Eldegarde drops the awkward name and becomes a mini‑MMO — but is that enough?

Why Eldegarde’s 1.0 actually matters to players

This caught my attention because a game made by a studio of ex‑WoW, Diablo, and Overwatch developers started life as a hardcore PvPvE extraction title and is now pivoting into something larger: Eldegarde launches 1.0 on January 21 with a full PvE mode pitched as a “mini‑MMO.” That’s a meaningful shift – it changes who the game is for, how new players meet its systems, and whether a niche extraction loop can sustain a broader audience.

• Key takeaways: Eldegarde renames Legacy: Steel and Sorcery and exits early access on Jan 21.
• Version 1.0 adds a PvE “mini‑MMO” mode, a social hub, PvE dungeons, lifestyle activities (fishing, mining), and upgraded lodge progression.
• New PvP arenas are included – PvP isn’t dead, it’s just one pillar alongside PvE.
• Early‑access discount of 20% runs until Jan 5 (price ~ $19.99 / £17.59 while on sale).

Breaking down what’s actually new

Notorious Studios started with a mouthful of a name and a focused identity: a hardcore PvPvE extraction RPG where every run could end in victory or total loss. As the team iterated with players, they learned – in their founder Chris Kaleiki’s words — that “over time we learnt that players also wanted a PvE experience, something akin to a ‘mini‑MMO,’ if you like.” So Eldegarde 1.0 is that answer: a parallel PvE track that brings a social hub, instanced PvE dungeons, and persistent lifestyle content such as fishing and mining.

Those lifestyle systems aren’t fluff. In many action RPGs, crafting and gathering become the backbone of progression and player choice. If fishing, mining, cooking, and forging actually feed the lodge progression and expedition preparation, Eldegarde may gain a loop that rewards slower, more deliberate play instead of only adrenaline runs against other players.

Combat quirks that grabbed early‑access players remain: classes interact with the environment in interesting ways — Priests can fly to escape danger, Warriors can smash through walls to keep a chase going — and you keep a persistent lodge you upgrade between runs. That base progression is the glue that ties extraction tension to longterm goals, and expanding non‑combat gameplay gives players more reasons to invest in their lodge beyond mere stat gains.

Why now — and why it could matter

There’s a clear industry pattern: niche, hardcore multiplayer loops attract a passionate core but cap growth. Adding a PvE axis broadens appeal, improves onboarding, and smooths engagement spikes. For Eldegarde, the mini‑MMO approach is smart timing — early access proved the combat foundations, and now the studio can layer socially driven content that keeps players logging in between risky extraction runs.

That said, “mini‑MMO” is a marketing shorthand until proved otherwise. It remains to be seen whether Eldegarde can sustain population density, meaningful social activity, and enough PvE content to justify the label. The PvP crowd might worry about split resources, while the PvE crowd will expect variety and depth from dungeons and lifestyle systems.

What gamers should expect at launch

On January 21 the game exits early access with its 1.0 featureset. Expect: a social hub where players can meet and trade, PvE dungeons to learn encounters without the threat of player predation, more noncombat ways to progress your lodge, and new competitive arenas for pure PvP. If you’ve been on the fence, the current early‑access 20% discount runs until January 5 and drops the price to roughly $19.99 / £17.59 while the sale lasts.

For veterans who’ve enjoyed the extraction tension, nothing about the competitive side is being removed — it’s being complemented. For newcomers, the PvE strand is the safer classroom for learning class interactions and maps without the risk of being steamrolled by seasoned players.

The final score: cautious optimism

Notorious Studios has reason to be proud. Bringing a live game from early access to 1.0 after almost a year of iteration is solid work, especially from a team with pedigree on big Blizzard titles. The name change to Eldegarde is cosmetic but welcome — it’s easier to say and better suited to a game that’s trying to be more than a punishing extraction title.

Ultimately, whether Eldegarde becomes a lasting hybrid — a place for both tense extraction runs and cozy MMO‑style bonding — depends on the depth of PvE content, population health, and post‑launch support. If Notorious keeps listening to its community as it did in early access, this could be one of the better examples of a studio successfully widening a niche game without abandoning its roots.

TL;DR

Eldegarde (formerly Legacy: Steel and Sorcery) goes 1.0 on January 21 with a new PvE “mini‑MMO” track, social hub, lifestyle systems, and fresh PvP arenas. It’s a smart evolution that could broaden appeal — but the long game will hinge on content depth and player population. Early‑access buyers can grab a 20% discount through January 5.