WoW vs. Guild Wars

[stelleg151]

I just got a 2005fpw, and my rig I built this past winter, and I would like to get one of these two games for the summer, and maybe into next school year, depending how much I feel like slacking off, I would like to hear which game people like better, or if you have only played on of them feel free to vote as well. If you are one of the awesome people who has played both, please comment on your experiences.

As of now I am leaning towards WoW, because a couple of my friends play, and even though it does cost monthly money ( which kinda makes me mad), it seems to have a much longer play time (gamestop said in guild wars you get to max level pretty quickly, which isnt very attractive to me).

Oh yeah, and I cant get both because Im a student and need to save money.

Thanks,

-George

Edit: Wow, sorry for the double post, for some reason it took my post and made one with a poll and one without. I guess you can delete the one without.

 

[michealo]

gamestop said in guild wars you get to max level pretty quickly

1. don't believe anything said by gamestop
2. getting to max level in WoW is a joke also

 

[]|[ Mar']['in ]|[]

The fact that your friends have WoW is probably the only imporant difference.

I love WoW (maybe you and your friends could join the [H] guild )

I'd love to play Guild Wars also, but only have enough time to invest into one game.

If I ever get sick of WoW, the I'll get GW.

it seems that in both games lvling goes by pretty quick. However they both have tons of stuff to do after lvling. I personally love pvping and the raid in WoW.

 

[Grimmda]

I know you can get to 60 in WoW pretty quick (as evidence of walking around seeing so many 60's) but I've put in about 250 hrs worth and I'm only a 47. It depends on how much you "power level" as well as have time to play. Just sayin.

 

[ameoba]

You can't really compare the two games.

GW is like a single-player RPG that lets you play with other people (the popular comparison is Diablo), WOW is built from the ground up to be an immersive, multi-user, virtual world where everywhere you go you're surrounded by other people. GW feels to be more plot oriented than most MMOs.

As for the monthly fee - I wouldn't let it be a determining factor. You just went out and dropped $600 on a monitor, I could build my entire system for that much and still have no problem paying $15/mo.

Like everyone else says, they're both games (as are most MMORPGs) where getting to the level cap isn't so much a goal as it is a requirement for getting to high-level content.


One other thing - there's plenty of games out there in the genre, not just WOW and GuildWars but, if your friends are playing one of the games, that's probably the best reason to join in.

 

[Rhetoric]

You can't really compare the two games.

GW is like a single-player RPG that lets you play with other people (the popular comparison is Diablo), WOW is built from the ground up to be an immersive, multi-user, virtual world where everywhere you go you're surrounded by other people. GW feels to be more plot oriented than most MMOs.

As for the monthly fee - I wouldn't let it be a determining factor. You just went out and dropped $600 on a monitor, I could build my entire system for that much and still have no problem paying $15/mo.

Like everyone else says, they're both games (as are most MMORPGs) where getting to the level cap isn't so much a goal as it is a requirement for getting to high-level content.


One other thing - there's plenty of games out there in the genre, not just WOW and GuildWars but, if your friends are playing one of the games, that's probably the best reason to join in.

Well said.

Having played both and seeing they're both good, completely different games, I'd have to go with GW. The main reason in my decision is because there is no grinding in GW.....one factor I hate in any RPG. I'm also into the whole storyline schmere, it's actually interesting.

 

[Tron]

Last time I checked it took 10 days of play time to reach level 60 in WoW with help and that's the record. How 240hrs of play time is easy to you or anyone else who claims it must have a ton of free time.

GW looks cool but the instance thing doesn't do it for me.

Ohh and on the monthly fee. If you ever go to the movies and spend 2hrs and come out and say "That sucked" $15 for 30 days of entertainment is nothing.

 

[Netrat33]

Well true both game are different, but as RPGs...prefer Guild Wars waaaaay more. I haven't even used my first free month yet in WoW and I just don't care. Canceled it. Tired of walking walking walking walking. Story (none really) doesn't interest me. Guild Wars will have actual "endings" to your chapters that come out ever 9 months. Also feel like a part of an epic.

As to leveling up. Actually takes a bit to level up to 20. But you're looking for skills to use. You still get skill points to distribute (like say sword, markmanship, air magic so on)
So just because you hit level 20 doesn't mean the fun stops. Very customizable look, armor, weapons, strategies.

Instancing. So what. It's your own personal world that you can invite a couple of friends. I don't see the big deal. Feels more realistic to me than creatures just spawning up out of no where and just waiting to kill a "Boss" again because someone just killed it.

I say get both. You have 30 days on WoW to see (so think of it like $45 - $15 for the first month) and GW you can play at any time not worries about using your monthly fee.

Obviously though I'm leaning WAY over to GW.

 

[shadowbreaker513]

Tired of walking walking walking walking.

Only about 10 levels or so of actually walking everywhere. After that you usually have enough flight locations to have to barely run anywhere.

 

[naveed]

Also at level 40 you end up with a mount which makes it all extremely convienent.

 

[Hate_Bot]

WoW is fun, Ive played Guild wars, it doesnt feel like a MMORPG at all, if I want to play an half-mmorpg, id play D2

 

[shadowbreaker513]

Also hunters get Aspect of the Cheetah at lvl 20 which is a 30% speed boost but a penalty of daze on hit for 4 seconds. Druids get travel form at lvl 30 which is a 40% speed boost. And Shaman get ghost wolf at lvl 20 which is also a 40% speed boost (as if shammys needed anything else to buff them up)

 

[Ludic]

I prefer Guild Wars. The "no monthly fee" argument is a pretty good one, as I've talked to other gamers I used to be in a clan with, and they tell me they've played through WoW, and are waiting for Blizzard to add more high-level content (saying they don't add more quickly enough).

Levelling in GW is pretty easy for the first 15 levels, but getting from 15-20 takes more time than 1-15. After you hit 20, you still gain XP for skill points, AND you can change your secondary profession by doing the appropiate quest. You can change your secondary profession as many times as you want, allowing you to effectively learn every skill for every class in the game if you play it long enough with one character. (I can't imagine anyone who could actually put enough time/energy into the game to do that)\

I think the best thing about GW is that you aren't REQUIRED to play with other people to do the quests. You can attempt to do them solo (not recommended), or you can use henchmen provided by the game to help you out.

Overall, I'm very happy with Guild Wars, and I've been playing since the E3 for Everyone Alpha event at last year's E3.

 

[stelleg151]

Thanks everyone for your replies, gave me a really good idea, although both games sound like a lot of fun, because my friends are playing WoW, im gonna try that first, and then if I get bored of that after a month, I will switch to Guild Wars.

Thanks again, and keep giving input if you would like just for the general public, as this is a pretty educational thread to MMORPG noobs like myself.

You can't really compare the two games.

GW is like a single-player RPG that lets you play with other people (the popular comparison is Diablo), WOW is built from the ground up to be an immersive, multi-user, virtual world where everywhere you go you're surrounded by other people. GW feels to be more plot oriented than most MMOs.

As for the monthly fee - I wouldn't let it be a determining factor. You just went out and dropped $600 on a monitor, I could build my entire system for that much and still have no problem paying $15/mo.

Like everyone else says, they're both games (as are most MMORPGs) where getting to the level cap isn't so much a goal as it is a requirement for getting to high-level content.


One other thing - there's plenty of games out there in the genre, not just WOW and GuildWars but, if your friends are playing one of the games, that's probably the best reason to join in.

I only spent 450 on the monitor, not 600. But yeah after that my bank account is a bit slim and I need feel like I need to save, but I just learned you get the first month free so Im gonna go for it.

 

[Huan]

I feel lonely when I play GW..... You kill something look around smiling... Noone in site but npc's..... Just need the tumbleweed when your outside soloing...... I started playing Wow last week after messing with GW first... Heh, all I can say is WoW!! (( cheese ))

 

[AMDXP]

I feel lonely when I play GW..... You kill something look around smiling... Noone in site but npc's..... Just need the tumbleweed when your outside soloing...... I started playing Wow last week after messing with GW first... Heh, all I can say is WoW!! (( cheese ))

ROFLMAO

I know the feeling man.

In My poin of View its like this. Guild Wars has a Max Level of 20 yes but you can still earn attribute points which is kind of like leveling you become stronger and more powerful in your skill. You play in partys of up to 8 people I dont know the max limit but I play in 8 so far..... it changes from city to city. In WOW your in a virtual world and where ever you go there could actually be a person.... real people not NPC's....

Look at it this way.

GW

Pros

-Free
-Expansions Soon.
-Can play with eight people no constant walking can teleport.
-100 People Per City/ District
-Can Play PVP or roleplaying
-Storyline
-Addicting (Con or Pro)
-29.99 after rebate


Cons
-Can be lonely
-Stupid people sometimes
- Quest are from point A to point B


WOW

I'm not real sure on but from what I know

- CONS

-Monthly Fee.

 

[wfalcon]

Look at it this way.

GW

Pros

-Free
-Expansions Soon.
-Can play with eight people no constant walking can teleport.
-100 People Per City/ District
-Can Play PVP or roleplaying
-Storyline
-Addicting (Con or Pro)
-29.99 after rebate


Cons
-Can be lonely
-Stupid people sometimes
- Quest are from point A to point B

Not a bad list, but needs a bit more added to it:

GW
Pros
- Loading times are extremely fast
- 150 skills per class ensures you will be busy for quite some time

Cons
- Henchmen AI sucks - had a mage run over a hill and straight into a mess of Char...schmuck
- Not enough customization available at start - everyone's wearing the same clothes
- Can't really start a PvP char and expect to be effective without playing RP first

WoW
Pros
- Always people around in a massive world
- Variable armor drops and crafting seem to distinguish folks
- Dev team is constantly adding content

Cons
- Stupid people sometimes (esp. on Alliance general chat channel)
- Gankers are there to intentionally screw you (lvl 60 vs lvl 20s in Stonetalon anyone?)
- Occasionally laggy and server downtimes

I'm sure there's more I haven't though of.

 

[stelleg151]

Very nice with the pros and cons guys, really breaking it down better than any reviews I have seen. Of course at the same time this is terrible because the more I hear the more I want to play both of them.

 

[Diablo2K]

Last time I checked it took 10 days of play time to reach level 60 in WoW with help and that's the record. How 240hrs of play time is easy to you or anyone else who claims it must have a ton of free time.

GW looks cool but the instance thing doesn't do it for me.

Ohh and on the monthly fee. If you ever go to the movies and spend 2hrs and come out and say "That sucked" $15 for 30 days of entertainment is nothing.

10 DAYS! I must be doing something wrong, I play about 15-30 hours a week on average. (I am on Disability) and have only made it to lvl 51. I been playing sense about 2 weeks after the games release. My guild has several lvl 60s most of them also have alts they play now they reached 60. Even tho you get one charactor to max lvl does not mean you have done everything. there is so much to do in the game. At lvl 40 there are about 4-6 differant zones you can play in to lvl your charactor that is for alliance. I haven't played a Horde toon yet so taking that in to play also and you have even more stuff to do.

No, the game isn't perfect and I don't expect a game this big to be perfect, but I am happy with how things are going with the game.

I played GW during the E3 freebe last year and a little during the beta testing. I found the game a little sterile, not much atmosphere in the game, all the differant area's seemed like they all had the same type of terrain. I dont know how the game is now that it has been released but I didn't like it when I got the chance to play.

 

[bipolar]

What is more interesting to you -- teaming up with people to take out AI monsters, or teaming up with people to PvP? While Guild Wars has PvE, it is not the focus of the game -- once you hit 20, you're more or less pushed into PvP which is the focus of gameplay. It's fast paced, short battle PvP ... closet comparison imo is to TF:C with magic ... and in 3rd person

WoW is more PvE and gear oriented.

FWIW, I'm having a blast in GW at the moment. If you do most of the quests, the PvE is actually pretty extensive. I think my time played is about 20 hours and I'm only level 12. Lots of repetition in the monsters though ... if I ever see one of those scorpion things again, it'll be too soon.

 

[Ferris]

WoW is more PvE and gear oriented.

I wouldn't really say this is true at all. WoW gives you choices on what you want to do. You can go strictly PvE, but as along as you are on a PvP server you have the option to go PvP as much as you want. Battlegrounds will be released here shortly and put a much larger emphasis on PvP. The Honor System is already in place which is giving out rewards for PvP. I think this is what makes WoW unique. There is so much to do in the game and there are so many choices to make on what and how you want to do things.

 

[bipolar]

I wouldn't really say this is true at all. WoW gives you choices on what you want to do. You can go strictly PvE, but as along as you are on a PvP server you have the option to go PvP as much as you want. Battlegrounds will be released here shortly and put a much larger emphasis on PvP. The Honor System is already in place which is giving out rewards for PvP. I think this is what makes WoW unique. There is so much to do in the game and there are so many choices to make on what and how you want to do things.

OK, let me rephrase then.

The emphasis of GW is PvP and it shows.
The emphasis of WoW is PvE and it shows.
A satisfying experience can be had with PvP *or* PvE in either game. But if anyone doubts that GW's PvP is deeper and more fleshed out than WoW's PvP, I would suspect they've never played GW. There's just no comparison between them currently.

 

[Netrat33]

There is so much to do in the game and there are so many choices to make on what and how you want to do things.

All leading to absolutely nothing

 

[FluxCap]

All leading to absolutely nothing

Just like WoW, where you sit on your butt at 60 and wait to run MC over and over.

 

[Valen]

GW isn't really meant to be a heavy mmorpg like WoW. In GW you level quickly and start pvping, that is basically the whole premise of the game. Also, regarding the "monthly fee" you will still end up paying for expansion packs every 2-3 months. This is especially true considering the level cap is only at 20 right now. I'm willing to bet that in 3 months, they will bump the level cap to 25 and slap a nice $29.99 price tag on the expansion. This will basically force you to either continue playing your level 20 character or buy the new x-pack. So in the end, you're still paying a monthly fee - they just disguise it.

Personally, I was not very impressed with the GW betas - I thought it was way too linear for my tastes. There were some serious pathing problems (invisible walls), and the whole instance from instance thing was not very appealing.

Couple of things I did like: GW reminds me of an fps where I can just pick it up and start playing (a good thing) and the whole henchmen idea is useful for when you don't feel like being in a party with people who are braindead.

 

[FluxCap]

GW isn't really meant to be a heavy mmorpg like WoW. In GW you level quickly and start pvping, that is basically the whole premise of the game. Also, regarding the "monthly fee" you will still end up paying for expansion packs every 2-3 months. This is especially true considering the level cap is only at 20 right now. I'm willing to bet that in 3 months, they will bump the level cap to 25 and slap a nice $29.99 price tag on the expansion. This will basically force you to either continue playing your level 20 character or buy the new x-pack. So in the end, you're still paying a monthly fee - they just disguise it.

Personally, I was not very impressed with the GW betas - I thought it was way too linear for my tastes. There were some serious pathing problems (invisible walls), and the whole instance from instance thing was not very appealing.

Couple of things I did like: GW reminds me of an fps where I can just pick it up and start playing (a good thing) and the whole henchmen idea is useful for when you don't feel like being in a party with people who are braindead.

I recommend trying it again. I was skeptical to try it again after only playing beta 1 and beta 2 but I don't regret my decision now. It is a great game.

 

[bipolar]

I recommend trying it again. I was skeptical to try it again after only playing beta 1 and beta 2 but I don't regret my decision now. It is a great game.

QFT. I played in the first E3 preview and the last beta/preorder weekend before release and was pretty sure I wasn't going to buy the full game. The hype got to me and I picked it up and am very glad I did. Game really picks up post-sear, especially playing with people instead of henchmen.

 

[bipolar]

. I'm willing to bet that in 3 months, they will bump the level cap to 25 and slap a nice $29.99 price tag on the expansion. This will basically force you to either continue playing your level 20 character or buy the new x-pack. So in the end, you're still paying a monthly fee - they just disguise it.

As opposed to other MMOs, which charge you for monthly fees *and* expansions, GW is a bargain. There will probably be 3-4 addons per year -- figure $90-120 at the very most, if you *must* have all the add-ons.

Compare that to a typical MMO with a $13 monthly fee and 1-2 add ons per year (and in the case of EQ2, the online bonus packs at $5 or whatever they charge). $186-216+ per year to get all the content and play every month.

 

[Valen]

Yes, in the long run GW will still be cheaper than other mmorpgs, but not by very much. The expansions from the other mmorpgs are major expansions as opposed minor expansions that GW will offer. I'd say these expansions will be on par with a large patch, but I could be wrong!

 

[Netrat33]

Also, regarding the "monthly fee" you will still end up paying for expansion packs every 2-3 months. This is especially true considering the level cap is only at 20 right now. I'm willing to bet that in 3 months, they will bump the level cap to 25 and slap a nice $29.99 price tag on the expansion. This will basically force you to either continue playing your level 20 character or buy the new x-pack. So in the end, you're still paying a monthly fee - they just disguise it.

No your not. You can still play the game as long as you want. You just don't get new areas to explore or new skills to use. So they don't really penalize you for not getting the expansion. You got your 50 dollar game, maxed out exploring after 100 hrs of play, and then you can get expansions for new skills and areas or just restart the game all over again.

Repeat. You do NOT have to buy expansions to keep playing. You can even SKIP an expansion and just play the one afterwards. Of course though you don't get access to the areas of the expansion before it.

 

[Netrat33]

Yes, in the long run GW will still be cheaper than other mmorpgs, but not by very much. The expansions from the other mmorpgs are major expansions as opposed minor expansions that GW will offer. I'd say these expansions will be on par with a large patch, but I could be wrong!

The expansions actually will come out every 6 to 9 months are said to be the same size as the game. That is why I THINK it's going to be $50 for each expansion also. They are going along as they say in there FAQ: It's like building a deck in Magic: The Gathering. You can keep playing without expansions, but you just don't get all the benefits of getting more "decks" to challege with. But what you're saying is just you stating something without any facts or proof or...anything! Not just going to be a large patch. What everyone is playing right now is Guild Wars: Chapter 1 pretty much. Each expansion is to further the story more.

 

[Pulse]

I can't see what the big deal is about price...

Isn't it the gameplay involed that is king in the end? If I buy a game and play it for a few weeks and then go buy another and so on then I have spent a lot of $ on games.

I have only played WoW and not guild wars but I have no problem paying a subscritpion fee for a good game. MCO had a fee and I loved playing that.

 

[bipolar]

I can't see what the big deal is about price...

Isn't it the gameplay involed that is king in the end? If I buy a game and play it for a few weeks and then go buy another and so on then I have spent a lot of $ on games.

I have only played WoW and not guild wars but I have no problem paying a subscritpion fee for a good game. MCO had a fee and I loved playing that.

Agreed. "Hardcore" gamers buy about 6 games per year. At $50 per game, that works out to a $25/month gaming habit. If you play WoW for, say, 6 months and because of that only buy one additional new game, that is [$50 for WoW + $50 for Game X + ($13 * 5 months of WoW -- gotta consider the free month that comes with the game)]= $160, as compared to your $25/month game habit, which over 6 months would be $150+tax. Pretty comparable. And it gets cheaper for WoW after you've bought it -- you're amortizing the initial $50 cost of the game every month.

 

[Netrat33]

Isn't it the gameplay involed that is king in the end? If I buy a game and play it for a few weeks and then go buy another and so on then I have spent a lot of $ on games..

Well...I like playing lots of games. So beating a game and moving along works for me.
So many games so little time.

But as for GW, doesn't mean you can't keep playing or replaying with different characters. And you can forever play the PvP. You just don't get access to new areas, much like any other expansion pack you wouldn't get that access.

As to the "Gameplay is king"...well...the game is also a great game. That's where the "competition heat" has come about

 

[Ludic]

For the person who said 100 hours maxes out the game... I've played for over 150 hours so far, and I just ascended. Granted, I've done just about every quest available thus far, however, I've been going through pretty quickly... You'll definitely get your money's worth out of this.

 

[huxley]

well I think I am going to go play lineage 2...

 

[kamxam]

Personally i'm more into City of Heroes since they've been adding to it...6 years of all different types of fantasy games has left me burned out somewhat on them atm.
May try WoW again someday but aside from it's newness and the lore, it's a rehash of the standard fantasy game. (same with eq2, eq1, DaOC, ect)

 

[Netrat33]

damn double post *shaking fist* sorry

 

[Netrat33]

Personally i'm more into City of Heroes since they've been adding to it...6 years of all different types of fantasy games has left me burned out somewhat on them atm.
May try WoW again someday but aside from it's newness and the lore, it's a rehash of the standard fantasy game. (same with eq2, eq1, DaOC, ect)

You know, I can truly respect that opinion/thought process.

 

[kamxam]

Don't get me wrong, i love fantasy mmo's, but just tired of the glut of them atm. A few mmo's aren't fantasy, but they aren't exactly exciting with most of them ....