Some time again on the MassivelyOP Podcast, Justin and I have been making an attempt to type by why New World’s endgame hasn’t had endurance with the broader MMORPG playerbase that has no issues in any respect milling round in different MMO endgames for months and years. I think it’s as a result of New World’s endgame is lacking some particular sauce that makes it an excellent recreation to “dwell” in, however that particular sauce is probably going going to be totally different for everybody.

So for this week’s Massively Overthinking, let’s drink us some particular sauce. What precisely do you do in MMO endgames that makes you wish to hold enjoying the sport long term? What content material constitutes the “glue” that’s retaining you in a mature MMO, not simply attracting you again?

​Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): Neighborhood and the sport world/lore. I performed World of Warcraft nearly solely with associates/household, however had little to no love of the IP, we simply had weekly PvP nights the place we’d coordinate or instigate bother however maintain again sufficient to verify issues have been attention-grabbing for either side. However, I don’t suppose any of my meat area associates performed Star Wars: The Previous Republic, however I cherished the sport’s story, and my on-line neighborhood helped get some RP PvP occurring a non-RP server, however even once they left, I stayed for some time as a result of I loved the tales.

Sandboxes are usually higher, although. I bear in mind hitting the extent cap in TERA, however all I actually bear in mind was weekly RP PvP and organizing the political stuff that TERA finally turned off. I’ve nice recollections of that recreation, however I can barely bear in mind greater than a few raids in, effectively, any raiding recreation I performed, and I had some server firsts below my belt. Having open-ended methods and random loot as an alternative of pre-fab, bind-on-equip/pickup loot turns individuals into hamsters on wheels, and I can run, however as quickly as my associates are out or I full the story, I’m off to the subsequent digital world.

Andy McAdams: I believe it’s simply the individuals. Once I take into consideration video games that I performed lengthy into endgame regardless of not likely being into endgame all that a lot it was largely simply because I wished to proceed to spend time with my guildies, and they are nonetheless actually engaged within the recreation. That mentioned, I actually take pleasure in operating dungeons or small group content material, and I like crafting issues that matter (aka – I don’t like crafting the +5 Hosit of Better Kerfluffliness that simply sits on the public sale home from now till the warmth demise of the universe). Issues that I might name “RP-lite” actions are a variety of enjoyable too. My finest latest recollections from WoW are doing a Kirin Tor bar crawl, my guild run bar crawl, and going to a March of The Mammoths. Once I was enjoying Anarchy On-line, I used to like to sit down there and simply forged my buffs on individuals for suggestions whereas chatting in org chat.

I like having the ability to make predictable progress in the direction of a objective – for instance, again within the Wrath days when crafting used to have dailies, I used to be on a mission to earn each jewelcrafting recipe. I by no means did it, nevertheless it saved me engaged.

However actually, I believe I identical to having a alternative of some various things to do, and extra importantly individuals to do them with. It’s kinda just like the dive bar you go to with your pals. It’s acquired shitty drinks, issues generously referred to as “meals,” a flooring that feels like velcro while you stroll on it, and a jukebox that hasn’t been up to date since 1985. However you find it irresistible, and also you and your pals hold coming again — day after day, week after week, yr after yr to play the identical recreation of Sorry! with the lacking items and answering the identical Trivial Pursuit questions you’ve answered for the final decade. An MMO endgame that retains me engaged is like that.

Ben Griggs (@braxwolf): I’ve requested myself this query so much, really. It doesn’t matter what recreation I’m enjoying, the gameplay loop finally will get stale after months or years of repetition and I find yourself shifting on to one thing else. I don’t suppose a single endgame mechanic will ever maintain my consideration eternally, however the video games I persist with the longest are those the place the bonds of friendships have been the strongest. Maybe that’s why a few of the newer, extra action-oriented, much less social video games are inclined to see me bounce faster. I’ve invested much less social capital into these titles and thus it’s simpler to chop ties.

Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, weblog): For me, it relies upon nearly totally on the sport. If it’s a themepark recreation and my associates are enjoying, I’ll stick round in even the worst grindy endgame simply to hang around with them. However as soon as my associates depart, and so they all the time do, then I want an “endgame” that’s nonetheless playable for any individual who isn’t a guild hopper. That doesn’t essentially imply solo; it simply means it wants one thing I can do with out becoming a member of a brand new guild. Often, meaning a minimum of one of many following: a superlative financial system (whether or not or not the crafting is sweet), numerous rewards to chase that enchantment on to me, a soloable overland searching expertise, a strong occasion grouping system, actually strong PvP that doesn’t privilege premades an excessive amount of, an incredible housing or constructing system, a cause to roll numerous alts, or an inexpensive move of recent content material that brings my associates again again and again.

I’m not an enormous fan of the concept of dungeon-and-raid-based endgames; like most individuals who’ve been enjoying this style 25 years, I’ve been there finished that and it doesn’t hold me round now. However my core MMOs proper now – those I “dwell” in and hold coming again to again and again even when my associates don’t – all have a number of components of the above.

Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes, weblog): I believe one of many first items of content material that retains me invested in a recreation previous cap is the endgame content material being partaking to start with. Which means attention-grabbing dungeons and raids, enjoyable quests, and a good stability of problem and development. Additionally, choices – heaps and plenty of choices; if the one factor ready at cap is a few of the more durable tier stuff and no ramp-up or option to cease at a sure tier, then the sport has just about misplaced me.

The high-water mark for me right here will all the time be the way in which Ultimate Fantasy XIV does issues. There are sufficient raids of fairly variable difficulties the place I don’t all the time really feel like I’m excluded from every thing, and there’s the opposite sidequests and story quests to maintain me coming again in-between expansions. I sort of felt equally about WildStar as effectively, however that was additionally as a result of I might largely ignore the “actual” endgame that title pushed because of having an excellent guild of associates to only run common dungeons with.

Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, weblog): Endgame isn’t as attention-grabbing to me because the leveling and questing journey. If I run out of each of these, my curiosity in that character/MMO will dip severely (therefore, alts!). But when an MMO offers me various types of endgame development, particularly smaller objectives that aren’t instantly tied to raiding, I’ll stick round. Stretch objectives for desired rewards, secret quest chains, competition actions, monitoring down stuff to construct up cool homes, and many others.

Mia DeSanzo (@neschria): Alts are my factor, since I’m not a lot into raiding or PvP. If I loved enjoying the sport by as one class, I normally take pleasure in doing it another time, particularly if I could make totally different selections that make it a special expertise. I’m much less thrilled by video games which have a single level-up expertise with none deviation from the trail actually doable, however even then, typically simply the contemporary expertise of a brand new class will hold me in. I’m undoubtedly a sucker for brand new races, lessons, and eventualities. A gentle stream of recent content material will hold me in too, particularly if it isn’t raiding or PvP.

Sadly, endgame usually appears to be a funnel into a type of two. There’s not often an endgame that retains me in. The vacation spot is much more boring than the journey, more often than not.

Sam Kash (@thesamkash): I all the time got here again time and time once more for a recreation that had (comparatively) common, new content material to work together with – or simply actually good PvP. I spent a whole bunch, possibly 1000’s, of hours in Guild Wars 1 PvP. Not even the extremely coordinated team-oriented PvP, simply common outdated random arenas. I simply cherished the fast-paced nature of the battles and the fast in-and-out gameplay. I additionally cherished how accessible it was to strive totally different builds out. I spent a variety of time in pre-Coronary heart of Thorns GW2. The fight was nice, even when I didn’t love the sport mode. At the moment I used to be nonetheless bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and thought that solely an fool would create a sequel to top-of-the-line MMO PvP modes with out together with mentioned recreation modes. Oh, the naivete.

I normally additionally return for story content material, though in some way I haven’t made time for EOD. I assume not having any attention-grabbing options to actually go together with it lowered my curiosity. That’s fairly the downer. However I do nonetheless play each competition that releases. The occasions are enjoyable, and the brand new rewards are nonetheless attention-grabbing sufficient that I can’t assist however be sure that I full the meta.

So possibly that’s my reply I want attention-grabbing rewards and content material or actually good PvP. Simple, proper? Completely not subjective.

Tyler Edwards (weblog): My choice is for solo content material (for this function, I embrace group content material with fast, straightforward matchmaking as “solo”) with foreign money or XP-based rewards, so I can know I’m all the time making regular progress. I’ve by no means discovered any pleasure in playing, so randomized reward buildings maintain little enchantment to me.

That mentioned, nearly no endgame holds my consideration for very lengthy, a minimum of not by itself. I get bored simply and normally get lost to start out a brand new alt or play a special recreation.

At any time when I’ve spent important time within the endgame of an MMO, it’s as a result of I used to be invested within the recreation and its world. Most particularly I have to care concerning the story. I’m not going to spend hours of my life upgrading my character if I don’t care what occurs subsequent within the story. Stable core gameplay is necessary, too. I by no means acquired a lot into the endgame of SWTOR as a result of I can’t abdomen its fight for any longer than crucial.

The purpose I’m meandering in the direction of right here is that the perfect “endgame” design is to easily construct an excellent recreation within the first place. If I like your recreation and the world you’ve constructed, I’ll fortunately spend hours grinding even very restricted or primary endgame content material, because the numerous hours I spent murdering Ghouls within the Besieged Farmlands of TSW will attest. In case your story has no soul and your fight bores me, no quantity of dungeons, raids, PvP, or no matter will hold me lengthy.

Each week, be part of the Massively OP employees for Massively Overthinking column, a multi-writer roundtable by which we talk about the MMO trade matters du jour – after which invite you to affix the fray within the feedback. Overthinking it’s actually the entire level. Your flip!

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