The best free MMOs and MMORPGs on Steam are shown in this list. We offer you 15 different titles that you can play without paying a cent.
What kind of games are these? The listed games come from different genres. You will find both classic MMORPGs and multiplayer shooters. The order of the titles is purely random and says nothing about the game’s rating.
This list was originally published in February 2023.
What criterion was used for selection? The games were selected based on these factors:
The game must have the MMO tag on Steam or at least focus on multiplayer content.
A large part of the game must be Free2Play, expansions or optional content may be paid.
We also oriented ourselves to player ratings on Steam.
Additionally, we have incorporated the expertise of the MeinMMO editorial team, who have brought in their own experiences with the games.
For each free MMO and MMORPG, you will find a description as well as a trailer. We also provide you with a pro and con comparison overview, where the strengths and weaknesses of the title lie and for whom the game is worth it.
Below we have listed as extras those games that are strictly speaking not MMOs, but have made it into the list due to their strong focus on multiplayer content.
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Warframe – MMO Shooter
Genre: Shooter | Developer: Digital Extremes | Release Date: March 25, 2013 | Steam Deck Compatibility: Playable
What is Warframe? Warframe is a third-person shooter and action game with loot elements. You race through the area as an armored space ninja and slaughter hordes of enemies. You have a wide variety of weapons at your disposal. You can also earn over 50 different Warframes, as the mechanical combat suits are called, which give you special abilities.
You can either play the shooter alone or with others. This gives you the opportunity to support each other in a team to complete missions together and earn valuable rewards.
Warframe: In the latest update, a legendary hero returns – “I am so glad that we get more from him.”
Pro
Large selection of weapons and gadgets
Diverse gameplay with great movement
Engaging story and interesting setting
Contra
The entry for newcomers can sometimes be a bit overwhelming
A bit grind-heavy
Who is Warframe for? If you are looking for a coop shooter with complex gameplay and a wide range of content, Warframe is the right game for you. The game requires a little familiarization before you get the most out of your ninja. However, you can also count on the helpful community of Warframe.
The vaults in Fallout were supposed to serve the survival of humanity, but often acted as a stage for terrible experiments. One of the most insidious vaults was number 95.
What kind of vault is this? You can find Vault 95 in Fallout 4, on the edge of the glowing sea.
The population of the bunker was hand-picked by Vault-Tec: Only drug addicts were allowed to move in.
As can be discovered in the terminals within the vault, Vault-Tec had put forth a hypothesis: That any individual could break free from addiction if there were no alternatives. Therefore, there were no substances in the vault that could satisfy the residents’ addiction.
Instead, a rehabilitation program was run there, with medical facilities and regular meetings to collectively cope with withdrawal. It was basically the counterpart to the drug vault 106 from Fallout 3. At least, it seemed that way.
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The official trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon in German
And the experiment went well for five years. As a vault resident noted in his terminal entries, there were occasional problems, but the vault community grew together like family. The resident mentioned that for many, the falling of the bombs was the end of the world – but for the residents of Vault 95, it was the chance for a new beginning. And they would have loved to spend their lives together there.
But as is often the case in vaults, there was a sinister plan in the background: One of the residents was an undercover Vault-Tec employee. He even recorded in logs that the experiment had helped everyone and that they saw their own hypothesis confirmed.
But then the traitor, undetected by the others, opens the proverbial Pandora’s box after five years: a secret stash full of drugs, alcohol, and other substances that would last a lifetime.
When the other residents, who had been in withdrawal for years, found this stash, chaos erupted. The resident mentioned in his logs that some “cracked immediately” and grabbed what they could to get high. Others resisted, but there were fights, shootings, and deaths.
At first, the resident wrote that he would hide until the chaos ended, and he was not willing to give up what he had. But in the end, he went back out and said: “There is no reason to stay sober.” He wanted to be with his friends again – without knowing if anyone was still left.
If you reach Vault 95 during Fallout 4, you see that the Gunners have taken over the bunker. Throughout the vault, you will find skeletons clinging to drugs and substances. In the common rooms, on the toilet, down by the generator: everywhere lie the last remnants of the residents who were deceived.
At least for one of your companions, Cait, Vault 95 can be a glimmer of hope. She can use the medical facilities there to rid herself of her own demons. Do you want more background information about the vaults in Fallout? Then check this out: MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has summarized some of the most evil and important vaults in the world of Fallout for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On Steam, a new strategy and building game has been announced, in which you become the self-proclaimed life coach for your orc family. You can learn more about it here.
In Don’t Kill Them All, you take on the role of a half-orc elf, raised by elves, but now dedicated to guiding the orcs toward a better path. After all, family is everything.
On Steam, the strategy game with building elements has now been announced. It is being developed by Fika Productions, who previously released a co-op game in 2022, which received 80% very positive reviews on Steam.
There is no release window for Don’t Kill Them All yet. However, an initial trailer now showcases the charm and gameplay of the game:
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In Don’t Kill Them All werden Orks auch zum Magier
What can you expect? In Don’t Kill Them All, you will face the challenging task of instilling new values in your orc family and helping them discover new passions, emotions, and healthy relationships.
As the trailer shows, this is not an easy task. Your job is to lead the orcs deliberately and skillfully.
While you collect resources for your new home, you send the orcs over various small maps in tactical gameplay, where there are resources to gather such as wood, stones, mushrooms, and small bushes. But other creatures await on the map, some of which are enemies while others are innocents.
Restraint in battle is not easy for the orcs. During your moves, you need to plan carefully, otherwise the resources you intended to gather and the creatures you wish to protect may suffer damage from your attack. Additionally, you have to keep an eye on your energy. Once it is depleted, the orcs will no longer listen to you.
The trailer also emphasizes that the orcs can’t just smash things; over time, they can learn different roles. For example, one orc sends its tamed animals into battle. Another orc becomes a wizard and confuses its enemies with exciting card tricks.
You use the collected resources to lovingly expand your base. It’s not just about meeting the general needs of the orcs.
In WoW Classic, a new shop has opened. It has only a few items on offer – but they certainly create a lot of stress.
The fans of World of Warcraft Classic like to defend “their game” with all their might against any changes, even though Blizzard has long since moved away from the “No Changes” mentality. Things like the group finder, sharding, or the WoW token have long appeared in the Classic variants of the game.
However, just a few days ago, a completely new in-game shop based on the retail version opened – and that has once again sparked a lot of criticism, including from the well-known streamer Asmongold.
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WoW Cataclysm Cinematic Trailer
What does Asmongold say? After the announcement of the new shop in the Classic version of WoW (i.e., Cataclysm Classic, or Wrath of the Lich King Classic), Asmongold took a look at the shop himself. So far, it has a fairly modest selection, but it does include a mount from the current expansion Dragonflight for €25 that can now be used in WoW: Cataclysm Classic.
Following that, Asmongold considered various comments on the topic and found many who apparently are happy about the shop and its offerings. Asmongold then expresses his disbelief:
It’s over. It’s just over. It’s so over.
Accordingly, the related YouTube video of him is also titled “Blizzard’s final nail in the coffin” – even though the players in WoW Classic seem to be largely unaware of this and continue to play.
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What’s the problem with the shop? For many, a shop like in the retail version of WoW is crossing another red line, making WoW Classic more and more like modern WoW. The introduction of the WoW token had already led to significant resistance at that time, and even special bonuses for the purchase of special editions were often begrudgingly accepted.
Others criticize that the “Promising Tree Dragon” is a mount that one has already purchased in Dragonflight – that one now has to buy it a second time is something that some find quite incomprehensible.
Accordingly, Asmongold is probably right when he says that the future of the shop in WoW Classic looks pretty much like the shop in modern WoW. However, the question is whether this really poses a significant problem for the majority of players or if, as so often, it is mainly criticized by a loud minority.
A response to this will probably only be found if more people participate in this discussion and let Blizzard know how critically they view the introduction of the shop – or how positively they regard it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Diablo 4 is simply too big, the developers say themselves. Lead Class Designer Adam Z. Jackson and Associate Game Director Joe Piepiora talked in an interview about how troubleshooting and testing new features works. That is clearly more work than one would expect, they say.
What content and issues are we talking about?
Diablo 4 receives a complete overhaul with Season 4. The entire loot system will be changed, core content like the Hell Flood will be expanded. You can find all information about Season 4 summarized here.
On the PTR, you had to watch an animation with every attempt, and crafting could fail. Both have improved now, much to the delight of the players. But the developers say: To find out such things sometimes takes hundreds of hours.
This is what the developers say: In an interview with Diablo expert Raxxanterax, the conversation eventually turned to the implementation of feedback and the development of new content as well as bug fixing (via YouTube, at minute 09:48).
Adam Jackson states that he cannot do without playing the game extensively with his live team for new content. This is important to even understand what needs to be fixed:
Everyone on my team must play an internal build or their live character for a certain amount of time each day. I am already playing Season 5 […] You have to play the game to understand the problems. […] There is no substitute for actually playing the game for 80 hours or more.
Adam Jackson
However, you cannot force the developers to play only Diablo in their entire free time. You have to rely on experience.
That’s why it is so valuable to see the feedback from active players, for example on Reddit. The developers are constantly active there, explains Joe Piepiora in his comment. Although they have access to the meta-data, such as how many people use certain legendaries, the community’s discussions are ultimately more important.
For this reason, the developers also have to polish from time to time after the release of new features, says Jackson. That is the normal process: You work according to your own knowledge and conscience, bring in the new content, and then improve it based on player feedback.
While playing, you then have a whole list of things that are not good and that you want to improve. Then you have to see what is feasible.
Ideally, Jackson would like to play the future Season 5 for 200 hours to be able to test everything. But he only has 50 and has to make the best of it: “We need to use our gut feeling, existing ideas, and data to find out if our decisions are right.”
What the developers learned from the PTR, they explain in the video:
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Diablo 4: Trailer shows the changes for Season 4 ‘Loot Reborn’
“One would have to play their whole life”
The reason it takes so much time for testing and troubleshooting is the scope of the game. Jackson says: Diablo 4 has so many systems that interlock, it takes forever to understand everything. It is not easy even for the team:
Diablo is a damn big game, and it takes forever to understand it […] The part that really makes it hard for us, and where I think the community makes it even harder for us… is that to really test our game, you would have to play it your whole life.
Adam Jackson
However, you cannot force the developers to play only Diablo in their entire free time. You have to rely on experience.
That’s why it is so valuable to see the feedback from active players, for example on Reddit. The developers are constantly active there, explains Joe Piepiora in his comment. Although they have access to the meta-data, such as how many people use certain legendaries, the community’s discussions are ultimately more important.
For this reason, the developers also have to polish from time to time after the release of new features, says Jackson. That is the normal process: You work according to your own knowledge and conscience, bring in the new content, and then improve it based on player feedback.
At the beginning of the month, a new cooperative survival game was released on Steam, which quickly became a huge success on the platform and on Twitch. You can find out more about it here.
With up to 6 players, you take on the role of different scientists who must ensure their survival alongside their research. Because in a research laboratory, you not only investigate strange anomalies but are also threatened daily by various creatures, nasty robots, and aliens.
Abiotic Factor is inspired by Half-Life. In the trailer, you can get a first look at the new survival game in the style of the 90s:
Start video
Abiotic Factor already reminds at first glance of Half-Life
The survival struggle becomes especially interesting because you, as scientists, are not born fighters. Instead, you must rely on your other skills and your clever head.
To prepare specifically for your research and the fight for survival, you can choose between different specializations as scientists. For example, you can become a plant geneticist, defense analyst, or construction engineer, thus supporting your team.
How is the concept received? With the concept and charm of the game, the developers seem to have hit the taste of the players perfectly. On Steam, Abiotic Factor has already received 96% extremely positive ratings from over 4,700 players.
According to Steam DB, Abiotic Factor reached its highest player count of 21,753 active players two days ago. Generally, the trend from the last period shows that the cooperative game keeps breaking the 20,000 player mark.
But not only on Steam does this hidden gem become a huge success. Abiotic Factor also seems to have found its audience on Twitch. Already on the first day after the Early Access launch, over 35,000 viewers watched various streamers. Two days after the release, according to TwitchTracker, 135 streamers were streaming the game.
What happens next? It seems the developers want to build on this success. A major update is already planned for the summer of 2024. This will introduce new areas, a jetpack, teleporters, and lasers among other things.
In the fall of 2024, there should be another similar update. The developers are then planning the release of version 1.0 for the next winter. By the way, in June, another survival game started Early Access on Steam. Here, with the right masks, you can also become the perfect fighter: New survival game launching in June on Steam – Why it’s worth playing the demo now
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny 2 guardians can collect a bunch of bounties before a season or DLC release to gain an advantage over other players, but with “The Final Shape” that comes to an end. You can find out why you should skip this time.
Why should you hoard bounties? Anyone who has been playing Destiny 2 for a while knows that bounties are the perfect sources for gaining XP. They do not expire and can be collected in large quantities across three different characters. This is especially important when you want to quickly increase the artifact to a respectable power level during a season or a new DLC.
While this method has often been seen in the Destiny 2 community as “preparation” for the new content, Bungie advises against it this time. You will only waste your time, and there is a good reason for that.
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Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Gameplay trailer for the new talents
Bungie introduces a new system for “The Final Shape”
What has Bungie announced? Before the release of “The Final Shape,” the Destiny team on X (formerly Twitter) announced that they want to introduce a new system: Ritual Pathfinder.
This system will replace the old bounty system and the weekly challenges of popular playlists like Crucible, Gambit, and Strikes. Bounties will no longer exist. How the Ritual Pathfinder will work has not yet been revealed, but Bungie plans to catch up with and inform players in the coming weeks.
Additionally, the developers warn you not to hoard bounties from the ritual playlists, as these will become useless upon the release of “The Final Shape.” So, it’s better to use your time wisely and farm yourself a God-Roll or two.
Are all bounties affected by this? That is still not entirely clear. Bungie itself only reports on the ritual playlists. It is still uncertain how it will be with locations like Nessus, Moon, and Europa. So, you could theoretically collect these bounties and benefit from a small XP boost, but be prepared that Bungie might also have a plan to eliminate and replace these as well. You can find out more about “The Final Shape” here in our overview.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Associate Game Director of Cyberpunk 2077 thanks the fans. More than 3 years after launch, the game is finally really popular, and the reviews on Steam have increased significantly.
When you ask fans about Cyberpunk 2077, you get mixed responses. Some have never forgiven the game for its launch, while others consider it one of the best RPGs of all time – even if it only got really good years after release. The developers’ work seems to have paid off, as Cyberpunk 2077 has now reached a new milestone. More than 95% positive reviews on Steam have made Associate Game Director Pawel Sasko emotional.
The DLC finally made Cyberpunk 2077 “really good”:
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Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — Official Trailer
What did Sasko say? On Twitter/X, Sasko posted a tweet. It shows a screenshot of the current rating of Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam, with a rating of 95% in the last 30 days, he wrote:
You can’t imagine how much this means to me. I was never even close to giving up and always believed that it was somehow possible, but I never thought we would actually see it.
Thank you all so much for the second chance.
This is how Cyberpunk was at launch: Cyberpunk 2077 definitely needed the “second chance”. The game was anything but a success story. Although there were almost 8 million pre-orders before the release, the launch is considered one of the worst ever. Many bugs plagued the game, and especially on the older console generation, Cyberpunk was often not reliably playable.
In fact, the game was so bad on Sony’s PlayStation 4 that it disappeared from the PlayStation Store after just one week and players were offered a full refund – even if they had played more than the usual market time of 2 hours, after which the right to a refund otherwise expires.
But CD Projekt RED fought back afterwards. Instead of leaving the game in its disastrous condition, they released a roadmap and started publishing one bug fix after another. Gradually, Cyberpunk 2077 transformed into the consistently great game it ultimately became – including some major reworks of whole systems through the DLC “Phantom Liberty”.
Cyberpunk 2077 became a cautionary tale: Cyberpunk 2077 was not only widely discussed in gaming. For many, the game is proof that you shouldn’t preorder games because you would essentially be buying a cat in a sack. Other media have also addressed Cyberpunk 2077, such as the Super Fails series from Arte:
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Where does Cyberpunk 2077 stand now? All the improvements have ultimately led to Cyberpunk 2077 becoming a really good game in the end. Although Cyberpunk 2077 was never the big revolution in gaming that many fans expected after the first trailer, it is a really strong game.
This has also been well received on Steam, so they now stand with 95% positive reviews in the last 30 days (as of May 13, 2024). The overall rating is 83% – and that is more than remarkable considering the negative wave at the beginning. For its perseverance, Cyberpunk 2077 was also awarded the Award for Best Ongoing Game – which many criticized.
Cyberpunk 2077 is overall a success story. Despite several delays in the release date and a bumpy start, the developers managed to ultimately deliver a really good product that they are visibly proud of.
Even if these 95% positive reviews only came three and a half years after the original launch.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Thomas “Sodapoppin” Chance is one of the biggest Twitch streamers in the world. In 2023, he was honored as MMORPG Streamer of the Year. He actually comes from games like World of Warcraft. As an experiment, he has now played League of Legends and achieved Gold rank. He explains how he perceives LoL as a newcomer.
What does he say? Sodapoppin says that when he reached Gold rank, he was ranked higher than about 40% of LoL players:
LoL is an absolutely terrible game for any newbie. It is just damn awful. Being new to LoL is “Intolerable”.
LoL players are unable to even remotely understand that someone may not know every single champ in the game in detail. They cannot comprehend that someone is truly new because everyone else has been playing LoL for 15 years and is on their “eighty-second” account.
No one in LoL is new. Everyone is a smurf. He’s not exaggerating; that’s just how it is: It’s crazy.
Life is tough as a mummy in LoL or as a new player:
Start video
LoL The Curse of the Sad Mummy
What particularly annoys him? As a streamer, LoL is particularly unbearable because you still have a stream sniper in every other game:
“Why are Europeans in my game? What are they doing here? It’s so dumb.”
Sodapoppin curses: LoL at low ELO is therapy for people who are extremely insecure and total losers in real life.
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What’s behind it: Sodapoppin struggles with the problem of “smurfing”, which is when experienced LoL players create or acquire a new account to play at a lower level than intended by the game.
In fact, LoL’s matchmaking is intended to be fair in the MOBA. Each player should theoretically compete against equally strong opponents and play alongside equally strong teammates. The result should be that one wins about half of the games and loses half:
However, those who smurf bypass this matchmaking; they will get easy opponents, win a lot, and feel good. Teammates might be happy to have such a strong team member.
Those who play honestly become victims, face much too tough opponents, lose constantly, and are flamed by their teammates.
Even smurfs are annoyed by smurfs
This is a phenomenon that is indeed significant in LoL. The German Twitch streamer NoWay, himself a player at the highest level, recently leveled three new accounts from 0 during a challenge.
He was a “smurf” himself, playing against much worse opponents, but noticed that he was constantly encountering other smurfs who were far too good to play at the level he was mistakenly competing at.
So what Sodapoppin says is an experience that a new player in LoL has: The game seems terrible because you are not playing against other newcomers who are still learning LoL, but instead against extremely experienced players who set far too high expectations on their teammates. We present you a player who took revenge on smurfs here: A 66-year-old grandpa becomes a legend in LoL and a nightmare for Riot Games
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Some of the best mounts in World of Warcraft can finally be farmed solo. This can be done in just a few minutes a week.
Special mounts have their own charm in World of Warcraft. Especially the rarest ones have the greatest appeal. However, some of the prettiest mounts are difficult to farm. Often, you need a group just to face the respective bosses.
With some bosses, Blizzard has now drastically made it easier for you to farm them.
Start video
WoW: Dark Heart – The Search for the Harbinger
Which bosses are affected? Three of the major raid end bosses from “Battle for Azeroth” have been changed. These are:
G’huun (Uldir)
Jaina Proudmoore (Battle of Dazar’alor)
N’Zoth (Ny’alotha, the awakened city)
All these bosses had one or more mechanics that would eventually lead to death and were very difficult or impossible to manage solo. For example, Jaina would freeze all characters and then kill them, and N’Zoth would drive heroes insane over time. This no longer happens when facing these bosses alone.
The Allseer – the mount of N’Zoth, long unreachable for many.
A few of the changes were already implemented with the release of Patch 10.2.7, while others were added by Blizzard through a hotfix.
All bosses that lead up to the end bosses are now also manageable alone.
Those who defeat Jaina on Mythic have a chance for the mount.
Which mounts drop from the bosses? Two of the most sought-after mounts are dropped by Jaina and N’Zoth, but only on Mythic difficulty – and only with a very low drop chance of about 1%.
Jaina drops “Frozen Tideshear,” a massive ice elemental.
N’Zoth drops the “Allseer of Ny’alotha,” a large flying jellyfish with many eerie eyes.
Apart from the mounts, kills on Mythic difficulty also yield additional rewards, such as titles or achievements – and sometimes even some nice drops that would be great for your next transmog set.
There was a lot of excitement over the weekend regarding the new 6v6 shooter “Marvel Rivals” from NetEase. Overwatch professional and Twitch streamer Brandon “Seagull” Larned revealed details of a contract that anyone wishing to showcase the shooter right now must sign. The contract prohibited content creators from making any criticism of the game and any negative comparisons to competing games. This triggered an outcry. Developer NetEase immediately backtracked.
What is Marvel Rivals? Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 shooter that closely resembles Overwatch, only with heroes from Marvel comics. Currently, an alpha test is looming, causing some trouble.
Marvel Rivals prohibits content creators from negative reporting
This was the revelation: Seagull explained (via Twitter):
Many content creators had requested a code for the playtest of Marvel Rivals.
They were asked to sign a contract. Some even did so just to be able to play.
But the contract prohibited streamers from making any critical or satirical comments about the game and forbade “malicious comparisons” to competing games.
Start video
English trailer of the PvP shooter Marvel Rivals
This is what Seagull demanded: The Twitch streamer said in a Twitch clip that he hopes “people who are much more famous than he is” take up the issue now because it is “simply not okay.”
He emphasized: The restrictions do not apply to advertising deals, but that freedom of speech is being restricted here just to be allowed to showcase the game.
“This is illegal” – Outcry against Marvel Rivals is brewing
This was the reaction: Seagull’s wish came true.
Asmongold picked up on Seagull’s complaint and reached 520,000 viewers with a clip titled “Marvel Rivals: This is illegal …” (via Youtube).
Also on Reddit, the topic “Marvel Rivals prohibits critical reviews” was one of the largest threads over the weekend.
After Helldivers and Escape from Tarkov, the company responds quickly to the outcry
How did NetEase respond? The developers recognized the outcry early on, unlike other companies, and immediately backtracked.
NetEase stated in a statement that the contract terms were “inappropriate and misleading.” They sincerely apologize for the “miscommunication and the unpleasant experience.”
They are of course pleased with criticism and suggestions on how to improve the game, as Marvel Rivals is supposed to be as great as possible.
They will now draft a new contract, the old contract was only a draft anyway. Any creator who wants an alpha code can also reach out.
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What lies behind this: The fact that this is all supposed to be a “misunderstanding” seems very strange. How else could it be intended than “If we let you play, then please behave and don’t compare us to Overwatch 2, you jerks.”
Maybe this is a cultural difference: NetEase is a Chinese company and they simply overestimated the situation. They might not have thought that streamers would take it to the public. Ultimately, such a contract invites exposure. Perhaps there truly was just a lack of due diligence and no one with foresight took a second look at the contract.
In any case, it is not a shining moment for NetEase.
It is time again for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG News in Two Minutes”. We summarize the most important news around the best genre in the world. Look forward to various content updates and events for World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, and more. However, there were also copyright infringements and closing servers.
The big highlight of 10.2.7, however, will follow on May 16, 2024. Then, with Remix: Mists of Pandaria, a limited-time event will start where you can quickly level newly created level 10 characters to 70 and earn special rewards.
For copyright infringements in World of Warcraft, Activision Blizzard must pay 18 million US dollars. The affected patent involves communication technology that allows simultaneous sharing of information between computers.
What else has happened? The MeinMMO editorial team is currently preparing a packed theme week around the MMORPG genre. As part of this week, we will crown the best online role-playing game of all time, chosen by … you! If you haven’t participated in the survey so far, you can do that here: Take part in our survey and choose the best MMORPG of all time.
On May 15, 2024, the Gold Saucer Festival will start in Final Fantasy XIV (via Lodestone). A day earlier, on May 14, 2024, the event “Mog Mog Collection – Dimensional Origins – Part 2” is expected (via Lodestone).
A new update has been announced for the MMORPG oldie Runes of Magic (via Gameforge). “Shadows over the Altar” brings among other things a 12-player raid as well as fresh dungeon content.
On May 11, 2024, the new expansion for Eve Online will be released. Equinox revises null security space and allows you to create custom skins (via CCP Games).
You can now purchase “The Corsairs of Umbar” as well as the class of the sailor using points in the LOTRO store (via Twitter).
For the alpha of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, the third season of chapter 1 has been released on May 11, 2024. In a trailer, the developers introduce the innovations (via Youtube).
According to a financial report from Kakao Games, the two MMORPGs ArcheAge 2 and Chrono Odyssey are expected to be released in 2025.
On May 10, 2024, there was a Q&A session with Steven Sharif, focusing on questions about Ashes of Creation (via Twitch). It starts at minute 00:59:06.
We have summarized the most important things that have recently happened in the world of MMORPGs. What did you enjoy this week? What upset you? Let us know in the comments on MeinMMO.
When League of Legends and DOTA 2 were freshly on the market, other publishers also wanted a piece of the MOBA pie. Warner Brothers even wanted to score points with famous superheroes. But that didn’t work either, and today hardly anyone remembers Infinite Crisis.
What was Infinite Crisis?
First announced in 2013, Infinite Crisis was released in March 2015
Warner Brothers collaborated with developer Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. to develop the MOBA
The main unique selling point was the playable heroes from the DC Multiverse
Accordingly, there were Batman, Superman, the Joker, and others.
In the 2010s, MOBA was considered the new hit genre. Many publishers tried to establish themselves, but as we know today, only a few survived. Infinite Crisis also suffered a heavy fate, as the game died after only a few months.
Start video
Infinite Crisis – Trailer for the dead MOBA with superheroes
Nothing New Except Heroes
The main feature of Infinite Crisis was, of course, the champion roster, consisting of well-known DC heroes and villains. In addition to Batman, Aquaman, Superman, and others, there were also lesser-known characters like Atrocitus, Solomon Grundy, or Katana. If you want to see all the heroes that were playable back then, you can check them out here: Infinite Crisis Wiki.
As typical for MOBAs, there were also roles like Bruiser, Marksman, Support, or Tank. There were four maps, which besides the classic 5 vs 5 with 3 lanes also copied another game mode from LoL, namely Dominion. A game mode that was also discontinued in LoL in 2016. The most interesting map, however, was Coast City, which featured 2 lanes that differed in speed and objectives.
To stand out from typical MOBAs, there were also destructible environments and objects on the map that could be picked up and thrown with summoner spells. Aside from that, there were fewer mechanics that differentiated it from the major genre representatives.
A Quick Death
A closed beta began on May 8, 2013. An open beta was then available on March 14, 2014. The official release of the game was on March 26, 2015. Shortly thereafter, on August 14, 2015, the game was taken offline again. Despite the big names, the title did not survive more than 5 months.
Massivelyop.com summarizes the Steam player counts at that time. At launch, the game had only 4,700 players, which of course continued to decline in the following weeks. In May, according to SteamDB, the game averaged only 1,600 players. Even the announced death of the game brought in more players in the following months.
But why did the game flop so badly?
On one hand, the MOBA genre, due to its complexity, is not designed for players to play more than 1 or at most 2 MOBAs. Anyone who plays LoL or DOTA 2 will likely not jump on Infinite Crisis
Many modes and mechanics were too similar to League of Legends; why would one switch if they are already playing a similar game?
The champions were also a problem according to Akshon Esports. Although the names were big, many familiar heroes were available in unknown versions due to the multiverse. At the start, for example, there was only a vampire version of Batman, which is not interesting for comic newcomers.
Ultimately, Infinite Crisis also marked the end of Turbine as it was before. The studio, which previously made games like The Lord of The Rings Online or Dungeons and Dragons Online. In 2018, the studio was renamed WB Games Boston and developed only two mobile games after Infinite Crisis: Batman: Arkham Underground (2016) and Game of Thrones Conquest (2017).
Did you play Infinite Crisis back then? If so, what did you think of the MOBA? Do you miss it or do you find it right that it has died? Let us know in the comments. Infinite Crisis is of course just one example of many MOBAs that tried to compete with LoL and DOTA 2. You can find more dead representatives here: RIP! 8 MOBAs that didn’t make it
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Pokémon universe is one of the largest anime franchises worldwide. It is no wonder that there are several manga series about pocket monsters. The most internationally successful manga is Pocket Monsters SPECIAL, which is published here under the title “Pokémon: The First Adventures.” However, the manga is not as cheerful as the anime.
What is “Pokémon: The First Adventures?” The most famous manga of the Pokémon series has some special features:
Unlike many other mangas, the story is not based on the anime, but on the video games.
Therefore, the protagonists and rivals are named the same as in the video games.
The manga sheds more light on the backgrounds of the video game characters, for example, that Silver is Giovanni’s son.
The manga is much more direct about certain themes like torture and death.
Especially the last point seems a bit disturbing. In the anime, it has rarely been a topic that a Pokémon has died. After battles, most pocket monsters are simply “defeated” and can be revived by Nurse Joy.
MeinMMO reveals why Meowth can actually speak in the anime series:
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Why can Mauzi actually speak in the Pokémon series?
The Pokémon manga is more brutal
How is the death of Pokémon expressed in the manga? Because Pokémon can die in battles, the manga feels much darker than the anime. The pocket monsters are not simply killed by a fire or electric attack and fall over, but often die in brutal ways (via CBR):
Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket, is a sadist who cares nothing for the lives of Pokémon. He freezes several Magmar with his Weezing and shatters them into pieces.
The gym leader Koga uses poison Pokémon. His Arbok has such potent venom that in one scene it burns the skin of a Psyduck. As a result, several bones are visible, and even the eyeballs melt in their sockets.
Later, Blue uses his Charmeleon against the Arbok and slices it in half. The spine and muscles are visible in cross-section.
Team Rocket conducts genetic experiments on Pokémon. In one case, they fuse Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos into a being that suffers pain due to its existence.
Some of the mentioned scenes can be seen in the tweet by 13TwistedScraps:
Even outside of Pokémon battles, things can get brutal. Siegfried, a member of the Elite Four, wiped out an entire city with a Hyper Beam. Even the abuse of one’s own children is a topic in the manga.
Where can I read the manga? If you want to see for yourself the mature storyline, you can get the manga yourself. The printed mangas are available from Panini Publishing, and the digital version can be purchased on several sales platforms like Amazon.
How many volumes are there? There are now all arcs, from Red, Blue, and Green to Crimson, each game generation is included. Even Black and White 2 and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have their own arc.
The series Downton Abbey revolves around the eponymous fictional estate in Yorkshire during the early 20th century.
It depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family as well as their servants, highlighting their intrigues, problems, and romances.
Watch Downton Abbey if you like the following about Bridgerton:
Historical setting
Focus on social structures and norms of the time
Family dynamics
Intrigues and romances
This is what the IMDb ratings say: With 224,732 ratings on IMDb, the series boasts an impressive 8.7 stars.
Fun fact: As an actress from Downton Abbey shared, there was a rule that the actors’ costumes could not be washed to preserve their authentic historical appearance. However, this led to the cast“stinking. (via The Telegraph)
2. Reign
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English Trailer for Season 1 of Reign
The series revolves around Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scotland. As a teenager, she travels to the French court to marry Prince Francis. However, she becomes embroiled in intrigues and political power struggles – and also develops feelings for his brother Sebastian.
Watch Reign if you like the following about Bridgerton:
A decent amount of romance
Intrigues and power games
Historical setting and costumes
Family dynamics
Social structures of the time
This is what the IMDb ratings say: On average, the series receives 7.5 stars from 54,362 ratings on IMDb.
Fun fact: Russif Suterhland (Nostradamus) and Celina Sinden (Greer) met on the set of Reign and fell in love. They are now married (via IMDb)
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
You can now connect Pokémon GO with Home, transfer Pokémon, and secure Meltan and Melmetal. MyMMO shows you everything you need to know in the guide.
What’s new? Pokémon Home is available in connection with Pokémon GO. Many trainers have been waiting for this because you can transfer your catches from GO to Home and then redeem them in Sword and Shield. Probably also in future new titles of the Pokémon series.
The good thing about the method with Home is: You get a Meltan box without having to own a Switch or additional Pokémon games. All you need for this method is a free Nintendo account, which you link to Home. It’s incredibly easy and quickly gives you wonder boxes for Meltan. Meanwhile, Pokémon Home is available to every trainer in GO – there is no longer a level requirement for it.
What is Home? It is a cloud service where you can store Pokémon. If you link the same Nintendo account with Home on the Switch and Home on a mobile device, you can access the same boxes in both versions. Additionally, you can send Pokémon from Pokémon GO to the storage boxes. And for that, you will be rewarded with Meltan.
How to prepare: To fully use the feature, you need to prepare first. You can do this with the following steps:
Create an account with Nintendo (You can do it here on the Nintendo website)
Here’s what to do: Download the Pokémon Home app for your device. Use the links shared above to the respective stores.
Once the app is downloaded and installed, you configure it. You set the following settings:
Language
Region
Date of birth
If applicable, agree to the terms
Link your Nintendo account (if you haven’t created one yet, you can do it then)
Set any username
Design your avatar and choose a starter Pokémon
That completes the setup, and you have taken care of all the important things for now.
There’s an optional subscription: Those who want can join the Pokémon Home subscription service and gain even more space to store Pokémon. However, this is optional. If you don’t want it, you simply have less space.
Connect Pokémon GO with Home
What you need to do: To connect the accounts, open the settings in Pokémon GO.
Select the Pokéball in the lower center of the screen and then click on Settings in the upper right
Scroll almost to the end
Select Pokémon Home and then click the “Sign In” button under “Nintendo Account”
Here, log in with your Nintendo account
Keep in mind that this must be the same Nintendo account you linked to your Home account
The connection between GO and Home is now complete. You can now transfer Pokémon and receive rewards.
Transfer Pokémon from GO to Home
Here’s how to transfer Pokémon: Once your accounts are connected, you can start with the GO transporter.
Go back to the settings and select Pokémon Home
Now select the green button that says “Transfer Pokémon”
Now choose the Pokémon from your collection that you want to send Keep in mind: A Pokémon you send to Home cannot be returned to GO
Then click Next and confirm the transfer
Pokémon that are not eligible for a transfer are Mega Evolutions, costumed or hat-wearing monsters, and shadow Pokémon.
What you need to know: Every transfer of Pokémon costs transporter energy. It only reloads after a certain time. However, you can also fill it for 1,000 PokéCoins and skip the waiting time. Trainers complain about the high prices of Pokémon Home.
Transferring Shinies or mythical Pokémon costs you about a quarter of the total energy. Transferring a legendary Pokémon uses up the full energy. Depending on the CP of the Pokémon, the costs can increase further.
Energy costs and recharging the transporter
How much energy do transfers cost? Depending on the type of Pokémon, different costs are incurred.
Pokémon
Energy Cost
Normal
Normal
10
Shiny
2,000
1,001-2,000 CP
100
2,001 CP and more
300
Legendary
Normal
1,000
Shiny
10,000
1,001-2,000 CP
300
2,001 CP and more
500
Mythical
Normal
2,000
Shiny
8,000
1,001-2,000 CP
500
2,001 CP and more
700
How quickly does the transporter recharge? The GO transporter recharges 60 energy per hour. It takes 7 days to fully recharge an empty transporter.
This is how to get the box: For a successful transfer to Pokémon Home, you will be rewarded with a Wonder Box. This will then appear in your inventory.
When used, the box is active for one hour and spawns Meltan in your vicinity. Even Shiny Meltan is already available in Pokémon GO. It’s best to use Silver Razz Berries if you still need Melmetal in your collection. For evolution, you need 400 Meltan candies.
According to community reports, the box can be opened every 5 days. It will not be consumed when you use it for the first time. Instead, using it starts a countdown. You can see the current status of the countdown when you select the box again in your inventory.
If you have any further questions about using Pokémon Home and GO, feel free to leave them in the comments here on MyMMO.
Now you know how to secure Meltan in your collection and transfer Pokémon from GO to Home. But have you also made the most of your attackers? We show you here the best attackers in Pokémon GO and explain what makes them so strong.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard may be working on a new, unannounced PvE game. At least, that is suggested by two job postings from the company.
Blizzard published new job listings on their career page. The company is looking for a Creative Director and a Principal Designer in combat for a new game, among other positions.
So far, it has not been specified for which game the employees are being sought. It has only been referred to as an “unannounced project.”
Now there is speculation that Blizzard could be working on a new PvE game – delivering exactly what players had wished for in Overwatch 2.
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Overwatch: Let’s embark on an adventure with Venture
What do the job descriptions say? The job listing from Blizzard states that the new Creative Director will be responsible for developing and improving the previously unannounced project.
The person will “oversee the narrative and visual design and lead the development of the story and world for the unannounced project.”
The Principal Designer, Combat will also oversee the conception and production of all elements in the unannounced project that ensure that “combat feels intuitive to learn, challenging to master, and satisfyingly fun.” Additionally, the combat experience should influence players, foes, and the game’s environment.
The job listing further describes that the focus should include making the monsters exciting and interesting opponents that “range from initial threats to legendary boss battles that players will talk about for decades to come.”
After Blizzard had announced the PvE mode in Overwatch 2 for four years, only to stop work on it in May 2023, this caused significant discontent among players.
Perhaps now the new project could address this and provide gamers with a corresponding combat experience that they have long wished for in the hero shooter. You can read more about the community’s devastating reaction to the canceled PvE mode here: Overwatch 2 promised a PvE mode for 4 years – It was canceled and fans are angry
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
League of Legends is planning an update to the ranked system. This is intended to better assign players to the ranks they belong to. This also means: Anyone who smurfs to destroy noobs will soon face serious consequences. Competitor Dota 2 has been doing this for years.
What are Smurfs?
“Smurf” refers to secondary accounts of (usually exceptionally good) players in German.
The goal of smurfs is typically to either correct their own rating again, or – more commonly – to play in low ELOs to annoy newcomers.
This is the change: In the latest developer blog, LoL makers Riot describe how ranks are to be better adjusted in the future. Under the point: “The search for the right starting point,” it says:
So if you are a player who wants to create a new account to have fun destroying players with lower ranks, then we want to be able to recognize that and ban your account. And if you are a high-ranked player who wants to get accounts to high ranks to sell them, we want to recognize that as well.
Specifically, this means: Riot now wants to detect smurfs and potentially ban them. To this end, they are experimenting with “newly implemented tools.” There are no further details. With Split 2, the changes are supposed to go live.
Just like that, competitor Dota 2 has dealt with smurfs. In 2021, there was a change in the Valve MOBA that resulted in smurfs receiving a ban. There, affected users first receive a warning on their main account. If they continue, the ban hammer comes down.
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League of Legends opens the 2024 season with an emotional trailer
Smurfs have been a problem in LoL for a long time
Just before the announcement, hundreds of users demanded exactly this change on Reddit. There it is said: it happens too often that one has to play with smurfs. This is just not fun.
What’s worse, as a new player, you also get attacked for being new and not knowing anything about the game. The experience as a newbie is terrible. Even watching streamers to learn, they are toxic towards people who do not know the mechanics.
Recently, this very play style caused a bigger story from Brazil. There, a 66-year-old just wanted to play, but was constantly destroyed by smurfs – so much so that he lost interest.
However, someone gifted him a strong account, and the “LoL Grandpa” became a “reverse-smurf,” playing as a much worse player in high ELO. With varying success: he managed to ruin the game for all the nasty people simply by being bad. All of this escalated into a proper dispute: A 66-year-old grandpa becomes a legend in LoL and a nightmare for Riot Games
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you will be accompanied by someone who can resurrect you at any time throughout almost the entire game: Lazarus, or the Withered. According to the rules, he can actually heal you from the larva, but he does not. Why?
Spoiler Warning: This concerns some details of the story that you can only discover yourself under certain circumstances and with knowledge.
Who is Withers?
The Withered, also known as Lazarus or “Withers” in English, is an undead who appears in your camp during Act 1 and then permanently accompanies you. He is known for his quirky nature and sometimes surprisingly biting comments.
Can Jergal really heal us? A user on Reddit found a passage in the official Dungeons & Dragons rulebook about vampires. It states: “Vampirism is a condition that is cured when the affected person dies and is resurrected.”
This has raised several points of discussion in the community:
Why isn’t Astarion freed from vampirism when he dies and returns?
And why aren’t we as players freed from the larva when we die and Withers resurrects us?
After all, that should happen: When the host dies, the larva should also die according to the rules. In most cases, Larian adheres strictly to the rules in Baldur’s Gate 3, with only a few exceptions to improve the flow of the game.
It goes so far that rules can more or less undermine gameplay; for example, you can simply disguise yourself to speak with the dead that you have killed yourself. However, it seems that the rule is waived here – or not. Players have a theory.
Lazarus is an important NPC. He can not only resurrect you and your party, but also allows you to choose and respec a new class:
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Baldur’s Gate 3: Reset Character and Choose New Class
“Tav is the Chosen One of Jergal”
According to the discussion, Lazarus is not at all interested in freeing Tav – the player character – from the larva. Allegedly, he intentionally resurrects you along with the larva so that you remain infected, ensuring that you fight for him.
After all, his plan is to destroy the “Dead Three”, namely Bhaal, Myrkul, and Bane – or at least their chosen ones. That is, in any case, his task given to him by the god Helm, because the Dead Three only became a problem because of him.
In another thread on Reddit, fans discuss that Withers doesn’t even accompany you voluntarily. He was sent to complete a task, especially because the gods are disturbed by the new threat from the Absolute.
So if Lazarus doesn’t fully heal you, it could also be that some higher power demands it – in case the supreme god Ao. However, fans agree that Withers has at least a certain degree of fondness for the characters. After all, he throws a party for you, unless you misbehave: If you annoy Lazarus in the new patch of Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re done for
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Film director James Cameron portrayed a world in his sci-fi film Terminator (1984) where Artificial Intelligence turns against humanity. As he revealed in an interview, the film is not as far-fetched as it seems. He considers the development of AI to be a real threat.
In an interview with CTV News on July 18, 2023, the renowned filmmaker spoke about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and explained why he believes the technology poses a danger to humanity.
Here you can see a trailer for the first Terminator film:
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Terminator 1 Trailer
“The Armament of AI is the Greatest Danger”
As James Cameron stated in the interview, he agrees with those who believe that AI and its development represent a serious threat to humanity.
The director has already made his opinion on the topic clear through his film Terminator: “I warned you guys in 1984, but you didn’t listen to me.”
Furthermore, the filmmaker said that it is very important to look at who is behind the technology development and for what reason it is being done, such as for profit.
He is particularly critical of Artificial Intelligence in the military sector: “I think the armament of AI is the greatest danger.” He fears a kind of competition among different countries that could escalate:
I believe that we will enter into a sort of nuclear arms race with AI, and if we don’t build it, the others will surely build it, and then it will escalate.
You could imagine an AI in a combat zone, and the whole thing is fought by computers at a speed where humans can no longer intervene, and there is no way to de-escalate.
Not only James Cameron but also Terminator actor Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed concerns about AI. The actor stated at a press event that the film is no longer an absurd, far-fetched idea, but we have now reached a point in real life where it could become our reality. You can read more about it here at MeinMMO: For Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator has become reality: “It is no longer fantasy or futuristic”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
