What would you say...you do here?
Compared to a lot of other of the F2P games we’ve covered, Firefall is primarily an MMO. That’s impressive in its own right, because that means it needs server infrastructure and more on a massive scale to support large PvE and PvP environments. Its in the former area that most of the game’s co-op action takes place. Lets look at the things we can do.
Since resource collection is a big part of Firefall, one of the missions you can create for yourself is called a Thumper Mission. During these you’ll access your call down menu and bring in a thumper from space. A thumper is this gigantic mining hammer that pulls resources out of the ground, but in doing so, it creates a thumping sound that attracts creatures turning it into a protect/survival mission. Fail to protect your thumper, you fail to gather the resources.
Once you plug into the different areas around Firefall you’ll start to see dynamic missions pop up on your map. Perhaps you’ll be asked to defuse a bomb or kill a raiding party. These missions can be done with a squad of up to five other players or just with other players that happen to be completing the mission at the same time in the game world. While some missions actually recommend you to have a number of people in your squad to even attempt them, most can be done solo or with random folks in the world.
Perhaps the most interesting cooperative element to Firefall is the game world itself, which is constantly under attack from a group called The Chosen. These humanoid like folk attack outposts and SIN towers throughout the area and can take it over from the player’s control. You’ll need to work with other players to retake these areas or defend these areas from the incoming enemy combatants. These battles are hectic and if players don’t work together, the enemy can keep spawning in a lot of reinforcements.
Similar to these incursions are random world events. One is something called a melding tornado which spawns strange creatures in front of an impressive dark, fiery wind tunnel. Completing these missions not only earn you a ton of experience, but open a portal to another area which acts as a bonus round filled with valuable minerals to mine.
All of these dynamic co-op scenarios simply require a player to enter the area in which they are occurring and take part. Finding one is as simple as opening up your map, setting a waypoint, and heading out.