“I took vacation for this”
This phenomenon of an MMORPG launch comes in two different versions. They both occur in the gaming wilderness with varying frequency, depending on which company publishes the MMORPG and how big the game itself is.
In the first case, it is a joyful “I took vacation!” that is posted with much enthusiasm in comments, forums, and on social media. Preferably under the melancholic posts of those who have to work on launch day.
The second case is a completely horrified to angry “I took vacation!” It occurs when the developer decides to postpone the launch of the MMORPG or expansion at the last minute. And then also by 2-3 weeks, so there is no chance to reschedule the vacation.
Both cases occur regularly at gaming launches and have almost become a standard.
Quests are bugged
So, now the time has come. You have now overcome all obstacles, the servers are online and stable, and the game runs smoothly. You have also been online for several hours and are joyfully slashing your way through the MMORPG or expansion with your friends.
But suddenly, a new danger appears on the horizon. When you need to complete a quest that is essential for progress, something goes wrong. You are not initially sure whether something actually went wrong.
Somehow the quest monsters are missing, the NPC gives you the wrong dialogue, and the key item you need is not in your inventory. Together with your friends, you try to figure out what’s going on. After all, everything worked for them.
Unfortunately, your quest is bugged. Why? Because the world is unfair and just because you are currently in a virtual world does not mean everything will go smoothly. But hey, maybe it will work if you abandon the quest and take it again?
“My class is now [adjective]!”
This point is less true for new MMORPGs, but is much more applicable to large expansions and patches. People log in, bypass all the problems, start testing the new content, and realize that their classes have changed.
While you often know this beforehand from the patch notes, you only find out how it feels when the servers go online on launch day. And immediately the forums, comments, and in-game chat are flooded with discussions.
- “Warriors are now totally useless!”
- “Hey guys, the mage is now OP!”
- “How is the new monk? That feels wrong!”
- “The developers have no idea! They should not have nerfed the skill ‘Bloody Massacre’!”
And the list can go on and on. No expansion launch goes without total horror from gamers who no longer recognize their classes, abandon them, or find them completely broken, in every sense of the word.
Someone yells spoilers in the public chat
In the digital age, one is hardly safe from spoilers, whether it’s about who is really whose father or who dies in Game of Thrones exactly when. Spoilers always leak through somewhere.
Accordingly, MMORPG gamers should almost expect that there will always be a handful of people in the game who find it incredibly funny and decide to spoil the gaming experience of others just for fun.
And so they position themselves in the most populated new zone and loudly yell the biggest spoilers from the new expansion into the general chat, so as many people as possible can read them.
This quickly escalates into a flaming war within minutes, where various sides threaten to report each other to the GMs. One can expect at least once per expansion.
“There’s nothing to do!”
Just as there are countless different play styles among gamers, each of us has our own preferences when it comes to completing the content that goes live in new MMORPGs or expansions.
Some go faster, some slower, and then there are colleagues who can’t go fast enough. No matter how fast you are, they are faster.
They reach the highest level within hours and have 90 hours of playtime logged 5 days after the launch. That’s not a problem in itself; those people are obviously passionate about the game and want to play it.
Except for the fact that they then loudly complain everywhere that the game has no more content to offer and is boring. Can’t be helped.
If you are currently looking for MMORPGs, check out our top 15.
Do you know of any more things that happen during the launch of MMORPGs and expansions? Let us know in the comments!
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