If you ever missed the days of classic MMOs like Ultima Online, EverQuest, and Asheron’s Call when live gamemasters put on events for the whole server… well, actually you can still do that in UO. But if you wanted that experience in a modern MMORPG, your options have been sadly limited. New MMO Eternal Tombs aims to change all that.
You’ve actually heard of this one before; it was first announced as War of Dragnorox back in 2021; when we checked in on the game earlier in 2023, studio Triune was still deep in testing, planning a box fee and sub, talking up its private investment, and planning hardcore mechanics and loads of endgame raids because – as the team put it – “you neckbeards will max level in like 15 minutes after launch.”
The game’s been renamed to Eternal Tombs now, promising the “ultimate D&D-like experience for MMORPG players on PC” set in a “vast world where things are always being changed by staff members who play alongside the community as Dungeon Masters.” The name change comes with a style pivot, too.
“Why did we change the name? War of Dragnorox started out as a tab targeted based game that featured slow moving combat, very similar to games of the past,” the devs told players on Discord earlier this summer. “As we continued in our development, we discovered that without having that nostalgic feeling of a game we’ve played for 20+ years, the combat was just incredibly arduous and boring. We took an incredibly hard look internally and started revamping everything. We tried multiple different styles of systems and ultimately came up with something that is incredibly fun and totally unique. It’s quite a bit different and a name change was needed to establish the difference.”
The current pitch is still for a sprawling sandbox.
“In addition to the unique Dungeon Master system, Eternal Tombs is a fully-featured sandbox MMORPG where players will make their mark on the world by running their own shop, unlocking new areas to explore, killing thousands of different monster types, defending castles from sieges, conducting war operations, crafting unique items, engaging in ranked optional PvP, or raiding deep inside dungeons.”
This week’s press release promises a “microtransaction-free game” and signups for the open beta, though it’s unclear when that’ll actually happen, and there’s no release window now either. On the other hand, the team isn’t asking anyone for money, just hype.
