Looks aren’t everything, but to the MMO player, they do seem to matter. Having strong skill visuals to match their effects makes using them a lot more fun — although sometimes the animation team can go overboard in this regard.
I think back to my early days of playing City of Heroes, when the powers I was most tempted to use in any given situation were the ones that had the most flash, pizzazz, and particle effects. It seemed like everyone operated like this, resulting in battles appearing as if a disco firework was being shot off every half-second directly into the user’s face.
In your extensive time playing MMOs, what’s the most over-the-top visual effect for a skill that you encountered — and how much did you love it?
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!