Strategy + Laddering with limited grinding

bomj

Looking for MMO game with the following. I would really like to buy something this weekend.  Dont think AOC fits my requirements.

Strategy

Limited Grinding (not like WOW to get gear)

Ladder System to see how you individually stack up to other players

Player Interaction

History or fantasy based (no sci fi)

Team or guild play a plus

Decent graphics

I have played Lotro, WOW, COH, COV and am bored with them.

mike470

Hmm, perhaps Guild Wars?

bomj

Does Guild Wars have an invididual ladder system and limited need to grind?

seiji331

team play is the biggest part of guildwars

pve really takes the backseat in this game

the highlight of it is the depth that the pvp in this game has to offer.

for example, theres no other mmo i have seen that uses spells solely used to interrupt other people's spell casts.  this is just one of many examples

as for ladders

yes, there are individual ladders, through an arena called the hero battle: however, this isnt about your individual character, but more about how you use him in addition to 3 npc's you control (called heroes) to win a game that is a combination of deathmatch/king of the hill.  its interesting, but at times extremely frustrating.

team ladders include GvG, and it is probably the most popular aspect of the game at this point.

 

warning, though.  this game is very hard to get a foothold into pvp at this stage of the game because of some reasons.. one being the playerbase: lots of elitists etc. discriminating players based on PvP rank, which is obtained through a sort of grind by winning a certain amount of pvp matches.  another being you need to unlock all of the skills:  theres an immense amount of skills so to begin playing effectively in PvP it can be tough to get started: however you can buy unlock packs for the skills you want, about 10 bucks per campaign in addition to 20 dollars for a pvp pack in case you dont want to bother with the PvE aspect of the game.

bomj

This sounds like grinding for gear in WOW. 

I really find it sad that with all the games on this site there is nothing new and interesting.I have been looking for a new game for 2 weeks now and not having any luck.  I wanted to purchase something for the long weekend.  I really dont want to buy AOC because im sure its just like everything else in this category.  These games all just seem to be clones of eachother with tweaks here and there.   90% similar and 10% in terms of game play.

Ok I feel better getting all that out.

Lydon

Guild Wars has almost no grind. 20 levels - can be achieved in a day. By playing Random Arenas for a day you should get yourself enough Balthazar Faction to unlock enough skills for a proper build too. You can check out PvXWiki for a list of awesome builds. Gear means almost nothing. You can beat another team naked if you feel compelled to, as long as you have the correct skills and know how to use them.  If you're worried about the time taken to get into PvP, I don't think there is a game out there that can completely eliminate this. One of course has to learn how to play properly. I personally found that as soon as I knew the basic ins and outs of Guild Wars I was ready for PvP.

 

If you find yourself a nice guild (there are many), you should be able to get into PvP pretty easily. Guild Wars boasts the fact that you can hop in and out whenever you want and actually advance, unlike many other games out there. ArenaNet host regular tournaments too. There is also the Hero Battle ladder which stacks you up against other players.

 

All in all, I'd say it makes a good match for the list of features you're looking for.

bomj

Thanks.  It sounds like a good alternative.