New World offers a guided tour through lush Windsward
Will summer 2021 culminate with one of the biggest MMORPG releases in years? There are great hopes resting on the largely unproven Amazon Game Studios and its flagship New World. And while it's too soon to make judgments — we'll wait until the beta for that — at least we can embark on a virtual […]
WRUP: New compound instruments edition
Guitarlophone: How many times have you played an electric guitar and just been stymied by how much the stupid thing isn't a xylophone, too? Now you don't have to worry about it! See, the xylophone is just swinging from the bottom of the guitar, so you can play it with your knees! As a bonus, […]
The Daily Grind: What's your pie-in-the-sky wish list for MMO features?
A tab-targeting combat system for Elder Scrolls Online. Real player housing for World of Warcraft. Text chat and guilds for Fallout 76. A simplified and engaging legendary item system for Lord of the Rings Online. Foundry 2.0 for Star Trek Online and Neverwinter. A whole new questing zone for Secret World Legends. That's just part […]
Betawatch: Dreamworld's alpha is a trip and a half
So, remember Dreamworld, or as it's known around these parts, "that game that never sounded remotely plausible"? Well, the good news (for a very, very generous definition of the word "good") is that the title actually released an alpha test version after all (for a very, very generous definition of the word "alpha"). The bad (and […]
The Stream Team: It's Legion vs. Paladin in AQ3D
What's the latest content in AQ3D? A face-off between the Undead Legion and the Paladins! The new Legion vs. Golden Order Assault team vs. team event is in full swing and just added special weapon drops. Massively OP's MJ is excited to participate and try to nab a few for herself. The question is, which […]
Enlisted adds new maps and weapons in latest update, moves Battle of Berlin closed beta to its next phase
The multiplayer WWII shooter Enlisted has seen a couple of updates for both the overall game and the title's current closed beta campaign that kicked off in April, all falling under the subtitle At the Reichstag Walls. For the overall game, this new update brings a Normandy campaign where players must either capture or defend […]
Bless Unleashed answers player questions on PC with a whole lot of nope
There's a whole lot of no in the latest set of community answers for Bless Unleashed. Can players have the option to turn off censorship inside of the game's chat? No. Will there be direct trading between players not via the in-game marketplace? That's a no. Want to skip cutscenes? Too bad, that's a no. Can […]
Theorycraft and peruse New World character builds with this fansite build tool
God bless the theorycrafters and the character builders, for they can sometimes provide some sparks of inspiration and ingenuity, or maybe offer some helpful guidance for those who aren't quite sure how to allocate their character skill points. Or perhaps they can just offer something that can be copied wholesale. No matter which column you […]
Niantic has revealed Pokemon Go Fest 2021 details – and they look quite promising
New details on Pokemon Go's next Go Fest have been released, and there is cause for excitement. While we're already seeing that, once again, players who may not be able to leave their homes due to COVID may get shafted, and there's a hint that there may be some more sponsorship shenanigans. The raid pokemon could be […]
Sylvanaar, a famous World of Warcraft addon developer, has passed away
We have some sad news to report from the World of Warcraft addon community as Jon "Sylvanaar" Akhtar, the creator of popular addons like Prat, Addon Control Panel, and WoW Instant Messenger, has passed away. Akhtar's catalogue of addons have seen nearly 50 million downloads in total on Curseforge, with many of them focusing on […]
PSA: Skyforge is giving away free sub time to all PC players for MY.GAMES' birthday
Skyforge players, or would-be Skyforge players, MY.GAMES is celebrating its birthday, and like any good games studio, it's giving you presents for the occasion. Specifically, that present comes in the form of a blanket code that every PC player can apply to grab seven days of sub time. "To celebrate, you can redeem the code […]
Star Citizen showcases the Hercules Starlifter and Tumbril Nova, leaves massive logs in install folders
This week's video digest from Star Citizen is eager to show off some new toys, as it provides a look at the new Crusader Industries Hercules Starlifter spaceship and the Tumbril Nova tank. The Starlifter segment is pretty much presented like a sales vignette, outlining the ship's features and massive cargo capacity, while the Nova […]
Blizzard is already cracking down on Diablo II Resurrected modders and hackers
Apparently, Blizzard has decided to crack all the way down on the modding community that's popped up around Diablo II: Resurrected. Following the technical alpha – which, I'll note, we thought was fantastic – modders had come with with ways to do everything from unlocking classes to playing on custom servers. One programmer going by […]
Dungeons and Dragons Online brings the Crystal Cove event back through June 13
Today in low-effort MMO update news, Dungeons and Dragons Online has made a single line-length proclamation to players of the MMORPG: "Crystal Cove has returned! Available through June 13th!" That's it. That's the tweet. For those who are unfamiliar, the Treasure of Crystal Cove event sees players heading to Smuggler's Rest to fight pirates and […]
Dragon Quest X is getting an offline version
It's all right if you forgot that Dragon Quest X was a thing. Seriously, it's fine. This is an MMO that launched ages ago in Japan and has done all right for itself there, but it's apparently now going to get a new lease on life in the form of an offline version of the same […]
The Star Wars Galaxies Restoration III hybrid CU/NGE rogue server launches tonight
It's a happy day for Star Wars fans in the MMO world, as the emulator community is getting a new server in the form of Star Wars Galaxies Restoration III. As we've previously noted, this server is an interesting blend of old and new mechanics and content – a CU base, including skill-by-use character progression, […]
WoW Factor: What does the lack of BlizzCon mean for World of Warcraft?
So we're not having a BlizzCon this year again. Not that one wasn't originally planned or at least in the early stages of planning, apparently (you can't cancel something you weren't at least expecting to hold), but the short version is that the convention is definitely not happening this year and we're getting at least […]
Superhero MMO City of Titans teases player housing and team base decorating
If you'd forgotten that City of Titans was planning to offer housing at some point, well, so had I, but we can be forgiven since this game has been in development so long. In any case, a new dev blog will refresh your memory. In City of Titans, these homes come in two forms: player […]
Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis releases a character creator and benchmark tool for PC
If you missed out on the recent closed beta test for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis and are eager to prepare yourself for the game's arrival in June, or if you were in the beta and desperately miss the game to the point that you want any taste of it whatsoever, then you'll be […]
A Tale in the Desert starts its tenth 'telling' since 2003 today
Seasons come and seasons go, and no MMO knows this better than A Tale in the Desert. Ever since the non-combat, crafting-centric game went live in 2003, its creators intended for periodic reboots to the world for new "tellings." The ninth telling began back in 2018 and recently wrapped up this spring. Now it's time […]
Ashes of Creation Lead Game Designer Jeffrey Bard leaves to pursue VR development
Out of all of the former SOE and Daybreak developers that have flocked to Intrepid Studios to work on Ashes of Creation, Jeffrey Bard was arguably one of the biggest assets to the fledgling team as the MMORPG's lead game designer. Unfortunately, now Intrepid is going to have to do without Bard, as he announced […]
The Daily Grind: Do you skip annoying content in MMOs?
A while back, there was a thread on the MMORPG subreddit that… OK, it was a bit mean, but there's a question to be mined there. The gamer was frustrated because his sibling was content to play an MMO – in this case, it happened to be Guild Wars 2 – without going through specific […]
World of Warcraft is hosting another Mythic Keystone esports event this weekend
If you're the kind of World of Warcraft player who likes to keep your fingers on the Mythic Keystone meta pulse, or if you're the player who has no idea what a Keystone is, you're all invited to check out the next one-off event in the MMORPG's attempt at PvE-minded esports that's all about pushing […]
Massively Overthinking: How important is gear in your core MMO?
This week's Overthinking comes to us courtesy of a rant on the MMORPG subreddit, which… well don't judge it by the title, OK? Author Galgox argues that gear and gearing is the "soul" of MMORPGs but that too many MMOs place gear at the end of treadmills that are inaccessible to the bulk of players, […]
Wild Terra 2 postpones this week's update and auction system implementation
Wild Terra 2: New Lands has been in early access since January, with a full roadmap through autumn plotting out everything from craft skill improvements and new locales to an auction system and the launch of the game's first season. Jutvy Worlds popped up yesterday with a change in plans: While the next big update […]
Old School RuneScape has fully released its new clans feature
Old School RuneScape has moved its much-ballyhooed clans feature through several phases, starting with pre-registered clan creation to a soft launch state. As of yesterday, that launch has since firmed up as clans are now fully live in the MMORPG. Clans will allow up to 500 players the opportunity to group up together for either […]
MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries stomps its way to Xbox, GOG, and Steam today with cross-platform multiplayer
Yes, we're looking at the single-player/multiplayer game of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, but it's still a game worth noting considering all of its ties to developer Piranha Games and the studio's myriad moves in the MMO and gaming industry sphere. Readers will recall that Piranha was part of EG7's big buyout blitzkrieg, while the studio has […]
NCsoft seemingly confirms that Aion Classic is coming to the west
Last fall, NCsoft announced a new classic mode for the Korean Aion servers. It was a huge success that brought the game back from a major slump, as our recent dips into the company's revenue reports shows. "Aion more than doubled its revenues from its low point in 2020, almost entirely, NCsoft says, due to […]
Conan Exiles' Isle of Siptah expansion arrives on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, base game arrives to Xbox Game Pass
The stage has been set on PC, it's been forged in the crucible of early access on PC, and now a new land awaits players of Conan Exiles who weren't keen on buying into that whole early access thing. Today marks the full launch of the Isle of Siptah expansion on PC as well as […]
World of Warcraft adds PvP gear scaling in 9.1,WoW Classic songifies the Burning Crusade
If you're primarily a PvP player in World of Warcraft, you almost certainly want the gear awarded by the format to be the best stuff you can get for PvP. The upcoming patch 9.1 is taking on precisely that goal through use of everyone's favorite mechanic, item level scaling! From the patch onward, PvP gear will […]
Black Desert's Great Expedition expansion has finally floated over to console players
Black Desert's Great Expedition expansion sailed its way over to western PC players almost two years ago, if you can believe it, back when the game on console was still new. So it's been a long wait for console fans – but now that wait is over, as Xbox and PlayStation gamers can finally take […]
Monster Hunter Rise 3.0 brings new ending, jet dragon, and pet cosplay
Hope you're ready for the real ending, hunters. Monster Hunter Rise 3.0, live as of last night, brings a new ending to the game that the previous ending hinted at. The new Apex Zinogre, unlike the previous Apexes added in 2.0, immediately comes in both rampage and solo hunt options. We're also getting Crimson Glow Valstrax, a […]
The Elder Scrolls Online offers a new unified tutorial experience with Update 30
The tutorial experience for new characters is changing when The Elder Scrolls Online launches Update 30 for free next week alongside Blackwood, and it's changing for everyone regardless of the most recent chapter of game content you own. Starting with the new update, all players will experience the same tutorial chapter on the Isle of Balfiera, […]
Four Winds: Exploring Swords of Legends Online's mindblowing world
Have you ever played a game knowing exactly what you're going to get, only for it to impress you because it did exactly that but just did it so well? Well, that's Swords of Legends Online (SOLO) for me. SOLO is by all accounts nothing new in terms of gameplay. But despite that, I found myself absolutely […]
Dreamworld actually released an alpha, and it's exactly as bad as you thought it'd be
So, we're back to Dreamworld again. Regular readers already know that this game has been a wild ride ever since it popped up on Kickstarter. It was pitched as massive, content-bedecked "infinite open world MMO" with "millions of players" in a "single world." It was also being made by a pair of absolute novice developers […]
Vague Patch Notes: Money makes the MMO world go round
I had some thoughts after the most recent bit of news we got from Star Trek Online about how, you know… the game costs money and making it is expensive. On one level, it was filled to the brim with "no duh" moments. Oh, the developers are selling us ships because the game costs money? […]
Elite Dangerous puts out a patch with a lengthy list of fixes and telemetry for performance problems
Elite: Dangerous Odyssey has, up to this point, been receiving hotfixes in order to directly address some of the more pressing issues plaguing the expansion like server issues and Orange Sidewinder errors. With today's update, hotfixing has moved to patching as a sizeable list of fixes were released for the game. While the list of […]
TERA Console embraces its inner gangster with June's battle pass
A new seasonal battle pass is coming to TERA's console edition, and if you're acquainted with the game's… odd… sensibilities, it should not shock you to see that the theme this time around is "Indoor Gangster." So it's a… lazy gangster? We're not sure. The battle pass, which will run through September, offers exclusive rewards […]
Cryptic is looking into the Star Trek Online House United bug that ate everyone's character slots
Star Trek Online's House United update earlier this week has apparently introduced a couple of major issues that have PC left players pretty frustrated. The most pressing bug appears to be the unintentional elimination of a character slot, both from free-to-play and lifetime accounts. It doesn't sound as if anyone lost any actual characters, but […]
Elder Scrolls Online's in-game lockbox item earning system won't ship with Blackwood
Whether you are for buying Elder Scrolls Online's crown crates or not, you can't deny that there aren't some sweet goodies lurking in those lockboxes. And if your desire to acquire them is greater then your wallet, then Blackwood was set to be good news, as it was intended to introduce an Endeavors system that […]
The Daily Grind: Do you miss having boxed MMO purchases?
Buried amidst all of the other information in the most recent Final Fantasy XIV fan festival was the way that its boxed expansion releases were changing. Specifically, they weren't going to exist any longer. While there would be a collector's edition box for the expansion, it's just a box of stuff with a digital code; all […]
The Stream Team: SWTOR's The Shroud Strikes Back
Last time, Massively OP's Larry & MJ discovered they had to do a HK reunion quest before they could jump into the second Shroud adventure. After reconnecting with the battledroid (and earning a lovely Simulated Meatbag title!), the duo is now ready to start Shroud of Memory. Tune in live at 8:00 p.m. as Massively […]
Conan Exiles releases a performance and stability patch on PC ahead of tomorrow's Isle of Siptah full launch
While the Isle of Siptah awaits players of Conan Exiles as it climbs out of early access tomorrow, today sees PC players of the survival sandbox get a new update that plans to lay the groundwork for the expansion with some performance and stability adjustments. The update includes a pass for the entire Isle to […]
Dauntless talks about the intended purpose of and lessons learned from Elder and Primal Behemoths
There are plenty of monsters to slay in Dauntless, but variety is the spice of life, especially for veteran players that have learned every critter fight in the game inside and out. Enter the Primal Behemoth and Elder Behemoth variants, which were the subject of a state of the game post from the devs at […]
Sandbox MMO Fractured kicks off PvP city sieges, announces new investment round
Those who venture off the brightly lit paths of PvE in Fractured and delve into the blood-soaked trenches of PvP will be expecting big experiences from this upcoming sandbox. To help prop up this side of the game, the developers have been working hard at creating large city sieges — sieges that are now available […]
MMO Business Roundup: Valve's SteamPal, Rockstar's record label, and Cyberpunk's legal battles
Welcome back to another roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news bits. Valve: Would you like Steam to be your pal? Too bad because Valve is making SteamPal a thing, according to an Ars Technica report stuffed with unnamed sources effectively leaking the toy. It's apparently an "an all-in-one PC with gamepad controls and a […]
Trove is set to launch on Nintendo Switch this summer, having counted 28M lifetime players
Remember back in April, when Gamigo parent group Media Games Invest Group told investors that it'd be launching Trove on the Nintendo Switch later this year? It's officially happening now, as today Gamigo announced the port in full for "summer 2021." There's not actually much more to the announcement, as the press release actually spends […]
RuneScape outlines the new Guardian's Gift item which offers wishes to compensate for account lockouts
Do you wish that RuneScape had never had account issues that needed to be corrected in the first place? If so, you and Jagex both have the same wish. Sadly, it does not appear that wishing will undo that particular issue, but wishes hopefully will mollify players who were affected by those same issues. That's […]
Black Desert PC celebrates World Milk Day and adds a new outfit and pet, mobile introduces the Sura class
"Due to the upcoming World Milk Day, it's said that the milk production in the Black Desert world has skyrocketed. So, let's celebrate this special occasion by going to a dairy farm!" Thus proclaims Pearl Abyss in the latest event added to the PC version of the game, entreating players to milk cows in a […]
Blizzard has canceled BlizzCon again, will replace it with another online event early in 2022
Well, this is gonna be a bummer for anyone who was hoping this year's BlizzCon would be a blockbuster to turn the company around: Blizzard just announced that it's canceled in-person BlizzCon, again, thanks to continuing uncertainties over how the pandemic will look by the end of 2021. "As guidelines in California around in-person gatherings […]
