Over the past few years, the popularity of looter games have exploded thanks to the addicting grind of incremental character progression, alongside fighting through enemies and bosses. Franchises such asDiabloandBorderlandshave had a deep influence in their respective genres, as more and more games attempt to emulate the loot-driven systems. Despite the surge in popularity, however, many looter games end up quickly forgotten as they can’t replicate the balance between grinding and character progression as well as others.
Looter games such asGodfallandWolcengenerated excitement leading up to each release, only to suffer from bugs, repetitive endgame content, and awkward combat. Though these games have some interesting elements in them, there’s a reason that players will continually revisit certain looter games over others. Few looter games have retained consistent popularity in their lifecycles and the ones that do are a result of the developers' ability to create a rewarding progression experience.
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Destiny 2
Since its original release in 2017,Destiny 2has undergone massive overhauls and updatesto transform into the looter shooter that players are familiar with today. Building upon the foundation of its predecessor,Destiny 2is an FPS game that combines elements of RPGs and MMOs together. Alongside regular story missions, players are able to participate in strikes, dungeons, and raids with others in order to progress their character experience and gear to tackle more difficult content.
One of the biggest reasons for theDestiny 2’scontinued success is its expansion packs, which further the storyline and add new content to the game. With a major expansion released every year, as well as a seasonal content model for minor additions,Destiny 2continues to have strong community backingand developer support from Bungie. With a deep loot system featuring different perks, modifications, and attributes available for weapons and armor, the endgame content offering has become massive over the game’s lifecycle.
Though its initial release was met with mixed reception,Destiny 2has slowly evolved into one of the best looter shooter games as a result of its continued updates.
Diablo 3
Perhaps the most definitive looter game franchise of all time,Diablorevolutionized the genreand how developers approached incremental character progression.Diablo 3is the most recent mainline title in the series, and although it was originally released in 2012, it has remained popular almost a decade later. Despite a rocky initial release, its continued seasonal updates andReaper of SoulsDLC have transformed it into one of the best looter games today.
Like its predecessors,Diablo 3features randomized quality and attributes on equipment. Players must continue to progress through both story and endgame content to improve these stats or gain new items. After completing the main story, players can continue to complete rifts and bounties to progress their characters and in turn, obtain better gear.Diablo 3also includes seasons where new challenges and lootappear for players while they try to gain achievements to climb the leaderboards. With its continued seasonal challenges,Diablo 3continues to draw both newcomers and veterans alike despite its age.
Path of Exile
Commonly referred to as the hardcore alternative to theDiabloseries,Path of Exileoffers the most flexible, in-depth approach to looterswith its numerous mechanics. Thanks to its giant passive skill tree, players have the option to experiment with countless build options and continually refine their progression over time. One of the biggest reasons forPath of Exile’scontinued success is its challenge league system where new mechanics are introduced and tested for a few months before being added into the base game. This allows players to choose the way they progress their characters and makes the grinding aspect less repetitive.
Path of Exilehas a learning curve and although the loot system may be familiar to someDiablofans, the emphasis on modifications, crafting, and augmenting different gear can be daunting at first. However, once players have adjusted to the complicated mechanics,the endgame content ofPath of Exileis rewarding and the experience is unmatchedin its genre. ThoughPath of Exilehas been around since 2013, its consistent updates and intricate mechanics have ensured its continued success.
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Borderlands 3
Over the years, theBorderlandsseries has defined the looter shooter genre, and has influenced many of the looter games that players see today.Borderlands 3is the fourth mainline title in the franchise and it greatly improves on the foundation that previous games had built. Featuring numerous quality of life changes and reworks to guns,Borderlands 3has the tightest loot and customization mechanics of any game in the series. Using procedurally generated stats for loot and enemies,Borderlands 3allows players to continually upgrade their characters as they progress through harder content.
Borderlands 3’sbiggest strength is its online and LAN co-op, which allows players to join forces while exploring the world. Regardless of level or mission progress, players are able to jump in with their friends at any given time. Although the main story has been met with mixed reception, the game itself continues to thrive due to its well-designed combat system and complex loot mechanics.
Monster Hunter: World
TheMonster Hunterseries is well known for its core gameplay loop:Players use loot gained from defeating monsters, completing quests, and gathering resources in order to craft improved equipment to face stronger monsters and in turn, receive better loot.Monster Hunter: Worldtakes advantage of the current gen of consoles and PC hardware by connecting the open environments, improving monster AI, and emphasizing the multiplayer experience. As a result,Monster Hunter: Worldsaw huge success in the Western market and its accessibility for newcomers drew critical acclaim.
Featuring 14 different weapons with unique characteristics and attacks, players have the flexibility to choose between proficiency in multiple weapons or attain mastery of one. Asplayers explore the environments inMonster Hunter: World, they have the ability to use specialized tools, tactics, companions, and the environment to hunt the monsters. There’s little story involved inMonster Hunter: Worldand players will quickly get accustomed to the research, crafting, fighting, and gathering gameplay loop.
Warframe
Despite its slow initial growth,Warframehas transformed into one of the most popular looter shootersdue to its consistent updates and community engagement. A third-person shooter with elements of RPGs and stealth games, players control a combat unit called a “Warframe” which can be customized with unique abilities and hundreds of weapons. As players complete bounties and missions, they can receive rewards and drops to craft and upgrade their gear.
Over the years,Warframehas continually been updated with new mechanicssuch as raids, PvP, syndicates, and even side activities such as mining or fishing. Although the amount of content can be confusing for newcomers, the community is friendly and there are many resources for players to learn the mechanics. Its free-to-play model ensures there are no pay-to-win elements in the game and the microtransactions can be obtained through grinding.Warframeis the perfect example of how continued, steady support can make all the difference in a looter game’s longevity.
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