The Stream Team: The Departing in Guild Wars 2
After finding the lost city, Massively OP's MJ is moving on in Guild Wars 2's Path of Fire. Next up is Chapter 9: The Departing, where she must start off by climbing the spire at Skimshallow Cove. What will she find when she arrives? And will it depart? Join us live at 8:00 p.m. to […]
The Elder Scrolls Blades introduces new cursed portal quests, prepares the Life Festival holiday event
There's a chill in the air of The Elder Scrolls: Blades. Partially because the game's central hub Rivercrest is now being blanketed by snow, but mostly because the most recent update has included the Life Festival holiday event, which will bring new events to the game on December 24th all the way to January 2nd. […]
Shroud of the Avatar talks about the first phase of its streamer rewards program
Shroud of the Avatar is keen to reward its streamers, so for those who are eager to join the game's streamer rewards program and get those rewards, the most recent newsletter has some information that you'll want to know. The first phase of SOTA's streamer rewards program is pretty simple overall: Interested broadcasters will need […]
Dauntless responds to feedback from the Reforged update, outlines some planned adjustments
When I previewed the Reforged update of Dauntless, one of my first impressions was that we're not going to really know how effective the game's changes to progression were going to be until it was in the hands of the wider playerbase. Now that there's been just under a week since Reforged went live, the […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 300: It's beginning to feel a lot like Daybreak
Justin and Bree discuss the Daybreak sale, World of Warcraft, SWTOR, City of Heroes, Skyforge, and min-maxing in MMOs in this live-recorded 300th podcast.
DC Universe Online asks you to rescue Christmas, one gift at a time
Daybreak Game Company's number one MMO (we can say that now, we have hard data) doesn't quite do the holidays like everyone else. Here, the presents have been stolen, and only the world's best and most powerful superbeings can get them back and save Whoville, er, Metropolis from a glum Christmas morn. That's right, Seasons […]
Old School RuneScape starts testing for its Steam release
While RuneScape is basking in the joy of being on Steam, Old School RuneScape hasn't made the jump yet. This is because, according to Jagex, the Java client didn't cooperate with some of Steam's features. That's required the studio to rebuild the game in C++, and as a result, now it is time to get […]
The Division 2 brings the Optimization Station, Summit improvements, and a host of gameplay changes in TU12
It's time for another title update to The Division 2. The 12th such update, to be exact: Title Update 12 is now online, and the patch notes offer up a number of details about what's available in-game. Much of what's in TU12 we've touched on before, such as some adjustments to the Summit encounter, the […]
Guild Wars 2 plans Wintersday for next week as the community debates hacking and toxicity
As expected, Guild Wars 2 is capping off 2020 with its holiday events in the form of the official release of Wintersday next week, along with a half-off sale for the game's expansion bundle starting on December 15th and running up through Christmas Eve. "The annual Wintersday festival arrives next week! Participate in traditional festivities […]
Choose My Adventure: Fallout 76 and my fight against the all too familiar feeling of not caring
I wish I could say that I'm arriving to Fallout 76 without any sort of pre-formed opinions. I haven't ever touched this game since it first made its less than stellar debut or even after it started to pull itself together with the Wastelanders update, but I'd be lying if I didn't also admit that […]
PSA: Cyberpunk 2077 includes light sequences known to trigger epileptic seizures
We've all seen it in a wide variety of games that have been recently released: the epilepsy warning about how certain sequences of flashing colored lights trigger photosensitive seizures in people, even those without a history of the condition. However, in the case of the soon to be released Cyberpunk 2077, there's a very specific […]
Flameseeker Chronicles: An honest second look at Guild Wars 2's dragon response missions
As longtime readers surely know, Flameseeker Chronicles is an opinion column, one of many on Massively OP, though this one's about Guild Wars 2. Sometimes my opinion is going to differ from that of the current zeitgeist. You're free to respectfully disagree with that opinion; that's how opinions work, and that's what the comments are […]
EVE Online brings its Japanese localization online and celebrates with fireworks and store sales
The Japanese playerbase of EVE Online has reason to celebrate today as the localization of the game to Japanese has officially gone live. CCP Games touted the release as "a successful cooperation between CCP, the Japanese EVE-playing community, and [its] experienced partners" and promised further refinements and improvements to localization for all of the languages […]
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go goes retro with its Red and Green Event in 2021
Pokemon Go's not done with announcing big events this fall, not by a long shot. In addition to the current seasonal events and Community Day + Movie promo events, Niantic just announced how it's celebrating the game's fifth anniversary: with the Pokemon Go Tour: Kanto ticketed event for Saturday, February 20th, from 9 a.m. to […]
EverQuest 27th expansion, Claws of Veeshan, is set to go live this afternoon
Happy expansion day, EverQuest! Yes, the newly purchased Daybreak is delivering Claws of Veeshan to one of its apparently still much-loved classic MMOs today. The expansion boasts six new zones, the Dragon's Hoard storage system, and the usual assortment of new quests, raids, abilities, and collectibles. "Velious is overwhelmed with writhing ice. Frozen undead swarm […]
Blizzard claims World of Warcraft Shadowlands is the fastest-selling PC game of all time
Blizzard is breathlessly proclaiming this morning that World of Warcraft Shadowlands is the fastest-selling PC game of all time, by virtue of its having sold 3.7M units globally between when preorders went live November 1st, 2019, and its launch just before Thanksgiving 2020. Whether you think a year of preorders counts as fast, of course, […]
Final Fantasy XIV patch 5.4, Futures Rewritten, is live today
The time has arrived for players in Final Fantasy XIV to start forging a new future. The bleak outcome that had been predicted for the future of Hydaelyn has been sealed off, but there are still plenty of obstacles to be overcome, and the new patch's MSQ deals with precisely that. There's a whole new future […]
World of Warcraft opens up Castle Nathria with the first season of Shadowlands content
Blizzard politely hopes that you've gotten yourself up to the level cap by this point in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands because you've now run out of prep time. The first season of content is now underway with the opening of Castle Nathria in both Normal and Heroic difficulties. You can check out the broad strokes of […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMORPG has the best graphical appeal in 2020?
OK, graphics snobs, this unofficial annual award is for you. Now, I will play an old, clunky, beloved sandbox for a really long time. And do. (And don't even start me on the weird City of Heroes mitten hands.) To me, mechanics trump graphics every time. But there is something to be said for breathtaking graphics. […]
Massively Uplifting: Giving while giving thanks as ARK, Ashes of Creation, Rainbow Six Siege, and more support charity
Around these parts, November highlights giving thanks (though no country has a monopoly on the practice!), and this past month not only gave us many things to be thankful for but also as shared expressions of thanks. Thanksgiving Day may be over, but giving and being thankful need never end. Give yourself a moment to […]
The Stream Team: Burning through Elder Scrolls Online's Banished Cells II
The Undaunted Celebration is happening in Elder Scrolls Online, and that means Massively OP's MJ can earn more tickets (ergo more Indriks!) by delving into dungeons. So today her goal is her very first run through Banished Cells II. Will the Death Counter feast tonight, or can MJ and her group sail through smoothly? Tune […]
Star Stable and Habbo Hotel celebrate the winter season with unique events
I'm going to call this the "Habbo and Horsies news update." Hey, if MMO studios can come up with fun yet low-effort titles for their updates, then so can I. Specifically, both Habbo Hotel and Star Stable are ringing in the winter season with their own unique updates. In Star Stable, there's an entire winter […]
SEED's Klang Games disseminates the results of its first community playtest
The colonization MMO SEED has survived its very first community playtest, so naturally the results of that test are fresh on the minds of the developers at Klang Games. It also is the prime subject for the game's latest video. Because why write your findings and share them in a blog when you can have […]
Final Fantasy XI details its Starlight celebrations starting on December 16
Final Fantasy XI is planning to celebrate Starlight by going all out as it does every year, and that means there are lots of places for players to participate. Want to bring some smiles around the realm, for example? The application fee for Smilebringer boot camp is waived during the celebration, with seasonal rewards available […]
Citadel: Forged with Fire promises a new world and new features in its winter update
It's been a minute since we checked in on Citadel: Forged with Fire. When last we peered in on this survival sandbox, it had released its Godking's Vengeance update. Since then, the game has made some quality-of-life improvements, released a second part of Godking's Vengeance that added a new dungeon, new monsters, and mastery level […]
Katia Sae's record-breaking journey through all of EVE Online is charted in a video
If you've read that title and are wondering who Katia Sae is and what record was broken, our own Brendan Drain will be happy to remind you: She is the Capsuleer of EVE Online player Ethan Richards who successfully visited all 7,805 systems in the game's universe without losing a single ship. The character was […]
Lineage II EU celebrates its anniversary through the month of December with free gifts and events
It's a time of celebration all December long for Lineage II's EU version, as the MMOARPG celebrates the first opening of servers in the region with a whole bunch of goodies for players to collect. Both Lineage II and its sister version Lineage II Essence are marking a nine-year and one-year anniversary respectively with server-wide […]
Grapecard's Atlas tweaks armored docks and trading with its most recent update
The latest update for pirating survival sandbox Atlas has armored docks and trade changes. That reads quite a bit like the last update made to the game, but this one is notably different, owing to the fact that it's brought a smaller armored dock and made some minor adjustments to trade that (hopefully) aren't going […]
Last Oasis adds a Poaching Hut and hard maps in its latest update
Let's say you're looking for some resources in Last Oasis but aren't so keen on that whole contributing bonuses to clans that own an oasis thing. Then you're going to just adore the latest update, which has introduced something called a Poaching Hut. This new structure will let players reap bonuses from others that are […]
MassivelyOP Podcast Episode #300: Live on Twitch!
If you've ever wanted to listen to the MassivelyOP Podcast live so you can shout at us to tell us we're wrong in real-time as we record, today is your day: In honor of the 300th podcast since MOP was reborn, Justin and Bree will be streaming the podcast recording live today at 1 p.m. […]
PAX hopes to return in 2021 with a full slate of conventions
While it certainly wasn't the greatest tragedy of 2020, the cancelation of numerous game trade shows and conventions was felt among fans who enjoyed these events for their spectacle and reveals. And while this year is a wash, with most events ditched or taken to virtual only, there is some hope that 2021 will be […]
Wisdom of Nym: The highlights of Final Fantasy XIV's patch 5.4 notes
One of the things I still love about covering Final Fantasy XIV are the patches. These things are always bulky in terms of added content, often including a whole dump truck full of stuff that players can enjoy moving forward. It's kind of amazing, both in terms of sheer volume and just in the sense […]
Blankos Block Party announces open beta for December 10, end of founder's pack sales December 13
The beta testing for creation-minded blockchain-linked MMO Blankos Block Party has apparently gone over a treat. So much so that the game is ready to move in to open beta this coming Thursday, December 10th. As for what open beta will feature, there will be details shared in the future. According to the announcement, the […]
The Soapbox: Pet battles are one of the best things WoW ever did (which is why I've never played one)
Pokemon first burst onto the scene when I was in elementary school. I've always been lukewarm at best toward anime and "cute" things, so it never really interested me. My friends at the time, however, bought into it hook, line, and sinker. I thus found myself relentlessly bombarded by all things Pokemon for the next […]
World of Tanks and World of Warships mark the holidays with festive campaigns and Chuck Norris
Boy, remember a thousand years ago when all of those Chuck Norris jokes were everywhere on the internet? Well, either Wargaming is late to that party and isn't aware or it's looking to make them come back as World of Warships and World of Tanks are starting their respective holiday festivities. And Chuck Norris is […]
Final Fantasy XIV posts its full patch 5.4 notes during 24-hour patch maintenance
We hope you got anything you wanted done in Final Fantasy XIV yesterday because the game is currently undergoing maintenance. In fact, it'll be undergoing maintenance until December 8th, when players will have a whole new patch to explore from top to bottom. Hopefully you're a bit mollified by getting the full set of patch notes, […]
Star Citizen Evocati patch notes for 3.12 have been leaked by testers
The latest developer Q&A livestream from Star Citizen is once again talking about spaceships. Which probably is no surprise considering the game celebrated spaceships during its IAE event. That said, there were a number of questions answered regarding currently flyable craft, mostly discussing balancing matters, access points for certain spacecraft, which ships will have medbays […]
Gamers review bomb Monster Hunter World on Steam over Monster Hunter film
There's a clip from the current Monster Hunter film that's drawn a lot of ire particularly from Chinese audiences, which has resulted in some outcry aimed in the direction of Monster Hunter World. In the scene (footage of which has since been taken down due to copyright), a soldier played by Asian-American actor and rapper […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMO offered the best PvE experience in 2020?
Though Massively OP's annual awards kick off this week, one you won't see this year is an award for PvE. I've learned my lesson about a formal award for PvE simply because once we put it to a vote, all anyone really considered is combat versus mobs, which left the award down to a handful […]
MMO Week in Review: Unbreaking Daybreak
If Daybreak's been a bit of a punching bag in the MMO genre over the last five years, it's only because of its long line of failures and shenanigans, from dumping EverQuest Next to fibbing about who owned it (and fibbing about not owning SSG!). But now, thanks to Swedish company EG7 buying up the […]
TERA and Aion EU are among the Gameforge titles ready to celebrate the holidays
Please don't let the angry Shugo or the emotionally neutral humans in the header image fool you, there's lots of holiday cheer to be had in Gameforge's variety of titles, particularly in the case of Aion EU and TERA. In TERA, players can look forward to the return of the Winteria Snowfield, a PvP snowball […]
The MOP Up: Crossout drives onto an island
Here's a useful tip from Crossout: It's dangerous to drive your car in water! This comes from the game's newest "Clean Island" patch, which adds the titular PvP map and brings back ranked battles with the Survivors League. "'Clean Island' is the first map in the history of Crossout that shows what 'big water' looks […]
Jukebox Heroes: The quieter side of Lord of the Rings Online's soundtrack
Yes, I'm kind of nuts about the Lord of the Rings Online soundtrack. It could be because I've played this MMO more than most any other at this point, but I like to think that it's also due to a really well-done score that does more for world-building than most soundtracks. Today, I want to […]
Massively on the Go: The rollercoaster that is Pokemon Go's Go Beyond update
I've previously mentioned in this Massively on the Go column some unexpected bonuses popping up with the release of Pokemon Go's Go Beyond update. Considering the daily additions of new features and event announcements we've had starting the day of the update, I'm feeling like that's the theme here. Since September, Niantic had been rapidly dropping changes and […]
Neverwinter brews up a sweeping rework of its combat system
Considering how integral combat is to Neverwinter, you'd have to imagine that any changes that touch upon this system are going to be felt far and wide by the game's playerbase. Now factor in the phrase "combat rework," and you might start to understand how significant such an event might be. Cryptic's got a large […]
One Shots: Pledging Trekkie Trekkie Trekkie
So you know how Star Trek claims that it has a functioning futuristic society without money? Somehow? That's made me overthink how Starfleet Academy works. My theory is that instead of taking out a student loan to attend, cadets have to pay off their debt by going on six away missions wearing red shirts. There's […]
The Daily Grind: Do you actually consider yourself a good MMO player?
There is an assumption, for some reason, that most people who work as game journalists are pretty bad at playing video games. I don't know where this comes from. Certainly I've known some people in this field who are not very good at games in general, but it's hardly universal, and I myself know that […]
Battle Bards Episode 182: Last Oasis
What does the apocalypse sound like? That's the burning question, so to speak, that the Battle Bards are investigating this week as they dive into the soundtrack to Last Oasis. Michał Korniewicz's unique score is a haunting experience that must be heard to be believed. But at the end of it all, will it be […]
Wolcen's Bloodtrail Chronicle update is live as a massive 12GB update
Remember when Wolcen announced that its first seasonal Chronicle, Bloodtrail, would be coming soon– but didn't offer up a date? It turns out "soon" meant actually soon because Bloodtrail is already live. The flagship addition of this season is the new Hunts feature, which sends players to track down bosses and slay them for unique […]
SWTOR previews the login rewards and emote window of Update 6.2
This coming Wednesday is an early Christmas — or an early Life Day — for Star Wars: The Old Republic players, thanks to the projected arrival of Update 6.2. It's a smaller patch, sir, but it checks out. And one thing you definitely will want to check out are the new login rewards that are […]
