Firefall tweaking PvP to remove tiers, regulate gear and ban crafted items

Developer Red 5 is tweaking the player-versus-player gear system in MMO shooter Firefall to create a more balanced experience for players participating in both PvP and player-versus-environment instances, according to a recent post on the game's official blog.

The post states that the main issue plaguing Firefall's PvP is that it's "not possible to provide a balanced and entertaining experience in both PvE and PvP, for both types of players, if both realms use the same gear." PvP battles should be tests of "skill and teamwork," and since use of gear crafted over longer periods of time will give players significant advantages, Red 5 will disallow the use of player-crafted equipment in PvP and institute "regulation" battleframes (the name for the armor used in Firefall).

These "regulation" battleframes will be automatically equipped when players enter a PvP instance and will have equal potency across the board. Each battleframe will include a unique weapon, one passive effect and three synergistic abilities, with a possible super ability to be added in the future. Players' own unlocked and crafted gear will re-equip once they leave PvP.

Red 5 believes "it's not good for our community (at least at this point) to be separating them in different queues." The developer also acknowledges advancing from Tier 1 to 2 in PvP can be difficult for new players fighting against those with higher-level crafted gear. All PvP tiers will therefore be removed, leaving one queue for players to enter the game's online matchmaker and a better chance of being paired against players of equal standing.