I'm looking for (action-)rpgs that feature the gathering of resources (metals/ore, herbs, leather/fur, etc.) and a complex crafting system but I don't want to dedicate my time to an MMORPG (WoW and TERA have what I'm looking for, but I don't necessarily want to put that much time into it).
So far I've tried Oblivion (not a fan of the combat style) and Kingdoms of Amalur (way too basic and most times the crafted stuff is pretty useless).
Terraria and Minecraft aren't exactly what I'm looking for and I prefer 3rd person.
Does anything like that even exist outside of MMORPGs and the Elder Scrolls/Fallout series?
How good is your computer? I can direct you to mods that will fix the problems that dull Oblivion.
If you're willing to at least consider an MMO, try Guild Wars 2. Or, Fashion Wars 2 as we players call it. The game has a crafting system that's driven by the players' desire to collect different item skins. Worried about MMO strings? None attached. No sub fee, no requirement to play every day to keep on top of the gear grind (especially in PvP, where gear is standardized). Awesome community, better than any I've ever been a part of.
Do you like dungeon crawler arcades? Path of Exile. It's more about collecting items (orbs and high quality armor, and weapons to trade) not materials. Very addictive though, and free to play. Awesome talent system too.
I know of little else, I'm afraid. Gather + craft action RPGs are few and far inbetween (well, those worth playing are).
I might give Guild Wars 2 a chance if it's possible to play mostly solo. I've played a fair amount of WoW over the past few years (up to an unhealthy amount, that's why I tend to stay away from MMOs) and almost always played alone. From what I've seen on Twitch so far it does remind me very much of WoW.
Tried Path of Exile, still like Diablo 3 better as my go-to hack'n'slash-rpg. I admit, the amount of crafting in Diablo 3 is meh but it still has a certain charme (plus, I've already invested a fair amount of time - possibly 800h or even more).
It seems like the best crafting systems are still MMO-only :/ Kingdoms of Amalur tried it but it's really not that good and you can even ignore it completely without having any problems.
Guild Wars 2, you can "beat the game" solo. You can do the personal story (prepare to be ohhed, and ahhed, then disappointed, just a fair warning. Every GW2 player has been there, god the last 1/3 of it sucked. The publisher rushed it out the door. Living World Season 2 is way better imo, and the xpac should be out by now or this fall. I'm not sure, I'm away from internet atm except my phone) completely by yourself except for the last chapter, which is a dungeon. You can 100% map complete solo. You can craft solo. Only things that always involve other players are dungeons, world bosses, PvP, and world vs world.
I would second GW2. Very action-based combat and most you can solo. At least enough of it to justify the asking price. And no sub-fee frees you from being compelled to play it constantly. When ever you want you just pick it up.
You can always try the witcher series. They have an extensive alchemy system and a crafting system for weapons and armor. Especially the last 2. Especially for higher difficulties it is required to use crafting and alchemy to survive.
There is also Dragon Age Inquitition that added a crafitng system. Very simple but it is there and somewhat useful...
There are other traditional RPGS with crafting I have in mind but they are not action based. so they do not count..
ArenaNet does 75% off sales of the original GW2 frequently. There was at least 3 such sales that I know of during the spring semester this year. The Xpac you'll have to pay full price for because it's new, of course. But otherwise they may be doing a bundle kind of deal. Don't know. Haven't been keeping up with that.
If you don't mind early access games, check 7 days to die. It's first person, but can be switched to 3rd person via console. Current version is Alpha 12, but there's already plenty of content.
Start with Witcher 2 then... Better mechanics and more mature in the Sex aspect and equally great story-wise. There is a witcher 1 story recap on youtube. Its more than enough to follow the story.
Also for GW2, If you are on an EU server and need help for GW2 contact me if you wish..I am on desolation personally, although the server choice only matters for Server-wide PvP.
That's not an option for me since I already started the first game. Now I need to play the rest of it before advancing to the second game. Can't leave that unfinished :/
The earliest I could get into GW2 would be next month. Too many expenses already this month. Going to check out some free alternatives until then (Warframe, giving TERA another chance and trying Oblivion with mods).
