Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Newbie here, with his lame newbish questions
Goronian
Member Posts: 724
So... I was thinking of trying EQI, since the new batch of MMOs couldn't hold my interest, but I was actually told, that VG is worth playing, if I'm into group-oriented game, with some older-style gameplay. Is VG worth a shot then? Are there any people actually playing it now, can I get into a group? Things like that.
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
Comments
I liked Vanguard on played Isle of Trials though, will be picking it back up again soon.
The only thing about Vangaurd is its client is fussy on what hardware it runs on, sometimes its good, mediocre or in my cas hard work.
I put up with the problems though and if youget past that its a good game.
It runs just fine on my rig (already tried the trial a while ago). I'm more concerned about the community and the game itself.
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
VG is a near dead game....very few still waste time there. At least on the FFA server where I still have a guild but very few from my guild play there.
Beware the players generally know more about the game than the people who work for the game and some of that VG staff can not be trusted. Play at your own risk.
PIRATE LORDS
Hello, i started the game couple of days ago and well atleast raki and halflings staring areas are quite empty
few persons there and here but theres no really need of big grouping in starter areas dont know about
later in game and im at eu server. have to say its enjoyable game tho for a change of disasters.
cheers
One thing VG isn't is a PvP game. It's very much PvE oriented, so of course the FFA server will have a handful of people. I've heard numbers as low as a few hundred on at prime time.
To the OP: if you want more people, choose Seradon or Xeth. And yes, if you like group-oriented, older style gameplay, then VG is definitely worth a try.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
grouping at lvl 40+ is pretty good. groupinfg from 20-40 is pitiful unless you bring people with you or know people already here. VG community tends to be very clannish. If you havent been here all along then good luck breaking into the more respectable guilds.
Some new people have tried starting guild for true newbs to the game but they are openly laughed at and ridiculed in the ooc channels and elsewhere. Guilds like "Nooberific" (yes its a silly name) claim to have near 200 active accounts but the churn rate is pretty high.
In addition the current "free play time" for accounts closed within the last 60 days will soon end at the beginning of July. So expect the population to drop more once all the free time players are no longer there.
I played VG when it first came out and really enjoyed it quite a bit as at the early levels it seemed to be fairly well developed. Unfortunately for me I sort of lost the thread around level 30 and struggled to progress or retain much interest. This was partly due to the lack of content at the time and the fact that many of the people that I had been playing with left the game.
I eventually stopped playing but without a doubt the game has a lot going for it and they have certainly worked on it since the release to add more content and develop the game.
There are worse things you could do with your time and money.
EQ1 us a harder call. I played it when it came out also and played for many years including high-end raiding and it was a lot of fun and met many great friends. The problem now is that unless they have introduced some way to bypass the early levels you are going to spend a lot of time alone leveling up. I do understand that they are looking at releasing a 50/51 server where you start at level 50 with 51aa points to help get past that bump.
There certainly isn't a game out that has more content to explore and more things to do so EQ is a great game in that regards but it is a MMO and with out other people to play with you are probably going to get bored so make sure that you hook up with someone in the game to make things more fun.
There are two problems for me, which are especially painful in modern MMOs - I don't have friends interested in them. One plays on LAII freeshard and wants nothing else, one plays barely-woking F2Pees and his PC struggles to run GW, others simply don't like MMOs. My girlfriend is willing, but she isn't really used to keyboard-mouse combo, so playing WITH her can be painful.
So it's extremely important for me to hook up with people IG - something modern batch can't really provide me, because people motly play in already established groups. That's why I initially wanted to try VG and EQI. Is it even possible in VG at this state?
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
First, "respectable guilds" means what? And whose respect are they getting? And does that respect really matter if you're just interested in getting a group together? I would think numbers of similar level members would be more important to grouping than whether a guild is "respected".
Second, it's not hard getting into established, older guilds. I joined the Knights of 3305 within a couple weeks of starting VG.
I have never seen this happen. Not once.
Can you give me numbers or a source for the churn rate claim?
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
Of all the games out there today if you are looking for group oriented and a bit more challenging gameplay VG is definitely worth a shot. In my opinion you have really hit the strongest points about vanguard.
---
Ethion
Of all the games out there today if you are looking for group oriented and a bit more challenging gameplay VG is definitely worth a shot. In my opinion you have really hit the strongest points about vanguard.
Hm... It's worth a try. Trial is free, I have some free time...
Thanks for all the answers. One last question, though, should I look for guild/people on forums, or is it easy to do in game? Most games have this differently.
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
I've had good luck with pickup groups in the past. Playing now on the trial things are definitely hopping. I'm gonna be running my character to the mainland next so we will see how it is. Based on the experience I have had with people in the isle I'm guessing there will be quit a bit of action on the mainland as well.
---
Ethion
VG has a guild "finder" in their social panel. You can select what criteria you're interested in (things like family-friendly, raiding, casual, etc), and it'll show you guilds that match those criteria and are looking for members.
I used a combination of the guild finder, asking around in chat about good guilds and the forums.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
Of all the games out there today if you are looking for group oriented and a bit more challenging gameplay VG is definitely worth a shot. In my opinion you have really hit the strongest points about vanguard.
Hm... It's worth a try. Trial is free, I have some free time...
Thanks for all the answers. One last question, though, should I look for guild/people on forums, or is it easy to do in game? Most games have this differently.
Please report back and let us know how you found the game to be.
Ack'
If your gonna post something Bodeus then at least base it partly on the truth and not your twisted opinion. Yes the game has some faults, as do most MMO's but your post was utter rubbish. VG is known for its community which is both polite and helpfull. As a returning player thats had a very enjoyable month back i find little difficulty in finding groups,yep, might have to wait on some occasions but it depends where. Hunters league quests never a problem. Veskalls exchange there were 13 players as of ten pm last night ( Sunday) and I got a pick up group within a couple of minutes of logging on. Yes Molly, some of the original starting areas are pretty deserted as most now opt for the Isle of Dawn and as each class has a different area generally, there are few peeps there. I enjoy the game. It still has numerous faults and would benefit from more polish, but the rubbish thats posted really makes me wonder. I truly believe that a lot of the bile is from people that have not played, or certainly not played recently. As always, try it yourself for a proper opinion.
Rubbish huh. Ok Ill post screenshots and chat logs. And Ill NOT hide any of the names. Gimme a few days.
I dare any of you who claim that the population is great and that groups are easy to get at any level to log on Xeth or Seradon right now with me (PM me and we can swap names) and get a PUG group going for the level range 20-40.
I'll wait.
In my opinion, Vanguard is the best PvE MMO available. I've played many, and haven't had this much fun since EQ1.
Vanguard can be group-centric with many dungeons and certain quests requiring groups to complete. Find a group is not difficult, but as with any MMO, sometimes you'll need to be the one to look at the LFG panel and see 5 others looking for a group for the same quest/dungeon and be the one to form them up. Region chat is also a constant scroll of chatter and people looking for groups or looking for more to join groups... this is another effective way of group. Region-chat is restricted to continents, so you one see chat in Thestra if you are on Qalia.
The populations are very good between levels 1 through 30 and 45 above. There is a drop off between 31 and 44 and because of the size of the world, a 100 or so people in that range can actually be pretty thin. The community of Vanguard is one of it's greatest strengths, a lot of EQ1 vets and people that enjoy the social interaction of grouping.
If you try it I hope you enjoy it. If you start of on Isle of Dawn it will be crowded and many of the folks there are just trying the free demo and are not indicative of the Vanguard community. But there are also a number of veteran players that have created toons on IoD to serve as guides and help the folks trying the game out for the first time.
So far, I'm really enjoying the core game, the variety and the depth. The fact, that you can only waddle on the Island in trial is kinda bad, but I can live with it. What bugs me, is that people IG seems to imply, that I'll play solo most of the time, even with a decidedly non-solo class, because of the sparsity of the game. Unless I bring people along, which is quite impossible.
Is that true? I'm on Seradon (I think I typed that one right) right now and I see a lot of people on the island, but I don't know a thing about the mainland. Should I waste my money on it?
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
Yes. On mainland is more than enough people. Economics is ok. Mainland quests is more deep, challenging, complex and fun than on trial island.
There's a noticeable difference in the number of people around on the trial island versus the starter areas. The trial island is tiny. The mainland is gigantic. You'll definitely notice a drop in the number of players around you depending on where you go.
I've mostly soloed to level 23 so far, but I enjoy soloing and exploring a lot. When I did need to group up, it wasn't too difficult to find one. There are quite a few people running around atm. Lots of LFG for all kinds of dungeons and quests. This is in Thestra, so I'm not sure what Qalia and Kojan are like.
If you're wanting to group the entire time, you'll probably be disappointed. There's just not enough people in the game to support that kind of a setup unless you join a guild that has similar level toons. If you don't mind soloing and grouping for the dungeons, then it's worth trying out.
At worst, you'll end up not liking the mainland and be out a few bucks. At best, you'll find a game that rocks your socks.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
There's a noticeable difference in the number of people around on the trial island versus the starter areas. The trial island is tiny. The mainland is gigantic. You'll definitely notice a drop in the number of players around you depending on where you go.
I've mostly soloed to level 23 so far, but I enjoy soloing and exploring a lot. When I did need to group up, it wasn't too difficult to find one. There are quite a few people running around atm. Lots of LFG for all kinds of dungeons and quests. This is in Thestra, so I'm not sure what Qalia and Kojan are like.
If you're wanting to group the entire time, you'll probably be disappointed. There's just not enough people in the game to support that kind of a setup unless you join a guild that has similar level toons. If you don't mind soloing and grouping for the dungeons, then it's worth trying out.
At worst, you'll end up not liking the mainland and be out a few bucks. At best, you'll find a game that rocks your socks.
Thing is, I don't mind solo all that much, but I would still prefer to play with a group at least 30-40 percent of a time. Does anyone knows if ot changes at later levels (befor cap, that is)?
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
There's a noticeable difference in the number of people around on the trial island versus the starter areas. The trial island is tiny. The mainland is gigantic. You'll definitely notice a drop in the number of players around you depending on where you go.
I've mostly soloed to level 23 so far, but I enjoy soloing and exploring a lot. When I did need to group up, it wasn't too difficult to find one. There are quite a few people running around atm. Lots of LFG for all kinds of dungeons and quests. This is in Thestra, so I'm not sure what Qalia and Kojan are like.
If you're wanting to group the entire time, you'll probably be disappointed. There's just not enough people in the game to support that kind of a setup unless you join a guild that has similar level toons. If you don't mind soloing and grouping for the dungeons, then it's worth trying out.
At worst, you'll end up not liking the mainland and be out a few bucks. At best, you'll find a game that rocks your socks.
Thing is, I don't mind solo all that much, but I would still prefer to play with a group at least 30-40 percent of a time. Does anyone knows if ot changes at later levels (befor cap, that is)?
From what I've read, it does change later on, especially from 40+. Solo content becomes less frequent and small group/group quests become the norm.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
Nizur is exactly right. I have been playing for the free time on my account and have been enjoying it. My previous main character is a level 31 Psionicist but I quit playing him about 2 years or so ago. For this time around, I started from scratch and played a Dread Knight through the trial island.
There are a lot more people running around the island at any given time than you'll see grouped together on the mainland simply because the mainland areas are so large. Having said that, most of the quests have been soloable, which is fine by me. When I get to the parts of a quest that need a group, I have not had too much of a problem. Sometimes there is already a group doing the part I need to do and I just join them, or I start whacking away at the mobs in the area until someone else shows up and we go in together.
On less popular quest chains, though, you may have a harder time finding help. I've got a couple of quests that I haven't been able to do yet. On the other hand, I didn't have any problems at all finding some help for the Hunter's League armor quests. Overall, grouping seems to be becoming more required as I level up. I'm going to go ahead and pay for a couple of months and see how it goes.
Hm... I see how it is. I'll hang around on trial island, until the end of it, and the, quite likely, will join.
I hate WoW because it made my plush hamster kill himself, created twin clones of Hitler, punched Superboy Prime in reality, stared my dog down, spoiled my grandmother, assimilated me into the Borg, then made me into a real boy, just to make me a woman again.
I play on Xeth and usually do not have too much of a problem finding groups. Of course it also depends on the class you are playing. It can be a bit difficult finding groups when you are playing a support class. Whereas tanks and healers often find themselves groups a bit quicker.
I have been successfull on Xeth by going to Veskalls after the trial island. I understand that QA Riverside is another good place to go after the trial if you are looking for an easier place to find groups. Note that this is 2 areas of the 4 or 5 you can go to at this level. Shows that the game can really support a much larger community at the early stages than it can at the later. Later stages or higher levels only give you a few places to go to whcih ends in lots of camping etc... However, since the actual server pop is fairly low it is a good thing now.
The one major thing to do is pay attention to the global chat as you are coming up in levels. Look at who is looking for groups and where. Ask around when they use terms like TK group or VT group or some other acronym. That will give you some idea as to where you need to be working to. Where you want to go for those levels.
Also, if you get a PUG. Try to work on group centric quests. There are generally a few of them in various areas and you can bounce from continent to contenent and do these solo quests while looking for a group to do the others. Veskalls is a good place to pick up some quick levels and there are lots of higher level characters in the area. You will get some drive by buffs as you go through there as well. Which will make the soloing more palatable.
When you get to your mid teens. Head to QA Riverside and start doing the solo quests while working on the quests for Hunters League. THe first couple of the Hunter League ( HL ) quests will be below your level but, you usually run into someone either doing them or looking for a group in various stages of doing them.
This should get you into your 20's. Once that is complete head to Trendalls Keep ( TK ). I have been picking up groups in there a lot as well. It is obviously better during the peak hours. If you do not find a group by advertising LFG. Start advertising LFM and start a group. You will get a lot of takers on it and there are some re-occuring quests you can do in there to pass the time.
Note one thing about TK though. You will likely run through most of this quest chain multiple times. There are I think 6 major parts to the quest chain. It takes some time and from 4 to 6 it gets EXTREMELY difficult until the late 20's and a goud group mix of players and classes who KNOW how to play.
That is more than enough strategy to last you a while in the game and give you a good enough base to get started on being a VG vet.
Say hello, To the things you've left behind. They are more a part of your life now that you can't touch them.