Line #1 Main/PlayerVersusEnvironment


1	Often abbreviated as [=PvE=], '''Player Versus Environment''' gameplay involves the player fighting [[VideoGameAI computer-controlled enemies]] rather than other players (PlayerVersusPlayer). While this technically applies to every single-player or [[CoOpMultiplayer cooperative]] game, the term is best known in the world of [=MMORPGs=], where it denotes anything that isn't directly connected to PlayerVersusPlayer.
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3	Depending on the game, these two types of gameplay can be strictly separate or can overlap.
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5	Despite common belief, [=PvE=] does ''not'' stand for "Player Versus Entity" or "Player Versus Everyone".
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7	!!Examples:
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9	[[AC:{{MMORPG}}s]]
10	* ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'': It has [=PvP=] options but the main gameworld is PVE.
11	* ''VideoGame/{{Elsword}}'': It splits [=PvP=] and [=PvE=] into two completely separate gameplay modes--PvE is run-of-the-mill dungeon-hopping, playing through extensive platforming levels to reach the end and fight a boss, while [=PvP=] is random matchmaking.
12	* ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'': About 90% of the things going on in Hi-sec. Also is used as an adjective for ship fits. Generally, it's a bad idea to take a [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]] fit to [=PvP=]. Because Eve is a [=PvP=] WideOpenSandbox, [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]] in Eve is [[{{Irony}} ironically]] said to mean "Player vs. Everyone".
13	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The majority of the gameplay is completely against enemies in dungeons, raids, and other such modes, while the PlayerVersusPlayer aspects are segregated to a few modes that are in no way necessary for progress and are treated as optional content by the players.
14	* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'':
15	** It has the two completely separated and its community is known for massive {{Flame War}}s between fans of each, with [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]] players calling [[PlayerVersusPlayer PvP]] players "elitist" and [=PvP=] players claiming that [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]] is [[ItsEasySoItSucks too easy]].
16	** Exacerbated by the ''third-party commercialization'' of Endgame [=PVE=]. Corporate sponsorship of World Firsts is bound to make people a bit touchy.
17	* ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'': This is the primary (i.e., nearly exclusive) focus of the game. Players can "spar" with each other if they both want to, but there's no way for one player to unilaterally attack another.
18	* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': It straddles the line between being an MMO and an ActionRPG with co-op play, but is otherwise one of the most notable examples of the genre. Its main gameplay hook is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin searching out and hunting monsters]], but what makes it stand out is the sheer depth of its mechanics; hunting down monsters requires paying a lot of attention to their behaviors, setting traps to lure them out, using their fallen body parts to create good gear, getting to know the many different weapons available and how to use them against a specific monster, etc.
19	* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'': It mainly focuses on going on [=PvE=] quests with other players, including offline in the GCN and Xbox versions. Its [[PlayerVersusPlayer Battle Mode]] is somewhat limited in comparison.
20	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': It's entirely possible to play through the game doing nothing but PVE alone and in groups.
21	* ''VideoGame/ToontownOnline'': It's mainly focused on [=PvE=], with emphasis on cooperation. You can compete against other players with racing, golfing, Trolley Games, and the like, but your gags can only be used against the computer-controlled Cogs.
22	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': The majority of the game pits teams of up to four players against hordes of computer-controlled enemies. The primary exception is the Conclave, a [=PvP=] arena where weapons, abilities, and mods are all rebalanced to account for player vs player. Originally, the Conclave used the same balance as [=PvE=], resulting in massive RocketTagGameplay, since players were using weapons designed for use against mobs with thousands of hit points against players with hit points in the high hundreds.
23	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': It has an open world where the two things can overlap depending on the server rules, while the instance areas are either purely [=PvE=] (dungeons, raids) or purely PlayerVersusPlayer (battlegrounds and arena).
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25	[[AC:Shooters]]
26	* ''VideoGame/DeepRockGalactic is entirely [=PvE=]. You fight as one of four space dwarves in a team of four through the caverns of Hoxxes IV, trying not to get overwhelmed by the local bug population while mining for morkite, harvesting alien eggs or sabotaging prospecting sites of a rival company.
27	* ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'': The Deepest Dark level modifies the usual player-controlled Gorgon into a boss that the players must pursue deeper into its lair while primarily facing off against corrupted wildlife and Gorgon hatchlings.
28	* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' has had three [[TemporaryOnlineContent time-limited]] [=PvE=] modes, all of which are a departure from the usual team-vs-team setup:
29	** [[HalloweenEpisode "Junkenstein's Revenge"]] has players assemble in teams of four, picking from a limited Hero pool (Soldier: 76, Cassidy/[=McCree=], Ana, and Hanzo) and defending a castle door from wave after wave of [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot zombie robots]] and the occasional boss. The second time it rolled around, it introduced an "Endless" variant with a wider selection of Heroes available.
30	** ''Uprising'' is based on an in-lore crisis where players again form teams of four from a limited selection of Heroes (Tracer, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, and Mercy), although an "All Heroes" variation is also available. The mode takes place in four phases: capturing three points of interest, defending the payload while it waits to warm up, escorting and continuing to defend said payload to its destination, and destroying a series of bosses before time runs out.
31	** ''Retribution'' involves the four players (Genji, Cassidy/[=McCree=], Moira, and Reaper, although it also features an "All Heroes" Variation) pushing through waves of enemies and a few bosses to reach a final point and escape the area.
32	* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'': From ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' onward, the series has a multiplayer [=PvE=] mode called Salmon Run. In this mode, a team of four players is dropped onto an island, where they must fend off wave after wave of Salmonids in order to collect their valuable eggs.
33	* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': It has Mann Vs. Machine mode, where a team of 6 players fights against Grey Mann's waves of robots on various maps.
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35	[[AC:Sports]]
36	* UsefulNotes/{{Golf}}: While it's true players occasionally compete against each other, the main obstacles for scoring are those imposed by the environment. Distance, wind currents, and geography are all important to take into account.
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38	[[AC:Survival Games]]
39	* ''VideoGame/ARKSurvivalEvolved'': It has both a [=PvP=] mode and a [=PvE=] mode. The main difference is that in PVE, players are unable to attack other players or anything owned by them, like tamed dinosaurs.
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Context Main / PlayerVersusEnvironment