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]

Hey folks.

Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s DPS jobs need a balance pass post-Dawntrail

5
Balance at the start of a new expansion is always really hard. It's not impossible, but the Final Fantasy XIV team has an uphill...

The Daily Grind: Is there an MMO you’re hoping won’t get screwed up before it launches?

21
MOP's Carlo recently linked us to a thread about the new Heroes of Might and Magic game from Ubisoft, and while the game is...
This is not Permea.

Global Chat: Does the MMO genre need a good rebranding?

10
As we all seem to love the topic of MMO definitions, it's with little surprise to see blogs discuss it as well. Contains Moderate...

One Shots: The crackle and pop of a homestead hearth

9
No matter how long the road, how great the challenges, or how tempting the loot, at the end of the day we simply want...
Recruitment!

The Daily Grind: Are there any MMORPGs you found intimidating to start playing?

26
So a friend of mine had never played World of Warcraft. This, of course, is fine; there is no test you have to pass...

LOTRO Legendarium: Should all LOTRO expansions include ‘special systems?’

8
It's been an exciting week for Lord of the Rings Online as full details and testing for this fall's expansion, Legacy of Morgoth, arrived...
Supplies!

Design Mockument: How would you make a good mecha MMORPG?

20
So because I am me, I decided to be on the bleeding edge of topicality and start figuring out how to make a Robotech...

The Daily Grind: Do you bother leveling much in MMORPG playtests?

12
Amazon's New World is about to launch Aeternum next week, but I'm still thinking about the playtest. In that playtest, Amazon promised cosmetics to...
Keep your cat in a box.

Massively Overthinking: How do you stop MMOs from feeling like (or becoming) a part-time job?

19
In last week's Choose My Adventure, MOP's Chris penned a perfect paragraph summing up the paradox of MMORPGs - it doesn't even matter what...
Sorry for blur.

Vague Patch Notes: What is good meaningful leveling in MMORPGs?

17
All right. So we are here at long last, at the end of Leveling Month, although it's actually more like Month And A Bit....
Makin', make make makin'... armor.

The Daily Grind: Which MMORPG has the worst fishing?

22
I have long been a tireless advocate for the idea that fishing, as a minigame, is not good. I do not care for fishing....
boosh

Perfect Ten: The complete list of CCP’s weird EVE Online projects and offshoots

5
CCP Games, like some other studios we could mention, seems to be a place where the team got one very successful MMO off the...

Choose My Adventure: Throne and Liberty continues to both intrigue and concern

11
I appreciate that reading that summary about my current feelings regarding Throne and Liberty comes off as conflicting, but that's primarily because I continue...

The Daily Grind: Do you try launch MMORPGs just for the experience?

21
An hour before the F2P launch of Throne and Liberty last week, I was quietly working and minding my own business when I saw...

Vitae Aeternum: The best New World Aeternum solo builds in 2024

5
Earlier in New World's life, I did a few guides analyzing the virtues of different weapons and armour for the solo player. Most of...
Holla back.

Wisdom of Nym: Is Final Fantasy XIV finally fixing its housing problem?

15
It was a tiny, incidental line in Final Fantasy XIV's live letter. The sort of thing that you could easily miss, especially since it's...
Guild Wars 2 GW2 Colin

The Daily Grind: Do you use your own character builds in MMORPGs?

32
I've been hyperfixating on builds in Guild Wars 2 since returning for Janthir Wilds, and it's actually the first time in that MMO that...

One Shots: The deep shadows of autumn

11
There's a lot to love about the fall season that's not just pumpkin spice coziness. I get a delicious feeling out of watching the...
Sort of this.

The Daily Grind: What was the last long-term goal you accomplished in an MMO?

12
One of the nice things about MMOs as a genre is that they're good games for very, very slowly accomplishing goals that you set...

LOTRO Legendarium: The 10 most metal titles in all of Lord of the Rings Online

13
You know, I'm simply not a guy who likes to slap titles onto my character's name in MMOs. Never have been, probably never will...