World of Warcraft
News, coverage and analysis tracking World of Warcraft across the outlets.- World of Warcraft will introduce Discord and guild chat integration in patch 12.1World of Warcraft patch 12.1 will introduce integration between in-game guild chat and Discord. Guild leaders will need to configure permissions and players will have to link their Battle.net and Discord accounts. This feature is currently in testing on the Curse of Ula'tek PTR.
I had my doubts about Critical Role's new 13-player D&D campaign, but its latest episodes have me fully bought…This article discusses Critical Role's ambitious 13-player Dungeons & Dragons campaign, praising its ability to manage multiple storylines and player tables. The author highlights the recent episodes where all parties converged, noting the successful implementation of legitimate character death and consequences, which solidifies the campaign's stakes and potential for a masterpiece.- Now there’s a new TurtleWoW World of Warcraft rogue server spinoff called OctoWoWFollowing the shutdown of the World of Warcraft private server TurtleWoW, a new server called OctoWoW has been launched by fans. OctoWoW aims to continue the legacy by restoring content from previous patches and introducing new features like playable High Elves and Goblins, while claiming to be run by different individuals than the original TurtleWoW team.
- The Daily Grind: Have you ever designed an MMO quest?This article discusses the concept of player-designed quests in MMORPGs, referencing older titles like Star Wars Galaxies and City of Heroes that featured systems allowing players to create content. It also touches upon how players in games like Ultima Online and EverQuest would manually create quests using in-game resources and guildmates.
Guild Wars' devs tried to escape the MMO branding in 2005, citing all the things that would become genre staples 20…Developer ArenaNet discussed the original Guild Wars' branding struggles, noting that despite efforts to market it as a Cooperative Online RPG (CORPG), it was widely perceived and awarded as a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG (MMORPG). This is contrasted with modern MMOs like Final Fantasy 14 and World of Warcraft, which incorporate more soloable content and NPC party systems, elements that Guild Wars originally emphasized to differentiate itself.- MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge’s revival, Guild Wars’ CCGThis week's MMO news roundup covers a variety of topics including Guild Wars receiving a CCG in China, ArcheAge's revival, and Richard Garriott's efforts to regain Ultima copyright. It also features updates on Tomo Endless Blue's Kickstarter success, Embers of the Uncrowned, and Diablo Immortal's new Warlock patch.
WoW's got the right to close private servers—but in this industry layoff hellscape, I also feel like I'm watching the MMO genre's future get snuffed outWhile Blizzard Entertainment has the legal right to shut down World of Warcraft private servers, the author laments the loss of innovation and creativity they represent, especially in an industry plagued by layoffs and a lack of new MMOs. The article suggests that these servers, despite their legal status, have influenced official game developments like World of Warcraft Classic and Season of Discovery, and their closure highlights broader issues within the game industry.- Morning MultiplexThis article provides a brief update on several games, including a gameplay trailer for Age of Legacy, a developer update for God Save Birmingham, and a gameplay trailer for Jump Broke. Additionally, a demo for NEKO STATION is now available, and there is a mention of World of Warcraft: Curse of Ula’tek.
- Casually Classic: What were vanilla World of Warcraft’s strengths?This article analyzes the core strengths of the original World of Warcraft, often referred to as 'vanilla WoW'. It highlights the game's accessibility compared to its contemporaries, the engaging nature of its side quests that encouraged exploration, the meaningful progression through distinct milestones, and the meticulously crafted, personality-filled zones that motivated players to continue leveling.
- World of Warcraft starts testing Update 12.1: Curse of the Ula’tekWorld of Warcraft is testing Update 12.1, titled Curse of the Ula'tek, which is the first major chapter for the Midnight expansion. This update introduces the Coiled Isle zone, the Altar of Fangs dungeon, the Venomous Abyss raid, Season 2, Discord integration, and new delves. It also adds Lairs, instanced world boss encounters with scaling difficulty.
Slay the Spire 2 patch fixes RNG bug after a fan's '8 hour descent into madness' proves it exists—alongside heaps of other updates and a new Act 3 bossSlay the Spire 2 has received a major balance patch that addresses an RNG bug related to Neow's Bones, which a player's extensive investigation proved was unfairly favoring the Debt curse in certain conditions. The update also includes numerous balance adjustments for cards and introduces a new Act 3 boss, the Aeonglass, replacing the Doormaker.- Massively Overthinking: Is the era of the themepark MMORPG over?Industry veterans discuss the sustainability of themepark MMORPGs, with Raph Koster suggesting rising development costs are making the model unsustainable. While some argue that modern themeparks incorporate sandbox elements to survive, others believe the dichotomy is false and that innovation from both styles is key. The discussion highlights the challenges of content creation speed versus player consumption and the evolving player base's preferences.
World of Warcraft players will never have to leave the MMO once Blizzard adds Discord chat for guilds in the next updateBlizzard Entertainment is integrating Discord chat directly into World of Warcraft guilds in an upcoming update, allowing players to communicate between the game and Discord. This feature requires linking Battle.net and Discord accounts and will offer options for combined or separate chat channels. The integration aims to simplify communication for guilds, especially those with members across different time zones.
'Many people want to use VPNs for privacy—that is important—but we know that some children use them to get around restrictions': UK government considering VPN banThe UK government is considering new restrictions on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), potentially banning their use for individuals under 16 to prevent them from bypassing age verification checks on social media. While acknowledging the privacy benefits of VPNs for adults, the government is researching their use by children to circumvent online restrictions. Further statements on potential VPN regulations are expected in July.- Perfect Ten: The 10 most rage-inducing (but fixable) MMORPG industry problemsThis opinion piece outlines ten common and fixable problems within the MMORPG industry, ranging from the over-sexualization of characters and misleading 'pay-to-win' discussions to poor website and communication practices. It also criticizes trend-chasing studio creation, premature announcements, historical inaccuracies in marketing, and the continued lack of essential features like group finders.
Microsoft's games are bigger than Xbox. So just scrap Xbox.This article argues that Microsoft should discontinue the Xbox as a hardware platform due to its financial unsustainability and focus instead on its game development studios. The author suggests spinning off the gaming division into an independent entity to maximize revenue from its vast portfolio of games like Call of Duty and Minecraft, decoupling them from expensive console hardware.
As Blizzard continues its private server takedown spree, dataminers may have uncovered what's next for World of Warcraft: ClassicDataminers have uncovered files suggesting "World of Warcraft Camelot," likely the "Classic Plus" expansion for World of Warcraft Classic. This follows Blizzard's recent takedowns of private servers and a tease for a major Classic WoW announcement at BlizzCon.
World of Warcraft Camelot discovery gives the MMO's community its most compelling evidence yet that Blizzard might actually turn a myth into a long-hoped-for realityA recent datamine has uncovered 'World of Warcraft Camelot,' leading to renewed community speculation about a potential 'WoW Classic+' expansion. This discovery, linked to an older patch, combined with previous teases from Blizzard developers like Holly Longdale and mentions of the long-term future of WoW Classic, fuels hopes for a new, branching version of the MMORPG.- Game Crossovers and CollaborationsBlizzard Gear Store is offering a new World of Warcraft Lich King Keycap Set. This merchandise item allows fans to customize their keyboards with iconic imagery from the popular MMORPG.
'World of Warcraft Camelot' is a mysterious new branch of the MMO that Blizzard fans are convinced is the first real evidence of a remixed WoW ClassicA new version of World of Warcraft, codenamed 'World of Warcraft Camelot,' has been discovered on Blizzard's servers, leading players to speculate it's an enhanced 'WoW Classic Plus' version. This discovery coincides with Blizzard inviting streamers to their offices under NDA and follows a pattern of accidental leaks through internal server updates.