Equipment loadouts
Pre-configured, savable sets of weapons, perks, and gear that players can swap between quickly, rather than manually re-equipping each item before every match or activity. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's custom class loadouts (weapon, attachments, perks, killstreaks bundled and saved) and Destiny 2's gear sets both let players prepare distinct builds for different situations and switch between them without menu friction. Designers use loadout systems to encourage build experimentation (saving multiple setups makes trying a new build low-cost), to reduce pre-match menu friction, and to let players specialize for specific content (a PvP loadout versus a PvE loadout) without constant manual reconfiguration. Key decisions: how many loadout slots are available, whether loadouts can be swapped mid-activity or only between matches/missions, unlock requirements for creating custom loadouts versus using presets, and UI speed for the swap itself. Pitfall: a loadout system with too few save slots or a clunky, slow swap interface discourages the build experimentation it's meant to enable — the system's value is proportional to how frictionless switching actually is.
- Dev effort: Small
- Timing: Real-time or turn-based
- Common in: shooter, live-service