Defiance is a Third Person Shooter (TPS), Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) from Trion Worlds. It is free-to-play, but in order to gain full access to all the available content a number of DLCs must be purchased. It features an intriguing story (shared with a TV series of the same name) of a post-apocalyptic world where players become Ark Hunters and try to salvage valuable items from downed spacecrafts while in the same time fight hordes of monsters.
Humans and Irathient are the two available races with another one, the Castithan being available once you buy the required DLC. There are four playable classes and heroes can be trained in any type of weapon; the more you use a certain type, the most proficient you become. Weapons can be upgraded and get boosts in their base stats.
One of the most important features of Defiance is EGO (Environmental Guardian Online), an alien Artificial Intelligence implant. It provides real-time information on what’s going on in the world and it also unlocks all your character’s hidden powers and turns them into combat abilities called EGO Powers. There are four powers available and you may train in all of them but only one can be active at a time. The EGO system is the equivalent of the levelling system found in other games of the genre and can be upgraded forever, granting your hero unique boosts.
The story unfolds with the help of missions, primary and secondary. They reward you with gear and experience to upgrade your EGO. Every now and then, pieces from destroyed Ark ships full of alien technology and valuable items fall to Earth; the place of impact attracts nearby monsters that must be destroyed in order to salvage the cargo. Major Arkfalls are world events where players must team up and fight against gigantic bosses that guard the wreckage. There are also raid-like events called Arkbreaks where up to 20 players are called to explore intact pieces from destroyed spacecrafts and other world events like Sieges and Incursions where players have to fight against hordes of monsters. Apart from the above, there are co-op missions where small numbers of players work together and face exciting challenges.
Finally, for the PVP enthusiasts, Defiance features traditional modes like Team Deathmatch and an original one called Shadow Wars which is an open-world event where the two rival teams fight for certain objectives in the actual world map; besides their opponents, participants must watch out for roaming monsters that can attack them unexpectedly.
To sum up, Defiance is a good game with the potential to become great; it features all of the characteristics of a typical title of the FPS and MMORPG genres and in a well (not great) executed manner. Unfortunately, it seems to lack depth and that may be a deal breaker but if you consider yourself a fan of the genres, it is recommended to at least give it a try.
