Moving from Warcraft?? - Guild Wars Forums

Rainidad · Sep 17, 2007, 12:09 PM // 12:09

played warcraft for quite awhile, was thinkin of tryin out guild wars, an opionions or comments, feedback on this topic would be cool, thx

fujin · Sep 17, 2007, 12:32 PM // 12:32

It's a good game with a good storyline, good gameplay, no grind, and much more.

Did you come from WoW or the RTS?

Just ask questions regarding the game, or check out the Wikis (Two of them) for info.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Main_Page

Toutatis · Sep 17, 2007, 12:43 PM // 12:43

I'm assuming you're coming from the MMO version of Worldcraft

Guild Wars is definitely worth trying out. The gameplay is a lot more strategic than WoW, and the outcome of fights is determined by who has the better combat tactics rather than who has the better equipment. The much lower level cap and ease of obtaining maxed equipment makes this a game where everybody is on a more or less level playing field regardless of how much time you invest in your characters; ideal for casual players, and plenty of opportunities for optional grinding if you're into that.

Ghengis Kwell · Sep 17, 2007, 05:01 PM // 17:01

On a GW site what kind of answer would you expect to get ? lol

StarScythe · Sep 17, 2007, 06:59 PM // 18:59

I read a 10 page discussion on this a while ago...lol...and your answer is really about personal preference.

WoW and GW are about different things. Essentially GW provides the things that WoW does not.

WoW:
- large persistent areas
- high level cap
- great for hardcore games (considering the time it consumes)
- new and frequent content
- BIG battles

vs.

GW:
- constrained level cap
- character build orientated, with lots of freedom to change your build and save templates
- you are often pitted against enemies stronger than you, which places emphasis on skill choice & team work (expecially in the elite areas)
- PvP is totally based on personal skill and team work
- very guild orientated
- very solitary, as in proficient players can do most of the campaigns on their own, explorable areas are instanced (as in you and ur party are alone)

*Sorry for more points in GW, haven't really played WoW much, otherwise WoW would have more points too.

So, if you are thinking of playing GW with WoW expectations I would discourage you, as you will be disappointed. You need to have a very open mind about MMOs in general, remembering each tries to achieve something unique. So to appreciate GW you need start playing with no expectations at all.

So, to answer your question...buy the game, play it, and see for yourself which MMO you like better. No one can tell you GW is better, all we can tell you is that we think it is a good game.

Commander Ryker · Sep 17, 2007, 11:27 PM // 23:27

Good post StarScythe but you forgot the biggest difference, no monthly fee!

StarScythe · Sep 17, 2007, 11:29 PM // 23:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Commander Ryker

Good post StarScythe but you forgot the biggest difference, no monthly fee!

Quite right! I did.

DABhand · Sep 18, 2007, 04:18 PM // 16:18

You get what you pay for is probably the best way to describe what you get.

I first played GW a few years back, before the first addon (factions) was released I went to WoW and got hooked.

GW is ok for a quick fix and its no monthly fee, so you know you can come back and carry on. But... Its very very addon dependant. Without them you will get bored easier. And your limited to 4 characters. And one server.

WoW was different that you could have a few more characters, and on different servers. Much more to do and experience but you are paying in essence for a monthly premium service to get it all.

Pro's for GW -
No monthly fee
Nice looking graphics (which LOTRO has similar to)
You can quest without idiots bugging you or stealing your kills etc
You can have another profession to your first choice, like Warrior/Monks or Warrior/Elementalist. So versatile that sense. (later addons had other types such as the Assassin)
Hardly any downtime.

Cons for GW -
Level 20 cap, easy to get to and in essence get bored quickly compared to WoW's 70 cap (should have been 80 so WOTL addon would have been 100)
Same old armor, yes it looks nice, but I want some difference adding scrolls isnt variable armor or bonus's.
You will probably get the kids saying you dont have this armor or that armor and your a noob, just because you didnt choose to spend all your money on it :P
Again addon dependant, they have to come out with constant updates to keep you amused, their biggest mistake was not making factions have a level cap increase, so your level 20's were still level 20's.

Oh yeah another con, coming back and having to download about 200mb of updates (17k files) at 30KB/s avg speed lol Not fun!

HawkofStorms · Sep 18, 2007, 04:41 PM // 16:41

^ Oh yes, it's SUCH a mistake not to raise the level cap and thus imbalance Player Vs Player combat. /end sarcasm

That's another thing to keep in mind. In GW, you have a lot less health compared to WoW. You can kill or be killed much faster. At the same time, the monk (healer) profession is far more adapt at protection and keeping people alive. Thus, Player vs Player (PvP) in GW is a lot more fast paced and team and skill oriented then in WoW (since you have a limited selection of skills and each team you face in PvP will opperate differently).

Faer · Sep 18, 2007, 05:12 PM // 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by fujin

no grind

Ha.
Haha.
Hahahahaha.

You're funny.

Rainidad, if you want good PvP, welcome to Guild Wars. If you want PvE that isn't entirely pointless, stick to WoW. If you want both, do what I do, and play both.

Pretty simple, eh?

arcady · Sep 18, 2007, 05:48 PM // 17:48

Just a few things from above to challenge.

If you believe items matter more than play skill in WoW, then you probably tend to lose at PvP there, or have been seriously twinked out. Skill there, like skill here, has a much greater impact. In GW the items you 'twink out' are your list of elites, insignias, and runes. Bringing the right combo of these to the battle will give you an edge over others. In both games, play skill is still more important, but the 'gear' matters, though GW players try to 'classify' a lot of their gear out of the debate, it is still there.
Constrained build and room to customize - exists in WoW as well. Though you can have a lot more skill buttons on the screen (I have an addon, bartender3, that lets me fit 100), there is still the issue of potions and crafting and talent points and which skills you have to keyboard shortcuts that serves a purpose similar to that in GWs.
The claim that GW needs lots of addons to play has to be a typo... WoW is boosted by lots of addons, but as far as I know you can't add addons to GWs. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I've never seen any in game addons for GWs.
The claim that you can be killed or kill faster in GW - not true. Its similar, and if you know what you're doing in WoW you can grind through mobs really fast. Likewise know what you're doing in GW and you won't get killed as fast.
The GW Monk protects and heals. In WoW the Druid, Shaman, Priest, and Paladin all do similar things. The difference is that in GW the Monk is the best healer / protector, better than the Ritualist or Paragon or whatever - and those other classes are then used for other purposes with healing / protecting as a back up. In WoW, the debate is open, and its hard to say which is best. People can put forth good arguments for any of them - which often results in any of them being used as a groups healing / protection.
Before TBC, GW's regular chapters worked out to a monthly fee of about $8 if you stayed current. Now they're both doing expansions, so WoW looks worse in this department.
GW being guild oriented? Not so much, unless you PvP. In PvE GWs is very solo, and you never need a guild and get very little benefit from joining one, other than social. In WoW, you'll have trouble surviving after somewhere between level 30-45 or so without a guild or a good friends list. As soon as you start instancing and seeing the group quests, you're going to need other people around.

Another general comment, if you get Guild Wars, pick your chapter carefully.

Chapter 1 is the original and has a very long and slow paced PvE game.

Chapter 2 is the one to choose if you want to speed level to max level and then run around the PvE content or jump off to PvP with a PvE made character. Its not hard to go from level 1 to max in a single afternoon sitting.

Chapter 3 is fast paced, but not nearly as much as 2. Maybe 2 to 3 sittings for a quick player to get to max level. It also has the heroes, which are a really nice feature for PvE. Further, it's the best looking game - in the scenes, the characters, and the armors. And it has the best written story. Its only drawback is that that story is only about a 1/3 as long as the first chapter, if even that. Maybe shorter.

Oh and lastly, GW has no monthly fee, so you can be like me - love and play both. They aren't really competitors like say, WoW and Tabula Rasa will be.

sterbenx2 · Sep 19, 2007, 11:50 AM // 11:50

Some technical things that others have left out. In GW you can't jump or swim. you're pretty much "stuck" to the ground.

Also, you'll find the quest system in GW to be far better than WoW.. or any other game for that matter. GW is much faster paced which tends to lead to the "i'm bored, its all done" syndrom.

Nobody mentioned the Map Travel!? lol, Map travel is a feature that lets you go to any town you've visited previously, whenever you want. Its quite cool.

I've played GW since release, played WoW off and on for a few monthes. Still play GW, WoW was too much walk, walk, walk, YAWN, walk walk.. kill, OH, cloth yay, walk, walk, YAWN.. Hectic combat, tactics, build modifications, oooh yea, GW FTW.. even with loot scaling =(

enxa · Sep 19, 2007, 12:57 PM // 12:57

Quote:

# The claim that GW needs lots of addons to play has to be a typo... WoW is boosted by lots of addons, but as far as I know you can't add addons to GWs. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I've never seen any in game addons for GWs.

I think that by addons he meant chapters.
But that still makes him only partially right. WoW has expansions too, and if you dont own the burning crusade youre pretty much left out of the game. The same thing will be with the WotLK expansion.
Not to mention that despite you pay $15 a month to them, the expansions arent free, you still have to buy them! Compare that to say City of Heroes/Villains that has released 9 (or was it 10?) expansions free of charge. Its a rip off.

Thumbs down for WoW.

But in the end its all about gameplay, and thats something that really cant be compared between GW and WoW. The two games are just entirely different. You have to try them out and see which you like better.

CHannum · Dec 08, 2007, 02:11 AM // 02:11

I played WoW a lot (i.e. too much) for around 9 months total. Loved the game, loved the lore, loved the graphical style, loved the polish, etc. However, my life (and wife) didn't care too much for the amount of time involved and I didn't care for the way you essentially got railroaded into grouping and elite, multi-hour dungeons & raids. Grouping with people I already know in RL or online is fun, grouping with strangers is just a PIA, and guilds, to be of any real use, get back to that too damn much time problem.

Enter GW. For someone who hated raids, only liked to group when it was convenient, and does not feel the need to devote himself to a virtual guild like a second job, I really like GW. It's very similar to WoW in terms of game play and questing, but much faster paced.

Certain things are lacking:
- Even though most call it an advantage, and it is by a nose, the lack of travel does kill much of the sense of immersion. You really get a feel for WoW as a world after a while but won't so much with GW.
- No persistent areas for adventuring IS a bit lonely. It's pretty cool to run past other players, toss in the aid on a kill when someone is getting overwhelmed, or even just hang out at the old fishing hole. It's not the end of the world, but a lot of that vitality you feel running around in WoW is definitely not here.

On the other hand, nothing so monumentally stupid as needing 40 people all twinked out in precisely the right gear just to go and do something.

Prophecies can be had for $30 or less and will never cost you another penny if it's not your thing. I'd wager you'll at least get the $30 out of it.

Sep 17, 2007, 12:09 PM // 12:09	#1
Rainidad Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: Sep 2007	Moving from Warcraft?? played warcraft for quite awhile, was thinkin of tryin out guild wars, an opionions or comments, feedback on this topic would be cool, thx

Sep 18, 2007, 04:18 PM // 16:18	#8
DABhand Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Dec 2005 Profession: W/R	You get what you pay for is probably the best way to describe what you get. I first played GW a few years back, before the first addon (factions) was released I went to WoW and got hooked. GW is ok for a quick fix and its no monthly fee, so you know you can come back and carry on. But... Its very very addon dependant. Without them you will get bored easier. And your limited to 4 characters. And one server. WoW was different that you could have a few more characters, and on different servers. Much more to do and experience but you are paying in essence for a monthly premium service to get it all. Pro's for GW - No monthly fee Nice looking graphics (which LOTRO has similar to) You can quest without idiots bugging you or stealing your kills etc You can have another profession to your first choice, like Warrior/Monks or Warrior/Elementalist. So versatile that sense. (later addons had other types such as the Assassin) Hardly any downtime. Cons for GW - Level 20 cap, easy to get to and in essence get bored quickly compared to WoW's 70 cap (should have been 80 so WOTL addon would have been 100) Same old armor, yes it looks nice, but I want some difference adding scrolls isnt variable armor or bonus's. You will probably get the kids saying you dont have this armor or that armor and your a noob, just because you didnt choose to spend all your money on it :P Again addon dependant, they have to come out with constant updates to keep you amused, their biggest mistake was not making factions have a level cap increase, so your level 20's were still level 20's. Oh yeah another con, coming back and having to download about 200mb of updates (17k files) at 30KB/s avg speed lol Not fun! Last edited by DABhand; Sep 18, 2007 at 04:24 PM // 16:24..

Sep 18, 2007, 05:48 PM // 17:48	#11
arcady Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: May 2006 Location: San Francisco native Profession: Mo/P	Just a few things from above to challenge. If you believe items matter more than play skill in WoW, then you probably tend to lose at PvP there, or have been seriously twinked out. Skill there, like skill here, has a much greater impact. In GW the items you 'twink out' are your list of elites, insignias, and runes. Bringing the right combo of these to the battle will give you an edge over others. In both games, play skill is still more important, but the 'gear' matters, though GW players try to 'classify' a lot of their gear out of the debate, it is still there. Constrained build and room to customize - exists in WoW as well. Though you can have a lot more skill buttons on the screen (I have an addon, bartender3, that lets me fit 100), there is still the issue of potions and crafting and talent points and which skills you have to keyboard shortcuts that serves a purpose similar to that in GWs. The claim that GW needs lots of addons to play has to be a typo... WoW is boosted by lots of addons, but as far as I know you can't add addons to GWs. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I've never seen any in game addons for GWs. The claim that you can be killed or kill faster in GW - not true. Its similar, and if you know what you're doing in WoW you can grind through mobs really fast. Likewise know what you're doing in GW and you won't get killed as fast. The GW Monk protects and heals. In WoW the Druid, Shaman, Priest, and Paladin all do similar things. The difference is that in GW the Monk is the best healer / protector, better than the Ritualist or Paragon or whatever - and those other classes are then used for other purposes with healing / protecting as a back up. In WoW, the debate is open, and its hard to say which is best. People can put forth good arguments for any of them - which often results in any of them being used as a groups healing / protection. Before TBC, GW's regular chapters worked out to a monthly fee of about $8 if you stayed current. Now they're both doing expansions, so WoW looks worse in this department. GW being guild oriented? Not so much, unless you PvP. In PvE GWs is very solo, and you never need a guild and get very little benefit from joining one, other than social. In WoW, you'll have trouble surviving after somewhere between level 30-45 or so without a guild or a good friends list. As soon as you start instancing and seeing the group quests, you're going to need other people around. Another general comment, if you get Guild Wars, pick your chapter carefully. Chapter 1 is the original and has a very long and slow paced PvE game. Chapter 2 is the one to choose if you want to speed level to max level and then run around the PvE content or jump off to PvP with a PvE made character. Its not hard to go from level 1 to max in a single afternoon sitting. Chapter 3 is fast paced, but not nearly as much as 2. Maybe 2 to 3 sittings for a quick player to get to max level. It also has the heroes, which are a really nice feature for PvE. Further, it's the best looking game - in the scenes, the characters, and the armors. And it has the best written story. Its only drawback is that that story is only about a 1/3 as long as the first chapter, if even that. Maybe shorter. Oh and lastly, GW has no monthly fee, so you can be like me - love and play both. They aren't really competitors like say, WoW and Tabula Rasa will be. Last edited by arcady; Sep 18, 2007 at 05:51 PM // 17:51..

Sep 17, 2007, 12:32 PM // 12:32	#2
fujin Krytan Explorer Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hong Kong, all the way in Asia :O Guild: Officer of United Jedi [UJ] Profession: E/	It's a good game with a good storyline, good gameplay, no grind, and much more. Did you come from WoW or the RTS? Just ask questions regarding the game, or check out the Wikis (Two of them) for info. http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Main_Page

Sep 17, 2007, 12:43 PM // 12:43	#3
Toutatis Walking Wiki Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Isle of Medication Guild: Visitors from Aranna [VFA] Profession: Me/E	I'm assuming you're coming from the MMO version of Worldcraft Guild Wars is definitely worth trying out. The gameplay is a lot more strategic than WoW, and the outcome of fights is determined by who has the better combat tactics rather than who has the better equipment. The much lower level cap and ease of obtaining maxed equipment makes this a game where everybody is on a more or less level playing field regardless of how much time you invest in your characters; ideal for casual players, and plenty of opportunities for optional grinding if you're into that.

Sep 17, 2007, 05:01 PM // 17:01	#4
Ghengis Kwell Baby Maker Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: UK Guild: Sent Fromhell Profession: D/W	On a GW site what kind of answer would you expect to get ? lol

Sep 17, 2007, 06:59 PM // 18:59	#5
StarScythe Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Sep 2007	I read a 10 page discussion on this a while ago...lol...and your answer is really about personal preference. WoW and GW are about different things. Essentially GW provides the things that WoW does not. WoW: - large persistent areas - high level cap - great for hardcore games (considering the time it consumes) - new and frequent content - BIG battles vs. GW: - constrained level cap - character build orientated, with lots of freedom to change your build and save templates - you are often pitted against enemies stronger than you, which places emphasis on skill choice & team work (expecially in the elite areas) - PvP is totally based on personal skill and team work - very guild orientated - very solitary, as in proficient players can do most of the campaigns on their own, explorable areas are instanced (as in you and ur party are alone) *Sorry for more points in GW, haven't really played WoW much, otherwise WoW would have more points too. So, if you are thinking of playing GW with WoW expectations I would discourage you, as you will be disappointed. You need to have a very open mind about MMOs in general, remembering each tries to achieve something unique. So to appreciate GW you need start playing with no expectations at all. So, to answer your question...buy the game, play it, and see for yourself which MMO you like better. No one can tell you GW is better, all we can tell you is that we think it is a good game.

Sep 17, 2007, 11:27 PM // 23:27	#6
Commander Ryker Site Contributor Join Date: Jun 2005 Profession: R/	Good post StarScythe but you forgot the biggest difference, no monthly fee!

Sep 18, 2007, 04:41 PM // 16:41	#9
HawkofStorms Hall Hero Join Date: Aug 2005 Profession: E/	^ Oh yes, it's SUCH a mistake not to raise the level cap and thus imbalance Player Vs Player combat. /end sarcasm That's another thing to keep in mind. In GW, you have a lot less health compared to WoW. You can kill or be killed much faster. At the same time, the monk (healer) profession is far more adapt at protection and keeping people alive. Thus, Player vs Player (PvP) in GW is a lot more fast paced and team and skill oriented then in WoW (since you have a limited selection of skills and each team you face in PvP will opperate differently).

Sep 19, 2007, 11:50 AM // 11:50	#12
sterbenx2 Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New England Guild: Lunatic Legion Profession: N/	Some technical things that others have left out. In GW you can't jump or swim. you're pretty much "stuck" to the ground. Also, you'll find the quest system in GW to be far better than WoW.. or any other game for that matter. GW is much faster paced which tends to lead to the "i'm bored, its all done" syndrom. Nobody mentioned the Map Travel!? lol, Map travel is a feature that lets you go to any town you've visited previously, whenever you want. Its quite cool. I've played GW since release, played WoW off and on for a few monthes. Still play GW, WoW was too much walk, walk, walk, YAWN, walk walk.. kill, OH, cloth yay, walk, walk, YAWN.. Hectic combat, tactics, build modifications, oooh yea, GW FTW.. even with loot scaling =(

Dec 08, 2007, 02:11 AM // 02:11	#14
CHannum Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Dec 2007 Profession: W/E	I played WoW a lot (i.e. too much) for around 9 months total. Loved the game, loved the lore, loved the graphical style, loved the polish, etc. However, my life (and wife) didn't care too much for the amount of time involved and I didn't care for the way you essentially got railroaded into grouping and elite, multi-hour dungeons & raids. Grouping with people I already know in RL or online is fun, grouping with strangers is just a PIA, and guilds, to be of any real use, get back to that too damn much time problem. Enter GW. For someone who hated raids, only liked to group when it was convenient, and does not feel the need to devote himself to a virtual guild like a second job, I really like GW. It's very similar to WoW in terms of game play and questing, but much faster paced. Certain things are lacking: - Even though most call it an advantage, and it is by a nose, the lack of travel does kill much of the sense of immersion. You really get a feel for WoW as a world after a while but won't so much with GW. - No persistent areas for adventuring IS a bit lonely. It's pretty cool to run past other players, toss in the aid on a kill when someone is getting overwhelmed, or even just hang out at the old fishing hole. It's not the end of the world, but a lot of that vitality you feel running around in WoW is definitely not here. On the other hand, nothing so monumentally stupid as needing 40 people all twinked out in precisely the right gear just to go and do something. Prophecies can be had for $30 or less and will never cost you another penny if it's not your thing. I'd wager you'll at least get the $30 out of it.