15 New Upcoming MMOs That You Need To Check Out

Throughout the years, although games have come and gone with new, innovative gameplay modes, one genre has remained mostly untouched – that of the MMO. Whether a life simulator, an RPG, or something else entirely, MMOs will always retain a massive fanbase and stick to their cores. Here we’ll take a look at the 15 most awesome new MMOs coming in 2016 and beyond.

 

15. Chronicles of Elyria 

Chronicles of Elyria is a unique game because it doesn’t focus on a single plot. It centers itself around your character completely. There are many regional conflicts that arise along your journey, such as battles between kingdoms, which will significantly impact the lands as a real war would – bloodied struggles, even less resources, intricate alliances, and dangerous intrigue.

But what makes this game all the more special is that, while you may participate in these clashes for power like most MMORPG, you will start off from humble beginnings as a small-time adventurer and from there you are able to build your dynasty and choose your destiny. Do you want to be a king? Maybe an assassin? With a lot of time and effort, you can do just that in Chronicle of Elyria.

Visually stunning scenery

Chronicles of Elyria is the first MMORPG in which your character ages and will then die an eventual permanent death. Players purchase a Spark of Life, which is the entire lifetime of a character – from start to permadeath. Your character will die in approximately 10 to 14 months, but they will be reborn stronger and wiser. Each time your character is reborn, it reduces two days from your average lifespan, giving your character an average of about one real world year of play, eventually leading to permadeath, per Spark of Life. Your character will age even when you log off.

This interesting concept allows players to experience role playing in a whole new way, by focusing on the character’s role in quests, other characters’ lives, and the world. You will want to consider the inevitability of death, making careful decisions and taking time to experience all that life has to give.

So many ways to customize your character’s appearance

In fact, this unique game has tons of other features that make the game more realistic. These features include quests that cannot be completed again by other players, limited resources that don’t respawn, and a completely destructible environment. With the environment being destructible, castle sieges and other actions will permanently affect the world.

Because the things that you do make a lasting difference on the game, like taking resources, destroying areas of the world, and completing quests that can never be repeated, you are able to make a real difference in the lives of the other player, how the story unfolds, and the world around you. Each player will have a completely different experience from the next.

The Chronicles of Elyria battle system is unique as well – it depends on the player strategic ability, speed, and reaction time – instead of just mashing buttons, you must have real skills to dodge and parry hits using the left and right arrow keys in customizable combo patterns. You will also use combinations and stances to attack your enemies. You can strategically use blunt bashes, quick slashes, or heavy swings. Timing is everything as you must carefully manage your stamina so that your character doesn’t get worn out mid-battle and be unable to strike or defend.

With all of these realistic features, this is not just a MMORPG – this is a strategic survival game. At the time of this writing, Chronicles of Elyria is currently in pre-Alpha test stage. The Chronicles of Elyria is still currently working out the kinks but we look forward to seeing the game in action.

 

14. Lost Ark

Lost Ark is a Korean MMO focused around quick, responsive gameplay. You must maintain an awareness of everything around you, as demon invaders may attack you from any angle, and you must find valuable loot throughout the world to increase your battle efficiency.  Lost Ark is focused on combat coordination and skill – despite all the power available to them, the player’s character will only be as skilled as the player themselves, as you must have a strong proficiency on combos and maintain your character and class customization. 

Participate in epic battles with enemies in a gorgeous landscape

The game is currently in a closed-beta available only in Korea, and its final release date remains unknown. Many details remain cloudy, although it’s known that players from all over Korea are waiting patiently for its release. A global release is expected mid-2017.

Fight against other players in deadly PvP arenas

 

13. Lineage Eternal

Another big Korean series, the Lineage series by NCSoft has long held the attention of many Asian MMO lovers. Lineage Eternal focuses on orienting combat around mouse commands rather than keybinds, enabling more traditional hack-n-slash style combat.

You’ll have the opportunity to lead troops into massive battles against demon-like enemies and terrible monsters using mouse-gesture skills. By clicking and holding, the mouse, the player will create symbols on screen that will unleash their customized skills. 

Demonic bosses await you in Lineage Eternal

Lineage Eternal, when released, will be a massive open-world adventure to explore with friends, with 20 man raids, no predetermined questing line, PvP combat, randomized dungeons and epic sieges. Strategy will be vital in winning these encounters. Use the terrain to your army’s advantage.

Lineage Eternal has been stuck in development hell since 2011, when it was first announced.

The blood of the fallen shall stain the ground

The beta was initially declared to be released in 2013, but was postponed indefinitely. Closed beta testing is scheduled for some time in 2016. Its defining blend of strategy, combat, and multiplayer gameplay is sure to help it gain popularity. 

 

12. Riders of Icarus

In a world where an ancient evil returns and threatens the world, you play as one of the legendary Riders of Icarus, aerial protectors of mankind. Your main objective is to tame wild beasts in order to ride them into battle. There are hundreds of different mounts to find in the world, and you will train them to be fearsome beasts who will help you in your quests to defeat foes.

The game is outstanding in its approach to beasts in the world. Instead of simply being capable of slaying creatures outright, you’re capable of taming them through skillful gameplay and successful completion of a quicktime minigame. 

Over 300 mounts are yours to claim

Ride and control anything from a vanilla horse to a bedazzling dragon made of gemstones. Soar through the skies and show off your mount to other players, who will only be able to watch enviously as you remain out of reach.

Your mount will enable you to perform tactical maneuvers in combat, and can give you a massive advantage against your enemies. Whether you wish to use magic or melee, there’ll be a way to make your moves flow fluidly.

A huge map awaits exploration

However, there’s a catch – although a free-to-play game, Riders of Icarus features plenty of pay-to-win expansions, meaning that unless you’re looking to invest a fair amount of time in-game, be prepared to break out your wallet. 

 

11. Bless Online

Bless Online will soon be available in the west, after a closed beta run only in Korea.

In an anarchic world caught in a struggle between two factions: the Hieron and the Union. You are a notable character who fights to restore order. You must choose between these two factions, each of which have differing values and ideals for the future of the land, and both seek world domination. The Hieron races pride themselves in loyalty and honor while the Union races value freedom and liberty.

Choose between these two factions as you create and customize a character from one of ten races, and use your special powers and abilities to bring the war to an end and calm the realm. 

Team up with other players to take down monumental world bosses

Due to religious and philosophical differences between the factions, this will be no easy task. Quell uprisings and silence revolts, all while trying not to set off the end of society in the world of Bless.

Like many of the other games on this list, gathering and crafting will be an important part of ensuring character success and survival. Legendary weapons serve to enhance your skills in combat, enabling you to best your foes in mortal combat.

Customize virtually every aspect of your character to your liking

Photorealistic graphics make combat rewarding, as you team up with your friends to strike down world bosses with unprecedented power. Beautiful cinematics will also serve to enhance the depth of the world, and bring you in on a personal level.

We look forward to Bless making a footprint worldwide soon!

 

10. Conan Exiles

Set in the land of Conan the Barbarian, early access for Conan: Exiles has been delayed to January 2017 from its original planned June 2016 early access date. 

Prove your might in combat against strange beasts

In these brutal, barren lands, you have been exiled and must now struggle to survive against all odds. Only the strong will make it through this sentencing, and in order to seek revenge, you must fight to reclaim your honor, craft weaponry and armor, and assemble an army.

​Build a fortress that can withstand the assault of barbaric forces, and re-establish your right to be feared in the unforgiving wasteland.

Crush all those who oppose you

 

9. Kingdom Under Fire II

Kingdom Under Fire II mashes together an MMORPG and a RTS game, breaking barriers and establishing itself as the first of its kind. Play as a general in one of three factions, and select one of three classes: Berseker, Gunslinger, and Sellsword. These three faction include the The Human Alliance and Dark Legion from the original Kingdom Under Fire, and the Encablossians, a completely brand new faction.

 

RTS elements can turn the tides of battles

You’re able to recruit troops from over one hundred varieties of soldiers, making every player’s army different, possessing their own strengths and weaknesses. With no two armies identical, you’ll be playing against other players in a mix of RPG and RTS combat while levelling up as you would in a typical MMO.

While players normally play as their customized characters in a high-fantasy world, they are also able to switch over to a subordinate unit controlled by their character and issue it commands as in a RTS game. This permits for additional player destruction and mayhem for the sake of large-scale battleground and raid destruction, particularly in PvP situations.

Participate in battles on an unreal scale

Kingdom Under Fire II has been through several developmental delays since its initial announcement in January 2008, although it is expected to be released sometime in 2016.

 

8. ARK: Survival Evolved

With a current expected release date of December 2016, Ark is currently in early access on Steam, with incredible reviews.

Another survival MMO with beautiful graphical details set in a prehistoric world with a mixture of high-tech weaponry, players have to battle each other while harnessing the raw potential of the primal environment.

Bend powerful dinosaurs to your will. Alternately, you can kill them.

Make dinosaurs bend to your will and use them against your enemies as you plan tactical maneuvers to crush them. However, you must remain vigilant and stay strong. The environment teems with life and there are enemies in every corner, ready and capable of snatching your life away in an instant, and if you do not stay alert, you won’t last long.

Crafting is key, as the resource-rich environment enables you to amass stockpiles of tools and weapons to destroy your foes more efficiently. 

Hi-tech vs lo-tech. Who will come out on top?

Resources must be allocated carefully to where you deem appropriate, as they are by no means easy to obtain. Players are also able to team up with each other to more easily survive, although be wary: you may not necessarily be able to trust your allies.

 

7. Shattered Skies

Available in beta at the time of writing, Shattered Skies is a chaotic sandbox game focused on bandit-style gameplay.

Set in a universe where a mysterious comet impact has shattered the moon and brought it tumbling down to the surface of the Earth in fragments, Shattered Skies prominently showcases both PvE and PvP playstyles wonderfully. Fight against enemies, alien or human, as you try to make your place in the restructured post-apocalyptic society offered.

Horrifically mutated aliens await you. Kill… or be killed.

On PvP servers, players will be at each others’ throats to get at the precious cargo each carries in their bags – whether it be food, other resources, or weaponry, loot is incredibly valuable and upon death, all items become lootable by the killer. Watch your back!

Plenty of places exist for you to hide in, in this highly detailed world

 

6. Salem

Set in the early days of the New England Colonies, Salem offers an entirely new approach to MMOs: you are put into the shoes of a settler who needs to start a new life for him or herself.  With nothing but the clothes on your back, be prepared to struggle as you attempt to establish a new colony with fellow players, as resources are scarce. Using strategy, you must protect your colony from witches and terrible monsters.

A bustling little agricultural community built by players

Currently in beta, the developer is incorporating an assortment of community-drive ideas into the game as it continues to evolve. While graphics and gameplay may seem relatively simple, the game instead focuses on something entirely different.

The map is ever-changing and nothing is set in stone

Whereas other MMOs spend a lot of time refining combat fluidity as well as animations, Salem instead puts its servers to work for the players. Changes made to the in-game world of Salem will be reflected permanently on game servers, and the world can continuously be terraformed to suit player needs.

Salem has an expected release date of late 2016. 

 

5. Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen

Set in the fragmented realm of Terminus, Pantheon is yet another fantasy MMORPG that’s highly anticipated for the near future. With great beasts and mythical beings strewn across the shattered landscape, Terminus truly is a melting pot of cultures as it’s comprised entirely of shards of other realms and worlds – each bringing with them their own societies and creatures. As the player, you start with taking your first steps into this brave new world and must strive to survive.

A host of commands and stances are yours to control in combat

By choosing one of the twelve classes, you will find artifacts from many of these ancient cultures and you, along with your group of friends and allies are tasked with supporting your godking to regain their powerful God status.

Don’t hesitate to strike down your enemies before they get you first

Pantheon’s gameplay orients itself around the concept of team-building. Without strong cooperation, clear communication, and trust, Terminus will quash your wills and tear away any chance at success you may have. Its lethal inhabitants will stop at nothing to slay you… and it’s up to you to make sure they don’t.

Brought to you by the same development team that produced EverQuest, Pantheon is sure to be a crowd pleaser when released.

 

4. Albion Online

Set in a medieval world with great cities and vast lands to roam, Albion Online is a fantasy MMORPG entirely built around the player experience. You are a trailblazer amongst thousands more, and must make your place for yourself in society. There are no classes. Player skills and abilities are determined by the gear you wear. 

Albion’s economy is one of the most carefully managed virtual markets in existence

Everything about Albion depends on the player base: where the cities are founded, where the heart of the economy lies, where the raiders will be targeting.

Fighting in Albion is also extremely well managed. Team up with some friends!

With the tagline “Craft, Trade, Conquer”, Albion promises other ways to compete with your enemies aside from merely crushing them in feats of military prowess, such as collapsing their economy and reducing their society to crumbles.

For added realism, there’s even a player-established market for real estate! 

 

3. Star Citizen

A spiritual successor to EVE: Online, Star Citizen has already drawn in a humongous cult following, even prior to its release. You are (or are not!) a citizen of the United Empire of Earth in the 30th century, and must work to keep that citizenship, which rewards you with great benefits such as tax deductions. Currently available in alpha, the game already has a significant fanbase devoted to streamers on Twitch and YouTube, myself not excluded.

A wholly first person game, Star Citizen’s got everything from FPS combat elements

Presenting alluring assets such as a realistic player-influenced in-game economy, a massive, exquisitely detailed universe, Star Citizen takes the universe to a new level of depth, incorporating elements such as exploration, space battle, as well as first-person and stealth combat.

Buy and upgrade new ships as you amass greater riches, and blast your enemies to shreds with your ship’s armament in intense dogfights or shoot them in the back as you sneakily explore their space stations.

To fantastic Starfighter combat

Expand your horizons and conquer the far reaches of outer space with your faction, engaging in gargantuan-scale battles with thousands of other players!

 

2. Gloria Victis

Gloria Victis is an MMO set in a magical world where anything is possible. The world is loosely based on Europe, with elements of magic and the mystical blended into traditional society and combat. Incorporating realistic combat and growth, beautifully immersive environments welcome you into their embrace as you partake in massive battleground slaughters with other players. 

Seemingly small skirmishes may have a much larger impact on the world around you

Armed to the teeth with a variety of medieval weaponry, be prepared to fight for your life to hold your territory against deadly intruders from opposing teams.

Immersive environments serve to enhance your gameplay experience

A high degree of skill is required to land blows precisely, as combat is entirely freeform and not tab targeting-based. Like many other MMORPGs, Gloria Victis also offers an exquisitely refined crafting system and intricate economy.

 

1. WoW: Legion

The most recent expansion pack for the ever-popular World of Warcraft will be coming out this August 30th, 2016.

Following the events of Warlords of Draenor, players of both the Horde and the Alliance are tasked with warding off the end of the world heralded by Sargeras’ Burning Legion. The Legion makes its first real comeback since the release of the Burning Legion, and current teasers and alphas have revealed epic new Raid bosses to go up against with your friends.

A new talent selection system revamps the way you customize your fighting skills

The level cap has been increased by another 10 levels to 110, and item levels and gear progression will continue to rise accordingly. PvP scaling has also been balanced out, in compliance with player complaints about stat scaling and unfair player domination. 

The new demon hunter class has been a long-awaited change

Many players are hoping for more variety in raiding and gameplay, and the introduction of several game-changing mechanics including a new class, the Demon Hunter, and new Artifact weapons are sure to deliver. Legion is expected to bring WoW subscriptions back up from the slum they fell into for the duration of Warlords of Draenor. 

 

That’s all for our favorite 15 awesome new MMOs coming soon! Which MMOs are you eagerly anticipating?

 

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