2023 was rather disappointing from the perspective of MMORPGs. Major titles were postponed, smaller titles failed to impress, and the expansions also looked a bit weak this year. But 2024 is going to be exciting. In addition to two major releases, five expansions are set to launch.
What can we expect in 2024? Next year, both fans of the big MMORPGs and players desperately searching for new titles will get their money’s worth – assuming there are no unexpected delays again.
Highlights include the releases of Blue Protocol and Throne and Liberty, but also the expansions Dawntrail for Final Fantasy XIV and The War Within for WoW.
We will summarize everything for you.
The Release of Blue Protocol
What kind of game is this? Blue Protocol is being developed by Bandai Namco and promises an engaging and fully voiced story. In it, you travel about 1,000 years into the past to prevent a great disaster and save the world.
It offers you 5 (already 6 in Japan) classes, with which you can explore the game world, which is divided into many instanced areas, similar to Guild Wars 2. There you can complete quests, defeat bosses, collect materials, and regularly find entrances to instances. If you want, you can switch your class during gameplay, similar to Final Fantasy XIV. But you can also simply create several characters.
The combat system is very action-oriented, with you only having 4 weapon skills, 2 pet skills, the 2 mouse buttons, and an ultimate. However, there is a lot of dynamics with jumps and dodges, even attacks from the air are possible.
I am personally very taken with the combat system, as you can read in my preview report: I played Blue Protocol and say: It’s going to be the best MMORPG of the last 9 years.
In the endgame, Blue Protocol focuses on dungeons, raids, and grinding for the perfect equipment. PvP, however, is not present in the game.
The MMORPG already celebrated its release in Japan in summer 2023 and has been regularly expanded since then. Recently, on October 25, the level cap was raised to 60, and a new area and new dungeons were released.
How likely is the release in 2024? 90%. In an interview in July, franchise lead Mike Zadorojny confirmed that a release for 2024 is firmly planned. The game was actually supposed to be released last year, but adjustments in Japan and localization caused delays.
However, it is unclear which version of the game we will get at release. Work is currently being done on this in the background. The goal is to offer players as much of the new content as possible. Whether the content of the first patches – for example, the new class Blitz Lancer – will be included, will be announced later.
Next, there will be a network test scheduled for November.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
What kind of expansion is this? Final Fantasy XIV is one of the largest MMORPGs ever, but it is currently struggling a bit with a content drought. However, this should end in 2024 when the new expansion Dawntrail is released in summer.
The expansion brings:
- An increase in the level cap from 90 to 100
- The new continent Tural, also known as
The New World
. There you will find at least two new areas – Urqopacha and Yak T’el. - Two new jobs – a melee DPS named Viper and a magical ranged DPS that will be detailed later.
- A new lifestyle content, similar to the island from Endwalker
- New dungeons and raids, including the alliance raid Echoes of Vana’diel
- New armors and recipes
- An update to the Trust system
- A major graphics update
Recently, the fan festival in London in October provided some new insights into the expansion. The last festival will take place in Tokyo in January 2024, where further details will be revealed.
How likely is the release? Almost 100%. Of course, something can always come up, but for Square Enix, FFXIV is the most important game and director Naoki Yoshida is known for delivering quality. Since the re-release in 2013, there have been no major delays.
Although the time until the release may be a bit boring for fans since the last major patch of Endwalker – Update 6.5 – has already been released, there will be a lot to do for fans again starting summer.
WoW: Cataclysm Classic
What kind of expansion is this? In WoW Classic, you can relive the old content of World of Warcraft again. You can either play on a vanilla server, reminiscent of 2004/05, or currently on a server to Wrath of the Lich King.
However, the release of Cataclysm Classic is planned for 2024. This is the third add-on, which is considered very controversial. Here, Deathwing had risen from the sea and permanently changed the game world of Azeroth.
Most areas were revamped and general changes were made, which according to some fans caused WoW to become too easy and too boring. Blizzard wants to listen to the community feedback and make some changes, although there were no specific statements on this.
The classic version of Cataclysm is expected to be released in the first half of 2024.
How likely is the release? Almost 100%. Similar to Final Fantasy XIV, there are also no indications that a delay should occur. Blizzard has been very reliable with Classic and has kept to the planned dates.
More exciting than Cataclysm, however, could be the upcoming Season of Discovery. It is said to overhaul the leveling phase of Classic and even bring new bosses and new class abilities. You can find out everything about it here:
The new expansion for ESO
What kind of expansion is this? The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG with a large focus on casual players and story fans. The game offers hundreds of hours of voiced content and quests that you can follow to immerse yourself in the world of the game.
Additionally, your character scales across the entire game world, allowing you to dive directly into new expansions and endgame content, even if you have only spent a few hours in the MMORPG.
Otherwise, you can expect:
- Diverse dungeons and raids
- Server-vs-server PvP in the large area of Cyrodiil
- An extensive housing system
- Regular updates, at least one each quarter
For summer 2024, another expansion is planned, although there is currently no information about it.
How likely is the release? Almost 100%. ESO has delivered a new expansion every summer since 2018. Therefore, there is no doubt that this year will proceed in the same manner.
A major announcement is expected in January. Usually, a patch that sets the stage for the expansion is released in the first quarter.
Recently, ESO received a new Endless Dungeon that is a lot of fun.
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