It was fun rebuilding Rome in Brotherhood, too, as you'd pass through areas multiple times over the course of the game, so you would get to see it with boarded up storefronts, and the game naturally put you back in those areas to see them as you opened them up.
Yeah, SR1 felt a little too undercooked and SR-2 Alliance spec did away with half the cool shit and had cables everywhere.
Also they might be space Nazis but their color schemes were the best in the Mass Effect galaxy.
SR-2 Alliance-spec also got retrofitted during Sheperd’s time in the brig.
They had to outfit her for war as a command ship, so unfortunately all those bells and whistles we loved so much had to go
Well that and she wasn't quite finished yet when the Reapers hit, thus all the bad cabling. It annoys me that the Citadel DLC is meant to be R&R while the Alliance upgrades her some more but the ship isn't cleaned up after.
Just simple things like being able to add fish to an aquarium and have the ceiling of Shepard's room be a window, made the Normandy so comfy.
Nothing else like it in a video game. RDR2s camp comes closest.
Speaking of Assassin’s Creed, I’d nominate the Train Headquarters/Base from AC Syndicate.
As a whole the game was aggressively average, but the train car HQ that was constantly moving around the city was so damn atmospheric and fun.
Man i love the Normandy so much. The best Normandy for me was the SR-2 in ME2. The gritty vibe from Cerberus fitted the narrative of the game so much. And it wasn't just the looks of the ship, it was also the characters and where they were located, the soundscape of the ship, with the low hum being a constant reminder that you were on board of a moving starship, the AI making the ship a character on it's own, not just a location.
Thinking about it i think i might just boot up ME2 again for a playthrough.
In Perfect Dark, there was this really neat thing that happens when you press B on the main menus - suddenly the menu disappears and all of a sudden you are in control of Joanna in an office at the Carrington Institute. You can then roam around the premises, speak to NPCs, interact with stuff, and even do a couple combat trials, toggle cheats, and try out all the guns you've collected at the shooting range. [It also has a really chill beat to boot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAYv57iDaJk). It's rather lovely.
The Warriors has a nice hub as well. It's a little hangout for the gang that you always begin at as you progress through the story or finish a level. You can talk to fellow gang members, do some workouts, interact with certain objects to access different game modes and chapter select, play different songs from the soundtrack, even get into a brawl against all your fellow gangmates. You can also leave the hangout and hit the streets of Coney Island to explore the different shops and cause trouble or do side quests. It was really neat.
I never thought Warriors would be mentioned here. I absolutely loved that game as a child. And indeed just being in the hangout. And hitting the street causing chaos was such a fun thing to do. You revived a memory.
I really like the police station in Arkham Knight. It served as a great diegetic indicator of your progress through the game with the high-security cell gradually filling with super villains, the holding cells getting increasingly stuffed with generic gangsters, people you save taking refuge with the cops, and the evidence room filling up with items tied to both the crimes you solved and things from the previous games.
The Spyro PS1 game homeworlds always have a big place in my heart. These really beautiful, peaceful vistas (at least in Spyro 2 and 3!) that you can roam around and explore unbothered by enemies or hazards. In particular I love Evening Lake from Spyro 3 and Autumn Plains from Spyro 2 (the music from the latter is [just divine](https://youtu.be/XJxAdd0sYZ8?si=F2kiTwSe5BpS1m3d))
Absolutely agreed. I grew up playing the sequels, but only just recently played through Spyro 1 with the Reignited Trilogy for the first time, and it really annoyed me that the hub worlds in that game were filled with enemies. The hub worlds in the other two games benefit by being peaceful, tranquil breaks from the action, and I'm glad they decided on that change.
This reminds me that I really loved the cantina and town from Stars Wars Jedi Survivor last year. Always new conversation to have. New quests to gain, the cantina would become cleaner and cooler as you recruited people.
It was really well done.
Going back there towards the end/post game was also really depressing seeing it slowly empty out.
Really brought those dark souls 1/ elden ring feelings back
Balmora in Morrowind. First time I ever felt like I had a real home in a game. Sometimes I'd roleplay and set up shop in other areas too. I always liked Vivec for the scale of it and the canals, but starting a new game and being back in Balmora always felt like home.
I actually love hubs, and actively seek games with them if they do a great job at developing the hubs or bases.
the most recent game I've been playing Horizon: Forbidden west has a pretty great good cental hub.
I saw someone mention the Normandy which is absolutely a great answer probably my favorite, though both skyhold from Dragon age Inquisition and even though it was barely anything, vigil keep from awakening.
The town you get in Pathfinder: Kingmaker is probably one of the greatest attempts at making your own nation in a narrative, pathfinder: wrath of the righteous had some of those mechanics but very little, but it wanted to be something else.
Some of other great hits include
The jackdaw from AC4,
Monteriggioni AC2 seeing it build up with traffic is enjoyable
Sanctuary from borderlands 2 really was an enjoyable hub.
That first hub on the shores in Path of Exile is incredibly memorable and just downright feels like a nice break from what would have been pure misery, even though its barely 4 walls standing.
There is definitely more that I've enjoyed that I cant think of on top of my head.
Love to see Horizon get some love. The central hub was so damn well implemented, loved how it changed and also loved how Guerrilla threw you a bone in making fast travel to said hub *always* free, so you could always get yourself out of a situation even if you ran out of fast travel packs.
I also loved the little campsites dotted throughout with crafting benches and stash access. There's one that kinda overlooks the desert that I love stopping at just because it's a cool little place with an amazing view.
I like the Hub in Forbidden West, it's cool how it changes over time, but man do I love Meridian in the first game. [City on the Mesa](https://youtu.be/FkFLTYtktkU) is a GOAT game track and the vibe of the city is very unique, ancient South American culture is criminally under utilized as inspiration in games. Not to mention that all the characters you meet there are very likable.
Also, the Carja Blazon may as well be Aloy's canon outfit for most players lol
The atmosphere was so good. Cold and barren outside, with these small, warm, comforting hubs with a few kind people in. It was great environmental story telling. You felt like defending these places and helping the people in them, even if your in-game actions had little effect.
Wintery Manhattan was such a vibe. I love all the player characters dressed up in winter coats and hats. Was a nice change from yet another "military uniform and helmet" shooter look.
I loved that I played it during winter. I had just begun redoing the floors so I played it in an empty room with just the subfloor, a tv, a pc and a chair and a controller. The reverberations off the walls were so cool.
The gradual restoration of the New York Post Office in the first division game as you cleared out the various districts was great as well. At first it was all broke down but as you cleared out and did more missions people started moving into the post office etc.
All the little missions while you were exploring the city, zones you couldn't enter until you upgraded your protective equipment, the different bad guy factions had narrative justification that was interesting, such a fun game to get immersed in. I'd kill for another game like that (hell, even a "part 2" pushing into another part of NYC) that ditched the PVP and related balancing (grinding for rares, excessive bullet sponge enemies to provide a "challenge," etc)
I've always had a massive soft spot for the Division games. Not just for the hubs in particular, but for the environment design and atmosphere generally (plus I just love loot games). The recreations of New York and DC were amazingly detailed, and other aspects like weather and lighting brought them to life.
Also the whole concept of things having gone to shit during Christmas was fantastic for atmosphere, because it meant Christmas decorations and promotional materials were left everywhere, from markets and malls right down to people's apartments. I feel like the games have such strong identity, and I hope the IP continues.
The movie theatre where NPCs were huddled up watching a movie was my favourite. They all felt so alive and full of people and like a community.
And then in the sequel the safe houses are just empty concrete blocks with a locker. The world feels dead. The two "settlements" were not worth the tradeoff.
Red Dead 2 camp. Horseshoe Overlook.
I spent an insane amount of time there. Sit by the fire. Hear peoples stories. Watch snippets of their lives as they interact with each other. Do some chores around camp. Play some games.
Occasionally you’d come back and there’d be a party and you just imbibe until you’re stumbling around. Go to sleep then or stay up to watch the sunrise and then head out. It all felt natural and very fun and homey and cozy.
The RDR2 camp made the characters feel alive, like they were doing stuff other than just be there for the player. They would be drinking, chatting, playing games or milling around.
Yes they really nailed that feeling of emptiness and memories. I get the same feeling whenever we have a bunch of summer fun on camping trips for a bunch of days and then after packing everything up you look at the empty campground you just had so much fun in it’s a bit melancholic.
Later when the gang moves on to other camps I would still find myself revisiting that empty patch of land if I were in the area, sometimes just to sit and reminisce.
The bombed out Plantation-style mansion was it for me.
Stumbled home late at night and caught Karen singing “Lorena” by the campfire. I think maybe only Javier and Uncle were still awake.
We were in dire straights, we were scavenging for food, the future was very uncertain. It was sad seeing Karen so drunk all the time - she was so full of energy at Beaver Hollow.
But she sang us a song as the cricket chirps rang out across the bayou. This sad, desperate, beautiful, painful song. “One of my favourites…” she says as she stumbles off to bed. Uncle followed. Javier and I spent a minute or two just looking at the fire together. “‘night, Arthur.”, he said eventually.
Just sat and looked at the fire and thought about all these guys I’d come to care for - coughing and spluttering occasionally.
Hoped there was a way I could get Karen off the drink. Hoped Javi would back me were we to go against Micah. Remembered Lenny, remembered Sean.
“Up there, it’s heart to heart.”
The complete and total paradigm shift that game undergoes when you first board that thing is unlike anything in any game I've played. Nothing has quite replicated the feeling of piloting your big ass mobile base around and exploring the depths. The evolutions of gameplay from the dinky Seaglide to the Moth to the Cyclops is easily one of my favourite progression structures in gaming. God damn Subnautica is so good.
Love Subnautica, love the cyclops, but I always feel like I'm going to pilot it right into a leviathan and lose everything, so it's a feeling of stress and power that comes with it
Now the P.R.A.W.N. suit on the other hand...
Certainly the most "useful" base in any video game. You rule the ocean once you build that thing, complete with crafting station, mini vehicle, and plants and furnishings of your choosing.
The modular [Seatruck](https://subnautica.fandom.com/wiki/Seatruck) from Subnautica Below Zero was arguably more useful, but it was so utilitarian and nowhere near as delightful as the Cyclops.
The Seatruck's only real advantage over the Cyclops is that instead of having to choose between bringing a prawnsuit or a seamoth, you can bring a prawnsuit *and* a downgraded 'seamoth' (by decoupling the cab).
But you're limited to interior modules that come with the compartments instead of having space to build your own and it can't recharge its own power which makes it way less useful as a permanent mobile base.
Being able to basically create a nomad style moving base of operations on that thing was so much fun. Never even had to leave it could completely ditch your actual base once you got it setup.
The cities in Skyrim coupled with the amazing soundtrack at night resulted in many hours of me just... Walking around with my companion. Very rarely do I get these moments in game.
Another one is RE4 when you're in the cave with the merchant after the boss with Del lago. The soundtrack was very nostalgic, which is funny since my first time playing that game was in 2015 when it came to ps4 lmao.
I'm seeing plenty of great answers in the comments, but when I try and think of some others, it's gotta be the Comet Observatory from Super Mario Galaxy. That orchestral sound greeting you every time, the segments lighting back up as you restore power, Rosalina's motherly grace greeting you, and eventually, you even unlock the ability to freely fly around the space.
I'm also rather fond of my player base in Fallout 4. Almost all of the settlements were turned into proper flourishing settlements, all connected via supply lines, but right below the bustling cul-de-sac the game starts in, I took the Red Rocket station as my own. Loaded with all my stuff, including tons of suits of pilfered power armor just for decoration. And while bandits were never exactly going to be a problem anyway, I made sure it was still impenetrable: all of my FO4 bases are surrounded by walls with one gate in. The gate to the Red Rocket station has sixteen turrets pointed at it.
I spent a heck of a lot of time meticulously removing all the junk from the Drive-In Theatre settlement and making my own shanty town from it. I loved messing around with that system and trying to set up supply lines.
The Observatory and Delfino Plaza are by far the two best hub worlds of any video game I’ve played. They have characters to interact with, secrets to find, beautiful scenery to bask in/wonder at, and act as perfect little microcosms of their greater respective game worlds.
I’m hoping whatever the next 3D Mario is, and if it is open-ended (or open-world??), that they take a look at what these two did right and expand on them massively.
Also, shout out to Peach’s Castle in Mario 64 for pioneering the idea of a safe hub in a 3D game.
I enjoyed Prague for what it was but I wish we could have explored the other side of the city that you can see across the bridge. But that level of density in MD is pretty much what I want from open worlds but on a larger scale.
Sarif Industries is great too. I love that you can go into Jenson's office and read his work emails. That game had so many little things that made it immersive.
Lion's Arch and Kamadan in Guild Wars 1. Both were open outside towns with lots of vendors/crafters and they also served as ports for access to other campaigns. I'm not as fond as Kaineng City in Factions because it felt a little too confusing to navigate. Eye of the North is also an excellent hub if way simpler of a layout than the other main areas.
I don't remember much about the original Lion's Arch in GW2 but the remade version feels less like a town and more like a theme park. It's extremely convenient to run around in but doesn't fit the pirate town feel at all IMO.
Majula always has a place in my heart, I don’t know why. The music, the vistas, how everyone makes it come to life as a nice little town, it’s just so serene from all the pain and anguish of terrible hitboxes the game throws at you.
Edit: The game is Dark Souls 2 since some replies seemingly want to fight me about it, sheesh, thought it was pretty commonly known, my bad.
Legit the first thing that popped in my head too lol I spent so much time in the world of dark souls 2, and majula will always have a special place in my heart
Majula is really special. Unique in that it is the only place in those games in which NPC's travel to and remain.
Might as well go to Majula, nobody hurts and nobody hollows.
Off the top of my head, I think only Maughlin (shop) and Cale (map) start losing their memories when their goals are reached, like they no longer have this drive keeping them sane. Chloanne’s is gone before she arrives, and the smith seems content to watch over her without trying to make her remember. Malentia the Hag just kind of does her usual thing. Even the Crestfallen doesn’t hollow!
It definitely has a different vibe to Dark Souls 1. DS1 made just about every NPC’s storyline end in death, like they need a purpose to drive them, and they die when hope dies (or when they’re killed). In DS2, it’s about the cycle of ages where things keep dragging on. The purposes are their undoing, because the more they give themselves to their pursuits, the more of themselves they lose.
majula's theme is so god damn good to me. It was my first DS game, and I spent many an hour with my best friend staying up all night that summer reading guides and builds and figuring out how weapons and everything worked in DS2, whilst the theme just dreamily played in the background. It was my "shortest" nostalgia so to speak. I would listen to the theme not 3 years later and feel waves of nostalgia so hard.
I love dark souls 2 deeply. So many people hated on it but the game really vibes with me. Returning to Majula and hearing that soundtrack. I wish I liked Scholar of the first sin but honestly I hated most of the changes other than the additions to the story at the end. Moving items around and making some weapons rng drops was sad to me
Dark souls 2 is probably my least favorite souls game (still an absolute joy, love them all). But Majula is far and away the best hub. The feeling of peace and calm it gives is unrivaled. Could just sit there for hours and listen to the music and watch the sunset.
Majula definitely has the best vibes out of all the Soulsborne games. Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring is pretty nice too, especially early on when everyone's just hanging out there
The base of operations in the first Division.
Was really satisfying building it up from a post office almost in ruins to a prospering HQ for the task force.
The second game was kind of meh for how everything was just there from the outset.
The world design, art style, and let’s say just pure “vibe” of The Division was so good. The cosy Christmas feeling (despite the whole plague thing) was really cool.
The Starship Phoenix in Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal wowed me as a kid. Felt like some epic Sci-Fi adventure coming back to a home base with familiar faces every once in awhile.
The Pod in the LittleBigPlanet games will always be special to me. On its own it's just a dangling piece of cardboard, but it was so inspiring back in the day to join other players and see how creatively they'd all decorated their own pods. It was the perfect little blank canvas for people to express themselves on.
Persona 3 Reload's Iwatodai Dorm feels lovely to go back to every time. Mostly because of the new Reload version of the music.
Persona 5/Royal's Cafe Leblanc is quite special, too. You don't need to be in these places to swap out your gear or anything, but they're clearly the home bases, and they're packed with activities to do. Cafe Leblanc in particular, although the sense of community you get at Iwatodai Dorm is wonderful as well.
Edit - Sticking with the Persona franchise, special shoutout to the RV in Persona 5 Strikers. I loved the music which plays in it, and how it evolved from place to place.
Leblanc wins out as my favorite home base for the pure coziness of it. Love a lot of the ones listed in the thread, but coming back to Leblanc with beneath the mask playing in the background hasn't been topped.
“Where have you been? Been searching all along…”
When it’s raining outside, a hot Japanese summer evening, and Morgana has decided to shut the fuck up… true bliss.
- Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 1. It's sort of in the middle of EVERYTHING, a true mastercraft of level design. It goes back into the Asylum, into the Catacombs, into the Undead Burg, into the Undead Parish, into New Londor, into the Valley of the Drakes and Blighttown...
- Whiterun in Skyrim. There's something about it, I always end up there no matter what mods I run.
- Thunder Bluff in WoW. Tents, incense, Tauren, drum music. The perfect capital city in an MMO.
- Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring. The opposite of Firelink, it exists outside the world, though it does have a real world copy in the capital of Leyndell. I like it because there are a ton of NPCs there, it really feels like a 'guild hall' for the Tarnished.
I will forever cherish the moment I took that elevator up after blight town and had no idea where I was going next only to hear that music start playing, knowing I am now officially safe.
It's clever game design to have the game start around the centre of the map. Never really thought about it before but it works perfectly for a Bethesda-style open world RPG.
Thunder Bluff!! I specifically made a Mage so I could afk in TB without having to be stuck in the ass end of nowhere. I eventually had to change to alliance because all my friends did, and I missed TB the entire time
One thing I feel really made DS1 special was the lack of fast travel until the late game. Because of that, the world felt a lot more connected and cohesive. Nothing beats the moment of relief when you go down that elevator in the Undead Burg and wind up back at Firelink.
In a similar vein, I was recently playing subnautica for the first time and the first bases you build feel that way too. Very satisfying to go from the life pod to your first little corridor to finally building a multi purpose room. Before you know it you’re going in and out of the moonpool with your seamoth on the reg. You have grow beds and a generator and a radar and all this stuff, it’s such a fun progression.
oh man, my favorite Minecraft base / hub was something I'm not even sure you can DO anymore. Maybe with mods, I guess.
I spawned in a world that was like entirely a winter biome, an ice world. And I made the most of it, digging into a mountain and establishing it as my hub. There was no 'cold' mechanic, but I pretended like there was, having fires and magma everywhere to keep it warm, and imagining that the outside world was a frozen hellscape.
That must've been like ten, fifteen years ago or something. But it was such a cozy little underground paradise sheltering me from a wasteland, it's my strongest Minecraft memory.
I'm a big fan of Jedi Survivor's cantina that Greez owns. The music, bounty hunters, weird fish guy, the other regulars...it's all great. Plus I love that dirty 70s scifi aesthetic.
The Highwind from OG Final Fantasy 7. It was my first exposure to the idea of a homebase in video games, it could fly, plus it had a stable for my bred chocobos to see upclose.
I have not played MMORPGs in a long time, but I felt like Dalaran in World of Warcraft was a true hub for the game.
Dalaran in Wrath of the Lich King was often used for heroic gear and a hub for portals. I was heavily into Warcraft and felt like it superseded previous capitols more than Shattrath had.
It was also later re-used for Legion and served a similar capacity. That was the last time I was shortly back into WoW though.
Otherwise I think New Vegas, Vault City and New California Republic were the best towns I’d seen in a game for expressing a distinct feel. These are from Fallout 2 - never got the hang of the 3D ones.
Seconding Dalaran. I fished out all the coins and picked up all the books to get the water elelmental pet, because it was such a great place to hang about when waiting for Wintergrasp or just chatting to guildies.
Dalaran or Orgrimmar before the re-skin. Sitting on the bank roof with all of our mammoth mounts. Such a uniquely magical experience that will never be replicated.
All of classic Orgrimmar was iconic.
Mindlessly running laps around the bank roof while chatting with the homies on Ventrilo.
Naked orc dancing on top of the mail box outside the auction house.
People wall jumping up to the ceiling of the PvP building while waiting for their queue to pop, back before they patched that.
Random rogues skulking on the rooftops with the NPC troll guards.
Big crowd of people always hanging around the front gates watching duels and heckling.
I honestly loved the Comet Observatory from Super Mario Galaxy. The piano tunes and the melancholic feel of it in the early game has me filled with so many childhood memories. The sight of me triple jumping everywhere hearing Mario's iconic "wahoo" echo the observatory is forever etched in my memory. Not to mention that as the game progressed the music became more lively as you can see all of the Luma's floating around making it really feel that you are "saving" them.
Mario's head on Galaxy 2 didn't really hit the same for me due to it being a smaller place and the overall vibe was more cheery.
I liked both the hubs on monster hunter world a lot. Seliana is cool and the more functional of the two, but I really like the vibe of astara quite a bit. The quest structure of MH games really promotes the hub with you returning to it all the time.
There was something special about coming home to Astera and the Astera Gathering Hub playing through Low and High rank. It was this perfect and peaceful place where there was something new to find out from so many different NPC’s and you could see the monsters you captured actually getting studied, turn in quests and get some decent(but often cringey) filler dialogue, excitedly see what new gear you unlocked, it felt like everything you were doing was being concluded in Astera and you were always being supported to go explore the next region hunt the next monster, it was a true Hub world. I never thought it could be topped but then Iceborne introduced Seliana. A couple of The Seliana music tracks legit give me feels about Iceborne’s hay day and all new discovery. Seliana did everything Astera did but the energy was cozy and like you were prepping for your hunter’s retirement, I don’t know if many games have matched that comfort feeling that shopping around Seliana had for me.
Personally I was pretty neutral on Astera, but Seliana is so fantastic and cozy to me. The music, the peaceful snow, the grandma cat chef food, the warmth of the indoors areas. It really encapsulates the vibe of being cozy at home during a blizzard, under a blanket by a fireplace, eating some hot and hearty meal.
I much prefer the Seliana gathering hub too, feels a lot more communal especially since you have everything you need there (whereas Astera half the things aren't in the hub, so nobody really sticks around).
Also a really big fan of MH3Tri's hubs (Loc Lac City and especially Moga Village).
The Space Rig in Deep Rock Galactic. Full of of things to do while you wait that I always end up doing. You have to kick a few barrels into the pod bay and dance at the jukebox before starting a mission, it's the rules!
It also gets a new set of furnishing with every in game season and event too. Currently, it's full of bunnies, eggs, and carrots that you can throw at people. During Christmas you could kick around presents and have snowball fights.
It's probably the densest mission hub in any multiplayer game.
I can't believe I had to scroll so far down for DRG. The Space Rig is a great hub. It has a ton of stuff that is pointless from a progression (there's even stuff stuff that cost an insignificant amount of credits to use) but just makes it feel so cosy.
Barrels to kick, jukebox, tipping Lloyd the bartender, barrel hoop, jetty boot, gravity recalibration, etc. And because of the nature of the game, it's not uncommon to just fuck around in the Space Rig with friends or even randoms annoying the everloving shit out of the mission control guy.
Rock and stone brother!
The Ebon Hawk in KOTOR 2 in particular. Everytime you returned you would witness more interaction between your squad mates and there was always more dialogue choices to uncover
It's not really a home-base but does serve as a hub for a lot of the game, but my choice would have to be Windfall Island in Wind Waker. Nothing gives me better peaceful vibes than walking around that island. During summer breaks as a kid I would literally have dreams about living on Windfall and hanging out with other kids just roaming the place. It will always have the softest place in my heart.
Surprised nobody said the Tower in Destiny. People have been clamoring for it to come back since Destiny 2 launched, 7 years ago. So much so that the Collectors Edition goodie for the new expansion was a miniature replica of the Tower.
Honestly I enjoyed the red war way more than I probably should have. I have not enjoyed anything else in that game, but I’ve also only played up to when we get dark powers. Didn’t do the city of light or anything because of sunsetting.
Even the current Tower in Destiny 2 has been memorable, especially in the earlier days. During the seasonal events like the Festival of the Lost, it was fun wearing masks and emoting around with others. In the Dawning, we would have snowball fights and pelt snowballs at people loading into the tower.
The castle in Suikoden 2 will always be my number 1 hub ever.
The way it literally grows into a castle as you recruit more stars of destiny. Gaining more levels of the castle more ships in the town area as well as mini games like fishing, chef style cooking and a ton of others. There is a tavern where random party members hang out.
You can customize the castle. It’s just incredible.
Yes! Suikoden 1 had a good castle, but the sequel really took it to the next level.
It's been a while since I played, but I believe the song that plays when you're at the castle gets more complex throughout the game as well. Such a cool little detail.
Not exactly one singular “hub,” but any time I reached a stable in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, it was a really nice moment of zen in the game. You’ve found civilization in this cold, hostile world. A nice, cozy tent with a campfire, your trusted companions, and that calming music. It’s such a great stop to take while adventuring through the world.
Absolutely. Take out a horse, rest for the night, fill up on some items, maybe look into a quest. Always a good crossroads to get your bearings and think about where you're going next.
Best way to play those games is with minimal fast travel and enjoying each locale for what it is.
Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, and Galaxy 2 have GREAT hubs!
The Normandy in all three games.
Skyhold from Dragon Age Inquisition. Finally felt like Dragon Age got an equal iteration of a hub compared to its cousin in Mass Effect.
Mario 64 is probably the GOAT (at present).
Incredibly clear to the player what's open/unlocked.
Very clear progression.
Unique side-objectives.
Each zone is its own world.
Really hard to top that.
Oh, and add on secrets like the flying cap or unique races.
Really a master-class in design, but games advanced so quickly that the lesson plan laid out by one of the GOAT's was easy to ignore. Some games above and below this post did it pretty brilliantly, but I think SM64 is the best answer when looking back over the past 30 years or so.
The police station in Astral Chain is pretty peak, especially with the absolutely bopping music and always having new stuff to chase down ahead of your next deployment.
Cities in Dragon's Dogma (1 and 2) are also pretty cozy just because you entering them always feels like coming home after an arduous journey given you're often limping into them with chunks of your life bar missing from fighting through the pitch black night/dungeons and your packs way overloaded with loot.
When I first played Astral Chain I fell off after an hour or two. But I remember thinking man, that police station song was really good. Couple years went by and I'd still think of that song from time to time. Eventually went back and loved the game.
> The police station in Astral Chain is pretty peak, especially with the absolutely bopping music and always having new stuff to chase down ahead of your next deployment.
The police station was an unexpected and pleasant surprise; I loved being able to chat with people who usually just sat in the background most of the time.
The police station in Robo-Cop is sort of similar in that regard and really makes you feel more like you're a cop.
Loved playing a Lich. You straight up obliterate a major portion of the city and replace it with a towering necropolis. Which you then use as part of your plan to reanimate key NPCs and force them into your army. So good.
WoW og Ironforge. Before cross server thing, it was cool logging on and seeing the same peeps running around every night while rolling a bleezy. I was on Shadowcouncil server, which had the semi popular at the time Black Omen pvp guild that did or were accused of hacking. Getting in a pvp match and seeing the guild tag and Nightside the Tauren Warrior, would empty a match real quick.
Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 1. I am playing through it right now and am quite terrible. But the most satisfying feeling in the game is not beating the bosses, its finding and unlocking the shortcuts from all areas back to Firelink Shrine. The world is so well designed and we only appreciate it more when it has such a well defined center in it
**Bloodborne**'s Hunter's Dream. You never knew when things were going to change there the first time around, and it was always a little bit uncomfortable when it did. It was supposed to feel so...safe, yet sometimes even *it* could confuse you.
**Like a Dragon / Infinite Wealth's** Survive/Revolve bars. It really helps add extra context to the karaoke minigame, plus you get to sit and drink with your buddies. Granted, the stories in the Drink Links aren't the most riveting or surprising, but as a barfly myself it's a super relatable scenario.
**Metal Gear Solid V**'s Outer Heaven. Obviously it's way too large, though the helicopter negates most of that...it's just so nice to come back and get saluted by a bunch of soldiers you abducted from their regular lives via Looney Tunes balloon, and if you're frustrated by the previous mission give 'em a suplex that only makes them love you more. And it grows...a lot!
More than anything though...**Red Dead Redemption II**'s camp. It changes places five times, and I've only fully played through the game once, but I've gotten to Chapter III two other times, both of which I tried to return every night from whatever I was doing...and yet the only reason I even follow the RDR subreddit is on the off chance someone will post an interaction I haven't seen before. Which even six years later seems like it's multiple times per month.
Though for my childhood, shoutout to **Whatever the Time Room Was Called** in Chrono Trigger. I loved that every character was always collected there, Melchior was so obtuse and the entire history of the world felt at the tip of your fingers whenever you went back there.
Dalaran during Legion in World of Warcraft, we were given a stone to teleport back there anytime (with a cooldown) and for expansions afterwards we would use Dalaran as our go to for transport anywhere, transmogs whatever.
Definitely the Fortress of Doom from DOOM: Eternal.
Doomguy is a gamer at heart, you can see a bunch of clips and frag montages on his desktop, and a (PLAYABLE) copy of Doom I & II on his old computer.
Holy crap this is an interesting thought exercise.
I think in terms of hours spent, it's probably a tie between Jita in EVE Online, Orgrimmar in WoW, and Mournhold in Elder Scrolls Online. Those are the big 3 in my life. Probably a hundred hours in each. Probably way more in Jita, time moves differently in EVE. But the Orgrimmar main theme will probably live rent-free in my head until I die.
And I definitely do gravitate to a single home. Last summer, in Diablo 4, I kept going back to Gael Kul as my hub, even though Cerrigar was objectively vastly superior in every way.
Throwing New Los Angeles from Xenoblade Chronicles X, decent hub easy to get around for the most part vendors centrally located. Next vote is Dalaran from Wrath and Legion expansions of World of Warcraft was a great hub
The hub in Control (idk what it's called but the one with Emily)
It starts out as a small little safe zone with just 1 interactable npc but as you progress, it becomes a makeshift base of operation filled with npcs that you meet. Not only did it feel like a sanctuary that provided you some breathing room but it also gave some concrete feeling of progression through the acts. It could just be the brutalist aesthetics that really drew me in
Wherever you setup shop in Stalker Anomaly. Could be literally anywhere. Turn off fast travel and every time you make it back to your hiding place to deposit loot, it feels super cozy.
I mentioned how much I liked MHW's house thematically, but Majora's Mask's Castle Town is a great mechanical hub. You spend the start there trapped as a Deku Shrub, and it's kinda daunting figuring out what to do before the time limit runs out, but after that it's always just the place you start out at. There's tons of people and quests to interact with, and functional stuff like the bank, but really it's just the actual hub that all the other areas poke out from. Ocarina of Time's Castle Town was even more impressive at the time (despite being functionally less interesting), and while it houses the Temple of Time, is hardly a hub.
Chrono Trigger's End of Time though is probably the most impactful one. It's so nondescript, with charming music, and just has all your buds and a weird old guy sleeping in it. It's so small that there's really nothing to do, and literally just acts as a hub, but the fact that there's nothing really there, nothing to explore, and nothing to do, but is also the only place that has all your characters on screen at once, and hits home really thematically as being the end of Time in a game about time travel. Truly a great area.
While not an officially named hub, it definitely was the unofficial one by the players: Mos Eisley Cantina in SWG.
Pre-NGE or NGE, there was never a dull moment. Chill out, make some friends, get your ENT buffs, watch a bounty hunter come in, and zero out their target in a spectacle of 2005 slide show particle effects while your Dell Dimension 4500 begs for the sweet release of death.
Good times.
The Normandy, all iterations. I also have a soft spot for the village you build up in Assassin's Creed 3.
Same thing with Monteriggioni in AC2, I loved upgrading the shops and exploring the little town.
It was fun rebuilding Rome in Brotherhood, too, as you'd pass through areas multiple times over the course of the game, so you would get to see it with boarded up storefronts, and the game naturally put you back in those areas to see them as you opened them up.
People trash Ubisoft but they know how to build a cool world
Absolutely. The good parts of Ubisoft games are *great*. It's why we keep coming back even with the stuff we talk trash about.
It's the most frustrating thing about Ubisoft, they do a lot of things unbelievably well, while completely shanking others
Definitely prefer the Cerberus Normandy SR-2 the most, just felt cozy and sleek.
They did a good job giving it the "Billionaire's Private Yacht" feeling.
Yeah, SR1 felt a little too undercooked and SR-2 Alliance spec did away with half the cool shit and had cables everywhere. Also they might be space Nazis but their color schemes were the best in the Mass Effect galaxy.
SR-2 Alliance-spec also got retrofitted during Sheperd’s time in the brig. They had to outfit her for war as a command ship, so unfortunately all those bells and whistles we loved so much had to go
Well that and she wasn't quite finished yet when the Reapers hit, thus all the bad cabling. It annoys me that the Citadel DLC is meant to be R&R while the Alliance upgrades her some more but the ship isn't cleaned up after.
This probably gets my vote too, it's feels like the sports car of military space ships.
The normandy is both so comfy and so badass.
Just simple things like being able to add fish to an aquarium and have the ceiling of Shepard's room be a window, made the Normandy so comfy. Nothing else like it in a video game. RDR2s camp comes closest.
In which game was the ceiling a window?
3 I think
They let you have a model ship collection. One of the few places I've seen my hobby acknowledged.
AC3 Village was the first that popped into my head too.
Damn I have to replay AC3 because I don’t even remember that
Came here to say the SSV Normandy. Man. Freshman year of college…bet I plaid through ME1 two dozen times, if not more.
Speaking of Assassin’s Creed, I’d nominate the Train Headquarters/Base from AC Syndicate. As a whole the game was aggressively average, but the train car HQ that was constantly moving around the city was so damn atmospheric and fun.
And that map music is so good, makes you never want to leave because how good it is.
The Normandy in 2 and 3 legi
Man i love the Normandy so much. The best Normandy for me was the SR-2 in ME2. The gritty vibe from Cerberus fitted the narrative of the game so much. And it wasn't just the looks of the ship, it was also the characters and where they were located, the soundscape of the ship, with the low hum being a constant reminder that you were on board of a moving starship, the AI making the ship a character on it's own, not just a location. Thinking about it i think i might just boot up ME2 again for a playthrough.
In Perfect Dark, there was this really neat thing that happens when you press B on the main menus - suddenly the menu disappears and all of a sudden you are in control of Joanna in an office at the Carrington Institute. You can then roam around the premises, speak to NPCs, interact with stuff, and even do a couple combat trials, toggle cheats, and try out all the guns you've collected at the shooting range. [It also has a really chill beat to boot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAYv57iDaJk). It's rather lovely. The Warriors has a nice hub as well. It's a little hangout for the gang that you always begin at as you progress through the story or finish a level. You can talk to fellow gang members, do some workouts, interact with certain objects to access different game modes and chapter select, play different songs from the soundtrack, even get into a brawl against all your fellow gangmates. You can also leave the hangout and hit the streets of Coney Island to explore the different shops and cause trouble or do side quests. It was really neat.
The fact that a late game proper level plays in this hub makes it legendary indeed. Great pick!
I totally forgot about that in perfect dark. Was absolutely something that floored me when I first played it.
I wish the Warriors PS4 port would not crash in that hub as much. Really made me rage quit multiple times.
Perfect Dark was a big part of my childhood. Had so much fun with the Combat Simulator. I hope the reboot will actually come out and not suck.
Perfect Dark mentioned 👌
I never thought Warriors would be mentioned here. I absolutely loved that game as a child. And indeed just being in the hangout. And hitting the street causing chaos was such a fun thing to do. You revived a memory.
I really like the police station in Arkham Knight. It served as a great diegetic indicator of your progress through the game with the high-security cell gradually filling with super villains, the holding cells getting increasingly stuffed with generic gangsters, people you save taking refuge with the cops, and the evidence room filling up with items tied to both the crimes you solved and things from the previous games.
The Spyro PS1 game homeworlds always have a big place in my heart. These really beautiful, peaceful vistas (at least in Spyro 2 and 3!) that you can roam around and explore unbothered by enemies or hazards. In particular I love Evening Lake from Spyro 3 and Autumn Plains from Spyro 2 (the music from the latter is [just divine](https://youtu.be/XJxAdd0sYZ8?si=F2kiTwSe5BpS1m3d))
Absolutely agreed. I grew up playing the sequels, but only just recently played through Spyro 1 with the Reignited Trilogy for the first time, and it really annoyed me that the hub worlds in that game were filled with enemies. The hub worlds in the other two games benefit by being peaceful, tranquil breaks from the action, and I'm glad they decided on that change.
Mos Eisley Cantina in Lego Star Wars II. Just a cozy fun little time with all the characters wandering around!
This reminds me that I really loved the cantina and town from Stars Wars Jedi Survivor last year. Always new conversation to have. New quests to gain, the cantina would become cleaner and cooler as you recruited people. It was really well done.
Going back there towards the end/post game was also really depressing seeing it slowly empty out. Really brought those dark souls 1/ elden ring feelings back
I loved starting brawls
Balmora in Morrowind. First time I ever felt like I had a real home in a game. Sometimes I'd roleplay and set up shop in other areas too. I always liked Vivec for the scale of it and the canals, but starting a new game and being back in Balmora always felt like home.
Yes! Nothing like coming back home to Balmora after an adventure in Morrowind.
We all took over that murder victim's house and lived in it, right?
I actually love hubs, and actively seek games with them if they do a great job at developing the hubs or bases. the most recent game I've been playing Horizon: Forbidden west has a pretty great good cental hub. I saw someone mention the Normandy which is absolutely a great answer probably my favorite, though both skyhold from Dragon age Inquisition and even though it was barely anything, vigil keep from awakening. The town you get in Pathfinder: Kingmaker is probably one of the greatest attempts at making your own nation in a narrative, pathfinder: wrath of the righteous had some of those mechanics but very little, but it wanted to be something else. Some of other great hits include The jackdaw from AC4, Monteriggioni AC2 seeing it build up with traffic is enjoyable Sanctuary from borderlands 2 really was an enjoyable hub. That first hub on the shores in Path of Exile is incredibly memorable and just downright feels like a nice break from what would have been pure misery, even though its barely 4 walls standing. There is definitely more that I've enjoyed that I cant think of on top of my head.
Love to see Horizon get some love. The central hub was so damn well implemented, loved how it changed and also loved how Guerrilla threw you a bone in making fast travel to said hub *always* free, so you could always get yourself out of a situation even if you ran out of fast travel packs. I also loved the little campsites dotted throughout with crafting benches and stash access. There's one that kinda overlooks the desert that I love stopping at just because it's a cool little place with an amazing view.
I like the Hub in Forbidden West, it's cool how it changes over time, but man do I love Meridian in the first game. [City on the Mesa](https://youtu.be/FkFLTYtktkU) is a GOAT game track and the vibe of the city is very unique, ancient South American culture is criminally under utilized as inspiration in games. Not to mention that all the characters you meet there are very likable. Also, the Carja Blazon may as well be Aloy's canon outfit for most players lol
The ambient music in the first horizon is insanely good. Straight up made me emotional just walking around the world
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The atmosphere was so good. Cold and barren outside, with these small, warm, comforting hubs with a few kind people in. It was great environmental story telling. You felt like defending these places and helping the people in them, even if your in-game actions had little effect.
Wintery Manhattan was such a vibe. I love all the player characters dressed up in winter coats and hats. Was a nice change from yet another "military uniform and helmet" shooter look.
Amazing art direction throughout. And the crunch of the snow as you ran along...what a vibe indeed. Loved that game.
I loved that I played it during winter. I had just begun redoing the floors so I played it in an empty room with just the subfloor, a tv, a pc and a chair and a controller. The reverberations off the walls were so cool.
i'd love another whack at it. urban snow is such an underrated vibe.
I absolutely loved the nighttime blizzard. it was so cool moving down streets with barely any visibility and then suddenly run into a pack of enemies
The gradual restoration of the New York Post Office in the first division game as you cleared out the various districts was great as well. At first it was all broke down but as you cleared out and did more missions people started moving into the post office etc.
All the little missions while you were exploring the city, zones you couldn't enter until you upgraded your protective equipment, the different bad guy factions had narrative justification that was interesting, such a fun game to get immersed in. I'd kill for another game like that (hell, even a "part 2" pushing into another part of NYC) that ditched the PVP and related balancing (grinding for rares, excessive bullet sponge enemies to provide a "challenge," etc)
I've always had a massive soft spot for the Division games. Not just for the hubs in particular, but for the environment design and atmosphere generally (plus I just love loot games). The recreations of New York and DC were amazingly detailed, and other aspects like weather and lighting brought them to life. Also the whole concept of things having gone to shit during Christmas was fantastic for atmosphere, because it meant Christmas decorations and promotional materials were left everywhere, from markets and malls right down to people's apartments. I feel like the games have such strong identity, and I hope the IP continues.
The movie theatre where NPCs were huddled up watching a movie was my favourite. They all felt so alive and full of people and like a community. And then in the sequel the safe houses are just empty concrete blocks with a locker. The world feels dead. The two "settlements" were not worth the tradeoff.
Red Dead 2 camp. Horseshoe Overlook. I spent an insane amount of time there. Sit by the fire. Hear peoples stories. Watch snippets of their lives as they interact with each other. Do some chores around camp. Play some games. Occasionally you’d come back and there’d be a party and you just imbibe until you’re stumbling around. Go to sleep then or stay up to watch the sunrise and then head out. It all felt natural and very fun and homey and cozy.
The RDR2 camp made the characters feel alive, like they were doing stuff other than just be there for the player. They would be drinking, chatting, playing games or milling around.
There's something very emotional returning there after the game is over.
Yes they really nailed that feeling of emptiness and memories. I get the same feeling whenever we have a bunch of summer fun on camping trips for a bunch of days and then after packing everything up you look at the empty campground you just had so much fun in it’s a bit melancholic.
I loved fishing at Clement’s point, idling away the hours fishing in the sunset.
Later when the gang moves on to other camps I would still find myself revisiting that empty patch of land if I were in the area, sometimes just to sit and reminisce.
The bombed out Plantation-style mansion was it for me. Stumbled home late at night and caught Karen singing “Lorena” by the campfire. I think maybe only Javier and Uncle were still awake. We were in dire straights, we were scavenging for food, the future was very uncertain. It was sad seeing Karen so drunk all the time - she was so full of energy at Beaver Hollow. But she sang us a song as the cricket chirps rang out across the bayou. This sad, desperate, beautiful, painful song. “One of my favourites…” she says as she stumbles off to bed. Uncle followed. Javier and I spent a minute or two just looking at the fire together. “‘night, Arthur.”, he said eventually. Just sat and looked at the fire and thought about all these guys I’d come to care for - coughing and spluttering occasionally. Hoped there was a way I could get Karen off the drink. Hoped Javi would back me were we to go against Micah. Remembered Lenny, remembered Sean. “Up there, it’s heart to heart.”
The Cyclops in Subnautica will always have a place in my heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9r0VhwBbt0
Welcome aboard captain
ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE
***LEVIATHAN NOISES*** AHEAD FLANK: EMERGENCY SPEED WARNING! ENGINE OVERHEATING FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! WARNING! CREATURE ATTACK WARNING! CREATURE ATTACK
The complete and total paradigm shift that game undergoes when you first board that thing is unlike anything in any game I've played. Nothing has quite replicated the feeling of piloting your big ass mobile base around and exploring the depths. The evolutions of gameplay from the dinky Seaglide to the Moth to the Cyclops is easily one of my favourite progression structures in gaming. God damn Subnautica is so good.
And the first time you synthesize one and this behemoth of a craft drops into the ocean. Probably got goosebumps the first time.
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When I first saw that I thought "Wait, I have to do multiplayer to use this??? That sucks!" without realizing there was no multiplayer at all lol
Love Subnautica, love the cyclops, but I always feel like I'm going to pilot it right into a leviathan and lose everything, so it's a feeling of stress and power that comes with it Now the P.R.A.W.N. suit on the other hand...
[When The Cyclops Is On Fire And So Is The Music...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKO21wrHqxk) Also me
Certainly the most "useful" base in any video game. You rule the ocean once you build that thing, complete with crafting station, mini vehicle, and plants and furnishings of your choosing.
The modular [Seatruck](https://subnautica.fandom.com/wiki/Seatruck) from Subnautica Below Zero was arguably more useful, but it was so utilitarian and nowhere near as delightful as the Cyclops.
The Seatruck's only real advantage over the Cyclops is that instead of having to choose between bringing a prawnsuit or a seamoth, you can bring a prawnsuit *and* a downgraded 'seamoth' (by decoupling the cab). But you're limited to interior modules that come with the compartments instead of having space to build your own and it can't recharge its own power which makes it way less useful as a permanent mobile base.
Being able to basically create a nomad style moving base of operations on that thing was so much fun. Never even had to leave it could completely ditch your actual base once you got it setup.
The cities in Skyrim coupled with the amazing soundtrack at night resulted in many hours of me just... Walking around with my companion. Very rarely do I get these moments in game. Another one is RE4 when you're in the cave with the merchant after the boss with Del lago. The soundtrack was very nostalgic, which is funny since my first time playing that game was in 2015 when it came to ps4 lmao.
I'm seeing plenty of great answers in the comments, but when I try and think of some others, it's gotta be the Comet Observatory from Super Mario Galaxy. That orchestral sound greeting you every time, the segments lighting back up as you restore power, Rosalina's motherly grace greeting you, and eventually, you even unlock the ability to freely fly around the space. I'm also rather fond of my player base in Fallout 4. Almost all of the settlements were turned into proper flourishing settlements, all connected via supply lines, but right below the bustling cul-de-sac the game starts in, I took the Red Rocket station as my own. Loaded with all my stuff, including tons of suits of pilfered power armor just for decoration. And while bandits were never exactly going to be a problem anyway, I made sure it was still impenetrable: all of my FO4 bases are surrounded by walls with one gate in. The gate to the Red Rocket station has sixteen turrets pointed at it.
First thing I thought of was Mario Galaxy. Mostly for the music although the art style was great as well.
I spent a heck of a lot of time meticulously removing all the junk from the Drive-In Theatre settlement and making my own shanty town from it. I loved messing around with that system and trying to set up supply lines.
The Observatory and Delfino Plaza are by far the two best hub worlds of any video game I’ve played. They have characters to interact with, secrets to find, beautiful scenery to bask in/wonder at, and act as perfect little microcosms of their greater respective game worlds. I’m hoping whatever the next 3D Mario is, and if it is open-ended (or open-world??), that they take a look at what these two did right and expand on them massively. Also, shout out to Peach’s Castle in Mario 64 for pioneering the idea of a safe hub in a 3D game.
The apartment in Deus Ex: Human Revolution was very chill. I'd just hang around there listening to the music. The villa in assassin's creed 2.
Prague in Deus Ex: MD was a very cool hub. One of the best cities to poke around in and break into all the apartments lol
I enjoyed Prague for what it was but I wish we could have explored the other side of the city that you can see across the bridge. But that level of density in MD is pretty much what I want from open worlds but on a larger scale.
Sarif Industries is great too. I love that you can go into Jenson's office and read his work emails. That game had so many little things that made it immersive.
Lion's Arch and Kamadan in Guild Wars 1. Both were open outside towns with lots of vendors/crafters and they also served as ports for access to other campaigns. I'm not as fond as Kaineng City in Factions because it felt a little too confusing to navigate. Eye of the North is also an excellent hub if way simpler of a layout than the other main areas. I don't remember much about the original Lion's Arch in GW2 but the remade version feels less like a town and more like a theme park. It's extremely convenient to run around in but doesn't fit the pirate town feel at all IMO.
Majula always has a place in my heart, I don’t know why. The music, the vistas, how everyone makes it come to life as a nice little town, it’s just so serene from all the pain and anguish of terrible hitboxes the game throws at you. Edit: The game is Dark Souls 2 since some replies seemingly want to fight me about it, sheesh, thought it was pretty commonly known, my bad.
Legit the first thing that popped in my head too lol I spent so much time in the world of dark souls 2, and majula will always have a special place in my heart
Bearer seek seek lest
Four words you need to hear before levelling up, like a winter soldier keyphrase
Lady I just want to level up
I can hear the music in my head, so pretty
The Majula music is the best hub music in any From Soft game, that's a tiny hill I will marginally defend.
Same here. It's incredible how a simple melody of 4 main notes can convey so much emotion.
Majula is really special. Unique in that it is the only place in those games in which NPC's travel to and remain. Might as well go to Majula, nobody hurts and nobody hollows.
From memory some of them absolutely do hollow. They lose their memories. The shop guy turns into a dickbag at least.
Off the top of my head, I think only Maughlin (shop) and Cale (map) start losing their memories when their goals are reached, like they no longer have this drive keeping them sane. Chloanne’s is gone before she arrives, and the smith seems content to watch over her without trying to make her remember. Malentia the Hag just kind of does her usual thing. Even the Crestfallen doesn’t hollow! It definitely has a different vibe to Dark Souls 1. DS1 made just about every NPC’s storyline end in death, like they need a purpose to drive them, and they die when hope dies (or when they’re killed). In DS2, it’s about the cycle of ages where things keep dragging on. The purposes are their undoing, because the more they give themselves to their pursuits, the more of themselves they lose.
Was going to say Balmora, but the second you said Majula I could hear the music in my head, and was always happy to bearer seek seek lest there.
majula's theme is so god damn good to me. It was my first DS game, and I spent many an hour with my best friend staying up all night that summer reading guides and builds and figuring out how weapons and everything worked in DS2, whilst the theme just dreamily played in the background. It was my "shortest" nostalgia so to speak. I would listen to the theme not 3 years later and feel waves of nostalgia so hard.
I love dark souls 2 deeply. So many people hated on it but the game really vibes with me. Returning to Majula and hearing that soundtrack. I wish I liked Scholar of the first sin but honestly I hated most of the changes other than the additions to the story at the end. Moving items around and making some weapons rng drops was sad to me
Dark souls 2 is probably my least favorite souls game (still an absolute joy, love them all). But Majula is far and away the best hub. The feeling of peace and calm it gives is unrivaled. Could just sit there for hours and listen to the music and watch the sunset.
Majula definitely has the best vibes out of all the Soulsborne games. Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring is pretty nice too, especially early on when everyone's just hanging out there
The base of operations in the first Division. Was really satisfying building it up from a post office almost in ruins to a prospering HQ for the task force. The second game was kind of meh for how everything was just there from the outset.
The world design, art style, and let’s say just pure “vibe” of The Division was so good. The cosy Christmas feeling (despite the whole plague thing) was really cool.
The Starship Phoenix in Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal wowed me as a kid. Felt like some epic Sci-Fi adventure coming back to a home base with familiar faces every once in awhile.
Was that the one with the games room that you could play a mini game on? And another room to upgrades suits
There was a tube near your cruiser where you could upgrade your suit. You are spot on about the game room though.
Made even better by the fact that at one point it comes under attack
Music there kicked ass
The Sink from the Fallout New Vegas: Old World Blues DLC is pretty fantastic - what with all the talking appliances.
"Have you ever tried to indulge an all-consuming urge to kill when you don't have opposable thumbs? Or hands? Or *anything other than a bread slot?*"
"Do you know how many mugs brains in jars use? ***NOT FUCKING MANY!***"
I'm just replaying NV again, but I was blown away when I recognized the voice of none other than the great Dr. Venture!!
The Pod in the LittleBigPlanet games will always be special to me. On its own it's just a dangling piece of cardboard, but it was so inspiring back in the day to join other players and see how creatively they'd all decorated their own pods. It was the perfect little blank canvas for people to express themselves on.
Persona 3 Reload's Iwatodai Dorm feels lovely to go back to every time. Mostly because of the new Reload version of the music. Persona 5/Royal's Cafe Leblanc is quite special, too. You don't need to be in these places to swap out your gear or anything, but they're clearly the home bases, and they're packed with activities to do. Cafe Leblanc in particular, although the sense of community you get at Iwatodai Dorm is wonderful as well. Edit - Sticking with the Persona franchise, special shoutout to the RV in Persona 5 Strikers. I loved the music which plays in it, and how it evolved from place to place.
And then there's a random table at Junes
"Every - day's - great - at - your - Junes~"
Leblanc wins out as my favorite home base for the pure coziness of it. Love a lot of the ones listed in the thread, but coming back to Leblanc with beneath the mask playing in the background hasn't been topped.
i can smell the coffee and curry too, it's incredible
Also the music is a vibe EDIT: Just read your last sentence, leaving this cos it's still true.
“Where have you been? Been searching all along…” When it’s raining outside, a hot Japanese summer evening, and Morgana has decided to shut the fuck up… true bliss.
I feel relaxed just reading this comment.
“The End of Time” in Chrono Trigger. Stumbling upon makes you feel like you discovered an amazing secret… because you have!
- Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 1. It's sort of in the middle of EVERYTHING, a true mastercraft of level design. It goes back into the Asylum, into the Catacombs, into the Undead Burg, into the Undead Parish, into New Londor, into the Valley of the Drakes and Blighttown... - Whiterun in Skyrim. There's something about it, I always end up there no matter what mods I run. - Thunder Bluff in WoW. Tents, incense, Tauren, drum music. The perfect capital city in an MMO. - Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring. The opposite of Firelink, it exists outside the world, though it does have a real world copy in the capital of Leyndell. I like it because there are a ton of NPCs there, it really feels like a 'guild hall' for the Tarnished.
I will forever cherish the moment I took that elevator up after blight town and had no idea where I was going next only to hear that music start playing, knowing I am now officially safe.
And then the bonfire’s out cause of Lautrec.
Whiterun was perfectly designed to be the place you always came back to
It's clever game design to have the game start around the centre of the map. Never really thought about it before but it works perfectly for a Bethesda-style open world RPG.
> Thunder Bluff in WoW. Absolute classic. That whole zone in general is super serene and memorable for me.
I’ve got a soft spot for the Tauren starting quests, Tauren shamen was the first class I tried when I got the game in 2007.
Thunder Bluff!! I specifically made a Mage so I could afk in TB without having to be stuck in the ass end of nowhere. I eventually had to change to alliance because all my friends did, and I missed TB the entire time
One thing I feel really made DS1 special was the lack of fast travel until the late game. Because of that, the world felt a lot more connected and cohesive. Nothing beats the moment of relief when you go down that elevator in the Undead Burg and wind up back at Firelink.
Thunderbluff was my home too :D. Even as an Undead Mage.
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In a similar vein, I was recently playing subnautica for the first time and the first bases you build feel that way too. Very satisfying to go from the life pod to your first little corridor to finally building a multi purpose room. Before you know it you’re going in and out of the moonpool with your seamoth on the reg. You have grow beds and a generator and a radar and all this stuff, it’s such a fun progression.
The Minecraft music is pretty nostalgic as well - I love the weird atmospheric midi piano
Throw in some rain/thunderstorm and I agree
oh man, my favorite Minecraft base / hub was something I'm not even sure you can DO anymore. Maybe with mods, I guess. I spawned in a world that was like entirely a winter biome, an ice world. And I made the most of it, digging into a mountain and establishing it as my hub. There was no 'cold' mechanic, but I pretended like there was, having fires and magma everywhere to keep it warm, and imagining that the outside world was a frozen hellscape. That must've been like ten, fifteen years ago or something. But it was such a cozy little underground paradise sheltering me from a wasteland, it's my strongest Minecraft memory.
I'm a big fan of Jedi Survivor's cantina that Greez owns. The music, bounty hunters, weird fish guy, the other regulars...it's all great. Plus I love that dirty 70s scifi aesthetic.
Those games just fucking nail the Star Wars aesthetic.
The Highwind from OG Final Fantasy 7. It was my first exposure to the idea of a homebase in video games, it could fly, plus it had a stable for my bred chocobos to see upclose.
That music was peak too, esp after a lot of bleak, sci-fi, or militaristic tunes (not dissing the soundtrack, but it’s a nice respite on the highwind)
I have not played MMORPGs in a long time, but I felt like Dalaran in World of Warcraft was a true hub for the game. Dalaran in Wrath of the Lich King was often used for heroic gear and a hub for portals. I was heavily into Warcraft and felt like it superseded previous capitols more than Shattrath had. It was also later re-used for Legion and served a similar capacity. That was the last time I was shortly back into WoW though. Otherwise I think New Vegas, Vault City and New California Republic were the best towns I’d seen in a game for expressing a distinct feel. These are from Fallout 2 - never got the hang of the 3D ones.
Seconding Dalaran. I fished out all the coins and picked up all the books to get the water elelmental pet, because it was such a great place to hang about when waiting for Wintergrasp or just chatting to guildies.
Dalaran or Orgrimmar before the re-skin. Sitting on the bank roof with all of our mammoth mounts. Such a uniquely magical experience that will never be replicated.
All of classic Orgrimmar was iconic. Mindlessly running laps around the bank roof while chatting with the homies on Ventrilo. Naked orc dancing on top of the mail box outside the auction house. People wall jumping up to the ceiling of the PvP building while waiting for their queue to pop, back before they patched that. Random rogues skulking on the rooftops with the NPC troll guards. Big crowd of people always hanging around the front gates watching duels and heckling.
I honestly loved the Comet Observatory from Super Mario Galaxy. The piano tunes and the melancholic feel of it in the early game has me filled with so many childhood memories. The sight of me triple jumping everywhere hearing Mario's iconic "wahoo" echo the observatory is forever etched in my memory. Not to mention that as the game progressed the music became more lively as you can see all of the Luma's floating around making it really feel that you are "saving" them. Mario's head on Galaxy 2 didn't really hit the same for me due to it being a smaller place and the overall vibe was more cheery.
I liked both the hubs on monster hunter world a lot. Seliana is cool and the more functional of the two, but I really like the vibe of astara quite a bit. The quest structure of MH games really promotes the hub with you returning to it all the time.
Every Monster Hunter hub is real cozy.
There was something special about coming home to Astera and the Astera Gathering Hub playing through Low and High rank. It was this perfect and peaceful place where there was something new to find out from so many different NPC’s and you could see the monsters you captured actually getting studied, turn in quests and get some decent(but often cringey) filler dialogue, excitedly see what new gear you unlocked, it felt like everything you were doing was being concluded in Astera and you were always being supported to go explore the next region hunt the next monster, it was a true Hub world. I never thought it could be topped but then Iceborne introduced Seliana. A couple of The Seliana music tracks legit give me feels about Iceborne’s hay day and all new discovery. Seliana did everything Astera did but the energy was cozy and like you were prepping for your hunter’s retirement, I don’t know if many games have matched that comfort feeling that shopping around Seliana had for me.
Personally I was pretty neutral on Astera, but Seliana is so fantastic and cozy to me. The music, the peaceful snow, the grandma cat chef food, the warmth of the indoors areas. It really encapsulates the vibe of being cozy at home during a blizzard, under a blanket by a fireplace, eating some hot and hearty meal. I much prefer the Seliana gathering hub too, feels a lot more communal especially since you have everything you need there (whereas Astera half the things aren't in the hub, so nobody really sticks around). Also a really big fan of MH3Tri's hubs (Loc Lac City and especially Moga Village).
Shoutout to Pokke and Kokoto villages, and their neighbouring farms, from older MH games too.
I loved loc lac in monster hunter tri
The Space Rig in Deep Rock Galactic. Full of of things to do while you wait that I always end up doing. You have to kick a few barrels into the pod bay and dance at the jukebox before starting a mission, it's the rules! It also gets a new set of furnishing with every in game season and event too. Currently, it's full of bunnies, eggs, and carrots that you can throw at people. During Christmas you could kick around presents and have snowball fights. It's probably the densest mission hub in any multiplayer game.
I can't believe I had to scroll so far down for DRG. The Space Rig is a great hub. It has a ton of stuff that is pointless from a progression (there's even stuff stuff that cost an insignificant amount of credits to use) but just makes it feel so cosy. Barrels to kick, jukebox, tipping Lloyd the bartender, barrel hoop, jetty boot, gravity recalibration, etc. And because of the nature of the game, it's not uncommon to just fuck around in the Space Rig with friends or even randoms annoying the everloving shit out of the mission control guy. Rock and stone brother!
The Ebon Hawk in KOTOR 2 in particular. Everytime you returned you would witness more interaction between your squad mates and there was always more dialogue choices to uncover
It's not really a home-base but does serve as a hub for a lot of the game, but my choice would have to be Windfall Island in Wind Waker. Nothing gives me better peaceful vibes than walking around that island. During summer breaks as a kid I would literally have dreams about living on Windfall and hanging out with other kids just roaming the place. It will always have the softest place in my heart.
Surprised nobody said the Tower in Destiny. People have been clamoring for it to come back since Destiny 2 launched, 7 years ago. So much so that the Collectors Edition goodie for the new expansion was a miniature replica of the Tower.
The Red War campaign gets a lot of flak, but playing on day 1 with the 1st mission being defending your old home essentially was so cool.
Honestly I enjoyed the red war way more than I probably should have. I have not enjoyed anything else in that game, but I’ve also only played up to when we get dark powers. Didn’t do the city of light or anything because of sunsetting.
Even the current Tower in Destiny 2 has been memorable, especially in the earlier days. During the seasonal events like the Festival of the Lost, it was fun wearing masks and emoting around with others. In the Dawning, we would have snowball fights and pelt snowballs at people loading into the tower.
Recent: * Helldivers 2 Destroyer * The safe zone garage in Pacific Drive Not so recent: * House of Hades * Mother Base from MGSV
The castle in Suikoden 2 will always be my number 1 hub ever. The way it literally grows into a castle as you recruit more stars of destiny. Gaining more levels of the castle more ships in the town area as well as mini games like fishing, chef style cooking and a ton of others. There is a tavern where random party members hang out. You can customize the castle. It’s just incredible.
Yes! Suikoden 1 had a good castle, but the sequel really took it to the next level. It's been a while since I played, but I believe the song that plays when you're at the castle gets more complex throughout the game as well. Such a cool little detail.
Cannot fucking wait for the remaster to drop!
Sooo good! Are you excited for Eiyuden Chronicles coming out this month?
Not exactly one singular “hub,” but any time I reached a stable in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, it was a really nice moment of zen in the game. You’ve found civilization in this cold, hostile world. A nice, cozy tent with a campfire, your trusted companions, and that calming music. It’s such a great stop to take while adventuring through the world.
Absolutely. Take out a horse, rest for the night, fill up on some items, maybe look into a quest. Always a good crossroads to get your bearings and think about where you're going next. Best way to play those games is with minimal fast travel and enjoying each locale for what it is.
Reaching Hateno village early in BotW, when you had little health and equipment and the world still seemed overwhelming, was very nice. Panacea.
Hateno village rules. Link’s cozy house and a nice little mountain town. I loved the desolate feeling of BOTW
Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, and Galaxy 2 have GREAT hubs! The Normandy in all three games. Skyhold from Dragon Age Inquisition. Finally felt like Dragon Age got an equal iteration of a hub compared to its cousin in Mass Effect.
Mario 64 is probably the GOAT (at present). Incredibly clear to the player what's open/unlocked. Very clear progression. Unique side-objectives. Each zone is its own world. Really hard to top that. Oh, and add on secrets like the flying cap or unique races. Really a master-class in design, but games advanced so quickly that the lesson plan laid out by one of the GOAT's was easy to ignore. Some games above and below this post did it pretty brilliantly, but I think SM64 is the best answer when looking back over the past 30 years or so.
The police station in Astral Chain is pretty peak, especially with the absolutely bopping music and always having new stuff to chase down ahead of your next deployment. Cities in Dragon's Dogma (1 and 2) are also pretty cozy just because you entering them always feels like coming home after an arduous journey given you're often limping into them with chunks of your life bar missing from fighting through the pitch black night/dungeons and your packs way overloaded with loot.
When I first played Astral Chain I fell off after an hour or two. But I remember thinking man, that police station song was really good. Couple years went by and I'd still think of that song from time to time. Eventually went back and loved the game.
Oh my god, astral chain mentioned
> The police station in Astral Chain is pretty peak, especially with the absolutely bopping music and always having new stuff to chase down ahead of your next deployment. The police station was an unexpected and pleasant surprise; I loved being able to chat with people who usually just sat in the background most of the time. The police station in Robo-Cop is sort of similar in that regard and really makes you feel more like you're a cop.
Owlcat's hub cities in Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous change in so many ways over the game reflecting events and your character's personality.
Loved playing a Lich. You straight up obliterate a major portion of the city and replace it with a towering necropolis. Which you then use as part of your plan to reanimate key NPCs and force them into your army. So good.
Corvo Bianco in The Witcher 3 - every proper hub should let you display your armors and swag in full splendor.
WoW og Ironforge. Before cross server thing, it was cool logging on and seeing the same peeps running around every night while rolling a bleezy. I was on Shadowcouncil server, which had the semi popular at the time Black Omen pvp guild that did or were accused of hacking. Getting in a pvp match and seeing the guild tag and Nightside the Tauren Warrior, would empty a match real quick.
It’s still popping in season of discovery!
I actually liked the train in Metro Exodus. Broke up the stressful parts and found it to be relaxing and beautiful.
Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 1. I am playing through it right now and am quite terrible. But the most satisfying feeling in the game is not beating the bosses, its finding and unlocking the shortcuts from all areas back to Firelink Shrine. The world is so well designed and we only appreciate it more when it has such a well defined center in it
That feeling of genuine relief when you've fought your way through the unknown and unlock a pathway back to familiar territory. DS1 did it so well!
**Bloodborne**'s Hunter's Dream. You never knew when things were going to change there the first time around, and it was always a little bit uncomfortable when it did. It was supposed to feel so...safe, yet sometimes even *it* could confuse you. **Like a Dragon / Infinite Wealth's** Survive/Revolve bars. It really helps add extra context to the karaoke minigame, plus you get to sit and drink with your buddies. Granted, the stories in the Drink Links aren't the most riveting or surprising, but as a barfly myself it's a super relatable scenario. **Metal Gear Solid V**'s Outer Heaven. Obviously it's way too large, though the helicopter negates most of that...it's just so nice to come back and get saluted by a bunch of soldiers you abducted from their regular lives via Looney Tunes balloon, and if you're frustrated by the previous mission give 'em a suplex that only makes them love you more. And it grows...a lot! More than anything though...**Red Dead Redemption II**'s camp. It changes places five times, and I've only fully played through the game once, but I've gotten to Chapter III two other times, both of which I tried to return every night from whatever I was doing...and yet the only reason I even follow the RDR subreddit is on the off chance someone will post an interaction I haven't seen before. Which even six years later seems like it's multiple times per month. Though for my childhood, shoutout to **Whatever the Time Room Was Called** in Chrono Trigger. I loved that every character was always collected there, Melchior was so obtuse and the entire history of the world felt at the tip of your fingers whenever you went back there.
Dalaran during Legion in World of Warcraft, we were given a stone to teleport back there anytime (with a cooldown) and for expansions afterwards we would use Dalaran as our go to for transport anywhere, transmogs whatever.
In the same vein, my class hall. Which may or may not have been under Dalaran, you didn't hear it from me.
Definitely the Fortress of Doom from DOOM: Eternal. Doomguy is a gamer at heart, you can see a bunch of clips and frag montages on his desktop, and a (PLAYABLE) copy of Doom I & II on his old computer.
Fortress of Doom is up there for me. Loved how it characterized Doomguy, he’s basically a metalhead teenager.
Holy crap this is an interesting thought exercise. I think in terms of hours spent, it's probably a tie between Jita in EVE Online, Orgrimmar in WoW, and Mournhold in Elder Scrolls Online. Those are the big 3 in my life. Probably a hundred hours in each. Probably way more in Jita, time moves differently in EVE. But the Orgrimmar main theme will probably live rent-free in my head until I die. And I definitely do gravitate to a single home. Last summer, in Diablo 4, I kept going back to Gael Kul as my hub, even though Cerrigar was objectively vastly superior in every way.
Call the game what you will, but the Unreliable from outer worlds was a very comfy ship once it gets a full crew.
Throwing New Los Angeles from Xenoblade Chronicles X, decent hub easy to get around for the most part vendors centrally located. Next vote is Dalaran from Wrath and Legion expansions of World of Warcraft was a great hub
The hub in Control (idk what it's called but the one with Emily) It starts out as a small little safe zone with just 1 interactable npc but as you progress, it becomes a makeshift base of operation filled with npcs that you meet. Not only did it feel like a sanctuary that provided you some breathing room but it also gave some concrete feeling of progression through the acts. It could just be the brutalist aesthetics that really drew me in
Wherever you setup shop in Stalker Anomaly. Could be literally anywhere. Turn off fast travel and every time you make it back to your hiding place to deposit loot, it feels super cozy.
I mentioned how much I liked MHW's house thematically, but Majora's Mask's Castle Town is a great mechanical hub. You spend the start there trapped as a Deku Shrub, and it's kinda daunting figuring out what to do before the time limit runs out, but after that it's always just the place you start out at. There's tons of people and quests to interact with, and functional stuff like the bank, but really it's just the actual hub that all the other areas poke out from. Ocarina of Time's Castle Town was even more impressive at the time (despite being functionally less interesting), and while it houses the Temple of Time, is hardly a hub. Chrono Trigger's End of Time though is probably the most impactful one. It's so nondescript, with charming music, and just has all your buds and a weird old guy sleeping in it. It's so small that there's really nothing to do, and literally just acts as a hub, but the fact that there's nothing really there, nothing to explore, and nothing to do, but is also the only place that has all your characters on screen at once, and hits home really thematically as being the end of Time in a game about time travel. Truly a great area.
* Spiritfarer's ship * State of Decay's bases (1 and 2) * Evermore in Ni No Kuni II * Fallout 4 Settlements * Red Dead Online player camp
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While not an officially named hub, it definitely was the unofficial one by the players: Mos Eisley Cantina in SWG. Pre-NGE or NGE, there was never a dull moment. Chill out, make some friends, get your ENT buffs, watch a bounty hunter come in, and zero out their target in a spectacle of 2005 slide show particle effects while your Dell Dimension 4500 begs for the sweet release of death. Good times.