

Depending on their level, skills occupy from 1 to the maximum of 4 available skill slots. Equipped skills level up when the character is involved in an action pertinent to the skill. They range from the straightforward, like Assault Rifle+ that decreases reload time and recoil, to more complex, like Mοnomania which effectively turns bullets into short-term tracking devices. Skills can be equipped, both manually and by registering a skill set, to enhance character abilities. An inner rank hierarchy determines which of the acquired ranks will be active. For instance, frequently injecting enemies with the Scanning Plug will lead to the Bee rank, while using ENVG (Enhanced Night Vision Goggles) for a specific share of weekly play time grants the Night Owl rank. Based on these weekly and long term statistics, characters receive Animal Titles that denote their in-game behavior. Statistics are recorded for each character, as well as a title, awards and match history. Levels range from 0 to 22 and fluctuate based on results in Statistics enabled battles. Grades range from Rookie to SS+, and are influenced by performance in Survival and Tournament rounds. Both ranking systems encourage playing against higher ranked players and disfavor playing against players of equal or lower rank.


Characters receive different performance indicators between official tournaments (grade) and regular matches (level). Creating a new character requires the old to be deleted or an additional character slot to be purchased. Players create a character by choosing their name, gender (with the GENE Expansion), race and voice. Metal Gear Online allowed up to 16 players to engage in online tactical warfare. 3.2 Cheating and distributed denial of service attacks.
