When I sit down to tally up all of the different weapon playstyles that I enjoy in various MMOs, one theme pops out at me: I loved ranged damage. Pretty much all of my characters use some sort of ranged attacks, whether they be rifles, crossbows, or spells. And I’ve always been slightly worried that devs might catch on to the fact that this playstyle is OP in some way.
Do ranged fighters have too much of an advantage in MMOs? After all, we can attack from far away, and if our opponent is melee only, then it’s like “free hit city” until or unless that character can close the gap. We also enjoy practically zero delay in starting up fights and unfettered views of the action. I honestly never understood why melee fighters would be content to only see a boss’ shin most of the time or be content with their bodies blocking out the enemy mobs.
In PvP, I know that this can be an even greater problem unless the devs and other players have ways to counter this advantage. But maybe it’s not as big of a deal? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
