Summary
One of the greatest things aboutopen-world gamesis that they offer a ton of possibilities to players, including multiple upgrades, side quests, NPCs, and massive skill trees. And while having so many options available is often great, sometimes grinding is required to get to a certain level or obtain a certain skill.
Sinceopen-world gamesare so big, getting to a certain level should not be a tedious process; however, in many cases, even after exploring for hours and completing several side quests, the earned skill points can fall short, putting players in a position where they have to engage in tedious, repetitive actions. To avoid this, here aresome of the best open worlds with no grinding.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildrevolutionized the concept of open worlds and brought the franchise back to the spotlight in the best possible way. Instead of relying on traditional grinding mechanics to get certain items or reach certain levels, the game veered toward letting players explore the vast world at their disposal to upgrade and grow stronger. Virtually every area in the game can be accessed from the start, giving players a lot of control in terms of how they want to progress and how challenging they want their experience to be.
Naturally, areas meant for the later stages of the game will be more difficult, but if players want, they can take on them and collect items to increase their health and stamina. More than relying on demanding specific levels from players,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildopts for puzzle-solving and creativity.
Set in a fictional version of the real-life Japanese island of Tsushima,Ghost of Tsushimaputs players in the shoes of Jin Sakai, a nobleman who must reclaim his beloved homeland from the Mongols and rescue his uncle in the process. Since the game emphasizes story-driven progression and many combat upgrades require players to complete certain missions, there’s no real use for grinding. As in other open-world games, players can choose to take on enemies much stronger than them if they want a challenge or visit lower-level areas to breeze through and gain skill points.
InGhost of Tsushima, planning, strategic moves and choosing the right fighting stances, as well as learning how to dodge incoming enemy attacks are far more important than having the highest damage katana upgrade or hundreds of arrows. Exploration is also a key aspect of the game, as it allows players to discover shrines, hot springs, and other points of interest.
Moving away from feudal Japanese stories, there’sThe Outer Worlds, which takes on an entirely different concept and focuses on deep space exploration. In this game, players can explore various planets and space stations as they engage in quests given by the different NPCs spread throughout the galaxy. Character progression comes more from personal decisions and the natural discovery of every area rather than senseless grinding. This title’s combat system is rather flexible, allowing players to take on enemies and other challenges in the way they prefer.
As in other games in this genre, leveling is recommended, but not mandatory, allowing players to decide whether they want to take on a specific area or enemy with all the tools they need, or at the bare minimum, to face a true challenge.
Taking on the role of Batman once again, inBatman: Arkham Knight,players will have to save Gotham from the forces of villains like Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight, whose identity is a mystery. The game features a big open area of Gotham that players can explore however they want and is filled with many stories, side quests, and various optional activities.Batman: Arkham Knightrewards skill over upgrades and forces players to learn how to chain their attacks for maximum efficiency.
This title also requires players to use more than their fists, as puzzle-solving plays an important role in game progression. Gadgets and some of the most important upgrades available to Batman are automatically unlocked as players progress through the story, so there’s no need for grinding—things will come when they have to come.
Saying thatThe Witcher 3requires no grinding would probably spark debate, as there is a strong upgrade system that is unlocked through skill points and victories over monsters and other creatures. However, the game is so vast, that gaining skill points and leveling up comes naturally as players progress through the game. Even those who only want to focus on the main story’s missions and leave thegreat side quests in the gamebehind should have no trouble unlocking the abilities they want without ever feeling like they’re having to grind for them.
Besides, side quests are so well crafted, that not only is skipping them advised against, but almost impossible, as they’re all over The Continent and have the power to draw players without them even noticing. So, in any case, while leveling up is recommended inThe Witcher 3, it’s unlikely that players will ever have to repeat a single task to do so.
