Anthem will not offer PvP at launch and whether such a mode will come at all depends on player feedback. Micha is somewhat divided on this decision.
No PvP at launch: BioWare, the developers of Anthem, have repeatedly confirmed that the shooter will not offer a PvP mode and will fully focus on its PvE content. This statement was not well received by some potential players.
BioWare promised to wait for player feedback after launch and then decide whether Anthem will still receive a competitive multiplayer mode.
Before the release, there are many players, who are even relieved that there is no PvP. A post on Reddit, where a player listed his opinion on the advantages of the missing mode, reached nearly 4000 upvotes in a short time.
Even our MeinMMO readers seem to have little interest in PvP in Anthem. In our survey about the mode, in which about 1400 readers participated, 72% of you said that the shooter does not need a PvP mode.
I also see the advantages of Anthem not having a PvP mode, but I am also afraid of a possible lack of variety.
That’s why I wish for PvP: I am a Destiny veteran from the very beginning and have experienced many highs and lows with Bungie’s shooter. Through various dry spells and content droughts, PvP has always brought me back, as it provided a break from the everyday grind.
Each round against my human opponents brought me something new, exciting for a short time and made me log into the game again, even when there were no new contents. With friends or completely solo, one could always kill some time and then devote oneself to other things.
Anthem also promises regular updates and wants to become something like the Netflix of games, where players will want to check back repeatedly. Even the first expansion has already been announced. Whether the constant flow of content can be maintained, we will probably only find out after the launch.
But what will players spend their time doing in Anthem when the current contents have already been chewed through and new food is still far away? Will events and different difficulty levels in the activities be enough to keep players or will they prefer to seek another game during content droughts?
This is how I envision PvP: Especially because of the flying Javelins, I find the idea of a possible PvP exciting and challenging. The verticality offers its own pitfalls: instead of just being on the ground or on elevated platforms, opponents can lurk everywhere.
However, Anthem could also be stretching itself too thin: if the PvP is designed to be too demanding, it might deter players.
In the worst case, PvP could lead to a split in the player base: those who love the mode and those who loathe it. The main thing is that no one is forced into PvP, because that doesn’t go down well in Destiny 2:
What about you? Are you still convinced after the demos that Anthem doesn’t need PvP or could you now envision the mode?
