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Help me decide: WoW vs EQ2 vs WAR
Hi folks. With the holidays upon us, I'm looking to return to the MMO scene and have 3 titles on my mind, that seem to be maintaining at least moderate success and populations. I own WAR and WoW, and have played to EQ2 Trial in the past.
What I'm looking for (in order from most important to least):
- Immersion
- PvP
- Character customizability
- Solid PvE
- The less feel of grind, the better
- Good Population
See my experiences with each game below:
WoW:
I played WoW for years and truly enjoyed the experience. However, this was during my early MMO experience, and I became burned out on the fact that the game was centralized around carrot-on-a-stick PvE & Item grind. As with a lot of MMO players, I began to desire more PvP, and less gear grind. The game is extremely polished and it's been at least a year since I've touched it. I'd consider going back, but would most likely start fresh with a new character and do it all over again.
+ This is one of my top 3 options due to the great success the game has achieved, and the awesome immersion/polish it has.
- I do NOT like raiding, so the fact that WoW is centered around raiding is a deterrent.
WAR:
I played WAR for a few spurts in the past year, never really being drawn into it enough to get above the beginning of T2. On paper it seems like a great game, but I was just never able to truly become attached to a character, and always found myself playing something else after a week or 2. If I'm convinced, i'd definitely be willing to give it another whirl and stick with it longer.
+ The is one of my top 3 options because the game is built around PvP, one of my main concerns in a game.
- Although the game has attained a reasonable amount of polish, the immersion just feels like it isn't there.
EQ2:
I played the Trial. It seemed like a fairly polished game, but I never gave it a chance at purchased the full retail version. Therefore, never got to experience PvP, etc. I basically got a feel for the quest system and UI, which I both enjoyed. Leaning towards this game at this point.
+ This is one of my top 3 options because I have read that the immersion is there, the PvP is there, and the character customization is there.
- I am slightly concerned about population as it is the lowest of all 3 games, but it is promising that they continue to release new expansions.
While keeping my interests in mind, which of the 3 do you think I should play, and what are your reasons?
Thanks in advance.
-Daelyx
Comments
Well Warhammer Online is built around a PvP realm vs realm model so if its PvP your after then thats probably your ticket. WoW has reasonable team vs team and some battlefields but as your no longer interested in WoW (i.e. burnt out ) probably not your cup of tea.
EQ2 like WoW has the significant problem that PvP was bolted onto a PvE chassis. Have you thought about other PvP centric games like Darkfall or Age of Conan (with its FFa servers)
Gadareth
To the OP: when you say you are interested in PvP, what type of PvP are you looking for?
Hell hath no fury like an MMORPG player scorned.
As someone who was hooked on WoW for several years before finally getting burnt out and moving on to EVE, I would say If you decide to come back to WoW you should probably wait for Cataclysm and start a new character to see the changes.
Thanks for the quick response. Yes, I have played Darkfall most of this year, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it's got way too much of a grind for me. The grind is just horrid in that game, and considering the fact that the PvE/questing is so bad at this point, it just makes it that much worse. I may return one day, but that day is not today.
I played DAoC and loved it back in the day. Unfortunately, the whole part of DAoC where the community has accepted that you must either have a 2nd account or play x,y or z class to solo PvP without being gimped is just weak. It disgusts me that the players on their forums seem to think it's ok/normal/not broken. If they fixed that, I would go back in a heartbeat.
Warhammer is indeed one of the top 3 options for the PvP. However, The game lacks in 2 of my 3 top needs; character customization and Immersion (i'm not sure why, it just doesn't feel very immersive... maybe because the world feels so small??). I hate that if you want to play x race, you can only choose from 4 races.. and if you want to play y class, you must pick z race. Thats really too bad, but I understand it as they are following an IP.
Anyone out there that can explain the 3-faction PvP system in EQ2? Isn't it like Good/Neutral/Evil or something?
Keeping your interests in mind it really narrows down your list quickly without needing to look very deep into the games.
Warhammer has very lackluster pve and the population is plummeting. Some fun pvp can be had, but it is a real crap shoot and most often will not be what most would look for.
EQ2 has very lackluster pvp much the way warhammer pve is bad, but only worse with the aa system. Which by the way makes the game rather grindy for me. Filling up experience bars is a cheap fix to add "content" to a game and personally I found to much of the game just break the immersion feeling I was hoping for.
Wow is the only game that really meets the majority of what you are looking for.
To be honest I don't know what you are looking for in customization options. Skills? Looks? Class roles? I think you will find a combination of all of that in eq2/wow, but almost none in warhammer. For example EQ2 might have the edge in appearance, but wow has better class flexibility and customization.
EQ2/Wow are both carrot on a stick raid centric end games, so you might find a lot of similarities in their end game. I do think wow gives a lot of other options that EQ2 does not for end game. PvP in various forms. Non raid mechanics to obtain raid gear. New cross server dungeon system to fill out groups quickly. Even the raiding can be done casually in 10 man groups.
That is my opinion.
Preferrably something other than instanced-only. WoW was pretty good after launch when there was a lot of open-world PvP, but the rewards/reasons for that have diminished with cross-server BGs. I have had fun in WoW's open world PvP still, but it seems like it's turned into grind x BG for y hours to attain z item... I suppose I could just ignore those goals and PvP to PvP. I'm all about having as much open-world PvP as possible. Occassional non-consensual PvP is a must imo.
Another HUGE negative for WoW... I only have the original copy... So what, I will need to buy 3 xpacs to get achieve the whole game?
Can you expand on EQ2 vs WoW in the PvP department? I was under the impression that more open-world PvP was to be found in EQ2 due to the 3 factions.
Also still wondering what the most economical way to catch up on expansions is... Thanks.
None of them. Play DDO.
Don't know about War never played it.
WoW - Played for a couple months at release. Was put off with the cartoonish look of the game but still had decent game experience. Was subscribed to EQ2 and WoW. Canceled account to WoW and moved to EQ2.
EQ2 - Liked the graphics better than WoW. Eq2 was much more group centric than WoW at release. Eq2 was not a PvP game at release and PvP was implemented later. When PvP was implemented developers made sweeping changes to classes. Pissed off a lot of the player base and the subscriptions fell off to the point the servers were merged. If you really want to get low down on PvP read the boards.
I stick with Eq2 and work on my own. Love the self mentoring they just implemented on Dec 10th update. Content never greys out now and adds a new dimension to game experience. Eq2 has ~8000 quests, 300+ collections and a ton of fluff to keep one occupied. The full game with all expansions is 20 bucks now and a new expansion is due out in Jan.
I'm a little embarassed to say it, but I've played all three this year.
I started in EQ2 back at release, only lasted 3-4 months, but came back perhaps this year in January? I spent a few months in game, pulled a new character to about level 70, and burnt out. The PvE moved exceptionally fast, and was a very fun experience, it looked solid, felt polished, and I enjoyed. The lack of any kind of enjoyable PvP though was what killed the game for me. There was absolutely nothing that I liked about it, but, it's not what EQ2 does best.
After that, I dove into Warhammer, and did love my time in game, maybe 4-5 months. There seems to be a cycle, as to what side has larger numbers. It's obviously more enjoyable to be on the "winning" side, and getting rolled non-stop stinks. My issue, once I hit lvl 40/rr 55, is that I wanted a few other characters. I had a 2nd toon in the low 30's, and a few others in the 20's, the problem was that I just could not stomach the PvE anymore it was so brutal. It just wasnt fun in the least, from my point of view. It's also what caused my friends to drop the game, and when they left, it made things far less enjoyable for me. I missed DAoC when it came out (was still playing UO and loving it) so this was my first experience with RvR, and I enjoyed that.
Last week I signed up again for WoW. Last time I played was pre-TBC, and I enjoyed the game then, but found it extremely raid-centric. Obviously I'm assuming that it has it's place again, but I really am enjoying the polish, and starting completely anew, different server, different faction and all. The game polish is evident, but more than anything, I enjoy the hybrid of the PvP and the PvE. The PvP isnt near as good as WAR, but it's solid, and the PvE doesnt feel quite as good as EQ2, but when you put the two together, it's a pretty unbeatable combo.
From my point of view, if I was recommending, I'd easily recommend WoW for the hybrid PvP/PvE, the non-grindy feeling (at least early again, there are so many places I can go quest) and the population. I'd have a hard time recommending EQ2 because of the poor PvP, and that you'd have to find the "right" server to make sure you'd have a good population. Warhammer, yeah, I'd have a hard time recommending it right now, just because of the PvE, the cycling of population, as well as the lack of populated servers.
It really is hard to argue with WoW these days. I know folks hate it, but it does have something that appeals to different playstyles, and it has a level of polish that you dont see often. It may not be the best MMO out there, but I'd like to believe that it offers plenty.
But doesn't DDO's PvP = fail? Like you go to 1 room and brawl or you duel? That's it?
Thanks for the in-depth response. Why didn't you just completely avoid the PvE content of WAR?
Wow is designed for pvp in that the classes are somewhat balanced and designed for pvp combat with each other. Wow also has several variations on equal strength pvp combat encounters. Battlegrounds with 10 to 40 player teams fighting over objectives. Depending on the encounter you might have tanks and other vehicles to drive around, turrets that spit fire bombs, walls/doors to smash down or flags to capture. Lake wintergraps is I think 100 vs 100 with several types of combat vehicles and a large castle to siege. The walls need to be broken down at several places to win. Arenas where teams of 2,3,5 can compete in ranked tournament style play. On top of the normal world pvp that happens on pvp servers.
My experience with EQ2 pvp is limited, but here is what I can share. The game isn't designed to be a pvp game and isn't balanced in terms of pvp as a result of that. There isn't really any pvp content like other games and the alternate advancement systems makes pvp a real nightmare for new players, because you will encounter characters your own level that you have no earthly chance of defeating and old players seem the enjoy this.
As for your economics, eq2/wow are going to need expansions. EQ2 I think sells everything in 1 box for maybe $40? Wow you will need to bargain hunt. Lich king will run about $40 (30 if you search hard enough) and a battlechest/burning crusade will run you another 10-20. You won't need the expansions until you are close to level 60 as they don't really have content for level 1-60.
If you want to reactivate your old wow account for 10 free days here is a link to a resurrection scroll. 10 days free
If you're burned out on WoW switching to WAR or EQ2 is not going to help. You still be grinding gear and pushing buttons.
You need a radical change to allieviate your burn out. Try real life golf or bowling for a couple of years. Come back to the genre after that.
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
WoW is for kids, solo play, mostly raids
EQ2 is for the older crowd, alot of solo, and raids
WAR is older crowd and PVP, RVR, Big PvP battles
all are alot of fun
Funny
Play WoW; great PvP, even as a soloer. With new Cross-realming there is less hazzle with making groups. I would go back if it were'nt for the graphics.
EQ2 felt incredible dead. All the times I tried to play it. Noone around = no immersions.
WAR: well many bugs and lots of running. Stay away from this too.
Good luck!
Make us care MORE about our faction & world pvp!
But doesn't DDO's PvP = fail? Like you go to 1 room and brawl or you duel? That's it?
Well, I hate to tell you this, but EQ2's pvp is fail, and the entire game of WAR is fail.
WoW, ok, a lot of people like it, but I just find it far too hard to play when someone who has been playing for 4 years comes up and 1 shots you. Of course, the BGs are a good distraction before you get 80. However, at 80 PvP is hugely in favor of those who've been playing 2-5 years. You could certainly get there with a years or more worth of work, but I doubt that is what you're looking for.
The grind in WoW will put you to sleep, and lower your IQ, if the community doesn't first.
Hell you might as well stick Allods in this convo
You basically have a problem in that you want PvP and PvE to both be equally good. PvE is pretty easy to do and WoW and EQ2 and LotRO do an excellent job of that and any would be a good choice if you looking for a lot to do and explore. Vanguard is also a very good PvE game but unless you have Sony station pass isn't really suitable for most because of the very limited population.
With PvP there are basically two kinds of people. The people that like to kill people and the ones that hate being killed and when the two meet you get a mess of "noob" and "griefer" with accusations of like of balance, ganking, etc. As has been mentioned some games have simply bolted PvP onto the game as a side show (LotRO for example) and others have centered their game around it with various degrees of success and interaction. Within PvP there are two broad catagories with Free For All and consensual PvP being the two main camps. Some games such as WoW offer PvP designated servers where you can freely PvP outside of the agreed areas but these do not seem to be as popular with the WoWers. Consensual PvP mainly consists of either arranged battles or limited battle areas where somewhat balanced teams can fight each other. The idea being here that there is some sort of ehonor in PvP as opposed to games that operate on a more Kill on Site (KOS) style such as Eve Online.
I won't say that PvP and PvE simply don't mix well because it probably can it is unfortunately the players that don't. PvE players really, really hate being killed by someone especially if the higher level is basically invulnerable to them and hardcore PvPers take the view that if you are dumb enough to go out alone and vulnerable then you deserve to get eaten up by the big bad wolf.
Right now Aion calls itself a PvPvE game but your opening statement about grinding would probably eliminate it as the game does require some effort to get the level cap also as a relatively new game it has limited content so is less immersive as an older more mature game.
I would say your best choice is to go back to WoW but roll up on a PvP server. Good luck.
But doesn't DDO's PvP = fail? Like you go to 1 room and brawl or you duel? That's it?
Well, I hate to tell you this, but EQ2's pvp is fail, and the entire game of WAR is fail.
WoW, ok, a lot of people like it, but I just find it far too hard to play when someone who has been playing for 4 years comes up and 1 shots you. Of course, the BGs are a good distraction before you get 80. However, at 80 PvP is hugely in favor of those who've been playing 2-5 years. You could certainly get there with a years or more worth of work, but I doubt that is what you're looking for.
The grind in WoW will put you to sleep, and lower your IQ, if the community doesn't first.
In wow, there is nothing useful that people have from years ago to make them any better at pvp except experience. Anyone can get a decent set of pvp gear in a couple of weeks and get a really good set in double that time. All the while being competitive.
People who have played wow for years don't get magic 1 shot abilities on new players, let alone have any useful items that are more than a few months old and anyone else has access to.
You talk about lowering IQs after giving out this type of information?
Age of Conan FTW
WAR is as good as dead right now. The population is dwindling, the game is still imbalanced and riddled with problems. EQ2 is kind of fading into Oblivion in its own right... That leaves WoW which is still growing and active. WoW also has another Expansion coming up which will rechange the entire landscape of the game... so play now because this will be the last time you can enjoy old WoW.
As for some of the other games people have mentioned, Age of Conan is faring no better, the pvp is horrible imo and the content is pretty limited. To many servers had to be merged to get that game to succeed, and the GMs are pretty corrupt. I would mark that game off as being dead in a year. DDO is a f2p game that was dying, fundamentally the design is flawed and if you are a fan of D&D, you should be appalled at how Turbine ruined the franchise.
EVE is still going strong and worth playing if you are into that kind of game. CCP/White Wolf are planning on patching EVE with a new engine that will also include DirX10 graphics and a better looking space n planets.
To be honest, the best choices out for mmorpgs right now are obviously WoW, Aion and EVE. Personally i would go with WoW, you really cannot go wrong with that game and its still receiving lots of love and attention. Lots.
ADD: check up on the new changes made for PvP in WoW's next expansion. Basically you can earn arena type of rank in PvP battle grounds so you dont need to rely on arena for certain gear, there will be weekly battleground shifts for certain events, and the developers really want to spark back the Horde vs Alliance world fighting again. There will be 3 new battle grounds with the next event and some regions for pvp events as well. Also items have been simplified for certain classes so there wont be bickering over "lewt", unfortunately it takes a bit away from the art of balancing gear sets (meanign they want to lessen the micromanagement), which is a form of dumbing down the game.... but it does balance the classes a bit. I personally like micromanagement, too many dont though. =( go figure.
But doesn't DDO's PvP = fail? Like you go to 1 room and brawl or you duel? That's it?
Well, I hate to tell you this, but EQ2's pvp is fail, and the entire game of WAR is fail.
WoW, ok, a lot of people like it, but I just find it far too hard to play when someone who has been playing for 4 years comes up and 1 shots you. Of course, the BGs are a good distraction before you get 80. However, at 80 PvP is hugely in favor of those who've been playing 2-5 years. You could certainly get there with a years or more worth of work, but I doubt that is what you're looking for.
The grind in WoW will put you to sleep, and lower your IQ, if the community doesn't first.
Join RP-PvP servers. Preferably Defias Brotherhood (EU). Very good server.
Make us care MORE about our faction & world pvp!