Guild Wars

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Originally posted by Kugeln
Ima EQ vet looking for another game to spark my intrest... was wondering is it worth the 50 bucks? and is it truly 100% free from online fees? also how much content is in game? thanks for anything in advance..

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Yes, it's truely free after the initial purchase of the box. And there are NO plans to ever start asking monthly fees. Their 'financial survival model' is based on selling 'expansions' twice a year. In fact, the first one will be released soon.

As to answer the rest of you questions: it depends on what you're looking for and what you consider 'content'. If you're looking for an elaborate crafting system, high levels to work for or gear that takes a long time to get, then this is not the game for you. It is NOT a traditional MMO in the lines of EQ, UO, WoW etc.

The content that there is is twofold:
- PvE; the PvE is instance based quests and missions. The missions are the main storyline and propel you through the game. The further you get, the more group dependent it gets. If you like to solo a lot, then you can still play with using henchman to get you through the world. There are also plenty of areas you can simply explore. You will level to level cap (level 20) quite quickly, but a large chunk of the content is designed for level 20. By no means is the game finished once you reached level 20. Of course, there's an end point to all of this, when you have finished all quests and missions there are. However, the classes are so varied, that a second run through the game with an entirely different character can still be a lot of fun. How long it will take you to 'finish' one character really depends on how you play the game (whether you explore much, do a lot of side quests etc). I've heard people needing 60 hours to rush through the game (bare basics of just about only doing missions and nothing much else), but I also heard people having clocked 600 hours, with lots of questing and exploring and taking their time. On average I would say: 150-200 hours for the first character.
- PvP is where, in my opinion, this game shines. It's a closed PvP system, meaning you won't be able to PvP in quest or mission instances. The PvP is very balanced in terms of amount of participants, levels, gear and skills. I find it tense, fast paced, competitive and fun. As of now, there are different PvP instances located on the so called Battle Isles. There's the Random Arena, where you randomly get a team assigned consisting of 4 players, and where you battle another random team of 4 players (4vs4). Then there's the Competition Arena, where you can handpick your team of 4 and battle another team of 4. Then there's Hero's Ascent (HA) where you handpick a team of 8 to battle it out to reach the end map. If you manage to hold the end map, you will gain Favor for your continent and some special PvE areas will be opened for your continent. Plus your team's name gets broadcasted over shout worldwide :) Then lastly, there's Guild vs Guild battles, where you go in with 8 guild mates (the system does allow 'guest players' too) and battle another guild which has sent in 8 people. The map is either your guild hall or the guild hall of the opponents. If you win, then your guild will gain ranking on the world guild ladder.

Personally, I clocked around 600 hours in PvE so far, and around 800 hours in PvP since the release of the game. These days, I spend most of my time in PvP though. Was this worth 50 dollars to me? Yep. And it's gonna be worth another 50 dollars soon when GW: Factions is released :)

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Originally posted by Kugeln
wow thanks for a quick and such a detailed reply i think im gonna get it and eventualy get the expantion would be a nice change from EQ i hope hehe i dont like the whole 70 lvls and 80 hours + to get 1 item in EQ dont get me wrong i like EQ alot but ive played it for so many years i need to get away from it. so again thanks for the info and cya later =)

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I played UO for years and Lineage II as well, and I got tired of the grind after all these years. To me, this game was (and still is) very refreshing.

As the other poster noted, you'll find everything happens a lot faster in GW. Faster levelling, faster acquisition of weapons and skills, shorter learning curve than WoW of CoH, faster, more dynamic combat. Overall, it's just more fun. I just got three more characters ascended (level 20s) in addition to the 4 I had on a previous account, and still have a lot of content to go through before I finish the game.

And best of all, it's free, so it's a game you can walk away from for a few days and not feel like you've wasted money by not playing. This game gives you more than your money's worth in entertainment value, IMHO.

Have fun!

thats kool... another quick question... how many char slots do you get? and is the game populated with lower lvls that i can group with and all that stuff cause i hate soloing lol

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Originally posted by Kugeln
thats kool... another quick question... how many char slots do you get? and is the game populated with lower lvls that i can group with and all that stuff cause i hate soloing lol

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The basic game 'Guild Wars: Prophecies' (GW:P) as it is being called by developers now, will give you 4 character slots.

There are plenty of people in the low level areas. In the first few hours, you will solo a lot. You will start in a part that is called 'Pre-searing' and it's basically a gigantic tutorial where you learn the ropes of the interface and some basic concepts. Don't leave pre-searing too soon, since you can get your first skills through quests. Also keep in mind that the game requires you to pick a secondary class. If you follow the 'Primary quests' in your quest log, you'll be allright. If however, you miss the skill quests, then you can still buy them with gold and 1 skill point in post-searing. So no need to worry if you miss something. It goes for most of the game: you can't really screw up anything, since just about any choice you made is easily reversible. The only exception: your first class choice. You can't change that, unless you make a new character.

Your party in Pre-searing can only have a maxium of 2 people. To leave the tutorial, you need to see an NPC called Tydus, and at one point, he will warn you, in red letters, that once you leave, you cannot come back (well, not with that character anymore anyway). If you accept anyway, you will leave the tutorial and go 'Post-searing'. I am not going into the details of how, what and why, because I don't want to spoil your experience. For me, the transition from pre to post-searing caught me totally off guard and it was one of the most creative (and also confusing, since I simply did NOT expect this kind of transition) in any MMO I've played. It was also the point where GW sold itself to me :)

In Post-searing, you can initially have groups of maximum 4 people, and later in the game, you can have up to 6. After a certain point in the game, this is upped to 8 and that's the absolute maximum. There are plenty of people, especially in Mission areas, that are looking for groups all throughout the game. You will encounter some very childish players, but I think any game has that. Just ignore them and find some like minded people. I would also suggest to start looking around for a guild to join. Be picky about it though. Make sure you don't join any guild that spams invites or advertises heavily in starter towns, because very often, they amount to nothing much. Also make sure the guild is 'new player friendly' and it has a bunch of active members in your time zone.

its worth $200 and yes it is free from fees :P

guild wars= the most ownage game... just hope there was a better community and more leet people not a bunch of kids..

Hey Rayana im gonna try to pick up game tonight was wondering could i get your ingame name and server  so that if i need more help ( not items or money FYI hehe) i could just message ya thanks in advance ttyl