You know what has always seemed kinda cool to me? Alchemy as a crafting profession in MMORPGs. Like, I always thought it was a neat idea that you might give up on having the easiest curve for gear or whatever, but in return, you had various benefits you could give yourself more or less on demand because you were doing the crafting. The problem is that this also requires the community being all right with that state of affairs, and it has become clear over time that most games balance more resolutely around the idea that everyone gets those benefits.
The thing is that this can actually lead to a degree of resentment. After all, if the blacksmith makes the Ultimate Armor of Smiting and the alchemist makes the Potion of Slightly Harder Hitting, you might think they’re both important… but you only need one Ultimate Armor of Smiting and you need lots of potions. I can understand people finding this unpleasant or even unfair. So what do you feel about consumables in MMOs? Do you think they’re neat? Unbalanced? In need of standardization?
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!