5521

Don’t want to turn this into a WoW thread, but…

I came back to WoW in February after a year or so away (and lots of other game playing in between), and I actually think it’s one of the easier games to get back into. With a ridiculous number of well-written extensive guides for every class and spec, you don’t even need to spend that much time sorting out abilities, talents, glyphs, etc. Just go with what the guides tell you to get started, and then tweak as you get familiar with the other stuff. There’s actually even a very basic “how to play the spec” inside WoW in the spellbook these days.

5522

I’ve dipped in and out of GW2 several times now, and I find that GW2 is very forgiving of panicked button mashing, so easy to get back into, but has lots of headroom for being more precise as you get more comfortable. Brilliant, really. I’m always in awe of how well GW2 is made.

5523

I browsed the thread a bit and it seems like you can play this game pretty much solo, is that correct? I don’t play MMOs (since Ultima online!!) and not too interested in joining up with some random person. Thanks!

5524

Yep, very soloable.

5525

Solo at least up until the final part of the personal story which is a 5 man dungeon.

5526

Thanks. I’ll have to check this out sometime.

5527

Thank you, guys, I’ve got an itch to get back to GW2 now. I shouldn’t have looked inside this thread at all.

5528

Well it’s not like you have to pay a sub or anything, at least!

5529

Guild Wars 2 is on sale at GMG for $38. 25% discount code may work on top of that.

Is that a good price for it? I don’t know if this is a title that goes on sale much.

5530

It was $40 a few times in the past (think direct twice, and Amazon once). If the coupon applies, that’s the cheapest price seen yet.

5531

Hmmm now that my wife’s “No NCSoft games ever!” stance is easing up due to Wildstar, I wonder if I can finally get GW2, might be worth a shot!

5532

How is the combat it Guild Wars compared to Skyrim (because I’m not a fan of Skyrim’s combat)?

5533

It’s totally different. If Skyrim’s combat is like an apple, then GW2’s combat is like the color blue.

5534

I forget that GW2 is an NCSoft game. I’ve not been a fan of NCSoft stuff in the past either, but GW2 is sufficient to get over that.

5535

GW2 : Skyrim = Magic the Gathering : AD&D

5536

I looked at the combat description on the Guild Wars 2 site and I see your guys points about it being totally different. I didn’t get a great idea how it plays out though. Anyone have a brief description as to how it plays out to give a basic idea? Thanks!

5537

In GW2, half of combat is preparation. In most cases, you will choose 15 abilities (out of dozens) that will form the basis of your short range attacks, long range attacks, group attacks, heals, buffs, debuffs, and escapes. Undoubtedly, 15 will seem insufficient (a few classes get more than 15, and it’s still not enough). That’s because abilities interact in numerous ways, and there’s always yet another ability that could push your prowess even further up an exponential curve. For that to actually happen, you’ll have to rely on teammates.

That’s why GW2 feels a lot like a CCG, except your cards are on timers instead of in a deck. It also leads to events that are inexplicable to casual observers. For instance, in Skyrim when you spot an enemy in the distance, you would do something sensible, like charge or run away.

In GW2, you might cast a wall of fire - at your own feet. Then place a bomb - at your own feet. Then wait for the bomb to go off. Then charge. You see, absorbing blasts within a fire field makes you mightier. It doesn’t make a lick of sense, but it doesn’t have to. It just feels great to see a convoluted plan come together. Now, is it worth swapping out that debuff for a second blast?

5538

I don’t find it to be like a CCG at all; it’s very much closer to the MMO genre mold, with significant differences. There are a set number of ability slots on the ability bar. You have 5 primary Weapon abilities. You choose a weapon(s), which have predefined skills associated with them. You can mix and match one-handed weapons. You also have 1 Heal ability slot (most healing in the game is self-healing, although there are skills that let you heal others) and 3 utility skill slots, and 1 elite skill slot, with your choices made available by class and race. There are also class-dependent Talents on F-keys available.

Abilities do interact, for various combos etc. to take advantage of but not required by any means. There is no mana, everything is on a timer. Movement during combat is encouraged, as moving out of the way/dodging s a prime method of damage avoidance.

I have to say, though, GW2 is probably my overall favorite MMO of all time. It does so much right, at least given my preferences, from the music to art to world design to combat and class design, that even with things that it doesn’t do well in my opinion, or that other games have done better, all told its just an amazing experience.

5539

It sounds interesting. If it wasn’t soloable I wouldn’t bother, but since it is I think I’ll bite. Thanks for the descriptions.

5540

Magnet and Mr. Helix both have it, but I want to point out that describing Guild Wars 2 as “choosing 15 skills” isn’t the right way to think about it unless you’re a power player. As Mr. Helix points out, the skills are smartly divided into categories so that you don’t even realize you’re choosing 15 skills. Instead, you’re picking a weapon. In most MMOs, that’s just a facet of your paper doll. But in Guild Wars 2, your weapon determines your five primary skills. Then you pick three skills from however many you’ve unlocked. Those are your secondary skills. So basically, you pick a weapon and three skills and you go to town. Easy peasy.

Oh yeah, you also get a healing skill. And at a certain point, you get your bad-ass uber-skill. And since you can alternate between two loadouts, you technically have two weapons. And since some weapons are one weapon in one hand and another weapon in the other hand, that’s actually a 3/2 skill split. And since different classes have all kinds of different gimmicks that unfold over time, it gets even more varied. And, of course, there are the crazy things you can do with your traits, many of which you can freely change up.

But what’s so smart about Guild Wars 2 is that all this busy work is mostly a matter of picking a weapon and three skills. That’s it. What do you want to hold? What three skills do you want to equip? Answer those questions and you’re playing Guild Wars 2 in all its glory.

Let us know what you think if you start playing, Rob. And feel free to post your account name here and we’ll invite you to the guild. Many of us are on Ehmry Bay, but you can join the guild no matter what server you’re on.

 -Tom