From May 17 to 22, there were again some exciting news about MMORPGs. This week, the focus was on Ashes of Creation with new information about Alpha and Swords of Legends Online with the start of the Closed Beta.
The highlights of the week:
- Ashes of Creation surprisingly dropped the NDA. First testers were allowed to report on the Alpha, but no pictures or videos were to be published. However, many testers warn that AoC probably won’t be released until 2023 or even 2024.
- In Swords of Legends, the first Closed Beta started on May 21. At the beginning, there were some server issues. Everything you need to know about the game can be found here: 9 things you need to know about Swords of Legends.
We also evaluated our survey on the most anticipated MMORPGs of our readers.
The stir of the week: It is still about the shop of New World. In the meantime, the big Twitch streamer Asmongold has spoken out and talked about shops in MMORPGs in general. He claims: “You pay for them to deliberately make the games bad.”
We at MeinMMO also discussed the shop in the latest podcast.
The discussion of the week: We at MeinMMO want to know from you whether you still want classes in an MMORPG or prefer a classless system. You can go to the survey here: Do you still want fixed classes in MMORPGs?
WoW Classic brings Pre-Patch and Gravity announces 3 new MMORPGs
What happened this week in the big MMORPGs:
- In WoW Classic, the Pre-Patch for Burning Crusade has started. You can now level Draenei and Blood Elves. In Retail WoW, the final boss from the current raid was buffed significantly.
- In Final Fantasy XIV, a sad story moved the community. It’s about the composer Masayoshi Soken, who has been diagnosed with cancer. The moment on stage brought thousands to tears.
- Guild Wars 2 is launching an interesting event for returnees and newcomers next week. We have summarized everything important for you.
- Black Desert released a detailed video about the upcoming co-op dungeon (via YouTube). The release is set for June.
- At ESO, everything is preparing for the release of Blackwood on June 1. We have compiled 5 tips for preparing for the new chapter.
What happened in the smaller MMORPGs:
- The Lord of the Rings Online is closing one of the progression servers and offering free character transfers (via LOTRO). Test servers for Update 30 and the new raid have also been launched (via MassivelyOP).
- Wurm Online introduced new animals and new breeding features (via MassivelyOP).
What happened in the MMORPGs in development:
- Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis could be played last weekend. We have summarized the first reactions from players.
- Bless Unleashed also held a beta last weekend and had more players on Steam during that time than FFXIV and ESO.
- Project Ragnarök is a new game from NetEase. The latest trailer looks beautiful, but the combat scenes are concerning.
- Three new MMORPGs for Ragnarok have been announced to be released in 2021.
- The VR MMORPG Zenith has delayed the Alpha again. The start is now set for July 10 (via MMORPG.com).
These were the news of the week from the world of MMORPGs at a glance. What was your personal highlight? Did you experience something exciting this week? Or did we forget something important? Let us know in the comments.
