Is Guild Wars a Good Introductory MMORPG?

[Tarnish]

Please excuse all of the recent threads I've made here.

The title speaks for itself, I've never played an MMORPG before as I loathe monthly payments with a burning passion. However, Guild Wars looks very appealing. I've heard mixed reviews, some saying that it isn't updated often and is flat out boring. Others say that it's the greatest game on Earth.

Is it worth the $40, should I wait for the price to go down when another chapter comes out, or should I avoid it entirely?

[Tringard]

If you're unwilling to deal with monthly payments you don't really leave yourself with many options. Guild Wars here and a handful of Korean/Japanese based games which use micropayments (small payments for items and options in game).

I've heard Guild Wars is good if you're interested in PvP (playing directly against others) and know a friend of a friend that enjoys it . I've heard City of Heroes is good for people new to MMOs as well as World of Warcraft (currently the largest in the genre), but these are subscription based.
In many ways it depends on what you are looking for and what kind of games you enjoy now. For instance, if you play FPS games now, there is only one (that I'm aware of) in MMO form, PlanetSide. Guild Wars is an active combat system though and so is Star Wars: Galaxies' new combat system (although I'm not sure I could recommend that game to anyone in good conscience...). There's a book that came out recently that tries to address all this (how to decide which game is for you, things most people expect others to know, tips for getting started, etc) written by a developer that was once just a player/commentor, MMGs for Dummies. Could browse that at a bookstore if you want to look into this more.

Many of the games out there have free trials that you can try as well (ie play free for 14 days) so you can see what you like. Unfortunately due to Guild War's pricing structure (or that they are still new), they don't have one.

[CreatureArt]

I play Guild Wars quite a bit. I've really enjoyed it so far. To be honest, the 'lack of updates' hasn't really come onto my radar yet - I'm playing it roleplay which is a lot of fun. There's a new expansion - Factions - coming out, but the great thing is that both that and the original are both standalone AND able to be combined with each other. I'll try to answer any questions if anyone has any.

[glitch1501]

i have had guildwars since the day it came out, and i still find it very fun.

i am suprised at this "lack of updates" quote, because gw upates basically every other day....you will be ingame and it will say, please reload guildwars another build is available..

as of now, i enjoy the PVE (player vs enviornment(basically the rpg storyline)) aspect of the game more than PVP(player vs. player)

i definatly recommend it, and you cant beat the monthly price (free)

[Sammy Boy]

I've played Guild Wars since it was released, so I'll try to give you a fair overview of it.

The Good things:
- no monthly fees
- quick and easy to dive into the action, join some people or use computer henchmen to help you
- not intensive if you don't want it to be. You can do a mission, a small quest, or just farm around and chat with people.
- not as hardcore as some other MMORPGs (e.g. World of Warcraft). Levels are capped at 20. The game focuses more on acquiring and using skills. It is more about strategy than a grinding experience.
- you don't have to play both PvP and PvE if you don't want to. You can only focus on one.
- Nice graphics, relatively smooth gameplay.
- You can continually redistribute your attributes in towns and try out different weapon / skill combinations.

The Bad things:
- Very basic chat system. Cannot invite other players by right clicking and selecting invite. A hassle for missions that require healers as you need to look around and find them quick or else they get invited into other groups.
- Weak trading system. No Auction House like the one in World of Warcraft, where you can search / bid on items. No common marketplace setting where players can display their items for sale.
- Not enough character slots. Each account only allows you to make 4 characters. I think we should have 8.
- Not enough storage / bank account space. Basically, your bank box in the game gives you 12 slots for items. Even if you have 4 characters, you still only have 12 slots in total. As a result one of my characters is basically a pack mule.

-----
Note: The game is instanced, meaning when you go out for quests and missions you can only see players in your party. Some see this as a good thing, others see it as a bad thing. Personally, I don't really mind either way.

If you've more questions feel free to post them.
-------

I would rate it 8.5 out of 10. In my opinion, the bad points about the game are not so terrible that it makes the game not worth playing.

Let me know if you get the game, I can help you with quests and missions when I am on.

[Tarnish]

Thank you for all of your help, I think I may get this. I've read a bit more about it, and it really does seem like something I would enjoy.
Does anyone know if there is a demo available? I've looked, but most I've found seem somewhat questionable...

[Link Antilles]

There is no demo available anymore… as far as I am aware, unfortunately. I believe there *was* a beta running a while before the game was released and that was it.

[Tarnish]

Ah, oh well. I was going to buy the game sooner or later, anyway...

[glitch1501]

There is no demo available anymore… as far as I am aware, unfortunately. I believe there *was* a beta running a while before the game was released and that was it.

last weekend it was free to play, they will probably do it again right before the game comes out..........

[CreatureArt]

I'm looking forward to Factions. ^_^

As a result one of my characters is basically a pack mule.

That sounds like a good idea. Yeah the trading systems and the lack of storage space gets annoying at times, but doesn't detract from the game all that much. Though if they made it better I'd enjoy GW even more.

[Sammy Boy]

Hopefully in a future update they will fix this. I probably ought to ask for this upgrade on a GW forum, but have not had time to get around to it.

[CreatureArt]

I'm just waiting to see what happens. At the moment I'm not really disrupted by anything in gameplay so I haven't been motivated to complain, heh.

I've just changed my Mesmer/Ranger character to a Mesmer/Elementalist. It's... interesting. I'm thinking of trying for a Mesmer/Monk instead... it could be a very good combination, methinks.

[Tarnish]

Sorry for gravedigging, but if anyone's interested I just bought GW (though it doesn't work very well on my computer...). I've got a Mesmer, a Warrior, and an Elementalist. PM me if you'd like to know my usernames.

[glitch1501]

just some info, pcgamer recently gave guildwars 2 awards, best MMO of 2005, and best value of 2005

pretty sweet, i agree with what pcgamer has said about guild wars...

[CreatureArt]

Yay! Another CAAer who has Guild Wars!

I'm glad there's another Mesmer around, too. What level is your mesmer and what did you pick for your 2nd proffession, Onrenji? Mines a Me/R level 20.

[Tarnish]

She's a Mesmer/Warrior. She's on level 1, but I'm working on that...

[Destroyer2000]

What is so bad about Starwars: Galaxies?

[glitch1501]

What is so bad about Starwars: Galaxies?

its pay to play
i played it for a day...didnt really find it fun...i do love the star wars universe, i just didnt like it