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Last week’s column about World of Warcraft prompted some really interesting comments that I think are worth talking about; in fact, I very nearly wrote an entire column about one of them. But instead, I wanted to talk about another thought that occurred to me when it comes to WoW’s raiding focus because it’s something […]  Read More  Last week’s column about World of Warcraft prompted some really interesting comments that I think are worth talking about; in fact, I very nearly wrote an entire column about one of them. But instead, I wanted to talk about another thought that occurred to me when it comes to WoW’s raiding focus because it’s something

As promised, last night ZeniMax Online unveiled Elder Scrolls Online’s fourth big update of 2023 and the Necrom-backed plotline, and it’s maybe not what players are accustomed to expecting in the last chunk of the year. First off, update 40 itself launches October 30th for PC and Mac, while consolers wait until November 14th; it […]  Read More  As promised, last night ZeniMax Online unveiled Elder Scrolls Online’s fourth big update of 2023 and the Necrom-backed plotline, and it’s maybe not what players are accustomed to expecting in the last chunk of the year. First off, update 40 itself launches October 30th for PC and Mac, while consolers wait until November 14th; it

A new class added to any MMORPG is bound to raise excitement and anxiety among fans, especially when they try to feel out whether the class will fit in with its older siblings or end up overpowered or horribly broken. It feels as though the stakes are fairly high for Lord of the Rings Online’s […]  Read More  A new class added to any MMORPG is bound to raise excitement and anxiety among fans, especially when they try to feel out whether the class will fit in with its older siblings or end up overpowered or horribly broken. It feels as though the stakes are fairly high for Lord of the Rings Online’s

Falling into obscurity and then being completely forgotten is the nightmare of any creative artist. This tragic scenario is compounded when it comes to MMORPGs, where scores of people work together to create a huge interactive product… that sometimes is shuttered, abandoned, and gradually put out of the public’s mind altogether. For today’s list, I […]  Read More  Falling into obscurity and then being completely forgotten is the nightmare of any creative artist. This tragic scenario is compounded when it comes to MMORPGs, where scores of people work together to create a huge interactive product… that sometimes is shuttered, abandoned, and gradually put out of the public’s mind altogether. For today’s list, I

As western players wait for more localized news from NCsoft and Amazon’s Throne and Liberty, we’re left to sift through the missives to Korean players – and we’ve got a meaty one to read this morning. Korean producer Ahn Jong-ok begins by apologizing for the lack of comms and leaps to how the game’s development has […]  Read More  As western players wait for more localized news from NCsoft and Amazon’s Throne and Liberty, we’re left to sift through the missives to Korean players – and we’ve got a meaty one to read this morning. Korean producer Ahn Jong-ok begins by apologizing for the lack of comms and leaps to how the game’s development has

In my very first Vitae Aeternum two years ago, I criticized some of the ways New World lacks character customization. It took a while, but one of my key criticisms from that has now finally been addressed: Transmog is here. Like a lot of things New World does, transmog’s implementation has been a little divisive, […]  Read More  In my very first Vitae Aeternum two years ago, I criticized some of the ways New World lacks character customization. It took a while, but one of my key criticisms from that has now finally been addressed: Transmog is here. Like a lot of things New World does, transmog’s implementation has been a little divisive,

I vividly remember back when Lord of the Rings Online launched its first legendary server, Anor, in 2018. Like many of you, I got swept up in the hype of this progression world, yet I felt the import of what clicking that “Create Character” button would entail. I did it anyway but made the rather […]  Read More  I vividly remember back when Lord of the Rings Online launched its first legendary server, Anor, in 2018. Like many of you, I got swept up in the hype of this progression world, yet I felt the import of what clicking that “Create Character” button would entail. I did it anyway but made the rather

When I saw that there was an event happening on Thursday for World of Warcraft’s next patch, I had to do a double-take. I was sure that the most recent patch had been on Tuesday, but… that was insane. That would mean that the developers chilled two whole days before saying “forget about that patch, […]  Read More  When I saw that there was an event happening on Thursday for World of Warcraft’s next patch, I had to do a double-take. I was sure that the most recent patch had been on Tuesday, but… that was insane. That would mean that the developers chilled two whole days before saying “forget about that patch,

As teased, Blizzard has unveiled World of Warcraft’s Guardians of the Dream, giving little breathing space between it and the just-released Fury Incarnate as GOTD launches on the PTR – today. Assistant Lead Encounter Designer Taylor Sanders characterizes Guardians as a “huge” content update; it sends players to a new zone – the Emerald Dream […]  Read More  As teased, Blizzard has unveiled World of Warcraft’s Guardians of the Dream, giving little breathing space between it and the just-released Fury Incarnate as GOTD launches on the PTR – today. Assistant Lead Encounter Designer Taylor Sanders characterizes Guardians as a “huge” content update; it sends players to a new zone – the Emerald Dream

One of the things I’ve taken on multiple times in this column is the concept of gender-locked classes, which are bad, and if you think “hey, it makes sense in some culture,” you’re wrong and making bad excuses. But there is another common case of class restriction, and those are racially locked classes. This comes […]  Read More  One of the things I’ve taken on multiple times in this column is the concept of gender-locked classes, which are bad, and if you think “hey, it makes sense in some culture,” you’re wrong and making bad excuses. But there is another common case of class restriction, and those are racially locked classes. This comes