In the sprawling and immersive landscapes of MMORPGs, consumables have long been an integral part of the gameplay experience. Whether it's a sharpening stone in Guild Wars 2, a potent potion in Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV), or a temporary enhancement in New World, consumables often add a layer of strategy and depth to these games. However, as someone who rarely uses them unless specifically instructed to do so, I often ask the question – do MMORPGs really need consumables, and if not, should they rid themselves of consumables altogether?
Before we dive too deep into the debate, let's look at consumables commonly found in MMORPGs. The most popular form is short-term buffs, typically food, drinks, or combat enhancements. These buffs generally last around 30 minutes, seldom stretching to an hour without repeated use. They provide an immediate boost to your avatar's abilities, allowing you to gain a temporary edge in combat or exploration, and in my opinion, are rarely worth the time it takes to remember to utilize them.
In some games, primarily mobile MMORPGs like Blade & Soul Revolution and Black Desert Mobile, they make a valid case for utilizing consumables, at least in the form of health potions. As the game primarily plays itself, weaving in your healing potion from time to time, where appropriate, has become a strictly automatic affair. All you really need to do is ensure your consumable is slotted, and your character will use it automatically when their health hits below a threshold. The healing consumable is actually not optional. Any players attempting content without it will quickly find themselves defeated, and making these consumables a necessity is just time and money sink, and little else, as it adds nothing to the complexity or strategy of combat.
In other games, like New World the duration of consumable effects can be significantly shorter than some of the other games already mentioned – sometimes falling in the realm of less than 10 minutes. These fleeting benefits can lead to a constant need to micromanage consumables, an aspect that some players find tedious. The question then becomes, is the short-lived boost worth the attention it demands? Furthermore, does the content ever require consumables enough that warrants any attention to consumables at all?
Moving along the spectrum of MMO-lite games, we encounter games like Fallout 76, where consumables shape the gameplay in certain circumstances to a much larger extent. Here, entire builds, like the junkie build, hinge on the frequent use of specific substances. While these consumables offer a palpable increase in damage, they don't drastically alter the course of the game. There are ways to mitigate the “withdrawal” effects from not having a consistent stream of a particular substance on hand, and this both trivializes the need to constantly use these items to stay at peak condition, while also adding far too much forethought for such a small reward increase. Are the benefits of consumables truly significant, or are they just minor enhancements that add little to the game's overall experience?
The problem with consumables lies in striking the right balance. Developers can't design game builds solely around consumables, as they're often seen as supplementary to a character's innate abilities. In games like FFXIV, potions might be indispensable for solo players needing a bit of extra healing. Yet, these consumables don't define the character but merely aid in their adventures. It feels more like the key lies in thoughtful game design. Developers need to ensure consumables offer enough value to warrant their inclusion while avoiding an over-reliance on them. If consumables can’t enhance the gameplay without overpowering it, or forcing players to rely on it, then MMORPG’s should just focus on more cohesive team-play instead of contemplating convoluted consumable systems that players rarely make use of.
To answer my initial question though - No, MMORPGs should not get rid of consumables. But there's definitely room for improvement in how they're implemented, balanced, and utilized. Do you use consumable items in your MMORPGs? Do you love or hate them? Let our forums consume some of your thoughts on the subject in our comments section.
