Blade & Soul offers a preview of the Dual Blade class arriving on September 8
Blade & Soul continues to run down the feature list of its upcoming September 8th update, this time offering a closer look at the Dual Blade class that will launch with the new content patch. And yes, it has a bit more information beyond "it uses two swords" and "it's a melee class" (though it […]
The Soapbox: #DayOffTwitch illustrates how good intentions break under bad planning
Those of you reading this probably know me as someone who wears one of three hats here at MOP: a news writer, the Choose My Adventure columnist, and one of MOP's streamers. It's that third job that I wanted to talk about here today, specifically about the recent #DayOffTwitch boycott that happened this past Wednesday, […]
Lord of the Rings Online to preview Brawler class and Legendary Item improvements this week
Lord of the Rings Online fans are due for a preview of their future this week, as SSG is running a preview test for two highly anticipated features. Both the much-needed legendary item revamp and the brand-new Brawler class are going onto the public test server on Wednesday. This should allow for a whole ton […]
China's new kid gaming time regulations are already causing industry trainwrecks
At the end of August, we noted that China was following through on its plan to set extreme limits on minors' gaming time – limits that effectively ensured young gamers would be allowed to play games only between the hours of 8 and 9 p.m. on weekend evenings and public holidays. The move has apparently […]
World of Warcraft patch 9.1.5 allows you to unlock flight again by dying
People are dying to fly in World of Warcraft's upcoming next patch. You might be about to argue that flight isn't keeping with the theme of patch 9.1.5 ("baby, we changed, please love us again") because flight was actually unlocked back in patch 9.1, and that's accurate, but in this particular case that first line […]
Final Fantasy XIV brings back the Final Fantasy XV collaboration event on September 13
If you missed out on getting a suit of attire, Orchestrion rolls, or the flying four-seat car mount in Final Fantasy XIV the last time the Final Fantasy XV collaboration event rolled around, we've got good news for you. The event has been confirmed to roll around once again starting on September 13th, allowing players […]
Star Citizen backer reports CIG to the UK Advertising Standards Agency over ship concept sales
Are you among those fed up that Star Citizen can sell concept ships — internet spaceships that haven't even materialized in the game yet but can still be sold for hundreds of dollars — with no recourse? You're not alone, even among backers of the game, apparently. One Redditor by the name of Mazty received […]
Sony puts an end to free first-party PlayStation 5 game upgrades
Bad news for PlayStation 5 owners looking to upgrade their libraries: Sony said that it's putting an end to the practice of upgrading first-party PlayStation 4 games to the next generation edition for free. This appears to be a shift in corporate philosophy, as Sony previously said that it had "an upgrade path for PS4 […]
The Daily Grind: Which MMOs begin as they mean to go on?
In Eliot's open letter to new players and vets of Final Fantasy XIV last month, he noted that Final Fantasy XIV's endgame is not like the endgames of many other MMOs, specifically because it "begins as it means to go on." "The endgame is not where the game starts; level 1 is where the game […]
Craftopia arrives to Windows and Xbox Game Preview, plans its summer update for September 30
It's been a while since we checked in on the developing survival sandbox of Craftopia, and boy is it good we're peeking back in because there have been a number of updates to note. We start off with last week's launch of the game on Xbox and Windows Game Preview, granting players on Xbox One, […]
SoulWorker introduces a new four-player Violent Sun raid in latest update
Players of the action MMO SoulWorker have a new challenge to step up to in the form of the Violent Sun raid, a four-player encounter that sits as the tentpole attraction for the game's latest update. This new raid requires four players who are rank 72 and higher, and features a final boss with three […]
Life Beyond adds weapon upgrades in latest patch, plans new AI, Corruption mode, and public playtest 'gyms'
The survival sandbox of Life Beyond is continuing to grow. After a teaser tweet this past Wednesday, the game's latest release went live two days later on Friday, introducing the ability for players to upgrade their weapons and deployables by using special resources collected during expeditions. There have also been a couple of weapon and […]
Shroud of the Avatar addresses 'dozens of errors' in latest patch
Release 93 of Shroud of the Avatar apparently didn't arrive without some bugs in it. That seems to be par for the course for most MMOs unfortunately, but the bugs that arrived with the recent build of the MMORPG were apparently bad enough and numerous enough that they were causing some lag and hitching problems. […]
Wisdom of Nym: A look at Trusts in Final Fantasy XIV before Endwalker
Trusts are simultaneously one of the most important and most invisible features of Shadowbringers on a whole. A whole lot of work goes into making sure that Trusts are available and work for every single dungeon all the way through the expansion, and yet it's very possible for a lot of people to go through […]
Grab a key for Eden Falling's ongoing closed alpha 2 courtesy of Razor Edge Games and MOP
Yesterday, Razor Edge Games kicked off phase two of its closed alpha for Eden Falling, the "multiplayer sci-fi turn-based strategic survival RPG" we've had our eye on for the last few years. The game has been humming along through development and most recently pushed out its engine update that promises "more fluid gameplay, better fidelity, […]
Overwatch League plans an April 2022 start and confirms the use of an 'early build' of Overwatch 2
Are you eager for the next round of Overwatch competition? Then perhaps you'll be happy to note that Jon Spector, the VP of the Overwatch League for Blizzard, has put out a couple of tweets you should know about. First off, Spector announced that the league plans to kick off its next season sometime in […]
Crowfall studio ArtCraft has apparently suffered a round of layoffs
We've got some bad news for fans of Crowfall: It appears that the team behind the game, ArtCraft, is going through some layoffs. The news initially came from Valerie Massey, who was the Director of Community at ArtCraft at the time of its Kickstarter through June of last year; she's currently the Senior Community Manager at […]
The Daily Grind: What's the worst type of minigame in MMOs?
Today's Daily Grind was inspired by Roger over at Contains Moderate Peril, who penned a fun piece on minigames a few weeks back. Oh, did I say fun? I meant grumpy. But justifiably grumpy, in my opinion. He begins by pointing out that most MMO minigamers are harmless and even fun. But… "Then there's a […]
MMO Week in Review: Lost Ark's delay, WoW's carrot on a stick
This week, Lost Ark delayed its launch into next year, freeing up your MMO autumn for the likes of New World of Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker. Meanwhile, No Man's Sky launched Frontiers, Daybreak is a mess as always, and World of Warcraft continued trying to win back its alienated playerbase with patches and bribes. Read […]
Fortnite's Operation: Sky Fire plans to close out Season 2 Chapter 7 with an assault on an alien ship September 12
Fortnite players, mark the calendar date of Sunday, September 12th, as that will be the end of the game's current Season 2 Chapter 7, and in usual Fortnite style, it will end with a big ol' hullabaloo. Specifically, an invasion of one of the alien ships. Players are advised that the event will kick off […]
The MOP Up: Perfect World Mobile celebrates its second anniversary with extra bonuses
Perfect World Mobile just reached its second birthday, and with that comes a string of extra goodies, bonuses, login rewards, and even a special anniversary server. "When the pre-registrations reach the designated number, all Seekers (at level 30) in the server will get a reward of 900 Bound Gold Ingots. And all players who reach […]
Blade and Soul plunges into a new forest dungeon on September 8
With several MMOs pumping out patches on September 8th, Blade and Soul is going to have to work extra hard to get your attention. How about the addition of a sinister forest dungeon with tons of new rewards? That should perk up the ears of any adventurer, we should think. The Forest of Echoes instance […]
The Stream Team: Romping around the new build of multiplayer RPG Swords 'n Magic and Stuff
It's time yet again for another run around in something a bit different. Specifically, the adorable multiplayer RPG Swords 'n Magic and Stuff, which recently saw an update that added farming and more item crafting. It's a world of bright colors, cute combat, and a new world to explore, and MOP's Chris will happily show […]
Book of Travels' latest video discusses the game's early access map and planned chapter structure
When Book of Travels does eventually release into early access, there will be places to explore. That would be pretty obvious considering the TMORPG is all about wandering the world, but the latest video from developer Might & Delight tries to set a few expectations on what players can look forward to. The early access […]
One Shots: Nostalgia overload
Elder Scrolls Online certainly isn't shy about cashing in on the entire series' popularity, despite being a prequel. There are plenty of places in the game where you can see familiar landmarks and vistas, just rewound back into the past. The end result is, as Hurbster notes here, "Nostalgia overload for those of us of […]
The Daily Grind: What are some unwritten rules of your MMO communities?
Everyone who plays Final Fantasy XIV for any appreciable length of time knows that there is a third-party DPS tracking application out there. It's common knowledge. There are sites that compile DPS figures for various fights, and that is also common knowledge. But no one talks about it in-game, because even though the developers are also fully aware […]
Battle Bards Episode 200: Battle Bards Bicentennial!
Can you believe it? The Battle Bards have hit 200 amazing episodes! Join Steff, Syl, and Syp as they take a victory lap around the field of MMO music, sharing their personal soundtrack discoveries and listeners' favorite tracks. It's a Battle Bards Bicentennial! Battle Bards is the world's first, best, and only MMO music podcast. Biweekly […]
Guild Wars 2 teases its next elite spec as leaked filenames provide clues for new class weapons
ArenaNet is ready to keep on drumming up the hype for further Guild Wars 2 elite specs, starting with the newest teaser image featuring what appears to be a Norn-shaped character who was beaned in the face by a balloon filled with yellow paint, prompting him to unsheathe some sort of combination between a gunblade […]
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen discusses production and communication in latest VIP roundtable podcast
Care to listen to a couple of devs from Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen talk about production and communication matters for the MMO? Then you've got an action-packed hour's worth of podcast waiting for you with the game's August developer roundtable podcast. This episode features project producer and director of communications Ben "Machail" Dean and […]
Fallout 76's Fallout Worlds Update includes Unstoppables reward track and two new allies
Superheroes and other comic book figures might initially seem at odds with Fallout 76's post-nuclear wasteland, but fans of the series know that there's a particular love in the remaining culture of the world of these characters. So it shouldn't raise eyebrows to hear that the game's sixth season is focused around The Unstoppables. This […]
The Game Archaeologist: SOE's many MMO spin-off digital card games
One thing that I deeply admired about old Sony Online Entertainment was that it strove to experiment, innovate, and take risks. Sometimes those special projects panned out, sometimes they did not — but it was always a wild ride, giving us things like Player Studio, SOEmote, and pizza integration with EverQuest II. Another thing that […]
Embers Adrift announces plans for pre-orders in October, plots testing windows and final release timing
Remember how Embers Adrift, the game formerly known as Saga of Lucimia, said it had raised enough money to launch? Well the devs at Stormhaven Studios have put that money where their mouth is with a new announcement that effectively outlines the game's path to release. First off, Embers will open a pre-order store this […]
WRUP: Kylie stole my lightsaber edition
All right, Master. You're angry. I understand that. I'm angry, too. Not at you, obviously, but at the situation. See, I know that you're not going to believe me when I say this, but Kylie actually stole my lightsaber. I didn't forget it or anything, I know right where it is. Kylie has it. But […]
The Daily Grind: When was the last time you slowed down to enjoy your MMO?
It hasn't escaped my attention that, in MMOs, speed is everything. If we're not running somewhere, we're sprinting. If we're not sprinting, we're on rocket-powered mounts breaking Mach 7. The faster we can get to our objectives, the faster we can Get Stuff Done and Make Progress. And while I do appreciate convenient transportation, I […]
Betawatch: TitanReach suspends development
Exeunt TitanReach, pursued by former backers angry that the game is no more. The studio behind the game announced this week that development was being suspended due to a lack of funds, meaning that the packages sold since the game's early access began weren't enough to sustain ongoing development. That doesn't mean that it's impossible for the […]
MMO Business Roundup: Clockwork Labs' sandbox startup, NPIXEL, LOTRO's community, and more
Welcome back to another quickie roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news. Business business business! Clockwork Labs: Brand-new indie game studio Clockwork Labs has raised $4.3M US for its "upcoming unannounced community sandbox MMORPG." According to the press, the studio is "dedicated to building massively-multiplayer "societal games" that are less focused on pure combat and […]
League of Legends announces a virtual concert for the band Pentakill and previews its newest hero Vex
Care for a bit of heavy metal with your MOBA? Then you probably enjoy Pentakill, the virtual heavy metal band from the League of Legends universe. The band is soon releasing its third album, Lost Chapter, which was first announced at the end of an ARG that kicked off on August 29th, and Riot Games […]
Pokemon Go's 'postponed' Safari Zones going hybrid, still no party hats for Japan, Korea, or Italy
Niantic is still trying to get Pokemon GO players outside despite backlash and ongoing hashtag tomfoolery, though right now it's doing so in a hybrid fashion. The original 2020 Safari Zones were set to be held in-person starting March 2020 during what became lockdown periods for COVID-19, leading the events to be both postponed and active […]
Final Fantasy XI announces its September update and continues its anniversary interviews
It's the start of September, and that means Final Fantasy XI fans know it's just about time for the game's next version update to arrive as usual. This means another installment in the ongoing Voracious Resurgence storyline, with this serving as the final installment in the Aht Urhgan portion of the tale. What will it involve? […]
Warframe brings back the Plague Star event and introduces Nidus Prime on September 8
Much of this isn't exactly news if you watched the last devstream for Warframe, but just so players are aware, this coming Wednesday, September 8th, will be bringing the multiplayer shooter's next update, which is reintroducing the popular Plague Star event and releasing the game's newest Prime 'frame. One of the highlighted features of September […]
VR MMO Zenith hypes up its physics model for swords and new hires to the dev team
What's coming next to the in-development VR MMO Zenith? According to the game's latest press release, physics. While that might sound a bit like old hat or a nod back to Nvidia's PhysX tech demo videos, developer RamenVR promises that the application of physics in VR carries a bit more weight. Get it? Physics jokes; […]
DC Universe Online is fixing episode 41's endgame source marks situation
As surveys for DC Universe Online continue rolling in, Daybreak and Dimensional Ink are forging ahead with plans for future development, as catalogued in the latest dev blog. Notably, the team is already hard at work fixing up episode 41 based on feedback already collected from players. The studio says it aims to return and […]
Final Fantasy XIV posts another anniversary story while scheduling its next live letter
The celebration of Final Fantasy XIV's eighth anniversary in fiction continues to roll on with a new side story for players to enjoy. This time, it's time to take a peek at the backstory of the head of Limsa Lominsa, Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn herself, recalling the early summoning of Leviathan and the moment when she had […]
Inside Star Citizen offers a look at several new ships, new weapons, and new locations in development
When we reported on Star Citizen's August development report, we noted that the ship development team was extremely busy with a number of vehicles moving through various stages of the pipeline. That has been expounded upon a bit more in this week's episode of Inside Star Citizen, which shows off some of these new ships […]
SWG Legends is letting players demolish over 13K houses in latest pack-up event
People put a lot of effort into their MMORPG houses, but that only enhances the amusement when it's time for the community to blow them up, right? I'm mostly kidding, but not entirely: As of today's update, Star Wars Galaxies rogue server SWG Legends has initiated one of its intermittent housing demolition/house pack-up events. Here's […]
Global Chat: Returning to Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2's new (old) leadership, uptick in communication, and upcoming expansion have a lot of MMO players returning to the game lately — including Why I Game's Jeromai, who wrote an essay on the state of the game and its activities right now. "Guild Wars 2, as a horizontal progression game, is filled with […]
WoW Factor: What's behind the turning of the tide in World of Warcraft's patch 9.1.5?
There's some interesting stuff going on right now when it comes to World of Warcraft's next major patch, due in no small part to the fact that it's clearly the patch all about pulling the ripcord. Indeed, it's a patch that is pulling that cord so hard that I suspect the cord is going to come […]
Book of Travels attributes its latest delay to an 'unholy trio' of bugs, promises a new early access launch date soon
When Book of Travels saw its early access release date pushed back a fourth time to date, there was perhaps some concern about just what is happening. Developer Might & Delight has thankfully provided some honest context, and it turns out to be a good thing there was a delay, all things considered: The game […]
World of Warcraft patch 9.1.5 kicks off testing with a number of new customization options for Nightborne, Lightforged Draenei, and Void Elves
We've said it before and we'll say it again: World of Warcraft wants you to love it again. Can you come up with another reason for the game suddenly adding a lot of additional customization options players have requested? You might not actually care about why, though; you might just be happy that you've got […]
Playable Worlds' Raph Koster has all but said he's building a metaverse
If you've been listening to companies like Epic Games yammer about the "metaverse" over the last year and wondered whether it's all just a lot of simple tricks and nonsense, then you might want to read up, and who better to offer that reading than someone who actually built and ran one? That someone would […]
