Today, at 2011, GW>WoW or .. - Page 2 - Guild Wars Forums

Crom The Pale · Apr 14, 2011, 08:33 PM // 20:33

While certain aspects of each game can be compared the two don't have enough in common to do a complete line up side by side and state equivically that one is greater then the other.

There will always be bits of each game that people love/hate and it only takes one to either keep you playing or push you away forever.

Lasai · Apr 14, 2011, 08:53 PM // 20:53

You cannot compare the two. I play GW now to avoid the very things some people consider "better" in WoW. I don't like sharing zones with 20 farmbots, I don't like being gated from content unless I pug, I don't like running an instance 50 times for a "must have" pair of gloves.

Comparing similar games.. WoW is the least attractive of the Sub based MMOs to me, gameplay, graphics, lore is very second rate compared to AoC, EQ2, Vanguard or LoTRO. If I go back to a gear and grind forced group Traditional MMO it would never be WoW.

majoho · Apr 14, 2011, 09:04 PM // 21:04

GW is the only MMO I currently enjoy, I've gotten so sick of how endgame oriented MMO's have become these days - everyone is rushing through the game so they can be at max level and sit around in the capital cities and raid once in a while... BOOORING.

For the record I did play WoW and I'm embarrassed to say that I have five 85's and seven further chars between 80 and 84 - since I'm not into raiding I'm just rerolling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruk1a

WoW pve > GW pve
GW pvp > WoW pvp

And by PvE you MUST mean raiding because PvE in WoW isn't remotely close to GW, GW actually has you play a story WoW only recently got decent questing. In vanilla WoW you basically just ran around doing all kinds of dumb kill quests without any purpose.

End · Apr 14, 2011, 09:15 PM // 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kojima

Another thing: Lvl 7? Seriously? You need to play a lot more then. Though the level cap is 20, some of the vets here may have over millions of exp points... maybe even tens of millions in exp points in just one of their characters.

Lvl 20 is basically you're starter. Unlike wow were most of the development comes from lvling most of the developments in gw are after lvl 20. Soooo basically you barely scratched the surface.

Cartoonhero · Apr 14, 2011, 09:25 PM // 21:25

I play both, ATM. Ive played Guild Wars since one month after launch. ( although i've had a few random breaks in there). I've played wow since BC's launch.

At this point in the games, If I want to pvp or play by myself I play Guild Wars...sometimes There are friends on but usually, nada. I actually got excited when a real person loaded in on the other side of Viz Square the other day. I used to be alot more hardcore into the Guild Wars pvp than I am now. after a year break or so I am way behind in whats meta, and who's who. When i got my last HA rank (6), SoJ spike was in. yeahhh.

But to sum it up for ya. If you want to depend constantly on others, and not be able to get endgame gear without help of friends, WoW is for you. WoW PvP is a joke, if you ask me. unbalanced, completely gear based at lower to middle levels of play. I enjoy raiding, but I have dependable friends that play with me for the gear, and I enjoy them more than the loot

GW has really turned into a solo style of play. I recently tried to join a large pvx guild but without knowing anyone it really wasnt very helpful. Didn't get picked for groups, couldnt get groups started, etc. I actually rerolled a new main for title grind for my HoM...I'm just keeping my minis/weapons on my original main.

Short version for people who don't like text: Wanna raid/depend on others to play a game? WoW. Wanna pvp, play casually?, be able to achieve end game things by yourself? GW.

LifeInfusion · Apr 14, 2011, 10:04 PM // 22:04

WoW has a different artstyle.

Arenanet's artists have won numerous Spectrum awards and Ghosts of Ascalon won a literary award. So I'd say their graphics aren't as good as GW.

Besides, if I were to pay the monthly fee for WoW I would've been down a thousand dollars at least...seeing how my account is 71 months. Double that if you count the 2nd collector's edition for another account (granted only since EoTN).

The numerous times I've played a few hours in a month on GW is rather high...

TheUndertaker · Apr 15, 2011, 05:28 PM // 17:28

Just came back to GW from a long hiatus. Played WoW for like 3 months. Could not stand it. Boring repititive quests. Also tried Rift. Rift = WoW 2.0. I also think WoW's graphics are garbage. GW's world is beautiful. WoW is a cartoon.

That being said, the whole game is instanced. Sometimes I would like to occasionally run into someone out there....

Kojima · Apr 15, 2011, 06:06 PM // 18:06

And to sum it up:

1) GW has way better artists.
2) GW has way better story.
3) GW has way better quests...
4) GW is more like rpg games, less like mmos.
5) GW is way better at not making players lose their money.
6) GW can be played and finished alone or with friends. I have not played a mmo that allows that before.
7) GW gives you the choice to not grind if you don't want to.
8) GW is all about how you use the limited skills. (Goosh some players in GW are geniuses in this area. And that shows the intelligences we have playing the game, and I absolutely love that.)

And WOW, all I could say when I played it were, 'Wow, that is a lot of money I have to spend for it.... Wow I have to pay for another expansion....Wow wth happened to the story....Wow the graphics reminds me of some really low grade cartoons I saw on tv when I was young...'

Groth · Apr 15, 2011, 06:41 PM // 18:41

Many people have stated valid points. With many of these points I agree Here are the ones that stand out to me:
Played WoW for 3 years, have played GW for 2.

WoW:
1.) Amazing diversity of quests, zones, and interaction with other players [Great]
2.) Graphics, while cartoony, are exceptional and the "Real" z-axis / flight / jumping / falling [Good]
3.) Nearly unlimited progression, always something still to do even if it is grinding for that next "epic" gear piece that will push up your dps/hps/etc by 1 point [Good AND Bad]
4.) Constant access to all skills and abilities as they are learned at each level... [TERRIBLE] (explanation: balancing a game with that many skills is a nightmare, and while the ability to be infinitely flexible is sometimes fun, it eventually grows tiresome)
5.) Combat Log > the ability to look back and know exactly how damage was dealt, recieved, and mitigated. [Good AND Bad] I liked tweaking my skills and ensuring that I was doing exactly what I should when I should... but as with category #4 this actually removes a lot of freedom or dynamic play, and in many ways makes the process of learning to be better... too easy to be fun (after a while) also leads to even greater "Elitism" than in some other games without a combat log.

GW:
1.) amazing graphics for its age and longevity (after two years and all 3 chapters +eotn) I still find pretty places i never noticed before [Great]
2.) no z-axis and no jumping/falling/flying etc. But with collision detection! [Good and Bad] at first this was the biggest irritation to me after leaving WoW, now though, I find i love sidestepping in front of a mob to block them, and the whole "no taunt" form of aggro management in GW as a higher difficulty and skill level than many such things in WoW
3.) 8 skills 2 professions and the hunt for skills and builds [Awesome] This alone is probably the greatest boon in my opinion, for GW. By intentionally limiting your skill number, and allowing cross profession combos of skills which compliment each other... It is really impossible to make yourself invulnerable or unstoppable (::cough:: Dervish nerf-bat 2 incoming ::cough cough:

as it is in other games... there is almost always someone who has that skill or skills which counter your most creative combo.

In all, i while I disagree that comparing the two is apples and oranges, it may be apples and pears.
2.)

Xiaquin · Apr 15, 2011, 11:15 PM // 23:15

While competition is healthy and inevitable, this isn't the philosophy at ArenaNet. Colin himself said GW2 is not going head-to-head with WoW. They are not trying to compete and "steal" player bases. GW's subscription-free design allows you to play WoW, if you like, and jump in GW whenever you want without obligation.

If you like WoW, play it. If you also like GW, you can play that, too, but this is a fan war only. Anet, a company of gamers like us, doesn't see it this way. Think about that for a minute.

Showtime · Apr 16, 2011, 12:47 AM // 00:47

nope.

currently, comparisons can and must be made. ie: coke vs 7-up.

wow is the clear #1 subscription wise and gw is probably #2 in popularity though it's been fading for years. what game is better? maybe at this point wow is. but i started playing gw 6 years ago on and off. i bought the original, both expansions, eotn, and bmp. so maybe i spent $200 total. some people got them for less, some paid more. how many years of wow would i have gotten for $200? 1 maybe? at the time of launch and through eotn, gw was probably the superior game to me. i could use a 5-20k maxed weapon set and compete at the same level as someone using a 100k+ weapons. anyone could come in today, start playing, and have identical stats as my 6 year old toon in a month or less. i don't see that happening in wow. i see you finding or buying the most powerful weapons just to compete. in gw pve was easy to learn. learning to do it well took a little skill and time. but you could get the most powerful equipment in the game for pretty low prices/time invested. gw pvp has a steep learning curve and is more challenging than anything wow has or ever will have to offer. wow may have nicer graphics now. but you pay for it (have been paying for it) and needing to have a rare weapon just to compete, sucks, imo. d2 was like that and d3 will be too. which is where the more accurate comparison will be from now on. gw2 vs d3 = coke vs pepsi.

since you have gw, why not play through it and see why it was so poplular for so long with only 2.5 expansions. also join a good guild and try some pvp. good guild makes a world of difference.

ruk1a · Apr 28, 2011, 02:45 PM // 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by majoho

GW is the only MMO I currently enjoy, I've gotten so sick of how endgame oriented MMO's have become these days - everyone is rushing through the game so they can be at max level and sit around in the capital cities and raid once in a while... BOOORING.

For the record I did play WoW and I'm embarrassed to say that I have five 85's and seven further chars between 80 and 84 - since I'm not into raiding I'm just rerolling.

And by PvE you MUST mean raiding because PvE in WoW isn't remotely close to GW, GW actually has you play a story WoW only recently got decent questing. In vanilla WoW you basically just ran around doing all kinds of dumb kill quests without any purpose.

questing in GW is actually good compared to wow questing and idk what you mean by only recently got good quests cata did not change the typical "kill 10 boars" quests, even in the 84-85 content which really made me laugh. you'd think blizzard could come up with something original after 6 years, but nah. and of course i was referring to raiding, there is really no other reason to play wow because it sucks in every other aspect. gws only problem is it's dead (inb4 IT'S NOT DEADLOL)

wilebill · Apr 28, 2011, 03:35 PM // 15:35

These threads are always fun. Played GW since day Prophecies went live. Played WoW since two weeks after it went live.

Like both games, each great in its own way; each has its downsides. GW is home because no monthly fee account to keep up with.

Apples and oranges, like 'em both.

Bandwagon · Apr 28, 2011, 04:05 PM // 16:05

Comparing the two games is assinine. They both follow completely different game design choices which makes them appeal to different people.

As a player who has played both games extensively (my WoW knowledge might be outdated though) they are both great games with avid development teams (okay so one is 1/100th of the size of the other, they are still churning updates), choose one or both and have fun.

Apr 14, 2011, 10:04 PM // 22:04	#26
LifeInfusion Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: in the midline Profession: E/Mo	WoW has a different artstyle. Arenanet's artists have won numerous Spectrum awards and Ghosts of Ascalon won a literary award. So I'd say their graphics aren't as good as GW. Besides, if I were to pay the monthly fee for WoW I would've been down a thousand dollars at least...seeing how my account is 71 months. Double that if you count the 2nd collector's edition for another account (granted only since EoTN). The numerous times I've played a few hours in a month on GW is rather high... Last edited by LifeInfusion; Apr 14, 2011 at 10:06 PM // 22:06..

Apr 14, 2011, 08:33 PM // 20:33	#21
Crom The Pale Furnace Stoker Join Date: Nov 2006 Guild: Ageis Ascending Profession: W/	While certain aspects of each game can be compared the two don't have enough in common to do a complete line up side by side and state equivically that one is greater then the other. There will always be bits of each game that people love/hate and it only takes one to either keep you playing or push you away forever.

Apr 14, 2011, 08:53 PM // 20:53	#22
Lasai Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Apr 2009 Profession: R/	You cannot compare the two. I play GW now to avoid the very things some people consider "better" in WoW. I don't like sharing zones with 20 farmbots, I don't like being gated from content unless I pug, I don't like running an instance 50 times for a "must have" pair of gloves. Comparing similar games.. WoW is the least attractive of the Sub based MMOs to me, gameplay, graphics, lore is very second rate compared to AoC, EQ2, Vanguard or LoTRO. If I go back to a gear and grind forced group Traditional MMO it would never be WoW.

Apr 14, 2011, 09:25 PM // 21:25	#25
Cartoonhero Krytan Explorer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sooner Nation Profession: Mo/	I play both, ATM. Ive played Guild Wars since one month after launch. ( although i've had a few random breaks in there). I've played wow since BC's launch. At this point in the games, If I want to pvp or play by myself I play Guild Wars...sometimes There are friends on but usually, nada. I actually got excited when a real person loaded in on the other side of Viz Square the other day. I used to be alot more hardcore into the Guild Wars pvp than I am now. after a year break or so I am way behind in whats meta, and who's who. When i got my last HA rank (6), SoJ spike was in. yeahhh. But to sum it up for ya. If you want to depend constantly on others, and not be able to get endgame gear without help of friends, WoW is for you. WoW PvP is a joke, if you ask me. unbalanced, completely gear based at lower to middle levels of play. I enjoy raiding, but I have dependable friends that play with me for the gear, and I enjoy them more than the loot GW has really turned into a solo style of play. I recently tried to join a large pvx guild but without knowing anyone it really wasnt very helpful. Didn't get picked for groups, couldnt get groups started, etc. I actually rerolled a new main for title grind for my HoM...I'm just keeping my minis/weapons on my original main. Short version for people who don't like text: Wanna raid/depend on others to play a game? WoW. Wanna pvp, play casually?, be able to achieve end game things by yourself? GW.

Apr 15, 2011, 05:28 PM // 17:28	#27
TheUndertaker Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: May 2005	Just came back to GW from a long hiatus. Played WoW for like 3 months. Could not stand it. Boring repititive quests. Also tried Rift. Rift = WoW 2.0. I also think WoW's graphics are garbage. GW's world is beautiful. WoW is a cartoon. That being said, the whole game is instanced. Sometimes I would like to occasionally run into someone out there....

Apr 15, 2011, 06:06 PM // 18:06	#28
Kojima Krytan Explorer Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Home Guild: En Caligne Veritas [DARK] Profession: R/Rt	And to sum it up: 1) GW has way better artists. 2) GW has way better story. 3) GW has way better quests... 4) GW is more like rpg games, less like mmos. 5) GW is way better at not making players lose their money. 6) GW can be played and finished alone or with friends. I have not played a mmo that allows that before. 7) GW gives you the choice to not grind if you don't want to. 8) GW is all about how you use the limited skills. (Goosh some players in GW are geniuses in this area. And that shows the intelligences we have playing the game, and I absolutely love that.) And WOW, all I could say when I played it were, 'Wow, that is a lot of money I have to spend for it.... Wow I have to pay for another expansion....Wow wth happened to the story....Wow the graphics reminds me of some really low grade cartoons I saw on tv when I was young...'

Apr 15, 2011, 06:41 PM // 18:41	#29
Groth Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Jan 2011 Profession: W/	Many people have stated valid points. With many of these points I agree Here are the ones that stand out to me: Played WoW for 3 years, have played GW for 2. WoW: 1.) Amazing diversity of quests, zones, and interaction with other players [Great] 2.) Graphics, while cartoony, are exceptional and the "Real" z-axis / flight / jumping / falling [Good] 3.) Nearly unlimited progression, always something still to do even if it is grinding for that next "epic" gear piece that will push up your dps/hps/etc by 1 point [Good AND Bad] 4.) Constant access to all skills and abilities as they are learned at each level... [TERRIBLE] (explanation: balancing a game with that many skills is a nightmare, and while the ability to be infinitely flexible is sometimes fun, it eventually grows tiresome) 5.) Combat Log > the ability to look back and know exactly how damage was dealt, recieved, and mitigated. [Good AND Bad] I liked tweaking my skills and ensuring that I was doing exactly what I should when I should... but as with category #4 this actually removes a lot of freedom or dynamic play, and in many ways makes the process of learning to be better... too easy to be fun (after a while) also leads to even greater "Elitism" than in some other games without a combat log. GW: 1.) amazing graphics for its age and longevity (after two years and all 3 chapters +eotn) I still find pretty places i never noticed before [Great] 2.) no z-axis and no jumping/falling/flying etc. But with collision detection! [Good and Bad] at first this was the biggest irritation to me after leaving WoW, now though, I find i love sidestepping in front of a mob to block them, and the whole "no taunt" form of aggro management in GW as a higher difficulty and skill level than many such things in WoW 3.) 8 skills 2 professions and the hunt for skills and builds [Awesome] This alone is probably the greatest boon in my opinion, for GW. By intentionally limiting your skill number, and allowing cross profession combos of skills which compliment each other... It is really impossible to make yourself invulnerable or unstoppable (::cough:: Dervish nerf-bat 2 incoming ::cough cough: as it is in other games... there is almost always someone who has that skill or skills which counter your most creative combo. In all, i while I disagree that comparing the two is apples and oranges, it may be apples and pears. 2.)

Apr 15, 2011, 11:15 PM // 23:15	#30
Xiaquin Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jun 2010 Guild: [aRIN] Profession: R/	While competition is healthy and inevitable, this isn't the philosophy at ArenaNet. Colin himself said GW2 is not going head-to-head with WoW. They are not trying to compete and "steal" player bases. GW's subscription-free design allows you to play WoW, if you like, and jump in GW whenever you want without obligation. If you like WoW, play it. If you also like GW, you can play that, too, but this is a fan war only. Anet, a company of gamers like us, doesn't see it this way. Think about that for a minute.

Apr 16, 2011, 12:47 AM // 00:47	#31
Showtime Forge Runner Join Date: Sep 2005 Guild: WTB Q9+5e Bows/Q8 14^50 Weapons Profession: R/P	nope. currently, comparisons can and must be made. ie: coke vs 7-up. wow is the clear #1 subscription wise and gw is probably #2 in popularity though it's been fading for years. what game is better? maybe at this point wow is. but i started playing gw 6 years ago on and off. i bought the original, both expansions, eotn, and bmp. so maybe i spent $200 total. some people got them for less, some paid more. how many years of wow would i have gotten for $200? 1 maybe? at the time of launch and through eotn, gw was probably the superior game to me. i could use a 5-20k maxed weapon set and compete at the same level as someone using a 100k+ weapons. anyone could come in today, start playing, and have identical stats as my 6 year old toon in a month or less. i don't see that happening in wow. i see you finding or buying the most powerful weapons just to compete. in gw pve was easy to learn. learning to do it well took a little skill and time. but you could get the most powerful equipment in the game for pretty low prices/time invested. gw pvp has a steep learning curve and is more challenging than anything wow has or ever will have to offer. wow may have nicer graphics now. but you pay for it (have been paying for it) and needing to have a rare weapon just to compete, sucks, imo. d2 was like that and d3 will be too. which is where the more accurate comparison will be from now on. gw2 vs d3 = coke vs pepsi. since you have gw, why not play through it and see why it was so poplular for so long with only 2.5 expansions. also join a good guild and try some pvp. good guild makes a world of difference.

Apr 28, 2011, 03:35 PM // 15:35	#33
wilebill Desert Nomad Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mt Vernon, Ohio Guild: Band of the Hawk Profession: W/Mo	These threads are always fun. Played GW since day Prophecies went live. Played WoW since two weeks after it went live. Like both games, each great in its own way; each has its downsides. GW is home because no monthly fee account to keep up with. Apples and oranges, like 'em both.

Apr 28, 2011, 04:05 PM // 16:05	#34
Bandwagon Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Jan 2010 Profession: D/	Comparing the two games is assinine. They both follow completely different game design choices which makes them appeal to different people. As a player who has played both games extensively (my WoW knowledge might be outdated though) they are both great games with avid development teams (okay so one is 1/100th of the size of the other, they are still churning updates), choose one or both and have fun.