The Stream Team: Overcoming obstacle courses in Dungeons and Dragons Online
With her access to vampires not locked, Massively OP's MJ is returning to parlay with more pirates in DDO. This time around, she's going to be digging up information on Captain Rackam, the Orc. Is his crew really the strongest crew because they've passed the deadly Rackam's Trial? And can MJ and the group successfully […]
Massively Overthinking: How we deal with burning out of MMOs
Back in August, MOP's own Justin wrote a piece on his Bio Break blog about moderation in gaming that resonated with me. He described his initial crush on World of Warcraft in the first couple of years of the game, when he was playing WoW and only WoW, and lots of it – right up […]
Neverwinter answers Redeemed Citadel player questions, announces the campaign's console launch date
With the unique new Redeemed Citadel campaign firmly in the hands of Neverwinter PC players, the time was about right for one of the game's senior system designers to open up an AMA centered around the content. Some of the answers touched on things that will unlock at future milestones including new heroic encounters, new […]
Pokemon Go renews plan to discontinue support for a ton of Android and iOS devices
Back in June, Niantic announced that it was discontinuing support for 32-bit Android mobile devices, mostly devices released prior to 2015, to "streamline" its development. Fortunately, the uproar was such that the company was forced to put those plans on hold. Unfortunately, now that you've stopped paying attention, it's re-announced the support discontinuation plans and […]
Final Fantasy XI previews the story and battles getting added with its September update
It's just about time for the newest update to Final Fantasy XI, and that also means new story content with the next installment of the Voracious Resurgence. That means new reward items, cutscenes, and characters being introduced for players to enjoy. New story content in Vana'diel. That's still really neat and different, huh? Not swayed by that? […]
Funcom is teasing a big announcement for Conan Exiles next week
Funcom apparently got up this morning and said, you know what, let's tease a thing. There's a ticker counting down on Conan Exiles' official site right now with a promise of an "announcement" coming in six days along with "teaser images regarding the announcement [coming] daily" in the meantime. The tweet is ominous too: "Dark […]
Squadron 42 heads back to the mocap studio, fleshes out aliens, and fills out narrative lulls
August was busy not just for the devs of Star Citizen but also for the team working on the single-player Squadron 42, at least in a few areas. For one thing, members of the team were able to return to a mocap studio in Derby for a two day shoot, and while there were some […]
Star Citizen's August development report marks progress on ships, Pyro planets, and cargo hauling changes
With September just starting, it's about time for CIG to offer its usual monthly look back at development progress made for Star Citizen this past August, cobbling together the work done on the game up to this point. Highlights from the monthly report include environment artists using new planet creation tech to begin the "whitebox […]
The Stream Team: Playing with fire and factions in New World
Massively OP's MJ made it to the city in New World. Well, a settlement at least. And here she needs to make her choice as to which faction to join: Marauder, Covenant, or Syndicate. Once she selects, she'll either run missions for the settlement or just take off overland and explore. It doesn't matter which, […]
World of Warcraft drops another Afterlives video, this one on Draka and Maldraxxus
Last week, Blizzard posted the first of its Afterlives videos for its World of Warcraft Shadowlands hype ramp-up – that one covered Uther and the Bastion realm in the expansion. Today's focuses on the Frostwolf orc Draka and her life-after-life path through the Necrolord Covenant-governed Maldraxxus. "Draka, orc of the Frostwolf Clan, was not a […]
Crowfall is blowing up in the best way since hitting beta, with guild alliances and new zones on the horizon
Yesterday, Crowfall's J. Todd Coleman and Thomas Blair sat for their latest ACE Q&A, with happy news for fans of the crowdfunded game that just hit beta in August. "Last month was the single best month we have ever had for new registrations, new backers, total backer dollars, web views, players coming to the game, […]
Champions Online celebrates 11th birthday with costume gender-swapping
With multiple in-development superhero MMOs offering up their character and costume creation tools for players this summer, it's the perfect time for Champions Online to step up with something pretty big, and today, it has done just that: The Cryptic MMO has essentially made it possible for players to swap their costumes to use any […]
Hands-on with the four Vs of Nexon's mobile MMO V4
One of my friends once said to me, "Carlo, I always see you play those random 6 out of 10 MMOs, and I don't get why. You know the game's going to be trash." I didn't argue; he's right. Why do I play a game like Kritika Online when I could be taking a stand against […]
Classic Super Mario Bros. gameplay goes battle royale with Super Mario Bros. 35
Not even the venerable gaming classic Super Mario Bros. is safe from the battle royale sub-genre, it seems. It's time to say hello to Super Mario Bros. 35, a 35-player battle royale game based on the old 8-bit platformer. No, it's not April 1st, this is September 3rd. Revealed as part of the Mario series' […]
Hands-on with the brand-new Razer Naga Pro: As good as it's ever been
I have been an advocate for the Razer Naga basically ever since it was a product that you could purchase. Why? Because it turned out to work really well for me. I love having a whole bunch of ability buttons on one side of the mouse, it improves my ability to play notably, and that's really […]
Final Fantasy XIV serves up a new anniversary story along with more special site updates
Every year, Final Fantasy XIV provides players with a quartet of stories to commemorate its anniversary, and this year is no exception. Indeed, in the wake of wrapping up the Shadowbringers story, the game's tales are exploring some of the lore around the edges of Norvrandt, and this one covers everyone's favorite amaro as he looks back […]
Star Trek Online's newest promotional ship in a lockbox angers fans for breaking the developers' own rules
There's always been some consternation between players of Star Trek Online and the Perfect World Entertainment marketing philosophy of adding new ships via lockboxes. Generally, a certain amount of grudging acceptance has been maintained because the developers have kept to a strict set of rules about lockbox ships. All of them are some combination of ships […]
PSA: The Division is free for the next week
As the world continues to deal with the ongoing pandemic, there's nothing like jumping into a video game that… deals with a pandemic? OK, so The Division's setting may be uncomfortably close to reality these days, but it still was a really solid game and a fun multiplayer experience for those who wanted to crawl […]
Second Life bans all in-game advertisements that are 'political in nature'
Launching into political rants in global chat or hijacking the guild discussion to make everyone uncomfortable with views on election candidates is seen as a trolling tactic or a faux pas in most MMOs, but in Second Life, encountering politics is all but unavoidable. The game's landscape has traditionally been dappled with giant ads vouching […]
The Daily Grind: What would make you reconsider playing an MMO you had sworn off?
There are some games we just declare that we're done playing forever. There are usually good reasons for it, even; decisions are made with the design of the game, a new expansion is launched, you have a long-standing and established habit of proclaiming that you'll never play again before every expansion. But there's often a […]
Star Stable adds some new quests at the Starshine Ranch in the latest update
It looks like there are some new horse-centric adventures to be had in Star Stable, which is good news for anyone playing or anyone who has children playing the horsie-filled MMO. This latest update is all fixated on the Starshine Ranch, with new quests involving the ranch's owner and his daughter Lisa's homecoming. Both quests […]
Dauntless will make hunting with friends literally more rewarding with Slayer Links
It's entirely possible to play Dauntless solo, but the game is leagues better with friends around, and though most teams can be formed by simply hopping into a queue and waiting for matchmaking to do the work, September 3rd will introduce a new Slayer Links system that will make hunting with friends a rewarding experience […]
Old School RuneScape reworks the Costume Room in the latest update
Cosmetics are an important part of any MMORPG experience, and for players of Old School RuneScape, that experience is getting a bit more refined thanks to a newly released Costume Room rework. This update introduces quality of life features like the ability to see as many sets as possible in alphabetical order without splitting them […]
Wild Terra 2 adds in the joys of agriculture with its latest patch
They say that you reap what you sow, which feels unfair. After all, if you had expected to reap the consequences of your earlier actions, you probably wouldn't have sowed so many of them in this manner, right? But in Wild Terra 2 you can now literally reap what you sowed, as the game's latest update adds […]
'Circular economy' MMO Virtuverse schedules public early access test for this fall
Over the past two years, we've been lightly tracking the development of Virtuverse, an episodic online sci-fi RPG with a curious business model, and now it looks as though the wider public is going to get to see it first-hand come this fall. The game's Early Access 4 test is coming soon, with a backer […]
Kids MMO developer Age of Learning must pay the FTC $10M to settle 'dark patterns' complaint
The US Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on the purveyor of kids game ABCMouse this week, having alleged that the company "made misrepresentations about cancellations and failed to disclose important information to consumers" as well as "unfairly billed ABCmouse users without their authorization and made it difficult for consumers to cancel their memberships, preventing […]
Phantasy Star Online 2 introduces new items, new Episode 4 story content, and September's PSO2 Day
It's update time for Phantasy Star Online 2, and that means a whole bunch of new things, and since it's the beginning of the month, it also means PSO2 Day events on top of everything else. In this release, players can take on the eighth chapter of Episode 4's story content, which appears to be […]
The Stream Team: A magical 12th birthday for Wizard101, complete with gifts
Being 12 years old is magical, especially if you're Wizard101! This cheery game filled with fun pets and mounts is celebrating its 12th anniversary today, and Massively OP's MJ is returning for the party. And wouldn't you know, KingsIsle is supplying the gifts! Redeem the code 12TIMESTHEFUN before 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8th, to […]
War Thunder's Raining Fire update adds the Tuskegee Airmen's historical planes
The Tuskegee Airmen should need no introduction, especially to Americans: They were the first Black pilots to serve in what eventually became the US Air Force throughout World War II. The aviators have been feted in films, remembered in museums, and even honored with postage stamps. Now, they're getting their due in an MMO thanks […]
Ashes of Creation recaps August progress, promises more details about nodes soon
The month of August was certainly a busy one for Intrepid Studios and Ashes of Creation, so if you happened to have missed any of the developments that were made over the past month, then you've got the handy-dandy newsletter to keep you up to date. The biggest pieces from the roundup involve streamed details […]
World of Warships celebrates five years and details planned changes to commander skills
Happy birthday to World of Warships! It's been five years since the naval multiplayer battler kicked off, and the folks at Wargaming are marking the occasion with a new update full of things for fans to take on. There's a new permanent campaign of 50 tasks across five missions, a temporary asymmetrical battle mode where […]
The Soapbox: Feeling the loss of an MMO community
Back in 2012, I was almost a year deep into Lord of the Rings Online and enjoying my time both in the game and discovering the benefits of settling into an MMO community. Most of my time was not spent in the official forums, nor even blog posts, as I preferred to hunker down in […]
World of Warcraft is taking several 'burst cooldowns' off the global cooldown
Ah, the noble burst cooldown in World of Warcraft! What the heck is that? Well, in short, it's a cooldown you press to boost a bunch of outgoing damage. Avenging Wrath for Paladins, Recklessness for Warriors, Pillar of Frost for Death Knights… you get the idea. You press the button now, and then for a limited […]
Perfect Ten: 10 reasons WoW Classic is still fun in 2020
WoW Classic just celebrated its first year of operation, and what a year it's been! Back in the summer of 2019, I was rediscovering all sorts of old school features and details from the game while being strangely entranced by it. Since the crazy busy launch and explosion of servers, WoW Classic has settled down […]
Black Desert rolls out Hashashin to PC and mobile, teases O'dyllita for October 7
It's Hashashin day across much of the Black Desert universe, as the new toon is out and playable on both PC and mobile today. "Hashashin is the 20th class to be added to the popular MMORPG and will be able to manipulate the power of sand with the power of the Valencian god Aal. A […]
Guild Wars 2 offers free promotional items as part of Suicide Prevention Month
September is Suicide Prevention Month, which is not really an event that you celebrate in the conventional sense. It's an event worthy of note, however, and Guild Wars 2 is tying that in with "Seize the Awkward" as a chance to remind everyone to have important conversations with your friends about mental health. To help serve as […]
Lord of the Rings Online sees more login issues, gives update on race change tokens
With all of the issues causing game disruption over the past month, Lord of the Rings Online players are understandably sensitive toward any further problems. So it was with mild alarm that some players couldn't actually log into the game last night. However, SSG said that this wasn't a widespread issue and was the fault […]
World of Warcraft increases reputation gains all September – time to rep grind!
The ticker on World of Warcraft's site is counting down to Shadowlands' October release — 54 days and counting at this point. With the expansion coming and Patch 9.0 arriving before that, the pressure is on for players to finish up everything they want or need to do in Battle for Azeroth. Assuming that one […]
The Daily Grind: Is the tab-target MMO on the way to becoming extinct?
When I was reading MOP's Tyler's impressions of the recent New World play test, there was one point when I felt my body droop in a sigh. That was when he was praising the game's action combat, which may be exciting to him but it's always a red flag to me. Action combat MMOs can […]
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen unveils its shiny new website
Are you ready for some internet eye candy? Then feast upon the visual splendor that is the new Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen website, which has streamlined its overall look, added easier to navigate menus and forums, and now boasts a more user-friendly design overall. More crucially, the game's information section and media section have […]
Multiplayer survival shooter Vigor announces launch dates for PS4 and PS5, free-to-play arrival on Nintendo Switch
Apparently there's a demand from fans of the multiplayer shooter Vigor to arrive to more consoles, and developer Bohemia Interactive is meeting that demand with word of several upcoming releases, including a launch on PlayStation 4 on November 25th, a launch on PlayStation 5 during the 2020 holiday season, and a free-to-play release on the […]
Wizarding battle royale Spellbreak launches September 3 – here's the latest trailer
Yep, it's another battle royale game launch. This one, however, is all about flinging spells angrily at other wizards, which might be enough of a hook for some. If you are among those eager to do precisely this, then you'll want to keep eyes on Spellbreak, which is making its way to PlayStation 4, Xbox […]
Path of Exile's Heist expansion will launch on Mac with full crossplay
What's better than getting a new Path of Exile league? If you are a Mac user, it's getting the game on your favored operating system. And Grinding Gear Games is doing just that! When the new Heist expansion drops on September 18th (September 23rd for consoles), POE will be fully playable on Mac, with complete […]
Path of Exile's Heist expansion lets players infiltrate Rogue Harbor on September 18
Are you tormented by the unrequited desire of executing a daring caper, perhaps pilfering a rare antique or infiltrating a secure vault, all because you've been hindered by the legal or moral ramifications of perpetrating such an escapade? Have you dreamed of Oceans Eleven-ing your way through a storied jewel or art heist? Well Path […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 286: Cantha, Shadowlands, and New World
Justin and Bree discuss Guild Wars 2 End of Dragons, WoW Shadowlands, New World, Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy XIV, with adventures in WoW Classic, LOTRO, SWTOR, Wurm Online, SWG Legends, and Guild Wars 2, plus reader mail on reviving old zones, recovering from burnout, and Mo himself.
Jagex backpedals slightly on a RuneScape ban wave related to Treasure Hunter keys and oddments
Last Monday, RuneScape developer Jagex issued an announcement regarding actions taken against player accounts who were found to be cashing out items to receive more oddments than the cost of a currently discounted Treasure Hunter key, allowing players to generate a surplus of oddments which the studio considered to be an exploit. In total, over […]
The panther statue in Fortnite has become a player memorial for Chadwick Boseman
The unexpected passing of actor Chadwick Boseman at age 43 has left many people struggling to find the words to express what has been lost or even the depth of feeling many people are experiencing in the wake of his loss. Fortnite players have already found one such way to express respect, however. As the […]
Grab a promo pack key for RTS Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming from Massively OP
R2 Games has this week released Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming globally across its platform. It's a browser-based multiplayer RTS, and though it's not a headlining feature of the game, you can indeed team up with your player allies (and we spied a mention of PvP too). You'll be training dragons, buffing your castle, […]
Star Wars Galaxies Legends teases Bespin, previews new Days of the Aned-Kla festival
It's a weird year when rogue servers are getting more love than some live MMOs, but we're not sorry to see it. One of those servers is Star Wars Galaxies Legends, which just dropped a whopper of a community report with news of future updates and events. Let's start with the event, since it's something […]
Blizzard plans a book of World of Warcraft fairy tales… but no more scrolls in Shadowlands
So remember how people still blame World of Warcraft's current class design on the old statement of "bring the player, not the class"? That philosophy will have to now be amended with "unless the class brings a very specific set of buffs," since it appears that scrolls mirroring the effects of Battle Shout, Arcane Intellect, […]
