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Guild Wars 2 or Elder Scrolls Online? Or another MMORPG?
So me and my friends are trying to decide on another good MMORPG to play, and decided that although free ones would be nice, the pay to play ones might have better quality (with the exception of the pay to win ones) I ve heard that ESO is very average and not worthy, but it seems like the creators put time into exploration and stuff and I think it might be pretty fun. GW2 had a lot of hype around it years ago when it was about to be launched, but I was never able to get it so I don t know how it is. I especially want to know whether the community is dead or alive (or near-dead) in these games, the economy, and the content. Thank you so much guys!
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Don't know much about how ESO is doing so I'll be only able to answer a bit about GW2.
Right now its live and kicking. It keeps adding changes here and there, the living story is still going on and the community is nice and friendly. With the megaserver system pve maps should never be empty and there is always someone joining you on the events.
The thing is, gw2 have many things different from the standardized wow-esk mmo system and I think that is the reason why it has such a solid playerbase. That also is the reason why for other players this game just doesn't cut it.
I think that the game is a good money investment but just don't expect much at the end if your a hardcore raider ~
As for pvp, well, the world vs world is fun for some and mindless zerging for others. And as for spvp the lack of other battle mods other then conquest is really hurting the pvp scene, but at least Arenanet is adding new rewards and systems and they seem to care somewhat about it.
For a long time player there is little to do in the game, at least in terms of challenge but I can't blame the game because I've spend way more time then I should have on it. The positive thing is that there is something always going on with the game. It just depends if it is your cup of tea or not.
My advice would be to buy the game, because it is fun. Joining a good guild that is helpful to new players is also great.
Gw2 was good for the money I payed for it, still have good amount people playing it, as endgame pve pretty much is not dead just very short, content not as big as other mmo if you can deal with that, if you like pvp you can get a few month worth of pvp befor get bored.
But all mmo is pay to win at some level, just how much you can deal with it befor you end up not playing it at all. For me I play rift as I question some stuff they do at times but still mmo I stick as I played many mmo they fall short keeping me happy for long.
Eso not know to much about it, seem doing pretty ok over the mess they had not sure how there doing now.
ESO at endgame is currently in an absolute mess. PvP is still filled with zergballs who do nothing but lag the server, Veteran Ranks are still present until Update 7, and class balance is terrible.
The 1-50 leveling experience in ESO, however, is absolutely phenomenal and definitely destroys any other MMO's 1-endgame experience. Once you reach the much-maligned Veteran Ranks things start to go downhill though. Thankfully they're being removed in Update 7 as Phase 4 of the Champion System, which should be sometime in March.
About the population, ESO seems to be *slightly* more populated than GW2. Both are doing very well but ESO seems to have a little more dudes running around.
I'm both an avid ESO and a GW2 player but for Christmas I'd say go with GW2 until ESO gets its act together, which should hopefully be in March.
You say another? So you must have an idea what you want out of a game. I would still suggest you relook at what you want though. A co-op based game may be appropriate for example. Only then though would I consider what irritations / limitations the payment model..
Take LotR: excellent "old world, real mmo" type feel to it, unobtrusive cash shop push - which can easily be removed. Very polished and finished; money behind it for a long time. Nominally SWTO is the same type of payment model - but its totally different in reality and the finish that LotR has is not there either.
And that could be said for GW2 and TESO as well. The latter isn't as "finished" yet. Maybe it will be in the future after the console launch perhaps.
And when it comes to payment model you can try GW2 for a single payment for not much more than the price of a TESO sub. Same goes for a lot of b2p games titles - they usually fall in price after launch e.g. Destiny.
What you want first; payment model second. Popularity and age are the things that tend to drive quality and polish rather than payment model.
GW2 - looks pretty but had the feeling of penned in like a wild animal.
ESO - looks pretty and probably better tbh the lighting is fantastic, did not have penned in feeling, plenty of space to explore.
I like both for what they are but ESO for me is the better deal and at least great changes are always happening and a major one within this next 4 weeks or even 2 is it now :O woop woop can't wait.
Gw2 vs Eso
dynamic events ... vs ... best storie based epic quests
no progression beyound max level ... vs ... lots of progression
best graphics and annimations ... vs ... good graphics with decent annimations
Non trinnity ... Vs ... Trinnity combat
CD based combat ... Vs ... Resource based with non CD combat
GW2 also has competitive instanced PvP... While both games have a form of RvR PvP
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)
Dont forget to add that ESO requires a monthly subscription while GW2 doesn't.
The GW2 pvp community is very much alive.
Plus GW2 Cashshop is not needed to advance, it only has fluff gear and you can buy armor/weapons with converted cash if you want to take a shortcut after leveling, but someone that plays the game even casually should have no problems to fund those items without even spending real cash in their shop,ever.
Plus GW2 has a healthy server population, ESO pretty much struggles already.
"going into arguments with idiots is a lost cause, it requires you to stoop down to their level and you can't win"
GW2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8iyWQVOeA
ESO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEu96uauNoQ
Play them both at the sametime. Switch back and forth.
Yeah you couldn't find older more boring gw2 vid i guess. Hey, try looking for something from the alpha.
Graphics and animations have not changed. Would you like to find another RvR video to compare with ESO's AvA?
First thing first
Is this how a game with no PvP looks like?
If you are interested and realistic about Gw2 WvW and don't speak using your arse like you do on just about any Gw2 thread, here's a good list
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/roundup-world-vs-world-community-videos/
Also generally speaking, people don't get one-shot in Gw2 like they do in ESO. Just my 2 cents PvP-wise
Hey OP, I think you can get a good feeling of a game's population based on just how hard the fans try to convince you theirs is better. On that note, both games bring some decent stuff to the table however both games do PVE, PVP, and payment model differently. Neither of them have free trials going on now as far as I know so you will have to take the plunge with either of them. For a comparison on population, you can compare where both games sit in regards to popularity on Raptr here.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
ESO is getting better but I would still go for GW2 instead. GW2 always have plenty of players aroundand since you can't really grief other players in it (like killing questgivers and mobs with a lvl 100 char al'a Wow) it doesn't have as toxic community as many other MMOs. Some people still complains that they feel alone even when fighting with loads of other players though. I can't give you an exact number though, last I heard it sold about 4 million copies in the west (this spring) and 3 in China (launching week there early summer) but you never find any zone that is empty even during odd hours.
As for the economy it depends on what you mean there, it isn't exactly broken but you can't get rich just by crafting or manipulating the market. There is the little matter of gems though, people can buy them for real money and transfer between gems and gold. Frankly I think this still is fine since it means I can buy skins from the itemshop (there isn't anything with stats) and extra character slots (you get 5 from the start) for in game gold. You can buy the best weapons in the game for gold (but a rather huge amount) but the best armors must be crafted and require stuff you need to get yourself.
It do have plenty of content compared to most games that been out as long but it is not as long to gear up as in most other MMOs so some people tend to tire after a while, others like me have been playing it since the beta so it really depends on you. It do have plenty of exploration, jumping puzzles and other thing to do, so it is really worth the one time purchase fee.
ESOs monthly fees is less for the money, but that of course doesn't mean you wont like it. Still, I would play GW2 if it had monthly fees and I don't currently sub at ESO so that is at least how I see it.
''ESO's AvA all but killed the GW2 pvp community'', lol.
Good old bcbully, I still remember you spam-posting on all GW2 threads to bash on it when TSW got released and you took your time to point out that TSW is 100 times better and will be more successful compared to the poor game called GW2.
Keep on your journey. I had the time to forget my account on MMORPG, come back, post again and you are still hating on that same, poor game.
PS. It is interesting though how I forgot my account but I still remember your name. Maybe it is because I saw you posting on every damn TSW and GW2 thread comparing the two while bashing GW?
GW2 is probably the safer bet. ESO has more robust graphics, and more traditional gameplay, but the population is very much in flux. Last I played ESO (a month and a half ago) the PvP population was severely shrunk (only a handful of pvp servers, and only one was really used). The early lvling of ESO is surprisingly well done (before veteran ranks), but they really kinda blew it w/ the endgame. The pvp was really amazing for a while, but between the population issues and problems w/ the combat it became really unsatisfying. (ESO's combat only uses energy for skill management, which means the strongest skills tend to just get spammed, and there is very little flow to the actual combat in that game). Zenimax is working pretty hard to improve the game, and it shows, but it's still very much a gamble as to whether or not that will be enough to save the game in the long term.
GW2 on the other hand is a fairly unique MMO. It has many similarities to otehr games, but how it plays is much different. if you are looking for a more traditional MMO (i.e. similar to WoW, but a different game), you will NOT enjoy GW2. The game kinda requires players to play it with an open mind, and a sense of discovery. Rather than a list of expectations to cross examine with other games. The reason for this is the game is very much a 'sandpark' type of game. It leaves it up to each individual player how they wish to play through the game. You can experience all the hardest content (outside of fractals) relatively easily. So if all you care about is acquiring the best gear, the game will feel very lackluster.
This is because the gameplay does not revolve around obtaining the best loot (which is actually very easy to do). It revolves around exploration, achievement hunting, character customization, and trying to acquire cool cosmetic items (item skins / dyes you can apply to your characters to make them look cooler). The combat is also very skill-based (which means being smart about which skills you choose, and how you use them is essential to winning), which results in a fairly active pvp community in game. The game's been around for a few years now, and the population is still surprisingly healthy. They may not have WoW's numbers (some 7-10 million or w/e), but there are a lot more people playing than most other MMOs on the market currently.
I personally love GW2 for it's different style of PVE. I don't really care for PVP so I don't have much experience with that aspect of it. There's a lot to love about GW2 if you enjoy exploration and dynamic events, without the traditional questing or endgame gear progression. It has a unique style of story and world development too that gives it a lot of character. It's my favorite MMO to play when I'm tired of the typical questing or dungeon style gear farming of other MMOs. I think it's a good companion game to play with a more traditional MMO for that reason, but I start to crave that more traditional MMO feel after playing GW2 awhile.
ESO definitely had that more traditional RPG/MMO feel to it from what I played, despite some notable differences in depth of questing story and character design. I personally think other MMOs do a lot of things better, but it's still a good quality game worth a try if you haven't found another MMO you enjoy yet.
I would have to say try GW2 first because once you purchase it, you never have to pay more to play it later. It's just a better deal than ESO and a lot of MMOs, but it also has more of a unique feel to it that you won't find in most other MMOs. It's also had more time to develop and sort out any major changes to the core design. Waiting a bit to play ESO might be better since they are adding a couple major updates soon and you'll always have to pay another monthly fee if you buy it now than want to try it a couple months later after they've added more features.
I really like ESO, and its the only game I feel comes close to deserving a sub. It's pve experience through to level 50 is amazing, although fairly slow.
However, GW2 just has more and does pretty much everything right. The combat is much, much more responsive and smooth, there is virtually no lag (compared to ESO in pvp), the pvp is light years better (explained below), the grouping mechanics are better, it looks and runs beautifully and it only costs $40 (I just bought a friend a copy on special for $20).
I think ESO has better graphics (the game is gorgeous) and a lot of atmosphere. But GW2 is no slouch in the graphics department.
In terms of pvp, as I mentioned GW2 wipes the floor compared to any mmo out there. The reasons are:
1) it has a battleground type pvp where all gear is equal so that the game is purely about skill (ESO has no bgs)
2) The combat is more fluid (ESO combat is good, but it is somewhat unresponsive which is very frustrating in pvp)
3) There is less lag. I have had very few lag spikes playng GW2, but when I played ESO the game lagged a lot in pvp (not in pve though), and not just any lag, gamebreakingly bad lag that makes you want to stop playing- or forces you to because the servers crash and everyone gets rolled back (it may have improved though).
4) Class balance is better. GW2 was built from the ground up to be a pvp game. The classes are largely balanced (at least compared to other mmos). ESO is a mess in this department. Totally unbalanced. Builds that can take on and kill whole armies with one character (not an exaggeration).
5) The above issue is compounded because it takes much longer to level and gear up in ESO, so the gear/class balance gap can be huge. In GW2 even with starter level type pvp gear at level 80 you can be extremely useful.
There are differences in the WvW pvp of both games that can be either positive or negative depending on your taste. I like the ideas in both. In both games you can have fun as a small group and take on much larger groups assuming you are high level well geared and coordinated. ESO's castle sieges are more fun in my view, although it becomes somewhat boring in both after you have done them a few times.
I actually love ESO, its one of the best mmos ever made, but if you haven't played GW2 then its almost a no-brainer. You can play GW2 for as long as it runs for the same price as one month of ESO, and it is clearly better than ESO in some respects as mentioned above.
I say ESO, crafting is better, PVE is about the same, PVP is better, endgame sucks atm but will hopefully improve and has improved already a bit.
But also; ESO has some awesome things being added in the near future.....justic system.....
So yeah, ESO.
Stay away from Eso, there is better, more fun games you can play.
Eso is a single play game made for console, but not yet released, so its still in its alpha or beta phase and PC player is paying for this.
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ESO, hands down. Guild Wars 2 was a great game for its first year or so. The lack of any substantial roleplaying elements, expansions, and character depth removes the longevity for me. I'm playing ESO now and I find I'm more apt to get lost in it compared to Guild Wars 2.
Both are worth their pricetag, but very different games, so I guess it is also a matter of taste in style. One thing to consider if you are one of those who run all content as a group, gw2 might become boring atleast for the quest grind part because it is made for one player, although events are great for two players.. But that may depend on how serious you take it, it can certainly be ok if you are the casual, lets enjoy the view players. Anyways eso might be more fun in the coop department.
"I am my connectome" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0