I play games for their story. For me, the reward of a game is more about knowing whatever happens to the characters, what twists might lie in the plot, etc. The promise of unlocking perks, weapon modifications –while interesting– ain't enough to keep me pressing on. That said, good stories in shared-world games (whether MMO or not) are tricky. Your character can't be a superhero or "the chosen one" since they will never walk alone. The "Become Legend" mantra can be dangerous for the story if the game doesn't acknowledge that, actually, there'll be lots of legends besides you. At least I'd like to choose what my character says, or that there are differences between races/classes in how NPCs respond to you. Like, for instance, if you're a Hunter. These are the little things that make a world truly breathe.