Trying to find RPG with these specifications! Please help!

Hello everyone. I'd like to start things off by saying that I have a very particular taste for games. It's very rare that I find one I truly enjoy, and it takes the combination of a lot of different factors to make a game seem 'good' to me. My favorite genre of video game is RPG (I guess you can thank ol' Link for that,) but I'm having a hard time finding a new game to get into that I find acceptable. So I'd like to list some factors that I am, and am not, looking for, and I'd like to hear some suggestions.

To start things off, I like extensive character customization. For MMOs, I don't want to see a million characters that fight the same and look the same. To anyone who has played Tera, that is the closest I can come to with an acceptable character customization, but even it is lacking in quite a few areas.

In regards to a story line, I don't want one. Or at least, I don't want a game that forces me to follow the story. Or even a story that is there, but hidden. For instance, to follow the plot you have to go find a book, read it, follow what it says to find someone/something, etc. I'm sick of games with quests that are simply like, go here do this, go here kill this, go here talk to this person, come back here and turn in, little bit of story. I want to be immersed in secret, and find things that is possible no one else has found yet.

I didn't mention this above, but I don't care if it is an MMO, or single player. Also, I prefer games that take place in a more medieval-like setting, with magick, swords and whatnot, but futuristic setting is also pretty okay.

Hidden secrets are a must, though. I know a rather large majority of you have never played the MMO 'The World 2D', based off of the game in the .Hack// anime series, but that game has lot's of secret areas, weapons, books to read, information about famous players in it, half of which I've even personally played with. It's a good game, and if IridiumBased would allow public access of The World 3D, I probably wouldn't need to be here.

A couple things I definitely don't want are any games where grinding is a necessity. I know that will be hard to find in an MMO. I want to enjoy going out and killing things. Kill a bear, get fur that I can use to make my next cuirass, or something, ya know? I want some initiative to kill monsters, rather than them simply dropping the gold I need to fund my endgame gear.

I guess a good example of what I'm looking for would indeed be The World. From the anime, not the two that are currently a reality. I don't need high end graphics and menial crap like that, I need a game that can immerse me for hours on end, keep me looking for the things unseen, and a decent fighting mechanic wouldn't hurt at all.

For anyone willing to put up with this long read, and it's lack of proof-reading, I highly appreciate any suggestions that I may receive.

Dark Souls 1 or 2 maybe or even The Elder Scrolls games, but you probably played them

@Tokeism: From the Wiki description I read of Dark Souls, that sounds A LOT like what I am looking for. I'm downloading now and will play it, and let you know how relevant this suggestion is. As a note, you are correct on one fact, I have played Oblivion, but not very much of Skyrim. And none of the Elder Scrolls before then. I truly did enjoy Oblivion and the very small amount of Skyrim I managed to get in, but it all felt too structured, still. That's a weird thing to say, when you could literally do anything you wanted, but that is just how I feel, a certain perspective on it. In regards to the story, I still feel like it was like, "Oh yeah, this is happening, here's who's involved, go do something related to said story, move on to next story." no matter what it is you're doing.

It sounds to me like you need to read some reviews. Ignore the score just read the text and decide if the game is for you or not.

You're not interested in story which is weird for someone who claims to like RPG's so you probably sway more towards ARPG's.

Maybe the Sacred games might work for you? There's not much to them apart from killing everything and collecting loads of loot lol. Bored me to tears but you might like it :)

RPGs are my favorite genre and I couldn't care less about the stories in 90% of them. In a RPG I am looking for a fleshed-out world where I can do what I want, when I want, and how I want - that way I create my own story. Background and lore are all well and good, but stories? Meh. Most of them are awful (see Bioware).

On topic: TC, you would have probably enjoyed the MMORPGs SWG and Asheron's Call (you can still play AC but it is dated). For single-player games maybe give something like Risen or the first couple Gothic games a try. Fallout 1 & 2 are great (if you can handle the dated graphics) and New Vegas is also pretty good. Hell, if you liked Oblivion then you would probably really like Morrowind as it is MUCH better and deeper-ish.

"To start things off, I like extensive character customization."

First thing that came to my mind. Path of Exile. ARPG

"In regards to a story line, I don't want one. Or at least, I don't want a game that forces me to follow the story. Or even a story that is there, but hidden."

Skyrim. You really don't have to follow the story in order to enjoy 100s of hours...

"Also, I prefer games that take place in a more medieval-like setting, with magick, swords and whatnot, but futuristic setting is also pretty okay."

Both Skyrim and Path of Exile.

"A couple things I definitely don't want are any games where grinding is a necessity. I know that will be hard to find in an MMO. I want to enjoy going out and killing things. Kill a bear, get fur that I can use to make my next cuirass, or something, ya know? I want some initiative to kill monsters, rather than them simply dropping the gold I need to fund my endgame gear."

This leaves Skyrim as the only option:

I haven't played it, but maybe Secret World could be something to look at for a MMO. Dark Souls is great and has minimal story.

Dark Souls 1/2 is exactly what you've described if you're up for a challenge.

Customization = you can fight with a big heavy weapon, hide behind a shield, dance around and stab enemies from the back, or pepper them with magic and arrows from afar.

Story = very little story and hidden. however the setting is very immersive and intriguing. you are just dropped off at the beginning and set to your own thing.

Secrets = lol... so many secrets, idk where to start

Grinding = none necessary, people have beaten the game with lvl 1 char... ofc they are like godlike skilled players

It's already been said, but I have to second the Elder Scrolls games. The Demon/Dark Souls games are a match too, but when you talk about:

* No fixed, linear story that you must complete, and

* Hidden secrets,

you are really talking about a traditional Western RPG, and the Elder Scrolls series is the epitome.

When you finish the opening sequence and you are dropped into a gigantic open world -- yours to explore and make an imprint on as you see fit -- I think you will realize you found what you were looking for.

--- edit ---

Dark Souls fits those requirements too, but they are also unlike most games in the genre in that they are brutally difficult and taxing in an action-oriented sense. If you want edge-of-your-seat combat, that's definitely the road you want to go down, but you do sacrifice some in the sandbox and exploration department.

I can, by no means talk down on the Elder Scrolls, but I'm also trying to avoid them as much as possible. I haven't actually looked much at the forums here before, so I don't particularly understand the score thing. And Fallout, I have put more hours into 3 than I can even say. I have literally done everything in that game, and all of the DLCs, New Vegas, the only thing I really enjoyed more in comparison the Fallout 3 was the true-iron sights, which really does make the whole experience better. I got both of the Dark Souls games, and will give both a try, seeing as they seem the most relevant to what I'm looking for. It's not so much that I don't want a story, it's more that I don't want them to shove it in my face and make it the primary focus of the game. I've heard a couple other good sounding ones though, so I'll be sure to check everything out that I can.

EDIT; Also, if SWG is Star Wars Galaxies, I am definitely willing to try that one out.

A small list of RPGs I can say I have truly enjoyed are as follows:

Fable 1, TLC, and 2, Fallout 3, New Vegas was acceptable, Oblivion, Tera Online, The World 2D (fan made game), Star Wars: KOTOR, SW: TOR, and that's about it. Only 3 MMOs, and the rest Xboxor PC games. I really hope Dark Souls is where it's at, because that seems to be my only shot at finding a game I can truly put my heart into and enjoy playing.

Galaxies was shut down years ago. The Souls series is really fun, but it's hard to get into compared to other games. Whereas I will resort to Wikis very infrequently, in the case of the Souls games they trickle so little information out to the players that the expectation is that the community will work together to figure out how to play. The character appearance customization options are pretty good, but the realy diversity of the characters comes from the equipment that you can give your character because that determines how you move and what your moveset is. When dealing with invasions, I'm astounded by the sheer diversity of attacks and playstyles that come from characters built by other players.

One thing worth noting, though, is that since your equipment is a huge part of it and you -find- the equipment as you progress, various characters will all start out more similar than different. It might be just before you beat the game that you get some of the really unique items, so many players don't even regard the game as having "started" until New Game + (which you can do over and over for higher levels and greater rewards).

-Byshop

@Byshop: I just started on the first one, and already I'm astounded by the amazing combinations needed just at the start in playing what *appears* to be a very minimalistic game. Going from sword and shield, putting the shield away to dual wield the sword just before dodging a killing blow, then taking the damn skeleton out with the newly dual-gripped weapon. It gets intense, to say the least, and I am very much into it. I'm only slightly disappointed with the lack of drops from enemies so far, but that isn't a big deal when seeing how good everything else is. A question I do have is if there are any type of stores in the game, or if all loot has to be found, rather than purchased? I really like the fact that most of my ability to stay alive comes from how well I can use my weapon just as well as my stats. Sure, anyone can hit a button to swing a sword, taking damage the entire time, and heal afterward, but this game really takes some finesse, and I'm sure every new weapon will require new skills in mastering it. Sometimes just getting away long enough to drink a healing potion is enough of a feat as it is.

I personally like Dragon Age Origins and Skyrim.

@fstatusquo: Yeah, the game is very much about finese. Here's a video of me fending off multiple attackers with a Dex build fencer (no audio because I was watching Netflix on the PC at the time so I edited it out):

Every character build can be so different, and the action RPG combat system is one of the tightest I've had the pleasure of playing. However, that tight action doesn't come at the expense of complexity of customization, which is what makes this game series so unique.

-Byshop