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]

Perfect Ten: 10 ways to put your MMO back on players’ radars

7
Running an MMORPG isn't like Field of Dreams. You can't just create a game and expect that everyone will show up because a magic...

The Daily Grind: What are the most glaring marketing misses in MMOs?

26
I stumbled over a poignant comment on the Guild Wars 2 forums the other day, in a thread lamenting the lack of good spear...

Massively Overthinking: How long should it take to level to endgame in MMORPGs?

22
Right after New World's Aeternum launched, we did a piece looking into how the game was faring - and one complaint I saw over...

WoW Factor: Is World of Warcraft’s War Within the ‘come back’ expansion Blizzard wanted it to be?

18
It was two years ago this month that World of Warcraft players were riding out the final days of one of its most disappointing...

The Daily Grind: Do you actually care enough about cosmetics in MMORPGs to buy them?

37
You know, we joke a lot about how "fashion wars is the real endgame in MMOs," but it's not always true. I know there...

MMO Hype Train: Brighter Shores is a totally chill RuneScape clone

5
Former RuneScape creator Andrew Gower admits that he never planned to make another MMORPG -- at least until enough fans convinced him to give...

Choose My Adventure: Roaming the wild frontier of Red Dead Online with a posse of friends

6
What, you didn't really think I would play this game alone, did you? I should explain just what's happening here: I'm playing Red Dead Online...

Vitae Aeternum: How to fix New World Aeternum’s endgame with chase items and solo play

4
We're back with the second part of the Vitae Aeternum column's series on improving New World: Aeternum's endgame, with a special eye towards long...

The Daily Grind: Do you have an MMO mantra or philosophy?

38
With Dune Awakening on the way, I've had the Litany against fear in my head - you know, "I must not fear. Fear is...
We have fun here (I don't)

Wisdom of Nym: The key takeaways from Final Fantasy XIV’s Crossroads live letter

5
I haven't exactly been shy about mentioning that 2024 has been a terrible year for me, but then I look at the trailer for...
Yeah, that'll do it.

Vitae Aeternum: How to fix New World Aeternum’s endgame with rewards and content relevance

7
New World is currently enjoying an influx of new players following the Aeternum update, but historically New World's struggle has not been attracting players...

The Daily Grind: When was the last time you saw gamers being wildly kind and generous in an MMORPG?

19
The other day, I came downstairs and my son beckoned me over to what he was playing. Was he working on his skyscale that...

One Shots: A sticky situation, indeed

7
While I am a general fan of honey, the fact that this is a dessert guarded by hundreds of bees does turn my attention...
LISTEN GOOD

The Daily Grind: Have you or would you buy an album of MMORPG music?

27
Music in video games is a funny thing. In the early days games could barely manage music and many didn't even try. But these...

LOTRO Legendarium: How should LOTRO handle ‘the levels issue?’

20
Legacy of Morgoth comes out next week for Lord of the Rings Online, and I'm generally excited for it. I wasn't initially, since desert zones aren't...
Demonic.

Betawatch: Path of Exile 2 delays its early access thanks to demons of the database

0
Look, I have to ask: Does Path of Exile 2 have a whole lot of demons in it? I haven't really played the game,...
Poke

Design Mockument: Exploring alternatives to the typical MMO trinity

16
Here's a fun thing for you: I swear that way, way back before the game launched, there were documents from the Guild Wars 2...
Oh, thanks.

The Daily Grind: Which dead MMORPG needs a resurrection *and* has a possible path to get it?

23
A while back, our team was working on a MapleStory piece when we did something we often do when writing about MapleStory: lament the...

Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s November looks overstuffed and underseasoned

1
Ah yes, November. The month of my favorite feasting holiday! Pokemon Go is hoping to deliver a feast of its own this month, but......

Casually Classic: Looking back at my 20+ year journey in World of Warcraft

5
When was the first time you ever heard of World of Warcraft? As a fan of the three Warcraft RTS titles, I became aware of...