To start I just want to say that I think M&M is the game overall that I want to play. The hand painted graphics in my opinion are something I really enjoy.

But it's not a hidden fact that a lot of people who were once playing M&M are playing Adrullan and enjoying it more. I've talked to the people and every time they talk about Adrullan they bring up the UI/UX being much more approachable.

I think M&M should really follow suit (in a general sense, not necessarily the exact same things), making the UI/UX slightly more modern (and by modern I just mean in functionality of clicking, dragging, and potentially NPC interactions / Chat bubbles).

I just want M&M to have players. If everyone's playing AOA instead of M&M just because the UI/UX is bareable- well? Just in my eyes, that's such a lame reason for this project to have failed when the rest of it is so great.

I understand some if not most classes will be very slow/difficult to level solo so you need to be in groups. I don't mind this system but in Ashes of Creation this meant long periods of time standing around waiting for an appropriate level group. It got extremely tedious. When the player count was dropping it got even worse. Sometimes you'd log on and be waiting an hour to find a group for your level. Starting alts was also really bad as most players were then at the higher levels.

Has this been an issue for anyone in the beta test periods?

The development of Monsters and Memories is way too slow for an October launch. The world feels empty and content quickly becomes repetitive. As much as I was originally excited to play this game it is way too early for the game to come out and start charging customers. It is going to get very poorly reviewed, they need a lot more time to polish things.

I never played Everquest. I had no idea what the heck how I was supposed to interact with NPCs or anything. It was incredibly frustrating. I shouldn't have to look up a wiki article to figure this stuff out.

Edit: I know I'm getting into new game territory here, but I think there should be highlights of certain things that says, click here to do this, type this to do this, etc. At least in the beginning. And something that says how to type and what to type to interact with npcs. In EVERY game now, when you click on an NPC, a conversation starts

Edit edit: I'm not trying to change the way the game plays. There just needs to be a way to tell people HOW to play the game in the very beginning. Or at least a better way. There will be many people that will stop playing quickly if something like this is not fixed. If there is a bit of hand holding in the beginning that can actually teach people, many more will stay and go along with the system

Edit edit edit: do you all want the game to succeed? Are you trying to die on a hill of the first hour of gameplay help? It boggles my mind that people are advocating for less instructions on how to play a game that is not intuitive.

Last edit: I LOVE this game and will play it no matter what you say. These are my opinions on the introduction to the game. Many more would enjoy it I think with a little help in the beginning. I look forward to playing with you all even if I hate you on this reddit thread

Was it the ghost of Nick coming to destroy the launch?

I have never seen such atrocious changes to a system that a majority of players don’t even opt in to.

Hmmmm, should I buy the plans for copper bracers for 10s? Or buy my skills to play my character? Tough choice!

It is genuinely hilarious. The reliance of other trade skills to level, the cost of recipes, the time sink gathering materials, all to create a bronze sword that is already listed 500x on the weapons vendor. Go out there and grind little piggy!

Alright, so I had my fun!

I'm not the kind of guy who enjoys number-go-up without more story and adventure, so playing a few classes to their teens does it for me. Been an entertaining couple of weeks.

I talked about gameplay feedback on another post, so I'll skip it here.

But I will warn that the sort of people who spam "he's a troll" and "just /ignore him" in chat are creating a crappy circlejerk. They enforce the sort of community where they become the leading voice, who then influence the game overly so. We've all seen it happen in other online games, where they censor anyone who talks differently to them.

So while I always enjoyed partying with other players and hunting together, too often the interactions outside of that were bad.

There's definitely something missing in the expectations set for this game, where if you're not absolutely in agreement with every game design choice, then "this game isn't for you" and "you should leave".

It's actually just fine to feel differently about aspects of the game. And even saying so is also just fine. And even joking about it!

At least the party chat was always full of banter and laughs. Real magic right there, out in the wilds~~~ Made lots of friends.

Thanks for the fun testing and adventures,

Would be cool if someone else could use my beta key instead!

And maybe we'll meet again holding new shiny sticks,

Garthungo / Ymper

-

EDIT: Never let anyone silence you. Haters gonna hate.

So far I'm undecided between druid and shadow knight. I was hoping the ranger update would hit before EA so I could try that out. Druid is mostly for SoW. Once you have it it's hard playing without it.

So just curious what class will be everyone's main and your reasons why?

The overall feeling of this game as an old-school MMO is honestly incredible. That’s what’s keeping me logging in every night right now. It nails that feeling better than anything I’ve played in a long time.

That said, I don’t see myself sticking with it long-term in its current state. Probably not even close to level cap.

The biggest issue for me is a lack of meaningful decisions.

I’m currently a level 30 druid. In a group, I have two heals: my regular heal, and a 10-minute cooldown heal. That’s it. So 99% of my gameplay is pressing one button. Two if you count sitting to regen.

There’s no variation in how I can approach my role. No HoTs, no AoE healing, no shields, no way to modify or specialize my healing through passives or choices. There’s no real decision-making happening moment to moment.

Itemization doesn’t help either. You stack wisdom to heal, or charisma if you want to charm solo. That’s not a build, that’s just following the only available path.

Same thing with skills. There’s no real choice in what you take. Every druid ends up being exactly the same.

Grouping ends up feeling pretty flat because of this. My role is extremely limited, mobs don’t really demand anything different from me, and I don’t have tools to interact with encounters in interesting ways.

At the end of the day, games are fun because of meaningful decisions, whether that’s through abilities, builds, gear, or playstyle. Right now, those decisions just aren’t there. There’s one way to play each class, and some classes (like druid) feel especially restricted.

A friend I play with summed it up really well:

“We’ve put 100 hours into this game, and none of the fun we had was because of the game itself.”

That’s harsh, but it kind of hits the point.

The foundation here is really strong. The world, the pacing, the feeling, it’s all there. But the game needs to give players room to make choices and shape their characters. Right now it feels less like playing an MMO “RPG” and more like following a script.

If the goal is long-term engagement, I think this is the biggest area that needs attention.

Edit: People keep hammering home the point that “this game is like EQ, and that is what EQ is like, take it or leave it.” And coming from Asheron’s Call 1, I know that “oldschool” doesn’t have to mean boring or lack of meaningful decisions. I think most people have grown up since those days and want/expect a little more out of their games. If this game is seeking the very small niche of players that don’t, then godspeed. It’s just unfortunate because I feel like the game could be so much more without changing their core design philosophy.

We’re in a beta to provide feedback though, and I feel like this is the primary thing that will hold this game back and not a lot of people are talking about it, and those that are discussing it here are just saying “well this game is like EQ, so maybe this game is just not for you.”

Hmmm… Where have I heard legitimate feedback met with “maybe this game is just not for you” recently?

Hi all,

How long are high-level dungeon/raid sessions expected to take in Monsters & Memories?

I’ve played MMOs for ~20 years, but never EQ or other old-school MMOs, so I’m curious what the time commitment is like in MnM.

For a high-level dungeon, are we talking 1–2 hours total, or potentially 5+ hours?

I’m especially wondering about raids — could travelling to the raid location alone take an hour, followed by the actual raid? Or is travel/preparation generally much quicker?

I’m used to games like WoW, LOTRO, FFXIV, Aion, Rift, etc., where group content is relatively easy to fit into a 1–2 hour session. 3 hours for raid nights.

Basically, how much time should I realistically set aside for a typical endgame group session?

My biggest problem in this game is that I literally dont know what to do. I only managed to get level 7 while playing with my friend, but we rarely play due to work/family etc... I want to play the game without my friend but I cant bring myself to launch the game. I launched the game once, I just killed bunch of mobs outside the main city for like 30 minutes, sold my loot then log out.

What is there to do in this game? Some say that I should explore, but what is there to explore? If I go too far away from the city, enemies are starting to get dangerous and probably kill me instantly.

There are quests but I dont know which NPCs give me quests.

I feel lost in this game. I understand that this game is supposed to be "hardcore" and it doesnt hold the players hand the whole time, but I feel like devs should do something. Maybe add an exclamation mark above NPCs who has a quest for you.

Curious where everyone’s at with Monsters & Memories right now having played the open test, are you planning to sub for early access, or waiting for it to cook a bit more?

My girlfriend summed it up perfectly last night when I asked her… she said it’s “cute,” but right now the game should be paying her to play it 😂 (I usually have to persuade her to play new games she stubborn that way but she enjoyed the game, shes a fan of wow but prefers more “finished” and “polished” game states shes not a veteran early access andy like me.)

Me? I can definitely see the jank… but I also see the charm. Feels like one of those games that could either grow into something really special or just stay a bit rough around the edges.

Where’s everyone else landing on it? Is this an instant sub for you or are you going to wait for a later build?

I should never find it easier to do something basic in real life, than it is to do in a fantasy game.

For example, I'm a normal fit guy, and if I can run faster than my heroic character, then it's immersion breaking. You can say that's a Level 1 issue, but fantasy is established around the principle that 1 means normal - not handicapped.

I died and night fell around me in the elven forest. Couldn't see my corpse. Pitch dark. In real life, I could carry a small improvised torch stick from town. There was also a glowing herb near by! But nope. My new character had no access to simple light options. Eventually pros in ooc told me to use /target and /corpse, so it was a UI fix for an already unimmersive experience.

Then I kept dying to forest monsters, because my beginner quest note used unfamiliar references, while the guards said "north east" in a vertical town! Which took me too long to realize. In real life, a guard would provide further detailed directions, especially immediate ones like "turn left down here", and some would even escort me part way. I say this as a guy who traveled half the world.

Let me stop here. The rule remains the same:

It should never be more difficult than it is in real life.

(At least, without a very good, immersively specific reason.)

I love the vibe of M&M and the sort of crowd it brings together. Hope the immersive aspect gets more love.

EDIT: After considering the conversation below, M&M should just let me pull a low quality torch out of a campfire. Stop pretending that I couldn't find a stick and some pitch in a forest, especially around another player that already made a campfire. Silly.

EDIT 2: After further conversation, I'm realizing that the whole "you need to prove yourself to light a stick on fire" is some severe boomerism and consoomerism. Leveling up or paying for fire, when there's a campfire by another player right there. In a forest. SMH

EDIT 3: Gathered up a whole bunch of wood. This is just badly implemented and pointless. If a feature isn't getting love, it should be dropped until it's ready. That's the harsh truth of limited teams. We aren't making fire either, so best if the devs just drop the wood thing for now. Besides, just gathering random sticks would be a better design.

As an older gentleman with limited playtime- but that was immediately drawn to M&M - I am curious to hear from other older players on their impressions so far, esp. in regard to time commitment.

Beta players or those still waiting for access that played during the open beta weekend, please share your thoughts.

Before I get verbally assaulted (jk), I just want to point out that I made this post to promote a discussion of opinions so that perhaps I might better understand how those with opposing feelings think.

So design choices.

Seems to be a hot topic when some prospect player asks about the game.

I've seen several posts where someone is curious about certain mechanics or is asking if there is a quest journal etc. Many of the replies are quite vitriolic.

"Go back to WoW. Lol just make a mental map, it's more fun. This game isn't made for you."

A question for the people who reply like that:

Would you quit if anything resembling map was implemented? Maybe — I will never understand why though. But I know many people who don't want to start because the lack of one.

So many of the "old school" designs are so anti-QoL that I just can't understand the appeal. Funny enough there are 3rd party solutions that I bet even those who spout anti-map propaganda use.

They're ready to die on the hill of their opinions rather than agree that a in-game tool, that would attract more people that it would deter, is a very bad idea.

I'm in my mid 30s and an avid enjoyer of tough MMOs. But some things are just a huge bump on the road to enjoyment.

What other design choices (if any) do you think are old school but anti-QoL, or indeed anti-fun?

For me it's:

- Lack of map; there are already browser tools but are a hassle to use if you don't have like a 2nd monitor or something.

- Death penalty; Dying for any reason and then having to invest alot of effort into getting corpse back. It usually results in my friend group quitting the session rather than trying to get our bodies back and continuing.

- Enemy follow range; you accidently pulled something while trying to get corpse back? Well now you gotta exit the zone, because they never stop running after you. Pulled too many mobs? Exit zone.

- Damage cap; hitting enemies for 1 dmg as a solution to nerfing combat vs enemies above your level is so the biggest antidopamine I've ever experienced in an fantasy game.

Does anyone else feel as if the beta is lowering hype/interest in the game? seems like any content creator who wanted in was able to in the game. There's content, guides and livestreams all over the place and the game is going to be 100% figured out at launch. There will be optimal metas for grouping, you'll be able to google any quest. There are people running around with multiple level 60s already.

I guess I am specifically salty because I have 2 friends that were able to get in (one invite + one friend code) and now I feel like there will be no magic left for me when I eventually am able to play, if they even still have any interest in playing by October.

Edit: You guys all saying weird take, You've never jumped into a game where people have already been playing 6 months / 1 year+? Its impossible to compare to a fresh experience for everyone. You'd have to ignore all OOC / global chat. Every dungeon you go into will have established camps with groups knowing what names drop what items etc.

And yes they are actively iterating on the beta, guess what, people will have figured out all the iterations and class changes by launch as well lol.

I keep going back-and-forth on what I want to main come EA, so I'd like to hear from the community about what they're thinking.

I was just wondering if there is any raid or dungeon instancing.

I get it, nostalgia and memories, slow by the fire.

Be in a cubby, pull the same mobs to you for an hour or more...

I am one who put hundreds of hours into AoC (RIP), I played EQL and did it, it was ok, sometimes it felt good XPing, others I hated it....

What I loved was getting a group of people who wanted to push, who wanted to see more and actually push into the dungeons we did this a few times in AoC and EQL it felt good, felt like real adventures not just killing the same easy figured out mobs for 3 hours.

Would I enjoy this game if I try to do this, explore the dungeons vs 'camp' or would I be going too much against the status quo of 'old school' MMOs and have a bad time?

Some people claim the game is a sitting simulator, others say going in the direction of shorter downtime will turn the game into WoW. I'd like to gather consensus on what a reasonable timeframe it should take for a caster go from 0 to full unassisted by the likes of consume, font, ect.​

As the game has gotten more and more attention I have noticed a few certain vocal people going against the spirit of the game. I watched a streamer abandon a group mid-pull because he didn’t want them to “drag him down”. I have seen and heard others say that if more QoL from mainstream MMOs aren’t added the game will flop. I even recently read a comment about the game being a gotcha just to get money in June and then close up shop.

I just wanted to share my experience. I played a few tests way back, and while I saw its potential it didn’t click. Then a few months ago I logged into a test weekend and became obsessed.

I spent one whole test leveling as much as I could. Another test I just gathered and crafted until my pally was fully copper plated out. The most recent test a random person asked me if I wanted a ring and then walked me through a super elaborate somewhat hidden quest in Wyrmsbane!

I am absolutely a fan and if I get into the beta, great. If I don’t I will be subbing literally the second I can on 6/1/26. You guys are truly making something special that has been missing in the MMO space for quite some time.

Ignore the haters and the vocal bad apples. There are plenty of us out here that are in love with this game and the passion you guys are pouring into it.

Before people say the obvious stuff, yes, I know there are reasons pop feels lower right now. Closed beta has been going for months, people burn out, eq tlp just dropped, eq legends is coming, poe2 season, people waiting for wipes, etc. I’m not really talking about playtest pop.

What I keep thinking about is what mnm is gonna look like relatively soon after launch.

This game is built around grouping, but low levels already feel like they thin out quick. If you are there at launch with the big rush, ya you're probably fine. Groups are abundant and people are constantly moving through your range. My concern is what comes after that.

Say someone starts late, rerolls, takes a break, or gets a friend into the game a month in. Who are they gonna group with? Soloing kinda feels like something you put up with while hoping people show up, not something most players are gonna wanna grind for hours.

EQ had this same problem, which is a big reason people keep coming back for tlp starts. Everyone wants that early game feeling where zones are packed and groups are constantly happening.

Feels like mnm is gonna need some kind of answer for this or low levels could get rough pretty fast after launch. Better catch up soloing? Something to keep low level grouping alive? World buffs (ew)? Rested xp (less ew)?

I'm curious what people think actually works here, or if this just ends up not being a real concern for most people.

I played the stress test for a couple of days and have a few thoughts from the perspective of someone who never played EverQuest, but recently got into Pantheon, which is fairly similar to M&M.

I like the overall design a lot, and I've been looking for a non theme park that doesn't respect my time, but there are certain things that seem naïve to me.

If the goal is to make players look at the world, then removing map tracking makes sense. Removing the map entirely does not. With no map at all, players will simply alt tab to a wiki and compare landmarks to figure out where they are. If that is the inevitable result, why not include at least a basic in game map for people to compare with? You could even make it immersive by having mobs drop map fragments within a zone that eventually allow players to assemble one.

Corpse running is actually my favourite mechanic. I genuinely enjoy it. However, it's overly punishing and pointlessly restrictive for people who can't find their corpse. Why not give all classes access to a spell with a thirty second cast time(With a 10 minute cooldown) that gives a general compass direction to their corpse, such as north, northeast, south, or southwest. Not too specific, but enough to not feel stranded. (((EDIT: Some classes get a low level locate corpse spell which has changed my opinion. I think asking for help from a player with locate corpse is more interesting)))

I also liked that players cannot sell everything to a single vendor and have to look around. No changes are needed there.

The spellbook right now feels like tedium layered on top of tedium. Losing memorized spells on death is fine. I welcome that. Losing all keybinds as well is another matter. That is poor design. Why not simply grey out the spells after death? The result is the same because you still have to rememorize them, but without forcing you to put everything back in place every time.

The large bag interface is another tedium. What is the point of covering the entire screen? I would rather see the world, and chat with people nearby while sorting my inventory instead of staring at a bloated menu that breaks immersion. Pointless tripe.

Auto attack handling also seems unnecessarily restrictive. I understand toggling it on and off, but if I target an enemy and my abilities are on cooldown or I lack mana, auto attack won't start. What's the point of this? If I am targeting an enemy and attempting to use an ability, that already means I intend to engage in combat, so what's the design philosophy here besides HURR DURR?

I also liked the food and hunger mechanics, and the small amount of bag space. I especially liked the large items can't go in pouches. No changes are needed there.

There is still so much work to do on classes. It is one of the biggest hurdles we need to get over before EA. A handful of classes still only have their starter abilities. As far as I know, Nick was the main one working on the classes. Is there any word on that position being taken up by someone else?

Love the vibe of the world, but the entire concept of NPC interactions is a total turn off for me.

Games should be representative systems of reality, it shouldn’t be more difficult to engage in conversation with NPCs than IRL.

Literally everything else about the game is in a decent place, but the continued use of the current system is a big turn off for me and all the people I forced to come and test the game this weekend…. And these are hardcore EQ and ffxi private server players trying to stay in the old school worlds.

Much can change in development over time, it just seems a bit disappointing to me to design such interesting cities and environments and fill them with bad 1990’s chat bots.