Macs. An old Macbook just doesn’t cut it. Fortunately with this list, I’ve tried all of these games on a 13 inch 2013 Macbook Pro with Retina Display, and they all worked fine (except for Eve Online, which really destroyed the poor machine).

MMORPGs focus on creating rich and unique experiences for all players. They are often incredibly large in scope, and offer wonderful gameplay for players to sink their hours into as their virtual avatars. I try to play as many MMORPGs as I can, and I thought this article would be a good idea since I’ve played enough of all these games to subjectively make a top five list. I say subjectively because NOTE: this is my opinion, and this is not a definitive list. However, I would encourage many of you to play some of these games if you haven’t already done so. Also, this list has five items rather then ten because I didn’t think certain games that would have made the top 10 list of this to actually deserve much praise. These five games are fairly different and encapsulate the majority of what the MMORPG scene is, and the other free MMORPG’s would just rehash the content in these games.

As with the last article, this is only meant for free to play MMORPGs that do not require purchase to get a true MMORPG experience. This means that World of Warcraft does not make the list because the starter account level 20 cap doesn’t really have anything worth mentioning. I’m also not including MMO shooters, MMO simulators, and MMOARPGs so sorry Marvel Heroes, Second Life, and Realm of the Mad God.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to it:

We’re going to start off the list with this unique tactical turn-based MMORPG. Wakfu’s wonderful 2D artwork and wide array of colors make for a light game on the surface. However, if you dig beneath the delightful cartoons, you’ll find yourself immersed in amazing turn based battles with a huge selection of classes to choose from. If not for the awesome, turn-based combat (which I am a sucker for), Wakfu is definitely worth a mention on this list specifically for the way it handles players roles in its online society. Players are treated as citizens of a nation, and certain statuses of citizenship can have different perks. The game has the interesting inclusion of a political system in which players can elect governors and create laws. While it’s not on the same graphical level as the other entries on this list, Wakfu still makes for an amazing (and free!) MMORPG that relies on unique gameplay mechanics not found in its competition.

Eve Online is probably the most massive game on this list. Spanning across literally entire galaxies, Eve is incredibly ambitious, but VERY esoteric. If it weren’t for its extremely high dosage of item grinding, I would have put EVE at #1 on this list. Yeah, Eve Online has a lot of wandering around aimlessly through space. Fortunately for me, I find that enchanting so I really love Eve Online. It’s famous for it’s giant space battles that destroy entire legions of ships that cannot be recovered (Eve has a variation of permadeath in it). Who knows, you might find yourself caught in the middle of an epic war so there’s always that to look forward to. If you love to grind for loot and possibly get embroiled in a galaxy wide space feud, Eve Online is the right game for you.

Like Tera, Guild Wars 2 has a fantastic combat system that’s unique from most other MMORPGs. However, Guild Wars 2 actually has an amazing solo story and better quests than typical MMORPGs. While Heart of Thorns (the expansion) has a full price tag, the base game of Guild Wars 2 is completely free to play, and that’s awesome. I personally really like the races and classes you can choose from in Guild Wars 2 because they all balance each other so well. It’s an extremely well crafted world that gets really good as players reach end game content (the game then features zone-wide public events). Guild Wars 2 is one of the best MMORPGs ever made so far, and the other two on this list only barely beat it out.

I’m not going to lie, I’m only putting this here because of pure nostalgia. Yeah, I know RuneScape 3 is a complete makeover, but I actually prefer it to old school RS. RuneScape has over 16 years of experience backing it up. This means that when you get right in, you’re getting into a world with 16 years of story and visual improvements. Out of all the games on this list, this is definitely the most accessible one for new MMORPG players. Also, since it doesn’t rely on good graphics, you can play RuneScape for free on your browser! If that doesn’t sell it, RuneScape has one of the biggest player bases in the MMO market so it’s great for interacting with other players.

The Lord of the Rings is my favorite book series and my favorite movie series next to Star Wars. Naturally, I’m going to put LotRO on here at #1 LotRO draws from J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterful world of Middle Earth and every moment in this game breathes awesomeness. It’s a bit old now (it’s nearing its 10 year anniversary), but it’s definitely worth playing. The combat and gameplay is fairly standard, but the story is what keeps me going in this game. Being able to fight Orcs, Goblins, and even Nazgul just brings smiles on my face. I’ve spent countless hours in Middle Earth via books, movies, and games, and LotRO is another fantastic addition to Tolkien’s famed creation.

Those are my top 5 free MMORPGs for Mac for June 2017. What do you think about this list? Do you think I should have swapped, added, or taken out anything? If so, feel free to let me know in the comments section! Thanks!

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