Action rpg's with good exploration

[flyingjohn]

Upon playing Diablo 3 I came to the realization of something major that was missing compared to Grim Dawn. Grim Dawn's act 1 had me explore in joy as I was actively looking for secrets and the level design rewarded said exploration. Same thing why I like dragon dogma/outward compared to stuff like the Witcher.

So anybody else have action rpg games with good exploration, either through interesting world design or just secrets. Doesn't have to be only isometric stuff, it can be any action rpg.
Obvious examples i know about:
-Gothic
-Souls series
-Outward

 

[Vlajdermen]

Kingdom come: deliverance

 

[NecroLord]

Kingdom come: deliverance

^

Also Deus Ex.

 

[ManaJunkie]

Sacred and Sacred 2

 

[octavius]

Ultima Underworlds

 

[Konjad]

Precursors

 

[Abu Antar]

Divinity 2 expansion.

 

[Dadd]

Inquisitor

 

[Vlajdermen]

Ultima Underworlds

Oh yeah. Arx Fatalis too. Just top-notch level design.

 

[Zlaja]

Elex

 

[JarlFrank]

Barely qualifies as an RPG but the exploration is amazing. One of the best explorefag experiences I had in recent years.



This one qualifies as an RPG, but you don't level up a character but a spaceship. Really good. Mixes some random generation of planet phenomena with several hand-crafted questlines and locations, which is what propels this far above similar games that rely entirely on procedural content.

 

[Snufkin]

DARK MESSIAH OF MIGHT AND MAGIC

Sadly forgotten amazing action rpg :O)

 

[Eisen]

Divine Divinity if you stomach Diablo 1 combat

 

[Softgels]

The Surge

 

[mediocrepoet]

Not sure if you counted it in Souls series, but Elden Ring.

 

[Late Bloomer]

I have a hard time including games like Diablo and Grim Dawn with games like Gothic and Outward. They seem very different. A few recent games that fall under the exploration umbrella regardless of genre are

 

[mediocrepoet]

I have a hard time including games like Diablo and Grim Dawn with games like Gothic and Outward. They seem very different. A few recent games that fall under the exploration umbrella regardless of genre are

These sound interesting. Are they any good outside of exploration elements?

 

[NecroLord]

Enough of this "Diablo is an RPG" shit.
It's an atmospheric dungeon crawler with RPG elements but more focus on clicking shit to death.
That's why it's awesome (the first game, that is, maybe a third of the second game).

 

[Zlaja]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned the likes of Morrowind and New Vegas already. I would still count those games as Action RPGs, even though some casuals might disagree and see them as "super deep real ajpegees".

 

[Eisen]

Enough of this "Diablo is an RPG" shit.
It's an atmospheric dungeon crawler with RPG elements but more focus on clicking shit to death.
That's why it's awesome (the first game, that is, maybe a third of the second game).

Yeah, we need to define what is an RPG

 

[Zlaja]

Enough of this "Diablo is an RPG" shit.
It's an atmospheric dungeon crawler with RPG elements but more focus on clicking shit to death.
That's why it's awesome (the first game, that is, maybe a third of the second game).

Yeah, we need to define what is a RPG

No, first we need to establish that you say 'an rpg' rather than 'a rpg'.

 

[Eisen]

Enough of this "Diablo is an RPG" shit.
It's an atmospheric dungeon crawler with RPG elements but more focus on clicking shit to death.
That's why it's awesome (the first game, that is, maybe a third of the second game).

Yeah, we need to define what is a RPG

No, first we need to establish that you say 'an rpg' rather than 'a rpg'.

Done

 

[Late Bloomer]

These sound interesting. Are they any good outside of exploration elements?

I found Salt 2 to be excellent. It is an Early Access title as a warning. The entire game is centered around exploration. As the game gets updated, more exploration points are added. The most recent one was underwater caves. The one before that added a new island biome type. The various islands are randomized with hand crafted areas throughout. There are numerous caves and ruins, monuments and secrets. While out at sea (or on land) you use a sextant and a compass to to gain your position. You can mark each island as you explore using map markers. The combat is very plain. He is trying to make it robust but I don't believe it will ever be a selling point. There are different ship types. You can decorate your ship if you want. Crafting is coming along decently. Rare items to use. Puzzles, although rudimentary, add to the variety. There is numerous factions to join with their own quests.

I enjoyed Wild West and Wizards quite a bit. It's made by the same fella as Salt 2. This game in comparison to Salt 2, is more streamlined and focused. Although the open world is available for you to explore at your leisure, the game focuses more on its overarching story than Salt 2. The exploration is plentiful. Lots of secrets and mysteries. The world is fairly fleshed out. I feel the variety of enemies was lacking. The combat is also fairly basic. But as an exploration game, I think it shines. Lowered expecations for things like monster variety and story cohesion is required. The game goes on sale for a hefty discount at times.

As for Wigmund, I am suprised at how much fun I am having. It is as janky as it looks. But the exploration has been great. The caves are dark. The world has lots of nooks and crannies. You can tell a lot of effort was put into the world. I have only played around 10 hours. Not sure how this game escaped me. The controls take some getting used to. As does the sheer amount of stuff on the screen. But as an exploration game, it has proved to be worth the price and then some.


TLDR

Salt 2 = Excellent exploration. It is the focal point of the game. The combat is weak.
Wild West and Wizard = Good exploration. Story is decent. Combat is weak.
Wigmund = Good exploration. Janky controls. Combat gets fun once you are used to said jank. Decent character progression.

 

[Vic]

Zelda

 

[Vlajdermen]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned the likes of Morrowind and New Vegas already. I would still count those games as Action RPGs, even though some casuals might disagree and see them as "super deep real ajpegees".

Must be we all thought Morrowind goes without saying, and didn't even notice it wasn't listed under ''obvious examples''. I certainly did.

 

[Maxie]

Skyrim fits the bill