Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: No one wants to say goodbye]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/02/01/mmo-week-in-review-no-one-wants-to-say-goodbye/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/02/01/mmo-week-in-review-no-one-wants-to-say-goodbye/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/02/01/mmo-week-in-review-no-one-wants-to-say-goodbye/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The last moments before the fall of Dalamud.
At the end of every week, we've been rounding up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then presenting them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This is our final week to say goodbye. We have nothing but thanks and praise for our readers, even the trolls. We have a lot of memories we've shared over the years. And we know that you guys have lots of memories of the site that you've been reading for the past several years.

But as Freddy Mercury said, the show must go on. So jump on past the break one last time to hear all about the other top MMO stories of the week.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: No one wants to say goodbye

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: No one wants to say goodbye originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 01 Feb 2015 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Expansion or riot]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/25/mmo-week-in-review-expansion-or-riot/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/25/mmo-week-in-review-expansion-or-riot/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/25/mmo-week-in-review-expansion-or-riot/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

GW2
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

You gotta love a week with tons of huge MMO news! Guild Wars 2 avoided a riot by announcing its first expansion, The Elder Scrolls Online revealed it's going buy-to-play ahead of its June console launch, and Star Citizen declared that its persistent MMO portion will roll out to testers this year. Meanwhile, PAX South has wrapped up; here's a look at what we've published so far:
PAX South 2015: O'Brien and Johanson on Guild Wars 2's Heart of Thorns
PAX South 2015: Garriott and Long talk Shroud of the Avatar
PAX South 2015: Camelot Unchained's proactive community management
PAX South 2015: Hangin' with Frontier, playin' Elite on the Oculus Rift
PAX South 2015: SWTOR reveals its plans for this year
PAX South 2015: Notes from a Star Citizen town hall
PAX South 2015: Slaying giants in Motiga's Gigantic
PAX South 2015: The Untitled Game is whatever you want it to be
PAX South 2015: The Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns experience
Read on for the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Expansion or riot

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Expansion or riot originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 25 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW's new Blood Elves arrive in update 6.1]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/23/wows-new-blood-elves-arrive-in-update-6-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/23/wows-new-blood-elves-arrive-in-update-6-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/23/wows-new-blood-elves-arrive-in-update-6-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

WoW
Our sister site WoW Insider reports this morning that World of Warcraft's Blood Elves, left off the roster of races that received model revamps with the Warlords of Draenor expansion last November, will finally meet their new faces. Actually, it's just the bodies: The male faces aren't entirely done yet and currently share the same facial geometry.

"While we're excited to share with you our progress on these new models, I do want to stress that the models, textures, and animations are not entirely finished. Bug fixing and iteration can and will occur, and that's where you come in!" writes Blizzard QA on the US and EU forums, soliciting costructive feedback.

MMO Champion has full-size, head-to-toe bikini shots of both the female and male models because of course it does.

Also arriving in update 6.1 are class tweaks, new heirloom gear, garrison expansions, follower mission fixes, and the chance to buy (with gold) those followers you missed while questing. The first iteration of the update landed on the PTR in early January; the patch's launch date on production servers has not been announced.

MassivelyWoW's new Blood Elves arrive in update 6.1 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbelfblizzardblizzard-entertainmentblood-elfcharacter-modelsdraenorexpansionfantasymmo-championpatch-6.1warcraftwarlords-of-draenorwodworld-of-warcraftwowwow-insiderFri, 23 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Hizzy in a tizzy]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/18/mmo-week-in-review-hizzy-in-a-tizzy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/18/mmo-week-in-review-hizzy-in-a-tizzy/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/18/mmo-week-in-review-hizzy-in-a-tizzy/#commentsFiled under: , ,

H1Z1
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

SOE's H1Z1, affectionately called "hizzy" by gamers generally opposed to syllables, lurched into Steam early access this week. The really-still-in-alpha survival-flavored zombiebox, which boasts hundreds of PvE and PvP mini-servers, provoked outrage from fans who consider the game's airdrop mechanic "pay-to-win," which led SOE to offer refunds and apologies.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Hizzy in a tizzy

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Hizzy in a tizzy originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>h1z1joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 18 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing moments]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/18/wow-archivist-10-years-10-amazing-moments/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/18/wow-archivist-10-years-10-amazing-moments/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/18/wow-archivist-10-years-10-amazing-moments/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Uldaman portal
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on January 1616, 2015, and is included here by permission.

In 2004, I bought a brown box with some discs inside it. On the cover was a close-up of a woman with crazy purple eyebrows and an angry bearded guy -- possibly Matt Rossi -- holding a gun. I didn't know anything about the Warcraft universe at the time. I'd watched someone play Warcraft III once (or was it II?). I remember chuckling at the peons' comments as they got to work. That was the extent of my experience.

I'd been playing Final Fantasy XI, and I loved the concept of an online world. I was hoping for a game that was more accessible than FFXI but with all the cool monsters, grouping, exploration, and loot. I never imagined the journey that I was about to take, the people I would meet, the opportunities that would become open to me as a result of that purchase. Many of us who played back then had no idea what was about to happen to the gaming world because of that brown box.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing moments

MassivelyWoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing moments originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Jan 2015 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 18 Jan 2015 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: 2015 is a big year for The Elder Scrolls Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/11/mmo-week-in-review-2015-is-a-big-year-for-the-elder-scrolls-onl/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/11/mmo-week-in-review-2015-is-a-big-year-for-the-elder-scrolls-onl/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/11/mmo-week-in-review-2015-is-a-big-year-for-the-elder-scrolls-onl/#commentsFiled under: , ,

ESO
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

The Elder Scrolls Online this week announced more changes for its endgame veteran ranks system against a backdrop of fairly credible rumors concerning its console launch date and future business model.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: 2015 is a big year for The Elder Scrolls Online

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: 2015 is a big year for The Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 11 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: The fastest way to lose $1500 in an MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/04/mmo-week-in-review-the-fastest-way-to-lose-1500-in-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/04/mmo-week-in-review-the-fastest-way-to-lose-1500-in-an-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/04/mmo-week-in-review-the-fastest-way-to-lose-1500-in-an-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, a player in EVE Online, most likely someone involved in an RMT deal, managed to kick off the new year right: by getting his unprotected ship and its cargo, $1500 worth of PLEX that didn't need to be transported that way to begin with, blown to smithereens. Is there an MMO Darwin award yet?

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories, though I promise that none will make you facepalm as hard as this one.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The fastest way to lose $1500 in an MMO

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: The fastest way to lose $1500 in an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 04 Jan 2015 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: 3.0.8, the 'disaster' patch]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/03/wow-archivist-3-0-8-the-disaster-patch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/03/wow-archivist-3-0-8-the-disaster-patch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/03/wow-archivist-3-0-8-the-disaster-patch/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

A Wintergrasp battle
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on January 2nd, 2015, and is included here by permission.

Any game that survives for 10 years and counting will have its growing pains. There will be moments when the urge to deliver the best possible content gets the better of the developers, when they reach too far but only figure that out after it's too late.

Wrath of the Lich King was so ambitious in scope as originally conceived that Blizzard simply couldn't deliver what it announced. Blizzard cut major features before the expansion even went into beta testing. Wrath's systems went live with patch 3.0.2 in October 2008, and the expansion hit live realms two months later. As with most expansions, there were early problems.

In patch 3.0.8, Blizzard tried to fix those problems. Instead, it made them worse. Far worse. WoW Insider itself called the patch a "disaster."

Continue reading WoW Archivist: 3.0.8, the 'disaster' patch

MassivelyWoW Archivist: 3.0.8, the 'disaster' patch originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentdisaster-patchscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwow-archivistwow-insiderwrathWrath-of-the-Lich-KingSat, 03 Jan 2015 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Happy New Year!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/28/mmo-week-in-review-happy-new-year/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/28/mmo-week-in-review-happy-new-year/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/28/mmo-week-in-review-happy-new-year/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I always try to make a joke title for the Repopulation and it always comes out dirty and inappropriate so I delete it
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Inbound indie sandbox The Repopulation dived into its last alpha phase this week, dropping its NDA for testers and landing on Steam in early access form.

At Massively, we discussed our end-of-the-year awards, selected our favorite content of the year, gave out a ribbon for the best MMO soundtrack, and made our list of MMOs to get excited about next year.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories, and may you many happy holidays. Week in Review will see you next year.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Happy New Year!

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Happy New Year! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 28 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Are you Elite or Dangerous?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/21/mmo-week-in-review-are-you-elite-or-dangerous/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/21/mmo-week-in-review-are-you-elite-or-dangerous/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/21/mmo-week-in-review-are-you-elite-or-dangerous/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Elite Dangerous
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

In spite of its ongoing offline mode controversy, Elite: Dangerous formally launched this week, earning congratulations from rival Star Citizen's Chris Roberts, who's said he'll be playing Elite himself over the holidays. Massively's Brendan Drain has been zipping around in this online sequel to Elite and examined it in comparison to internet spaceship genre cornerstone EVE Online.

We also brought to a close Massively's 2014 awards series and our predictions for next year.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Are you Elite or Dangerous?

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Are you Elite or Dangerous? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 21 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: A Glyphmas story]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/21/wow-archivist-a-glyphmas-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/21/wow-archivist-a-glyphmas-story/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/21/wow-archivist-a-glyphmas-story/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Scrolls of glyphs
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on December 17th and is included here by permission.

Professions in Warlords of Draenor feel completely different than in any other era in WoW. Creating powerful items is no longer a matter of farming, luck, or gold. Instead, we have to produce their key ingredients via garrison work orders. Leveling crafting professions is no longer about creating a bunch of useless items that we instantly vendor or disenchant, and reaching max level is now a slow burn instead of a quick grind. This is the first expansion where I haven't hit max level on all my professions within the first week or two.

The profession that has changed the most is the most recent: Wrath of the Lich King's inscription, added in 2008. Even the interface changed: The glyph window was originally part of the spellbook UI, not the talent pane. Because of those changes, for a few very special weeks, inscription transformed the financial futures of countless WoW players. I was one of them. We called it Glyphmas, and it was magical.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: A Glyphmas story

MassivelyWoW Archivist: A Glyphmas story originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Dec 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 21 Dec 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Zombies incoming]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/14/mmo-week-in-review-zombies-incoming/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/14/mmo-week-in-review-zombies-incoming/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/14/mmo-week-in-review-zombies-incoming/#commentsFiled under: , ,

H1Z1
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

SOE announced this week that its post-apoc zombie survival sandbox MMO (do we have an acronym for that yet?) H1Z1 will enter early access testing on January 15th. Like Landmark's beta before it, H1Z1's early access represents a serious test phase, says studio boss John Smedley. Tickets for early entry will run you just under 20 bucks.

And don't forget Massively's ongoing 2014 awards, the first seven of which have already been announced. We're leading up to our MMO of the year on Friday!

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Zombies incoming

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Zombies incoming originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 14 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Revan returns in SWTOR]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/07/mmo-week-in-review-revan-returns-in-swtor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/07/mmo-week-in-review-revan-returns-in-swtor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/07/mmo-week-in-review-revan-returns-in-swtor/#commentsFiled under: , ,

SWTOR
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadow of Revan expansion launched for early-access players this week, adding new locations and storylines, revamping skill trees, selling strongholds for a song, and nuking training costs. And yes, it's that Revan. Massively's SWTOR expert Larry Everett scoped out the expansion ahead of launch and judged it worthy even for soloers.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Revan returns in SWTOR

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Revan returns in SWTOR originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 07 Dec 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: Upper Blackrock Spire]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/07/wow-archivist-upper-blackrock-spire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/07/wow-archivist-upper-blackrock-spire/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/12/07/wow-archivist-upper-blackrock-spire/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Whelps and eggs in the Rookery
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on December 4th and is included here by permission.

You may have taken Upper Blackrock Spire, Warlord Zaela, but the classic version lives in our hearts, where your orc friends can't get to it. In 2005, UBRS was the dungeon everyone desperately aspired to run. We begged to run it. We paid to run it. We sat in capital cities for hours just hoping, dreaming, that someone, somehow, would put together an UBRS group.

The dungeon was the pinnacle of content for classic WoW's "nonraiders" and the gateway to raiding for raiders. Quests here attuned you for Onyxia's Lair and Blackwing Lair. (And who doesn't love a good lair?) Another quest allowed your Molten Core raid to summon Majordomo Executus. No endgame PvE'er could avoid UBRS, even if he or she wanted to. We didn't avoid it, though, because the original "Ubers" (ooo-berz), as players affectionately called it, was awesome.

What made it so special? Why was it so revered, and why are some players sad that it has been removed from WoW forever? Let's turn back the Empowered Hourglass to 2005 to find out.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Upper Blackrock Spire

MassivelyWoW Archivist: Upper Blackrock Spire originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Dec 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 07 Dec 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: A new take on playing internet spaceships]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/30/mmo-week-in-review-a-new-take-on-playing-internet-spaceships/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/30/mmo-week-in-review-a-new-take-on-playing-internet-spaceships/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/30/mmo-week-in-review-a-new-take-on-playing-internet-spaceships/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Elite
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Time to brush up on your Greek! Elite: Dangerous' gamma phase launched last week, marking the last test phase before launch on December 16th. Backers can jump in and play now, but for those who are late to the buying party, there's a solo mode to check out in the meantime. Massively's Mike Foster, who toured the game in September, returned this weekend for hands-on time with and a stream of the final build.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: A new take on playing internet spaceships

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: A new take on playing internet spaceships originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 30 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: WoW's rebound]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/mmo-week-in-review-wows-rebound/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/mmo-week-in-review-wows-rebound/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/mmo-week-in-review-wows-rebound/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WoW
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

After a shockingly long content drought and disappointing expansion previews, World of Warcraft proved that no one cares about content droughts and disappointing expansion previews by resecuring over 10,000,000 subscriptions, just in time for its 10th anniversary celebration. To compensate for the trainwreck launch of Warlords of Draenor, Blizzard granted the entire playerbase five extra days of gametime.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: WoW's rebound

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: WoW's rebound originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwowwow-insiderSun, 23 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: Epics]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/wow-archivist-epics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/wow-archivist-epics/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/23/wow-archivist-epics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Bulwark of Azzinoth
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on November 21st and is included here by permission.

Leveling through Draenor has been a blast, but as I am a player from classic WoW, a few things have struck me as incredibly strange. Triple-digit numbers in the guild panel. Sending NPCs to do quests on my behalf. And most of all, getting epic armor and weapons from solo leveling quests.

Many players in classic WoW (and not just raiders) opposed making epics more available to players. They called Blizzard's evolving attitude a slippery slope. "What's next," they argued, "epics for doing solo quests?" They never actually imagined that would happen. In 2005 it would have been unthinkable. Eight years later, here we are. But it's all been by design -- an evolving design with many steps along the way. Let's look at how we got here, one random drop at a time.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Epics

MassivelyWoW Archivist: Epics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Nov 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentdungeondungeon-gearepicepicsgearheroicheroicskitlootloot-qualityraidraidingraidsscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 23 Nov 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Let's hunt some orc]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/16/mmo-week-in-review-lets-hunt-some-orc/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/16/mmo-week-in-review-lets-hunt-some-orc/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/16/mmo-week-in-review-lets-hunt-some-orc/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WoW
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

World of Warcraft's fifth expansion, Warlords of Draenor, launched on Thursday, and predictably, the combination of design blunders and brutal DDoS attacks turned the first few days of launch into a circus of clownshoes. So, you know, an MMO launch. Here are the highlights:
Warlords of Draenor's rocky launch saga and Reddit controversy continue
World of Warcraft hit by DDoS attack on expansion launch day
World of Warcraft deals with downtime, bugs, DDoS attacks
World of Warcraft vows faster expansion development
You're too late: People are already 100 in WoW
WoW's Iron Horde declares war on Times Square
World of Warcraft's garrisons 'like a personal guild'
Watch the unboxing of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor's CE
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor launch-day roundup

Read on for the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Let's hunt some orc

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Let's hunt some orc originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 16 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: BlizzCon 2014]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/09/mmo-week-in-review-blizzcon-2014/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/09/mmo-week-in-review-blizzcon-2014/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/09/mmo-week-in-review-blizzcon-2014/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Overwatch
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

BlizzCon 2014 dominated the weekend in all corners of the Joystiq network, Massively included. Blizzard not only announced OFPS Overwatch but spilled details on Hearthstone's upcoming expansion, Diablo III, Heroes of the Storm, the Warcraft movie, and the World of Warcraft Warlords of Draenor expansion launching this coming Thursday. We've rounded up all the best bits from Massively and WoW Insider right here!
Liveblogging the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2014
World of Warcraft Q&A liveblog
World of Warcraft items, class changes liveblog
Blizzard announces new charity pet for ebola relief efforts
Warcraft movie panel liveblog
Blizzard takes on superheroes with Overwatch
Live blogging the Overwatch panel
Overwatch hands-on gameplay impressions
The heroes of Overwatch
Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes expansion announced
Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes cards and mechanics
Diablo III previews Season 2
Heroes of the Storm panel

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: BlizzCon 2014

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: BlizzCon 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentblizzconblizzcon-2014conconventiond3diablo-3diablo-iiievent-coverageheroes-of-the-stormhotsjoystiqmassively-event-coveragemassively-metametaoverwatchrounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupWorld-of-Warcraftwowwow-insiderSun, 09 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: The zombie plague event]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/09/wow-archivist-the-zombie-plague-event/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/09/wow-archivist-the-zombie-plague-event/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/09/wow-archivist-the-zombie-plague-event/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Zombies attack
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on November 5th and is included here by permission.

We have one more week of the Iron Horde invasion event before we can take the fight through the portal to Draenor. Most players seem to think this event is serviceable, if unexciting. Like all such events, it lives in the shadow of the most memorable pre-expansion event in WoW's long history: the zombie plague. It debuted almost exactly six years ago, and Blizzard has never topped it.

If you need evidence, just look at the comments on the previous WoW Archivist about patch 3.0. I only mentioned the event in passing as a topic for a future column. Even so, readers posted more about the plague event than about any of the other 3.0 features like achievements, glyphs, or pally nerfs.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The zombie plague event

MassivelyWoW Archivist: The zombie plague event originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Nov 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 09 Nov 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Final Fantasy XIV got a new job]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/02/mmo-week-in-review-final-fantasy-xiv-got-a-new-job/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/02/mmo-week-in-review-final-fantasy-xiv-got-a-new-job/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/11/02/mmo-week-in-review-final-fantasy-xiv-got-a-new-job/#commentsFiled under: , ,

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Final Fantasy XIV's colossal 2.4 patch launched this week with a boatload of new content including a new class and job. Massively FFXIV columnist Eliot Lefebvre wrote about his experience leveling the new Ninja and compiled his thoughts on the newly announced Dark Knight tank job.

Meanwhile, Halloween events continue in most major MMOs.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Final Fantasy XIV got a new job

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Final Fantasy XIV got a new job originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 02 Nov 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: All the MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/26/mmo-week-in-review-all-the-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/26/mmo-week-in-review-all-the-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/26/mmo-week-in-review-all-the-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

FFXIV
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, everything happened. WildStar suffered significant staff layoffs, Final Fantasy unveiled another new class, RIFT launched a new expansion, ArcheAge waged war on exploiters, and Guild Wars 2 resolved its currency controversy. Keep it coming, MMO industry. Well, maybe skip the layoffs next time.

Read on for a look at all of these and more top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: All the MMOs

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: All the MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 26 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: Patch 3.0, Echoes of Doom]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/26/wow-archivist-patch-3-0-echoes-of-doom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/26/wow-archivist-patch-3-0-echoes-of-doom/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/26/wow-archivist-patch-3-0-echoes-of-doom/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Patch 3.0.2 official poster
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on October 23rd, 2014, and is included here by permission.

Patch 6.0 is finally upon us. Like all pre-expansion patches, it has been both invigorating and chaotic. Almost exactly six years ago, a similar patch went live to begin a new era in WoW. Blizzard called Wrath of the Lich King's pre-expansion patch "Echoes of Doom." On October 14, 2008, this third version of the game gave us the brand-new achievement system, inscription and glyphs, 51-point talent trees, the zombie plague event, and TO THE GROUND, BABY. Read on to see what WoW was like for those turbulent few weeks before Wrath of the Lich King's launch.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Patch 3.0, Echoes of Doom

MassivelyWoW Archivist: Patch 3.0, Echoes of Doom originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Oct 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 26 Oct 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Drifting back to World of Warcraft]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/19/mmo-week-in-review-drifting-back-to-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/19/mmo-week-in-review-drifting-back-to-world-of-warcraft/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/19/mmo-week-in-review-drifting-back-to-world-of-warcraft/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

WoW
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, World of Warcraft saw subscriptions rise to 7.4 million ahead of its long-awaited pre-Warlords of Draenor patch. Meanwhile, news rolled in from EVE Vegas, where CCP and players discussed the ships of the Rhea update, the allure of spaceship spreadsheets, the importance of community involvement, and the new player experience and potential for permadeath.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Drifting back to World of Warcraft

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Drifting back to World of Warcraft originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eve-onlineeve-vegaseve-vegas-2014featuredjoystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwowwow-insiderSun, 19 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Revisiting Revan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/12/mmo-week-in-review-revisiting-revan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/12/mmo-week-in-review-revisiting-revan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/12/mmo-week-in-review-revisiting-revan/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

SWTOR
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, BioWare officially announced Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadows of Revan expansion, complete with reduced grind, fast-track bonuses for story-minded players, and a major overhaul of the game's class specialization system. For those who'd like to catch up on Revan-related lore, Massively's SWTOR expert Larry Everett has chronicled the relevant in-game quests.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Revisiting Revan

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Revisiting Revan originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredjoystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 12 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: Class protests and the Million Gnome March]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/11/wow-archivist-class-protests-and-the-million-gnome-march/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/11/wow-archivist-class-protests-and-the-million-gnome-march/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/11/wow-archivist-class-protests-and-the-million-gnome-march/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Naked gnomes everywhere
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on October 8th, 2014, and is included here by permission.

Betas make players nervous about their class. It happens every time. Blizzard makes changes, often drastically, and for better or worse some people hate the changes. I've been keeping my eye on the beta class forums since the Warlords beta began, and I've seen a lot of unhappiness this time around. The ability pruning that was one of Blizzard's major design goals for classes this year has removed depth from rotations, taken away both utility and cosmetic options, and in some cases radically altered or deleted abilities that players enjoyed. Beta testers have voiced strong opposition to many of the changes.

In 10 years, I haven't seen players this up in arms about class issues since classic WoW -- an era when many specs and mechanics were simply broken in PvE, PvP, or both.

This past Friday, something happened that I believed would never again happen in WoW: an in-game class protest. With much more open lines of communication from developers to players in recent years, I thought the game had matured beyond the point that such things would ever be necessary. But here we are, almost 10 years after the most famous class protest in WoW's history, and players once again felt the need to gather in Azeroth to voice their complaints.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Class protests and the Million Gnome March

MassivelyWoW Archivist: Class protests and the Million Gnome March originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentmillion-gnome-marchprotestprotestsscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSat, 11 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge's two million]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/05/mmo-week-in-review-archeages-two-million/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/05/mmo-week-in-review-archeages-two-million/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/05/mmo-week-in-review-archeages-two-million/#commentsFiled under: , ,

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, ArcheAge seemed glad to see its rocky launch in the rear-view mirror, boasting of two million registrations and 21 servers. Meanwhile, Trion nerfed chat for lowbies to counter chat spam and hinted that the Auroria continent, live in Korea already, will soon be en route to western players.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge's two million

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: ArcheAge's two million originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredjoystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 05 Oct 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Path of the Titan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/28/mmo-week-in-review-path-of-the-titan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/28/mmo-week-in-review-path-of-the-titan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/28/mmo-week-in-review-path-of-the-titan/#commentsFiled under: , ,

WoW
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, Blizzard made Titan's cancelation official, sending analysts scurrying to make bold statements of doom and/or apathy and leaving MMO fans to ponder what Titan's death really means to our genre.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Path of the Titan

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Path of the Titan originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptitantop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 28 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: Bottlenecks]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/28/wow-archivist-bottlenecks/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/28/wow-archivist-bottlenecks/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/28/wow-archivist-bottlenecks/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Gyrocopter jam
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on September 24th and is included here by permission.

Wherever thousands of players try to complete on-rails content, bottlenecks are inevitable. For Warlords of Draenor, Blizzard is trying to be proactive about eliminating them. Back in July, CM Zorbrix posted a "targeted feedback request" about bottlenecks in the beta. Given that the introductory experience is completely on rails before the expansion unleashes players into its less structured zones, this is a real concern.

WoW hasn't had the best track record when it comes to bottlenecks. As we help Blizzard loosen the bottlenecks of the future, let's revisit those of the past.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: Bottlenecks

MassivelyWoW Archivist: Bottlenecks originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Sep 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbottlenecksscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 28 Sep 2014 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: QueueAge]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/21/mmo-week-in-review-queueage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/21/mmo-week-in-review-queueage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/21/mmo-week-in-review-queueage/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

ArcheAge
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Let's not sugarcoat this: A startling number of gamers are willing to wait in some ridiculously long lines to fling sand in the ArcheAge sandbox. This week, ArcheAge's launch woes were inescapable as Trion struggled to add waves of new servers and deal with the fallout of queues and character creation embargoes that have kept both paying and freemium players from logging in, let alone claiming land.

Massively's Jef Reahard chronicled his first six days in the game:
Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day one - Introduction
Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day two - Classes, skills, and combat
Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day three - PvE, quests, and story
Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day four - Trade runs, sea beasts, and pirates
Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day five - Random knowledge
Massively's ArcheAge launch diary: Day six - Pay-to-win and the early verdict

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: QueueAge

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: QueueAge originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 21 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archeagejoystiqmassively-metametaqueuequeueagequeuesrounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 21 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge has arrived]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/14/mmo-week-in-review-archeage-has-arrived/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/14/mmo-week-in-review-archeage-has-arrived/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/14/mmo-week-in-review-archeage-has-arrived/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Row row row your boat gently down the stream, if you're incredibly lucky or maybe just invisible, you won't get PKed in the face
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

A huge MMO launched this week! No, not Destiny, although that launched too. I'm talking about ArcheAge, the long-awaited Trion/XL Games sandbox MMORPG that has finally sailed its way across the pond to western shores, probably in an actual boat because, you know, this game has actual boats. Yes, ArcheAge's head start is now live for founders, though it's not been without the usual round of long queues and server instability and DDoS attacks and people waiting in polite and tidy lines for quest mobs. We've been chronicling the head start in a series of launch diaries and streams and will continue doing so this week as we approach the formal launch.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge has arrived

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: ArcheAge has arrived originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archeagearcheage-launchhead-startjoystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 14 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 3]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/14/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/14/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/14/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Ragnaros
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on September 12th and is included here by permission.

If you missed part 1 and part 2, that means you were late for the raid and we're docking you 50 DKP. Next time get here early to help the warlocks farm soul shards.

OK, fellow archivists! We've cleared trash, we've decursed, we've pulled Geddon to Garr's room, we've brefriended the Duke, and we've doused every fiery rune. It's time to delve into the core of the Core to take on the Majordomo and Ragnaros himself, 2005 edition.

The invincible majordomo

Undefeated in battle, Executus rose through the ranks of Ragnaros's lieutenants to become the Firelord's majordomo. He did not appear until you doused all the runes, so the earliest raids on Molten Core had to stop after Golemagg and Sulfuron due to an Aqual Quintessence shortage.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 3

MassivelyWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 3 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 14 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSun, 14 Sep 2014 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: No one knows how to pronounce ArcheAge]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/07/mmo-week-in-review-no-one-knows-how-to-pronounce-archeage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/07/mmo-week-in-review-no-one-knows-how-to-pronounce-archeage/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/07/mmo-week-in-review-no-one-knows-how-to-pronounce-archeage/#commentsFiled under: , ,

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

Sandbox MMO ArcheAge's western open beta began this past week with a massive 800MB patch, in spite of attempts by e-brigands to interrupt Trion's game services. We debated the game's faction choices and streamed the newly opened game first-hand as we eye the formal launch later this month.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: No one knows how to pronounce ArcheAge

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: No one knows how to pronounce ArcheAge originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 07 Sep 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/01/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/01/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/01/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

A rune in Molten Core
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on August 26th and is included here by permission.

In the last WoW Archivist, we covered the early parts of Molten Core: the "attunement," the grueling trash clear to Lucifron, and the weird hunter-focused mechanics of Magmadar. As we left off, the raid had just reached its first rune. To douse the rune and (eventually) summon Majordomo Executus, you had to make friends with an angry royal guy made of water.

The duke of douse

Duke Hydraxis, as a water elemental, wasn't very fond of other elemental types, particularly Ragnaros or his fiery kin. His Hydraxian Waterlords were the first raid-based reputation in WoW. You could rep up with them before setting foot in Molten Core by killing certain elementals out in the world, but only up to just shy of honored. After that, you had to run MC to get additional rep. Trash gave rep until revered, but only boss kills got you through the slow grind to exalted.

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 2

MassivelyWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderMon, 01 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: PAX Prime 2014]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/31/mmo-week-in-review-pax-prime-2014/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/31/mmo-week-in-review-pax-prime-2014/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/31/mmo-week-in-review-pax-prime-2014/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, Massively's Justin Olivetti braved the halls of PAX Prime and wrote all the things. Here's what he's tackled so far!
PAX Prime 2014: ArcheAge is a go for launch!
PAX Prime 2014: The mystery behind WildStar's Nexus
PAX Prime 2014: Landmark comes into its own
PAX Prime 2014: ArcheAge is launching on September 16th
PAX Prime 2014: RIFT's Nightmare Tide expansion launches October 8th
PAX Prime 2014: Unpredictable water flows through RIFT: Nightmare Tide
PAX Prime 2014: H1Z1's bears will end you
PAX Prime 2014: Going on a deer hunt in H1Z1
PAX Prime 2014: Hands-on with Shroud of the Avatar
PAX Prime 2014: The Repopulation's Josh Halls on beta, fishing, and houses
PAX Prime 2014: Paying a premium for Pathfinder Online
PAX Prime 2014: Warhammer 40k trains players to think like soldiers
PAX Prime 2014: Defiance defies barriers to play
PAX Prime 2014: Trove moves at the speed of lightrail
PAX Prime 2014: Hands-on with Undead Labs' Moonrise
PAX Prime 2014: State of Decay takes steps toward something larger
PAX Prime 2014: PlanetSide 2 meets the PlayStation 4
PAX Prime 2014: Marvel Heroes is the industry's surprise success story

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: PAX Prime 2014

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: PAX Prime 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conconventioneventevent-coverageeventsexpojoystiqmassively-event-coveragemassively-metametapaxpax-2014pax-primepax-prime-2014penny-arcade-exporounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 31 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: At home in a galaxy far, far away]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/24/mmo-week-in-review-at-home-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/24/mmo-week-in-review-at-home-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/24/mmo-week-in-review-at-home-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away/#commentsFiled under: , ,

SWTOR
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

You may not be able to play Uncle Owen on your very own moisture farm in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but you can come pretty darn close in the Galactic Strongholds expansion, which added housing to the game when it launched for subscribers earlier this week.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories, including more of our SOE Live coverage.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: At home in a galaxy far, far away

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: At home in a galaxy far, far away originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 24 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: SOE Live 2014]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/17/mmo-week-in-review-soe-live-2014/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/17/mmo-week-in-review-soe-live-2014/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/17/mmo-week-in-review-soe-live-2014/#commentsFiled under: , ,

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

This week, the MMO world has been preoccupied with SOE Live, Gamescom, and Blizzard's Warlords of Draenor shindig. Massively's MJ Guthrie has been reporting from SOE Live in Las Vegas, delivering fresh info on Landmark's and EverQuest Next's combat systems.
SOE Live 2014: Details on EverQuest Next combat, classes, and races
SOE Live 2014: Combat comes to Landmark August 27th
SOE Live 2014: EverQuest will release The Darkened Sea expansion October 28th
SOE Live 2014: EverQuest II's Altar of Malice expansion includes new playable race
SOE Live 2014: Thursday keynote liveblog announces EQ and EQII expansions, more

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: SOE Live 2014

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: SOE Live 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conconventioneventfan-fairejoystiqlas-vegasmassively-metametaroundupsoesoe-fan-fairesoe-livesoe-live-2014sonysony-online-entertainmenttop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 17 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/16/wow-archivist-the-classic-molten-core-experience/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Lucifron
WoW Archivist is a biweekly column by WoW Insider's Scott Andrews, who explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? It first appeared on our sister site on August 15th and is included here by permission.

Are you ready to return to the Core? Last week, we learned that Blizzard is planning a 40-player LFR version of classic's Molten Core raid as part of WoW's 10th anniversary celebration. Regardless of what the studio has in mind, the experience is certain to be very different than it was back in 2005.

Sure, you've probably solo'ed MC or cleared it with a few friends. But what was a Molten Core run like during classic WoW, when conquering Ragnaros and his fiery lieutenants was the pinnacle of endgame content?

Continue reading WoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience

MassivelyWoW Archivist: The classic Molten Core experience originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentscott-andrewswarcraftworld-of-warcraftwowwow-archivistwow-insiderSat, 16 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Blizzard goes all-in on WoW nostalgia]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/10/mmo-week-in-review-blizzard-goes-all-in-on-wow-nostalgia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/10/mmo-week-in-review-blizzard-goes-all-in-on-wow-nostalgia/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/10/mmo-week-in-review-blizzard-goes-all-in-on-wow-nostalgia/#commentsFiled under: , ,

WoW
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

World of Warcraft stole the pre-Gamescom show this week by both dropping 800k subscriptions over the past quarter and promising to reveal on August 14th the Warlords of Draenor expansion's intended release date. Taking into account Blizzard's announcement of nostalgia-laced anniversary content, the Massively staffers and readers speculated on just when Draenor's launch might be.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Blizzard goes all-in on WoW nostalgia

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Blizzard goes all-in on WoW nostalgia originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 10 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Week in Review: Hello to Firefall and Swordsman; goodbye to Vanguard and Wizardry Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/03/mmo-week-in-review-hello-goodbye/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/03/mmo-week-in-review-hello-goodbye/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/08/03/mmo-week-in-review-hello-goodbye/#commentsFiled under: , ,

VG
At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

The MMO world said goodbye to Vanguard and Wizardry Online this week and learned of the impending closure of heavily criticized mobile MMO Ultima Forever. Bringing balance to the universe were shiny new MMOs Swordsman and Firefall, both of which formally launched.

Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.

Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Hello to Firefall and Swordsman; goodbye to Vanguard and Wizardry Online

MassivelyMMO Week in Review: Hello to Firefall and Swordsman; goodbye to Vanguard and Wizardry Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiqmassively-metametarounduptop-storiesweek-in-reviewweekly-recapweekly-roundupwow-insiderSun, 03 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST