Upcoming MMORPGs That Fans Need to Know About
Ashes of Creation
Ashes of Creation, ever since its hugely successful Kickstarter back in May of 2017, has been hyped up to levels that might be challenging for its developer, Intrepid Studio, to reach. However, the hype is for good reason, and it’s definitely an upcoming MMORPG that players should at least keep one eye on.
Ashes of Creation aims to be the perfect mix of old-school MMORPG style gameplay, combined with some modern tweaks and ambitious new ideas. For example, the game will feature tab-targeting gameplay and abilities, familiar of course to fans of games like Everquest and Final Fantasy, mixed in with more action-oriented combat that is seen in modern MMORPGs such as TERA.
The Node system though is by far, Ashes of Creation’s most unique, and touted new feature. What is is, and how it works, is that areas of the map are split up into nodes. These areas can be settled on and built up by the players which are themselves split into different factions based on their race. These nodes start from humble beginnings as a small settlement but can be built up into massive metropolises. Likewise, though, nodes can degrade either naturally or through competition with others, and be returned to earlier, smaller states. When these nodes are built up or torn down, new activities, quests, etc. will open and close, leading to a dynamic endgame that will be heavily influenced player actions.
If it works the way that Intrepid Studio is trying to draw it up here, not only will Ashes of Creation have a really neat feature for players to enjoy, it will also solve the problem of endgame content getting stale. Ashes’ endgame will constantly be evolving without the developers needing to update the game, although they will be doing that too on a regular basis as well.
As far as a release date goes, the full version of the game only has an extremely vague “before 2020” window, but Alpha and Beta tests will be rolling out late this year and next year. You’re going to see as you go through this list that there’s a trend with upcoming MMORPGs and playing it coy with their release dates.
We’re hoping this upcoming title is enough of a success to make our list of best MMORPGs to play right now.
Upcoming MMORPGs That Fans Need to Know About
Crowfall
Crowfall is another MMORPG that benefitted from Kickstarter hype, this one going all the way back to 2015. It’s been a while, but fans are hoping that upcoming MMORPG Crowfall is worth the wait.
Like the other games on this list, Crowfall is trying to do something that sets it apart from the swath of safe, WoW clones we’ve seen released over the last decade. Crowfall’s big hook is its Throne War feature. Each server is a unique, “Campaign World” which has a finite amount of time to exist, and will progress through four seasons, spring through winter, which according to the developer, Artcraft, will usually last a few months. Player characters will compete to complete objectives during the campaign world’s time period, and walk out a victor, which of course, comes with spoils.
Every time a campaign world resets, Artcraft will use the opportunity to potentially change up the rules of each world, ensuring that the newly reset experience feels different than the last. Also, not all worlds are created equal, and certain worlds will be more challenging and riskier, than others. For example, you can go to the world of The Dregs, which has the most plentiful and useful resources that you’re going to want to bring back with you when the world resets, however, it’s also the most dangerous, and it’s all or nothing. Losers get squat. Other, safer worlds, on the other hand, will at least give losers something more for their efforts. You can choose the stakes you want to play with essentially. There’s also a permanent world that will not reset, where you can keep permanent housing and such.
Gameplay wise, Crowfall appears to be taking the traditional MMORPG foundation, and infusing it with elements that would be familiar to survival and sandbox video game fans. The environment is destructible, villages and strongholds are up for grabs, and players can scavenge supplies and build up their own structures.
Like many other in development upcoming MMORPGs, Crowfall’s full launch is very much in the air still. All we know is that it’s definitely not this year.
Upcoming MMORPGs That Fans Need to Know About
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
As MMORPGs become more modern, streamlined, instanced, and casual friendly, a lot of the old-school social elements have started to erode. For a lot of MMORPGs, unless you’re attempting some of the most challenging content, there aren’t a lot of times that you need to socialize or communicate with team members. For example, Final Fantasy XI –my MMORPG of choice when I was younger– for all its flaws, actually led to me making some lifelong friends because of the extreme level that players were forced to communicate and cooperate. Final Fantasy XIV on the other hand, while it’s a blast to play, feels like a solo game at times. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, one of our most anticipated upcoming MMORPGs from the experienced ex-Everquest developers, aims to bring back those moments in MMORPGs that led to friendships being formed, or even, enemies.
Pantheon is intentionally designed to be played with others. The game is going to be challenging and will punish failure and death more than modern MMORPG fans may be used to. To survive and thrive, you’ll have to reach out to other players, to help accomplish your goals.
In addition to that overarching gameplay philosophy, Pantheon also has a few tricks up its sleeve too in order to compete with the other MMORPGs on this list. For example, The E in PvE for Pantheon also stands for Environment. Obstacles created by nature, such as storms, and can both impede players, forcing even more cooperation, but can also present an opportunity for craftier players as well.
Again though, like the other the other upcoming MMORPGs on this list we have no idea when Pantheon will be complete and fully release sadly.
Upcoming MMORPGs That Fans Need to Know About
Chronicles of Elyria
Finally, we arrive at Chronicles of Elyria, yet another Kickstarted upcoming MMORPG. If you’re noticing a trend then you’re spot on –big-time publishers are wary of the genre now, especially ones that are going to deviate from what has been proven to be successful. Perhaps games like the ones on this list, and of course Chronicles of Elyria can change some minds.
Chronicles of Elyria has an extremely radical approach to your character: he or she is definitely going to die. All characters have 52 weeks to live. They will age, and eventually pass away, just like we all will one day. The aim is to create a dynamic world with heroes, villains, leaders, etc that will rise, fall and die just like ours on Earth. No matter how dominant someone is, father time catches up to us all, and opportunities for younger upstarts to take advantage will present themselves. In addition, you can also just straight up die, from you know, getting killed by something. You can revive yourself, but it gets more difficult the older you get. This system is so ambitious, that new players can even enter the game being “born” under a child code from another player, joining their dynasty and lineage.
Everything down to the game’s combat, economy, politics, factions, etc. are all centered around this persistent cycle of life and death, and that alone, is something that should pique the interest of those into MMORPGs.
Chronicles of Elyria is planned to fully release sometime late in 2019. Still not a firm release by any means, but at least it’s clearer than most upcoming MMORPGs.
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