D2 - Guild Wars - WoW

I have D2 for a long time now, and it is the first time I don't get tired of it But it is not really what I want either.
So I tried a 10 day trial of Wow, and I have to admit, I like it a lot BUT the monthly fees is too much for me too be paying for it.

So then you have Guild Wars: Free but I don't know much more about it. Is there anyone who can give me more info about it? Is it more like D2 in 3D or more like WoW, or totally different? anyone who played it?

From what I hear Guild Wars does not really compare to WoW… It is true the game is a little expensive…. Anyway I hear there are alot of private servers. You can test (or even play the game) more there.

You could also look at some screenshots or ingame footage of Guild Wars to help you decide maybe.

Guild Wars is sort of an MMO in single player mode, unlike WoW where community plays a very important role. I wouldn't say it compares well to either D2 or WoW, it's just.. different. Not as time consuming as WoW, but there's also less to do in-game (naturally).

But how is it in gameplay? I would really like to know more from people who played it, because you can't test it like WoW, a pity. How is the lore? how are the skills based? and so on?

Guild wars is closer to singler player game experience than wow. It has a real main story (wow has nothing) that at best is comparable to singleplayer games. The graphics are better than in wow. There are intelligent NPC and NPC heros that you can recruit into your party and equip like in singleplayer game.

Guild wars nightfall is the best campaign of the entire game. In total the whole series sold 5 million. Its the only real competitor to wow allthough they have differences - GW is more like a mmo-lite with a solid story. I wish I had time to describe the differences in detail.

The CEs I bought come full with printed stories, lore and maps. Almost like in the ultima times.

I thought the gameplay in GW was very weak. It was not as fun as D2, which, I hope, says something about GW…

I find GW fun but cant stand D2. I guess that might tell somthing. I dont think the games have much in common even.

Mmm I read a bit more on the site, and it sounds interesting. I did have a few questions: When you lvl up can you invest your points as in D2 (Strength, etc) or is it like in WoW: automatic assign.
Do you have professions or something like that like in WoW?

GW lets you invest your points. You can play MP with other players if you want to. You link up with them in any of the cities. But once you go into the gameworld, it is your group playing PvE only. You will not see other RL player groups. Bad part of GW leveling is that it stops at 20. After that you can only gain skill points by doing some of the quests. Not often I might add.

Good point is that you can play with the henchies and do the game SP. No need to wait for groups or friends. Start a SP character for those alone times. There is no monthly fee.

It does have a storyline that drives it, and the grahics are better to me then WOW. Gameplay is a little easier mechanics wise but very similar to WOW. You do slot in your skills or spells to be used and you decide. There are no skills like tailoring ect. Just H&S with the occasional puzzle type quest. Tactics are needed for many of the fights after you get higher levels. Hope that helps some.

One thing I have to say about GW is that it runs smooth as silk - no bugs or anything like in mmos. I havent encountered a single one. Its polished to the extreme.

Just som interesting bits from GW2 that is in works:

The original Guild Wars will continue to be supported after release of Guild Wars 2. This will include continued holiday events and tournaments.

The control system is going to be significantly changed (in particular mouse movement in the form "click to move" will be removed from the game), however target locking will still function. Guild Wars 2 will introduce a Z-axis to the game which will allow characters to jump over obstacles. Actions which have characters interacting with the environment, such as sliding and swimming will also be introduced.

There will be changes to the instancing system used. Persistent areas, similar to those traditionally used in other online multiplayer games, will be introduced to Guild Wars which may allow players to meet and interact while exploring.

Instances will still be used for missions and dungeons.

A character can be used to play any game mode available in Guild Wars 2: PvE, Structured PvP and World PvP. A player may still have multiple characters.

The level cap will be raised. It has been suggested that this could be as much as 100 or even unlimited. There will be a plateau of power, where each level no longer adds as much to the power of the character. A side-kick system has been mentioned which would allow characters of a lower level to play with high level characters without disadvantage.

The skill system will be modified. There will be fewer, less complex skills which may behave differently in different situations, such as if the character is jumping or is surrounded by monsters. A system similar to the limited 8 skill system will be used.

Characters from the original Guild Wars campaign will not be migrated to play in Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars 2 will be a fresh start. Some items and weapons players earn in the original Guild Wars campaign may be redeemed for rewards in Guild Wars 2 through the Hall of Monuments which is available to players who have Guild Wars Eye of the North , however players will not be able to migrate the exact items or titles they obtained in Guild Wars. Names will also be reserved through this system.

The devs are rolling in cash and have experienced crew so they will take their time to make it a success just like GW1.

Will GW2 be without a monthly fee like the first one? GW was a big success, so I'm sure they'll go with the same business model.

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Will GW2 be without a monthly fee like the first one? GW was a big success, so I'm sure they'll go with the same business model.

I read that they were going to keep it ftp so good news there. I may try this out too if its any good (after just posting that the only other game I would try apart from war the new star trek MMO when thats released.

Here is a link to the faq on GW2. No monthly fees.

$13 a month is basically nothing. The game might as well be free. I would suggest looking for a free-fan module (hack server) or just play a single player rpg. Not to mention, there are several good mmos that are for free. Even Shadowbane is, I believe, if you are willing to look at advertisements on the loading screen.