My wizard is level 15 now and I'm finding myself leaning towards not buying it already. IDK... it's a beautiful world with some very deep systems but I'm finding the learning curve mostly annoying.
I normally like different and unique in MMOs and other games.... I guess I have limits.
I'm just glad that thanks to this site I got a free CB2 key and didn't have to pay $50 to check it out.
Same. My wife and I looked at each other after playing it yesterday, and both said "uninstall?" So we did, not going to waste time in a game we have to try and like. Off to EQ2 and FFXI again.
Well so far the combat hasn't been a problem for me (probably because mobs are very easy).
My key mappings are not being saved so I have to remap every login - but it not only let's me remap everything (I mouse with my left and use my numpad for WASD etc) it updates the hint stuff on the screen with my new mappings.
Last night it was so crowded that I started a new character and worked on only knowledge - brings back very fond memories of Vanguard Diplomacy.
The only thing driving me nuts right now is toggling in and out of mouse mode - just not used to doing it - hopefully I get into that rhythm soon.
PvE wise, I don't think combos will even be necessary
I'm also a South Paw and couldn't imagine not using WASD it's just always seemed to work well for me. It also makes hitting that CTRL key very easy and convenient.
My wizard is level 15 now and I'm finding myself leaning towards not buying it already. IDK... it's a beautiful world with some very deep systems but I'm finding the learning curve mostly annoying.
I normally like different and unique in MMOs and other games.... I guess I have limits.
I'm just glad that thanks to this site I got a free CB2 key and didn't have to pay $50 to check it out.
LoL is wizard like Sorc where you attack and uncertain if you attacks are really hitting with all the black haze around them lol One thing I envy Is that with out trying it yet looks like Wizard and the Archer have nice range abilities right out the gate
Well so far the combat hasn't been a problem for me (probably because mobs are very easy).
My key mappings are not being saved so I have to remap every login - but it not only let's me remap everything (I mouse with my left and use my numpad for WASD etc) it updates the hint stuff on the screen with my new mappings.
Last night it was so crowded that I started a new character and worked on only knowledge - brings back very fond memories of Vanguard Diplomacy.
The only thing driving me nuts right now is toggling in and out of mouse mode - just not used to doing it - hopefully I get into that rhythm soon.
How did you get to work on Knowledge? from attacking the mobs and getting a higher grade or did I miss some way of interacting with a NPC somewhere?
Well so far the combat hasn't been a problem for me (probably because mobs are very easy).
My key mappings are not being saved so I have to remap every login - but it not only let's me remap everything (I mouse with my left and use my numpad for WASD etc) it updates the hint stuff on the screen with my new mappings.
Last night it was so crowded that I started a new character and worked on only knowledge - brings back very fond memories of Vanguard Diplomacy.
The only thing driving me nuts right now is toggling in and out of mouse mode - just not used to doing it - hopefully I get into that rhythm soon.
How did you get to work on Knowledge? from attacking the mobs and getting a higher grade or did I miss some way of interacting with a NPC somewhere?
As you talk with various npcs in an area and explore the area you gain knowledge which can do things like open up more dialogue options (more quests etc). There is a bit more to it than that, but basically the more you interact with the locals the better they trust you and the more stuff you can do in an area.
Well so far the combat hasn't been a problem for me (probably because mobs are very easy).
My key mappings are not being saved so I have to remap every login - but it not only let's me remap everything (I mouse with my left and use my numpad for WASD etc) it updates the hint stuff on the screen with my new mappings.
Last night it was so crowded that I started a new character and worked on only knowledge - brings back very fond memories of Vanguard Diplomacy.
The only thing driving me nuts right now is toggling in and out of mouse mode - just not used to doing it - hopefully I get into that rhythm soon.
Just a quick update - my key mappings are being saved today - so not having to remap every time. Now if I only had time to play but back to work I go:)
I'm not finding combat too bad atm - lvl 18 Wizz. Some of the skills can be hotkeyed, but then I just read on the BDO forums skills do less dmg when triggered from a hotkey...
So, I guess its mouse-button-macro or bust for this old dog. While situational combat and skills can be fun, some of the combos seem unnecessarily complex, and worse, feel unnatural to my hand -- particularly when i started fooling with a ranger. Maybe I'll try the Spin2Win tactics of the berseker and see how that goes.
It's some of the easiest combat I've played. Really simple, you never really need abilities. I've solo'd group quest bosses like 5 levels above me. Roll warrior and you'll be fiiiiiiine.
I have to say I'm starting to get the hang of the wizard abilities. I've macored a few key combos to mouse buttons and it's making life much easier.
It's growing on me... enough that I was annoyed just now when they brought the server down for maintenance
Also... if you're finding the combat too easy, go fight between 22:00 and 07:00 game time. Mob difficulty and XP both ramp-up quite a bit.
Even had an embarrassing moment when I wasn't paying close attention and a couple of tiny bees I couldn't even see got me
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Thanks heaps Tsiya, somebody's gotta take one for the team I'm really looking forward to seeing what you think of the game. As we both seem to share similar opinions about 'Action' combat.
Not as bad as feared. You can put any skill you want on the hotkey bar, and a lot of the skills that require multiple inputs are things like S + leftclick, etc. Places your fingers would already be. I got one class to 17 and 2 others over 10, and my first instinct on the skill trees was correct, you're actually better off sticking to 4-5 skills. Since skill points are independent of level, they get a lot harder to get at the top of the food chain. I didn't do too much monkeying around with the skills 'cause I wanted to try it at its vanilla level, but with a bit of practice this shouldn't be any harder to play than most other action mmo's. I do have to admit, I didn't do much with blocking/evasion, at the levels I was it wasn't necessary, but mobs did tend to telegraph the hard hitters.
Thanks heaps Tsiya, somebody's gotta take one for the team I'm really looking forward to seeing what you think of the game. As we both seem to share similar opinions about 'Action' combat.
Not as bad as feared. You can put any skill you want on the hotkey bar, and a lot of the skills that require multiple inputs are things like S + leftclick, etc. Places your fingers would already be. I got one class to 17 and 2 others over 10, and my first instinct on the skill trees was correct, you're actually better off sticking to 4-5 skills. Since skill points are independent of level, they get a lot harder to get at the top of the food chain. I didn't do too much monkeying around with the skills 'cause I wanted to try it at its vanilla level, but with a bit of practice this shouldn't be any harder to play than most other action mmo's. I do have to admit, I didn't do much with blocking/evasion, at the levels I was it wasn't necessary, but mobs did tend to telegraph the hard hitters.
Thanks for the feedback Tsiya. I really appreciate it.
I've decided not to buy the game at this stage (for several reasons). But when it goes F2P (which I'm pretty certain it will) then I'll probably check it out.
Hmm, PvE is pretty easy, eh? I'm mostly a PvE player. Couple more questions:
1) How does macroing a combo work? Can you do the entire combo with the press of one button?
2) Do any or all classes have to kite much in PvE?
I can only answer the first two questions since I didn't play a shield class.
There are key combinations for some abilities that are a bit awkward and sometimes so similar to other key combinations that it's easy to hit the wrong one by accident. For example for my Wiz, Shift + LMB is mana leach, shift + RMB is chain lightning and Shift + both LMB and RMB is blizzard. It's very easy to cast one of the other two when you're trying for blizzard if you don't get your timing just right.
You CAN move some (but not all) of those to a hotbar button. Problem is, anything cast from your hotbar does less damage and cost more mana than doing it the other way.
This is where a multi-button gaming mouse really helps since I can create a macro for blizzard for example, and assign it to one of my buttons. Doing it this way incurs no hotbar penalty.
In addition to that, there are combos of abilities that chain together 2 or more abilities for additional damage. Using my wiz as an example again, the easiest one is staff strike (LMB) followed by dagger stab (F). But some can get really complex such as fireball (S+LMB hold/release) + fireball detonation (RMB after the fireball lands) + Lightning (S+E) + forward teleport (Shift W) + (finally) dagger strike (F)... That type of ability chain combo I won't even try to macro. I'll just rely on memory to use them... or not. They're not really essential that I have found so far at least in PVE.
As to kiting... yeah pretty well. Mob density is thick and you don't want them hitting you from the back where they do more damage. At least enough kiting to position yourself is pretty well a must.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Okay after participating in cbt2 Ill give my 10 cents of feedback to old farts like me . personally middle 40s....:)
To start off Im getting the game and just the basic package. Its worth the initial cost . I hate f2p games that make you pay alot just to compete .. If that changes in the future I wont keep logging but this game delivers the initial cost if I make a character to max level it will be worth it.
I only leveled a ranger to 15..yes im a sucker to rangers and the only downside is that its gender locked and my wife doesnt appreciate me playing a hot ranger ...you get the point.. If i was alone...it would be a different story.
Now to the game. Graphics are fine but its based on your system so there cant be objectivity. With low quality i had 60 frames which were great and with highest quality i had 30-35 which isnt that bad also and the world looks ALOT better. For pvp I think you will have to go for lowest quality if you dont mind that.
Music at the first areas is annoying i had to take it out... without Music the world seems really alive...talks, sounds etc are very well made.
Gameplay which is I think the most important for us with bad reflexes is ok if you PVE but I think we will be owned in PVP... For example you can probably kill anything you want with basic skills and easy combos..that require for example shift + a button etc...but the most complicated ones that if you hit 4-5 skills in a row give WOW combo..dont think so.. I haven't found a way to put combo's on my logitech mouse that has like 12 buttons ( on the side) .. It would be great if they could be assigned but didnt have the time to check it out . Wanted to play in my time with it . I only used 2-3 skills with the Ranger..regular left click and the explosive shot. I dont think I will be using more than 4-5 in total. If you want the challenge play night hours ( in game) ..the challenge is alot higher. And ofcourse most mobs in the first areas dont aggro so I dont know how hard it will be later on. The good thing with B2P games is you dont have to hurry..you take your time to find out.
KNOWLEDGE..most important in this game...SO MANY THINGS TO DO...it reminds me of Vanguard in a way. Everythng is complicated and I LIKE IT... and not paying a monthly fee to explore and find out makes it not a second job but a enjoyable ride of knowledge within the game. Knowledge is very important...you need to talk to everyone...slowly with a minigame which i havent ofcourse figured out 100% will increase your favor to them and open new stuff. So I suggest you explore Everything in each area before moving to the next. You need all the points you can get from the quests. Especially the ones that give Inventory space, skill points etc. When you PVE after killing one specific mob you get a grade for knowledge with it that opens up the possibility of higher drops from it..not quality but quantity which is cool... I dont know if you only have one shot on it though..for example I got a C for some mobs and I dont know if you can erase it and take a second chance until I get an A...some people may want to make this their goal in the game...GET A with everything..;)
NODES...( only bought two of them in the first town ) ..I bought a small house .(pinpoint where you bought it so you can find it easily....its a pain to remember)...and also a storage room. Pls note that the storage room is accessed through a npc ( via talking to him) ...and is not a room you walk in. From what I understand you have to connect nodes from areas you visit to get your items from one place to another as there is NO FAST TRAVEL system in this game and if you have a storage in one city you HAVE to connect it to the city you currently are and adventure to have access to its items or you have to go back to that City...If Im wrong pls let me know... Also you pay when someone sends you the items in your storage to where you are....really cool system...Makes the world ALIVE as I mentioned...Fast Travel kills many MMO's for me.
CRAFTING... Only did cooking ( seemed easy) ...I collected alot of wood and stones... but didnt get to see what I can craft with them.. Didnt check for example how to make my first bow..:)...... However the system to crafting looks very well thought and I am sure alot of complication evolved. Just hope it doesnt have alot of RNG elements like Archeage..:(( . I am though 100% sure that I will spend alot of time crafting and collecting stuff...we old gamers excel on that..;)....We will leave heavy pvp to the youngsters..
GUILDS...didnt join so no idea... Saw alot of ingame Guild accomplishing messages and read there is alot into Guilds... you pay for example taxes to the guild that controls the area you have bought your NODES for instance.
I know I missed stuff ... I think though that if you like crafting exploring and pve you will spend ALOT of hours to get to 45 when the PVP starts . That alone gratifies the initial 30 euros/dollars. By then I also think we will have mastered a few combos to increase our chances in surviving in pvp.. If we are in a guild even better...numbers are important..and the good thing is guilds are not allowed infinite numbers so no gank fests etc...
Hope I helped a little...If i forgot something completely and its important..let me know and Ill edit.
Things I did in Beta: 1. tried to talk to every NPC 2. raised favor with the ones I wanted more stuff or better prices from 3. set up a couple of farms and raised veggies 4. caught and levelled a couple of horses 5. quested 6. farmed mobs for cash(some drops sell for considerably more if you have a certain number and go to the right npc, which you can see by rightclicking the item) 7. guild quests, which asked for a certain amount of a specified resource or two that everyone regardless of level could help with 8. crafted with random stuff to see what I could make 9. fishing 10. bought a house and managed workers to gather materials and craft things
TL:DR: I probably spent less than half my time ingame fighting mobs. The rest of the time I was doing some combination of the above. As I am in my middle 40's myself, I plan to stick to group pvp as much as possible due to the reflex thing. Since world pvp doesn't open up until 45, that gives me plenty of time to learn my combos.
If you cant move you hands anymore then IDK.... these threads are so funny to me, some of these people are 35-40 and say "old fart" when people that age are still pro athletes at the top level. But uh you cant move your fingers and hands?
For you guys 60-70, its harder I know, but keep on playing and staying young!
If you cant move you hands anymore then IDK.... these threads are so funny to me, some of these people are 35-40 and say "old fart" when people that age are still pro athletes at the top level. But uh you cant move your fingers and hands?
I have some minor neurological problems caused by medication.
Okay after participating in cbt2 Ill give my 10 cents of feedback to old farts like me . personally middle 40s....:)
To start off Im getting the game and just the basic package. Its worth the initial cost . I hate f2p games that make you pay alot just to compete .. If that changes in the future I wont keep logging but this game delivers the initial cost if I make a character to max level it will be worth it.
I only leveled a ranger to 15..yes im a sucker to rangers and the only downside is that its gender locked and my wife doesnt appreciate me playing a hot ranger ...you get the point.. If i was alone...it would be a different story.
Now to the game. Graphics are fine but its based on your system so there cant be objectivity. With low quality i had 60 frames which were great and with highest quality i had 30-35 which isnt that bad also and the world looks ALOT better. For pvp I think you will have to go for lowest quality if you dont mind that.
Music at the first areas is annoying i had to take it out... without Music the world seems really alive...talks, sounds etc are very well made.
Gameplay which is I think the most important for us with bad reflexes is ok if you PVE but I think we will be owned in PVP... For example you can probably kill anything you want with basic skills and easy combos..that require for example shift + a button etc...but the most complicated ones that if you hit 4-5 skills in a row give WOW combo..dont think so.. I haven't found a way to put combo's on my logitech mouse that has like 12 buttons ( on the side) .. It would be great if they could be assigned but didnt have the time to check it out . Wanted to play in my time with it . I only used 2-3 skills with the Ranger..regular left click and the explosive shot. I dont think I will be using more than 4-5 in total. If you want the challenge play night hours ( in game) ..the challenge is alot higher. And ofcourse most mobs in the first areas dont aggro so I dont know how hard it will be later on. The good thing with B2P games is you dont have to hurry..you take your time to find out.
KNOWLEDGE..most important in this game...SO MANY THINGS TO DO...it reminds me of Vanguard in a way. Everythng is complicated and I LIKE IT... and not paying a monthly fee to explore and find out makes it not a second job but a enjoyable ride of knowledge within the game. Knowledge is very important...you need to talk to everyone...slowly with a minigame which i havent ofcourse figured out 100% will increase your favor to them and open new stuff. So I suggest you explore Everything in each area before moving to the next. You need all the points you can get from the quests. Especially the ones that give Inventory space, skill points etc. When you PVE after killing one specific mob you get a grade for knowledge with it that opens up the possibility of higher drops from it..not quality but quantity which is cool... I dont know if you only have one shot on it though..for example I got a C for some mobs and I dont know if you can erase it and take a second chance until I get an A...some people may want to make this their goal in the game...GET A with everything..;)
NODES...( only bought two of them in the first town ) ..I bought a small house .(pinpoint where you bought it so you can find it easily....its a pain to remember)...and also a storage room. Pls note that the storage room is accessed through a npc ( via talking to him) ...and is not a room you walk in. From what I understand you have to connect nodes from areas you visit to get your items from one place to another as there is NO FAST TRAVEL system in this game and if you have a storage in one city you HAVE to connect it to the city you currently are and adventure to have access to its items or you have to go back to that City...If Im wrong pls let me know... Also you pay when someone sends you the items in your storage to where you are....really cool system...Makes the world ALIVE as I mentioned...Fast Travel kills many MMO's for me.
CRAFTING... Only did cooking ( seemed easy) ...I collected alot of wood and stones... but didnt get to see what I can craft with them.. Didnt check for example how to make my first bow..:)...... However the system to crafting looks very well thought and I am sure alot of complication evolved. Just hope it doesnt have alot of RNG elements like Archeage..:(( . I am though 100% sure that I will spend alot of time crafting and collecting stuff...we old gamers excel on that..;)....We will leave heavy pvp to the youngsters..
GUILDS...didnt join so no idea... Saw alot of ingame Guild accomplishing messages and read there is alot into Guilds... you pay for example taxes to the guild that controls the area you have bought your NODES for instance.
I know I missed stuff ... I think though that if you like crafting exploring and pve you will spend ALOT of hours to get to 45 when the PVP starts . That alone gratifies the initial 30 euros/dollars. By then I also think we will have mastered a few combos to increase our chances in surviving in pvp.. If we are in a guild even better...numbers are important..and the good thing is guilds are not allowed infinite numbers so no gank fests etc...
Hope I helped a little...If i forgot something completely and its important..let me know and Ill edit.
Excellent review! This is just the sort of info I'm looking for.
It's wonderful to get opinions from older gamers who have the same limitations and perspective as me. Great job guys and big thank yous to everybody who has posted feedback.
You CAN move some (but not all) of those to a hotbar button. Problem is, anything cast from your hotbar does less damage and cost more mana than doing it the other way.
This is where a multi-button gaming mouse really helps since I can create a macro for blizzard for example, and assign it to one of my buttons. Doing it this way incurs no hotbar penalty.
I did not realize there is a hotbar penalty. That is quite interesting. I had some skills on the hotbar but didn't use them often. They were mostly just the long cooldown skills. Combat was paced enough that the hotbar wasn't the best way for me to play.
Yeah took me a while to find that out too. The tooltip for the ability itself mentions the penalty toward the bottom of the description. Some abilities don't have a keybind and must be used from the hotbar. Those don't have a penalty.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Thanks for all the info, guys. It's sounding interesting.
To be clear, can you set up a combo as a one-key-press hotkey, just doing less damage and taking more mana? Or is that something else?
No. Not the combos. It isn't like Rift, for example, with a built-in macro system: you can only hotkey individual abilities, potions and items (such as the rope for taming horses.) If you have a keyboard or mouse that supports macros you could do it that way IF the macroing system for the device is extensive enough to allow for holding keys or mouse presses, delays, etc. My mouse does but still... I'll be sticking to just macroing individual abilities and not combos.
About the only times you might want to do the complex 4+ ability combos is when you're fighting a boss or something red or purple to your level or if you have low level weapons that keep your damage down. Otherwise the mobs will die too fast for you to even have time to chain more than a couple abilities.
I might be wrong and a more experienced player who has played in other regions might want to chime in but I don't think that complex ability combos are all that essential. They're a neat bonus when you pull one off but no big deal really.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Thanks for all the info, guys. It's sounding interesting.
To be clear, can you set up a combo as a one-key-press hotkey, just doing less damage and taking more mana? Or is that something else?
No. Not the combos. It isn't like Rift, for example, with a built-in macro system: you can only hotkey individual abilities, potions and items (such as the rope for taming horses.) If you have a keyboard or mouse that supports macros you could do it that way IF the macroing system for the device is extensive enough to allow for holding keys or mouse presses, delays, etc. My mouse does but still... I'll be sticking to just macroing individual abilities and not combos.
About the only times you might want to do the complex 4+ ability combos is when you're fighting a boss or something red or purple to your level or if you have low level weapons that keep your damage down. Otherwise the mobs will die too fast for you to even have time to chain more than a couple abilities.
I might be wrong and a more experienced player who has played in other regions might want to chime in but I don't think that complex ability combos are all that essential. They're a neat bonus when you pull one off but no big deal really.
OK, thanks, I gotcha.
In solo and maybe group PvE, how many combos are you probably going to have to memorize and use?
In solo and maybe group PvE, how many combos are you probably going to have to memorize and use?
You really don't have to do anything. Some of the combos will feel natural for you and you will start executing them without really thinking about it. Although it is possible to increase your efficiency but overall not a big deal really.
Gaming Rocks next gen. community for last gen. gamers launching soon.
In solo and maybe group PvE, how many combos are you probably going to have to memorize and use?
I'm sure it's different for all classes but as a wizard, soloing up to level 25, I only used a few simple two step combo routinely: the staff strike followed by my dagger stab (LMB, F), thunderbolt followed by lightning residue (S+F, RMB) and fireball followed by fireball explosion (Shift+RMB, RMB)... use them a few times and you remember them easily.
I've seen a lot of people in forums tell new players to just focus on 4 or 5 abilities when starting out to keep it simple. Heck, a wizard at low levels can get by with just two: chain lightning to AOE everything down and mana leach to get almost all your mana back and kill a single mob.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Comments
Same. My wife and I looked at each other after playing it yesterday, and both said "uninstall?" So we did, not going to waste time in a game we have to try and like. Off to EQ2 and FFXI again.
I'm also a South Paw and couldn't imagine not using WASD it's just always seemed to work well for me. It also makes hitting that CTRL key very easy and convenient.
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
How did you get to work on Knowledge? from attacking the mobs and getting a higher grade or did I miss some way of interacting with a NPC somewhere?
As you talk with various npcs in an area and explore the area you gain knowledge which can do things like open up more dialogue options (more quests etc). There is a bit more to it than that, but basically the more you interact with the locals the better they trust you and the more stuff you can do in an area.
So, I guess its mouse-button-macro or bust for this old dog. While situational combat and skills can be fun, some of the combos seem unnecessarily complex, and worse, feel unnatural to my hand -- particularly when i started fooling with a ranger. Maybe I'll try the Spin2Win tactics of the berseker and see how that goes.
It's growing on me... enough that I was annoyed just now when they brought the server down for maintenance
Also... if you're finding the combat too easy, go fight between 22:00 and 07:00 game time. Mob difficulty and XP both ramp-up quite a bit.
Even had an embarrassing moment when I wasn't paying close attention and a couple of tiny bees I couldn't even see got me
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Thanks for the feedback Tsiya. I really appreciate it.
I've decided not to buy the game at this stage (for several reasons). But when it goes F2P (which I'm pretty certain it will) then I'll probably check it out.
Thanks again for posting your thoughts.
1) How does macroing a combo work? Can you do the entire combo with the press of one button?
2) Do any or all classes have to kite much in PvE?
3) Can a warrior just shield block instead of dodging?
Thanks, guys!
There are key combinations for some abilities that are a bit awkward and sometimes so similar to other key combinations that it's easy to hit the wrong one by accident. For example for my Wiz, Shift + LMB is mana leach, shift + RMB is chain lightning and Shift + both LMB and RMB is blizzard. It's very easy to cast one of the other two when you're trying for blizzard if you don't get your timing just right.
You CAN move some (but not all) of those to a hotbar button. Problem is, anything cast from your hotbar does less damage and cost more mana than doing it the other way.
This is where a multi-button gaming mouse really helps since I can create a macro for blizzard for example, and assign it to one of my buttons. Doing it this way incurs no hotbar penalty.
In addition to that, there are combos of abilities that chain together 2 or more abilities for additional damage. Using my wiz as an example again, the easiest one is staff strike (LMB) followed by dagger stab (F). But some can get really complex such as fireball (S+LMB hold/release) + fireball detonation (RMB after the fireball lands) + Lightning (S+E) + forward teleport (Shift W) + (finally) dagger strike (F)...
As to kiting... yeah pretty well. Mob density is thick and you don't want them hitting you from the back where they do more damage. At least enough kiting to position yourself is pretty well a must.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
To start off Im getting the game and just the basic package. Its worth the initial cost . I hate f2p games that make you pay alot just to compete .. If that changes in the future I wont keep logging but this game delivers the initial cost if I make a character to max level it will be worth it.
I only leveled a ranger to 15..yes im a sucker to rangers and the only downside is that its gender locked and my wife doesnt appreciate me playing a hot ranger ...you get the point.. If i was alone...it would be a different story.
Now to the game. Graphics are fine but its based on your system so there cant be objectivity. With low quality i had 60 frames which were great and with highest quality i had 30-35 which isnt that bad also and the world looks ALOT better. For pvp I think you will have to go for lowest quality if you dont mind that.
Music at the first areas is annoying i had to take it out... without Music the world seems really alive...talks, sounds etc are very well made.
Gameplay which is I think the most important for us with bad reflexes is ok if you PVE but I think we will be owned in PVP... For example you can probably kill anything you want with basic skills and easy combos..that require for example shift + a button etc...but the most complicated ones that if you hit 4-5 skills in a row give WOW combo..dont think so.. I haven't found a way to put combo's on my logitech mouse that has like 12 buttons ( on the side) .. It would be great if they could be assigned but didnt have the time to check it out . Wanted to play in my time with it . I only used 2-3 skills with the Ranger..regular left click and the explosive shot. I dont think I will be using more than 4-5 in total. If you want the challenge play night hours ( in game) ..the challenge is alot higher. And ofcourse most mobs in the first areas dont aggro so I dont know how hard it will be later on. The good thing with B2P games is you dont have to hurry..you take your time to find out.
KNOWLEDGE..most important in this game...SO MANY THINGS TO DO...it reminds me of Vanguard in a way. Everythng is complicated and I LIKE IT... and not paying a monthly fee to explore and find out makes it not a second job but a enjoyable ride of knowledge within the game. Knowledge is very important...you need to talk to everyone...slowly with a minigame which i havent ofcourse figured out 100% will increase your favor to them and open new stuff. So I suggest you explore Everything in each area before moving to the next. You need all the points you can get from the quests. Especially the ones that give Inventory space, skill points etc. When you PVE after killing one specific mob you get a grade for knowledge with it that opens up the possibility of higher drops from it..not quality but quantity which is cool... I dont know if you only have one shot on it though..for example I got a C for some mobs and I dont know if you can erase it and take a second chance until I get an A...some people may want to make this their goal in the game...GET A with everything..;)
NODES...( only bought two of them in the first town ) ..I bought a small house .(pinpoint where you bought it so you can find it easily....its a pain to remember)...and also a storage room. Pls note that the storage room is accessed through a npc ( via talking to him) ...and is not a room you walk in. From what I understand you have to connect nodes from areas you visit to get your items from one place to another as there is NO FAST TRAVEL system in this game and if you have a storage in one city you HAVE to connect it to the city you currently are and adventure to have access to its items or you have to go back to that City...If Im wrong pls let me know... Also you pay when someone sends you the items in your storage to where you are....really cool system...Makes the world ALIVE as I mentioned...Fast Travel kills many MMO's for me.
CRAFTING... Only did cooking ( seemed easy) ...I collected alot of wood and stones... but didnt get to see what I can craft with them.. Didnt check for example how to make my first bow..:)...... However the system to crafting looks very well thought and I am sure alot of complication evolved. Just hope it doesnt have alot of RNG elements like Archeage..:(( . I am though 100% sure that I will spend alot of time crafting and collecting stuff...we old gamers excel on that..;)....We will leave heavy pvp to the youngsters..
GUILDS...didnt join so no idea... Saw alot of ingame Guild accomplishing messages and read there is alot into Guilds... you pay for example taxes to the guild that controls the area you have bought your NODES for instance.
I know I missed stuff ... I think though that if you like crafting exploring and pve you will spend ALOT of hours to get to 45 when the PVP starts . That alone gratifies the initial 30 euros/dollars. By then I also think we will have mastered a few combos to increase our chances in surviving in pvp.. If we are in a guild even better...numbers are important..and the good thing is guilds are not allowed infinite numbers so no gank fests etc...
Hope I helped a little...If i forgot something completely and its important..let me know and Ill edit.
1. tried to talk to every NPC
2. raised favor with the ones I wanted more stuff or better prices from
3. set up a couple of farms and raised veggies
4. caught and levelled a couple of horses
5. quested
6. farmed mobs for cash(some drops sell for considerably more if you have a certain number and go to the right npc, which you can see by rightclicking the item)
7. guild quests, which asked for a certain amount of a specified resource or two that everyone regardless of level could help with
8. crafted with random stuff to see what I could make
9. fishing
10. bought a house and managed workers to gather materials and craft things
TL:DR: I probably spent less than half my time ingame fighting mobs. The rest of the time I was doing some combination of the above. As I am in my middle 40's myself, I plan to stick to group pvp as much as possible due to the reflex thing. Since world pvp doesn't open up until 45, that gives me plenty of time to learn my combos.
To be clear, can you set up a combo as a one-key-press hotkey, just doing less damage and taking more mana? Or is that something else?
For you guys 60-70, its harder I know, but keep on playing and staying young!
GAME TIL YOU DIE!!!!
I have some minor neurological problems caused by medication.
Excellent review! This is just the sort of info I'm looking for.
It's wonderful to get opinions from older gamers who have the same limitations and perspective as me. Great job guys and big thank yous to everybody who has posted feedback.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
And thanks for the review, Koukos2004!
No. Not the combos. It isn't like Rift, for example, with a built-in macro system: you can only hotkey individual abilities, potions and items (such as the rope for taming horses.) If you have a keyboard or mouse that supports macros you could do it that way IF the macroing system for the device is extensive enough to allow for holding keys or mouse presses, delays, etc. My mouse does but still... I'll be sticking to just macroing individual abilities and not combos.
About the only times you might want to do the complex 4+ ability combos is when you're fighting a boss or something red or purple to your level or if you have low level weapons that keep your damage down. Otherwise the mobs will die too fast for you to even have time to chain more than a couple abilities.
I might be wrong and a more experienced player who has played in other regions might want to chime in but I don't think that complex ability combos are all that essential. They're a neat bonus when you pull one off but no big deal really.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
OK, thanks, I gotcha.
In solo and maybe group PvE, how many combos are you probably going to have to memorize and use?
I've seen a lot of people in forums tell new players to just focus on 4 or 5 abilities when starting out to keep it simple. Heck, a wizard at low levels can get by with just two: chain lightning to AOE everything down and mana leach to get almost all your mana back and kill a single mob.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED