The 14 Best MMOs for Crafting and Gathering in 2023

Crafting and gathering are essential components of MMOs, offering players the opportunity to create items, trade, and contribute to the in-game economy.

A well-designed crafting and gathering system can significantly enhance the gameplay experience, providing depth, variety, and player agency.

In this article, we will explore 14 MMOs with the best crafting and gathering systems. We’ll dive into each game’s unique features, strengths, and weaknesses, helping you find the perfect MMO to satisfy your crafting and gathering desires. So grab your tools, and let’s get started!

14. Palia (In Development)

• Developer: Singularity 6
• Release Date: TBA
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: Cozy MMOs, Community Building, Life Simulation

Palia is an upcoming cozy MMO that combines elements of life simulation and community building with traditional MMO gameplay.

Palia is still in development, and that is the reason it is not higher on our list. The game promises a strong focus on crafting and gathering, allowing players to create items, build homes, and shape the world around them.

Palia’s charming art style and relaxed atmosphere make it an appealing choice for fans of more casual MMO experiences.

13. The Elder Scrolls Online

• Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
• Release Date: April 4, 2014
• Platform: PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
• For fans of: The Elder Scrolls, Open World, High Fantasy

The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is an MMO set in the beloved Elder Scrolls universe, offering players a vast and immersive world to explore.

Crafting and gathering are important aspects of the game, with a variety of crafting professions available, such as blacksmithing, woodworking, clothing, enchanting, alchemy, and provisioning. ESO’s crafting system is designed to be both accessible and rewarding, allowing players to create powerful gear, consumables, and other items that can be used or sold in the game’s economy.

12. Lord of the Rings Online

• Developer: Standing Stone Games
• Release Date: April 24, 2007
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: The Lord of the Rings, Story-driven MMOs

Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) features an extensive crafting system, with ten professions available for players to choose from.

While crafting and gathering are not the main focus of the game, they are well-integrated into the experience, allowing players to craft gear and consumables that are both useful and valuable. LOTRO’s crafting system is designed to encourage cooperation between players, as no one character can master all professions.

11. EverQuest 2

• Developer: Daybreak Game Company
• Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: Old-School MMOs, PvE, High Fantasy

EverQuest 2 offers a robust and time-tested crafting system that has evolved over the years. Crafting and gathering are well-integrated into the game, and the system encourages cooperation between players.

The game features a detailed and extensive crafting system, allowing players to choose from a wide array of professions, such as carpentry, tailoring, blacksmithing, alchemy, and more.

EQ2’s crafting system involves an interactive process, with players needing to perform specific actions during the crafting process to create high-quality items successfully. This engaging approach adds depth and challenge to the crafting experience, making it more than just a simple click-and-wait process. Furthermore, the game’s gathering system encourages exploration and resource management, as players search for valuable materials and rare ingredients.

10. Final Fantasy XIV

• Developer: Square Enix
• Release Date: August 27, 2013
• Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
• For fans of: Final Fantasy, Story-driven MMOs, High Fantasy

Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) features a comprehensive crafting and gathering system with a wide variety of professions to choose from. Players can gather resources and create items that are both useful and valuable, including gear, consumables, and housing items.

FFXIV’s crafting system is deep and engaging, with a unique crafting mini-game that adds an extra layer of complexity.

9. ArcheAge Unchained

• Developer: XL Games
• Release Date: January 15, 2013 (Korea), September 16, 2014 (North America/Europe)
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: Sandbox MMOs, Naval Exploration

ArcheAge offers a vast and immersive world where crafting and gathering play a significant role in the game’s economy.

Players can gather resources, craft items, and even build ships and houses. The game’s trade system and naval exploration add an extra layer of depth, and the game’s labor point system helps balance the economy.

However, the game has been criticized for its pay-to-win aspects and its reliance on RNG in crafting, which may be off-putting for some players.

8. Black Desert Online

• Developer: Pearl Abyss
• Release Date: December 17, 2014 (Korea), March 3, 2016 (North America/Europe)
• Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• For fans of: Action Combat, Open World, Sandbox MMOs

Black Desert Online (BDO) features a detailed and engaging crafting system, with a wide array of life skills for players to master.

BDO’s economy is heavily influenced by crafting and gathering, and the complex node system adds an extra layer of strategy.

The worker system adds another layer to crafting and gathering, making it feel like you are running an empire of workers.

7. New World

• Developer: Amazon Game Studios
• Release Date: September 28, 2021
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: Open World, PvP, Exploration

New World, developed by Amazon Game Studios, offers a vast and beautiful world to explore with deep crafting and gathering systems.

The game features deep crafting and gathering systems, which are integral to its player-driven economy and allow players to create a wide range of items, such as weapons, armor, consumables, and housing decorations.

In New World, players can engage in a variety of gathering activities, including mining, logging, fishing, and harvesting plants. The game’s immersive and realistic gathering mechanics make these activities enjoyable and rewarding, encouraging exploration and interaction with the environment. Crafting, on the other hand, involves refining gathered resources and using them to create items through various crafting professions, such as blacksmithing, armoring, and jewelcrafting.

One of the unique aspects of New World’s crafting system is the integration of crafting stations, which are located throughout the game world and can be upgraded by players to unlock advanced crafting recipes

6. Wurm Online

• Developer: Code Club AB
• Release Date: June 6, 2006
• Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
• For fans of: Sandbox MMOs, Player-Driven Economy, Open World Building

Wurm Online is a sandbox MMO where crafting and gathering are at the core of the gameplay. The game offers a vast array of crafting professions and allows players to shape the world around them through terraforming, building, and more.

One of the most distinctive aspects of Wurm Online is its terraforming system, which enables players to alter the landscape by digging, flattening, and raising land. This feature adds an additional layer of depth to the gathering process, as players must carefully consider the impact of their actions on the environment.

Crafting in Wurm Online is equally complex and rewarding, with a vast range of items to create, from simple tools and weapons to elaborate structures and massive settlements.

5. Runescape

• Developer: Jagex
• Release Date: January 4, 2001
• Platform: PC, Mac, Linux
• For fans of: Old-School MMOs, Sandbox MMOs, Player-Driven Economy

Runescape is a beloved classic MMO that has captivated players for over two decades with its engaging sandbox gameplay and rich, immersive world. Crafting and gathering play a vital role in Runescape’s player-driven economy, with a variety of skills to train and master, many of which revolve around these activities. Examples of these skills include mining, smithing, cooking, crafting, and woodcutting.

One of the defining features of Runescape’s crafting and gathering system is its skill-based progression. As players train their skills, they gain access to new items, abilities, and methods of gathering resources, offering a satisfying sense of progression and achievement. Additionally, the game’s trading and marketplace systems create opportunities for players to exchange goods and services, fostering a strong sense of community and interdependence.

4. Ultima Online

• Developer: Origin Systems
• Release Date: September 24, 1997
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: Classic MMOs, Sandbox Gameplay, Player-Driven Economy

Ultima Online is a groundbreaking classic MMO that laid the foundation for many of the features and mechanics that define the genre today. The game offers an expansive, open world filled with rich lore and a deep sense of immersion.

Crafting and gathering are essential components of Ultima Online, with a wide variety of professions available for players to choose from, including blacksmithing, tailoring, carpentry, alchemy, and more.

The game’s skill-based progression system allows players to focus on their chosen crafting and gathering activities, with experience gained through performing these tasks, rather than through traditional leveling. This approach offers a refreshing sense of freedom and customization, enabling players to build unique characters tailored to their preferred playstyles.

3. EVE Online

• Developer: CCP Games
• Release Date: May 6, 2003
• Platform: PC, Mac
• For fans of: Space Exploration, Sandbox MMOs, Player-Driven Economy

EVE Online is a vast and complex space-based MMO that offers unparalleled depth and freedom, with a player-driven economy that is integral to the game’s core experience.

Crafting and gathering play a central role in EVE Online, with players able to mine resources, manufacture ships and equipment, and engage in trade on a massive scale.

One of the standout features of EVE Online’s crafting and gathering system is its complexity, with a wide range of resources, blueprints, and manufacturing processes that players must master to succeed. This intricate system, combined with the game’s dynamic economy, makes crafting and gathering in EVE Online an engaging and challenging experience.

2. Albion Online

• Developer: Sandbox Interactive
• Release Date: July 17, 2017
• Platform: PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
• For fans of: Sandbox MMOs, PvP, Player-Driven Economy

Albion Online is a sandbox MMO with a player-driven economy and a strong emphasis on crafting and gathering. The game’s open-world experience and classless system allow players to become proficient in any activity they choose, including crafting, gathering, and trading.

One of the key features of Albion Online’s crafting and gathering system is its regionalized resources, which encourages exploration, trade, and PvP as players venture into different areas of the game world to secure valuable materials. This dynamic adds an additional layer of depth and strategy to the crafting and gathering experience, with players needing to plan their activities carefully and adapt to the changing landscape of the game world.

1. Star Wars Galaxies

• Developer: Sony Online Entertainment
• Release Date: June 26, 2003 (Defunct as of December 15, 2011)
• Platform: PC
• For fans of: Star Wars, Sandbox MMOs, Player-Driven Economy

Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) was a sandbox MMO that allowed players to live their Star Wars dreams by taking on various roles in the galaxy. Although the live servers have been shut down, there are still active private servers available.

Crafting and gathering were essential elements of Star Wars Galaxies, with an extensive range of crafting professions, such as weaponsmith, armorsmith, architect, and bio-engineer, among others. Players can even make cities in SWG.

The game offered a multitude of resources, each with varying quality levels, which players needed to gather and use in crafting. This intricate system, combined with the game’s player-driven economy, made crafting and gathering in Star Wars Galaxies an engaging and rewarding experience.

Star Wars Galaxies’ crafting system was also notable for its experimentation system, which allowed players to allocate points in different areas when crafting items, impacting the final product’s quality and attributes. This feature added an additional layer of depth and customization to the crafting experience, allowing players to create truly unique items.

In conclusion, the world of MMOs offers a diverse range of crafting and gathering experiences, each with its own unique features and mechanics that cater to different playstyles and preferences. From the classic charm of games like Ultima Online and EverQuest 2 to the modern, immersive experiences of titles like New World and Final Fantasy XIV, there is something for everyone in this genre.