MMORPG expansions are meant to delight players, offering them new content and additional gameplay features. However, not every addon is well-received by the community. Today, we present 6 expansions that nearly killed the main game.
Have you ever looked forward to an MMORPG addon only to be so disappointed that you lost interest in the game? Sometimes developers miss the mark with their ideas, which can have devastating effects on the online game.
We illustrate this with 6 examples.
Dark Age of Camelot: Trials of Atlantis
Genre: PvP MMORPG | Developer: Mythic Entertainment | Platform: PC | Release of the expansion: October 28, 2003
What was this addon? Trials of Atlantis was the second expansion for the PvP-focused MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC). It introduced new zones and underwater adventures, as well as extremely powerful equipment.
Players arrived in Atlantis, where they expected new adventures and large PvP battles.
Why was it so controversial? DAoC is an MMORPG that places emphasis on PvP battles. Even in Trials of Atlantis, this was supposed to be the main focus. However, the developers introduced many PvE elements that became a necessity for players. Only those who mastered the PvE content could obtain the powerful weapons needed for PvP.
This went too far for many fans who did not want to be forced to complete PvE in order to finally experience PvP. Trials of Atlantis changed the game too much for the PvP-loving community.
How did the game fare afterwards? The developers quickly learned from their mistake and refocused on PvP. Dark Age of Camelot is still playable today, now even in a free-to-play version. The community has forgiven this misstep.
However, for a brief moment, it seemed as though Trials of Atlantis had shaken the very foundations of DAoC to such a degree that the MMORPG was on the brink of collapse.
EVE Online: Incarna
Genre: Space MMORPG | Developer: CCP Games | Platform: PC | Release of the expansion: June 21, 2011
What was this addon? Some may not even remember Incarna. No wonder, the expansion was received so poorly by the EVE community that it had to be completely removed, and a veil of silence was placed over it.
The addon was supposed to allow players to leave their ship’s cockpit but only trapped them in a quarters.
Why was it so controversial? Players envisioned being able to explore space stations or even planets on foot and interact with other players. The fact that the hangar was essentially replaced by a quarters, which was a single-player instance, did not sit well at all.
The community was outraged and felt cheated. Players had expected so much more and were massively disappointed.
How did the game fare afterwards? CCP Games removed Incarna some time later and never brought the feature back. EVE Online recovered from this shock and remains very successful, partly due to the major wars in the game.
Today, Incarna is regarded in the community as a dark blot on the history of the space MMORPG.
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns
Genre: Fantasy MMORPG | Developer: ArenaNet | Platform: PC | Release of the expansion: October 23, 2015
What was this addon? In the expansion, players find themselves in the Maguuma jungle, which is divided into several layers. The story revolves around the return of the ancient dragon Mordremoth, against which a war must be waged.
The expansion also brought elite specializations for character classes, guild halls, and raids. PvP was expanded with the fortress mode.
Why was it so controversial? Players criticized, among other things, the level design of the jungle, where too much climbing was required to reach the next zones. The new quests were also poorly received as they required too much grinding.
In general, players felt that the ideas of HoT were well-intended but poorly implemented. The sales of the expansion fell short of expectations.
How did the game fare afterwards? ArenaNet took the criticism to heart and implemented it with the second addon Path of Fire. The addon felt more thought-out and complete. The features worked better, and the story felt more cohesive.
Nevertheless, Guild Wars 2 has never fully recovered from the criticism of Heart of Thorns and still has to fight for the favor of players today.
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