The best multiplayer shooters with MMO elements in 2017

Games like Destiny and The Division dominate the sales charts. What other multiplayer shooters with MMO elements are there in 2017? Where are similar games to Destiny or The Division?

Since Destiny appeared on the scene in late 2014, multiplayer shooters with MMO elements have become a huge thing. These “MMO-Shooters” combine gameplay with the hunt for loot or other aspects of MMOs. What games like Destiny are there? What can one reach for? We will take a look at four titles.

Destiny – Kill aliens while talking with your friends

Destiny is a sci-fi MMO shooter. It is available for PS4 and Xbox One. The secret of Destiny’s success is based on three pillars.

The Combat Loop

The theory goes back to the Halo days. If you can entertain players for 30 seconds with exciting gameplay, you can keep them engaged for hours by looping those 30 seconds. That’s the 30-Second Combat Loop.

In those 30 seconds, players must shoot, change positions, throw a grenade, assess enemies, dodge, and do many other things that are fun and adrenaline-pumping.

What’s important here, and often overlooked: The 30 seconds should not feel the same. The core remains, but every 30 seconds should feel different through various variants: Different areas, different enemies, and situations always require new decisions. Different weapons and processes provide the solution for new situations that the player must navigate.

Destiny has succeeded with this. Especially since the variants Bungie spoke of became more diverse through the MMO elements.

Items change the gaming experience: The players’ collection obsession

In shooters, the player experience changes through different types of weapons used. Playing with a sniper rifle feels different than with a rocket launcher or a machine gun. That has always been the case.

Destiny takes this concept to the extreme by making distinctions between individual weapons even within a weapon category. “The Last Word” plays differently than the “Thorn.” Due to Destiny’s outstanding gunplay, players can distinctly feel when a new weapon has slightly different recoil, fires faster or slower than the current gun.

The classes and subclasses that the player takes on add such variants; they change movement patterns and skill sets of the players – exotic armor pieces change yet other nuances in gameplay.

The longer a player plays Destiny, the more armor and weapons they will collect. This does not necessarily increase their direct power in a vertical progression, but their choice widens; horizontal progression becomes the focus of character development.

Players thus seek different weapons and armor to discover a play style they feel comfortable with. This invites experimentation and awakens a collecting instinct. Maybe the next weapon is the one that fits perfectly and makes them even better. This and the natural collecting instinct of players drive motivation.

This character development through collecting weapons and items harmonizes with the gameplay and brings precisely that variety to the 30 seconds that underlies the fun of Destiny.

The Community

Both ingredients only come into play in the various activities of Destiny. Especially in the coop part of the game, in PvE, they can shine. When a well-coordinated team of 6 Guardians conquers the intricate challenges in raids while jokes fly through the voice chat, Bungie achieves the goal that one of the creative minds phrased so well: “Destiny is: Shoot aliens in the head while discussing the Oscars with your friends.”

A fascinating, adventurous world that works because countless details and game mechanics intertwine and function beneath the surface. But on the surface, Destiny is an adventure that captivates millions of players worldwide.

Many players are looking for similar games to Destiny. On the following pages, we present alternatives to Destiny.