The presentation of Anthem at E3 raised more questions than answers. The site PC Gamer grabbed BioWare’s Executive Producer Mark Darrah for an extensive interview. Read here details about level progression in Anthem, game modes, and a comparison to Destiny.
Interview clarifies open questions about Anthem: Many players still do not know what exactly to expect from Anthem. A classic BioWare RPG like Mass Effect or Dragon Age? Or a loot shooter like Destiny? The trailer shown during the presentation contributed little to clarification. The scenes appeared too fragmented and incoherent.
Anthem’s executive producer is Mark Darrah. He already designed the combat system in Baldur’s Gate, but he also worked closely on the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. He recently answered questions for the PC Gamer website, providing interesting insights into level progression, the different game modes, and the loot system of Anthem.
Anthem is an evolution, not a break with traditions
RPGs are evolving: When asked whether BioWare was straying too far from its own roots with Anthem, Darrah replied: “Genres evolve over time. One would essentially classify Baldur’s Gate and Dragon Age Inquisition as RPGs – and yet they differ fundamentally from each other.”
Earlier BioWare productions had the disadvantage that players did not share their experiences with others because they
- did not want to reveal important spoilers and
- were also unsure whether other players would find the stories as interesting as they themselves did
Anthem solves this problem. In a shared world, players experience the story together. There is no risk that the experience will be ruined for others.
When Anthem launched, there was only Borderlands: Since then, an entire genre has emerged around Destiny. Therefore, Anthem is returning to BioWare’s roots; only the players’ experiences with other titles of the same genre create skepticism.
Action is action and story is story
Here is how players will experience the story in Anthem: The question of balancing action sequences and narrative storytelling is crucial. BioWare games have historically been characterized by a wide range of choices that had immediate impacts on the game world.
In Anthem, we will not be confronted with such far-reaching choices. During cooperative missions, the narrative is told through conversations. The real decisions are made at the player-owned hub (Fort Tarsis), but are limited to a few action options.
During cooperative missions, players should not be “held back” by extensive options to ensure a seamless gaming experience for all participants.
Are casual players at a disadvantage in Anthem?
Everyone knows it – while colleagues are already in battle, you lag behind due to various commitments in the real world. According to Darrah, there will always be incentives in Anthem to assist lower-level players:
Every player can help another in a story mission they have already completed. In addition to game experience, players will also be rewarded in other ways for their assistance. However, what those rewards will be is currently still unknown.
However, you can allow players who are further along to help you. Conversely, a lower-level player will not be able to assist a higher-level player in a mission that has not been completed yet.
Without PvP, the progression curve is steeper: The progression curve is relatively flat due to the PvP component in Destiny. This will not be the case in Anthem. You will notice a distinct difference between a level 1 and a level 25 player.
Strikes and dungeons are called “Strongholds” in Anthem
To level up, players have various options at hand:
- The story – The narrative can be tackled alone or co-op.
- Freeplay – Players can freely explore the world and gather resources in an instance with a total of four players.
- The Strongholds – Expansive areas that are explored cooperatively. BioWare does not call them dungeons because the areas can also be open. The Strongholds are meant to be a closed element for a task force. They are harder than story missions and promise better loot.
These three activities are intended to represent the core of Anthem. However, Mark Darrah hints that there will be other activities, about which they cannot yet speak in detail.
Does Anthem really offer an “open world”? You can explore the world in freeplay as you wish. Naturally, you will come across enemies that are too strong for you. However, you should generally be able to escape such encounters using the jetpacks. So, with a low level, you probably won’t take down a Titan – but at least you can flee from it.
In freeplay, up to four players can be active in an instance at the same time. Isn’t that problematic for larger events that are too difficult for solo players? According to Darrah, the events are indeed designed for soloists.
You can certainly tackle the challenges with multiple players, but Anthem does not punish you for playing alone!
The combat system in Anthem – What happens when you die?
A question that has not been adequately answered so far. Mark Darrah finally has a definitive answer:
- Anyone who loses all their life points in Anthem goes down. In this state, they can be revived. In freeplay, this can also be done by a random player crossing your path.
- If all team members go down, it results in a wipe.
- You will be revived at so-called supply stations (similar to camps in Monster Hunter World).
Currently, BioWare is also following the direction that progress on a boss’s health bar is saved with a wipe – so you do not have to start from the beginning. However, Darrah admits that this decision is not final.
Boss battles and their mechanics: We all know “simple” boss mechanics. The big enemy shoots an energy beam, we hide behind a wall and shoot at the boss as soon as it recovers.
BioWare wants to bring more variety and mechanics into boss battles with the vertical gameplay idea and their jetpacks. You should be forced to move. Even more variety will arise from resistances and elemental damage that should turn every boss battle into a puzzle.
The weapon system in Anthem – veterans will feel right at home
These weapons will be in Anthem: According to Darrah, there will be “the usual suspects”: pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, and grenade launchers. Not all classes, however, will have access to all weapons. For example, the tank class Colossus will have access to the heavy minigun, but other classes will not.
In return, the Colossus will not be able to handle light weapons like the pistol. So, weapon choices will largely “overlap” across classes. However, there will also be individual gear slots that are class-specific.
Thus, a Javelin can fire rockets that set enemies on fire and cause damage over time, while your colleague’s rockets deal normal damage.
Will there also be weapons in Anthem that are truly new? Mark Darrah refers to them as Auras, but does not elaborate further. He emphasizes that especially the Storm class relies less on its weapons and more on its elemental abilities. You will also use firearms with the Storm – but the core of the class is the elemental attacks.
Will there be the possibility to trade weapons among players? No, Mark Darrah is quite clear on this. They want to prevent level 1 players from running around with high-level gear and disrupting balance. This decision is not final, but there will definitely be no trading at launch.
What do you think of the interview? Are you looking forward to Anthem?
