A DPS meter makes any MMORPG better, no matter what you say

It doesn’t really matter which MMORPG community from Lost Ark to WoW you take a closer look at, DPS meters are an issue almost everywhere. Some allow them, some forbid them, some even offer them themselves. MeinMMO author Mark Sellner is tired of the discussion. For him it is clear: Every MMO is better with a DPS meter.

What is a DPS meter? That’s what mechanics are called, as they serve to show you how much damage per second you’re actually doing. Damage per second is also abbreviated DPS (damage per second), which is where the name comes from.

Such DPS meters can come in a wide variety of forms and options. Some MMORPGs have integrated them directly into the game, other titles rely on external programs that they explicitly allow, or at least do not prohibit. Sometimes the developers of such DPS meters even work together with the game studios.

This is the case with Guild Wars 2, for example. The common DPS meter “ArcDPS” is being developed by a fan, but this further development is taking place in close consultation with ArenaNet so that the tool remains permitted and can be used. Other MMOs, such as the currently popular Lost Ark, ban them outright.

Who writes here? Mark Sellner is an MMORPG author at MeinMMO and has been working in the genre for over 15 years. He’s spent thousands upon thousands of hours across genres and has always been willing to improve himself. For him, a DPS meter is therefore part of the basic equipment in every MMORPG.

What’s the problem with such programs? In many MMORPGs, however, such tools are forbidden. The reason for this is that you are often able to see the damage of the other party members as well. Some tools even show which player just screwed up an important mechanic.

Therefore, some developers believe that such tools could encourage toxic behavior. It is feared that players could be bullied out of raids because they don’t deal enough damage and everyone can see who ultimately caused the fight to fail.

In many MMORPGs, DPS meters are therefore also gray areas. They are commonly used, although de facto banned. If possible, no one should talk about it, otherwise there will be consequences. Final Fantasy XIV is the most popular example of this method. However, our author Mark Sellner finds that even that is not enough.

By the way, your damage numbers look best in these 5 MMORPGs:

The problem isn’t the tool, it’s the culture

DPS meters are not inherently evil: If I want to get into difficult endgame content in an MMORPG, I’m probably too bad at first. Before that, I should be able to master my character, have a skill rotation and be able to really kick ass as a DPS player.

But in order for me to improve myself, I have to somehow be able to read how good I actually am. This often only works with a DPS meter. For me, a big part of long-term motivation in an MMORPG is to keep getting better yourself. And I don’t want to do that just with gear and gearscore.

Guild Wars 2 gave me the perfect opportunity to do that, but unfortunately I didn’t see it through to the end. In the airfield of Löwenstein you will find a golem there. You can configure this as you like and permanently give you all the buffs you want. Then you hit the defenseless monster and the chat shows you how much DPS you made after 10% of its HP.

This is basically a great idea, but a simple display in the chat is not enough. I want to understand where this damage is coming from and actively see when I’m improving and when I’m doing things I shouldn’t do.

It only becomes perfect here when I add the third-party tool ArcDPS, which offers me this information. The Golem and ArcDPS then offer the optimal mix to improve me in the long term and made sure that I beat a defenseless Golem for more than 100 hours in total to get 2,000 more damage out in the end.

Don’t ban the tools, ban the players: At the same time, I can also see the problem that such a tool leads to toxic behavior. I’ve witnessed people in my raid group getting kicked several times because the damage just wasn’t right. But that’s not the problem of the DPS tool.

For example, I led a training group in Guild Wars 2 for a while. It was essential for me to see where we need to improve as a group in order to make progress. Thanks to a DPS meter, I was able to tweak the screws exactly where help was needed and we kept fighting our way through each week.

For me, the problem is clearly the users themselves, who believe in a raid or any other content that they should insult people or behave unfairly.

In general, I think toxic behavior in online games should be punished more severely. In my view, this should change player behavior more than removing useful tools just because they might make users mean.

You can find an overview of how the big MMORPGs currently deal with DPS meters in our article:

DPS meter as an opportunity, not a threat

Some players are against it too: Again and again I meet players themselves who are against DPS meters. They often share the developers’ concerns. Many also simply do not want to be thrown out of groups just because they are having a bad day.

These are understandable concerns, but in my opinion the tool cannot do anything about them. If a boss is beaten up multiple times, the mood in the group will quickly change. Whether you use a DPS meter to see who has the least damage or not is irrelevant, there is usually a culprit anyway. In my experience, failures result in toxic behavior both with and without the DPS tool.

In some discussions, I try to show my fellow players that DPS meters should be seen as an opportunity and not as a threat. The tools give you as a player a powerful tool to improve yourself. They also give your more experienced friends a chance to help you out.

Additional long-term motivation: DPS meters also offer a chance for developers because they also serve as long-term motivation for many hardcore fans. Players who have at some point experienced practically everything in an MMORPG often have no more goals. A DPS meter can change that, at least for a handful of them.

I’m certainly not the only MMORPG player who then wants to work on improving further. To expand your own skillset and simply to master your character better mechanically. To achieve that, DPS meters are simply essential. That’s why every MMO should have one, or at least not ban them.

how do you see it? Are you for or against DPS meters in MMORPGs? Do you use one yourself or have you perhaps even had negative experiences with it? Write it to us in the comments here at MeinMMO.

Another motivation can be to sell characters illegally: The most expensive MMORPG character sold for €8,800 – Wrote WoW history