MMO Insider April 2024

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April was a whirlwind month for MMORPG testing, particularly for some of the indie MMOs slated to launch in the next two years. We had the chance to dive into quite a few games, and now, it’s time to unveil the insider scoop on each one! Keep in mind that many of these MMOs are still in the early stages of development, such as pre-Alpha, so the full potential is yet to unfold. We’ll break down where things stand currently and share our excitement levels for each title.

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Throne and Liberty held a confidential closed playtest this month, which I had the opportunity to join. Although I can’t disclose any details due to the NDA, I will say that this highly anticipated multi-platform MMORPG remains firmly on my radar. With a western release expected this year, I look forward to getting more playtime soon.

Excitement Level: 4 out of 5

Unfortunately, I missed out on Pax Dei testing in April for the second time in a row. Despite this, it’s high on my watchlist as the concept looks promising, and the game brings intriguing elements to the table. However, feedback from some testers and friends has me cautious. The gameplay is heavily focused on crafting, requiring significant teamwork and large guilds to progress efficiently. The extensive time investment needed for crafting and skill advancement could be a slog for solo players, and the combat has been described as lacklustre. While I appreciate teamwork-oriented MMORPGs, Pax Dei’s grind-heavy approach and uninspiring combat are concerning.

Excitement Level: 2 out of 5

April kicked off with an early look into Eternal Tombs, an MMORPG that promises some fascinating ideas and potentially unique features, particularly with live “tomb masters”—staff members who create dynamic events within the game world. This strictly non-pay-to-win title has been on my radar for a while, but I mistakenly anticipated a closer-to-ready game. Instead, this pre-Alpha playtest revealed that it’s still quite early in development, so significant changes are likely before its anticipated 2025 launch.

Visually, Eternal Tombs offers attractive environments with intricate detail. However, the limited draw distance, even on ultra settings, detracted from immersion. Moving the camera also caused noticeable frame rate drops, hinting at optimization issues that extended to long loading screens.

The developers aim to launch with 30 zones and 19 raids. I spent several hours exploring one of the beginner zones, which introduced lore and set the stage. However, some aspects didn’t make much sense, particularly how the player character is meant to be a savior but arrives with no gear or supplies. The voiced NPCs also struggled to be heard over the distracting background noise.

I initially had doubts about the combat system from early trailers but found it strategic and engaging, albeit slower-paced than expected. Targeting enemies was tricky until I discovered the “C” key for highlighting them. A frustrating aspect was being immobilized or rooted by distant enemies, particularly when evading boars, leading to multiple deaths. The inability to sprint was annoying, but I managed to compensate with a creative jump + dodge technique.

Progression was significantly impacted by the presence of just two other players in the area, which limited available enemies and loot drops essential for quest advancement. Fortunately, the developers promptly patched enemy spawn rates the next day, increasing both spawns and respawn timers—kudos to them!
The initial gear acquisition was confusing, with essential equipment buried in vendor menus without guidance. Exploring the world revealed both graphical inconsistencies and fascinating environmental interactions, like climbing on buildings or getting stuck swimming in the water.

The difficulty curve was steep, with low-level enemies posing significant challenges. This created an overcrowded starting zone, limiting progression. The developers quickly addressed this feedback, reducing the difficulty of early enemies to help players move out of the zone faster.

After hours of gameplay, the challenging pace and learning curve revealed the potential of Eternal Tombs, though it appears to demand significant time investment and seems tailored to a niche audience emphasizing hardcore gameplay. While this playtest didn’t meet my high expectations, the developers are actively addressing these issues, and the dynamic world, raids, and live tomb masters still have me intrigued.

With bi-weekly testing sessions on the horizon and significant updates planned, I’m excited to dive back into Eternal Tombs and explore the features that originally caught my attention.

Excitement Level: 3.5 out of 5

I had the chance to playtest Abyss Online this month, a pre-Alpha MMORPG that promises an expansive open-world experience where players can forge their own path as heroes. My first session was a simple exploration around a castle, but a later revisit allowed me to explore more of the game’s systems due to active patching during the testing phase.

Upon entering the game, players start with a template character, meaning character creation hasn’t been implemented yet. The biome I loaded into was visually stunning, with a surprising level of detail in the plants, grass, water, and shadows. However, the gameplay itself felt quite sparse, with limited activities available.

I noticed another player and decided to engage in combat to test out the skills. Equipping a weapon was a challenge since they didn’t appear on the character model, leaving me uncertain whether they were properly equipped. The combat system is relatively simple, with six skills linked to the equipped gear. Weapons and armor determine available abilities, reflecting the classless combat design. I appreciated the action combat system and found the streamlined skillset appealing, but invisible weapons detracted from the immersion. Dodging and jumping added some strategic flair, though the overall system still needs refinement.

Building presented similar challenges. I noticed an unfinished structure and attempted to contribute, but struggled to figure out the controls. Once I managed to gather materials and build, I found the idea of open-world structures intriguing as long as they aren’t permanent, which could clog the landscape if abandoned by inactive players. Camera, UI, and movement issues hampered the building experience; the character would sometimes walk sideways, and the cursor aimed inaccurately. The arrow keys used for rotating and placing items only partially functioned. After zooming in my camera, I could finally place objects at a distance, but they occasionally floated above my head.

With limited gameplay options, I explored the weapons’ animations before roaming the empty zone in search of enemies. Reaching the map’s boundary led me to fall through the world. Despite the issues, Abyss Online aims to deliver a rich lore-driven story, player-based economy, and immersive multiplayer features, such as co-op quests and intense PvP battles.

However, with a recent delay in its Early Access release initially planned for May 7th, 2024, the game still feels like it’s in a very early development phase, far from being playable. I’m hesitant to invest in Early Access, given how incomplete it currently appears. This approach hasn’t boded well for other MMORPGs in recent years.

Excitement Level: 1.5 out of 5

Although I was late to join the party for EverCraft Online, I managed to catch the tail end of their recent early Alpha test. The game embraces a block-based aesthetic, which carries a nostalgic vibe while emphasizing gameplay quality.

Character creation kicks off the experience, offering a variety of races and classes. While I couldn’t try them all, it’s clear that each choice impacts your character’s playstyle. I selected an Ogre to change things up and found myself starting in Osgul, the Ogre city.

This zone was well-designed, so I explored to figure out my next move. However, the absence of a map or compass was frustrating, as instructions to head “east” felt vague without direction indicators.

EverCraft features a tab-target combat system that’s intentionally slow-paced, focusing on strategic, impactful encounters rather than rapid, chaotic skirmishes. You select an enemy, turn on auto-attack, then juggle cooldowns and manage resources. Combat meshes well with the game’s aesthetic, reinforcing teamwork since enemies just a couple of levels higher proved a real challenge.

The camera angle posed significant issues, often obscuring enemies and forcing me to switch to first-person view for proper aiming, gathering, and looting. Targeting and attacking were cumbersome, sometimes leaving my character immobile despite highlighting an enemy due to slight misalignment. This will need refinement to streamline player actions.

Although I didn’t have much time in EverCraft Online, it shows significant potential. It seems to emphasize team-based play, exploration, and character development. Compared to other MMOs at this Alpha stage, it’s relatively far along.

Interestingly, this game might appeal to children, drawing a younger audience into the MMORPG scene. As a parent, I often find my gaming preferences don’t attract my kids, but EverCraft Online could bridge that gap. It holds the potential to introduce a new generation to the genre if marketed to a broader audience and made family-friendly. I could definitely see myself playing this with my kids if it’s done right.

Excitement Level: 3 out of 5

That wraps up my April MMORPG testing. It was a packed month, and I had a blast exploring these games. In May, we’ll be testing The Quinfall, an exciting opportunity since this game hasn’t had open testing yet. Given the controversy that surfaced in January, it will be interesting to see how it plays.

I also plan to test Arvita in early May and Core Punk at the end of May. If you’re aware of any other MMORPGs testing in May, let me know in Discord so we can get invited and check them out!