The Daily Grind: Nerf!

by Elizabeth Harper on Jan 12th 2008 8:00AM

There are so many MMOs with their own gameplay and storylines, their own abilities and skills, their own raids and dungeons. But for all their differences, somehow the community that springs up around these games always seems the same. There's always the class that's overpowered, always the class that's underpowered (most often the class the writer plays), and someone or something definately needs nerfs. (Many MMO communities may be succinctly summed up with the following generalization: I'm rock, scissors is fine, nerf paper.) And if it's not something that needs nerfing, it's something that's been nerfed -- no doubt something vital to your personal playstyle, changed due to an obvious bias against your class. With most MMO environments in a constant state of flux, there's always change and the discontent that comes along with it. But does change always have to mean nerfs?

Do you find that the community built around your world of choice is filled with such "nerf" conversations? And, if so, is it always justified?

Tags: community, featured, forums, mmo, mmorpg, nerf, the-daily-grind

Reader Comments (3)

In 11+ years of playing MMO's (Meridian 59 was my first), I've quit more games due to the ever-complaining community than for any other reason. The thing I find most annoying is the perception that somehow paying a monthly fee entitles a subscriber to be a part of the game's design team.

In recent years, my enjoyment of MMO's has increased due to one simple reason... I avoid reading a game's official forums unless absolutely necessary. Oddly enough I then can spend my time playing the game rather than reading someone else's bitching ;)

I've discovered 'bitching' about changes to your MMO that you do not agree with gets you nowhere. It is a waste of time because you are just one person and it's not worth listening to fanbois asking for your proof of a PHD in game development when you disagree with the game new direction.

Don't dare mention that you found the old system more fun without quantifying it in a documented research paper.

The next time the word 'balanced' gameplay or 'not working as intended' get thrown around in my next MMO, I will be running for the hills or a single player game. No, I do not think change should always mean nerfs but for whatever reason looking at every new game and it's subsequent 'updates' that is just the way it always works out.

Look at a community like Halo, Most often the complaints are related to bug fixes in a very polished finished product. MMOs tend to come out the door with stiches and glue showing. Ever tweaking abilities and classes makes the community think they have the power to change anything in the game by crying about it.

I think it'd be much better to have a game without classes, no one complains that Master chief should be nerfed or that elites are OP. It's just a polished genre. They can add new maps or configurations to fight in to keep the game alive for players with a ranked system of achievements for epeens. But then where is the sense of character progression? why not something like COD4 which adds rpg elements to a shooter, you choose the tactics to add, no set classes, no marriage to a particular subset. If rocketlaunchers gets nerfed and u like blowing things up pick up an RPG. Progress in the game unlocks more abilities to use or different powers. there's got to be a middle ground between pidgeonholing and oversimplifying.