10 Character Builds That BROKE Open-World Games
These OP builds fundamentally broke these open-world games.
Balancing is one of the trickiest and most underappreciated aspects of video game design - to ensure that players are capable enough to take a fair crack at anything the game throws at them, but not simply be able to cheese their way through with the right combination of gear and abilities.
As such it's little surprise that practically any video game centered around character builds has an entire meta-game element where obsessed players try to figure out the best combo for effectively breaking the game.
And considering that open-world games are all the rage these days, it's one of the genres most-ripe for being summarily deconstructed by determined players, keen to seek out those builds which grant near-god-like dominion over any challenge the game offers.
These 10 character builds, then, all broke their respective open-world games one way or another, typically by being so staggeringly OP that previously challenging enemies and boss encounters became hilarious cakewalks.
In some cases there's been a continual battle between the community and nerf-happy developers, while in others players have been left to break the game to their heart's content - and in these 10 games, that they certainly did...
10. Cabbage Build - Hogwarts Legacy
If you want to dominate in Hogwarts Legacy, you needn't turn towards thunderously powerful spells but simply the humble Chinese Chomping Cabbage. Yup.
Within days of the game's release, players realised that a so-called "Cabbage Build" allowed them to basically break the game's combat in half.
Redditor CumboJumbo posted a guide on the game's subreddit detailing how, with some finessing, you're able to release six of the cabbages at once, which will devour their way through just about any enemy in record time.
All you need to do is get the Herbology 3 trait, which will massively boost the cabbage's damage potential, while Fertiliser generates an extra cabbage. Plus, if you build four potting tables in the Room of Requirement, you'll yield 12 more cabbages every 12 minutes.
The Cabbage Build is extremely effective against both tough single enemies and larger groups of foes, and better still, it can even be used while stealthed without breaking your stealth.
In fact, it's such an hilariously OP build that players predicted that developer Avalanche Software would soon enough nerf it, but almost two months on, the mighty cabbage is still going strong.