MMORPG
Ongoing coverage on MMORPG.
Latest coverage
The Stream Team: Starting the end of Guild Wars 2’s Visions of Eternity with Code of Creation
Massively OP's MJ Guthrie is diving into Guild Wars 2's latest content update, Code of Creation, which marks the beginning of the end for the Visions of Eternity storyline. The stream will focus on exploring a new map, engaging with Asuran politics, and uncovering the plot surrounding the character Vloxx.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 580: A Loftia set of goals
The Massively OP Podcast episode 580 covers a range of MMO news and discussions, including WoW Forever's beta, Guild Wars 2's final content drop, Loftia's early access launch, and RuneScape's Dragonwilds release. The hosts also touch on Soulframe, rage quit moments, minigames, and a potential Pokémon MMO.
World of Warcraft: Forever players find rule-breaking new items that defy 22 years of experience with the classic MMO
Players of World of Warcraft: Forever are discovering new items that break established rules of the classic MMO, offering abilities like mining without the skill or enabling new combat styles for mages. These rule-bending items, some inspired by Blizzard's Season of Discovery, suggest that the upcoming full release on November 4 will introduce significant changes beyond a simple remake.
Brighter Shores introduces a shipwreck-centered world event in its latest update
Brighter Shores has released a new update centered around a shipwreck world event, allowing up to 30 players to participate every three hours for 30 minutes. Players can earn points to convert into XP and salvage tiles for upgrades and transmogs. The patch also includes quality-of-life improvements like stacking strength potion charges and minor changes to Crenopolis.
WoW: Forever Aspires To Have A “Mandela Effect” On Players
World of Warcraft: Forever aims to evoke a 'Mandela Effect' in players by introducing new zones and visual improvements that feel familiar yet new. Blizzard Entertainment's senior art director Jeff Parrott and senior game designer Josh Greenfield discussed how they captured the essence of the original game's design and visuals to make players feel like they are returning home to a place they remember.
World of Warcraft: Forever isn't a remake of Classic or a bridge to modern WoW
World of Warcraft: Forever is positioned as a distinct third pillar separate from Classic and modern WoW, focusing on day-to-day adventures rather than world-saving heroics. Lead Game Designer Tim Jones and Lead Software Engineer Nora Mills clarified that it is not a remake of Classic or a bridge to the current version of the game.
WoW: Forever Doesn’t Let Shamans Or Warlocks Tank, But That Could Change
World of Warcraft: Forever will not initially allow Shamans or Warlocks to tank, despite Blizzard experimenting with these roles in WoW: Classic Season of Discovery. Senior game designer Josh Greenfield stated that while lessons were learned, the focus for Forever's launch is on preserving the core class identities of original WoW.
First Impressions: Aion 2 feels surprisingly familiar
Aion 2's stress test reveals a game that blends old and new MMORPG design, with strengths in its expansive world and aesthetic but weaknesses in combat and quest design. While the character customization is deep and the world design encourages exploration, the combat feels undercooked and too easy, and the story may be inaccessible to newcomers. The game launches October 5th.
Pax Dei gets horse crazy as it previews mechanics and features of the upcoming mounts
The sandbox MMORPG Pax Dei is previewing its upcoming mount mechanics, focusing on three types of horses: versatile riding horses, pack horses, and swift coursers. Riding will be a skill line, and while horses have a limited lifetime, they cannot be permanently lost or killed, instead reverting to basic stats or fleeing danger. Stables will not be in the initial release, but progression, crafting, and combat behaviors related to horses are planned.
Stars Reach talks up building updates as it promises to ‘pay attention to growth’ and ‘features, not just fires’
Playable Worlds CEO Raph Koster announced that Stars Reach is shifting focus from reactive 'firefighting' to proactive feature development and growth. Upcoming updates will prioritize housing customization, new building pieces, and improved missions, with future plans including multi-story buildings and enhanced town management mechanics.
The Daily Grind: What’s most important to you in an MMORPG: graphics, combat, community, or lore?
This article poses a question to MMORPG players about what aspect is most important: graphics, combat, community, or lore. The author personally favors community and lore, but seeks player input on their priorities within the genre.
What's your 'back on my bullshit' videogame?
This article discusses personal 'go-to' video games that can consume hours of playtime, using Final Fantasy XIV as a prime example for its ranked PvP queues. The author also mentions a fondness for RPGs with romance elements, survival-crafting games, and co-op horror titles.
WoW: Forever will live and die by the valley
The success of WoW: Forever hinges on its ability to recapture player nostalgia and provide a consistent experience, particularly in long-standing game modes like Alterac Valley. While the beta shows initial player interest, the true test will be whether the game can maintain engagement by offering a sense of continuity for aging MMO players.
Why World of Warcraft: Forever isn't for Azeroth's heroes, but for everyone else
World of Warcraft: Forever is positioned as a distinct third pillar of the franchise, focusing on life and community in Azeroth rather than grand heroic narratives. Lead designers Tim Jones and Nora Mills explain that the game emphasizes grounded stories, approachable gameplay, and social experiences, differentiating it from both modern WoW and existing Classic versions. The new title aims to provide a slower-paced, more personal journey with features like camping and a new Skyborne race, with a closed beta planned for November.
World of Warcraft: Forever players competing over enemies is 'extremely important' to the experience, Blizzard says: 'This is one of those things that we simply must hold the line on'
Blizzard Entertainment senior game designer Josh Greenfield stated that shared enemy tagging will remain a core feature in World of Warcraft: Hardcore, emphasizing its importance to the game's social pillar. While acknowledging potential frustration during peak player times, Greenfield believes this friction is essential for the player experience and can foster social interaction, though the article suggests Blizzard should prepare for potential issues during the launch week.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds review for Nintendo Switch 2
RuneScape: Dragonwilds offers a deep open-world action survival experience on the Nintendo Switch 2, blending traditional RuneScape elements with familiar survival mechanics. Despite a slow and difficult start, and some minor performance stutters in handheld mode, the game provides a magical and content-rich adventure with excellent music and crafting systems. The reviewer highly recommends it for its value and engaging gameplay.
RuneScape nears the end of its current league and releases a quality-of-life ‘deep clean’ patch
Jagex has released a significant 'deep clean' patch for RuneScape, introducing numerous quality-of-life adjustments to address long-standing player concerns. The update includes refreshed skill capes, improved fairy ring usage, visible health bars for older encounters, and a difficulty category for the quest journal. Additionally, players are reminded that Leagues II: Equilibrium is nearing its end, and a roadmap for future updates like Dragonwilds was also highlighted.
Monsters & Memories nerfs charmed NPC damage, tweaks stealth, and shares more class previews
Monsters & Memories, an upcoming MMORPG, has received several balance adjustments ahead of its October 1st early access launch. Charmed NPC damage has been nerfed, and stealth mechanics have been tweaked with changes to detection and the Hide skill. The developers also provided class previews for Bard and Enchanter.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds has gathered its ingredients but still lacks flavor
RuneScape: Dragonwilds, a survival spin-off of the popular MMORPG, has been released but lacks depth and engaging gameplay. Despite clear influences from games like Valheim, its rigid mechanics, unclear progression, and uninspired world design make it a joyless experience that struggles to justify its existence.
Pantheon apologizes for early access wipe delay, says it will happen ‘when it’s ready’
Visionary Realms has apologized for the delayed game wipe in their MMORPG Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, admitting they announced it prematurely and lacked sufficient quality assurance. The team stated the wipe will occur when the system is ready, with no specific date given, and that Mastery is being removed from the game for now.
