To compete with powerhouses like World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls Online, massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) need quest variety to tie in with dynamic storytelling. Many of the top MMORPGs contain a gripping overarching story, as well as numerous side missions.
An MMORPG's quest quality relates to its overall enjoyability and an informative quest log. This genre contains an abundance of quests for players to relish, yet only some are considered truly great. An immersive quest can go miles to enhance an MMORPG. After years of grinding and continual patches, it's time to see which game had the most spellbinding quests.
Updated May 24, 2022, by Kristy Ambrose: The MMORPG genre is as popular as ever, with more titles to add to the library than ever before. Not all of the recent new MMO games focus on questing, with some developers emphasizing endgame or PvP as opposed to the story or questline. Of course, that just means there's something for everyone. Most of the following games have quests related to the main storyline along with other tasks that award gear or add to the player's role-playing development.
13 Black Desert Online
Originally developed in South Korea, gamers there were fortunate enough to see this MMORPG in 2015, a year before it was released globally. Through years of development, the game has moved from computers to consoles and mobile, and the myriad of quests available in this open-world sandbox game has only increased.
There are several categories of quests, such as the ones related to the main story, professions, or side tasks for extra rewards. What makes the questing in Black Desert Online unique are the Black Spirit quests, which feed the player's Black Spirit with combat points when they hinder other players in their quests. If players decide to fight on the side of good and help instead of hurt, the reward is Contribution Points.
12 Star Trek Online
This game was released in 2010, and it's one of the best MMORPGs to date. There are various types of quests, which are called Missions, in Star Trek Online. Whether players are interested in it for space exploration or would like to experience the main storyline, Star Trek Online has quests for everyone.
For a game of this scale, Star Trek Online has massive quest appeal. Spooky quests like "What Lies Beneath" are highly enjoyable. Other notable Star Trek Online quests are "The Gates of Gre'thor," and "Quark's Lucky Seven."
11 Guild Wars 2
Whether gamers follow the Personal story or another line of questing, Guild Wars 2 seldom disappoints. Personal stories vary depending on class selection. Throughout the game, players need to refer to the Story Journal that lists the MMO quests to track progress.
The Story Journal by itself makes Guild Wars 2 an excellent MMORPG for questing. There is also the Living World, which is continually updated with new episodes and seasons for Guild Wars 2.
10 Dungeons & Dragons Online
Dungeons & Dragons Online is currently based on the third edition rulebook and includes stories, plotlines, and quests from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Of course, the MMORPG that was produced by the same company that gave the world a veritable library of adventures would have its own exciting adventures to match.
The quests in D&D follow a linear storyline for the most part, which seems to give the player less freedom, but the focus here is on character development, role-play, and immersion as opposed to variety. The DM is the narrator of every player's adventure and is available to help out if their party meets a formidable challenge.
9 Neverwinter
Those looking for the Dungeons & Dragons experience need not look any further than Neverwinter. The game implores gamers to make a character and play. After all, the game is entirely free-to-play and has relatively low PC requirements.
While leveling within the game, it becomes apparent there are rewarding quests and some not worthwhile. If players are strictly playing the game for intriguing MMO quests, Neverwinter isn't a wrong choice.
8 RuneScape
Not to be confused with Old School RuneScape, the current edition of RuneScape is a superb fantasy MMORPG. RuneScape is also referred to as RuneScape 3. Regardless of naming preferences, RuneScape is still an immersive open-world MMORPG.
Whether a player would prefer its predecessor for its lengthy grinding or the current game for its improved storytelling, the series has proven itself relevant all these years later.
7 Old School RuneScape
In the base game of RuneScape, there are enough quests to keep players engaged. That won't stop many from signing up to access the Members' quests in this classic MMORPG.
There are 126 quests added with pay-to-play membership. The quests' difficulties range between novice and Master but are generally more difficult than the free-to-play quests. This antiquated game shouldn't be judged on its dated graphics, but more on its questing.
6 The Lord Of The Rings Online
Author J.R.R. Tolkien left a legacy and detailed drawings of The Lord of the Rings Online. The Lord of the Rings Online came at a time when The Lord of the Rings was surging in popularity.
The story involves many central characters from the books and the questing takes place during The Lord of the Rings story. Travel to familiar places like Gondar, Rohan, and Isengard. Split into volumes, the Epic Story of The Lord of the Rings Online needs to be experienced by anyone interested in the literature and lore of Middle Earth.
5 Secret World Legends (The Secret World)
This story-driven game takes unique turns with the MMORPG genre. Secret World Legends, formally known as The Secret World, lets you tackle quests solo or with a group. There is a tremendous amount of emphasis on the story, even if the characters lack depth.
Secret World Legends isn't for the faint of heart as it does contain horror elements. What it boils down to is that the plot is well-written and satisfying.
4 The Elder Scrolls Online
Zenimax Online Studios has done a terrific job of adding content to The Elder Scrolls Online. This expanded The Elder Scrolls universe is just as intriguing as the original. Evidently, the transition to online works well.
Set in the fictional continent Tamriel, the game contains an abundance of quests. Quests will put you inhospitable circumstances like vampires, but there are also basic fetch quests. Each quest is a unique story waiting to be experienced.
3 Final Fantasy XIV
JRPGs tend to lean heavily into lore while giving less emphasis on questing, but one of the reasons Final Fantasy XIV is so popular is because it balances the two concepts so well. The comeback kid of developer Square Enix, the original incarnation of this game was a commercial flop, but a total revamp made it one of the most popular MMORPGs in history.
Like other MMOs, the quests in this game take up two main categories. They are either stand-alone quests related to simple tasks, or designed to be part of the main questline that's related to the overall story. More variety has been added to the already extensive library with every expansion to go along with the higher level cap.
2 World Of Warcraft
Whether you're a fan of World of Warcraft Classic or the retail version, it's hard not to get lost in the game's quests. Players can be assured that retail World of Warcraft has more quests.
However, when it comes to the quality of quests, World of Warcraft Classic might take the cake. The old game is famous for massive chain quests related to epic mounts or dungeon attunements. Quests are a significant part of MMORPGs, and Blizzard Entertainment recognizes this.
1 Star Wars: The Old Republic
Completing quests (known as missions) in Star Wars: The Old Republic is double as fun as other leading RPGs. Choosing to walk the path of a Sith or Jedi can be tedious at times, but it's the quests that make it worth it.
The budget for Star Wars: The Old Republic was around $200 million, making it the most expensive MMORPG of all time to develop. Quests come with dialogue sequences that let you influence its events. Having different options for completing quests gives Star Wars: The Old Republic tremendous depth.