The Repopulation's site has been updated with a trio of articles to shine the spotlight on what the team has been working on through the month of May, resource extraction and general harvesting.

A lot of effort went into improving the Rogue features of the game this month. Thievery saw a number of improvements, and we introduced several new mission templates that center around Pick Pocketing NPCs or stealing from shops. We also introduced a new locked container system. These containers or inventory items require Hacking skill to unlock. The mission system also received a significant number of improvements. This includes improved mission chaining, generated mission selection, mail event notifications and prop interaction features. It also includes several new types of generated mission templates. We also made headway on the Work Order system which we expect to go live next month.

Read more on The Repopulation's site.

Nexon has announced that MapleStory will be updated later this month with a new patch called "Unleashed". The update features an improved and overhauled UI as well as the addition of several new dungeons. The team has released a brand new trailer to show off the new features. Enjoy!

The Conquer Online team has announced that the next expansion to the game will arrive later in June. Called "Jiang Hu", the expansion will bring open world PvP to the game. 

With CO’s next expansion coming in June, Conquer Online is going to enter the Jiang Hu Age and will bring a new taste of battle! A new open world PvP gameplay will be added, encouraging players to challenge opponents of similar strength. Once you defeat an opponent, you will not only upgrade your status in Jiang Hu, but you can also gather spiritual energy from them and use it to enhance your own inner strength training!

Find out more on the Conquer Online site.

Join Mist League and MMORPG.com for today's Guild Wars 2 tournament slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT. We've got all the details in one spot for your handy reference.

11:00 – 11:30 – intro – Chat with Aussie about Mist League – What is Mist League + Q&A
11:30 – 12:15 – Made In Meta [MiM] vs The Civilized Gentalman [TCG]
12:15 – 12:30 – Giveaways + Team Chat TBA
12:30 – 01:15 – We Are Extremly [ugly] Vs Team Paradigm [TP]
01:15 – 01:45 – Giveaways + Chat + Stream Swap to NA – Top 3 Montage Competition Winner Videos
01:45 – 02:30 – Team Doesn’t Matter [TDM] – Sittingonacouch [SOAC]
02:30 – 02:45 – Giveaways + Team Chat with Absolute legends [aL]
02:45 – 03:30 – We go to jail [bam] Vs TBA

Head to the Mist League site to find out all the nitty gritty and then join us on our Stream Page the appointed hour for all the action.

Pop culture defines much of our daily life, from the music we hear to the TV shows we watch to the games we play. But do games adequately represent pop culture? Find out what we think in today's Fair Game. Head to the comments to continue the discussion.

Pop, (that is to say, popular) culture is not a new phenomenon, nor is it a byproduct of the technology age. Throughout human history, ideas (memes) have taken hold of public consciousness, often ruling the day in which they developed. Harry Potter’s trials and tribulations may have been a formative experience for an entire modern generation, but the fictional lives (and fates) of Dickens’ characters were no less compelling for the real people crowding New York Harbor in 1840-41, demanding of incoming ships, “What happens to Little Nell?”

Read more of Lisa Jonte's Fair Game: Pop Culture in World Building.

At this year's E3, it was announced that Elder Scrolls Online would be coming to the major consoles of Xbox One and PS4 next year, and that the main PC version of the game would be pushed back to Spring 2014 as well. We caught up with PVP Lead Brian Wheeler to talk about all of this, but more importantly, how the Alliance vs. Alliance warfare is coming along.

Today's MMOs seem to fall into one of two categories: Games seeking a long-term audience that require long-term commitment on the part of developers and games seeking to entertain millions for short periods of time that require short bursts of development. In today's Devil's Advocate, we look at the way games seem to be getting developed these days. Read on and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

The demographic among gamers who play online has shifted. Instead of a few thousand people playing Everquest, you now have a couple of million people spread across a ton of online games.  This means that the original targets that existed to maintain a game’s “safe” status have shifted, as new games get a burst of players following launch, and is then followed by a decline of players over time due to a variety of other factors, such as boredom with a game or more games popping up, until a game settles into its realistic set of general numbers of people playing and paying subscriptions. 

Read more of Victor Barreiro Jr.'s The Devil's Advocate: Game Vision and Paying for It.

Feast your eyes on the first ever footage and build of the localized English client for ArcheAge Online courtesy of XLGAMES and Trion Worlds. Guided by Trion's own Victoria Voss.

Check it out!

As today's Final Fantasy XIV Beta Phase 3 begins, PlayStation 3 players will be able to get in to try out the game. PC and PS3 players will game side-by-side due to cross-platform compatibility.

Beta phase 3 introduces the PlayStation®3 version of the game into the mix for the very first time and PlayStation®3 gamers will be able to experience the captivating world of Eorzea alongside PC players due to the game’s cross-platform functionality. Beta phase 3 testers will also gain access to a huge amount of new content, including the introduction of the city states of Ul’dah and Limsa Lominsa.

It's not too late to sign up for testing on the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn site.

Snail Games has been coming on strong in 2013, first with the release of Age of Wushu and now with the announcement that steampunk-high fantasy hybrid Black Gold is on the way. At E3 this year, we managed some quality time with Black Gold and have a terrific preview to share. Read on and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

Most MMOs tend to fit into a certain theme, but Black Gold mixes two. You’ll find both steampunk and fantasy themes in the game and it’s these themes that are representative of Black Gold’s two factions. On one side, you have the steam-powered Isenhorst, and on the other, the fantasy-based Erlandirs. While these two factions are different in many ways, they are similar in their desire to secure control over the vital resource of ‘Black Gold’. With only so much of this stuff to go around, it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that these two factions are locked in conflict over the resource and it’s this conflict that serves as the focus of the game. 

Read more of Mike Bitton's Black Gold E3 2013 Preview.

For many players, the choice of the role into which they will fall in any MMO is as crucial as what their character looks like. In today's column, Genese Davis takes a look at three roles as defined in a recently released player survey. See what they are, how they play and which you are and then talk to us in the comments.

Gaming personality types are generally multifaceted and the dominance of one facet over the other is often situational. However, there are quite a few tests and quizzes out there that place player preferences and gaming personality types into different categories. In the Exploring MMOtivation column we took a close look at Dr. Bartle’s explorer gaming type, and mentioned how his test can determine whether a player falls into the explorer, killer, achiever or socializer category. 

Read more Genese Davis: RPG Personality Traits.

NCSoft is anxious for players to learn more about Aion 4.0, set to hit the game later this summer. We have teamed up with the developers to give our readers an exclusive in-house interview with Producer Seunguk Baek. Check it out before heading to the comments with your thoughts and questions.

NCSoft: Many players have expressed that they feel that they are “rushed” to end-game more and more with each new patch. Is the primary focus to get players to end-game as quickly as possible or are there plans to revitalize mid-level content?

Seunguk Baek: The mid-range levels are opportunities for the player to learn the mechanics of the game and prep for end game content. It isn’t good to go through it too quickly, and it’s a bad experience if it drags on too long. The goal is to find the right balance, and we pay close attention to the leveling process.

Read more A Glimpse Into Aion 4.0.

Trion Worlds is unveiling more about ArcheAge and its transition from an Eastern game, released only in Korea at the moment, to a Western game. At this year's E3 convention, we managed to check out ArcheAge for ourselves and have a great preview to share. See what we saw and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

The demo began by showing us the player housing, how estates won’t be built overnight, and resources come from the world around you.  You’ll plant the trees you harvest, vegetables you cook, and so much more.  You have to transport the wood you use to make your ship and by transport… I mean strap it on your back and hop on your donkey.  Everything in the game world is grown, made, and shaped by the players.  You can take your ship and sail the seas as a trader or a pirate: making money or taking it from those who have it.  Side note: you can ride your cows.  There’s nothing else I need to say about that, I think. 

Read more of Bill Murphy's ArcheAge: Making the Jump from East to West.

Sony Online Entertainment is gearing up to SOE Live and the first major information release about EverQuest Next. In preparation for the August event, the official EQN site and social media destinations have been launched.

Check out the EverQuest Next site.

During E3 2013, Snail Games revealed the first expansion to Age of Wushu. Called "Mount Hua", the expansion will feature new playable classes including the Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, Northern Beggar, and the Central Divine. Check out the new Mount Hua trailer to see each class in action. Enjoy!

Snail Games has taken the wraps off of its next MMO, Black Gold, during the 2013 E3 convention. A new trailer has been released to show off some of the steampunk aspects of the forthcoming game. In addition, a new website has debuted to keep players informed about Black Gold's development and more.

Check out the Black Gold site for more information.

CCP has released what is considered by many to be a ground-breaking new game in the form of DUST 514 with its direct game play relationship with EVE Online. We've put DUST 514 through its paces to offer up our official review. Read on and then tell us about your experiences in the comments.

Dust 514 is such an experience. An excellent shooter than allows for countless hours of fun, but somewhat overshadowed by its truncated launch and micro transaction leanings. CCP's first entry into the world of headshots and frag grenades should be groundbreaking, and is in many ways, but it is comes close to being undone by its own legend and missed opportunities.

Read more of Adam Tingle's DUST 514: Largely a Success.

This week's E3 is in full swing and fans of ArcheAge are hopeful that new information will be revealed by Trion Worlds, the Western publisher of the game. At the same time, there is a bit of trepidation as well. In our latest column, we take a look at why players have a mixed bag of emotions roiling inside. Read on and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

I’m really hoping Trion Worlds will provide those interested in ArcheAge with an in-depth look once E3 goes into full swing. At the same time, I’m a bit terrified because, as stated in an earlier piece by Garrett Fuller, E3 will be the first place anyone will really get a look at a western build of ArcheAge.

Since I’m too far away from E3, and I’ll likely wait for the MMORPG.com report on ArcheAge at E3 as well, I’m in the same boat you’re in. That said, I thought it’d be important to go over some nuances that will likely need to be addressed at E3 proper or as soon as E3 closes and media outlets have written about the game.

Read more of Victor Barreiro Jr.'s ArcheAge: Will E3 Deliver?

With the latest update to Rift, players can now enjoy the game for free. Empyreal Assault brings the new Dendrome zone, a ten-player raid, a new Chronicle, open-world raid bosses, game performance improvements, and more.

There are no restrictions on levels or content for registered free players; the entire world is open to explore and conquer. The expanded in-game RIFT Store offers thousands of items and services – from faction changes to mounts, pets, boosts, and much more – but the best gear must be earned in-game. For those looking for the ultimate RIFT experience, a subscription is available that offers a suite of awesome “Patron” benefits.

Read more on the Rift site.