One Shots: Battlefield oasis

Even in the midst of bloody war, the resplendent may persist. Even though our MMOs are endless battlefields that have seen no end to death and corpse desecration, they also can be places of stunning sights.

Reader Connor, fresh off a tour in PlanetSide 2, found that a particular location made him pause and reach for the screenshot button. "I saw this while maneuvering my Sunderer into position. Beauty on the battlefield!"

Check out Connor's oasis as well as plenty of other gorgeous war-torn locales after the jump!

What do you do when the world turns askew? Why, you photograph it for posterity, of course! Reader Sharvis took note of the strange landscape in RIFT and had to share it with the rest of the class.

"I took this screenshot in the zone of Gloamwood," Sharvis wrote. "I think Trion did an excellent job of creating a haunted, foreboding woods atmosphere. This particular screenshot was taken up in the hills, off the beaten path. Even with trees, you get a sense of things not being quite right. I have to admit, whenever I look at this screenshot, I feel as if I could just fall over and tumble down a slope."

Even when you return home from battle, it can be hard to forget the ravages of combat. That's why it probably helps to have visually overwhelming places like Guild Wars 2's Rata Sum to push all of those bad memories out of your head.

Reader Zyrusticae said that he took this after a long-delayed homecoming: "Good ol' Rata Sum. I hadn't been back for around 60 levels, so it was nice to come back and do a bit of sightseeing. My character feels a bit out-of-place there now, though, being an Asura warrior clad in rather barbaric gear."

Score one for the Massively Stream Team, as reader Johanis admits that he gave a particular free-to-play title a try due to our... heh heh... influence. Next we're going to start a criminal toy racket in your local elementary schools!

"I'd like to introduce Martee, my newly created level 9 Rogue in Vanguard," Johanis wrote. "At only level 9, he's really enjoying his adventures so far. After watching so many streams of Vanguard on Massively, I finally decided to once again jump back in."

Thanks to all of you who keep sending in these interesting screenshots! And for those of you who haven't, I have to ask: Why not? Everyone's got a few great pictures stored on his or her hard drive. Wouldn't you like the whole world to see your best?

Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!