I found something to love about each of the areas. I could not decide which I liked the most.
This was my first beta experience with the game, and I played each race for as long as I could while allowing enough time to play them all amongst a weekend full of family events going on, so it wasn't much (each race to level 10 or so)
None of my impressions are from a calculation of resourses or anything, because I simply do not care about those numbers personally. My take is from a purely emotional standpoint, how each area made me feel through immersion and community.
I started with Charr and thought the area felt very raw and fast paced. I enjoyed the events and the teamwork that was going on, everyone was chatty and everyone was helping everyone. Lots of deaths as we learned, lots of rez's and lots of people sticking together as we moved through the hearts and DE's. I really enjoyed the area.
Then I made a human and fell in love DR and the thief class. I love the combat animations of the thief, and the waterfalls in the area. The hand painted look of this game is amazing to me, I'll take this art style over anything released in the past 10 years, easily.
Then I made a Sylvari and once again my jaw was on the floor most of the time. The area reminds me of my Ryzom days and the look and feel are excellent imo. the elevators, the water dripping from the plants, the jumping puzzles, the underwater areas, everything. beautiful.
Then I was onto the Asura, another area that felt very unique to me, extremely different. I loved the look and feel of this one as well, the golems and the whole techy feel... almost steampunkish... loved it.
Then I made a Norn and felt like I was in Midgard! The whole viking feel... I loved it. The scale of the buildings and the interiors. The forest, the caves, the snow... just ambient and wickedly cool.
I can't decide! Thankfully there's 5 slots because I will need to make one of each at launch.
Launch... seems sooooooooooo far away!!! I dont know how you folks have done this since BWE1... 32 or 33 days is going to be hard enough.
All 5 racial areas are outstanding and loaded with racial culture, history and natural enemies which is awesome and i love them all but like the OP my personal attunement and slight preference is with the human area..
One of my favorite aspects of older mmo's that seems to have gotten lost in most modern mmo's (not all but it seems most) is very different and unique racial starting areas.
I am so happy they did this here.
I just hope they don't and up doing away with it later, to consolidate new players into a single area or something, I hate that.
The auto scaling might very well rpeserve this awesome aspect of this game, I sure hope so. I'm definitely the type who loves to return to newbie areas and play after I reach higher level.
I myself triedd all the races the human area is easy to navigate and the fact its something we all have seen before, makes us more comfortable with the human race. the norn area wasnt too bad I didnt get far enough to explore the outer area, lvl 8
interesting.. human was my 4th liked.. followed by Charr. I think my favorite is tied between Sylvari and Norn in content and Asura and Sylvari in looks. I found the human areas to be bland. I guess to each their own!
I myself triedd all the races the human area is easy to navigate and the fact its something we all have seen before, makes us more comfortable with the human race. the norn area wasnt too bad I didnt get far enough to explore the outer area (lvl 8) the charr was a interesting area very wartorn and there seemed to be a lot going on, the citidel however is going to take some getting used to there dosent seem to be a syemmetry to the architecture which makes it a little confusing for some to navigate the city and nab all the waypoints and vistas its not like the other cities were I found my way around with ease. I like the fact that the charr is unique in there construction I eventually figured my way around the slyvari was a lush and rich environment freaking trees everywhere. the asura had some interesting things sadly I didnt have enough time to really explore the area.
Here's how I would approach rating these zones. The following are my personal ratings according to my preferences.
Environment/Atmosphere
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 10/10
Charr - 10/10
Norn - 10/10
Culture and Personality
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 8/10
Charr - 9/10
Norn - 7/10
Story
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 8/10
Charr - too little playtime to make a full assessment, tentatively 9/10
Norn - too little playtime to make a full assessment, tentatively 7/10
Cities (note: these are all 10/10 relative to cities in virtually every other MMO ever, but these ratings are my comparisons relative to each other)
The Grove - 9/10
Rata Sum - 9/10
Divinity's Reach - 11/10
Black Citadel - 8/10
Hoelbrak - 8/10
Racial Aesthetics
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 9/10
Charr - 9/10
Norn - 6/10
Quest/Event fun factor
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 10/10
Charr - 10/10
Norn - 10/10
I see absolutely no difference in the practical function of each zone thus far. I've leveled up perfectly fine in every zone I've played, never had a problem with money or transportation. So this simply cannot be a factor in my like/dislike of a zone.
As such I believe the overall order of my favorite starting areas would be:
The OP is looking at zones from a practical crafting/xp gain perspective. So leaving lore and story out of this...
I feel like that might have been bad luck/personal experience. My gf and I played together almost exclusively in the Asura areas in BWE3, and couldn't walk ten feet without tripping over a gathering node. I got myself to 77 Armorsmithing without any difficulty in a couple days. That makes level 25+ gear, as a reference point. heck, didn't even go out of my way to farm. just tapped nodes as I encountered them levelling.
Dropped crafting components were hit and miss. She got TONS of vials of weak blood; I was rolling in Tiny Claws. She had few claws; I had almost no blood drop. It's random.
LOL. You hit the nail on the head - I was thinking of crafting. I should have made it more obvious.
Your drop experience in the Asura area was like mine. Maybe the secret is that you should be a male in the human areas and a female in the Asura areas
I guess the game is much more random than I expected.
Human area was by far my favorite with the Norn area a distant second. I love how open the Human area feels and plenty of space to move around without feeling led down a traditional themepark MMO, unlike the Sylvari area which felt like I was back in a quest hub designed MMO.
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Since Sylvari and Asura were pretty much lagfests on the server I was playing on, I really only pregrossed Charr, Norn and Human. Of those that were playable to me, I think human had most detail. Second would be won by Charr over Norn.
Norn was good, but it naturally felt more empty, Charr was a bit better to my taste but YMMV. Still Divinity's Reach is something that everyone should experience. It felt more alive than any other city.
I liked the sylvari area the best, it felt like you were on an alien planet.
Heh, good point actually.
If I had to describe the racial areas, I'd say:
Human: your typical standard heroic fantasy setting.
Norn: Viking/nordic/celtic lore with the animal totems.
Charr: Steampunk ambiance.
Sylvari: Alien planet, really. You're not in Kansas anymore, you're on Pandora... err sorry, you're in CaldeonForest
Asura: This one is the hardest to define with just a couple of words... "Retrotronics" maybe? Or even "cyberpunk", the big geometric structures could remind you the Los Angeles of 2019 as pictured in Blade Runner, specially the Tyrell Building. I'd say "medieval cyberpunk"
Great descriptions! Although, I personally call the Asura area "Magitech". I do love the relate to Blade Runner, though. It fits.
I didn't care that much for the human areas because it was a lot of "been there, done that". My wife played Sylvari and I loved the "alien" feel to it. The limited amount that I've seen of the Charr didn't impress me too much....but that's not my thing. On the flip side, the limited amount I've seen of the Norn confirm to me why my main will be Norn. The biggest surprise for me though was the Asura. I loved playing an Asura (didn't think I would) and loved the "Magitech" feel of their area.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
What I did was go to Lions Arch as soon as possible, go to all capitals from there and then just swapped zones when I felt like it.
It is what I will do at launch most likely. If I start fo feel bored in one area just swap zones. And I think it's very good that all those areas are so different.
It actally means a lot when I do move to other zone.
As for what OP said I didn't calculate that much. For me when you have teleporting to waypoints it's all the same.
that's my list for starting area from best to worst
- norn
- asura
- charr
- sylvari
- human
I will have a Sylvari as a main though, the character are even better looking than i expected. Human are second best character! but the areas, it's an other story.
Comments
I found something to love about each of the areas. I could not decide which I liked the most.
This was my first beta experience with the game, and I played each race for as long as I could while allowing enough time to play them all amongst a weekend full of family events going on, so it wasn't much (each race to level 10 or so)
None of my impressions are from a calculation of resourses or anything, because I simply do not care about those numbers personally. My take is from a purely emotional standpoint, how each area made me feel through immersion and community.
I started with Charr and thought the area felt very raw and fast paced. I enjoyed the events and the teamwork that was going on, everyone was chatty and everyone was helping everyone. Lots of deaths as we learned, lots of rez's and lots of people sticking together as we moved through the hearts and DE's. I really enjoyed the area.
Then I made a human and fell in love DR and the thief class. I love the combat animations of the thief, and the waterfalls in the area. The hand painted look of this game is amazing to me, I'll take this art style over anything released in the past 10 years, easily.
Then I made a Sylvari and once again my jaw was on the floor most of the time. The area reminds me of my Ryzom days and the look and feel are excellent imo. the elevators, the water dripping from the plants, the jumping puzzles, the underwater areas, everything. beautiful.
Then I was onto the Asura, another area that felt very unique to me, extremely different. I loved the look and feel of this one as well, the golems and the whole techy feel... almost steampunkish... loved it.
Then I made a Norn and felt like I was in Midgard! The whole viking feel... I loved it. The scale of the buildings and the interiors. The forest, the caves, the snow... just ambient and wickedly cool.
I can't decide! Thankfully there's 5 slots because I will need to make one of each at launch.
Launch... seems sooooooooooo far away!!! I dont know how you folks have done this since BWE1... 32 or 33 days is going to be hard enough.
All 5 racial areas are outstanding and loaded with racial culture, history and natural enemies which is awesome and i love them all but like the OP my personal attunement and slight preference is with the human area..
Playing GW2..
One of my favorite aspects of older mmo's that seems to have gotten lost in most modern mmo's (not all but it seems most) is very different and unique racial starting areas.
I am so happy they did this here.
I just hope they don't and up doing away with it later, to consolidate new players into a single area or something, I hate that.
The auto scaling might very well rpeserve this awesome aspect of this game, I sure hope so. I'm definitely the type who loves to return to newbie areas and play after I reach higher level.
I myself triedd all the races the human area is easy to navigate and the fact its something we all have seen before, makes us more comfortable with the human race. the norn area wasnt too bad I didnt get far enough to explore the outer area, lvl 8
interesting.. human was my 4th liked.. followed by Charr. I think my favorite is tied between Sylvari and Norn in content and Asura and Sylvari in looks. I found the human areas to be bland. I guess to each their own!
I myself triedd all the races the human area is easy to navigate and the fact its something we all have seen before, makes us more comfortable with the human race. the norn area wasnt too bad I didnt get far enough to explore the outer area (lvl 8) the charr was a interesting area very wartorn and there seemed to be a lot going on, the citidel however is going to take some getting used to there dosent seem to be a syemmetry to the architecture which makes it a little confusing for some to navigate the city and nab all the waypoints and vistas its not like the other cities were I found my way around with ease. I like the fact that the charr is unique in there construction I eventually figured my way around the slyvari was a lush and rich environment freaking trees everywhere. the asura had some interesting things sadly I didnt have enough time to really explore the area.
the human starting are lacks water combat , in the asura/sylvari your 2nd or 3th heart is water combat....
in the human area there isnt any DE in water until later on (10 ish? )
+ centaurs everywhere
Here's how I would approach rating these zones. The following are my personal ratings according to my preferences.
Environment/Atmosphere
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 10/10
Charr - 10/10
Norn - 10/10
Culture and Personality
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 8/10
Charr - 9/10
Norn - 7/10
Story
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 8/10
Charr - too little playtime to make a full assessment, tentatively 9/10
Norn - too little playtime to make a full assessment, tentatively 7/10
Cities (note: these are all 10/10 relative to cities in virtually every other MMO ever, but these ratings are my comparisons relative to each other)
The Grove - 9/10
Rata Sum - 9/10
Divinity's Reach - 11/10
Black Citadel - 8/10
Hoelbrak - 8/10
Racial Aesthetics
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 9/10
Charr - 9/10
Norn - 6/10
Quest/Event fun factor
Sylvari - 10/10
Asura - 10/10
Human - 10/10
Charr - 10/10
Norn - 10/10
I see absolutely no difference in the practical function of each zone thus far. I've leveled up perfectly fine in every zone I've played, never had a problem with money or transportation. So this simply cannot be a factor in my like/dislike of a zone.
As such I believe the overall order of my favorite starting areas would be:
1. Sylvari
2. Asura
3. Human
4. Charr
5. Norn
LOL. You hit the nail on the head - I was thinking of crafting. I should have made it more obvious.
Your drop experience in the Asura area was like mine. Maybe the secret is that you should be a male in the human areas and a female in the Asura areas
I guess the game is much more random than I expected.
Human area was by far my favorite with the Norn area a distant second. I love how open the Human area feels and plenty of space to move around without feeling led down a traditional themepark MMO, unlike the Sylvari area which felt like I was back in a quest hub designed MMO.
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Since Sylvari and Asura were pretty much lagfests on the server I was playing on, I really only pregrossed Charr, Norn and Human. Of those that were playable to me, I think human had most detail. Second would be won by Charr over Norn.
Norn was good, but it naturally felt more empty, Charr was a bit better to my taste but YMMV. Still Divinity's Reach is something that everyone should experience. It felt more alive than any other city.
Great descriptions! Although, I personally call the Asura area "Magitech". I do love the relate to Blade Runner, though. It fits.
I didn't care that much for the human areas because it was a lot of "been there, done that". My wife played Sylvari and I loved the "alien" feel to it. The limited amount that I've seen of the Charr didn't impress me too much....but that's not my thing. On the flip side, the limited amount I've seen of the Norn confirm to me why my main will be Norn. The biggest surprise for me though was the Asura. I loved playing an Asura (didn't think I would) and loved the "Magitech" feel of their area.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
"Magitech" would be the word I was looking for - good one !
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
- PANTERA at HELLFEST 2023
No way
sylvari has the best area hands down
this ^^
I liked all starter areas, I loved the variety in lore and landscapes we have in Tyria.
But my favorites are Norn and Human. Divinitys Reach is absolutely astonishing.
I loved the Charr starting area the best, the Black Citadel is truly impressive!
I thought all of the starting areas were nice and varied. I actually prefer the Norn area slightly more than anywhere else.
For cities, nothing can beat the Black Citadel in my opinion.
What I did was go to Lions Arch as soon as possible, go to all capitals from there and then just swapped zones when I felt like it.
It is what I will do at launch most likely. If I start fo feel bored in one area just swap zones. And I think it's very good that all those areas are so different.
It actally means a lot when I do move to other zone.
As for what OP said I didn't calculate that much. For me when you have teleporting to waypoints it's all the same.
that's my list for starting area from best to worst
- norn
- asura
- charr
- sylvari
- human
I will have a Sylvari as a main though, the character are even better looking than i expected. Human are second best character! but the areas, it's an other story.
Not that it matters much - you can make a Sylvari, and easily head to Lion's Head and then to the Norn area as soon as you leave the introduction
One of the strengths of this game.
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
- PANTERA at HELLFEST 2023
I think Queensdale was the worst of all 5, I liked the Sylvari much more.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
My sentiment exactly!
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