game mechanics
Guild Wars 2 designers tinker with the Scrapper
None of the elite specializations in Guild Wars 2 has been received wholly without comment or objection, and the Scrapper is no exception. Designer...
Skyforge shares server firsts and details the catch-up system
There's no real winning in an MMO over the long term, but being listed as the first person to clear something on a server...
Wisdom of Nym: The state of Final Fantasy XIV’s ranged DPS
Honestly, ranged damage is a field that's never quite appealed to me as much as other options for doing stuff. Not just in Final...
Skyforge gets invaded by robots, expands the Ascension Atlas, and holds a race
The world of Aelion in Skyforge can't stop being invaded for two minutes, it seems. Mechanoids are invading, and you know that means smashing...
Darkfall Unholy Wars adjusts its economic rebalance
At times, it seems like the entire history of Darkfall is one major adjustment after another. It hasn't been long since the game completely...
MMO Mechanics: Economic stagnation in MMO economies
MMO economies are notoriously hard to balance, so most MMO players have seen the effects of stagnation and hyperinflation in an MMO economy for...
The Daily Grind: Are there MMOs that you wish you liked more than you do?
My new roommate wants so badly to like Defiance. She bought two of the ultimate collector's editions after they were deeply discounted. Yet for all...
WoW Factor: Between now and Legion
I'm going to be very surprised if we see World of Warcraft:Â Legion before June 2016. The odds are good that a beta announcement is...
Champions Online offers a guide to playing as Grond
Some people are just set up to be superhumans. Take Champions Online's Grond - the guy was injected with an experimental serum, got more...
RIFT previews the playstyle and souls of the Primalist
RIFT has done pretty well for itself with four specific callings since launch, and that means that the Primalist has a lot to live...
Albion Online previews a learning point rework
The original purpose of Albion Online's learning point system was to create a balance mechanism for players with varying amounts of time to spend...
Skyforge previews its next major update, Aelion’s Call
It hasn't been all that long since the first major update to Skyforge, but the developers are pushing full steam ahead on the game's...
Neverwinter: Elemental Evil goes live on Xbox One
If you've been playing Neverwinter on the Xbox One, you've had to deal with a bit of update lag. There's no way around it,...
Tribes: Ascend test server rewrites classes in a major way
Tribes: Ascend is getting updates again, with the first update hitting the test server soon. So what are you expecting? A bit of balance...
Shroud of the Avatar adds in instruments and fishing with release 22
Have you been thinking to yourself that Shroud of the Avatar would be better if you also had the chance to engage in a...
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s crafting and gathering endgame in Heavensward
Crafting and gathering has never been a primary goal of mine in Final Fantasy XIV so much as a secondary one. It's something extra...
Champions Online kicks off anniversary event, explains how to play a supervillain
Yesterday, we noted that Champions Online seemed to have missed out on its anniversary event, which is a bit sad for players of the...
Crowfall answers community questions on development
A small number of players are getting their first taste of what Crowfall is going to be, and that's a good thing. The result...
LEGO Minifigures Online adds in monstrous minifigures and trials
Another series of minifigures is available in LEGO Minifigures Online, and the lineup is monstrous. As it should be; the minifigures in Series 14...
Wisdom of Nym: The state of Final Fantasy XIV’s melee DPS
I main melee DPS on my main character in Final Fantasy XIV, but it was never really by design. Originally I was quite happy...
