MMO Week in Review: Guild Wars 2 reimagined (August 30, 2015)

It’s been a giant week for Guild Wars 2 as we count down to the now-50-odd days until Heart of Thorns launches, though it’s not been without its bumpy roads. ArenaNet announced the Thief elite spec and next beta date, handed out its third anniversary gifts, committed to an October 23rd expansion release, and revealed a new raiding endgame and free base-game business model, though the last pair bobbed in the wake of a badly timed leak. Plus, Massively OP’s GW2 columnist, Tina Lauro, debated the merits of datamining.

Read on for the very best of this week’s MMO news and opinions.

E3 2015: Garriott and Long share Shroud of the Avatar secrets - This past year, Shroud of the Avatar moved from a monthly weekend-release cadence to being online 24/7, but the major updates have been no less frequent and new features are introduced regularly. Perhaps even more impressive…

Runic will show a new game at PAX Prime - Torchlight developer Runic will be revealing its new project at this year's PAX Prime, according to a post on the company's forums. The firm told VG247 that the title is not a Torchlight mobile port and,…

A surprise awaits EverQuest II progression server players - Back at E3 2015, Producer Holly Longdale revealed an exciting tidbit of information that may very well put a smile on EverQuest II players' faces. And now, we can share that secret with you! What's with all…

The Repopulation revamps its PvP system - Forget what you might have seen or played of The Repopulation's PvP in the past, because the upcoming sandbox MMO is bringing to bear an overhauled interpersonal conflict system that could suck you in. The team…

Gamescom 2015: Star Citizen’s Chris Roberts dismisses Derek Smart - Line of Defense's Derek Smart has made it quite clear what he thinks about Star Citizen and its creator, Chris Roberts, by calling for Roberts' resignation and an audit of the crowdfunded title. But what does…

Guild Wars 2 will demo ‘challenging group content’ at PAX - Guild Wars 2 fans heading to PAX Prime later this month will find a lot to do with their favorite MMO. ArenaNet said that the game will be the focus of an August 29th press and…

The Repopulation patches in combat improvements, sets the stage for sieges - Are you not currently part of the The Repopulation's testing but want to check out the game? Good news: You will be able to during PAX Prime this weekend, or you could take advantage of a…

Guild Wars 2’s PAX reveal leaks early, and it’s a big deal - Guild Wars 2 hasn't had much luck with its expansion reveal pace lately between dataminers and leaks, and this afternoon, that bad luck continues. A tweet from IGN, apparently entrusted exclusively with the news, blabbed some…

Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns launches October 23rd - ArenaNet announced today that Heart of Thorns, the first expansion for the three-year-old Guild Wars 2, will formally launch on October 23rd. https://twitter.com/GuildWars2/status/637278666070757381 The studio saw several of its PAX Prime reveals spoiled yesterday. Those of you with…

PAX Prime 2015: Sword Coast Legends unveils new trailer and screenshots - Even if you normally avoid the Wizards of the Coast booth at PAX Prime because you're not there for tabletop games, you'll want to visit it this year. Why? Because Sword Coast Legends will be there…

PAX Prime 2015: Trion tries turn-based strategy with Atlas Reactor - [AL:Atlas]Trion, the creator of Trove and RIFT, has turned its attention to the online PvP market with its new game Atlas Rector. At its core, Atlas Reactor is a turn-based strategy game. But unlike X-Com or even Pirate101, Atlas…

PAX Prime 2015: Devilian reveals founder packs - At PAX Prime last night, Trion announced founder packs for its upcoming OARPG import, Devilian. The cheapest bundle, at $49.99, includes beta access, 2500 credits, a two-day early access, a month of Patron status, two extra character…

PAX Prime 2015: Sword Coast Legends makes a great first impression - I like to think that it's not the hype getting to me when I talk about Sword Coast Legends. When I first saw the demo of the game at E3, I was very intrigued. Here at PAX…

Guild Wars 2’s base game is F2P for everyone today; Heart of Thorns introduces raiding - We'll be updating this post with all the highlights of ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns PAX Prime 2015 panel beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT today. Watch along below; we've got the stream embedded from Twitch!…

PAX Prime 2015: Guns of Icarus breaks ‘preconceived notions’ of naval combat simulation - There are always some games that you look at and think that it would be great to try when you have the time. My Steam library is full of them. One game that might have made…

PAX Prime 2015: Guild Wars 2 is never getting a PUG raid finder - Guild Wars 2 set its fanbase on edge this last week on Twitter and at PAX prime. We learned that raids are coming to GW2 with its next expansion, and on Saturday the base Guild Wars 2 game…

PAX Prime 2015: Guild Wars 2’s free-to-play model and publishing takeover - When I spoke to ArenaNet's Colin Johanson about raids in Guild Wars 2 at this year's PAX Prime, President Mike O'Brien was sitting right next to him. Johanson was the frontman for raiding, while O'Brien took a brief moment…

PAX Prime 2015: Neverwinter’s Elemental Evil might be better on Xbox - I know the majority of us on this site are PC players. I include myself in that group. And being a part of the PC master race, I have seriously wondered why a game like Neverwinter…

Massively OP Podcast Episode 28: PAX Primal - Justin and Bree discuss Guild Wars 2 F2P, Atlas Reactor, The Park, SWTOR, Marvel Heroes, and WildStar, plus mailbag questions on Elder Scrolls Online, podcast meta, and more GW2.

Free-to-play WildStar ‘Reloaded’ arrives September 29th - No, that isn't a typo in the title: WildStar fully converts to free-to-play on September 29th. Carbine and its crew are calling this significant change to the game's payment model WildStar Reloaded. Carbine isn't just changing how you…

PAX Prime 2015: Don’t hate me because I don’t like Gigantic - If you've not heard of the game Gigantic, then I'm going to have to ask where you've been because Motiga's cross between a MOBA and third-person shooter has been everywhere. Its presence at PAX Prime was…

Blade and Soul beta begins October 30th, still launching Q1 2016 - You can stop holding your breath now: The beautifully rendered action MMORPG Blade and Soul arrives on western shores very soon. NCSoft officially announced today that the closed beta for its premier wuxia MMO will begin on October 30th,…

Funcom releases second quarter financials and announces The Park - We could quote a lot of numbers from Funcom's second quarter financial report, but let's be honest here: They're just confirming what we already know. There are three non-numerical takeaways from the report, the first being…

Guild Wars 2 reveals the Thief elite specialization, the Daredevil - How can you make a Thief in Guild Wars 2 be even more thiefly? Perhaps you could give Thieves the ability to steal things that don't actually exist, like your sense of self-esteem, but that would be…

Nexus Telegraph: Five ways to get ready for WildStar’s F2P - WildStar's free-to-play transition -- with the accompanying massive feature patch -- hasn't gotten a set date yet, but with the update in closed beta testing I think it's a safe bet that we're looking at a…

SWTOR vows all companions will return in the KOTFE expansion - [AL:TOR]BioWare took to a much-anticipated livestream last night to assuage fears concerning the fate of companions in Star Wars: The Old Republic when Knights of the Fallen Empire comes out later this year. The bottom line…

Star Citizen’s social module is now playable - Star Citizen fans have a lot to chew on this weekend, as Cloud Imperium has released the game's social module, a dev blog on electronic warfare, and the weekly Star Marine status update. Design director Tony…

Undead Labs cancels Moonrise, cites lack of projected profitability - Pokémon-like battler Moonrise won't be seeing the light of commercial release, apparently. Undead Labs announced today that after several months in early access testing on both PC and iOS, Moonrise wasn't quite working out the way the…

Marvel Heroes brings out War Machine, updates Cable, and teams up with Carnage - Much like the comics it's based upon, Marvel Heroes is always moving forward and changing. For example, the game has just revealed its level 52 review of Cable, updating that '90s comic poster boy with a…

Bless gets an English trailer and a final KCBT date - If you want Bless news, this is your post. If you want a western release date, though, we can't help you. At least for now. That said, it can't be far off, since the final Korean…

EverQuesting: Can EQII’s paid prisons keep problem players in their place? - Huh. That sentiment pretty well sums up those days when despite thinking you've heard or seen it all, something pops up that takes you by surprise, something you never would have expected. EverQuest II just recently…

The Soapbox: The fun and frustration of SWTOR’s housing system - [AL:TOR]When I was a kid, I had far too many Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and playsets. And when I say kid, I actually mean 25-year old man. Then I discovered girls and the merits of a…

Project Gorgon is soon switching to Steam and restricting alpha access - With its successful Kickstarter campaign behind it, indie MMO Project Gorgon is forging ahead with plans to transition to Steam. Elder Game sent out a letter to all backers this morning with a timetable regarding the…

MUD’s Ben Walsh on the female character stretch goal and Kickstarter ambition - The sandbox known as MUD -- not to be confused with actual MUDs -- launched an ambitious Kickstarter this week, provoking the MMO community to do what it always does when asked for money: be skeptical. Of note,…

Otherland reschedules early access for September 10 - A day after its early access was supposed to begin, Otherland announced that it has rescheduled the start of alpha testing on Steam for September 10th. "As mentioned before this gives us additional time to prepare US…

Mobile game replicates the World of Warcraft raid healing experience - Healers are the often unsung heroes of any MMO raid, spending hours staring at health bars while the rest of the group gets to enjoy the fireworks with the boss. Now there's a mobile game that…

Marvel Heroes’ lead content dev leaves for mobile startup - Geoff Tuffli is leaving Gazillion for a Los Angeles-based mobile startup, according to a recent forum post. Gazillion's Benjamin Gross will be assuming the majority of Tuffli's "content oversight responsibilities" on Marvel Heroes. Tuffli lists a number…

Star Trek Online bug creates neverending party - [AL:STO]Once upon a time, Star Trek Online gave players a "party amplifier" that spawned a disco ball and other effects on command. Then a gremlin got into the system recently and caused the amplifier to stick…

EVE Online’s Galatea update begins with a royal assassination - This isn't just a patch; it's a political upheaval. EVE Online pushed out its Galatea release today and with it a major event that's rocking the galaxy. It appears that the Amarr Empress has been assassinated…

Trove bug accidentally grants tons of free loot to players - Bugs and glitches happen. This is a fact of MMO life. But what happens when a bug ends up erroneously dumping rare and expensive items in your lap -- and the studio doesn't take them away?…

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