Boss fights play a significant role in MMORPGs. Defeating the final boss is a great achievement. But when did boss fights actually start?
In MMORPGs, players fight against a multitude of enemies. These serve to gain experience points and better equipment, and they are, of course, part of the game world, the lore, and quests.
To show what their character is truly capable of, how well they have developed and equipped them, players face the so-called boss opponents in the game. Defeating these brings prestige, as well as more EXP, and usually rare and powerful items. Furthermore, it is part of the story of theme park MMORPGs to defeat the bosses, as they are usually powerful villains who want to subjugate the world.
Bosses have a long history
The concept of boss enemies has existed for quite a long time, and we take a look back at how they actually came about.
It all started with the Pen & Paper game: Boss fights originated – like many things in the realm of MMORPGs – from the Pen & Paper template. In adventures that players experienced together, special enemies appeared, which needed to be defeated collectively. These opponents were usually very tenacious and were part of the story of the respective adventure. For example, the evil wizard who kidnapped the princess or an orc chief planning an invasion with his clan.
This concept was transferred to the computer game DND by Gary Whisenhunt and Ray Wood in 1975, which was based on the PLATO system. The system was used in the 1970s for many early attempts in the realm of computer role-playing games and also MMORPGs – even though these were not yet referred to as such at that time.
In DND, there was a golden dragon that lurked at the end of the last level of a dungeon and guarded a magical orb. The goal of the game was to find this orb. However, the powerful dragon had to be defeated first, making it the first boss enemy in the history of video games. However, DND was a single-player RPG.
Nevertheless, the concept of the final boss was naturally carried forward, as it was very well received by players. The boss was essentially the last hurdle, and defeating them provided players with a significant sense of accomplishment.
The first boss in an MMORPG: The first real commercial MMORPG appeared in 1985 under the name Island of Kesmai – but even this was not yet referred to as an MMORPG. It was only Richard Garriott who coined the term for his Ultima Online, which was released in 1997.
Although there were already so-called MUDs, multi-user dungeons that were text-based, or multiplayer PLATO games, Island of Kesmai was the first to use the principle commercially and on a large scale. Up to 100 players could act simultaneously in the world.
In the online game Island of Kesmai, you had to explore a wilderness with a town and a temple beneath which a large dungeon lay. This dungeon was home to numerous monsters, including the so-called Drake. A mighty dragon that functioned as a boss enemy. Defeating this dragon then rewarded players with a potion that could permanently increase an attribute.
However, there was no real story surrounding this dragon. He simply resided in this dungeon. Island of Kesmai was played in the 1980s with a very crude graphics consisting of ASCII characters, but later the MMORPG received a graphical update.
Players did not really need a strategy when fighting the Drake. They simply had to use their skills and weapons until he eventually fell to the ground. Nevertheless, it was a very difficult challenge.
Subsequent MMORPGs also utilized the concept of boss fights, which has been further developed over time.
- Bosses became part of quests and were given a backstory
- They serve for grinding to acquire important items, including set items
- And they are generally considered prestige opponents. The guild that defeats a new boss first gains a lot of fame in the community.
Boss fights also underwent an evolution
Boss fights have changed: Nowadays, battles against boss enemies are special events. Developers create bosses that can only be defeated with specific tactics. Players memorize the attack patterns of the enemies and develop counter-strategies. Simply hacking away, as was the case with the Drake in Island of Kesmai, usually does not help to survive a modern boss fight.
Boss fights also remain memorable for players today due to these tactics and special situations. Examples include the Balrog from The Lord of the Rings Online or the Lich King from World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft was also the MMORPG, that made boss fights something truly special. A game that offers boss fights requiring tactics and which are deeply embedded in the story of the game. Onyxia, Deathwing, Azshara, or Illidan Stormrage have challenged players significantly, and it is still enjoyable to face these bosses today. Simply because the fights are so special and do not just throw a strong opponent at the players at the end of a dungeon.
The history of boss enemies in (MMO)RPGs is thus very exciting and dates back further than some might believe.
Equally interesting is the history of MMORPGs themselves. You can read about this in the MeinMMO article “What was actually the first MMORPG?“
