Boss of the new MMO to LoL loves the tough raids that have already killed an MMORPG
Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street is the boss of the new LoL MMORPG. In an extensive interview, he spoke about his preferences in the genre. The discontinued MMORPG Wildstar and the imported Korean MMORPG hit Lost Ark received a lot of praise, both of which bring strong raids in the endgame. Raids should also play a role in the new LoL MMORPG.
What was that interview?
- YouTuber Kanon spent almost 90 minutes talking about MMORPGs with Ghostcrawler. Topics included raids, dailies, classes and favorite combat systems. In an article we have already reported on the topic of monetization and the importance for the LoL MMORPG.
- The developer’s statements about Lost Ark and Wildstar are particularly interesting. He appreciates both MMORPGs above all for the crisp raid instances.
- Ghostcrawler emphasizes that the statements in the interview are only his own opinion. That doesn’t have to mean anything for the new MMORPG in development, but it does make clear how important dungeons and raids are to him.
You can watch the full interview here:
“Big raids offer an experience that no other video game can match”
Which raids does Ghostcrawler prefer? The really big ones and the really heavy ones. Raids have their own charm for him. He loves it when you have to work on them for a long time. What skills do I need, what classes are useful, where can I get the best gear? He likes to ask himself these questions.
Ghostcrawler prefers instances with many players, i.e. 20, 30 or 40 people, both personally and as a developer. But he also recognizes that many players like to travel in small groups. A good MMORPG has to find a middle ground here in order to serve both interest groups, he thinks.
He himself always works quickly to get to the raids because this is the content he enjoys the most:
I like big raids, I love that epic feel. They offer an experience that no other video game can match.
As a designer, what does he appreciate about big raids? Ghostcrawler explains that there are many advantages to large raid groups. For example, you can install mechanics in which players are deliberately sacrificed or killed, which can have a tactical aspect with 40 players.
With 4 players, however, you cannot sacrifice anyone because the group would fall apart immediately.
Too hard and big raids can be a problem
What does Ghostcrawler think about Wildstar? The interviewer steers the conversation to Wildstar, an MMORPG that appeared in 2014 and was discontinued in 2018. WildStar advertised that it offered really difficult raids and wanted to capture and excite the old WoW veterans who had become bored with the MMORPG.
But there was also criticism at the time that the raids were too difficult and time-consuming for many players. You also had to go through a lengthy process to even be allowed to enter all the instances. Another point of criticism was the lack of new instances.
Ghostcrawler emphasizes that Wildstar was “awesome” from his point of view. It was the game he always wanted himself when it came to instances. However, the game failed:
Was it the somewhat unusual setting? Wasn’t the timing right? Did the players just focus too much on other genres back then? That is hard to say. Did the raids kill it? I don’t know, in the end they just didn’t have enough players to survive.
The 5 biggest “WoW killers” that were killed by WoW
Lost Ark as a positive example for instances
Which current game praises Ghostcrawler for the instances? The interview was also about Lost Ark. According to Ghostcrawler, many developers of the LoL MMORPG played this very intensively. Especially the raid bosses and the complex mechanics get praise from him, even if he didn’t make it to the endgame because of the equipment grind.
This topic will also be discussed again later in the interview. Ghostcrawler is torn between special random drops and constantly upgrading his equipment, as in Lost Ark:
I love the moment of defeating a dragon, opening a chest and seeing what’s inside. And it’s boring if it’s just crafting materials […].
On the other hand, just when thinking about famous fantasy characters, King Arthur has always been associated with Excalibur and Aragon with Anduril. It’s not like Aragon kills an orc and then picks up his dropped sword and then sells Anduril to the merchant. I like the idea of identifying with my sword and constantly improving it.
Incidentally, he and his team also appreciate the classes on Lost Ark. The design is very strong, the abilities generate reactions from opponents and you really feel like a warrior when you play a warrior class.
New LoL MMORPG relies on dungeons and raids in the endgame
What does that mean for the new MMORPG? First nothing. Because Ghostcrawler spoke here mainly as a player and less as the boss of the LoL MMORPG. But months before the interview, he confirmed that dungeons and raids will be an important part of the PvE endgame.
His statements show that he has worked intensively on the subject and tried out a wide variety of MMORPGs. He will probably take the best of these and try to create something of his own. There is a chance that the raids will sometimes rely on a larger number of players – 20 to 40 – and not just 8 to 12 players, as is currently the case with Guild Wars 2, Lost Ark and ESO.
You can find out more about the content of the new MMORPG, such as the combat system, PvP and the use of LoL champions, here:
Everything we know about the new LoL MMORPG in 2022
Reference-mein-mmo.de