How Popular Is Guild Wars? - Guild Wars Forums

Kagome · Oct 13, 2008, 03:12 AM // 03:12

Compared to other MMORPGs and computer/video games in general, how popular is Guild Wars?

Do people still buy it alot?

How popular is it compared to games like Halo, Warcraft, or Super Smash Bros.?

Darkobra · Oct 13, 2008, 03:18 AM // 03:18

People still buy it, as I generally see quite a few newbies come in here a week asking which is better, which is stronger and so on. It doesn't get a lot of attention anymore as they're working on Guild Wars 2, but I'm expecting Guild Wars 2 to at least be a worthy mention when talking about RPGs.

majikmajikmajik · Oct 13, 2008, 03:58 AM // 03:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kagome

Compared to other MMORPGs and computer/video games in general, how popular is Guild Wars?

Do people still buy it alot?

How popular is it compared to games like Halo, Warcraft, or Super Smash Bros.?

?1. its quite popular but its very single player ish becuz of hero/henchman being able to be added the the party and the people that think certain persons arnt as good to play together as others(otherwise know as elitism)
?2. yeah quite a few new players out there as the game is getting cheaper.
?. cant be compare to halo or ssb becuz those arnt the same genre. tho id have to say its not nearly as popular as warcraft as per the accounts ratio.

my over all review...dont buy, its waaaaaay late into the game, so many broken aspects to the game, i mean it would be easy to just jump right in and get decent items but on the other side its too easy to get decent items and it wouldnt make the game as enjoyable as it used to be. also you need to buy all the games to be anywhere near the level of experiance or skill to compare to any other player playing. i guess thats all i can tell you, if you need any other info use the search function or goto wiki.guildwars.com

Kaztro · Oct 13, 2008, 05:00 AM // 05:00

Well, last time I heard 1 or 2 million people (not number of accounts per person) played. I would suggest you just wait until GW 2 at this point, because now buying everything honestly is not worth it. Sad thing is, most people still play just to get titles and stuff for Hall of Monuments just so they can be better in GW 2. In most ways, GW was a lot better before a lot of nerfing was going on and all this other stuff. In a few ways it is better because of more weapons and contents etc. which everybody likes. You also can't really compare SSB or Halo to this because obviously more people have SSB or Halo in the world, and they aren't the same genre so it makes no sense to compare them.

kazi_saki · Oct 13, 2008, 07:50 AM // 07:50

Well, GW isn't in the spotlight anymore but I'd still say its still worth a shot if you have a group of friends to play with.

I just started last Feb and its still pretty fun. It might get stale sometimes but there's alot to try out. Just try out at least Prophecies and Nightfall, then try moving on to the others. Don't be afraid to PvP cuz PvP here is great when you're new.

Its worth it since it has no monthly subscriptions and its not the typical grind MMORPG like the gazillion others out there. PM alot of us in the forums, we'll help I guess

Mixie · Oct 13, 2008, 08:41 AM // 08:41

Just talked with my guild leader who bought lord of the rings online and asked about his impressions, when he said that although it is a good game, it cannot actually compare to gw in any aspect. He said "you don`t know how good gw really is, untill you switch to something else."
Now, i understand that we are probably overused to gw, but i hope that this may help you a bit.

Buy the game, it`s cheaper than ever and you will have a great deal of good time with it.

Luminarus · Oct 13, 2008, 09:46 AM // 09:46

I bought gw 2.5yrs ago and havent regretted it once. It may not be as popular as it once was, and the game is definately in its dying times. Basically if you are planning on getting gw2 when it comes out, and have nothing to do in the meantime, get gw. If you have other options stick with them till gw2, because having gw1 will not give any advage in gw2.
If ur looking for a fun game for short term the gw is worth it, especially given its price now.

Numa Pompilius · Oct 13, 2008, 12:30 PM // 12:30

GW is a great game, and while player population is probably at least not growing it's far from dead.
The biggest problem with being a new player now is that most other players has already completed the game, often with several characters, so they'll be on a completely different level than you. If you're primarily a PvE player I'd suggest NOT joining an experienced guild, because they'll spoil the "fresh player" experience for you, instead you'll have much more fun if you can get a couple of friends to join up with you, and explore with them.
If, on the other hand, you mainly a PvP player, then by all means join a large and active guild immediately - they'll train and equip you.

Minako Sawai · Oct 13, 2008, 02:39 PM // 14:39

You can now get all GW1 campaigns + expansion for about what it costs to buy another MMO and a few months subscription. That is a great deal even if you only play it now and then!

Ignore the "its dead", "don't buy it" and "wait for GW2" people. They are either bored old timers or outright trolls. I can see how if you've played 3 years you could be bored to tears, but why try to convince others to miss out on something good just because you've "done everything". Instead of complaining, how about showing off what you know by helping out us newer players? I don't mean giving away stuff, but just making yourselves available to play. Nobody in some of the outposts.... maybe if you old timers actually played and hung around in those places it wouldn't even be an issue. I think it is a lot of fun to adventure with someone that has been around since the early days, especially if they are nice about it, don't spoil the story and are willing to take the time to help you explore the game; not just run people someplace or rush through an area.

GW2 won't be out for quite some time as far as anyone knows and GW1 will still be around even then. So get the game and have some fun in the meantime.

With the Trilogy / Compilation packs just released even more new players are now joining. Lots of great people still playing plus I meet or at least see new players online every day if I'm in the starting areas.

For about the price of 1 console game, or 2 PC games, you get a lot of value for your money! No monthly fee, lots to explore, PvE and PvP, fantastic graphics and artwork (compared to any other MMO I've checked), good music, etc.

kazi_saki · Oct 13, 2008, 03:08 PM // 15:08

Listen to these guys, they're the vets

dilan155 · Oct 13, 2008, 05:50 PM // 17:50

GW is still very popular, however its not as popular as it was 2 years or even a year ago. a lot of people left GW because of some of the really bad decisions of a-net, but there are still a ton of players there. and a couple of new people a week do come here and ask questions. you cant really compare it to halo or super smash brothers. compared to WoW, WoW still has a more subscribers than GW yet i see WoW players leaving it and coming to GW often.

sigshane · Oct 13, 2008, 10:03 PM // 22:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaztro

...Sad thing is, most people still play just to get titles and stuff for Hall of Monuments just so they can be better in GW 2. In most ways, GW was a lot better before a lot of nerfing was going on and all this other stuff...

BUT - if you are after a fun game, which I think is the reason MOST people buy a game, then it is a good one.

How all the titles and nerfing are going to affect a new player, I do NOT know...

Complaining about the game is NOT a good way to introduce new players into the game. Don't you have anything good to say about it?

Sheesh!

_Nihilist_ · Oct 13, 2008, 11:36 PM // 23:36

Kagome,

I have played GW for a little over 2 and a half years. It never gets old.

All the people who have left have their reasons for doing so, but I suspect that quite a few of them are gone because they had ample time to log in and play.

Myself? I work 6 days a week, and have for the past 4 and a half years. I might log on for an hour or two a night to relax and see how my Guildies/Allies are doing, or help out on a Quest or Mission, or to sell some of the things that I have in order to clear some space in my storage.

Needless to say, there is more than enough game to warrant buying GW, even 3 years after its initial release. I've played other MMO's when I needed a break, but I always come back to GW.

Main Pro's:

*No Monthly Fee - even if my subscription fee for another MMO was only $10/month, in the time that I have put into GW, I would have paid $300 in subscription fees alone. My wife plays as well, so make that $600. Most MMO's charge around $15/month, some charge for multiple toons... not really something I want to sink my hard-earned cash into, I have better things to do with it

*An easy learning curve - You have 8 skills available to use at any time. You might know hundreds, but you can only have 8 active at once. This can lead to some pretty crazy combinations. Most of the tried-and-true, long-tested and verified to work builds can be found here on GWGuru or PvXWiki, but honestly, the game isn't so amazingly difficult that you can't play with off the wall builds for FUN. It's a game after all, and don't people play games for fun?

*MMO or Single-Player - don't get confused, GW is an MMORPG; with the addition of Nightfall, they added Heroes, who are AI controlled (you can override AI control if you want, but they do pretty well with the AI provided to them), but you choose how they are set up. Unlike Henchmen, who come with preset attributes and skills, you can set Heroes up however you want them, and equip them the same way you would equip yourself with different weapons/shields/offhands. That way, in case you can't get a full group together, or it's just you and a couple of other friends, you can still go into even the toughest areas of the game without being worried about doing it under full party size.

Main Con's:

*People will always find something wrong - If given enough time, if you put GW under a microscope and analyze it long enough, you will find things that you don't like. You can do the same thing with any other MMO/game/aspect of real life.

*Bad Seeds - they exist everywhere; you can't stop it. There are Elitists, there are scammers, there are outright rude, nasty people that play the game. There is this absolutely awesome feature called an Ignore List in GW. If someone treats you like crap, put them on your Ignore List - they can't whisper you AT ALL, and you don't have to deal with their crap (guess this is sort of a Pro out of a Con); regardless, all kinds of people play MMO's, so you are bound to run into a few bad seeds... whether you let them get to you or ruin your view of GW is all up to you, just like any other game, or real life.

These are just my opinions. I have spent 2 and a half years exploring, farming, kicking ass in, and getting my ass kicked in, the world of GW. It's fun. If I want something, I work for it. If I can't stand something or someone, I ignore them. The Pros far outweigh the Cons, especially since most of the Cons really aren't that bad.

Hope this helps!

Clarissa F · Oct 13, 2008, 11:53 PM // 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minako Sawai

You can now get all GW1 campaigns + expansion for about what it costs to buy another MMO and a few months subscription. That is a great deal even if you only play it now and then!

Ignore the "its dead", "don't buy it" and "wait for GW2" people. They are either bored old timers or outright trolls. I can see how if you've played 3 years you could be bored to tears, but why try to convince others to miss out on something good just because you've "done everything". Instead of complaining, how about showing off what you know by helping out us newer players? I don't mean giving away stuff, but just making yourselves available to play. Nobody in some of the outposts.... maybe if you old timers actually played and hung around in those places it wouldn't even be an issue. I think it is a lot of fun to adventure with someone that has been around since the early days, especially if they are nice about it, don't spoil the story and are willing to take the time to help you explore the game; not just run people someplace or rush through an area.

GW2 won't be out for quite some time as far as anyone knows and GW1 will still be around even then. So get the game and have some fun in the meantime.

With the Trilogy / Compilation packs just released even more new players are now joining. Lots of great people still playing plus I meet or at least see new players online every day if I'm in the starting areas.

For about the price of 1 console game, or 2 PC games, you get a lot of value for your money! No monthly fee, lots to explore, PvE and PvP, fantastic graphics and artwork (compared to any other MMO I've checked), good music, etc.

QFT.

At this point, it's a great value. With the trilogy packs you can get all the skills you need to have a fun game. The forums are the most active I've seen, other than WoW: there is nothing you can't get help with in the game. There are guilds for every type player, RP, PvE, PvP, noob and pro. One of the lead artists for the game won the top two awards for art in sci/fi and fantasy, and it shows. Even at the point of the game where it's "dead"(said by 'tards who have no clue as to what a dead game looks like), the devs are still very active in the game.

I've tried AoC, LotRO, RGTR, and WoW, after getting my start with MMO's in Guild Wars. You don't realize how much they've done, on a smaller budget, until you play other games, games you have to subscribe to, that are on a par with, or sub par to this game. On art alone, there's no comparison.

With the value of the game today, and the fact that, unless you play 10-12 hours a day, 5-7 days a week, it has content to last you a good long time, I'd say now is the perfect time. Who knows? Starting now, by the time you get everything done in the game, GW2 will be in beta.

EDIT: Tyrael hit it on the head, as well.

Quaker · Oct 14, 2008, 02:07 PM // 14:07

My 2 cents:

I've played GW for over 3 years. I'm a PvE player. I've seen Guild Wars change a lot in that time. It started out as a pretty good RPG with a decent learning curve and lots of stuff to do and explore. In Prophecies you had to play a significant amount of the game just to get to level 20.

But now, they've watered down and kiddy-fied the game so much, it's nowhere near as good as it was.

So, how popular it is, is hard to answer. It doesn't seem to be as popular as it was for RPG fans, but it seems to be more popular now with the younger players from the console crowd. With all the instant access to all the "kewl" stuff, it reminds me of the people who use cheat codes on consoles.
It doesn't have as many players as WoW, but has more than most other MMORPGs. Can't say how it compares to Halo, etc., for popularity - best to go to some gaming site for that info.

Shadowhaze · Oct 14, 2008, 02:27 PM // 14:27

As others have said, it is a wonderful game and if you like playing games for fun, definately give GW a try.

There are times and some places where it will be difficult to find people to do a mission or other such things, but you'll meet people you can add to friends along the way and can use heroes/henchment if need be. And finding a guild with nice and helpful people is always a plus.

There are great and helpful players, but yes, there are those that seem to have nothing to do but complain and criticize (but that's the case in any online game).

After playing games like Star Wars Galaxies, LOTR Online, WOW, and other various free games similar to those, I still come back to GW. I can get on, do what I want for a while, and not have to worry about grinding to a high level or getting/buying the best equipment just to get something done. I'm not sure how else to say it, but there's just something about GW that I love.

As for it's popularity with console games like Halo (which I love on console), it's hard to say. Personally, I love them both and they're quite high on my list of favorite games. But there are many people on each and both have players from all over the place.

Oct 13, 2008, 03:12 AM // 03:12	#1
Kagome Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Missouri Profession: R/A	How Popular Is Guild Wars? Compared to other MMORPGs and computer/video games in general, how popular is Guild Wars? Do people still buy it alot? How popular is it compared to games like Halo, Warcraft, or Super Smash Bros.?

Oct 13, 2008, 03:18 AM // 03:18	#2
Darkobra Forge Runner Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Scotland Guild: Type like an idiot, I'll treat you like an idiot Profession: E/Me	People still buy it, as I generally see quite a few newbies come in here a week asking which is better, which is stronger and so on. It doesn't get a lot of attention anymore as they're working on Guild Wars 2, but I'm expecting Guild Wars 2 to at least be a worthy mention when talking about RPGs.

Oct 13, 2008, 05:00 AM // 05:00	#4
Kaztro Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Sep 2008 Guild: The Elite Phoenixes [TEP] Profession: A/E	Well, last time I heard 1 or 2 million people (not number of accounts per person) played. I would suggest you just wait until GW 2 at this point, because now buying everything honestly is not worth it. Sad thing is, most people still play just to get titles and stuff for Hall of Monuments just so they can be better in GW 2. In most ways, GW was a lot better before a lot of nerfing was going on and all this other stuff. In a few ways it is better because of more weapons and contents etc. which everybody likes. You also can't really compare SSB or Halo to this because obviously more people have SSB or Halo in the world, and they aren't the same genre so it makes no sense to compare them.

Oct 13, 2008, 07:50 AM // 07:50	#5
kazi_saki Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Somewhere between GW and GW2 Guild: Shaved Wookies [HoT] Profession: N/	Well, GW isn't in the spotlight anymore but I'd still say its still worth a shot if you have a group of friends to play with. I just started last Feb and its still pretty fun. It might get stale sometimes but there's alot to try out. Just try out at least Prophecies and Nightfall, then try moving on to the others. Don't be afraid to PvP cuz PvP here is great when you're new. Its worth it since it has no monthly subscriptions and its not the typical grind MMORPG like the gazillion others out there. PM alot of us in the forums, we'll help I guess

Oct 13, 2008, 08:41 AM // 08:41	#6
Mixie Academy Page Join Date: Nov 2007 Guild: GV	Just talked with my guild leader who bought lord of the rings online and asked about his impressions, when he said that although it is a good game, it cannot actually compare to gw in any aspect. He said "you don`t know how good gw really is, untill you switch to something else." Now, i understand that we are probably overused to gw, but i hope that this may help you a bit. Buy the game, it`s cheaper than ever and you will have a great deal of good time with it.

Oct 13, 2008, 09:46 AM // 09:46	#7
Luminarus Furnace Stoker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Guild: Haze of Light [pure] Profession: R/	I bought gw 2.5yrs ago and havent regretted it once. It may not be as popular as it once was, and the game is definately in its dying times. Basically if you are planning on getting gw2 when it comes out, and have nothing to do in the meantime, get gw. If you have other options stick with them till gw2, because having gw1 will not give any advage in gw2. If ur looking for a fun game for short term the gw is worth it, especially given its price now.

Oct 13, 2008, 12:30 PM // 12:30	#8
Numa Pompilius Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: At an Insit.. Intis... a house. Guild: Live Forever Or Die Trying [GLHF] Profession: W/Me	GW is a great game, and while player population is probably at least not growing it's far from dead. The biggest problem with being a new player now is that most other players has already completed the game, often with several characters, so they'll be on a completely different level than you. If you're primarily a PvE player I'd suggest NOT joining an experienced guild, because they'll spoil the "fresh player" experience for you, instead you'll have much more fun if you can get a couple of friends to join up with you, and explore with them. If, on the other hand, you mainly a PvP player, then by all means join a large and active guild immediately - they'll train and equip you.

Oct 13, 2008, 02:39 PM // 14:39	#9
Minako Sawai Academy Page Join Date: Jul 2008 Profession: A/	You can now get all GW1 campaigns + expansion for about what it costs to buy another MMO and a few months subscription. That is a great deal even if you only play it now and then! Ignore the "its dead", "don't buy it" and "wait for GW2" people. They are either bored old timers or outright trolls. I can see how if you've played 3 years you could be bored to tears, but why try to convince others to miss out on something good just because you've "done everything". Instead of complaining, how about showing off what you know by helping out us newer players? I don't mean giving away stuff, but just making yourselves available to play. Nobody in some of the outposts.... maybe if you old timers actually played and hung around in those places it wouldn't even be an issue. I think it is a lot of fun to adventure with someone that has been around since the early days, especially if they are nice about it, don't spoil the story and are willing to take the time to help you explore the game; not just run people someplace or rush through an area. GW2 won't be out for quite some time as far as anyone knows and GW1 will still be around even then. So get the game and have some fun in the meantime. With the Trilogy / Compilation packs just released even more new players are now joining. Lots of great people still playing plus I meet or at least see new players online every day if I'm in the starting areas. For about the price of 1 console game, or 2 PC games, you get a lot of value for your money! No monthly fee, lots to explore, PvE and PvP, fantastic graphics and artwork (compared to any other MMO I've checked), good music, etc.

Oct 13, 2008, 03:08 PM // 15:08	#10
kazi_saki Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Somewhere between GW and GW2 Guild: Shaved Wookies [HoT] Profession: N/	Listen to these guys, they're the vets

Oct 13, 2008, 05:50 PM // 17:50	#11
dilan155 Desert Nomad Join Date: May 2007 Location: living room Profession: N/	GW is still very popular, however its not as popular as it was 2 years or even a year ago. a lot of people left GW because of some of the really bad decisions of a-net, but there are still a ton of players there. and a couple of new people a week do come here and ask questions. you cant really compare it to halo or super smash brothers. compared to WoW, WoW still has a more subscribers than GW yet i see WoW players leaving it and coming to GW often.

Oct 13, 2008, 11:36 PM // 23:36	#13
_Nihilist_ Will Bull's Strike for $! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Isle of the Dead	Kagome, I have played GW for a little over 2 and a half years. It never gets old. All the people who have left have their reasons for doing so, but I suspect that quite a few of them are gone because they had ample time to log in and play. Myself? I work 6 days a week, and have for the past 4 and a half years. I might log on for an hour or two a night to relax and see how my Guildies/Allies are doing, or help out on a Quest or Mission, or to sell some of the things that I have in order to clear some space in my storage. Needless to say, there is more than enough game to warrant buying GW, even 3 years after its initial release. I've played other MMO's when I needed a break, but I always come back to GW. Main Pro's: No Monthly Fee - even if my subscription fee for another MMO was only $10/month, in the time that I have put into GW, I would have paid $300 in subscription fees alone. My wife plays as well, so make that $600. Most MMO's charge around $15/month, some charge for multiple toons... not really something I want to sink my hard-earned cash into, I have better things to do with it An easy learning curve - You have 8 skills available to use at any time. You might know hundreds, but you can only have 8 active at once. This can lead to some pretty crazy combinations. Most of the tried-and-true, long-tested and verified to work builds can be found here on GWGuru or PvXWiki, but honestly, the game isn't so amazingly difficult that you can't play with off the wall builds for FUN. It's a game after all, and don't people play games for fun? MMO or Single-Player - don't get confused, GW is an MMORPG; with the addition of Nightfall, they added Heroes, who are AI controlled (you can override AI control if you want, but they do pretty well with the AI provided to them), but you choose how they are set up. Unlike Henchmen, who come with preset attributes and skills, you can set Heroes up however you want them, and equip them the same way you would equip yourself with different weapons/shields/offhands. That way, in case you can't get a full group together, or it's just you and a couple of other friends, you can still go into even the toughest areas of the game without being worried about doing it under full party size. Main Con's: People will always find something wrong - If given enough time, if you put GW under a microscope and analyze it long enough, you will find things that you don't like. You can do the same thing with any other MMO/game/aspect of real life. Bad Seeds - they exist everywhere; you can't stop it. There are Elitists, there are scammers, there are outright rude, nasty people that play the game. There is this absolutely awesome feature called an Ignore List in GW. If someone treats you like crap, put them on your Ignore List - they can't whisper you AT ALL*, and you don't have to deal with their crap (guess this is sort of a Pro out of a Con); regardless, all kinds of people play MMO's, so you are bound to run into a few bad seeds... whether you let them get to you or ruin your view of GW is all up to you, just like any other game, or real life. These are just my opinions. I have spent 2 and a half years exploring, farming, kicking ass in, and getting my ass kicked in, the world of GW. It's fun. If I want something, I work for it. If I can't stand something or someone, I ignore them. The Pros far outweigh the Cons, especially since most of the Cons really aren't that bad. Hope this helps!

Oct 14, 2008, 02:07 PM // 14:07	#15
Quaker Hell's Protector Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Guild: Brothers Disgruntled	My 2 cents: I've played GW for over 3 years. I'm a PvE player. I've seen Guild Wars change a lot in that time. It started out as a pretty good RPG with a decent learning curve and lots of stuff to do and explore. In Prophecies you had to play a significant amount of the game just to get to level 20. But now, they've watered down and kiddy-fied the game so much, it's nowhere near as good as it was. So, how popular it is, is hard to answer. It doesn't seem to be as popular as it was for RPG fans, but it seems to be more popular now with the younger players from the console crowd. With all the instant access to all the "kewl" stuff, it reminds me of the people who use cheat codes on consoles. It doesn't have as many players as WoW, but has more than most other MMORPGs. Can't say how it compares to Halo, etc., for popularity - best to go to some gaming site for that info.

Oct 14, 2008, 02:27 PM // 14:27	#16
Shadowhaze Nothing, tra la la? Join Date: Oct 2007	As others have said, it is a wonderful game and if you like playing games for fun, definately give GW a try. There are times and some places where it will be difficult to find people to do a mission or other such things, but you'll meet people you can add to friends along the way and can use heroes/henchment if need be. And finding a guild with nice and helpful people is always a plus. There are great and helpful players, but yes, there are those that seem to have nothing to do but complain and criticize (but that's the case in any online game). After playing games like Star Wars Galaxies, LOTR Online, WOW, and other various free games similar to those, I still come back to GW. I can get on, do what I want for a while, and not have to worry about grinding to a high level or getting/buying the best equipment just to get something done. I'm not sure how else to say it, but there's just something about GW that I love. As for it's popularity with console games like Halo (which I love on console), it's hard to say. Personally, I love them both and they're quite high on my list of favorite games. But there are many people on each and both have players from all over the place.