The Stream Team: Finally to the SWTOR Mandalorian flashpoint
After working through the rest of the new Mandalorian story in SWTOR, Massively OP's Larry and MJ have made it to the point of doing the flashpoint, The Spirit of Vengeance. And flashpoints are what you, the audience of Choose My Alignment, has been asking for. So what happens next is surely all your fault! […]
Starbase works on 'easy build mode,' lets avatars throw punches, and tweaks non-mineable asteroids
It's yet another look at the hyper-granular advancement of space-based building sandbox Starbase, which has put out another couple weeks' worth of progress notes. Let's get all caught up, shall we? Week 2 of 2021 includes the first version of "easy build mode" for ships being added to testing, which hopefully should make putting together […]
Wild Terra 2 plans to add in the map as it promises a growing team for development in Early Access
The team currently developing Wild Terra 2 – which just rolled into early access last week – is small. Quite small, in fact; it currently consists of four people, and the latest dispatch from the development team notes how challenging it was to bring the game to early access with such a small team behind it. […]
Final Fantasy XI previews more Voracious Resurgence and Odyssey content coming in February
If you thought that after the last round of content in Sheol: Gaol in Final Fantasy XI you weren't being sufficiently challenged, the game's February version update is almost here to help refute that assumption. While the last round of opponents were there to get players accustomed to how the content would work, the new batch […]
Albion Online's new Patch 13 adds the Use All button, updates Avalonian mobs, and refreshes the meta
There's been a nice big patch applied to Albion Online, bringing a bundle of new updates to some of the sandbox MMO's existing content and earning it the subtitle of the Rise of Avalon Balance Patch, which is a whole lot zippier than calling it Patch 13. As that subtitle suggests, Patch 13 has applied […]
EverQuest Online Adventures' rogue server project, EQOA: Return Home, is still chugging along
Back in 2019, we covered a heartwarming story about EQOA: Return Home, a player-run emulator for EverQuest Online Adventures, which readers will recall was one of the many online titles SOE killed off during the purge of 2012. At the time, the players were hunting for both coders and for former players with strong memories […]
Dauntless announces the removal of aethersparks progression currency from the in-game store
If you've been following the Slayer's Path in Dauntless, particularly at the higher end of the scale, you know how important aethersparks are. For those who aren't familiar, they're a currency that lets players create an aetherheart and reforge their weapon to make their character stronger. Up to this point, players could either earn aethersparks […]
Blankos Block Party adds new props, improves shooting and racing, and brings build mode quality-of-life
Blankos Block Party, the creative sandbox MMO with blockchain connections that recently began open beta, has put out a new update that brings a few notable improvements to the colorful creative universe. One of the headline features is some new building props, with puffy blocks, railings, spaceship and nautical items, and some new terrain hexes […]
Snag an Echo of Soul loot-hoovering Blue Ciskai minipet in honor of The Blue update
Echo of Soul made headlines in 2020 for its brief-lived Steam Blue version, which folded back into the version that Gamigo has been faithfully running for years, Echo of Soul Phoenix. Most recently, the active Gamigo version welcomed players from the closed title with an update called, appropriately, The Blue. That 3.0 update expanded the […]
Desert Oasis: Having a blast with Black Desert's new Nova class
Thanks to the quarantine, it's been a pretty long while since I've gone out and enjoyed some coffee at a cafe and a beer at a bar. But of all things that I've missed, goin' out with the goilz tops the chart. I miss those unpredictable nights, the heavy drinking, and having to hold their hair […]
Darkfall: Rise of Agon is expanding its paid dev team and launching in Asia
Here's some big news for fans of the Darkfall saga: The last Darkfall version still standing, Darkfall: Rise of Agon, is headed to a launch in Asia. MMO players will recall that Darkfall's original studio, Aventurine, closed down back in 2016, turned over the remnants of the game to a pair of player-organized teams. New […]
Perfect Ten: A guide to podcasts for your favorite MMOs
Clearly, your Tuesday schedule every week should have a big fat "LISTEN TO MASSIVELY OP PODCAST" written at 4:00 p.m. EST right on it. But once you've experienced that blissful hour of news analysis and Justin's slow descent into senility (as well as the excellent bi-weekly Battle Bards podcast), what is there left to fill […]
Final Fantasy XIV combines Valentione's Day and Little Ladies' Day into one event this month
We realize that the event on the mind of every Final Fantasy XIV player's mind right now is the announcement showcase happening on Friday, but another event is right around the corner on February 10th. Is it Valentione's Day? Is it Little Ladies' Day? Turns out it's both, smooshed together into one mega-event with decorations varying […]
Black Desert Mobile starts Path of Glory Season 3, Black Desert PC hands out lots of chocolate
Do you crave glory, or do you crave chocolate? Well, if you play both Black Desert Mobile and Black Desert on PC, you can have both thanks to the latest content updates for each version of the MMO. Why choose one or the other, anyway? In BDO Mobile, Season 3 of Path of Glory has […]
Posting record 2020 revenues, EA recommits to the Star Wars franchise that made it $3B
It's been an EA day today as reactions to the company's Q3 FY21 financial report continue to collect around the industry, largely because the company had a banner year with record revenues left and right. It pulled in $2.4B for the quarter and $5.96B in net bookings for the year, an increase of 15% and […]
Genshin Impact's new Xiao character is live today for Lunar New Year
As promised, Genshin Impact has officially released version 1.3, which was set to bring a new character and a Lunar New Year event among other things. Now that the update is live, there are some patch notes to scour for some more details. On the subject of the Lunar New Year event, aka the Lantern […]
Phantasy Star Online 2's new Luster class slashes and shoots its way into the action
Ready to reroll in Phantasy Star Online 2? There's a new scion class in town, and it seems ideal for players who can't quite sit still. The Luster class fights only with gunblades but has the option to switch between three different combat styles with it. These styles offer defensive, AOE, or close combat DPS. […]
Magic Legends will launch with three worlds to explore
If you're coming to Magic Legends without much prior knowledge of the card game, you might not know that the franchise is set in a multiverse of diverse locales. Cryptic is aiming to capitalize on this flexibility by rolling out different settings over time. The studio announced this week that when it launches, Magic Legends […]
The Daily Grind: What do you want out of your MMO guild?
One of the best questions that I've seen MMO guilds ask upon interviews with new recruits is, 'What do you want to get out of this guild?" It's a great question because it gets to the heart of whether or not the player and the guild is compatible. If a player is looking for one […]
The Stream Team: Jackal vs. the Ox as Lunar New Year launches in Guild Wars 2
Massively OP's MJ was all set to throw herself into getting the rest of Guild Wars 2's mounts, but then Lunar New Year had to launch and derailed her. How could she ignore a fun festival happening around her? She can't! So she'll be focusing on her jackal acquisition as well as enjoying the event. […]
Siege Survival: Gloria Victis announces an updated prologue demo for the Steam Game Festival
For those who have been following the development of Siege Survival: Gloria Victis, the standalone survival and resource management game set in the world of Gloria Victis, there's about to be a big shift forward for the game according to the devs. Specifically, an updated prologue demo is due to release soon, ensuring it'll be […]
Ultima Online has a string of narrative events rolling out all spring
Ultima Online's latest newsletter is live, with a look at what's coming in the new future and some teases for New Legacy. For example, Publish 110 is in development and expected to hit the live shards in March. Don't expect gobs of new content, though, as this update sets the stage for future rollouts, with […]
World War II Online's 2021 roadmap includes bomber loadouts and halftracks
The conflict in World War II Online — also called Battleground Europe — doesn't seem to be any closer to a resolution than it did two decades ago. Of course, that's really good news for the game's players, who love engaging in period battles on land and air. There's going to be a lot more […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 307: Blackwood barges into town
Justin and Bree discuss Elder Scrolls Online Blackwood, Fallout 76, Star Trek Online, Magic Legends, the GameStop stock thing, and Amazon Game Studios' mess, with adventures in WoW Classic, LOTRO, SWG Legends, and ESO, plus a mailbag topic on questing vs. grinding.
The Stream Team: House Reborn for Star Trek Online's 11th anniversary
Today Star Trek Online turns 11 years old — that certainly calls for a celebration! Along with anniversary activities (go go party pistol!), the next episode of the Klingon story has arrived. House Reborn includes two new episodes, and Massively OP's MJ can't wait to play through them. Join us live at 3:00 p.m. to […]
Battleborn has officially shut down completely
We're sorry to inform you that if there were things you still wanted to do in Battleborn, you have missed your chance. Like, completely. As had been announced prior, the game's servers have completely shutdown as of January 31st… and this shutdown is complete enough that even the single-player version of the game is no […]
The Division 2 adds Resident Evil-themed outfits with the newest patch
Have you ever been happily playing The Division 2 and thought that what you really want to be doing is enjoying the sweet murmuring cries of zombies from a Resident Evil game as you mow them down? Well, then… you could just play one of those games. There are lots of them available no matter […]
Fortnite's new LTM pits players against the Mandalorian and each other for a Beskar Umbrella
What are you willing to go through for a unique umbrella in Fortnite? Are you willing to face off against one of the toughest bounty hunters in a galaxy far, far away? Then you're ready for the Mando's Bounty LTM, the latest limited-time mode in the battle royale shooter. Here's how it works: Players will […]
Guild Wars 2's Lunar New Year events are set to go live today
So we've got some good news and bad news. The good news is that Guild Wars 2 is going live with its Lunar New Year patch today. The bad news it had an "unexpected technical problem" and is being held back for what will hopefully be only a brief pause while that's fixed. "The annual […]
Destiny 2 just revealed Season of the Chosen and a full roadmap through May
As promised, Bungie's brought the goods for Destiny 2 today by way of Season of the Chosen, launching next week on February 9th and running through mid-May with the requisite new content and loot, though of course the best stuff is reserved for season pass holders. "In Season 13, Guardians will jump into the Battlegrounds, […]
Choose My Adventure: An intriguing but PvP-free first foray into Warhammer Return of Reckoning
I promised that this month's CMA column would feature my attempts at getting into some PvP MMO action. Sadly for you (but mercifully for me), the opening steps I've taken in to Warhammer: Return of Reckoning were not so active in that regard. Still, I'm beginning to slowly appreciate what makes this game beloved by […]
Lord of the Rings Online's latest update has broken the patcher for older OS users — here's how to fix it
This news is for those players of Lord of the Rings Online who are playing the game on a PC running Windows 7 or earlier. With the launch of update 28.3, players on older OS's are experiencing some inability to update their game clients. Standing Stone Games is aware of this and has put out […]
MMO Business Roundup: Gamestonk is tipping toward over as shares dip below $100 a pop
Welcome back to a fresh roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent business news! Gamestonk: It's starting to look as if last week's wild GameStop stock squeeze is over, having severely wounded several hedge funds along the way. Though investors and Redditors had pushed the stock to a peak of $469 last week and it began yesterday […]
Last Oasis' latest update rebalances the essential act of blowing stuff up
It's a smidge delayed, but it's here today: Last Oasis is pushing out a big patch on Steam. Developer Donkey Crew says it's holding back new VOIP options and fixes for "a few days" to get the rest of the update to players. So what is in it? An overhaul to blowing shit up, largely […]
Apex Legends brings a new character, map changes, legendary magazines, and gameplay changes in Season 8
There's a fresh season just on the horizon for the battle royale shooter Apex Legends, bringing with it a whole lot of new updates. At the top of the list in the latest patch notes is a new character, Fuse, whose propensity for explosives lets him hold more grenades than other characters, throw grenades farther […]
RIFT starts testing planar incursions, opens an official Discord server
When it first launched, RIFT's biggest selling point was its dynamic world events system that included the titular rifts, invasions, and more. It's this system that Gamigo is looking to leverage with its new Planar Incursions event. Testing for this world event is now on the PTS, with dedicated players putting it through its paces. […]
Final Fantasy XIV brings more Blue Mage and relic weapon content with patch 5.45 today
It's time to go fighting until you're blue in the face… and then use that to learn a new spell. Yes, it's another Blue Mage update in Final Fantasy XIV, complete with new quests, new gear, and new spells to learn from various enemies and bosses throughout the game. And yes, some of them will […]
The Daily Grind: What's the worst MMO game mechanic ever?
Weeks ago, I saw a thread on the MMORPG subreddit about the worst mechanics in MMOs. I clicked on the link, scoffing, thinking surely this thread couldn't top some of the awful mechanics I've seen. And then the OP described an MMO where players lose levels for dying in PvP, and you know, I gotta […]
The Stream Team: Making some Midyear Mayhem in Elder Scrolls Online
The year of collecting tickets for Indriks in Elder Scrolls Online is done, but now you can run events to collect tickets for new pets. Of course Massively OP's MJ can't resist that! So even though the first event is PvP, she's all in. Tune in live at 8:00 p.m. to make some mayhem with […]
Massively Uplifting: 2021 begins with Trove's tree, Warframe's Tennobaum, and Star Trek Online's Tribbles for charity
Ready or not, here 2021 comes! And that's a relief to many. It's no stretch to say that we want 2021 to be a better year than last, and you can't go wrong starting it off with good deeds and charity. There are plenty of folks already off to making that happen thanks to their […]
Conan Exiles hopes to fix Xbox One server connection crashes sometime this week
Yes, we've heard precisely this same thing before out of Conan Exiles, but if there's been one constant, it's that the issues with the Xbox One version of the survival sandbox have been a particularly tough nut to crack. However, producer Scott Junior once more promises that relief is in sight, specifically for Xbox One […]
RuneScape adds player-created Activity Pets and marks the Ninja Team's anniversary with a quest
This week in RuneScape, it's all about Ninjas and pets. Which sort of reads like Jagex is encouraging players to pet ninjas when the devs are actually talking about the addition of Activity Pets and a celebration of the Ninja Team's first anniversary in the game's weekly update post. Please do not pet the Ninjas. […]
Blizzard teases February's BlizzConline 2021 outlook, 30th anniversary bundles
Yes, BlizzConline is still happening, and yes it's still called that. Blizzard has dropped a new trailer for the all-digital show today along with a recap of what to expect when the event kicks off on February 19th, though the full schedule is still forthcoming. "Day 1 will kick off at 2 p.m. PST on […]
Google is shutting down its Stadia development studios, though Stadia games remain playable
It comes as absolutely no surprise to anyone who has been paying even the smallest amount of attention that Google Stadia has been struggling to keep itself afloat. More bad news came for the streaming service today, as Kotaku announced that Google is shutting down its internal development studios for the platform, which means two […]
Star Citizen's Tony Z on how dynamic events will work in the game
It's pretty easy to assume that the entirety of gameplay in Star Citizen will be player-driven in the sandbox, but the Assault on Stanton event — and more specifically this week's Star Citizen Live — shows that dynamic events will also play a big role in terms of gameplay. Provided things go to plan, of […]
Final Fantasy XI asks players to find love for man and beast alike on Valentine's Day
Yes, it's almost time for Valentine's Day – or, as it's known in Final Fantasy XI, Valentione's Day – and that means the joy of an event for players to participate in. And this year, the game is asking you to help find love for both people and chocobos at the same time. Wait, what? […]
MechWarrior Online promises less grind, new 'Mechs, and weapon improvements in 2021 roadmap
A couple of weeks ago some of the devs of MechWarrior Online outlined the multiplayer title's update plans for 2021 including the release of a roadmap. That roadmap has since been shared, elaborating on the four so-called "themes" of each quarter's development focus. Most of the targets for the first quarter such as the removal […]
Class action suit accuses Valve of using its 'dominant' position in the marketplace to drive up prices
It's an understood fact of PC gaming life that the Steam platform is the standard for digital games storefronts, and it's that position of power that has lead five gamers to file a class action lawsuit this past Thursday against Valve, claiming that the company is abusing its power to mark up the prices of […]
Warframe showcases new character and Railjack improvements in livestream
Digital Extremes is back on its livestream thing with the first broadcast of 2021 for Warframe, and this one has plenty to say about what's coming to the game with the next major update. In this update, known as Call of the Tempestarii, players can look forward to a brand-new 'Frame by the name of […]
Not So Massively: Wolcen's Bloodtrail is worth coming back for
I've been a fan of Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem from the start, but with how long things went quiet after the initial post-launch updates, I was starting to get worried. Thankfully, the silence has now been broken with the launch of the first Chronicle, Bloodtrail, which brings with it plentiful polishing as well as new […]
