The new survival MMO Last Oasis fully focuses on hardcore PvP and does not intend to change that. A mistake, finds MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus, as the game has the potential to be a hit – if only someone could and would play it.
On March 26, the new survival MMO Last Oasis was released in early access on Steam. The game is about securing the last oases of the world, as the Earth no longer rotates and the sun continuously burns everything it touches.
The basic idea is excellent and sounds like a prime foundation for a survival game. New, unexploited, and with great opportunities for innovative features. And yes, PvP also makes sense, after all, it’s a fight for the oases. But it’s not the right decision, I think.
In all the survival games I have played, I must have spent nearly 1000 hours by now. And from my experience, I can say: Every time PvP became too important, the game became boring.
Now Last Oasis is making exactly this mistake: Hardcore PvP is a key pillar of the game, and the developers do not want it any other way. It’s a pity, I think, because a lot of potential is wasted.
PvP in Last Oasis is supposed to create the best stories
Last Oasis wants to attract players particularly with their approach to PvP. The developers revealed to me in conversation that they are good at it – so they continued with it. Project lead Florian Hofreither also believes that PvP creates the best stories.
This is how PvP is structured: PvP in Last Oasis currently appears to take place on multiple levels:
- Large clans fight for dominance in oases and thus for the sources of water, the most important resource
- Smaller groups raid caravans or argue over the kill of a boss
- Solo players fight in random encounters for their survival or to keep their loot
What is the problem? On paper, the system has a good distribution, but already from the first reviews on Steam it is clear that there are too many griefers. Players just starting out get beaten just a few minutes after login and have to respawn. Over and over again.
In theory, the clans later in the game should ensure that this does not happen. Because they receive a share of the resources that players harvest in their oases. If they don’t provide protection, there’s less to grab.
So far, apparently no player has gotten to this point. But I also think: It could have worked without PvP – maybe even better.
Survival games and PvP – hate or love?
What is the situation with survival games? The survival genre and PvP go hand in hand for many developers, and admittedly, a world where you must fight for your survival fosters the survival instinct. It makes sense to attack others to provide for yourself.
The development of games has simply continued over the years. Survival games do not have to be just hardcore survival simulations anymore, but can also promote creativity and a spirit of exploration.
The best example of this is probably Minecraft. Out of nowhere, the voxel game achieved enormous success and captivated countless players.
What is the problem with PvP? In survival games, it is often about building a safe home and collecting resources. There is a lot of work involved, and that is not different in any representative of the genre that I know.
However, in many PvP-heavy games, these homes can be destroyed and the loot plundered when other players kill you. Dozens of hours of work and the joy of the game can go down the drain.
Additionally, it is not uncommon for experienced players to bully newcomers instead of helping them. This is stressful, especially for solo players, and not everyone can or wants to play in a larger group.
It is simply not fun to get beaten up 24/7. There are players who find that exciting and games where it fits, but I think it can be better without it.
PvP and survival fit – in some titles
I have selected some survival games from my experience that deal well with PvP and where the system fits into the game. But even here I see at least some points of criticism.
1. Rust: Rust is a pretty “straightforward” survival game. Post-apocalypse, eat, drink, survive. Everything a survival game needs is included. And PvP plays an important role here.
From the first spawn, naked and only with a stone, players can be shot across the map by veterans with sniper rifles if they are unlucky.
Personally, this killed my interest early on. I played it for nearly 30 hours anyway, but after my painstakingly built base was destroyed, I didn’t want to play anymore.
Nevertheless, Rust is considered one of the most successful and best survival games ever. But it polarizes. For some, it is the holy grail of survival; for others, the worst game in the world.
Rust only crept onto the Xbox One and PS4 at the end of 2019 after its enormous success on Steam. It clearly shows: PvP cannot and will not please everyone.
2. Conan Exiles: The second example where PvP fits is Conan Exiles. Conan, the barbarian, is a tough guy, and so is the world in which his universe plays. In the hot desert, everything is an enemy, even the desert itself.
Conan Exiles is one of the games where I have spent the most time and have also looked at the PvP. At least at the beginning. With the PvP and Conflict servers, Conan Exiles provides good solutions for all possible variants of PvP for interested players.
Nevertheless, I have the most fun in Conan since I operate my own server with friends and can explore the world with them. The different biomes offer all kinds of dungeons and secrets, and building different structures is really fun. Additionally, the “journey” encourages players to experience the PvE content rather than PvP.
In the community, there are already numerous mods for Conan Exiles that enhance the game with RPG elements or even entirely new content. This usually happens without PvP and shows that even Conan Exiles could have worked without this feature.
Survival without PvP is still better
This brings me to the main point of this opinion, which will probably lead to discussions for a while: Survival is more fun without PvP.
This is notably demonstrated by two games that each have (at least for us) gained more attention individually than the above combined: ARK and Fallout 76.
1. ARK: Survival Evolved: ARK is known as the “survival game with dinosaurs.” While it also has a PvP aspect on public servers (if desired), it draws its main content from PvE, almost like an MMORPG.
A major part of the game involves taming dinosaurs, exploring the world, leveling up, and battling tough bosses. To ensure there is always a supply of dungeons and opponents, developers frequently release updates and DLCs, such as the recent Genesis.
What ARK does particularly well is that PvE and PvP are both options that do not exclude each other. Anyone who absolutely wants to brawl can do so. Anyone who prefers to quietly become a dino farmer or cave explorer can also dedicate themselves to these activities.
By the way, MeinMMO reader KenSasaki feels the same: “Why are games like ARK still in the race? Because there is pure PvE, if you want.”
Compared to Rust, ARK can even boast more players on Steam. In recent days, Rust had 81,525 players (via steamcharts, as of March 30); ARK with 102,404 had still about a quarter more (via steamcharts).
2. Fallout 76: Fallout 76 is certainly not the poster child of a successful survival game, considering the fact that it was torn apart at its release. Nevertheless, it shows well: A survival game can survive a bad start even without PvP.
At release, PvP was an option in Fallout 76 – everyone could attack anyone, albeit with limitations. A short time later, there were then special PvP servers, and shortly after that, PvP was completely abolished and moved to the battle royale mode Nuclear Winter.
PvP simply did not go down well with the players, and now on April 14, the Wastelanders update is coming, which will further emphasize the PvE focus. NPCs are returning, filling the world with life and quests, almost like in an MMO or MMORPG.
The interest in Fallout 76 has therefore increased again at least among our readers, and players want to return after taking a break. It shows: More PvE content can possibly even save a flop.
What potential is Last Oasis missing?
Last Oasis has an incredibly great approach. When the developers showed me gameplay in advance, I thought: “That looks really great; the visuals, the idea, and implementation fit well together.”
Only the idea of hardcore PvP did not sit well with me, and apparently, other players feel the same way. It’s a pity, I think, because games like ARK, Conan Exiles, and Fallout 76 can tell wonderful stories without someone hitting me over the head with a club.
Last Oasis certainly could have done that too. And the interest in survival games is clearly there. Although Last Oasis could hardly be played due to server problems at release, the game had already received over 8,000 reviews on Steam just four days later.
Especially given the fact that Last Oasis comes from an indie studio, this is an impressive number that shows that players want something new in the genre. Just as it is planned, I see at least no future.
In the meantime, the servers have been taken down for seven days to resolve the login issues. Perhaps the developers will decide during this time for an optional PvE mode – or maybe Last Oasis can indeed deliver a success like Rust and prove me wrong. Either way, I would love to see more of the game soon.
