Somewhere near the bottom of gaming's totem pole are free-to-play MMORPGs - games that traditionally seem to exist for that niche group of players who not only want MMORPGs but also can't be bothered to pay for World of Warcraft. But within this genre there exists a few games that are actually worth a go. In no particular order, here's our ten favourites:
Dungeons and Dragons Online has repeatedly won awards for the best free-to-play MMO. The game was the work of Turbine, who previously had worked on Asheron's Call 1 and 2. It's been free-to-play since 2009, but includes a micro-transaction system that lets players buy additional perks. Its success helped give free-to-play games a wider appeal, and proved that this business model can be incredibly lucrative in the West.
Guild Wars was created by senior members of Blizzard who originally had a hand early on in the development of World of Warcraft. It's also easily one of the best MMORPGs without a subscription fee. While you have to pay for the game itself, it's a single-time fee that flies in the face of all subscription-based MMOs.
