The MassivelyOP Podcast in review, 2024 edition

The MassivelyOP Podcast is hitting one heck of a milestone in just a few more weeks: We’ll have made it to 500 shows since going fully independent – and that’s if you don’t count the 331 episodes on Old Massively on top. Justin and I have literally been podcasting together for 13 years, which is wild.

As we’ve noted before, most podcasts don’t make it past their third episode because podcasting is work! It sounds like fun, but it’s not easy, and people get mad at the weirdest things you’ll say. But somehow, you’re all still tuning in, and as long as you’re still listening, we’ll keep on talking about the best genre in the industry.

One of the best things we did this year? One-topic episodes: We dived deep into MMO crafting, housing, MMO zones, and fashion. Let us know if you want more shows like these!

We’re taking a break from the news podcast this week – and of course, you can stay tuned for the 500th episode at the top of 2025 – but for now, we’re rounding up all of the podcasts we published over the course of 2024. If you missed an episode, now you can get caught up!

Massively OP Podcast Episode 452: A staff roundtable for a new year (January 9, 2024) - Justin, Eliot, MJ, and Carlo sit for a roundtable to discuss the MMOs we've been playing, our highlights for 2023, the MOP awards, and the state of the genre.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 453: Massively minds of the roundtable (January 16, 2024) - Justin, Bree, Chris, and Sam sit for a roundtable to discuss the MMOs we've been playing, our highlights for 2023, the MOP awards, and the state of the genre.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 454: MMO roadmap roundup (January 23, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss the 2024 roadmaps for Lord of the Rings Online, Lost Ark, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, EVE Online, Elder Scrolls Online, New World, EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Wayfinder, with adventures in LOTRO, FFXIV, and City of Heroes.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 455: Odyssey to the abyss (January 30, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Riot's and Blizzard's layoffs, the death of Blizzard's Odyssey, Palworld, Kritika, The Day Before, and Star Trek Online, with adventures in Guild Wars 2 and City of Heroes, plus a mailbag topic on memorable fluff loot.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 456: The MMO housing show (February 6, 2024) - Justin and Bree tackle a theme proposed by the listeners, as this show is all about MMORPG housing, including why housing matters, post-launch housing patches, placement tools, prefab vs. custom houses, housing as part of the gameplay loop, apartments vs. instanced vs. open-world housing, incentivizing housing use, taxes and monetization, and integrating housing into MMO ecosystems.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 457: Sailing into February with cannons blazing (February 13, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Skull & Bones, FFXIV on Xbox, WoW Classic, New World, and Nightingale, with adventures in LOTRO, Elder Scrolls Online, and City of Heroes, plus mailbag topics on day and night cycles and getting out of MMO gaming ruts.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 458: PlanetSide 2 in limbo (February 20, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Daybreak selling PlanetSide, Nightingale's early access, Islands of Insight's launch, and NCsoft's financials with Guild Wars 2 and Throne & Liberty, with adventures in Elder Scrolls Online, LOTRO, City of Heroes, and SWG Legends, plus a mailbag topic on features we want to see in features for Amazon's LOTR and ZeniMax's Star Wars MMOs.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 459: A Gigantic return (February 27, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Nightingale's launch, Gigantic's return, Guild Wars 2's Realm of Dreams, and Last Epoch's launch, with adventures in LOTRO, Elder Scrolls Online, City of Heroes, and SWG Legends, plus a mailbag topic on Wagadu Chronicles and TTRPG-MMO crossovers.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 460: The crafting episode! (March 5, 2024) - Justin and Bree focus discuss all things crafting in MMORPGs in this theme show: our personal experiences with crafting, the real purpose of crafting, MMOs that did things differently, the impact of survival games, craft gating, missing crafts, the future of MMO crafting, and much more.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 461: Dune Awakening rises from its slumber (March 12, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Camelot Unchained, Final Stand Ragnarok, WoW Cataclysm Classic, Dune Awakening, New World, and Albion Online, with adventures in Elder Scrolls Online, LOTRO, SWG Legends, and City of Heroes, plus mailbag topics on BitCraft and our thoughts on the merits of early access.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 462: Awaiting Brighter Shores (March 19, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss EverQuest's 25th birthday, Brighter Shores' announcement, Star Citizen's 1.0 tease, SWTOR's date night patch, Elder Scrolls Online's DLC, and LOTRO's Update 39, with adventures in ESO and LOTRO, plus two mailbag topics relating to the crafting show.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 463: WoW’s pirates storm the gangplank (March 26, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss FFXIV Dawntrail, the Riot MMO, WoW Plunderstorm, the state of Cryptic and its MMOs (Star Trek Online, Neverwinter, Champions Online), ArcheAge 2's delay, Path of Exile 2's beta delay, and New World's next season, with adventures in Elder Scrolls Online, LOTRO, The Sims 4, and SWG Legends, plus a mailbag topic on rekindling the social magic of old MMORPGs.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 464: Guild Wars 3 is a go (April 2, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss NCsoft, Guild Wars 3, DCUO, Monsters and Memories, Hellgate, and the LOTRO downtime, with adventures in Elder Scrolls Online, SWTOR, and Valheim, plus a mailbag topic on Palia.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 465: Remixing Pandaria (April 16, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss WoW's Mists of Pandaria remix, new progression servers for EverQuest and EverQuest II, WoW Cataclysm Classic pre-patch, Blizzard's return to China, Blizzard's new mystery game, FFXIV's Dawntrail benchmark, Sky Childreon of the Light, Palia layoffs, and the Stop Killing Games game preservation movement, plus adventures in LOTRO.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 466: Elder Scrolls Offline (April 23, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss PlanetSide 2's new developer, Elder Scrolls Online's rollback situation, the revival of Life is Feudal, and the resurrection of Legends of Aria Classic, with adventures in LOTRO, ESO, and World of Warcraft, plus mailbag topics on Palia, Blade and Soul, Dragons Dogma Online, and MMOs that would work offline.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 467: The end of an ArcheAge (April 30, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss ArcheAge's sunset, the cancellation of BlizzCon 2024, Escape from Tarkov's no good very bad day, Age of Water's early access launch, and the 20th anniversary of City of Heroes, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW, Fallout 4, and Guild Wars 2, plus mailbag topics on defensive characters in MMOs and whether Crowfall has any kind of future.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 468: Give ’em Helldivers 2 (May 7, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss SWTOR's update 7.5, Daybreak's headcount, the Helldivers 2 fiasco, and freebies from Elder Scrolls Online and DDO, with adventures in SWG Legends and LOTRO, plus mailbag topics on why we haven't had a new blockbuster MMORPG in a while and whether MMOs will return to an era of experimentation.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 469: Zoning out (May 14, 2024) - Justin and Bree take a whole show to discuss MMORPG zones and zone design: what we like, what we don't like, and specific zones that stand out for us.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 470: Pandaria re-re-remix! (May 21, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss WoW Pandaria Remix, Diablo IV Loot Reborn, Wayfinder Echoes, Nightingale, Wagadu Chronicles' sunset, and MMO studio Q1 financials from around the industry, with adventures in LOTRO, SWTOR, and Farm Together 2, plus a mailbag topic on MMO intro music.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 471: A Gold Road to the promised Tarisland (June 4, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Tarisland, Elder Scrolls Online's Gold Road, Corepunk's alpha, WoW Classic Cataclysm, SWTOR, and Star Trek Online, with adventures in WoW, LOTRO, Guild Wars 2, and City of Heroes, plus mailbag topics on industry jargon, IGN's buying spree, and Embracer.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 472: Guild Wars 2 and New World’s wild ride (June 11, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss New World's console reveal, Guild Wars 2's Janthir Wilds, Legends of Aria, FFXIV Dawntrail's media tour, WoW The War Within, and Diablo IV's expansion, plus adventures in LOTRO, WoW, Project Gorgon, and Ylands.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 473: How do you define an MMO? (June 18, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss EVE Online Equinox, EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions and progression servers, New World Aeternum, and Wayfinder's relaunch, with adventures in Project Gorgon, LOTRO, WoW, and Fallout 76, plus mailbag topics on balancing news coverage, Once Human, and defining MMOs.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 474: Taking Tarisland to task (June 25, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Tarisland's launch, Pax Dei's early access, Throne and Liberty's launch plans, LOTRO's new legendary servers, Raph Koster's mystery MMORPG, and Black Desert's Heidel Ball, with a mailbag topic on goofy cross-promos in MMORPGs.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 475: The Legend of Ralph Lobster (July 9, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Raph Koster's Stars Reach, Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, Daybreak's purchase of Singularity 6 and Palia, Nexon's The First Descendant, and Guild Wars 2's housing, with a mailbag topic on the legend of Ralph Lobster.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 476: Corepunk and Pantheon race to early access (July 16, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Corepunk, Pantheon, Zenith, World of Warcraft, and Once Human, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW, and City of Heroes, plus a mailbag topic on evolving FFXIV Dawntrail's storytelling.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 477: The lineage of Lineage (July 23, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Throne and Liberty's beta, Ultima Online's New Legacy, New World, Spellfarers, TennoCon, and Soulforge, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW, No Man's Sky, and T&L, plus a mailbag topic on the usefulness of MMO mobile apps.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 478: Ultima Online finds its stones (July 30, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss the WoW War Within prepatch and Ultima Online's New Legacy, followed by a mailbag catch-up segment on AI, holidays, release timing, and MMO complexity.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 479: The MMO that must not be named (August 6, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss LOTRO, World of Warcraft, Bungie, Ashes of Creation, and Guild Wars 2, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW, and SWG Legends.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 480: Fashion is the real MMO endgame (August 13, 2024) - Justin and Bree sit for a theme show focused on MMO fashion, discussing cosmetic mechanics, monetization, armor art, cool fashion mechanics, fashion crimes, and even their favorite tips for looking stylish.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 481: Pre-Gamescom MMO mini podcast (August 20, 2024) - In this mini episode, Bree runs down Throne & Liberty's delay, New World's Aeternum beta, Guild Wars 2's Janthir Wilds launch, the Richard Garriott Ultima Online rumor, the state of Ultima Online New Legacy, Nightingale's Realms Rebuilt, the record-setting SWG Legends' SOEclipse event, and the approach of Gamescom.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 482: The war within two expansion launches (August 28, 2024) - Justin, Bree, and Colin discuss Guild Wars 2 Janthir Wilds, World of Warcraft The War Within, Elder Scrolls Online's U43, DDO's Myth Drannor, Dune Awakening, and Path of Exile 2.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 483: Singing the Blues Protocol (September 3, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss the demise of Blue Protocol, WoW's War Within launch, RuneScape's sub fee hike, and Wizard101's console ambitions, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW, and Guild Wars 2, plus mailbag topics on MMO cosmetic gear, Ultima Online as a survival game, and sticking to a vision as MMOs age.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 484: September MMO mailbag show (September 10, 2024) - Justin and Bree dip into the mailbag to discuss MMO limitations, megaservers, studio dealbreakers, age accessibility, aggro, and offline MMO content, plus there's adventures in WoW, LOTRO, and Guild Wars 2.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 485: EVE’s blockhead blockchain move (September 17, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Black Desert, New World Aeternum, EVE Frontier, Nightingale, and Wayfinder, with adventures in WoW, LOTRO, and Guild Wars 2, plus mailbag topics on MMOs as spectator sports and the best MMO ambient soundtracks.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 486: Amazon’s daring October gambits (September 24, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Throne & Liberty's early access, World of Warcraft's data loss fiasco, SWTOR's Mac client, Guild Wars 2's new PvP mode, Pantheon's December early access, and New World's Aeternum and season, with adventures in GW2, WoW, and LOTRO.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 487: Give me Throne and Liberty (October 1, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Throne & Liberty's launch, the new book on Blizzard, ArcheAge 2's morph into ArcheAge Chronicles, and New World Aeternum's impending release, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW, and Guild Wars 2, plus a mailbag topic on MMO history and games preservation.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 488: Amazon vs Amazon (October 8, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Ultima Online New Legacy, New World Aeternum, Throne and Liberty, Lord of the Rings Online's Legacy of Morgoth, and fall expansions for EverQuest and EverQuest II, with adventures in World of Warcraft, LOTRO, and Guild Wars 2, plus a mailbag topic on what we're willing to do for long-term MMO rewards.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 489: A requiem for Cryptic (October 15, 2024) - Carlo, Justin, and Bree discuss the launch of Throne and Liberty, the Cryptic layoffs and their effect on Neverwinter and Star Trek Online, the early access plan for Brighter Shores, and the New World Aeternum rollout.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 490: What’s old is new again (October 22, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss New World, Wayfinder, Pax Dei, Tarisland, DDO, and Ultima Online, with adventures in Guild Wars 2, New World, WoW, and LOTRO, with a mailbag topic on solo vs. group MMO play.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 491: World of Warcraft’s Buckosaurus problem (October 29, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Halloween across the MMO world, DC Universe Online's Xbox X|S arrival, the World of Warcraft dino debacle, and the secret Guild Wars CCG, with adventures in DDO's 64-bit server, Wayfinder, and Guild Wars 2, plus a mailbag topic on how MMO player populations influence our play.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 492: Grouping is the new soloing (November 5, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Path of Exile 2, Elder Scrolls Online, Albion Online, Elite Dangerous, New World, and Embers Adrift, with adventures in World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2, plus a mailbag discussion on MMO dungeon pacing.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 493: Landing on Brighter Shores (November 12, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss LOTRO's Legacy of Morgoth, Brighter Shores' early access, ArcheAge Chronicles' delay, Chrono Odyssey, Stars Reach's trailer, and FFXIV's Crossroads, with adventures in LOTRO, Guild Wars 2, and WoW Classic, plus a mailbag topic on handhelds and controllers for MMOs.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 494: WoW opens the door to player housing (November 19, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Warcraft Direct, World of Warcraft's player housing and Undermine(d) patch, WoW Classic Classic, Guild Wars 2's Godspawn, SWTOR 7.6, and quarterly financials for a bunch of studios (Pearl Abyss, NCsoft, EG7/Daybreak, Embracer, and Nexon), plus adventures in WoW, LOTRO, and Guild Wars 2.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 495: EverQuesting for a sequel (November 26, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss EverQuest 3, EverQuest II's latest expansion, FFXIV Mobile, New World's roadmap, Path of Exile 2, and Stars Reach's housing, with adventures in WoW Classic and Guild Wars 2.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 496: Go ahead Corepunk, make our day (December 3, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Corepunk's early access, Ubisoft's cozy MMO, and Throne and Liberty's spear, with adventures in WoW Retail and Classic, SWTOR, LOTRO, and Guild Wars 2, plus mailbag topics on MMOs we bounce off of and the allure of lifetime subs.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 497: Walking down the Path of Exile 2 (December 10, 2024) - Justin and Bree discuss Path of Exile 2's early access, Elder Scrolls Online weird event snafu, EverQuest's The Outer Brood, and ArcheAge's second sunset of the year, with adventures in WoW Classic, LOTRO, and Guild Wars 2, plus mailbag topics on the normalization of bad MMO monetization and why some gamers melt down over every bit of MMO news.

Massively OP Podcast Episode 498: Pantheon’s power play (December 17, 2024) - Justin, Bree, and Chris discuss Pantheon's early access, Ship of Heroes' launch window, Warframe 1999's release, World of Warcraft's Siren Isle, Elder Scrolls Online's outage and union, and Old School RuneScape's sailing, with adventures in WoW Classic, SWTOR, LOTRO, Palworld, Dauntless, Guild Wars 2, and Farm Together 2, plus mailbag topics on midcore MMO players and abilities we wish were in every MMORPG.