The best multiplayer shooters with MMO elements in 2017

The Division – Mood and atmosphere dominate

The Division is an MMO shooter set in the gloomy universe of Tom Clancy. Clancy was a US author known for often crafting military apocalyptic scenarios. In The Division, a smallpox epidemic has broken out in New York, depopulating parts of the metropolis and transforming it into a post-apocalyptic world where the law of the jungle reigns.

The Division: Singleplayer game with MMO sprinkles

At its core, The Division is a typical Ubisoft game. There is an open world, the half-destroyed New York, filled with a multitude of icons on the world map. There, missions, story snippets, or collectibles await the player.

The player can pursue these side missions or collectibles while following the main campaign of The Division. The missions can be tackled alone or with groups of up to four players.

Once the exciting and atmospheric story of the main game is completed, the MMO elements come to the forefront. It becomes essential to run “instances” – the missions from the main game with tougher enemies – or specifically designed “incursions.”

Here, the strengths of The Division lie in the game’s atmosphere. Sound snippets illustrate how horrific the downfall of New York must have been for the residents of the Big Apple. Over and over again, disturbing scenes of violence and touching signs of humanity play out in front of the player’s eyes.

The MMO component lies in character customization

The MMO elements of The Division stand out in character customization. There are a variety of different armor pieces that grant bonuses when all parts of a specific set are worn.

Skills and passive bonuses of the agent can be selected and harmonize particularly well with certain sets. As a result, players are on the hunt for specific items with unique capabilities, that match the “ideal build” that circulates most often. Legends also form around weapons with selected perks and traits.

The motivation to search for and hunt items is reminiscent of classic loot games like Diablo 3. With the perfect items, the player’s character becomes a few percentage points stronger than the avatars of other players.

In gameplay, developers Massive attempt to offer players variety in how they can access the items with modes like “Incursions,” “Survival,” or “Underground.” Here, teamwork is at the forefront.

Features in PvP

In the Dark Zone, the main PvP area of the game, players can play against and with each other. The Dark Zone is a mixed PvE and PvP zone. While some players just want to fight AI opponents to collect loot, there are “Player Killers” looking for their victims among the players. A “cops and robbers” game with real weapons.

Here, the own hero, who was nurtured and maintained in the PvE part of the game, can show what they can do in the fight for supplies.