A bit of PVP

So far it seems that pvp in Champions is a mixed bag, which is fine since pvp in any mmo is going to have its ups and downs. Today I’ll just be covering the first tier pvp encounter available in Champions, the UTC Cage Match scenario, as it’s the only one I’ve been able to try my hand at thus far.

It’s important to realize when looking at Champion’s pvp setup that the entire player base belongs to the same faction. I see this as a positive thing in regards to instanced pvp scenarios since it means that the game in effect regulates itself, which is to say that there isn’t one group or faction of players that constantly destroys the competition in pvp. Another perk of the system is that it seems to be fairly easy to get into a pvp instance right away, no matter the time of day, thanks to the fact that Champion’s entire player base is in one pool instead of being divided into separate servers and battle groups.

Now for the bad. While the fact that Champion’s pvp prospects are all pulled from the same player base eliminates one form of balance issue facing other MMO’s, there’s still plenty of kinks in the system. Some things, like the fact that the pvp queues seem to roll over and die more often than not during peak hours, don’t concern me much. It just goes on the list of rough edges that should be ironed out in the months to come now that the game is live.

What does disappoint me is that there doesn’t seem to be much challenge, at least not in the first tier cage matches that I’ve experiences so far. With one or two exceptions, the vast majority of the cage matches seem to swing immediately one way or the other with one team taking an early lead and maintaining it throughout the round. The random factor CO has going for it means you’re just as likely to be on the winning side as the losing, but the usual one sidedness that plagues the majority of MMO pvp encounters is still very much in place.

We’ll see what happens though, and there will certainly be further impressions as I get to the later tiers of the games pvp and unlock other instanced encounters. As Current progresses up in the levels from puny mugger buster to crime fighter extraordinaire expect more pvp updates!