Arc Raiders had a free playtest this weekend, and some players are arguing that the game needs a PvE-only mode. In the game players are tasked with scavenging resources from an open map infested with enemy robots alongside other players, with players not in your group effectively being another type of enemy. This, of course, has some players saying that fighting enemy robots is enough, that they don’t need the extra stress of having to fight off other players too. The pro-PvP players are, of course, saying that this is what the game is, and if you don’t like it you should go play something else.
It’s not like that’s never been done before. Sea of Thieves is another PvPvE game, and not too long ago it too got a PvE-only mode.
What do you say about this? Should a game that wants to be both PvE and PvP also offer exclusive modes?
Sure if it’s either limited progression/loot, or seperate progression entirely. People will just farm on low risk PvE missions for high tier resources and upgrade to end game gear. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how Sea of Thieves handles this.
The Arc (name of the robots) can be challenging but they are also easy to pick off at range. Maybe if the arcs were stronger in PvE? This then defeats the purpose of appealing to an even more casual crowd. People were already calling for Arc nerfs.
The devs originally pitched this game as a co-op PvE game akin to something like Helldivers 2. Their monetization model is practically the same to HD2. They decided to swap to PvPVE claiming it just wasn’t fun though many speculate Nexon, their publisher/owner, had a say in it. I have doubts Nexon influenced the gameplay but Nexon is Nexon afterall.
From my experience playing the tech tests and latest server slam, it’s real easy to avoid PvP and only fight the Arc if you so choose. You’ll run into players eventually but I’ve had an easy time making friends with strangers. Last server slam had more PvP due to limited upgrades available.
I’m not opposed to a PvE only mode if it meant the game is still playable after the servers shut down.
Sea of Thieves gives like 1/4 the rewards when you’re on PvE but otherwise it’s all cross-compatible
Or just different loot. Destiny actually had a fairly decent approach to this. Some gear was PvE only from enemy drops, and other gear could only be found in the PvP shop (which required grinding currency in PvP to purchase). There was some gear that was categorically better for builds, but the devs tried to keep the exclusive stuff fairly balanced. So like the PvP stuff wouldn’t try to make you outright overpowered in PvE, for example. It meant you could take the same gear across the two different modes, without being able to simply get OP by focusing on one mode entirely.
The devs struggled with balancing the gear between the two modes, (looking at you, Gjallarhorn), but the idea wasn’t awful.
The gear exclusive to PvE means only usable in PvE or only lootable in PvE? If the former, well that’s the same as my seperate progression suggestion. If the latter, how good is the PvE loot in PvP? Can it be really strong against other players or is better gear locked behind PvP? If can be really strong, people will grind out low risk PvE for good gear hence my limited loot suggestion.
You mention the devs struggled to balance between both modes and I’m willing to bet Embark is a smaller studio compared to Bungie. Trying to balance a whole different genre is a lot of effort for not much gain. People who want only PvE will rarely touch PvPvE due to toxicity or skill issues (as cringe as that sounds).