Let me say something bold: I think the best gearing systems in MMOs are the systems that don’t get hung up on gear at all.
A lot of MMORPGs have come around to the idea of splitting stats from appearance, for sure, through various forms of cosmetic systems. It’s an old idea now, and maybe it took some of them too long to adopt it, but still, we’re mostly there. That’s good, certainly.
But my favorite gearing system is one that isn’t about gear. To this day, I don’t think the City of Heroes system can be beaten, and that’s because there is no gear. Instead, you craft or acquire or bid for enhancements to trick out your skills. Yes, it was a pure cosmetic system – it was one of the first to really do that – but what sets it apart is the fact that there’s no real concept of gear at all. And yet, you’re still enhancing your character, but you never really get hung up on obsessing over a particular inaccessible wearable. Given enough time, you can get anything.
What would you argue is the best gearing system in an MMO?
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!
