Player vs Environment

Overview

Player versus Environment (PvE) is a common term in Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) to refer to gameplay in which players fight against computer controlled creatures or characters in contrast to fighting against other player controlled characters (which is known as Player versus Player, or PvP). Examples of PvE in MMOs include fighting mobs, elite mobs, or bosses in instances. In MMOs, PvE is often rewarding because the players can get better items, or tokens to exchange for better items.

PvE and its sibling term, PvP, have come to be used outside of the genre of MMOs, particularly in RPGs that allow the player to fight against either computer controlled opponents or player controlled opponents, to refer separately and respectively to those two forms of gameplay.