Miss WildStar? Well at least there’s the soundtrack to listen to on various sites, right? Nope! Apparently NCsoft pulled the acclaimed score from sites like iTunes and Spotify without any warning. Composer Jeff Kurtenacker, who doesn’t get any royalties from the OST sales, is just as confused as anyone else: “It’s frustrating. I’m not sure what the answer is but I’m trying to get in touch with people who know what’s going on […] I do want to figure out how to get this thing back out there. The fans deserve it.” This is just the beginning of the rest of the news! Read on for a roundup of other smaller MMO news stories and videos from this past week in this edition of The MOP Up (and if you don’t see a news story that we should have, drop us a tip)! Get your online anime gaming fix with the upcoming KurtzPel, which is coming to early access sometime the first quarter this year with small group PvE and PvP content. … [Read more...] about The MOP Up: WildStar suffers another indignity
Make My MMO: WoW’s esports crowdfunding, Legends of Aria’s spring delay
This week week in MMO crowdfunding, Blizzard is making its debut in this column, as it officially announced that it will be partially crowdfunding World of Warcraft’s upcoming esports prize pools. Esports fans will already be aware that other companies – including Riot, Valve, and Hi-Rez – have utilized community sales and contributions to bolster prize pools before, but that didn’t stop the WoW fanbase from going ballistic on the suggestion. Thanks for giving me another chance to use the money elemental pic, Blizz. Meanwhile, Legends of Aria delayed its Steam-specific early access release until spring and pushed out a small patch for existing players, Shroud of the Avatar raised eyebrows with its $6999 cash shop package, Ashes of Creation plotted another leg of Apocalypse testing, Crowfall mapped out its road to true alpha, Star Citizen talked hoverbikes and lady toons, and Elite Dangerous players managed to crash their own servers with their … [Read more...] about Make My MMO: WoW’s esports crowdfunding, Legends of Aria’s spring delay
Diablo 3: Patch 2.6.4 Season 16 Now Live
Season 16 has begun and brings the new “Ring of Grandeur” bonus. Players will be able to leverage the ring’s bonus that reduces the number of items needed for set bonuses by 1 and can collect a number of cosmetic rewards as well as a complete set of armor based on class. Quality of Life Changes Taken directly from player feedback, we’ve focused on a couple of frequently requested changes to improve the overall Diablo experience. This includes minor changes, such as removing Legendary potions from player inventories so that they no longer take up space, but also more significant changes to celebrating end-game loot in Primal Legendaries. Class Set Updates The balance changes from Patch 2.6.1 have had a few seasons to percolate, allowing most classes and builds to settle in to comfort areas for their best performance. With Patch 2.6.4, we’ve identified some of the best performing builds, like Condemn Crusader and Rathma’s Necromancer, and we’re … [Read more...] about Diablo 3: Patch 2.6.4 Season 16 Now Live
PSA: Grab three free Star Trek Online ships right now
Kicking off a week of free giveaways ahead for Star Trek Online, Cryptic’s made a trio of Tier 5 (T5) starships available for free in the game store. But you’re going to need to move quick to grab them, because this promo will end on Monday at 1:00 EST. There is one ship for each of the game’s three primary factions: the Caitian Atrox Carrier for the Federation, the Kar’Fi Battle Cruiser for Klingons, and the Ar’Kif Tactical Carrier Warbird Retrofit for Romulans. And if you’re hoping to get a Tier 6 ship without plunking down cash, then you’re in luck there as well. When the anniversary event goes live, players can earn a T6 Vulcan ship by participating in a few easy dailies. … [Read more...] about PSA: Grab three free Star Trek Online ships right now
Global Chat: The big question mark of Anthem
What’s the biggest gaming unknown for you going into 2019? For MMO blogger Cary at Virtual Bastion, it’s whether or not BioWare is going to stick the landing with Anthem. I think that’s a question a lot of us have right now. “I think I’m in the ‘just cautious’ boat,” Cary writes. “Its latest trailers have revealed more about the people in the game, and this is what really has me rethinking my stance. Despite gameplay (and larger) missteps of the past, BioWare knows storytelling.” We’ve got plenty of thought-provoking MMO essays to share with you this week, including picking your first online RPG, out-leveling content in LOTRO, impressions of FFXIV’s latest patch, and more! Magen Tales: Choosing a first-time MMO “One day, as I was browsing some blogs, her eye caught a Final Fantasy XIV screenshot and asked about the game. I did my best to explain about the FF lore without spoilers and she said … [Read more...] about Global Chat: The big question mark of Anthem