Besides the technical issues of the VIP demo of Anthem, players have primarily wondered how strong or weak their Javelin actually is. Because the game lacks a vital feature for an RPG: character sheets with various status attributes. What does BioWare say about this?
Despite the many technical problems in the VIP demo, the general opinion of players who could actually play it is positive. The exosuits, Javelins, feel unique and have their specific advantages and disadvantages.
The three available difficulty levels – easy, normal, and hard – have especially encouraged experimentation with tactics. In the final game, Master difficulty levels will even be added, which require strong gear and effective team play. To keep up there, the available gear must be largely optimized. This fact could potentially pose a problem in Anthem.
What is it about? Hardcore players study their own character sheets for hours. They are always on the lookout for new gear that promises that extra half percent of damage, which can help them conquer tougher content.
Games like World of Warcraft, The Division, or Diablo 3 are prime examples of how excessively the numbers can be manipulated. Special attention is paid to statistics for:
- Own hit points
- Armor and damage resistance
- Resistance to status changes like ice, fire, or poison
- Synergy effects between abilities
Anyone who has taken a look at the character screen of Anthem will have noticed that these particularly important pieces of information for role players are missing. At the highest difficulty level, however, knowing all the parameters of your Javelin is likely to be a significant success factor.
Anthem has numbers, but the wrong ones: Everywhere in the game world you can find modifications for your Javelin and your skills. These also indicate which effects you receive with the gear. However, many players believe that this information is insufficient.
Example: You receive a mod for your Javelin that increases health by 300. Now it would be interesting to know what your base value was and whether the mod increases your health by 10, 100, or even 1000%. This information is simply nowhere to be seen.
It would be much easier to hunt for loot that is visibly stronger. If the values listed on a new loot item are stronger, the old one can be replaced. However, for many players, this is still insufficient and unsatisfying.
Particularly vague are the bars for shields and health, as these vary between the Javelins. The Colossus has no shield at all, only a (presumably) higher number of hit points. Which values truly come into play with the different Javelins will only come to light through exhaustive testing by players.
What does BioWare say about fans’ wishes? Developer Camden Eagar has now responded on Reddit, confirming that BioWare has heard the feedback and is internally considering whether and how this feature can be added.
At the same time, it was at least ruled out that this function would be available at the launch of the game on February 22. Whether players will actually receive detailed character statistics is still open at this time.
What do you think about it? Would you welcome detailed statistics for your Javelins, or do the endless columns of numbers and tables discourage you? Vote in the following survey:
Not only statistics are widely discussed, but also microtransactions are passionately debated:
