NOT a GW Player - Should I start playing? Please respond.

Hello all,

I was curious what the community here thinks the state of the game currently is. I am an ex-DAOC player (hardcore player, I might add) that moved on to WoW. Played WoW for about 18 months and got sick of it. Same old PvP battlegrounds, same old arenas, same old shit basically.

I've been sticking to non time consuming games for the past year, FPS's and such, but am itching to start "role playing" again. I want to build a character again, I want to customize and change my specs and master a class again.

I rented Elder Scrolls for PS3 last week and it basically got me going on the whole MMORPG again.

I've looked through a few threads here, noticed some players saying the game is dieing, less people are playing, etc.

So I'm asking for all of you, the GW community, to reply to me. Is this game worth purchasing and playing? Which chapters are worth buying? Have I missed the glory of this game, and just wait for the next big thing? (ie. Warhammer or something).

I'm mostly PvP oriented, I'm slightly more then a casual gamer (now anyway) and I just want to know how varied, customizable and overall FUN this game is. How big do actual Player vs player battles get(I've read 100 vs 100?). Just tell me a bit about the game I cant read on any website, because we all know,the players know the truth about the state of the game.

I'll be viewing this thread over the next week or so and then I'll make my choice. I'm grateful for any feedback you guys can give me.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. My brother is considering playing as well. How is duoing? Is it more of a group vs group game, or can a serious duo kill 4,5,6+ players like in DAOC and WoW?

This is VERY team based in PVP. You can't expect to solo an experienced group, no matter how good you are. Alone, you'll get swarmed and you'll die quickly. Degen, conditions which stop you attacking, hexes which damage you for every spell or every attack and items meaning very, very little in the outcome of a battle. It takes a good team to beat a good team.

The game isn't dying; it's expanding. 4 chapters, people spread across many outposts for different reasons at different times, districts. You'll also need groups for PVE. This is where heroes/hench come in.

Heroes are customisable hench (NPCs that you can take to fill the gaps in your party, or make a complete party with) that you get in the third campaign, Nightfall. However, 3 out of the 4 games are standalone, with Eye of the North being the only expansion.

Someone as heavily orientated in PVP in any game as yourself should look into buying all the games. The skills gain greater use over the games but some are bound to a campaign.

For PVE and learning the game, Prophecies is a good place to start. Although you'll be wanting Nightfall for the heroes eventually.

Factions leans more to the PVP side of the game with the Kurzick and Luxon split.

There aren't 100v100 man battles... although that would be awesome. The largest battle is a 12v12 alliance battle. You need the Factions campaign for this. It's three 4man teams on each side (Kurzicks vs Luxons) for territorial grounds.

It's a fun game, especially if you have all 3 campaigns and the expansion as you'll have all the skills to use and all the different features each campaign provides.

Definitely worth playing.

First off .. I am 38 and have been playing games for 18+ years .. and this is the best game I have ever played ... I have logged almost 5000 hours in the 2.5 years since release (I know that total astonishes even me...)

The PvE is very good ... however quite different than most diablo/wow type games. It is not level or equipment based .. you get max level quickly and there aren't as many many good items to get as in other games. It is more team-strategy focused .. how do I properly build my team to beat the next quest/mission?

What really makes the game, however, is the 8v8 team based pvp ... by far the most fun I have ever had in front of a computer .. it is deep, engaging, and fantastically fun. That's where this game blows away any competition (in fact there is no competition even close...) The PvP is very structured - 8v8 for the main PvP areas (though 4v4 and 12v12 each has an arena) so you and your brother would need to join a guild.

So I recommend the game enthusiastically ...

HOWEVER ... the best part of the game (8v8 team-based pvp) is definitely dwindling. There are still plenty of players and it is not difficult to get a team and a game .. but there's not an ocean of players/teams/guilds to choose from like there once was.

Still I would highly recommend buying .. like I said it's the best game I have ever played. Just be prepared that if you plan to do the PvE campaigns ... the focus is different than the WoW that you are probably used to...

One of the best games I've ever played too, I'm more PVE than PVP, unless in FPS, but seeing how UT3 is so bad, all the more time for GW's

?: It's been out for 2.5 years, damn, I had no idea, damn you UT2004 for taking up my time

I bought GW's & EOTN in late August 2007, I read similar comments and found not as many people on as I expected, but I think that was because it was summertime, as the nights grew shorter, the towns got busier & busier I plan to get the other 2 expansions asap, after Christmas though in case someone gets me one as a pressie, no doubt I'll get Xmas socks and I'll have to buy them myself though.

In answer to the first part, I'd say - Yes you've "missed the glory" of this game. But, I would have to mention that I have over 5400 hours into this game and I've pretty much "been there, done that". So I may be a bit jaded.

At any rate, it seems to me that they've made so many small changes to the game over the years, that now the game is watered down compared to what it used to be. I think when they first started off, the game was closer to a real RPG - it took some time to get to level 20 (the max level) and it took some effort to do even the primary game. Now, I think, in a effort to attract more of the younger game-console crowd, the game takes a lot less time and effort to get to level 20 and there's "green" weapons everywhere, and PvE skills that any class can use. It's like playing with the cheat codes ON. But, considering that it's "free to play on-line", ANet's main concern is to sell copies of the game, not provide lengthy on-line play.

In response to the PvP aspect of things, I'd have to point out that Guild Wars is not like WoW (for example). The PvP aspect of the game is basically separate from the PvE side. There is no PvPing while out exploring the PvE environment. Or to put it in WoW parlance - everything in GW is "instanced". You don't run into other characters you may need/want to fight while exploring/questing. Instead, you go to separate PvP arenas to fight. You can even buy just the PvP part of the game.

Your best bet (as usual) is to get hold of a trial key somewhere and try it out first.

Prophecies is the original game and is the longest of the three but the slowest paced. The core skills you can unlock are almost a must if you want skill options for pvp.

Factions is the must have if you want to pvp more than anything else. It gives you the 6 core classes plus assassin and ritualist and also the most options for pvp play. It is the shortest of the games and you advance to max level the quickest.

Nightfall introduces two more character classes and customized heroes. If you want to play without having to join up with other people you will want this game as well.

Don't let the level 20 cap deter you as the game really begins at that point and you have to use skill and strategy instead of brute force. If your brother and you both have the game the two of you can probably get through most content using heroes and henchies.

As far as the game dieing, as darkobra said, the players are spread out over 4 chapters, various districts and outposts so while the towns may not be filled to capacity there are still a lot of people playing this game.

Hope you have fun with the game!

[QUOTE=Arexate]Hello all,

I've looked through a few threads here, noticed some players saying the game is dieing, less people are playing, etc.

QUOTE]

The funeral was a few months back. Wait for something else.

Wait for GW2 if you want to play GW.

You can go to the online store and buy the PvP part of the game only if you wish, however I would recommend buying Guild Wars: Factions if you want a little of both. The Roleplaying in Factions is also closely intertwined with the PvP so i consider it the best choice.

get a trial key first before you do anything

it may be hard to find a "serious" guild since you're brand new, but first thing you wanna do is get on a newbie friendly team so they can teach you the ropes of pvp play, map layout, mechanics, etc. then once you get your feet wet and learn common skills used, counters, teamwork, etc, try and get in a top 100-250 gvg guild / top HA guild. from there you will be addicted until you get sick of the game or drama

in all honesty, i do think you're coming a bit late to see gw in all its glory (pvE-wise) but i dont think it's too late to compete. but take the trial first. imo gw is not as "free" as a true mmorpg (there is no jump button ) BUT, a serious duo CAN rape in pve...not so much in pvp.

the good thing arenanet does though is mess around with pvp mechanics everyonce in a blue moon, just to keep people on their toes.

as far as campaigns, get the trial, see which gameplay you like better (pvp or pve) and base your decision on that. and if you're "itch" is for the grind that comes with most mmorpg's....this may not be for you. the grind and character spec'ing is stretched across your account, not per individual character. you'll get what i mean when you hop in game for a bit.

you will probably get addicted. and you will probably get bored in a year or 2. but you will have a ton of fun if you find a good group of people to pvp with...and you might actually win some $$

Thanks for everyones feedback.

Is there any way to get a free trial, the only trial I've seen is on Fileplanet and you gotta signup.

Again, thank you.

Everyone who's purchased Nightfall has a free trial key. Find a friend who's got one.

My bad didnt look a few posts up..

Although catching up will be hard, this is a great time to start playing

Find a good guild too.

It's not free, but you can get a trial disc for all 3 campaigns at Gamestop for $1.99...

And this game is a lot of fun. As for missing the Glory...it may be that way in PvP, but I don't really know how people are saying that you missed the glory of PvE. PvE is the same it has always been, and for new players the, water-cooler moments will still be glorious...

Its fairly certain me and my bro will be purchasing Nightfall. I figure with heros, and our previous MMORPG experience we should be able to do most of the PvE fine on our own. As for PvP...we'll work on getting into a good guild.

Final question from me in this thread:

Does anyone know if your GW characters will transfer over to Guild Wars 2 when it comes out? I havent read anything about it, and I've searched through a lot of GW info or the past few days.

Thanks again for everyones feedback.

Merry Christmas, Ill be seeing some of you soon I think

We'll, the main things you accomplish item-based will be on GuildWars 2, not 100% sure about characters though. I assume so though.

Characters from the original Guild Wars will not be directly transferring. However, accomplishing things and obtaining high-end items will translate to benefits of some sort in GW2, though we the community have no clue what those benefits might be.