Columns

Enjoy a run-down of our recent long-form pieces, both game-specific and more general. You might also be interested in our list of all of our columns and recurring articles. [Follow this category’s RSS feed]

Panda.

The Daily Grind: Do you miss having boxed MMO purchases?

41
Buried amidst all of the other information in the most recent Final Fantasy XIV fan festival was the way that its boxed expansion releases were...

Perfect Ten: MMO quests where you literally kill 10 rats

14
Webster's Dictionary describes "kill 10 rats" as "something nerds do, now shut up and read a few intelligent words." I think the editors are...

Choose My Adventure: Getting straight through the Riena Strait in MapleStory

2
I've got to admit, I'm very glad to see this one behind me, and that kind of makes me sad. MapleStory should have had...

Casually Classic: Ranking WoW Classic’s racial and class mounts

11
Now that the pre-patch has arrived for WoW Classic's Burning Crusade, leveling characters are enjoying being able to snag a mount at level 30...
Teamwork.

Wisdom of Nym: Almost losing Soken changed how we’ll see Final Fantasy XIV forever

12
I'm not over this. I don't know how to be over this. Masayoshi Soken is one of the most talented composers working in this industry....

Not So Massively: Magic Legends has already made big changes, but there’s more to do

6
Even as someone who enjoys the game, I have to admit that Magic: Legends had a very rough launch, with numerous polish issues and...

The Daily Grind: What’s your oldest memory of epic MMO guild drama?

20
Let me tell you a story about my first real experience with guild drama. It was back in the days of yore, when I...

One Shots: 100 miles up and climbing

11
When you find yourself soaring past the outer limits of the atmosphere in DC Universe Online, you best have a spacesuit or superpowers. Or...
Tanks for the memories

The Daily Grind: What’s the earliest test phase you’ve ever played for an MMO?

35
An early test phase for any MMO has one major drawback, and that's the simple fact that it's not anywhere close to being ready...
Ice ice baby.

Global Chat: Feasting on Guild Wars 2’s Icebrood Saga

0
Nerdy Bookahs is pretty dang delighted to come back to a "feast" in Guild Wars 2, thanks to all of the new content in...
Ta bay

Betawatch: Swords of Legend Online kicks off its western beta

2
As it was foretold with the pre-loading, so it has come to pass! Swords of Legend Online has opened up its beta testing, and that's...

Working As Intended: Touring my new SWG Legends houses (and looking at Bespin deco!)

13
If you're a fan of MMORPG housing, Star Wars, Star Wars Galaxies specifically, or just chatter about MMOs, then this very self-indulgent Working As...
Rewind!

WoW Factor: Are Heroic dungeons the original sin of World of Warcraft’s current issues?

28
The launch of The Burning Crusade's pre-patch in WoW Classic has me thinking about the features that expansion brought to World of Warcraft. I know, really it...

Massively Overthinking: How much should MMO subs be in 2021?

34
MMORPG blogger Wilhelm at The Ancient Gaming Noob has a fantastic piece up this month on the traditional $15 MMO subscription. He dips back...

Desert Oasis: So Black Desert wants to be an esport now

3
Even though the San Francisco Giants threw away a 6-2 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, the real highlight of my weekend was...
Carry that water.

Vague Patch Notes: The self-made shadowboxing of MMO feuds

9
There's no actual feud between the development teams behind World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV. The two teams have congratulated one another on successful expansion...
Faces and offs.

The Daily Grind: Are you enjoying the pre-patch for The Burning Crusade Classic?

29
So that pre-patch for WoW Classic was kind of a mess, huh? Players wound up waiting for hours for the maintenance that was supposed to...

So Mythic Quest is a TV show about a fictional MMO studio – how well does it represent actual MMO issues?

24
As an avid MMO gamer and big fan of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I was extremely excited to watch Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet...
Pay to lose.

Perfect Ten: Everything in MMOs that is pay-to-win

16
I have stated before that I have a complex relationship with the term "pay-to-win." On the one hand, it tends to refer to something...

Casually Classic: Fondly looking back at World of Warcraft’s Burning Crusade beginner zones

14
Whenever discussion about Burning Crusade turns to which zones players like the best, it's almost always focused solely on the seven additional Outland regions...

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