It's been a while since I've played a GREAT PvP focused MMO and I think I'm ready to jump back in. I'm an adrenaline junkie and this is the cheapest way for me to get a fix from my computer chair. The problem is I've looked and there doesn't seem to be anything new or on the horizon.

I've played Meridian 59, Shadowbane, and DAoC and rank them among the best PvP MMO's I've ever played. I love the ability to wreak havoc on unsuspecting newbs, ruin someone's day (OK not really, all in good fun), or keeping a watchful eye on what's around the bend. Whatever keeps you on your toes!

WoW is a great game but doesn't give me that RUSH I've experienced with other games. So, are there any PvP MMO games out there I'm missing? Have all the developers gone care bear on us? I wouldn't mind playing an older or obscure game although something new and shiny has more appeal.

I heard RF Online had a good PvP element. Or that the only good thing about it was the PvP. One or the other.
It's a futuristic Phantasy Star Online like game, at least in character types and visuals, I believe.

Letsee. You've got EVE, which takes about two weeks to get into (provided you know someone in a big alliance - in your case, you do), but it'll get your heart pounding every time, especially when not only your stuff is on the line, but your experience is as well (if you're dumb). The fights are a mix of dogfighting and naval tactical warfare, and fleets can number into the hundreds for giant space nerd battles. But the small squad stuff was always a bunch of fun. I spent a night leading guerillas behind enemy lines, and I felt like a lieutenant in Vietnam.

Shadowbane's free now, if you want to go back. It's changed a ton since you've last played, I can guarantee.

If you've got a time machine, go back to 1999 and play UO until your eyes fall out. You'll thank me later.

Uhh, what else? Dragon Realms is a MUD (they call it a text-based MMOG) with a bit of PvP. If you can handle the text-only aspect, it's probably the deepest game out there right now. It's like 15 years old.

Fury is heavy on the PvP, light on the RPG, but does include both.
The MMO is probably there more as a buzzword than anything else as pretty much all of the gameplay is done in "warzones" which are instanced when you+the required number of people sign up. From last I was there, required number of people = 7, 11, or 15, although for a while it could be 31 + yourself -- perhaps they'll get back up to there if they get enough numbers.

Of course, I tried to re-install it (I uninstalled after beta) just a few days ago and the patcher kept crapping out on me, but still, this immortal deal has me intrigued enough that I might just try again.

I'm tempted to say Achaea-- a text MUD. The PvP in that game is fast paced, challenging, strategic, and although it may seem odd, exciting. If you don't mind a steepasfuck learning curve and the fact that... it's an MUD, you might like it.

But for your more run-of-the-mill PvP experience, I would recommend Guild Wars. Good, wholesome PvP without the painful grind.

I think risk based MMOs are actually becoming extinct, atleast they are now well forged as a niche, there will always be something to play with risk and loss, just they are no longer the main MMOs.
If you want to know if you'd really like to get back into the "old ways", I recommend you suffer some Rf Online. The grind is boring (not really slow, cap in 1 month) because the combat is sluggish, but it's got hilarious ganking and always someone to fight in the leveling zones, then there's a giant war every 6 hours which lasts an hour and can get really nail biting desperate. If that fails you can always organise stuff on the chat, graphics are not bad either.

I'd say Guild Wars. It has a nice feature where you can skip right to the hardcore PvP by starting at the level cap.

Guild Wars is entirely PVP based. The PVE kind of stinks, really. BUT: There's no ganking. All the zones are instanced, ALL of them, except for towns and outposts(where there is no combat at all). GW has the best PVP I've ever seen, but I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for (the no-sneaking-up-and-ganking-newbs thing, for example).

Barring that, maybe wait for Warhammer: Age of Reckoning? It's a game with more PVP than PVE, from the looks of it. Starting to sound too much like a WoW clone for my tastes though.

Lineage II is also PVP based, but it's really grindy.

Darkfall.....www.darkfallonline.com

a few features

-no levels or classes, all skill based (like UO)
-aimed attacks/spells, no autoattack
-player built cities, sieges
-open PvP with full loot, absolutely NO safe zones
-handcrafted world (IE everything is made by hand, not randomly generated, if you see it, you can go there)
-EVERY item in the game can be made by a crafter

to sum it all up, the game is about complete freedom

If you're interested in MMO pvp perhaps you could wait for Warhammer or Age of Conan to come out. Both games are supposedly very pvp-centric (Conan to a lesser extent). If you can't wait for those games to be released I might suggest LoTRO which has a very easy to get into pvp setting where you can play a monster.

I've never played Eve, but it seems like one of those games you love or hate with little or no middle ground whatsoever. My friend compared it to "Doing taxes." Which he enjoyed, but didn't think I'd like.

Fvantom:
Darkfall.....www.darkfallonline.com

a few features

-no levels or classes, all skill based (like UO)
-aimed attacks/spells, no autoattack
-player built cities, sieges
-open PvP with full loot, absolutely NO safe zones
-handcrafted world (IE everything is made by hand, not randomly generated, if you see it, you can go there)
-EVERY item in the game can be made by a crafter

to sum it all up, the game is about complete freedom

You missed the fact that its actually nigh on vapourware.

I'd definitely wait for WAR (Try to get into the beta) or Age of Conan for true PVP. Although WoW has really provided great times, the community for massive PVP battles is slowly dying out due to people finding it old and/or moving onto bigger things. Whether it be to other games, or just endgame raiding.

Discworld MUD :)

EVE has total PvP. If you have the patience, you can have a lot of fun.

I tried the beta for Pirates of the Burning Sea and realy liked it. I never did get the chance to pvpm, but it does seem like its capable of prudcing rather epic battles.

i wouldve recomended WoW but its pvp got killed by the introduction of twinks

also why is it that every decent sounding mmo has graphics that look like my pc will cough and die...grrr dam my family and their "average computers are the best"

I would declare EvE, while waving my arms and cheering with enthusiasm. Plus, it has two graphics engines, so if you have an old comp, use the old one, if its a newish comp, enjoy the shinyness!

I'd say CoH/CoV and say stay away from WoW. Guild Wars is also good, but Pirates bugged the hell out of me.

If you want pvp go onto RF online. It is made for PVP, literully you train only to fight again the other 2 races. Its a good game just that the pvp is also its down fall, you can raid other races areas there they train so quite a few people will go killing lowbies. I was a belleto holy chandra and spent my time guarding one of the areas from accertia's and cora... mainly accertia... going to stop before i go int a rant about the overpowered eazymode tosters....

Umm...RunescapePLEASE DON'T HURT ME!

Runescape is a beginner's MMO, but it is incredibly high-stakes. Die, and you lose all the items you were carrying at the time bar the top three most valuable ones. Also, there's something nice about a game that allows you to do everything from light gardening to beer brewing. It's cheap too, only eight bucks a month.

"Runescape is a beginner's MMO, but it is incredibly high-stakes. Die, and you lose all the items you were carrying at the time bar the top three most valuable ones"

Except that you can't die unless you are totally retarded and decide to attack something 20 levels above you.

Even then you can probably still make it away alive.

I suppose what peeves me about runescape is that i used to play it when I was very young, and now looking back on it, it really doesn't even hide the fact that the point of it is to get high numbers in skills.

You play games like WoW and you don't realise you are wasting your life, runescape on the other hand doesn't even hide the fact.. but you just can't stop playing (Because I have 8000 lobsters I need to cook.. CANT QUIT NOW!, Oh great, I cooked them, better sell them.. well I cant quit now with all this money.. lets buy ore..! And the cycle continues)

I remember that year talking to someone in university that is a paying member of runescape. I found that idea stupid and telling him what a rubbish game it was - While playing it beside him >> I think that canceled out my argument. Well it might be rubbish but at least its a nice little time waster when you have nothing else to play.

Fury is one hundred percent PvP and its main marketing scheme is that it has no grinding.

In its way, it doesn't, I suppose.

Gone are the grinding of mobs for that new loot. Gone are the raids upon enormous dungeons for a god's head. Gone are these player versus npc battles.

Now, are the grinding of players for a new helmet. Now are the organized teams raiding enemy bases for points. In this game, mobs are replaced by NPCs, and you randomly get loot depending on how tough the player you killed was.

It's a decent game, and the characters are pretty customizable.

Okay, maybe not Runescape. Runescape's for if you're in a position like mine, where you want to play an MMO, but have a crappy computer. In that case, maybe just go with Master Joe's suggestion and play EVE.

ok, i like Yahtzee, so im going to steal his style.

pvp orientated MMO's

1. Eve-online= God+hookers+cake

2. Fury= God+cake

3. WoW= God

Eve is great for anyone with half a brain, it lets you decide what you want to do with your avitars life, which envariably will become your life minus washing the dishes.

Fury is alot of fun, however playing it for more than 3 hours in a row means that you either really really really like repatetive gameplay with the difficulty of boggle, or your the kind of person that genuinly enjoys the saturday afternoons you spend watching titanic all the way throught every week with your mum. that being said, watching people being slaughtered is kind of fun, and it gives me something to do while eve is in its downtime.

WoW....well lets see, the pvp is possibly the most balanced of the 3, with maybe the exception of eve depending on how you look at it, and the pvp is alot of fun with variety and challenge. however, it will take you literally 20 days of consecutive time just to get to the fun parts, because pvp sucks giant monkey balls untill u hit lvl 70, so if you dont want repetative grind dont go to wow, or at least dont lvl your own character.

i play all 3, and it keeps me killing the avatars of my fellow man enough that i dont just switch to killing the people.

well, thats my say, enjoy.

-Arrakasi/Zelenna (wow, jubei'thos), Arrakasi (fury), Belonna/Shiella (Eve-online, Pure alliance)

I think Guild Wars is right up your alley. Or maybe EVE, like Joe said.