*Game Update 7.9 Legacy Reborn — the conclusion of the Legacy of the Sith storyline — arrives in late May, with 8.0 details following shortly after.*

Week of 2 May 2026

Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) has landed in the middle of a week that was already busy. SWTOR's 7.9 update now has a firm shape following Thursday's developer livestream, the May the 4th event is live and running until the 22nd, and Broadsword dropped some early 8.0 details that the community has been waiting months to hear. Elsewhere, FFXIV's Patch 7.5 settled into the game on Tuesday and generated a wave of story discussion — though it turns out the Beastmaster job itself won't arrive until September. GW2's May quarterly update is a fortnight away, and the community's mood around ArenaNet's silence on post-expansion plans is notably quieter than the game's actual content schedule warrants. There was also a significant piece of industry news: Pearl Abyss has sold CCP Games, the developer of EVE Online, back to its founding leadership for $120 million.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

It has been a particularly active week for SWTOR. The 7.9 developer livestream on Thursday 30 April delivered the most information the community has had in several months, and the May the 4th celebrations kicked off on Friday. Both together have given the game a noticeably warmer atmosphere heading into the bank holiday weekend.

May the 4th Celebrations — Live until 22 May

The annual Star Wars Day event is underway. All players who log in between 1 and 22 May receive the BX-RC Probe Droid Minipet. Active subscribers during the same window receive the Vectron Phantom RC2 mount, inspired by the Razor Crest from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. A 50% Collections Unlock Sale and up to 75% off all Inspired-By items on the Cartel Market accompany the event, alongside Double XP. Full details on the site.
A Twitch drops campaign runs 30 April to 14 May: watching one hour of live SWTOR content grants the Dantooine Crash Site Poster Decoration. A second drops campaign will follow after 7.9 launches.

Game Update 7.9: Legacy Reborn — Late May

The conclusion of the Legacy of the Sith storyline is set for late May, with 26 May (the day after Memorial Day in the US) the date strongly implied by the livestream without being formally confirmed. The story brings Darth Jadus, Darth Malgus, and Shae Vizla into direct conflict, with the outcome stated to affect the game's broader narrative going forward. The full recap is on the official site.
PvP Season 10 launches alongside 7.9, with a new PvP currency system, updated ranked rewards, and a seasonal leaderboard that resets per season.
Quality-of-life additions include a new Collections search function, legacy-wide title display, and an updated group finder that shows estimated wait times by role.
Nightlife Event (the game's casino summer event) is confirmed to return 30 June to 11 August, with new Emperor's Grace Slot Machine decoration rewards added for this year's run.

First 8.0 Details

Broadsword confirmed that 8.0 will shift the game away from the faction (Republic vs Empire) structure and towards individual class storylines, with each Advanced Class receiving a dedicated continuation of their personal story. The 7.9 developer stream is the first place 8.0 has been discussed in any specific terms. More at VULKK.

Relics of the Gree — Running Now

The Relics of the Gree event (Ilum's Western Ice Shelf) is live until 5 May. Details on the May calendar on the official site.

Final Fantasy XIV

Patch 7.5 landed on Tuesday 28 April and has been absorbed into the game without any significant technical issues. The community response to the main scenario quests has been largely positive, with particular attention on the Echoes of Vana'diel conclusion — though discussion has been careful around spoilers.

Patch 7.5 — Trail to the Heavens — Now Live

The patch is live and the full notes are on the Lodestone. Main scenario quests begin with 'In Fate's Footsteps'. The Unmaking trial (Normal and Extreme), The Clyteum dungeon, and the Echoes of Vana'diel: Windurst Third Walk alliance raid are all accessible.
The Vana'diel raid conclusion brings the three-part crossover to a close. Shantotto is the final boss encounter, the fates of Alxaal and Prishe are resolved, and new gear sets for all jobs are available from the alliance raid coffer.
PvP: a new Crystalline Conflict arena — Archeia Harmonias — is live. The unreal trial changes from Tsukuyomi to Shinryu's Domain.

Beastmaster: Clarification

There has been some confusion this week following the Fanfest announcement. To clarify: Beastmaster does not arrive in Patch 7.5. It is scheduled for Patch 7.56, the final patch of the Dawntrail cycle, currently expected in early September. Patch 7.5 brings the unlock quest chain, but the job itself is not yet playable. The updated roadmap at PCGamesN sets out the remaining 7.x patch schedule.

Balance Changes in 7.5

Warrior, Samurai, Reaper, Viper, Summoner, and Sage all received potency increases. In PvP, the Guard damage reduction has been raised to 99% (from 90%), and Smite now bypasses Guard. These are moderate adjustments rather than wholesale redesigns, broadly received as welcome fine-tuning.

Fanfest Saturday Sessions — Now Available

Day two of the Anaheim Fanfest (25 April) focused on community panels and creator content rather than announcements. The full keynote and day-two streams are available on the official channel. Berlin follows 25–26 July.

The Elder Scrolls Online

The Night Market event zone has now been open for several days and is generating the community engagement ZeniMax will have been hoping for. Early player reports describe the Fargrave zone as substantially busier than typical overland areas, with groups forming organically around the boss progression system.

Night Market — Live until 17 June

The three factions — The Glittering Goad, The Ruckus, and The Thousand Eyes — are accumulating Faction Favour, with the competitive placement at event end determining the quality of closing rewards (Gold, Purple, or Blue coffers). The free Night's Den player house is available to all players upon completing the short intro quest; the functional in-house bank requires 5,000 Favour to unlock. Full guide at ESO-Hub.
Three instanced dungeons and a 12-player trial — the Opulent Ordeal — are accessible within the zone. Boss-tier progression works sequentially: Brazen bosses must be cleared before Argent spawn, Argent before Gilded, and all three Gilded before the trial becomes available. The zone's difficulty is substantially higher than standard overland content, designed to reward grouping.
ZeniMax have confirmed the Night Market will return at least once more in 2026, meaning players who miss parts of the current run will have a second opportunity. The event announcement is on the official site.

Dragonknight Rework — Season Zero

The Dragonknight class is receiving a redesign during Season Zero, with improved animations, updated visual effects, and sound reworks. Two-Handed skill line improvements accompany the rework. The Werewolf skill line follows in June with further updates.

ESO May Crown Store

May's Crown Store brings cosmetics themed around Mirrormoor and Mother Morrowind. The showcase is live on the ESO site.

Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet's May Quarterly Update is approximately ten days away, and the official news page published a story recap on 29 April to help players catch up before the new chapter drops. Beyond that, a community discussion thread this week has highlighted a lingering tension between the game's active content schedule and the broader absence of any announced post-Visions-of-Eternity roadmap.

May Quarterly Update — Around 12 May

The update (subject to change) is scheduled for approximately 12 May. It continues the Visions of Eternity story arc — the recap on the news page covers Chapters 1 to 8 for those who need refreshing. New content includes a Wardrobe 'Current' tab replicating the original tab's functionality, addition of mounts, gliders, and conjured doorways to the Wardrobe, and continued story.
The third quarterly update later in 2026 is listed as the story's conclusion, suggesting the Visions of Eternity arc wraps up before the end of the year. No announcement beyond that has been made.

Post-Expansion Silence: Community Concern

A widely-discussed Reddit thread this week — citing ArenaNet's break from the typical one-year expansion cycle following Visions of Eternity's October 2025 launch — has prompted speculation about the studio's 2027 plans, including renewed discussion of a potential Guild Wars 3 or extended development gap. Community consensus on the thread leans towards cautious patience rather than alarm, though the absence of any formal roadmap communication from ArenaNet is noted. The Super Adventure Festival continues until 5 May.

World of Warcraft

A relatively steady week for Midnight, with the May Trading Post revealed and further hotfix passes applied to 12.0.5 content.

May Trading Post — Gilneas Theme

The May Trading Post is themed around Gilneas and the Worgen. New items include two Gilneas-themed horse mounts (Packwood Rebel's Runcey and Gilneas Loyalist Runcey), a Spiky Back Bear mount returning from Dragonflight, and a Gilneas Rebel transmog set as the monthly reward (available in both belted and long-coat versions). Full preview on Game Rant.
June's Trading Post is widely expected to feature Sunwalker (Tauren-inspired) cosmetics and mounts, with recoloured Tier 2 sets also rumoured. Players are advised to conserve Trader's Tender if those sets are of interest.

12.0.5 Hotfixes — Week of 28 April

Void Assault tuning has been adjusted following feedback that the Zul'Aman assault was overtuned for casual players. Ritual Site spawn timers have been reduced. Several Decor Duel exploits (players discovered a method to trap seekers permanently in certain housing layouts) were addressed. Daily log at Blizzard.

*Pearl Abyss has sold CCP Games — developer of EVE Online — back to its founding leadership in a $120 million deal, as part of a financial restructuring.*

Industry News

Pearl Abyss Sells CCP Games for $120 Million

In a significant piece of industry news reported on 1 May, Pearl Abyss (developer of Black Desert Online) has sold CCP Games back to CCP's original leadership team as part of a broader financial restructuring following continued losses. The deal is valued at $120 million. Pearl Abyss acquired CCP in 2018 for $425 million, making this a substantial loss on the investment. For EVE Online players, the return to independent ownership under the studio's founding team is likely to be welcome news — CCP under Pearl Abyss had a complicated relationship with its player base. Coverage via Massively.

Monsters and Memories — Early Access 1 June

Monsters and Memories, the spiritual successor to classic EverQuest being developed by former SOE developers, has confirmed its Early Access launch on 1 June 2026 on PC via Steam. The game has been the most anticipated upcoming title among classic MMO fans and targets the EverQuest-era design philosophy of slow, deliberate grouping content. Worth keeping an eye on for anyone interested in where the genre's roots currently sit.

Scars of Honor — Steam Playtest 30 April to 11 May

The free-to-play hybrid action/tab-target MMO from Beast Burst Entertainment is running a Steam playtest until 11 May. It targets a PC release in Q4 2026. Players interested in trying the game ahead of launch can find it on Steam.

Aion 2 Global — H2 2026

NCSoft has confirmed the global release window for Aion 2 as the second half of 2026 (Q3 target). The game launched in Korea and Taiwan in November 2025 with PC and mobile cross-play. It features crafting, housing, and aerial combat, and is being developed in Unreal Engine 5. Given New World's January 2027 closure, it is one of the more credible destinations for players looking for a new large-scale MMO.

New World: Aeternum

The May quality-of-life changes applied on schedule, and the game's remaining population continues to work through the expanded systems in the time remaining before the January 2027 shutdown.

May QoL Active

Weekly Mutation limit raised to 100, daily Mutation rotation enabled, and Soul Trial rotation timer reduced to six hours. These are the final QoL changes listed on the roadmap before the July date at which Marks of Fortune cease to be purchasable.

Looking Ahead

The week ahead is likely to be dominated by the SWTOR community processing the 7.9 preview details and debating which faction's ending they expect. GW2's May Quarterly Update arrives around the 12th, which should sharpen the picture of what ArenaNet has planned for the rest of the year. FFXIV's patch 7.51 is due in early June, bringing the Cosmic Exploration destination Auxesia, the new custom deliveries client, and Dancing Mad (Ultimate) — the latter being a challenge the community has been anticipating since the Fanfest teaser. And for anyone who still has a character in New World: Aeternum, July's cut-off for Marks of Fortune purchases is now just ten weeks away.

Legacy Reborn