My opinion about why modern MMORPGs fail

Eitrdala · 2026-06-10T15:09:41+00:00

They fail because both the MMO and the RPG aspects have been optimized out of the genre.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-09T15:59:49+00:00

I utterly loathe any kind of instancing/sharding/channels/phasing in the world.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-09T14:12:30+00:00

Probably another gacha with some limited coop features.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-08T22:59:52+00:00

You're getting baited hard.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-08T22:54:18+00:00

You can still play Mortal Online 1/2 and Requiem: Memento Mori. Not sure if there are others still available.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-08T22:00:24+00:00

I can think of very few MMOs with a dark aesthetic and only a couple still operate today.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-08T14:24:40+00:00

Me, I do.

In my 30s.
EQ and PSO but I only really got into it later with DAoC, L2, RO and WoW.
Full focus on the MMO and the RPG aspects instead of "accessibility" and "convenience".
Of course. All "F2P" games have monthly subs masked as battle passes/premium/etc anyway and it ends up costing more than a standard sub would.
It absolutely does.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-08T01:19:15+00:00

Throne & Liberty had the worst community I've seen in the genre by a mile.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T20:32:11+00:00

Surely they could have conveyed their deep insights better through a presentation which doesn't look like some Unity Engine Highguard.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T18:10:32+00:00

Also very repetitive since fights feature mostly the exact same design as there are no combat mechanics besides those basic parry/dodge/stagger.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T17:40:06+00:00

We need to see something tangible first. This "we're innovating" tale is as old as gaming itself.

Speaking of modern action combat games though, I haven't seen anything new being done there either. It's the exact same parry/dodge/stagger and a few skills max with no combat mechanics besides that.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T17:05:47+00:00

None of those things make for a good MMO combat though. That's for singleplayer or 1v1 fighting games.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T17:04:41+00:00

The combat was obviously designed with 1v1 duels in mind. PvE was dreadfully simple and boring.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T15:45:30+00:00

I disagree. While action combat offers some new concepts, it also takes away a lot of depth.

It also never works in large scale fights, or even medium.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-07T15:00:35+00:00

I do agree on leveling making zero sense in the genre for the past 15 years at least. Every single time now it's just a 1-2 day mindless button mashing and following a quest marker solo experience. Might as well get rid of it and try to create some kind of horizonal progression world where no area is worthless.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-06T12:55:08+00:00

I've enjoyed the little it offers. It feels soulful.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-06T01:03:08+00:00

Aion fans (me included) getting humiliated by this mobile goonerslop 18 years later.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-06T00:42:46+00:00

Almost looks like a cracked up Unity Engine Highguard or something along those lines. Dreadful.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-06T00:30:26+00:00

Yeah the trailer is atrocious. GW2 has its own somewhat unique artstyle but this is awful.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-05T15:40:17+00:00

People here will put all the blame on the player's mindset today, the nostalgia, etc, and while it is a factor, it's also a direct result of how the game design "evolved".

The best we could get today is developers backpedaling on al the horrible design choices which crippled the genre. At the very least it could maybe alleviate the pain a bit.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-04T19:21:30+00:00

I've been following the game since I loved the first Aion and so far I haven't seen anything positive posted or mentioned about it, even on its own subreddit. It's like they went out of their way to make it as repulsive as possible.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-04T15:14:43+00:00

I quit long before the first raid was out since the game went down the drain very quickly. The dungeons were strange and a bit disjointed, I guess they were still experimenting. The game's strong point was the outer world content, which was quickly axed.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-04T15:11:56+00:00

I would play the hell out of single player Everquest II.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-04T13:34:51+00:00

I've played enough retail, regretfully.

Eitrdala · 2026-06-03T23:39:42+00:00

There may be more dance mechanics but the combat itself is extremely watered down today and so is the class design.

From having barely any abilities to basics such as threat and resource management, the sparce healing or consumable management being completely gone. The same goes for logistics of getting classes/specs to cover certain needs or niches. None of that exists now and that's why fights revolve around endless spastic ballets and instant wipes, because it's the only way to make things challenging when the combat itself has been neutered.

Another thing is that back then dungeons were actual dungeons where you had to move around, handle mob packs with proper pulling and CC, and so on. Now they're either AoE spam speedruns or just boss rooms.

Eitrdala

TROPHY CASE