SMITE delivered a “bonus update” to the MOBA’s community this past week with several downward adjustments to various features. Speed buff got nerfed “by a noticeable amount” to slow down junglers, the new Bluestone items were deflated, and Contagion saw a decrease in its damage per tick (with more on the way).
Deities such as Surtr, Maui, Cernunnos, and Ishtar also got whacked good and well by the nerf bat. It’s a fun update!
And this is just the beginning of the rest of the news! Read on for a roundup of other smaller MMO news stories and videos from this past week in this edition of The MOP Up (and if you don’t see a news story that we should have covered, drop us a tip)!
World of Warcraft posted a guide to its monthly Darkmoon Faire event, just in case you’re missing out on the fun.
Albion Online has all sorts of referral rewards to hand to those who pimp the MMO to their friends.
NetEase announced that it was recognized by Bloomberg as a member of the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index which “measures gender equality across five pillars, including leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand.”
Torchlight Infinite made a few bug fixes and “optimized an issue that caused Commander Moto’s Charge Calling specialization to lag under certain circumstances.”
The Nell’s Lost Memories event arrived in Riders of Icarus with its February 9th patch.
The Cycle is giving all players free loadout runs in its third season: “Rather than having players risk their hard-earned currency on potentially inefficient attachments, or for them to struggle with resupplying, this new feature allows players to drop down to the surface with a full pre-defined loadout graciously granted by one of the three factions.”
Moonlight Sculptor delayed its February 14th update and extended some of its events to compensate.
Gaijin Entertainment is partnering with Artstorm to publish the PC version of Modern Warships, which should be coming later this year.
Phantasy Star Online 2 thinks it’s finally fixed an issue affecting the enhancement levels with some of its gear.
Shroud of the Avatar is asking testers to check out a couple of new fixes and fish tanks. Those fish aren’t going to tank themselves, after all!
A new five-track EP album from Final Fantasy XIV includes more music from its Endwalker expansion.
Wolcen’s January update seems substantial: “This month we are focusing entirely on the new uniques that you will discover as you play through the upcoming Chapter IV and delve into the enhanced endgame. We are also introducing crowdin versions of existing uniques, which will exist alongside their ‘standard’ counterparts but offer a new twist.”
Post-apocalyptic MMO Crossout is getting frosty with this drop: “Take part in the ‘Polar Lights’ season and unlock the parts of the new northern faction, create brawls based on your own rules in the game center mode, and don’t forget to test the co-driver Hertz on the new Volcano map!”
Atlas is focusing on getting its smaller server maps right on the Xbox before going back to larger maps: “We are now introducing a new server with a much more limited company size setting. This will allow players to enjoy the thrill of PvP with smaller groups without the pressure of larger companies opposing them.”
Prosperous Universe is improving its new player experience: “We want to introduce different concepts of the game through interactive tours and accompanying faction contracts that we call ‘introductory faction contracts.'”
The aurora and a feisty bear are part of PUBG Battlegrounds’ latest update:
The MMO industry pumps out more and more news every year – no site could possibly cover everything. That’s why we gather together all the extras every week in The MOP Up, our a weekly compilation of MMO info we don’t want lost in the cracks of time. Send us your news bits through our tips line!
