Whether MMORPG or single-player game: In many games, we are presented with items in the colors white, green, blue, purple, or gold. But where does this well-known color code come from?
We players have been conditioned over the years to recognize the well-known color code for items that indicates their value or effectiveness: white is less good, while the best equipment is purple or gold. Some games vary their item colors, but many adhere to the code that has accompanied us for years.
Where does the well-known color code come from?
Many of you will surely think of World of Warcraft first when hearing about the well-known colors for items. However, you are only partially correct, as the color code was introduced in earlier games.
Item color codes were already used in games of the early internet. For example, there were the so-called BBS door games, which operated through computer systems known in German as mailboxes. One of the most famous BBS games, Legend of the Red Dragon, already used a color system to display the rarity of items.
The broader gaming audience was probably only introduced to the color scheme with the release of Diablo 2 in June 2000. The ARPG introduced a rudimentary version of the color code that is still in use today.
The code was expanded in the MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot, which was released in October 2001. However, the colors of the items were dependent on the level of the player’s hero: gray items were far below the hero’s level, while yellow items were optimal. Orange, red, and purple items were above the character’s level.
World of Warcraft sets the standard
The popularity of World of Warcraft since November 2004 is what drives players to chase after differently colored loot even today. Blizzard’s MMORPG introduced the code that indicates the quality of various items: gray, white, green, blue, purple, orange, and with heirlooms, also yellow.
With the success of WoW, other games also adopted this color scheme, especially in MMORPGs and MMOs, the code is popular. In addition to WoW, others such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 use colored items, albeit with slight variations.
As more and more games adopted the color code, players became accustomed to this system. The color scheme is now so well-known and easy to understand that many games still rely on the color code today.
In which games is the code still used?
In addition to classic MMORPGs, other games have also adopted the color scheme, so colored items now appear in a variety of genres. Shooter fans might recognize the code from Destiny 2 or The Division, but it is also used in the battle royale hit Fortnite.
Even in single-player games, colored items can be found: Among others, the action-adventures Kingdoms of Amalur and Darksiders 2 have adopted the well-known scheme from WoW.
