Arc Raiders had a free playtest this weekend, and some players are arguing that the game needs a PvE-only mode. In the game players are tasked with scavenging resources from an open map infested with enemy robots alongside other players, with players not in your group effectively being another type of enemy. This, of course, has some players saying that fighting enemy robots is enough, that they don’t need the extra stress of having to fight off other players too. The pro-PvP players are, of course, saying that this is what the game is, and if you don’t like it you should go play something else.
It’s not like that’s never been done before. Sea of Thieves is another PvPvE game, and not too long ago it too got a PvE-only mode.
What do you say about this? Should a game that wants to be both PvE and PvP also offer exclusive modes?
Extraction shooters “needs” PvE-only mode as much as Dark Souls “needs” an easy-mode.
It’s not a case of if they should offer exclusive modes. But you should get what you paid for. And you’re paying for PvPvE extraction shooter. If they add a PvE-only mode down the line, fantastic, but their main focus, should be to create the best PvPvE experience they can in accordance to their vision of what they want the game to be.
No matter how much you playtest your game, there’s gonna be “unexpected features”, balance has to be tweaked, exploits have to be removed. They’re gonna have their hands full for at least 1 year after launch before they can even think about adding additional modes.