General Discussion

Lotro vs vanguard which is a better fit for a pve gamer and why?

LOTRO vs VG?

Well, VG is saddled with a bad reputation and a poor launch. On the other hand LOTRO had a great launch and it is a polished product. Judging by performance I would say LOTRO beats VG.

However I play the games for fun and if I have to sacrifice performance for gameplay I would do so. LOTRO started well and I was hoping that new elements would be added, mostly new game mechanics. That didn't happen and with each new addition LOTRO went closer to the old formula of time sink grinds for gear. In addition I don't mind Tolkien's lore being bent but for me the upcomming Moria will be the straw that broke the camel's back. Instead of abandoend city Moria will be turned into the subway station. Quite simply I expected and hoped that LOTRO would focus on opening areas on the map not touched by Tolkien but instead the player retraces the steps of Fellowship of the Ring. Honestly I can see why that concept is labeled as a theme park MMO. You follow the set route from one attraction to another, if I wanted to retrace the steps of the Fellowship I would read the books again.

In short LOTRO is on its way to become WoW-alike generic MMO focused on gear grind.

Vanguard is set in generic high fantasy setting but its three spheres of crafting, diplomacy and adventure offer a bit of a difference. Further more the world is larger and the player has more race/class options.

To conclude, play LOTRO for performance and VG for features.

IMHO, Vanguard wins hands down. I find LotRO *extremely* simplistic and boring when it comes to combat. I'll admit I only tried lore master and whatever the rangerish class was called but I had the smallest amount of skills/abilities I've ever seen in any MMO, and the few I had were boring and didn't combo very well with each other. In vanguard, every single ability compliments each other, your own, and others. And there are lots of them. And they do funny things, mostly. Add to that rescues, counter attacks, finishing moves etc and you have a very entertaining combat system. It's just too bad it looks like total crap :(

Ummm..

I think the last two posters are missing the point of the OP.  I don't believe he/she is asking which is a better game performance wise or who had a better launch which is more stable etc., etc.  I assume he/she is asking (which I don't think he/she could of made it any clearer) which is a better PVE game.

And from that stand point LoTRO should take the prize just because of the lore involved and the history of Lord of the Rings.  I mean it practically started modern day fantasy.  The story of Lord of the Rings is one of the best examples of the forces of "good" vs. the forces of "evil".  So LoTRO gets my vote.

I've not played Vanguard. I find LotRO a bit uninspiring. It feels ok, and looks nice and all that, but the gameplay is very shallow. The characters all look the same too, and the animations and UI is pretty drab. I suspect VG would suit me more, but I'm put off trying it by its low population.

Originally posted by EbonHawk

Ummm..

I think the last two posters are missing the point of the OP.  I don't believe he/she is asking which is a better game performance wise or who had a better launch which is more stable etc., etc.  I assume he/she is asking (which I don't think he/she could of made it any clearer) which is a better PVE game.

And from that stand point LoTRO should take the prize just because of the lore involved and the history of Lord of the Rings.  I mean it practically started modern day fantasy.  The story of Lord of the Rings is one of the best examples of the forces of "good" vs. the forces of "evil".  So LoTRO gets my vote.

I didn't even mention performance issues.. the point of my post was that PvE combat in VG is fun and innovative, while in LotRO it is bland and boring. Of course LotRO is going to win in a lore contest, but that's hardly the topic either. Topic is about whether the PvE is fun or not. We're talking gaming here. If I want lore, I'll read a book.

I'm going with LOTRO but my opinion is biased.  Tried VG beta and never looked back.

LOTRO is fun, not really difficult, but I enjoy the crafting and housing.  I also liked LOTRO lifetime membership option.

Originally posted by Z3R01

Lotro vs vanguard which is a better fit for a pve gamer and why?

None of them.

The Witcher is a much better PvE game than either of them. Better story line, better graphics, better AI. Yes its a single player game but who cares if you're just playing against the computer anyway. You can have Instant Messenger open at the same time if you want to chat to friends while you play

Originally posted by neonwire

Originally posted by Z3R01

Lotro vs vanguard which is a better fit for a pve gamer and why?

 

None of them.

The Witcher is a much better PvE game than either of them. Better story line, better graphics, better AI. Yes its a single player game but who cares if you're just playing against the computer anyway. You can have Instant Messenger open at the same time if you want to chat to friends while you play

MMOs have alot more to offer over a single player rpg.

Multiplayer, raids, guilds, economy and never ending content.

While I appreciate your Witcher post I havent spent more than 100 hours in any Rpg/single player game with the exception of GTA and Elderscrolls, If i did a /played with my sold EQ account im sure it would say 3years played.