When I think back to all of the MMORPGs, CRPGs, and JRPGs I’ve played and the part of each game that I like the most, it typically is the very first section. I love starting out as a nobody — weak, relatively unskilled, and wearing tissue paper armor. That means that every step forward in those opening hours and days feels meaningful as I upgrade my gear, gain access to new abilities, and so on.
However, I’ve noticed that while MMOs used to do this, nowadays they’re all about making you feel like a competent, well-rounded, well-equipped killer from the first hour. Then it gets ridiculous as the game is forced to make us living gods doing millions of points of damage with a swing of a stick because the devs have to keep ratcheting up the power curve.
So I guess what I want to ask is if anyone else feels this way. Do MMOs make our characters too powerful too quickly? Is there a wisdom to starting humble and oh-so-gradually gaining in stats and abilities rather than rushing through 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!
