unfairlight
Self-Ejected
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2017
- Messages
- 4,092
https://archive.fo/JwgDC
WHY RPG FANS SHOULD PLAY MOBAS
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of crossover from the story-oriented RPG fanbase and the strategic, action-oriented MOBA fanbase, but there should be. MOBA distills the entire RPG mechanical progression into an experience shorter than a sitcom episode.
The MOBA genre began as the Aeon of Strife and Defense of the Ancients mods for Starcraft and Warcraft 3, respectively. Rather than managing an entire base and army, you controlled a single powerful hero unit supported by computer-controlled minions while your opponents did the same. Your objective was to fight your way past your enemy’s defenses and destroy their core.
This genre grew into Riot Games’ League of Legends (LoL), a standalone version of Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), and its sequel managed by Valve. Despite the genre being based on two of its biggest properties, Blizzard took its time getting involved in the MOBA genre with Heroes of the Storm (HOTS). For the record, I’m primarily a HOTS player, so I’ll be largely writing from that point of view.
Progression and fun
Almost every single game these days has a progression system designed to take you on a journey from a peasant with a stick to a foe-crushing badass. When the system is well done, it helps create an immensely satisfying experience. In most single player games, this process can take anywhere from 25 to 100+ hours. Horizon Zero Dawn and Shadow of Mordor are some of the best experiences I’ve had with progression systems in recent memory. You start the game running from small mobs and spend end the game taking the biggest, scariest threats head on. This is the hero’s journey in game form.
MOBAs start similarly. Your hero starts at level one with a few basic abilities, but nothing too powerful. You have little ability to significantly impact the battlefield or AI minions. Your gear, if you have any, is important, but not very impressive. As you engage with AI minions and your human opponents, you level up and gain power. A fast round may end before you can reach your hero’s full power, but a well-played, even match will let you reach high ranks. By the end of the match, you will have a good understanding of how to outplay your foes and bring the hammer down on them. You’ll have better gear that’s helping you power your way to victory.
But the best part for me is that this journey is compressed into an experience about 20-30 minutes long. You don’t have to wait dozens of hours to smash through the opposing force. You get there in a matter of minutes.
Build experimentation doesn’t require weeks-long additional playthroughs. If you think you might enjoy the game much more as a tricky assassin type or a fire-wielding mage, you can experience those roles immediately, up and down the power spectrum. It’s easy to iterate on builds and approaches.
One of my favorite RPG franchises is the Dragon Age series. Each playthrough will take you between 40 and 100 hours, depending on how many side quests you undertake. When playing through the mammoth open-world Dragon Age: Inquisition, I actually gave up on sidequests around 130 hours and powered through to the end of the game, but there was still plenty more to do. But I’ve never actually experienced most of what that game series has to offer in terms of mechanical challenges outside of my preferred class of dual-wielding rogue. I just don’t have the time to slog through the game as a warrior or mage.
Whereas in HOTS, I’ve gotten to experience the full power arcs of ice wizard spellcasters, tank warriors, damage-dealing bruiser aliens, a stealth sniper, and a Russian dude who heals people by infecting them with an evil parasite. While it’s rare to fully understand a character in a single match, you can see how they perform and decide quickly whether this class is for you.
The beginning and the end are the best parts
The most enjoyable hours of an RPG are often the first dozen or so. You are rapidly adapting to the game’s mechanics, learning how to assess and confront challenges, and deciding on your character’s build. You level rapidly and earn many new skills and other goodies. Your ability to affect and control the game world expands exponentially. The second most exciting section is the endgame, wherein you’re accessing your apex abilities that define your character and what they can do. There’s often a longish mid-game slog wherein ability unlocks are incremental and much less exciting.
Every MOBA match takes those two excellent bookend moments and slams them up against each other, clearing away the detritus in-between. No need to wade through a hundred hours of grinding and middling talents - you get the thrill of rapid growth and the glee of ultimate power in a condensed, exciting package.
The HOTS progression system lets you choose between several talents at levels 1, 3, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 20. Each of these moments feels like a real event, the perks provided at these levels change your hero significantly. This isn’t just a minor increase in key stats like damage and hit points - it takes you down a developmental path that changes how your character does battle and supports their team. A warrior that maximizes the damage of their skillshot plays very differently than the same warrior spec-ed for AoE slow effects.
Where MOBAs and RPGs differ
I’ve presented MOBAs as power fantasy and wish fulfillment, but it doesn’t always go that way. Sometimes you get a bad ally, your team doesn’t gel, or you just have a bad day. Because opposing teams level independently, you may get out-leveled and spend the match trailing, always running from your opponents. Feeling outmaneuvered and outgunned is also part of the MOBA experience. On the plus side, if things go poorly, your next match might be completely different.
MOBA gameplay requires speed and reflexes in a way that many RPGs do not. Folks who are used to JRPG-style menu system combat may find the fast-paced click-based combat of MOBAs to be very stressful. However, folks with a background in RTS or FPS will feel right at home.
For folks who play RPGs for the solo experience, MOBAs are almost exclusively multiplayer. You can’t win by lone-wolfing it, and even the best players can’t carry an entire team on their backs. You need your teammates to perform well, and that can be tough to adapt to. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the MOBA community has a hard-earned and well-deserved reputation for toxicity. That mute button will be your friend.
All that being said, the MOBA adventure is one worth taking, particularly for fans of isometric American RPGs. If you long for the feel of an old school hack and slash or you just want to take the hero’s journey over and over again while polishing your overall skillset, give MOBAs a shot.
