You asked for it; you got it. In this week’s MMO Friday Fight, in one corner we have the corpse run, a game mechanic as old as the MMO genre itself. Whether it was the older, harder version where you had to run back to your corpse naked or the more recent variant where you have to travel back to your corpse in spirit form, you pay the penalty for getting killed by a monster. In the other corner, we have the more modern ideology that death should be penalty-free. We’re here to have fun, and death penalties are about as fun as being kicked when you are already down. But, just like every Friday Fight, there can be only one winner in the battle between corpse runs and penalty-free death.
Corpse Run
Although rarely seen in modern MMOs, corpse runs were a staple mechanic at the turn of the century. What’s the point of playing a game where there isn’t any risk? And in the world of MMOs, there isn’t anything more risky than a corpse run.
Fighting monsters and running dungeons rated above your level can improve your loot drops. Without a death penalty, a player can tackle higher-level content without consequence. By adding in a penalty like a corpse run, you add risk. Skilled players are rewarded with better loot, while unskilled players will spend more time and resources than it’s worth running back to their corpse again and again. That’s assuming they can make the dangerous trek back to their corpse in the first place.
Corpse runs also foster teamwork and group play. There’s always safety in numbers, so groups are the perfect remedy for dying in the first place. No death means no corpse run; problem solved. And on the off chance that your whole team wipes, at least you have a group of friends to help get back to your corpse. It’s an adventure within an adventure.
Penalty-Free Death
For many players, corpse runs just aren’t fun. The whole point of playing an MMO is to progress your character by killing creatures, running dungeons and raids, and gathering powerful loot and skills so that you can then repeat the process on harder and more challenging content. Anything that distracts from that doesn’t have a place in modern MMOs. We’re here to have fun, and running back to retrieve your body after dying is more of a chore than a meaningful challenge.
Corpse runs and other death penalties also hinder solo players. Without the support of a group, corpse runs become exponentially more difficult. This ultimately creates a barrier to solo play and encourages players to move to more enjoyable games.
My Take
I’ve never been a fan of corpse runs. Back in the day, they were something that I put up with because there wasn’t an option. But create two identical MMOs, one with corpse runs and the other without, and I will choose the latter option 100% of the time. I only have so much time to play MMOs, and spending any of that time on a corpse run is a surefire way to send me on the search for a new game.
In and of itself, death is enough of a penalty. Popping back up after death and taking on a monster or boss with a full health bar is enough of a time-sink. There’s no need to slow my progress any more than that.
In fact, I’d like to see the opposite in games. Instead of a death penalty, how about a life penalty? If you want to reward someone for not dying - not having to do a corpse run is currently the reward for not dying, right? - how about a bonus for a kill streak? For every 50, 100, or whatever number of kills, you gain a 1% XP bonus. You could even restrict it by only counting monsters above your level. No matter how you work it, it would make someone think twice before risking the loss of the bonus. And depending on how long it takes to reach the cap, it could actually be more of a punishment than the time needed to make a corpse run. It’s positive reward for staying alive, not a negative for dying.
