History Main / PlayerPreferredPattern

[[quoteright:330:[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flowchartken-1.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:[[Film/BrokebackMountain You wish you knew how to quit him.]]]]

-> '''''[[MemeticMutation NO ITEMS]]! [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome FOX ONLY]]! [[AbridgedArenaArray FINAL DESTINATION]]!'''''
--> A general description of any given ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'' match.

When players of a game gravitate en masse to one character, play style, or WeaponOfChoice. Sometimes, a particular character or weapon/item always gives the best results when used properly or mastered, which then results in nearly every player using that same set up because nothing else is as effective. Especially for online play, this can lead to a situation where nearly everyone playing in the round are using the same characters or items because the set up has more benefits than cons, making it very easy to know how to counter a move or knowing what to expect from another player. A type of ComplacentGamingSyndrome.

See also AbridgedArenaArray.
----
!!Examples:

* If a fighting game has [[CharacterTiers a tier list]], then expect many people to automatically choose the characters that are near the top of the tier list just because of that fact.
* Many shooter-players have their own favoured gun from the StandardFPSGuns list.
** Many online shooters will have practically everyone running around with the same weapon or loadout. Naturally, failing to conform and using something different instead is treated as a sign of either [[StopHavingFunGuys being a noob]], or [[{{Scrub}} cheating]] (depending on how well you do, of course).
*** And if the game otherwise requires your team have a certain mix of classes/weapons to ensure optimal teamwork, this trope is especially horrible to have to deal with.
*** Which brings up another point: Teamwork itself rarely ever falls under the PlayerPreferredPattern. Quite a large number of people generally focus on their own personal score and ''nothing else'', not even ''winning the game''. Many people will play an objective-based game mode like Capture the Flag and focus entirely on their own kill count or kill/death ratio. They may even prefer these modes over the ones where getting kills ''is'' the objective because they usually take longer, meaning they can get more kills. This is highly cultural, though -- it's almost never a problem in ''{{VideoGame/Tribes}}'' games, for example, even on public servers, while in ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' this is pretty much guaranteed unless you go out of your way to set up a game with people who you know will actually act as a team.
*** The communities of many games treat using teamwork as being akin to cheating. Everyone should apparently be running around as a lone wolf, and all combat should be one-on-one. If you work together with your team, be prepared to get complaints like "quit double-teaming/triple-teaming/whatever" or the more boastful "lol, it took X of you to kill me".
* The Plasma Cutter is the first weapon you receive in both ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' games, and it's all you'll ever need. There's even the "One Gun" achievement for playing through the whole first game using only it (you can still buy, equip, and upgrade other guns, just not fire them).
** Other weapons are still useful, and some more so than the Plasma Cutter in certain situations. However, the Plasma Cutter really is a perfectly fine weapon throughout most of the game, and using only one gun allows you to focus your upgrades into that one gun, as well as your health and stasis unit. Even without the achievement, it's a pretty legitimate strategy to just focus on using the Plasma Cutter, and maybe carry a Force Gun to knock away groups of enemies that get too close.
** Also all ammo drops from fallen enemies are for guns you are carrying. If you carry four guns, the ammo will be for one of the 4 guns, and you will eventually run out of ammo for your preferred guns. If you only carry your preferred guns, 100% of the ammo will be for those. If you stick with just the Plasma Cutter, you will get so much Plasma Cutter ammo, you can sell it off for a profit.
** It was mentioned that some of the changes made in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'' (weapon crafting, the changes to the upgrade mechanics, UniversalAmmunition) were in order to break up this pattern. However, as it is a starting weapon, still reliable, and something of the iconic weapon of the series, most players still carry the Cutter with them.
* Expect to see a ''LOT'' of [[RyuAndKen Ken]] players in any ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' game. Especially ''Ken Fighter IV: Sagat Strike''. So much so, in fact, that ComplacentGamingSyndrome [[RenamedTropes was originally called That Damn Ken]].
** Preceding that, ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Chun Fighter III: Ken Strike - Yun for the Future]]''. Three guesses as to who the top tiers and tournament regulars were.
* For those you that enjoy the competitive side of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'', expect a lot of Fox, Falco, Jigglypuff, Sheik, Marth, Peach, and Captain Falcon.
** Many top players use Diddy Kong and Solid Snake in ''Brawl'', or Meta Knight if the tournament format doesn't ban him.
* ''GearsOfWar'''s now rather BrokenBase stems largely from this - In the first game, a number of players relied heavily or solely on the Shotgun. In the sequel, various changes were made to make said shotgun essentially foolish to rely on solely (Not that they don't keep trying).
** Players will also get very testy about being killed by something ''other'' than another shotgun as well. Prepare to be sent angry messages for using "noob tactics", which include all other weapons and all melee attacks (''especially'' the chainsaw). This was even worse in the first game, where even other shotguns weren't safe, and killing someone with it would result in your victim yelling at you for having host advantage, whether you were the host or not.
** It got worse. There seems to be only two correct ways to play the game. The first is shotgun rushing on gridlock. The second is sniper dueling on fuel depot. It somehow went downhill from there. It got to the point where the only pickup weapons that spawned on the maps were sniper rifles. Then, people starting booting for doing things so trivial as beating down an opponent, or for just firing any weapon except for the shotgun.
** A lot of hosts now will kick for usage of the chainsaw bayonet, which has its own hatedom. Do not go onto any gears of war forum and start talking about how the chainsaw requires skill to use. This is tantamount to 2-peicing, which led to the "bullets over elbows" anti-melee movement, which in turn spawned the "b-button warrior" movement.
** In the first game, the COG team was the favourite of many players, to the point where they would wait in the middle of the lobby until a spot opened up, and the 8th person to join a match would often quit as soon as the match started because they would have to play on Locust.
*** This fact was not lost on the developers of ''Gears of War: Judgment'', as Locust have been removed from all but one multiplayer mode (the class-based OverRun) in favour of Red and Blue COG teams.
** In ''Judgment'', players get a choice of only one starting weapon to bring into multiplayer matches, instead of being able to choose both a shotgun and a rifle like in ''3''. As a result, seeing even one person who does not choose to spawn with a Gnasher is an unbelievably rare sight. There are ''five'' other weapons to choose from. Six if you have the [[PreOrderBonus Classic Hammerburst]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} II'': Super-Shotgun. Possibly the most horribly conceived weapon in FPS history, as its common availability, high damage and comparably fast rate of fire have seemingly led to it being all anyone ever uses in competitive play. Aggravated by ''DOOM'' not having an option to pick weapons at the start of deathmatch games, so the only option was to use custom maps that leave out the GameBreaker weapons.
** On the other hand, experienced players (especially on larger maps) generally prefer either the rocket launcher or the chaingun with its [[GoodBadBugs sniping capability]].
* ''{{Halo 2}}'' and ''3''. Most people use the battle rifle, because it is the only weapon that isn't a niche gun, and it makes things somewhat more fair, since you don't have much of a chance with an assault rifle if your enemy has any distance on you, and has one. Do not bring the concepts of "taking cover", or "throwing grenades", as these will result in the used "the BR is the best gun at close, middle, and long range."
** The oftentimes obsessive love for the BR will often result in using it in any situation, regardless of its viability, and any weapon other than the Battle Rifle or the Sniper Rifle is automatically deemed "noob" by the online community.
** Funnily enough, the assault rifle is technically superior if in a range where the bullets are guaranteed to hit what you're aiming (the chance you'll be in that range is generally pretty good on most maps when you're in a building, at least) - it takes it ten rounds to kill, which it fires in one second. The battle rifle takes four trigger-pulls to kill a player at full health in one shot, and its maximum fire rate is 2.4 bursts a second.
*** The BR fandom also conveniently leaves out the fact that getting the ideal 4-shot kill is extremely rare outside of AR range, at which point, having a BR out intentionally typically results in the player being too dumb to live.
**** The entire online forum is full of rampant flanderization of everything. The Battle Rifle is a weapon which automatically grants god mode powers to anyone who is skilled enough to use it. Anyone who isn't a general is a noob. Anyone who doesn't have the BR as their main weapon is a noob. Anyone who plays as an elite is a noob. Anyone who wears Hayabusa armor is a noob. Anyone who uses a weapon other than BR or sniper is automatically a noob, regardless of the context.
*** Being fair, the BR is the second-best weapon for most situations, and is often more versatile than the "best" one. The major exceptions are total point blank, where it loses to melee and AR, and against anything that's armored and isn't a hunter.
** Also, the second two games allow to play as an elite. Very few actually do this, though.
*** Except on SWAT, where only headshots count (Elites being harder to headshot from behind, thus giving the player a better chance of surviving an attack from an opponent he can't see).
** To be fair, this attitude stems from the BR's ancestor, the legendarily GameBreaker-riffic SniperPistol from ''Combat Evolved''.
** Halo Reach has the DMR, which, now that everyone is capable of headshots due to the game's large aim-assist, is worse than the BR in many situations. Then there's the sniper rifle, which can kill banshees, falcons, warthogs, ghosts, revenants, wraiths, and even the mother of all vehicles, the scorpion, in some situations. [[FridgeLogic It kills vehicles more easily than the rocket launcher]]. Again, due to the aim-assist, the sniper rifle is incredibly easy to use at close range for a large, bulky 14mm rifle. You don't even need to "[[CallOfDuty Quickscope]]." One can easily kill a charging shotgunner at point blank or a DMR marksman at mid-range using only the sniper rifle. The AR is also completely useless in this game, and of course, there's a commendation for using it.
** Even in VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}, where both the Battle Rifle and DMR are available, the DMR is by far the more used of the two, outperforming the Battle Rifle in terms of damage and range. With sniper weapons being rare, it seems people use the DMR whenever they want to do long-range combat. At least the Battle Rifle is more versatile in close quarters.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' was specifically designed with this in mind, providing nine premade characters based on popular play styles and equipping them with only their associated [[WeaponOfChoice Weapons Of Choice]].
** StopHavingFunGuys tend to hate the update-introduced Razorback, Chargin' Targe, Cloak and Dagger, Sandman, and Natascha. The Syringe Gun used to be seen this way as well until the Blutsauger was nerfed and the Syringe Gun was buffed. Some players will yell at you if you use the Backburner (which formerly traded the ability to put out fires or reflect large projectiles for a damage boost, now makes it so that such ability can only be used 4 times before having to find more ammo) or the Kritzkrieg (trades ten seconds of invincibility for ten seconds of triple damage against everything but buildings).
*** Of course, now that Backburner has been given airblast, people now complain it's too strong and there's no longer any reason to use other flamethrowers. UnpleasableFanbase indeed.
*** Before the Enforcer nerf, many Spy players had the "Dr. Enforcicle" weapon selection. It consisted of the Dead Ringer (a watch that allowed you to fake your own death and gave you a special invisibility that blocked 90% of all incoming damage for 6 seconds), the Enforcer (a revolver that did 20% more damage at the cost of a longer time needed to activate your cloak), and the Spy-cicle (an icicle that made the Spy immune to fire for 2 seconds, at the cost of it melting and being unable to use it for 15 seconds). These three items synergized very well together: the Dead Ringer could not cloak at-will, but cloaked you instantly if you took any damage while it was out. This instant cloak nullified the only downside to using the Enforcer. The Spy-cicle made the Spy's worst enemy, the Pyro, almost completely useless during the two seconds of fire immunity, during which time the Spy could have a free shot or two with his 20% stronger revolver.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'', the "automatically re-buy previous equipment" option is ideal for a player who has figured out what he's comfortable with and wants to stick with it.
** Counter-Strike and its players are inextricably associated with the AWP sniper rifle and the [[FanNickname deagle]] handgun.
** Counter-Strike has a total of 24 guns that can be chosen from (6 pistols, 2 shotguns, 5 [=SMGs=], 6 assault rifles, 4 sniper rifles, and 1 light machine gun) but basically all are inferior to the 3 mainly used guns: The AWP sniper rifle (1 hit kills), or the [=M4A1=] and AK-47 assault rifles, as these latter two are the most powerful and accurate by far of all the guns. Anyone using any of the other weapons, except possibly the pump shotgun, usually results in "noob".
** There are dedicated "scouts 'n knives" maps, which only allow you to carry the Scout sniper rifle (AWP's weaker brother) and the knife. These often involve reduced gravity to add a new dimension to the gameplay.
* When it comes to Nintendo's tourneys for ''VideoGame/MarioKart Wii'', if it's karts only, expect to hear many [[StopHavingFunGuys bike purists whine about how they're forced to use something so inferior as a kart]].
** Along with bikes, most people will only use certain characters due to them having slightly better bonus stat boosts compared to other characters. Expect to see no one but Daisy and Funky Kong online and in the records for Time Trials and tournaments.
** Or people on Wi-Fi usually just play as their [[AuthorAvatar Miis.]]
*** ''Mario Kart DS'' also had a similar case where snakers would use nothing but the Dry Bomber since its mini turbos lasted the longest out of all karts and it made snaking easier.
** When looking up time trial records for ''Mario Kart 7'', expect to see nearly everyone using Metal Mario for the high bonus in top speed (even though Bowser gives the same bonuses). When it comes to what parts everyone uses, expect to see a lot of people using the B Dasher with the Gold Tires or other similar parts that give a lot of speed.
* ''Any'' female/ninja in ''Franchise/DeadOrAlive''.
* ''MedalOfHonor: Allied Assault'' players get very tetchy when you try to use something other than an SMG or sniper. Rocket, rifle grenade, or portable turret? Overpowered. Shotgun or machinegun? Causes lag.
** People didn't like the original shotgun because they became frustrated by less experienced players besting them, due to its short range stopping power. So the hardcore mod was introduced specifically to up the power of the SMG to ridiculous levels and drop the power of the shotgun, such that you were forced to jam it right in someone's face to ever hope to kill them.
* In ''VideoGame/PuzzleQuest: Challenge Of The Warlords'', there are near infinite combos of stat buffs and ability boosts you can achieve by mixing and matching Runes to create different items. 90% of players will go for the following Runes every time: Rune of Swords or Rune or Axes for boosted attack strength, Rune of Poison and/or Plague for status effects, Rune of Jewels to boost attack for every full mana gauge, and Rune of Music to fill the gauges up rapidly. The really hardy players will always use the [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard hellishly difficult to gain and use]] Rune Of The Gods as a modifying Rune for maximum stats.
* In ''GunZ'', there's K-Styling, essentially a glitch exploit that involves using swords and jumping around the maps at obscene speeds. Players attempting to legitimately use guns are sometimes chastised as "sprayers" and kicked from games.
** It's even worse when you know the basic mechanics behind the ranged weapons as the assault rifle (the weapon most used by "sprayers") is the most accurate weapon in the game and is one of two weapons (the other being the semi-auto pistols) that can hit from a very long range. Anyone who is good at the game BECAUSE they reject k-Style and focus on the shooting part of the game are usually accused of being a cheater because they take advantage of the fact that they don't have to be up close to score a kill, nor do they have to use 4-12 key combos to attack.
* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}} [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Prime: Hunters]]'' has this in its multiplayer. Most good players only use Trace since he specializes in sniping and becoming invisible with the weapon.
** Anyone who isn't using Trace is using Sylux, since he has the easiest gun and most damaging Morph form.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2''[='s=] "[[GameBreaker God Tier]]": Magneto, Storm, Sentinel and Cable. Most team consist of a pairing of two of these characters and Cyclops, Captain Commando or Psylocke on third just to abuse their assist. The likes of Strider Hiryu and Doctor Doom (particularly together and in conjunction with one of the Four Gods) is also fairly common.
** As of ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'', Vergil and Wesker seem to be the most frequently played characters online, with Ryu and Akuma for good measure.
*** Expect to see Dante and Wolverine players a lot as well.
*** Morrigan and Dr. Doom. "Soul Fist!" "Hidden Missiles!" Cue rage. [[note]]This is essentially a BeamSpam tactic that covers nearly all of the screen once it gets started, and is nearly impossible to break through. Morrigan's projectiles cover roughly 3/5 of the entire game space, with Hidden Missiles covering another 1/5. Being caught by it makes it possible to win solely by chip damage, without ever actually hitting the opponent. It's ''that'' powerful.[[/note]]
* [[AIBreaker For some reason]], the computer in ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur III]]'' doesn't seem to be able to block a retreating vertical from an Iron Sword Create-A-Soul character. It's too easy to just use that one class and attack throughout the game. This then bites you in the rear when human opponents easily dodge and clobber you while you're using what's a fairly slow and very telegraphed attack.
** Even more ridiculous is that the computers are completely unable to block the double swing a+b attack (also of the iron sword custom character). The first swing they block just fine. The second, not so much.
** If you think the Iron Sword has ridiculous anti-AI potential, try the Katana discipline. Forward B+K will baffle them 90% of the time, and it sets them up for your mid-air attack throw perfectly (just avoid the katana that gives you added knockback, as it throws off the timing). As long as they don't get a cheap shot on you, you are guaranteed to win against all but the most extreme AI.
* Many people playing ''NetHack'' play only one character role until they win. Since the game is NintendoHard, this can take a while.
** Given that each game differs from the last in completely unpredictable ways, this isn't a bad idea. It's bad enough having to survive such a game without also having to learn a new role.
** Valkyrie is a heavily favored role because it's the JackOfAllStats (and in [=NetHack=], that's a ''very good thing'').
*** Valkyrie was deliberately designed as a "starter" role with an easy early game (especially for dwarf valkyries), though it lacks any major end-game advantages. ''Advanced'' players seem to favour the Tourist, which, being the "challenge" role has the worst starting position, but also has only one banned weapon skill (clubs) and gets possibly the most useful class-specific artifact of them all in the mid-game.
* Despite the huge number of options in the character creator that most players in ''CityOfHeroes'' take advantage of, you will still see some players who have dozens of characters with each different superpowers but who all look identical and have the same name with a number after it.
** ...read ''some'', these people are considered either concept players or just really, ''really'' weird.
** Some days it seems like every other Scrapper (melee-centric class) one sees has claws and regeneration - half of those are named some variation of 'Wolverine' or 'Logan'. I wonder why...
*** They only remain so for about a week, after Marvel's lawsuit.
** A Fire/Kinetics Controller is the go-to character for all manner of farming and power-leveling as well as general gameplay, combining awesome damage potential with crowd-control ability. Rare is the player without one of these in the roster. Toning down (i.e. nerfing) either Fire or Kinetics will unfairly punish those who use one powerset without the other, so it continues to reign supreme after years. Villain-side it's a little less cut and dried, but Super Strength/Willpower Brutes come the closest.
** Also, as a way of PlayerPreferredPattern of MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame players, every team ''allegedly'' needs a healer.
* In ''Left4Dead'', especially Versus mode, people seem only use Uzis and Auto Shotguns while the Assault Rifle falls down the middle. Using a Pump Shotgun or Hunting Rifle will get you [[StopHavingFunGuys scolded by many people who only care about winning.]]
** Until you start [[BoomHeadshot sniping smokers and hunters waiting on buildings in the face.]] And trying to jump on you. And boomers trying to fall on you. Then they complain about how much it sucks to get killed before they can get anywhere near you. However, with the relase of The Sacrifice DLC, the Hunting Rifle in the first game now matches the accuracy of the same gun in the sequel. Time will tell if people will use this gun more often in VS.
*** Similarly in the sequel, the most used weapons are either Auto Shotguns or AK-47s with a laser slight (if one can find a laser sight), simply because of how powerful they are.
** People would also pick one particular spot to hold out during finales because the common infected would trickle in through just one or two spots, making them easy to pick off. The sequel changes it where you either have to be on the move or how the infected can come in from many more places to discourage camping. The new special infected were also made to address the issues of camping.
** In one Scavenge map, there is an exploit where you can throw a pipe bomb just so and it will blow several gas tanks closer to you. This map shows up in random matches a lot. And since Scavenge is just the Dead Center finale turned into a game mode, the Dead Center map is very familiar to everyone from the get-go, and is also picked often.
** Valve acknowledged how players would always pick one gun and stick with it thanks to tons of ammo piles in the maps, so they changed it in the sequel where the ammo piles were much less and the only way to keep firing was to pick up a new gun entirely. It partly worked, partly just caused a lot more use of pistols (especially if the player has a good gun with a laser sight).
** Survival, despite how difficult it is when zombies and specials swarm you much faster than in a regular game, has this in the form of finding the most optimal corner or similar spot to camp in, spread all the gas cans and explosive cans to keep the infected at bay, and only moving to get health packs and/or ammo or if a Tank shows up. Despite patching to nerf the exploits, players will still find a spot where zombies suddenly can't reach you or stop trying to find you because you're considered off the map.
*** As noted above, the sequel introduces new special infected designed to completely break up the survivors so that camping is generally a bad idea. Valve also upgraded the AI Director where trying to cheat by going off the map or something similar where the zombies can't reach you [[NoFairCheating causes the director to spawn acid under you to force you to move back into play or risk going down.]] If the players manage to find a way to avoid this check, [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything the director will then just literally fight fire with fire by cheating as well by directly damaging the players over time.]] (Of course this is not completely foolproof). This forces players to actually try different strategies in every attempt rather than to pick the one end all solution.
*** The mutation Survival VS also gives a wake up call to people who still try to camp in one spot. Unlike the infected AI, who are not that complex or advanced, the infected players can see where you will hide and where you toss explosive cans out and will try to get around the plan, forcing players to actually move around to stay alive.
** And for playing VS mode itself, there's the rushing tactic, where all survivor players blaze through the level, only stopping if there's supplies in the path or if they can revive a fallen player. This makes it difficult for the zombie players to keep up since they first have to find a place to spawn where they cannot be seen, and the move in for the attack while the survivors keep running ahead. Most players rush since hordes generally spawn behind the player and rarely in the front and there is a limit to how many zombies the game can have in the field. The ports of the Left 4 Dead 1 maps have been adding rushing events, which magnifies this tactic.
** The sequel has several game modes to choose from (Campaign, VS, Realism VS, Scavenge, and Mutation). Despite the several modes to choose from, people generally stick with either Campaign or VS modes, making it very difficult to find and form games in the other modes. Originally, Realism VS was a Mutation mode but had gotten enough popularity to warrant it as permament game mode. After it was added, player activity for that mode declined in favor of Campaign or VS.
*** Once Valve made all mutations playable from the get go, the TAAANK!!! mutation gets the most attention just because it's VS mode where all the infected players are Tanks. Alternatively, Versus Survival (which is self-explanatory) and Gib Fest (which gives the players [[BottomlessMagazines infinite-ammo]] [[MoreDakka M60's]]), both of which had the highest number of encore appearances when the mutations were weekly.
** When it comes to modding the game, most modders dedicate their time to making different skins for Zoey more than they do for other survivors, due to the trope MostGamersAreMale. There's also at least a dozen mods that replaces Rochelle with Zoey.
*** As for weapon mods, expect 90% of them to be new models and/or animations lifted directly from ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2''. The last 10% are mostly Music/{{Vocaloid}}-, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''-, and ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}''-themed reskins for melee weapons.
* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront II'', you can select Assault mode (normally only used for space battles) on the Mos Eisley map, which allows you to play as any of the game's hero characters. Expect to only see Aayla Secura for the Heroes' side and Darth Maul on the Villains' side, who are two of the only hero characters who use two lightsabers. And don't even dream about seeing a hero character who doesn't use a lightsaber.
** Probably because most of the heroes that don't have a lightsaber (save for Boba Fett) tend to get cut down ''really'' fast by those who do.
** It gets worse: that map and game mode are literally the only ones any populated server will run.
* For ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament''[='s=] weapons, the Shock Rifle and Sniper Rifle tend to be used more often because of their capabilities. Fortunately though, most weapons ''do'' see some use since each is meant for a particular situation, and Siege finally gives players a good reason to use the otherwise-pathetic Bio Rifle (can splash-damage buildings and basecores from a distance, unlike the Minigun which is only effective at close-range).
** Good luck find an online match in ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'' that isn't on Onslaught mode.
** Rockets, since you can launch them up to six at a time (reduced to 3 in later games) and they can ''home in on their targets''.
** Most weapon mod full conversions like Arkon tend to fall into this trap. Heck, in Arkon specifically, the recharging thermal blasters you start with are obscene. Only the long recharge time keeps them from being out all the time. Similarly, the sniper version, which replaces the lightning gun...insane instant damage as long as the reticle is on the opposing player/vehicle. Makes mincemeat of flying vehicles and anything that's not a tank. Now imagine how this plays out in normal vehicle-less deathmatch.
* This trope is the reason that the OU tier exists in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' competitive gaming. The ''Pokémon'' competitive community seems to actually be relatively civil about this, organizing the CharacterTiers to give every Pokémon a fair shot at some level or another.
** A more specific in-game example is the "entry hazard" (does damage to enemies' entering the battlefield) Stealth Rock, especially when compared to the other two, Toxic Spikes and Spikes.\\
Unlike the other two, which do nothing to types immune to ground, Stealth Rock does damage to ''everything'' but the few Pokémon with Magic Guard, and how much is decided by vulnerability to Rock-type attacks. All this after just one turn setting up, meaning even if the other team got rid of Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin (which you may be prevented from doing by the opponent switching to a Ghost-type) you could put it back up just as easily. As a result, its cost/benefit ratio was ridiculous and use is nigh-omnipresent.\\
It was so bad that many, MANY Pokémon (even freaking [[OlympusMons legendaries]]) got knocked down a tier or two for the sole reason of being weak to that single move.
** ''Black and White'' indirectly nerfed Stealth Rock by giving it only to a small number of Rock and Steel-types (most of which were pretty slow).
*** More so, the Technical Machine (TM) for Stealth Rock can't be imported from older games.
*** Unfortunately this does nothing to help those who play online simulated Pokémon, since Pokémon from older games CAN still be imported, and Stealth Rock remains on the vast majority of their preferred movesets.
*** So much, that Game Freak implemented a new Pokémon ability for ''Black and White'', Magic Bounce, that automatically sends any entry hazards, including Stealth Rock, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard back to the opponent]] when a Pokémon with that ability is switched in. No surprise that Espeon and Xatu experienced a massive surge in usage, going up the tier lists.
** Outside of competitve ''Pokémon'' battling (yes, it does happen, contrary to what the internet will have you believe), starters and legendaries are among the most over-used Pokémon, particularly the more badass-looking/powerful legendaries like Mewtwo and Origin Forme Giratina. Cue looks of stunned horror on the face of your opponent when you destroy their team with a party of non-legendaries (i.e.: the Pokémon that make up 90-95% of the series) merely by exploiting their weaknesses or being more adaptable.
* ''VideoGame/InitialDArcadeStage Ver. 2'': Everybody and their brother used the Honda Integra Type R ([=DC2=]) and selected Irohazaka for every single multiplayer match, mostly because the [=DC2=] was a GameBreaker that wouldn't slow down nearly as much as other cars from hitting walls and guardrails, and Irohazaka was a zig-zagging series of hairpins, which gave a huge advantage to the [=DC2=].
** When Version 3 came out, that changed thanks to the Home Course Advantage: if you drove a car on its in-game home course (e.g. driving the [=AE85=] Levin on Myogi, the [=AE86=] Trueno on Akina, or the [=MR2=] on Irohazaka), your car would be slightly faster and quicker to recover than cars that weren't from that course. Of course, a skilled opponent could overcome this, but . . .
* All ''{{Quake}}'' games were in love with the Rocket Launcher (it was a gamebreaker in ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}''/Quakeworld), but the railgun was the weapon of choice since ''VideoGame/QuakeII''.
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' players gravitate towards Sol Badguy or Ky Kiske.
* Online ''ResetGeneration'' opponents typically consist of Plumber and Cyborg - especially the latter, for which there are two steps to easy victory: 1. Grab energy drink to charge Rocket Jump. 2. Grab enemy princess and Rocket Jump to the nearest teleporter or self-colored tile.
* In ''VideoGame/SimCity 4 Deluxe'', expect most cities to be crammed packed full of skyscrapers due to only Dense zone use, as well as to never see one railroad or elevated rail system as opposed to avenues, roads, subway and bus stations. That is of course, if somebody's trying to [[SeriousBusiness rebuild a real-world city]]. Oh yeah, almost nobody plays the game without a GameMod.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', because you can teach any character any spell. So even though you have 14 different characters, each with differing stat growths and unique special abilities, you'll almost always see people who assume that the only real way to play the game is to teach everyone [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ultima]] and win the game with nothing but that.
** Master Scroll / Offering plus Genji Gloves. The first lets a character attack four times with his weapon, the second lets them wield two weapons. Adding it to Setzer's Loaded Dice (which ignore enemy defense and deal damage in the thousands) it kills any enemy barring some bosses in one hit.
** This shows up in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''. Because it's so damn ''easy'' to teach every character every spell and skill in the game thanks to the License Grid, many players have a party with identical skill-sets and equipment.
*** This can pretty much happen in any ''FinalFantasy'' game where anyone can learn anything.
*** "[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Doublecast Bahamut Summon.]] [[StopHavingFunGuys Or you fail.]]"
**** Bitch Please. Doublecast Bahamutt, [[GameBreaker Quick]], then [[CompletelyMissingThePoint quadruplecast Bahamutt.]] There you freaking go.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' had the BonusBoss Vercingetorix vulnerable to poison. Due to his sky high stats, the target time for him was 20min for an endgame party. Cue everyone facing him with Vanille/Fang/Snow, poisoning him and spamming Mediguard until it needs repoisoning or it dies.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' suffers somewhat from this, as it's fairly easy to surround your entrance with a ridiculous number of traps and reduce invading enemies to LudicrousGibs before they ever get near the front doors, and it's rare to find a player who'll start a fortress anywhere that doesn't have magma. On the other hand, these are just basic tactics, and beyond that, it's expected that any player will try random things that [[strike: might]] ''will'' get their fortress killed ForScience!
** Played with a bit in the new major version - ''all'' maps have magma, you just have to dig until you hit the mantle. Unfortunately, the lag caused by the sheer amount of magma will cripple your computer.
** Indeed, players who aren't doing something that could get their entire fortress killed are considered to be doing it wrong. Exceptions may be made for sufficiently epic 'Megaprojects', however even most of these have a good chance of killing everyone if they go bad. For example, if you want the eyes of your colossus to be magma behind obsidian, then you're going to have to pump magma up some dozens of stories in order to get it there.
* Most of the multiplayer community for ''VideoGame/{{BioShock 2}}'' use a combination of Electro Bolt and the Elephant Gun in order to pull off easy one-hit-kill headshots on stunned players.
* Because for some reason Neversoft thought that making every mode into party mode with extra menus, playing ''GuitarHero 5'' online will generally result in the vast majority of online games to consist entirely of four guitarists. Occasionally, you will get a drummer and even more occasionally a vocalist, but you will almost never get a bassist, even on songs where the bass is just as hard, if not harder, than the guitar.
* The ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games let you level up in either heart points (health), flower points (mana/magic), or badge points (equipped skills and bonuses), but nearly everyone prefers to beef up their BP over the rest.
** To clarify, there is an NPC who can raise one of your three stats but will lower another stat in exchange. Some people chose to lower Mario's HP down to 5 and the game considers Mario to be in the Danger status since he is at 5 HP. Several badges powers up Mario's attack and defense when he is in such a state or if he is in the Peril status, where his HP is at 1. Since badges stack, it's possible to have a crippled Mario be a walking powerhouse where he can do over 10 to 20 damage per hit (most enemies have HP below 10 and only a few near the game's end will go above it and bosses will always have over 10 HP) and take very little due to the said badges. This is known as the Danger Mario strategy.
** This is only made worse by the existence of badges that increase your HP or FP by the amount you'd get from a level up, which cost the exact amount of BP you'd get from a level up.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' players are, as a rule, never satisfied with their XP per hour. As such, they will meleeburn colibri where possible, and more recently, the controversial [[GameBreaker "astral burn"]] party type has emerged, although it's only controversial because unlike other party types, people will [[BribingYourWayToVictory sell leech slots in these parties]] (they're actually ''slower'' than certain other party types, such as chigoe burns).
** Colibri parties dominate the game from level 37 (East Ronfare [S]) to L75 (Bhaflau Thickets), and have completely bent the endgame to match -- melee characters are encouraged to find accuracy gear and piercing weapons to overcome the Colibri evasion bonuses and weakness to piercing damage, and can expect to sit around bored and shunned if they don't. It's not uncommon to see a level 70+ player sync down to level 37 in order to fight Colibri birds in East Ronfaure (S).
*** With the introduction of Abyssea, however, there's finally a new, widely-accepted way to hunt a variety of targets for acceptable-to-end-game-players exp per hour. It's still only a tiny fraction of the actual number of monsters in Abyssea, but it's better than nothing.
** There are more examples than that in FFXI, which has a very regimented endgame community. Take Ninjas, for example. Ninjas have the [[GameBreaker ability to blink]], which guarantees the next three (or four) attacks against them will miss. They can also debuff, do direct damage, dual wield, and do a dozen other things -- but no one cares, cause they can dodge 3 attacks by casting a spell, and recast that spell repeatedly. This is to the point that the [[{{Scrub}} (fake) endgame elitists]] will insist that everyone, healer, mage, tank, what have you -- ''everyone'' '''must''' take Ninja as a subjob cause casting blink over and over is the only "real" way to play. Real endgame elitists will consider you beneath their time if you aren't able to use a Samurai subjob (which gives overpowering offensive bonuses) effectively, as it's a very real phenomenon that once your gear gets to a certain level, setting yourself up for defense holds you back compared to overspecializing in offense.
*** There actually is a reason for that though. Ninjas are literally bad at everything else. Dual wielding theoretically puts Ninja at a point it can equal two handed weapon users for DPS. In reality, they do less because every hit gets the same defense value subtracted from it, so lots of fast hits do less damage than a few slow ones. This doesn't apply to Monks because Hand to Hand has special math for damage. Debuffing is terrible, a Red Mage (one of the classes almost every party wants in late game for reasons beyond debuffing), can debuff faster, more effectively, and with a wider range of debuffs than a Ninja can.
*** Ninja subjob is also required for some endgame content, as well, for reasons other than elitism. Some endgame mobs have [=AoE=] abilities that instant kill. Blink is the only reliable way for any class, except maybe Paladin, to survive those attacks.
** One of the things the devs did was to increase the Paladin's ability to gain enmity and reduce the damage it takes, in quite dramatic ways. However, all they really did was [[FacePalm make it extremely easy for Paladins to use Ninja as a subjob]] and use their own abilities to survive between blink casts. It should be noted that there are * some* fights that seem to have been designed with the idea of having all the front-line fighters using blinks in mind; if you don't [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard everyone will simply take more damage than you can heal.]] The [[BigBad Shadow Lord]] [[TimeyWimeyBall (past version!)]] is hard enough just with his [[OneHitKill Doom]] attacks.
* In ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4'' and ''World at War'', everyone uses the Stopping Power perk. Failing that, the Juggernaut perk. Otherwise... you're very unique.
** In ''[=CoD4=]'' everyone uses the same weapon depending on their playstyle: [=M40A3=] with ACOG if they like to quickscope, P90 if they like rushing, AK-47 with grenade launcher if they like blowing people up, and RPD if they're using an aimbot.
* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' has a few class builds: tending to use mainly the assault rifles rather than the other weapons, with the Stopping Power perk. Marathon-Lightweight-Commando, a sub machine gun, and a pistol with the Tactical Knife attachment which halves the recovery time of your melee attack. If the class uses Danger Close, they will have an explosive launcher with either the Scavenger or One Man Army perk to replenish their explosives. Or, on very rare occasions, the Riot Shield, which cannot even be penetrated by FMJ.
** If they're using an SMG, it is the [=UMP45=], usually silenced. If they're using a sniper rifle, it's the Intervention. If they're using a light machine gun (rare), it's the RPD. The Assault Rifles are the only primary weapon class that isn't dominated by a single gun, but the SCAR-H, TAR-21, and ACR are fairly common. As for secondary weapons, expect nothing but [[GunsAkimbo dual]] Model 1887's.
* ''Modern Warfare 3'' has its own overused builds. The super-accurate ACR is the assault rifle of choice. The [=PP90M1=] submachine gun also gets a lot of use from combining a high fire rate with high damage. Akimbo [=FMG-9s=] are the preferred sidearms, to the point of being repeatedly nerfed by Infinity Ward. The Type 95 was also common prior to a nerf.
* ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black Ops]]'': The Big 3 according to Treyarch are the FAMAS, [=AK74u=], and Galil. The FAMAS and [=AK74u=] have been nerfed amid cries of being overpowered.
** In [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2 the sequel]], the general trend is to take a burst/semi fire weapon and equip select fire to make the gun fully automatic. This is especially common with the FAL OSW, which never takes more than 3 bullets to kill. Alternatively, stick a Laser Sight on the [=MP7=] or PDW-57 and just hipfire at everything.
* Despite being a rather well-balanced game overall, ''VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany 2'' players will tend to pick very similar loadouts within each kit, comprised of the weapons considered to be [[GameBreaker OP]]:
** Assault players often use the 40mm Grenade attachment exclusively, often with explosives-buffing specializations. Known as 'noob-tubing' due to the perceived lack of skill required by short-range may-as-well-be-HitScan [[OneHitKill one-hit kills]] with splash damage. Oh, and they also supply their own ammo.
*** The AN-94 is very popular, due to the fact that it does the highest damage out of all the assault rifles and fires an accurate 2-shot burst. Made even deadlier when paired with the 4x scope and magnum ammo.
** Engineers use the Carl Gustav rocket launcher like a deadlier 40mm grenade.
*** With [=SMGs=], the [=PP2000=] since it has hardly any recoil, or the SCAR-L carbine. Both with Magnum ammo of course, like everyone else in the entire world.
** Medics use the M60 machine gun with magnum ammo specialization. With the latest patch, medics are beginning to explore other options--although the M60 is still extremely common.
** Everyone uses the M1911 handgun, or, post-patches, the REX revolver and tracer dart gun.
** Pump action shotguns equipped with slug rounds are perfectly stats-matched (damage-wise) with bolt-action sniper rifles. By which we mean a one-hit kill to anyone at less than 20 metres.
** Recon doesn't seem to have any clearly best weapon, but the sniper fans tend to gravitate towards the GOL rifle.
** Bad Company 2's developers have been (attempting) to adjust the balance of the game's weapons. As of this writing's patches: the M60 and M1911 are no longer kings, the AN-94 rifle is up while the M16 rifle is down, the [[FanNickname Hot Carl]] is still popular, and--of all things--the ''tracer dart gun'' is apparently too powerful. Like any other attempt to mess with complacent gamers, these balancing attempts result in a degree of fan backlash.
** Pretty much just take your class's weapon with the highest damage rating and add a sight and Magnum ammo to it to make it do even more damage and be more accurate.
** This game can be a rather blatant example of people running around with the same loadout despite how the game demands a more reasonable mix, mentioned near the top of the page. If a squad (or squads) on your team is filled with one class, it will likely be filled with Recon. That rarely ends well, especially if your team on the offensive in Rush.
* ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 3}}'' also has some extremely common loadouts, which can be split from before the March 2012 patch and after it:
** Assault: Pre-patch assault players used the F2000, AEK-971, or the FAMAS due to their high rates of fire. Post-patch the FAMAS's handling and ammo capacity changes nerfed it into oblivion and the F2000 is useless beyond 20 meters. The [=M16A3=] with Heavy Barrel reigns supreme.
** Engineers gravitate to the A-91 or the [=M4A1=], again, due to the high rate of fire, while some go for the SCAR-H + ACOG + Heavy Barrel for long range damage. Post-patch, players that prefer a good medium-range weapon with minimal recoil will likely use the [=SG553=] with the [=AKS-74U=] being configurable as a very good short-ranged hip fire weapon.
** The Support class, with its variety of well-balanced guns but no superior weapon, inverts the trope. The class only contains {{Scrappy Weapon}}s that ''aren't'' used like the QBB, [=MG36=] and Type 88, which heavily suck compared to the rest.
** Damn near every Recon use the [=M98B=] since it's the most powerful sniper rifle in the game, though after Back to Karkand the L96 is seeing some action since it shoots like a laser and it doesn't require as much grinding as the [=M98B=].
*** Pre-patch the only semi-auto sniper rifle of any use was the M39 EMR: Very accurate, quick to fire and could be used in medium range as a 'designated marksman' style of play. Post-patch, the SKS has been buffed to the stars to the point it can compete with assault rifles.
** Gun attachments: Pre-patch nearly everyone used the Foregrip/Suppressor combination to significantly reduce recoil to the point hardly anyone used bipods or heavy barrels. Post-patch, the Heavy Barrel is the new hotness for its very large spread reduction while aiming down sights with only a minimal vertical recoil increase. Foregrip and suppressor usage depends on the situation rather than being no-brainer attachments and they generally only get used for very close quarter combat.
** Gun sights are a matter of preference but out of the various versions, the main ones used are the Kobra, US Red Dot Sight, ACOG 4x, US Holographic, and the 8x or 12x for sniper rifles.
** Post-patch pistol changes mean the best players will use one of three sidearms: The G18 Suppressed fully-automatic pistol with a high rate of fire that is equivalent to the [=MP7=] at very close range and is used for players who want a true 'backup' weapon, the 93R burst fire pistol which received a major buff in the patch for those who feel they need a more controllable gun than the G18, and finally the .44 Magnum which is a two shot kill due to a buff giving it a 1.25 damage multiplier to the chest, used by players who are extremely accurate and will pick and choose either their primary weapon or the Magnum based on the situation.
** [=MP7=] with Laser + Extended Mags is ''the'' hip fire weapon. Its hip fire is often ''more'' accurate than many guns when aimed down sight and it is quicker to get bullets on target because of its hip fire. Its only drawback is that the extended mags mean you only have less than a handful of reloads, so playing a support kit or having the Ammo perk is mandatory.
** [[TierInducedScrappy The USAS-12 with Frag rounds]]. It's basically a [[GameBreaker handheld IFV cannon]]. It's super accurate, has no "bullet" drop, kills in 2-3 direct hits, creates splash damage if it misses, and (since the USAS-12 is an automatic shotgun) is extremely spammable. Anyone using it will be met with much gnashing of teeth, and it's so bad that it was severely {{nerf}}ed. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7rFGMatKLM This video]] is a good demonstration.
** Camouflage-wise, Spec Ops Black as it hides your heat signature from infra-red optics. It's also useful for hiding in buildings since the interior is usually dark.
* In the ''Quake II'' mod ''Weapons Factory'', Marines were the most common character class due to being heavily armed, and equally suited for defense and offense. Clan matches sometimes included one side fielding all Marines. As the various classes were nerfed and upgraded, other classes became more popular, but Marines remained the most popular choice.
* In the ''{{Carmageddon}}'' games, the player can complete a regular race in three methods: take down all pedestrians, cross all checkpoints in order for some laps, or waste all opponents. Very rarely will players want to race or kill pedestrians, as fun as it is. This is also true regardless of the current vehicle's weak strength.
** Killing all pedestrians is pretty much purely for SelfImposedChallenge value, and almost completely impossible without both the Pedestrians Shown On Map powerup and Stella Stunna's Electric Blue car (with built in permanent unlimited electro bastard ray). That said, it's also the most rewarding way to win in terms of mission completion credits.
* Few are the players who tackle the BonusBoss of ''{{Persona 4}}'', or most of the endgame for that matter, without the combo of Yoshitsune + Power Charge + Hassou Tobi. The only variation comes in how many buffs you use beforehand.
** Of course, ShinMegamiTensei games tend to be crazy hard to begin with, and the bonus bosses are even worse. Beating them with anything but the preferred method can result in an effective SelfImposedChallenge.
* The randomised TechTree of ''SwordOfTheStars'' was implemented for the purpose of preventing this. You may have a winning design and loadout in mind, but if the RandomNumberGod doesn't like you, you'll just have to throw your best-laid plans out and work with what's available.
** There is a tiny chance of you getting a "missing" technology from a wreck of an enemy ship, provided you are the winner and you have scavenger ships in your fleet. Even then, you have to run a special project to even determine what you'll get from the wreckage.
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' features [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] as a guest character. [[http://fanboys-online.com/index.php?comic=351 The appeal is perhaps a bit too much.]]
* SpiralKnights players can be expected to have some or all of the following items if they have the money for them; Vog Cub, Divine Avenger, Gran Faust, Polaris/Biohazard, Grey Owlite Shield, and whatever krogmo trinkets boost your prefered weapon types.
** Not to mention the insane overuse of the Wolver armour set...
*** This is because out of all weapon types swords deal the most raw damage numbers and as a result are the [[PlayerPreferredPattern most popular choice]]. Guns deal pathetic damage per hit. However, swordies have to dodge or block enemy attacks once in a while while gunslingers can just keep pumping lead into the enemy, resulting in higher average damage over time in some cases. Bombs are good for support or inflicting StandardStatusEffects... a playstyle unlikely to be a PlayerPreferredPattern in SpiralKnights.
* [=JRPGs=] in general fall victim to this. There is one party that everyone uses, no matter how many characters they have available to use.
** Any other composition tried usually falls under a SelfImposedChallenge.
* The [[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral fourth]] ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' game is especially prone to this, despite the fact that there are literally thousands of possible pairing combinations, most of which are at least decent, 99% of StopHavingFunGuys use [[BodyguardCrush EdainXMidir]], [[SlapSlapKiss AyraXLex]], Raquesis X[[KnightInShiningArmor Fin]] or [[KnightInSourArmor Beowulf]] (likely [[ReallyGetsAround both]]), [[TierInducedScrappy SylviaXNo-one]], [[CrackPairing FuryXClaude]], [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest TiltyuX]][[DiskOneNuke Levin]] and [[CrackPairing BrigetXHolyn.]] Lord help you if you use any other pairings, or pair Sylvia at all.
* ''PAYDAYTheHeist'' has nearly everyone using the [[RevolversAreJustBetter Bronco .44]], the [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Reinbeck]], and the [[MoreDakka Mac-11]] since all 3 weapons are very powerful and cover both short and long distances. If a player has the Wolf Pack DLC, then expect to see a lot of appearances from the AK and the [[GrenadeLauncher GL40]].
** The MP5 is also a common sight, as it's flexible enough to work at any range, and is only a secondary weapon. This allows a player to have a specialized primary and still be prepared for combat at other ranges.
** The sequel aims to avert the trope by limiting people to only use 2 guns instead of 3 and encourages the use of weapon mods so players can always have something to switch with instead of sticking to one gun and never using anything else.
* ''LeagueOfLegends'' has a metagame based around a certain lane composition: duo bot (support and an Attack Damage carry), solo mid (Ability Power carry), solo top (most variable role), and one jungler to farm neutral creeps. In addition, certain champions are considered "acceptable" to play in each lane, with deviations often being regarded with negative reactions ranging from the verbal equivalent of a dirty look to UnstoppableRage.
** It should be noted that player opinion changes constantly as the metagame does; champions that are considered worthless for playing solo top today might be the new best thing tomorrow.
* In ''LostOdyssey'', you will be hard pressed to find someone without all four immortals in their main party, since they can learn any and all abilities in the game (in fact they have to if you want their specific achievements). So you have two physical attackers who both have every physical attack in the game and two magic users who both have every spell in the game. This may be necessary for most people, since it is hard to play a game when you [[TearJerker can't see through all your tears]].
----

* In ''CallOfDuty 4'' and ''World at War'', everyone uses the Stopping Power perk. Failing that, the Juggernaut perk. Otherwise... you're very unique.
* ''ModernWarfare 2'' has a few class builds: tending to use mainly the assault rifles rather than the other weapons, with the Stopping Power perk. Marathon-Lightweight-Commando, a sub machine gun, and a pistol with the Tactical Knife attachment which halves the recovery time of your melee attack. If the class uses Danger Close, they will have an explosive launcher with either the Scavenger or One Man Army perk to replenish their explosives. Or, on very rare occasions, the Riot Shield, which cannot even be penetrated by FMJ.

* ''ModernWarfare 3'' has its own overused builds. The super-accurate ACR is the assault rifle of choice. The [=PP90M1=] submachine gun also gets a lot of use from combining a high fire rate with high damage. Akimbo [=FMG-9s=] are heavily used, to the point of being repeatedly nerfed by Infinity Ward. The Type-95 was also common prior to a nerf.
* ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black Ops]]'' The Big 3 according to Treyarch are the FAMAS, [=AK74u=], and Galil. The FAMAS and [=AK74u=] have been nerfed amid cries of being overpowered.
** In the sequel, the general trend is to take a burst/semi fire weapon and equip select fire to make the gun fully automatic. This is especially common with the FAL OSW, which never takes more than 3 bullets to kill.
* Despite being a rather well-balanced game overall, [[VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany Battlefield: Bad Company 2]] players will tend to pick very similar loadouts within each kit, comprised of the weapons considered to be [[GameBreaker OP]]:

*** Once Valve made all mutations playable from the get go, the TAAANK!!! mutation gets the most attention just because it's VS mode where all the infected players are Tanks.

* In ''StarWarsBattlefront II'', you can select Assault mode (normally only used for space battles) on the Mos Eisley map, which allows you to play as any of the game's hero characters. Expect to only see Aayla Secura for the Heroes' side and Darth Maul on the Villains' side, who are two of the only hero characters who use two lightsabers. And don't even dream about seeing a hero character who doesn't use a lightsaber.

[[quoteright:330:[[StreetFighter http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flowchartken-1.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:[[BrokebackMountain You wish you knew how to quit him.]]]]

--> A general description of any given ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee'' match.

* Expect to see a ''LOT'' of [[RyuAndKen Ken]] players in any ''StreetFighter'' game. Especially ''Ken Fighter IV: Sagat Strike''. So much so, in fact, that ComplacentGamingSyndrome was originally called ThatDamnKen.
* For those you that enjoy the competitive side of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee'', expect a lot of Fox, Falco, Jigglypuff, Sheik, Marth, Peach, and Captain Falcon.

* ''Any'' female/ninja in ''DeadOrAlive''.

* ''{{Metroid}} [[MetroidPrime Prime: Hunters]]'' has this in its multiplayer. Most good players only use Trace since he specializes in sniping and becoming invisible with the weapon.

* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'''s "[[GameBreaker God Tier]]": Magneto, Storm, Sentinel and Cable. Most team consist of a pairing of two of these characters and Cyclops, Captain Commando or Psylocke on third just to abuse their assist.
** As of ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', Vergil and Wesker seem to be the most frequently played characters online, with Ryu and Akuma for good measure.
** Morrigan & Dr. Doom. "Soul Fist!" "Hidden Missiles!" Cue rage.[[note]]This is essentially a BeamSpam tactic that covers nearly all of the screen once it gets started, and is nearly impossible to break through. Morrigan's projectiles cover roughly 3/5 of the entire game space, with Hidden Missiles covering another 1/5. Being caught by it makes it possible to win solely by chip damage, without ever actually hitting the opponent. It's ''that'' powerful.[[/note]]
* For some reason, the computer in ''SoulCalibur 3'' doesn't seem to be able to block a retreating vertical from an Iron Sword Create-A-Soul character. It's too easy to just use that one class and attack throughout the game. This then bites you in the rear when human opponents easily dodge and clobber you while you're using what's a fairly slow and very telegraphed attack.

* This trope is the reason that the OU tier exists in ''{{Pokemon}}'' competitive gaming. The Pokemon competitive community seems to actually be relatively civil about this, organizing the CharacterTiers to give every Pokemon a fair shot at some level or another.

*** Unfortunately this does nothing to help those who play online simulated Pokemon, since Pokemon from older games CAN still be imported, and Stealth Rock remains on the vast majority of their preferred movesets.
*** So much, that Game Freak implemented a new Pokemon ability for ''Black and White'', Magic Bounce, that automatically sends any entry hazards, including Stealth Rock, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard back to the opponent]] when a Pokemon with that ability is switched in. No surprise that Espeon and Xatu experienced a massive surge in usage, going up the tier lists.
** Outside of competitve Pokemon battling (yes, it does happen, contrary to what the internet will have you believe), starters and legendaries are among the most over-used Pokemon, particularly the more badass-looking/powerful legendaries like Mewtwo and Origin Forme Giratina. Cue looks of stunned horror on the face of your opponent when you destroy their team with a party of non-legendaries (i.e.: the Pokemon that make up 90-95% of the series) merely by exploiting their weaknesses or being more adaptable.

* The [[FireEmblemJugdral 4th Fire Emblem game]] is especially prone to this, despite the fact that there are literally thousands of possible pairing combinations, most of which are at least decent, 99% of StopHavingFunGuys use [[BodyguardCrush EdainXMidir]], [[SlapSlapKiss AyraXLex]], Raquesis X[[KnightInShiningArmor Fin]] or [[KnightInSourArmor Beowulf]] (likely [[ReallyGetsAround both]]), [[TierInducedScrappy SylviaXNo-one]], [[CrackPairing FuryXClaude]], [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest TiltyuX]][[DiskOneNuke Levin]] and [[CrackPairing BrigetXHolyn.]] Lord help you if you use any other pairings, or pair Sylvia at all.

*** Before the recent Enforcer nerf, many Spy players had the "Dr. Enforcicle" weapon selection. It consisted of the Dead Ringer (a watch that allowed you to fake your own death and gave you a special invisibility that blocked 90% of all incoming damage for 6 seconds), the Enforcer (a revolver that did 20% more damage at the cost of a longer time needed to activate your cloak), and the Spy-cicle (an icicle that made the Spy immune to fire for 2 seconds, at the cost of it melting and being unable to use it for 15 seconds). These three items synergized very well together: the Dead Ringer could not cloak at-will, but cloaked you instantly if you took any damage while it was out. This instant cloak nullified the only downside to using the Enforcer. The Spy-cicle made the Spy's worst enemy, the Pyro, almost completely useless during the two seconds of fire immunity, during which time the Spy could have a free shot or two with his 20% stronger revolver.

*** The recent mutation, Survival VS, also gives a wake up call to people who still try to camp in one spot. Unlike the infected AI, who are not that complex or advanced, the infected players can see where you will hide and where you toss explosive cans out and will try to get around the plan, forcing players to actually move around to stay alive.
** And for playing VS mode itself, there's the rushing tactic, where all survivor players blaze through the level, only stopping if there's supplies in the path or if they can revive a fallen player. This makes it difficult for the zombie players to keep up since they first have to find a place to spawn where they cannot be seen, and the move in for the attack while the survivors keep running ahead. Most players rush since hordes generally spawn behind the player and rarely in the front and there is a limit to how many zombies the game can have in the field. The recent ports of the Left 4 Dead 1 maps have been adding rushing events, which magnifies this tactic.

** One of the things the devs did was to increase the Paladin's ability to gain enmity and reduce the damage it takes, in quite dramatic ways. However, all they really did was [[FacePalm make it extremely easy for Paladins to use Ninja as a subjob]] and use their own abilities to survive between blink casts. It should be noted that there are * some* recently-added fights that seem to have been designed with the idea of having all the front-line fighters using blinks in mind; if you don't [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard everyone will simply take more damage than you can heal.]] The [[BigBad Shadow Lord]] [[TimeyWimeyBall (past version!)]] is hard enough just with his [[OneHitKill Doom]] attacks.

* The most recent ''MortalKombat'' game features [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] as a guest character. [[http://fanboys-online.com/index.php?comic=351 The appeal is perhaps a bit too much.]]

* The [[FireEmblemJugdral 4th Fire Emblem game]] is especially prone to this, despite the fact that there are literally thousands of possible pairing combinations, most of which are at least decent, 99% of StopHavingFunGuys use [[BodyguardCrush EdainXMidir]], [[SlapSlapKiss AyraXLex]], Lachesis X[[KnightInShiningArmor Fin]] or [[KnightInSourArmor Beowulf]] (likely [[ReallyGetsAround both]]), [[TierInducedScrappy SylviaXNo-one]], [[CrackPairing FuryXClaude]], [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest TiltyuX]][[DiskOneNuke Levin]] and [[CrackPairing BrigetXHolyn.]] Lord help you if you use any other pairings, or pair Sylvia at all.

** Morrigan & Dr. Doom. "Soul Fist!" "Hidden Missiles!" Cue rage.[[note]]This is essentially a BeamSpam tactic that covers nearly all of the screen once it gets started, and is nearly impossible to break through. Morrigan's projectiles cover roughly 3/5 of the entire game space, with Hidden Missiles covering another 1/5. Being caught by it makes it possible to win solely by chip damage, without ever actually hitting the opponent. It's ''that'' powerful.]]

*** Which brings up another point: Teamwork itself rarely ever falls under the PlayerPreferredPattern. Quite a large number of people generally focus on their own personal score and ''nothing else'', not even ''winning the game''. This is highly cultural, though -- it's almost never a problem in ''{{VideoGame/Tribes}}'' games, for example, even on public servers, while in ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' this is pretty much guaranteed unless you go out of your way to set up a game with people who you know will actually act as a team.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} II'': Super-Shotgun. Possibly the most horribly conceived weapon in FPS history, as its common availability, high damage and comparably fast rate of fire have seemingly lead to it being all anyone ever uses in competitive play. Aggravated by ''DOOM'' not having an option to pick weapons at the start of deathmatch games, so the only option was to use custom maps that leave out the GameBreaker weapons.

** StopHavingFunGuys tend to hate the update-introduced Razorback, Chargin' Targe, Cloak and Dagger, Sandman, and Natascha. The Syringe Gun used to be seen this way as well until the Blutsauger was nerfed and the Syringe Gun was buffed. Some players will yell at you if you use the Backburner (can't put out players' fire or reflect projectiles) or the Kritzkrieg (trades ten seconds of invincibility for ten seconds of triple damage against everything but buildings).

** Halo Reach has the DMR, which, now that everyone is capable of headshots due to the game's large aim-assist, is worse than the BR in many situations. Then there's the sniper rifle, which can kill banshees, falcons, warthogs, ghosts, revenants, wraiths, and even the mother of all vehicles, the scorpion, in some situations. [[FridgeLogic It kills vehicles more easily than the rocket launcher]]. Again, due to the aim-assist, the sniper rifle is incredibly easy to use at close range for a large, bulky .50. You don't even need to "[[CallOfDuty Quickscope]]." One can easily kill a charging shotgunner at point blank or a DMR marksman at mid-range using only the sniper rifle. The AR is also completely useless in this game, and of course, there's a commendation for using it.
** Even in VideoGame/{{Halo4}}, where both the Battle Rifle and DMR are available, the DMR is by far the more used of the two, outperforming the Battle Rifle in terms of damage and range. With sniper weapons being rare, it seems people use the DMR whenever they want to do long-range combat. At least the Battle Rifle is more versatile in close quarters.

** [[TierInducedScrappy The USAS-12 with Frag rounds]]. It's basically a [[GameBreaker handheld IFV cannon]]. It's super accurate, has no "bullet" drop, kills in 2-3 direct hits, creates splash damage if it misses, and (since the USAS-12 is an automatic shotgun) extremely spammable. Anyone using it will be met with much gnashing of teeth, and it's so bad that it was severely {{nerf}}ed. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7rFGMatKLM This video]] is a good demonstration.

*** Which brings up another point: Teamwork itself rarely ever falls under the PlayerPreferredPattern. Quite a large number of people generally focus on their own personal score and ''nothing else'', not even ''winning the game''. This is highly cultural, though -- it's almost never a problem in ''{{VideoGame/Tribes}}'' games, for example, even on public servers, while in ''{{VideoGame/CallOfDuty}}'' this is pretty much guaranteed unless you go out of your way to set up a game with people who you know will actually act as a team.

* In ''PuzzleQuest: Challenge Of The Warlords'', there are near infinite combos of stat buffs and ability boosts you can achieve by mixing and matching Runes to create different items. 90% of players will go for the following Runes every time: Rune of Swords or Rune or Axes for boosted attack strength, Rune of Poison and/or Plague for status effects, Rune of Jewels to boost attack for every full mana gauge, and Rune of Music to fill the gauges up rapidly. The really hardy players will always use the [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard hellishly difficult to gain and use]] Rune Of The Gods as a modifying Rune for maximum stats.