Some of us are the types of players who are more than satisfied to get one be-all, does-all suit of gear and wear that forever (or at least until the next expansion comes). Then there are those who enjoy “situational gear,” as GamingSF puts it, and collect multiple gear sets in anticipation of specific situations.
“I really like this kind of gear as it is one way the devs can make the MMORPG feel more like a RPG to me,” Telwyn writes. “Having choices to make, and options that need hunting out, is a way to add motivations for replaying content. If the only choice, ever, is to have the highest item level or highest stat gear then that’s not much of a choice. Sadly, the modern game went this way a long while ago: the gear grind consistently has settled on waiting for RNG to bless you with a higher item-level piece.”
As you chew on that, read on for more MMO essays, including a look at EverQuest’s history, SWTOR’s story progression, World of Warcraft’s casual-friendly, nature, and more!
The EverQuest Show: EverQuest through the ages
“If you’ve played EverQuest long enough, you start to look back at different periods of development and expansions and notice ebbs and flows. Due to both internal changes within the team, and external business and industry shifts, the history of EQ also can be divided into various eras, periods of time that are separated by game-changing shifts in development.”
24 Hours In: Doing my homework
“That’s not to say I won’t read or watch a guide and take something from it. There comes a point in Neverwinter when gear improvements – especially the refining of enchantments and artefacts – becomes very resource intensive, and as I get nearer to level 60 that’s where I am now. I’d as soon not waste what I have on items I won’t be holding onto, so I have been taking some time to read over recent guides and get some idea of what’s good for Rogues in 2020.”
Contains Moderate Peril: Is the battle pass just as egregious as loot boxes?
“The reality of the battle pass system is in many ways just as insidious as loot boxes. It plays to exactly the same ‘fear of missing out’ mindset. Cosmetics, despite what many publishers publicly state, are not just ‘optional’ for many players. If they were then ‘default’ wouldn’t have become a pejorative term in Fortnite.”
Going Commando: A quest a day keeps the story underway
“I’ve previously talked about how disconnected story and character progression have become in SWTOR over the years. With level sync in place, that’s not exactly a problem per se, but if you’re like me and enjoy both story content and character advancement being dished out simultaneously, being forced to choose one over the other at times can be a bit of a downer.”
Digital Visceral: World of Warcraft is more casual-friendly than ever, and it’s great
“While I’m aware that the expedient design of retail WoW displeases some, it’s great that Blizzard offers their game in two flavours. The coexistence of Battle for Azeroth and Classic is genius: aside from placating both types of players, it also highlights how drastically the game has evolved since 2004.”
Inventory Full: Lost in daydreams, forgotten by time — EverQuest
“We’ve all heard war stories from EverQuest’s early days and its meteoric rise, when it became, briefly, the most popular and celebrated MMORPG of its day, until hubris, incompetence and implacable fate dragged it down to an ignominious and devastating fall. But all of that spans less than a quarter of the twenty-one years the game has stuck around. We hear far less about what happened after the collapse.”
Every day there are tons of terrific, insightful, and unusual articles posted across the MMO gaming blogosphere — and every day, Justin reads as many as he can. Global Chat is a sampling of noteworthy essays, rants, and guides from the past few weeks of MMO discourse.
