Weighing in

Hello all, I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of switching my game to GW. I have been playing WoW for 5 years, and it really is time for a change. I am not expecting GW to be some welfare gear game like WoW has become, I am not the typical WoW fanboy or anything like that. So if you guys could give me some insights on to why specifically GW is better, it would really help me make a decision.

I dont think GW is necessarily better, its different.

There is less focus on gear, the max gear is available to all financially, all other armors are for aesthetic purposes only, although it might take you a while to afford the most expensive vigor runes but, although nice, they're not essential even.
Level 20 is max, you will not get more attribute points then at that level ever, skills are the main focus and acquiring all the good ones will mean playing through the game and getting access to all of them means buying all instances of GW, Prophecies, Factions & Nightfall.

GW has very little necessary grind, you can grind for days on end if you wish to and there are some benefits to it like getting access to certain PvE skills but again, they are not necessary to be able to complete the game.

I'd say at the current prices, try the Guild Wars Trilogy and give it a go, I'm sure you'll find as many people saying 'WoW is better' or 'GW is better' if you look around, the real question is if you'll enjoy it and nobody can decide that for you

Oh, forgot to mention this but you can try GW for free, just go here:
http://www.guildwars.com/freetrial/

Tijger covered just about everything, but I will add a little more.

GW is not a D&D based game. If you have ever played or read about Magic: The Gathering card game, then that is more the basis. Skills are the most important part of GW. Learning to use the most effective skills for the area in which you are playing is key to enjoying the game. It is also a team game, whether you play with real people or use henchmen/heroes.

As you can see GW is nothing like WoW so comparing them is impossible. Play the trial and see what you think (although beginner area is not the real game). You can also check out the wiki for information on specifics http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page or come back here and ask more questions.

Hope to see you in game.

P.S. Nothing says you can't play both at the same time. GW has no monthly fee and no penalties for casual play.

Only you can decide if GW is "better". As said above, it is definitely different. Give it a try.

Yeah, yah can't really compare them....

apples to watermelons and all that crap.

-ex Ret pally

I'd also like to ask... why "switch?" Since GW is free to play, you can play both it AND WoW if you want.

My experience with WoW was limited to the free trial, but that wasn't enough to hook me in the slightest. In comparison, I was addicted to Guild Wars in the first 3 hours that I played it.

In terms of game-play I know quite a few WoW players that have switched to GW and like it more. I also know a few WoW players who tried GW and didn't like certain aspects (like that there was no z-axis movement, no persistent world, and one told me he didn't like it because there were just too many different skills and types of skills) , so it really is gonna depend on what you like. After 5 years of WoW, you may find you have come to expect a certain playing experience which GW will find hard to match. However, if you play GW for what it is and understand why it is the way it is, I think you'll find it quite enjoyable. Good luck with your decision.

Let me add my 2 cents:

The graphics and "look" of GW is much better than WoW (IMO). The graphics in WoW are more in the fantasy vein like you would find in certain types of fantasy literature or art, and they are done well in that sense. But I prefer the more realistic look of GW.
Also, from what I've seen of WoW (I played for a few months & got my Mage to level 60), there is no real choice in the look of your armor - if you want/need a certain set of armor, you are stuck with how it looks, whether that's green shoulders and purple cloak, or whatever. The armor and "look" of your character is much more customizable in GW - there are no 'special' sets of armor with better stats, so what ever armor you like can be made to have the stats you want. Also, there is no cost to change your "stats" or repair your armor or weapons.

There is no 'crafting' in GW - in the WoW sense of crafting.

Most of WoW is designed to be solo-able. In GW, although there are solo builds to do various areas, the game is designed primarily to be done by a full party. However, in order to still be done 'solo', there are henchmen and heroes that can be used to fill out a party when there are not enough humans.

It really comes down to - as others have said - GW is different. Give the trial a work-out. Maybe you'll like GW, maybe you won't - I don't give a flying *bleep* either way!

Well, yeah, you could pay for both Satellite and Cable too, but most people would "switch" to one or the other.
Since WoW is a pay-per-month game, it doesn't make financial sense to keep paying for it if you're not playing it (enough). But WoW, like GW, does keep your account and characters around, so you can always go back to it, if you want. Don't get too hung up on the word "switch" - it's not a permanent thing, you can "switch" back and forth.

Well for one it would save me 15 bucks a month to not play WoW. I also am just sick of WoW all together. I hate the new expansion with a passion, and I just am so bored with the game as a whole.

In my opinion, appearance and strategy. GW looks a lot better. Also, the 8 skill bar system is just a WONDERFUL way of forcing players to prioritize and strategize skill synergies. Don't be overwhelmed though, the game is forgiving until the higher levels and will allow you to explore and ultimately play how and what you want to.

I played GW first and love it still. Played WoW for about a month before I got incredibly bored with it.

Hope GW works out for ya =).

Another thing is having only 10 hours of trial time is a bit tough to work with. It's not much time to maybe find a helpful guild that can provide you with helpful information, or time to really get into much of the content.

10 hours is plenty of time....

I myself got up to Yak's bend on my first run through.

That's 2 areas worth of content. A few dozen quests and a few "missions".

and if you run out of time but are still not satisfied....just do another free trial under a different email address.

I know what you mean....

I am having a difficult time choosing a pair of classes/profession what have you. Was wondering if anyone would be willing to chat in game, or on vent or something for some help.

well you can't chat in game on a trial account so I suggest looking around: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/f...splay.php?f=17

GW differs from WoW on many levels and whether or not you will think the differences makes it a better game depends solely on how you personally like things.
If you are ready for a change (seems you are) and doesn't mind spending a few bucks on a new game, I suggest you give GW a try.

Also, what secondary profession you have can be changed at any time once you reach a certain point in the game. So it's not a big deal what you pick to start with. Just pick something you like to start with, and if it ends up being a "bad combo" you can change it later.

One of the nicer features of GW with respect to characters is that you should NEVER have to re-roll a character (baring silly reasons like that you wanted to not complete a certain quest, or have a different name, etc.) So whatever secondary/primary you chose can easily be adapted to different settings (in fact the game was designed to promote skill and adaptability). A lot of WoW players complain about the low level cap in GW, without realizing that the game is generally INTENDED to be played by lvl 20 characters. Everything prior to lvl 20 is pretty much considered tutorial anyway.

At this point, GW is so inexpensive to purchase that you could get all the content for the cost of 3 months of WoW subscriptions (or less), and unless you really hate the play experience, you'd get far more than 3 months of enjoyment from it.

Maybe it is the lack of knowledge, maybe it is the thought that it may never hook my like WoW did. I don't know why but I just cannot seem to get into the game. I actually have an account with the first 3 campaigns. I just for some reason cannot stay online for more than 5 or 10 minutes. Anyone have AIM/MSN/YAHOO who can shoot the shit for a bit about GW?