Multiplayer games without "Leveling up"

[Heliocentric]

Sure, some leveling just gets you new hats and badges, or server vote tiebreak priority. I'm okay with that, but increasingly games reward paying and grinding, and no just free to play games on the first count.

I would like simply a resource of "modern enough" (for their context games, quake live still does what it sets out to perfectly) which are both available online in a legal manner and lack paying for advantages or a persistent leveling up system which has advantages. So, for example, DOTA's leveling up is all in one match and is thus a valid member of this list, but if you can buy advantages of any sort its not valid(not sure, don't play Valves Dota but old WC3 DotA would have been fine).

At least a paragraph of discussion on the games you mention would be appreciated just so we all know what its about.

Natural Selection 2:[Steam link] Finally looks like its premature release is at it's end and that the game is no longer in a beta quality, a very good beta it was too. Now it works more reliably! For those of you who were not stung by its early performance problems shouldn't need to worry either. Its a team versus team indoors "Marine" Vs "Aliens" shooter, early play is exciting an bewildering in equal measure as beast scuttle out of ventilation shafts and automatic weapons meet flying bird monsters, as you grow into the game you'll learn about the strategic level of resource conflict and countering technological advances. Communication is massively useful at a higher level but nothing stops you quietly following your own nose and trying to help.

SWAT3:[GoG Link] I'll be honest, I would probably have linked to SWAT4 but with it not being availably digitally its not really qualifying for this thread, but SWAT3 is no slouch being only slightly graphically inferior and while some of its situations are less dark they are no less plausible. Its a first person shooter where you don't shoot on sight, where you value surprise more than firepower and a perfect run has a kill-count of 0. You are police, but instead of polite old lady helping police you are shouty arresting policemen... You'll never be able to watch SWAT teams in TV series again without frowning and muttering "Thats not how you stack up".

[QuantaCat]

I find the best game to feature leveling up is Quake Wars, where XP was contained within a campaign, not on some external server. Campaign over? xp gone.

[gundato]

If you are going to go with older games: pretty much every MP game before Battlefield 2

Also, Blacklight probably counts, seeing as you basically have everything you will ever need/want after you win your first match and can rent one of the pre-built guns.

[Heliocentric]

I find the best game to feature leveling up is Quake Wars, where XP was contained within a campaign, not on some external server. Campaign over? xp gone.

I was actually thinking about this game when I mentioned that exception, but I'll be honest, I felt like its balance was rather lacking on most maps.

[Smuggo]

Confirming dota 2 only has the match-long levelling up system and a "battle rank" which is just a way of doling out cosmetic items and matchmaking and has no effect on gameplay.

[QuantaCat]

I was actually thinking about this game when I mentioned that exception, but I'll be honest, I felt like its balance was rather lacking on most maps.

I guess I never played it long enough to notice any lack of balancing. Im a fan of all splash damage games, for the record.

[neema_t]

Ace of Spades. Admittedly I only played a handful of rounds but I didn't even see anywhere to check your stats, let alone your level. Definitely no unlocks. I actually really enjoyed what I've played of that so far... But the endless grind that is BF3 keeps calling me back.

[Malawi Frontier Guard]

I didn't even realize SWAT 3 had multiplayer. Was that added in a patch or something?

[Lambchops]

Do people still play Unreal Tournament? Any of them fits the bill but it's a known fact that UT99 > UTk4 >>> UT3

(for the record I always felt UTk3 got a bit of an unfair bad rep, there were flaws but if it wasn't for UTk4 swiftly coming out and fixing them I don't think the flaws were major enough for it to be judged quite as harshly as it is now)

[Herzog]

Unreal Tournament is fairly active considering the age. Have a look:

http://www.gametracker.com/search/ut/#search​

[Wolfenswan]

I'd argue that Wargame: European Escalation can be added to this list. While it has a level and unlock system, its primary purpose is to help easing new players into the game mechanics. After a few games (both MP or SP) you'll have unlocked what you need to be on the same page as more experienced players, at least unlocks wise.

[Sketch]

Crysis Wars, I believe.

[DaftPunk]

If you included SWAT 3,then we can include am OFP,Arma series,first three rainbow six games,OGR plus GRAW 1 and 2,red orchestra 1 & 2.

[squirrel]

I too also believe that Unreal Tournament 3 deserves better attention. And yeah, without a leveling system, you can jump in anytime, focusing solely on your skills, without worrying about XP.

I guess it's human nature to form societies with classes, and then individuals tend to work up to earn status in higher classes. Pathetically that's how leveling system motivates us to earn that status in virtual world.

[Sketch]

Oh, Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2 as well.

[Mohorovicic]

Tremor series

[QuantaCat]

Tremor series

dont know them, cant find them on the net.

[Vandelay]

I too also believe that Unreal Tournament 3 deserves better attention. And yeah, without a leveling system, you can jump in anytime, focusing solely on your skills, without worrying about XP.

I thought UT3 was a bit too harshly bashed by the community. I personally thought it felt closer to the original UT than 2k3/2k4, with characters that were not quite so spinderly. It probably went a bit too much in that direction and a little more pace would have been nice. It also had quite a lot of attention focused on Deathmatch, which was always my preferred mode.

There was very little innovation on display and 2k4 is probably still the better game in terms of maps, but I would probably go for 3 if I was choosing to play 1 (the original is still king though.)

As for a good multiplayer game with non-persistent levelling, we are very thin on the ground. I'm currently enjoying Awesomenauts though. I'm not interested in DOTA games, but I have been surprised just how enjoyable this is. A levelling system outside of matches is present, but I don't feel particularly hampered by it. Doubt you would be able to include it in this list for that reason though.

[Heliocentric]

I didn't even realize SWAT 3 had multiplayer. Was that added in a patch or something?

Coop was in the box from the word go, actually swat 3 coop is better than swat 4 coop on that you can mix mp and friendly ai dudes (swat 4 coop has no friendly bots). So you and a friend can command your own squads.

[Komsomol]

League of Legends.

A 0 - 30 level cap exists to ease players into the game and face off people who are mostly their own level. Bar the few people who smurf. But other then that there is not much levelling bar the 0 - 18 per character within each match.