Good loot games (that are free)

Lately, I've been looking for something to play while listening to podcasts or watching TV and I was hoping to get some recommendations from people here. My only real requirements are that it's 1) free & 2) has a relatively satisfying loot grind.

free.. uh

maybe Marvel Heroes and Path of Exile

Marvel Heroes and Path of Exile both fit that, though the levelling system in PoE is a bit like the levelling system in FFX, it's just a giant sphere grid. You don't pick a class, you build one. Marvel Heroes is more like Diablo, you pick a character whose got more of a set role. I found PoE to be too slow though, it felt very sluggish.

Warframe is good, but it doesn't have the loot grind you're probably looking for. You end up building/buying your weapons with credits. You grind out ability cards instead.

Diablo 3 and it's expansion are currently on sale on Amazon. It's probably the best loot grind out there right now, but it's not free.

Yea I was going to suggest Warframe. Your not grinding random guns or anything. Your instead grinding materials, mods, and blueprints to craft your weapons and frames, but the game play loop is very satisfying.

adventure capitalist is what i play while i listen!

@upperdecker: I always wondered if I was alone in the universe. I am happy I am not! I also play AdVenture Capitalist, not sure why, but I like having fake money :)

@ibarguengoytia:

I can also recommend both Warframe and Path of Exile. PoE probably requires a lot of investment to be able to truly enjoy it though.

I was going to also say Marvel Heroes. It is also getting controller support in the 2016 patch that should be out soonish.

Warframe its like Destiny with content. And its free and its way better.

@soulcake: Yea when everyone was getting into the Taken King expansion it made me just want to get back into Warframe some more since it's just a better destiny and free.

Path of Exile is the one I would recommend the most if you really want a loot focused game. I personally don't get much from that type of game and ARPG but I did play it for a while and it was well made. Also the f2p aspects are very out of the way.

Warframe is definitely my choice when you're limiting to F2P. I think it's easily one of the best F2P games out there, in terms of both content and non-scummy F2P elements.

It's not quite a true loot game like Diablo though. Grinding for loot is a huge part of the game, but there's no randomness to the loot itself, it's more about grinding for the parts to make the items and grinding for the mods needed to enhance those items the way you want. I don't think that's inherently a bad thing, since it gives the player a lot more control over your stats, but that you're not going to find a super awesome legendary with amazing stats, which I know has an appeal in and of itself. Although finding a super rare mod that makes your equipment way better is pretty close.

I'll support Warframe and Path of Exile as the top two choices. Never played Marvel Heroes, but Jeff likes it.

Another lesser choice: Dungeon Defenders 2 (F2P Third Person Tower Defense).

Haven't played it myself but mmo's generally are loot driven so you might want to check out The Old Republic?

Anyone here played it? Does it have good loot?

Path of Exile is free and fantastic, probably my favorite diablo-like since diablo 2. There are micro-transactions but they are only either cosmetic, or stash slots (or guild upgrades). Nothing that affects the action or progression of the game.

Play Marvel Heroes. Gaz is a cute dog that tries hard but can't help but mess on the carpet.

Marvel Heroes I love that game.

I agree with all the above so I'll write short break downs.

PoE: It borrows a lot of aesthetic from D2, and while a bit on the slower side, it's a good D2 clone. The sphere grid however is the low point in my opinion, it's too complicated for it's own good and you'll be spending more time starting at it. It doesn't help that respeccing is practically impossible. You'll reroll characters a bunch of times or just stare at forum posts of builds forever.

Marvel Heroes: Respecs are free, so you have absolute freedom to try out skills and what not. The character skills are extremely flashy and entertaining to use. However expect heavy grind to gain enough 'eternity shard' currency to unlock another character. You have zero choice in trying out a new hero until you get enough of that stuff. I played 568 hours according to Steam... It's my guilty pleasure.

Warframe: This game is primarily a third-person shooter with cool parkour and melee attacks to keep it fun and entertaining. It's not really a loot driven game though, more of a currency collecting game. And the grind is real.

The Old Republic: All my Star Wars friends were super hyped for this but... they all left disappointed. I haven't tried it personally so I can't say why.Personally my favorite F2P MMO was Neverwinter.

If you can get it cheap, Diablo 3 ROS is probably the best option though. So many character build options as long as you aren't trying to be topping the charts. Slowly getting those set pieces while trying to mix and match what you have is a lot of fun.

I can vouch for Path of Exile. That game is a lootfest, and it's damn good for being free.

Path of Exile is the consensus, but I would pick up Torchlight and Torchlight II on a sale this holiday season instead. I found Path of Exile to be very unforgiving in terms of screwing yourself over with a character build and I didn't really love the world or the classes that much.

Path of exile is the best game of that kind I've played in many years, free or not.

If you're playing on normal you're not really going to be able to completely screw yourself because it's just too easy to complete.

Not getting skill gems you enjoy using is a much bigger issue at the start, but they drop frequently enough it's not that big of a deal, at least not if you enjoy that style of game.

I also really like their ladders and tournaments and things.