I hate rushing through MMOs – But I do it anyway

The endgame in an MMO is very important for players. It is basically the goal that they work towards to spend most of their time there. Many want to achieve it as quickly as possible. But MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits asks: Is this really good?

What is the endgame in an MMO? Once the story is completed and all quests are checked off, an online game should still motivate players. At least until new content is released. Players want to be engaged in the long term. Those who have reached the highest level still want to keep playing and having fun in the so-called endgame.

The endgame in an MMO can be very diverse. It must offer content for different tastes. Therefore, the endgame includes, among other things, the following things:

• PvP battles for territories like in The Elder Scrolls Online
• Guild wars
• World bosses
• challenging challenges like raids
• Search for rare, epic loot – the best items

Why is the endgame important? Endgame is also a kind of confirmation for those who have invested a lot of time and effort into their character and now want to show what they can do. They want to showcase the rare items they found and compete with others – whether in PvP or simply by mastering the endgame content compared to other players.

Others have become so accustomed to their heroes that they want to keep playing them instead of starting fresh with a different character.

What is the endgame rush? Most players are in the endgame of an MMO. Simply because they have completed the content and the endgame now is what keeps them motivated to stay engaged. Therefore, most players can be found in this section of the game.

And many MMOs thrive on having a large number of players. This makes the content truly interesting and exciting. Since the endgame is where most players can be found and where exciting content is promised, newcomers want to get there as quickly as possible. Even veterans who create a new hero in an MMO they already know often want to reach the endgame quickly – the rest of the game is already familiar after all.

So players rush through the preceding content. This is referred to as the endgame rush.

Endgame rush – a necessary evil?

This is how I approach new MMORPGs: When I play a new MMO(RPG), I immediately look at the endgame content. After all, I consider whether I want to stay loyal to the game for a longer time or if I just want to play the story content and then move on.

If it turns out that the endgame sounds really exciting, I feel the urge to want to jump in and play as soon as possible. But in reality, I also want to enjoy the journey there. Because an MMO consists of so much more than just the endgame.

Especially the beginning can be really fun. When I have to get used to it, learn the mechanics and the world, and slowly work my way up to being a real hero – that is fun for me too.

So I want to force myself to take my time. Explore every corner of the world, complete every quest, and uncover secrets. But that doesn’t always work.

This is usually how it ends: Even if I start like this and take my time during the first hours, I often find myself at a point where I hurry to the endgame. I then want to complete the raid with my friends as quickly as possible, or I hear about a cool world boss and simply have to defeat him soon. Maybe a buddy even urges me to hurry so we can conduct a siege together.

And then I soon find myself in the endgame and feel guilty. Because I don’t want to reduce an MMO to just this part of the game. I want to experience and enjoy the whole package.

For me, the endgame rush has become a necessary evil. I actually don’t want to participate, but I often catch myself doing it anyway. Because my friends and really cool, epic content awaits me.

Does it have to be this way?

Let’s be honest: Things like level boosters or the focus of developers on endgame content contribute to players wanting to reach this section of an MMO as quickly as possible. Everything sounds so cool and exciting, there “is the real game” waiting for many, and there are ways to get there quickly. So why shouldn’t one do it?

Everyone should be able to enjoy an online game in the way they prefer. If someone is solely focused on the endgame, then they need options to get there directly. However, developers shouldn’t present their games in a way that seemingly only concerns the endgame. This simply reduces an MMO to just one of many cool aspects.

Often, I get the impression that the path to the endgame is nothing more than busywork and not really important. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The path should be presented as exciting and motivating as the endgame itself.

I often think of a vacation: When I travel to Italy with my family, we sit in the car for at least 10 hours. The thought of finally lying on the beach and swimming in the sea is beautiful and ideally, we want to get there right away.

But the car ride can also be really exciting. We get to see the mountains, drive through tunnels, and maybe take a small detour to one of the Austrian or Italian lakes before we finally reach the sea and the beach. That’s really fun and the anticipation for the actual destination steadily increases. I wouldn’t want to miss that, and that’s why I tell myself in the future: The journey to the destination can be just as much fun as experiencing the endgame itself.

So how is it for you? Do you rush into the endgame of an MMO or do you take your time? Do you want to know what the currently best MMOs and MMORPGs in 2020 are? Then take a look at the list that MeinMMO has put together for you.