Solo-Hammer

Will Warhammer Online be a Massively Solo Online RPG?

I have to regress back to my earlier days of playing World of Warcraft to really get into the discussion of Massively Solo Player games.  It was in my first shot at the WoW Beta that I came to realize just how big the world was and how many players were involved, it was more specifically the first gryphon flight of the game that gave me such an impression of the world.  Warhammer Online is likely to prove it can meet or exceed the scope of other existing games, as instead of centering on the battles between factions (Alliance VS Horde in the case of WoW), Warhammer centers around the battles of various different races (Dwarves VS. Orcs, Humans VS Chaos, & Elves VS Dark Elves).

With Warhammer Online there has been a large emphasis placed on the Realm VS. Realm combat system that has become that hallmark of Mythic’s other MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot.  You really can’t do solo PvP content, so this should sidetrack any sort of attempts to make the game a “single player MMORPG”.  With Warhammer Online having such strong roots in PvP, there should be little to no solo content that will be required (though from information gathered so far it will most defiantly be of assistance to those who want to excel in the RvR combats).  Even Mythic’s main MMORPG, Dark Age of Camelot has its roots in the RvR system and it seems to focus more on the PvP aspect of gaming then on actual solo content, which is mainly used to gain money and level characters in preparation for the PvP experience offered by the game.  As the RvR system has been proven in another system (though it will undoubtedly change in Warhammer Online) it should stand as an example of how to tone down the ‘solo’ of any MMORPG.

In most MMORPG’s the point behind doing any sort of solo is normally to acquire experience, items, or money.  Warhammer Online has introduced the Fate/Insanity point system, where the character will at specific points in PvP events gain insanity points that can only be removed by doing PvE questing for their respective faction.  This new gameplay addition to Warhammer Online forces players into the PvE content of the game, but it is not known if this will be solo content or if it will require groups to perform.  The thought of a bunch of “insane” lunatics running about trying to become sane does give me a funny mental image (might just be me though).  At this point the specifics for the Fate/Insanity system are unknown, so not much detail can be given on the subject right now.

As of right now there is no concrete information on the “levelling” system of Warhammer Online, with the exception that it will have its own unique feel to it that does not necessarily revolve around gaining levels (dwarves get longer beards for example).  In most RPG’s there has always been a degree of “grinding” that a player goes through; killing NPC enemies for experience continually in the attempt to level up at an accelerated rate.  With the information at hand, no deductions can be made on whether or not grinding will be possible in Warhammer Online, however beyond experience there are other reasons to go after enemies, the main of which is looting equipment and money.  Since enemies will still likely drop loot and money in Warhammer Online, you can expect the farming of them to continue in one fashion or another (ah, gold farmers!).

Soloing with a character has some appeals to a large amount of players, primarily the relative small amounts of time you can devote to it.  As with any MMORPG there is always the issue of timing when you are forced to group with other players, such as the loud mouthed healer who shouts out “OMG GTG!” in the middle of an encounter and causes a group that took an hour to form to fall apart.  In the solo environment a player does not have to depend on other players, and can get a relative decent amount of rewards by doing repetitive tasks over and over again.  With the lack of information we have on Warhammer Online at this time, it is difficult to say if soloing will be rewarding or not.  It will be interesting however to see what rewards can be reaped from soloing VS party and finally versus RvR encounters in game.

As Warhammer itself is based on a game that requires a minimum of two players to successfully play, it should be fascinating to see how an online version of the Warhammer World will continue the trend of multiplayer action.  As an online game, Warhammer will be attractive to players who have never been involved in the other games as something of a unique setting, while also attracting those who have been following the series for a long time now.  How Mythic implements the solo content of Warhammer Online remains to be seen, but given the information we have so far about the game, it will likely be a component that players are presented with the option of pursuing and not being forced to do it.