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We’re entering that time on the calendar where multiple games are getting expansions. It doesn’t happen every year where you see three or four MMOs getting expanded upon, but this year we’re definitely being given a treat. Expansions themselves can help define the lifetime of an MMO – so is there one that stands out to you?
It’s an interesting question for me to personally ponder as I’m not really sure my favorite MMO, The Lord of the Rings Online, has had truly transformative expansions. Sure, there are ones that are more memorable and successful (Mines of Moria and Helm’s Deep come to mind) while others are seen as a bit lack luster (Riders of Rohan – seriously, mounted combat still feels awful).
When I’m looking at expansions that have helped change a game for me, something that showed that the developers have finally had something “click” so to speak where everything felt like it was running on all cylinders, I have to look elsewhere.
For that, The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind was that for me.
This was an expansion where it seemed all the changes and updates the team at ZeniMax Online Studios had been implementing since the One Tamriel update came to the forefront. It clicked in a way that I’ve been looking for in each subsequent expansion since. The nostalgia factor obviously plays a role as well, as The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is my favorite entry in the RPG series.
Getting off the boat at Seyda Neen, hearing the familiar leitmotifs in the soundtrack play as I traveled around Vvardenfell and much more really brought home what the promise of what ESO was to me: letting me experience new stories and experiences in this world I already knew I loved, but with my friends.
So I’m wondering if anyone else had had this moment with an expansion, either for a game now defunct or still going strong. I know for many World of Warcraft players, Wrath of the Lich King is held in high regard, while most recently Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers has been heralded as one of, if not the best MMO expansion of all time. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
