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Just downloaded WoW Trial
Johnhost
Member Posts: 146
I come from EQ1 where I had my first kiss. Then dabbled in EQ2 and really now just fed up with SOE and figured if you can't beat WoW then join em.
But before I buy this low poly game I got some questions.
- WOW has been out as long as EQ2. EQ2 and EQ1 especially have horrible in game economies. Added to this fact is RMT which SOE has embraced now with open arms. Is WoW's server economies any good? I am sure plat farming is rife, I am sure there is tons of illegal RMT, but how is it over all?
- Since I am anot a big fan of the graphics, is there any non-stat reason to play the game? I mean the environments are ok, very colorful, but the character models seem pretty basic. Will I see armour I have equipped and will I look cool?
- I am far from worried about becoming addicted to this game...I highly doubt if it's worth £10.00 a month. But just in case it is...what should I expect for time commitment?
- Is this solo until end game then raid crap? Or can I expect good dungeon crawling groups?
- There is no in-game housing like EQ2, but what non-combat stuff does WoW offer?
- I don't usually PVP
- My happiest time in an MMO was the early days of EQ1. How does WoW compare to it? And given the massive population would I actually see ninja looting and camp checks once again?
- Is this game kids, leets or just normal people? Seems there is some debate on this.
Comments
You'll get tons of answers to your questions, but none of them will tell you what you want to know because they will all be opinions of others. The only opinion that matters is yours. Give it 10 days and then you decide whether it's worth continuing on. You won't really know from 10 days what the end game is like, but if you enjoy it for 10 days, maybe you'll enjoy it for a month or 2 until you get to end game and will find out for yourself what that's like. The game is so inexpensive now all you really have to pay is the monthly fee. You get one month free for purchasing the game and it's barely more than the cost of a monthly subscription, so you have nothing to lose. Play it and decide for yourself.
I only have 1 suggestion and that is to not go into the game with any preconceived notions about the game. You've already read too much about the game. You already have some preconceived notions about the game. If you don't have an open mind about the game going in, you're not giving it a chance.
Before installing the game just go peruse the official forums for awhile. That may make up your mind for you:
forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html
1. The economies on most realm are pretty stable. Most transactions take place in the auction house (auction house takes 5% cut from sale price though most people dont realise this) . Amongst all the crap written in trade channel you can use that too.
2. Yes. Eech tier level of each class has its own unique look. www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/items/armorsets/
3. Achievement system and the usual things like professions (the 2 you select + fishing, cooking and first aid) and dungeons and raids. Daily repeatable quests (dailies) take up a lot of time for people. Dailies are a good way of making money. You can also grind reputations for rewards. Plenty of quests available even once you're max level and then they give more gold since you dont get xp anymore.
4. I just dont understand the "everything is solo" or "everything is grouped" mentality of EQ players. Yes, you can solo all your way to lvl 80 or you can do instances along the way. Up to you. Doing instances while levelling is not as popular as it was when I first started (mid 2005) but people still do certain instances.For alliance theres dead mines, scarlet monastery, zul'farrak, maraudon and sunken temple that are still regularly done on the way to lvl 58. You can even get groups for Blackfathom Deeps, Gnomeregan, Razorfen Downs and even groups for Blackrock Depths in the low to mid 50's. Some of my best memories of WoW are doing instances like Dead Mines (goonies ship), the stair event in zul'farrak, inner maraudon and seeing princess for the first time, the sheer massive, sprawling dungeon tha is Blackrock Depths. A whole massive city done as a 5 man with many different aspects and styles.
What I found is if you get all the quests for an instance beforehand, get a group and clear it you get a LOT of xp plus gear. Maybe even more than if you just spent your time solo'ing.
5. Hmm, only professions, exploring, playing the auction house (using mods like auctioneer etc). Occasionally Blizzard has events like brewfest that involve non-combat stuff. Darkmoon faire etc. So not a lot.
6. Make sure not to create a chacter on a pvp realm
7. Only played EQ1 for 3 hours one afternoon and went back my my fps of choice so I dont know. Normal (PvE) realms are definitely better for community than PvP realms. Less ninja looting and people who do that will tend to get bad reputations whereas on PvP realms people will just laugh and cheer, or be indiferent at best, at people who ninja loot. Yes, there are immature people on every realm, even PvE realms. The majority of people who play are friendly and helpful, unfortunately its the obnoxious minority that stands out. If you're prepared to ignore the idiots (and trade channel chat) and find friends and a decent guild then it is easy to enjoy yourself.
8. Theres kids, leets and normal people. I dont understand the thinking that everyone who plays WoW fits into one of those categories. I've found the kids the easiest to ignore, the leets are more of a problem on PvP realms.
Look for a normal realm that isn't overpopulated
But if you're just going to compare WoW to EQ and complain about the differences theres no point in trying WoW. Theres plenty of other EQ players who try WoW with a closed mind. If you think WoW is crap before you even start playing then nothing is going to change your mind.
A great many players from EQ1 moved to WoW, myself included. Some of the game designers were very high profile members of the EQ1 community : Furor / Tigole etc. EQ1 was my first regularly played MMORPG too, and it too took me a long time to come to appreciate Wows art style and deceptively accessible gameplay.
Eventually - after letting your preconceptions fade, you will realize that, Blizzards art direction / gameplay systems / interface simply wipe the floor with EQ and other MMORPGs.
That the perceived 'depth' of older MMORPGs actually pale in comparison to the amount of real choice you have in WoW. Of course most people here will disagree with me, and I respect their opinion, but pity them for it. This is just personal opinion, and advice from one EQ1/2 vet to another.
World of Warcraft IS the true sequel to EQ1. Like EQ1, it's grown from strength to strength while other MMORPGs try and fail. It is the epitome of MMORPG genre right now - much to the distaste of many, but enjoy it now while it lasts - the developers of the games you used to love had deserted you, embrace Blizzard... join us... it is... your destiny!
Still waiting for your Holy Grail MMORPG? Interesting...
I play wow for the time being as well... but comparing EQ1 to wow is like apples and oranges.. EQ1 is way more indepth... I play wow for the time being as i am enjoying the WotLk at the moment... but i am ever seeking a game that is sandboxy... If Mount & Blade was a MMO I would be there... that is the type i wish someone would make... but EQ1 and wow similar... thats a HUGE NO
1. Realm economy depends on the realm. Inflation has hit the older realms hard, which can be really bad (if you want to craft and buy materials) or really great (if you want to farm materials for selling). Most newer realms have ok economies still, as people don't have millions of gold stored.
2. Armour shows and many sets look really great, and you have the option to hide cloak and/or heat gear if you think your current ones look silly.
3. Time commitment is up to you. It's fully possible to have some progress at any level by playing solo for 30 minutes, while instances and raid can keep you occupied for 3-4 hours several evening per week.
4. You can solo all the way to level 80 and through some equipment and wealth quests, but you can also spend time in instances and raids before 80. I have several friends playing tanks and healers who decided to level almost exclusively in instance groups to get a lot of group experience before end-game.
5. Crafting and harvesting, exploring (gives achievements), seasonal events (more achievements), some really cool and unconventional quests. Roleplaying on the RP realms if that's your thing - note that the first zones are not representative of the RP on the realm though, so get to 40 or so and look for RP guilds.
6. Stay away from PvP realms. You might want to try out Battlegrounds though. A lot of people who don't normally PvP find them great fun.
7. The biggest difference is that you can solo all the way, and there's no real penalty for dying. I remember having much more adrenaline pumping when playing EQ and Lineage II than I ever have had while playing WoW.
8. All kinds of people. Staying away from the official forums is greatly recommended for your own enjoyment of the game, though the European class forums and Professions forum have some really good guides worth checking out.
Note: responded without reading other replies, to avoid being influenced by those. ;-)
Edit: if you'll be trying out the European version, Terokkar and Azuremyst are the newest realms (both PvE). These have a younger economy which is easier on the crafter (and not so luxurious for the gatherer). You'll likely find more new people starting out on these as they tend to have the "Recommended" tag.