For my first post in this year’s IntPiPoMo series, I thought I’d look at intros to games specifically – a first post about first plays if you will. Not all MMORPGs pitch the start of the game in the same way or at the same level. It’s interesting from my multi-MMO perspective to see how even the beginnings of these games can be so different.
#1 Lord of the Rings Online – memorable vistas and items
The early zones in Lord of the Rings Online are very beautiful, peaceful and memorable. I have a couple of crafting alts that are still sat around in Ered Luin or the Shire – they only get played to make gear or to absorb some of the overflowing mountains of items in my shared bank account. Still riding around these zones is always a pleasure as a break from the far away dark places in and around Mordor.
This screenshot above shows the Horn of the Darrowdelf, a basic starter item that gives your character a +1 Hope buff. Useful in earlier content to offset the fearful presence of the strongest monsters, its effect is of no real benefit to my Champion main, but I still find the sound of blowing the horn soothing even if the actual buff is meaningless.
#2 Elder Scrolls Online – a newer starter zone
Here’s my baby Warden in Elder Scrolls Online. I bought the Morrowind expansion (called a chapter in ESO) which acts as new starter zone – playable from level 1. I really appreciate games that consider the variety of leveling paths for longer term players. Alt-play as a way of staying interested and engaged is a big thing for me in any MMO. So adding new (potential) starter zones is a nice expansion to the game.
#3 Neverwinter – early grouping opportunities
Intro zones in MMORPGs are often solo affairs, forced solo whether you are playing with friends or not. Although the 5-minute Neverwinter Fields tutorial in Neverwinter fits this model, the game soon opens up. Not only can you party up with friends for levelling from very early on, you even have proper multiplayer content form a very early point. The screenshot above shows the Blacklake Terror Skirmish – a short 5 player dungeon-like instance in the first proper zone.
IntPiPoMo total: 6/50
GamingSF 
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