PC Guild Wars 2

[Ecks]

Kinda odd there wasn't a post for this yet. Or maybe it got buried considering it was originally announced like nearly two years ago if not longer than that.

I'm not sure if anyone here has been keeping up with this game. But I have.

I participated in the last beta weekend they had, and the beta stress test (though I only got to play for the last hour of that).

I gotta say I had a blast. Visually I was impressed. It's graphics almost rival those of XIV but the gameplay is where it's at. Very fast yet highly enjoyable. I think this game will manage to cater to the casual and hardcore gamers as well as those people that fit comfortably in between those two categories. I didn't get to try out all the classes, but I did play Guardian, Thief, Ranger and Necromancer.

My plan at launch is to play a Sylvari Necromancer and while the Sylvari race wasn't playable on beta I found out I really and I mean REALLY enjoyed Necromancer. I am so glad it is as fun a profession as it is. I was kind of worried it would feel like most typical spell casting classes, but it didn't. I think I only reached level 13 or 14 so I can't comment too much on it. But from 1 to 14 the personal story quests were pretty cool and fun. The random events that pop up in the normal questing areas is pretty cool too.

One thing they touted early on in development was the ability to drastically effect the world around you due to you're choices. I didn't really experience much of this during the beta, so I can't really comment on how successful this 'feature' is.

I also didn't do any pvp. However I have heard nothing but praise for it, so that's something else to look forward to.

The world was just enormous and beautiful looking though. I think this will be one of those MMOs where I'll actually have a blast just roaming around and discovering new areas. Which thankfully the game kind of encourages this since the more you quest the farther and farther out you go from the main city hub that you start in.

Anyway, enough of that. For so long now no one really knew when the game was actually going to launch. Sure GameStop listed it as having a June and December launch date (both were merely speculative, and also wrong). But now we have a solid date! Tuesday, August 28th.

And I for one cannot wait!

 

[Elemmire]

I'm with ya there and we have a real date for the game?! Totally gonna go pre-order it ONCE I finally figure out which I want to pre-order. That statue is very tempting >.> but 150 bucks.. whew....

 

[Strid]

Visually I'd have to question what GPU you're running. GW2 is a great looking game, but it looks nothing like FFXIV, fully maxed, if you ask me. Not to mention the styles are completely different.

That aside, since it matters not; I'm totally ready. I've been playing GW since release, off and on, and I know ArenaNet will put out a fantastic product with way too many years of support behind it. PvP will be balanced and fun, and man, you know, they just know how to show you a good time for a very long time. Some people boot up Diablo to get their loot grind fix, me, I boot up GW.

That said, it's not one of those games you just stop another MMORPG to hop on. I consider it more akin to a Phantasy Star Online type game. A more, single-player game that allows you to play with others if you like. If you hardcore it, you'll likely ruin the entire experience (though this time it looks to be a lot different in this regard). But I tell you, for years now, I'll hop on to get my PvP fix almost daily. Keeps me away from all these atrocious modern FPS games since I do need some competition to keep me going.

 

[Ecks]

I'm with ya there and we have a real date for the game?! Totally gonna go pre-order it ONCE I finally figure out which I want to pre-order. That statue is very tempting >.> but 150 bucks.. whew....

I hear ya. I really am not as interested in the statue as I am in all the extra in-game items you receive. I'd switch to the Digital Deluxe version myself just to obtain them, but I really am kind of leary of the whole digital aspect. I'd rather own a hard copy of an mmo (or any PC game for that matter).

Visually I'd have to question what GPU you're running. GW2 is a great looking game, but it looks nothing like FFXIV, fully maxed, if you ask me. Not to mention the styles are completely different.

True the styles are different, and keep in mind it's been a long while now since I hopped on XIV. Though I remember that game had great realism to it, which is what I meant by saying the graphics of GW2 almost rival that of XIV. At least when it comes to scenery, like seeing castle far off in the distance that looks amazing and being able to actually get to it. Though I really think GW2 graphics are quite awe inspiring. Did you take a trip roaming around Divinity's Reach? That's the most beautiful of the 3 racial cities shown during the beta that I saw (at least in my opinion) and the detail that is on the inside of the city as well as the outside is just phenomenal.

This was one of my favorite places inside Divinity's Reach and even the screenshot doesn't quite do it justice:

Few more screenies for the heck of it:

 

[Strid]

Yeah, I've pretty much been all over the open areas. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks really good, but nothing really stood out to me. At the end of the day it still has the same "oh, this is an MMORPG, so the 2 year behind graphical scheme is OK" in some regards, but it does have the places where it shines as being better than I expected (draw distance especially). The skill animations are really, really cool too. I think the Mesmer is one of the coolest looking things I've ever seen, but I'm biased, I've mainly played nothing but a Mesmer in GW all these years. Dual Dagger Elementalist looks like a fun class, with a few cool moves, and Dagger Necro may find a special place in my heart as a PvP only class.

Keep in mind though there are many things that could be going on here. Different PC specs, what you're use to seeing compared to what I'm use to seeing, etc., etc. What really matters, and I know you know this, but it bears being said for others who may be interested but not sure about this game, is that this is a great game and as a bonus, it's very, very easy on the eyes (without needing some kind of monster machine).

 

[Elemmire]

I have no idea what class I wanna play as :| I need to figure that out still. Haven't played enough of them in any beta to say yet.

I wonder how many other former Quetzy players will be playing GW2

 

[Ecks]

Well I can say this, you are sure to find at least one you enjoy playing. They all have different mechanics yet are somewhat similar (thanks to the weapon based ability system, which isn't a bad idea at all). You can easily learn all of your weapon skills by level 10 or earlier. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are other skills and abilities that you gain/unlock/learn through the leveling process and there is quite a bit of freedom with how you develop your character as there are many different abilities to choose from which you can then sort of mix and match to fit your play style, or perhaps specific circumstances.

Personally I am sure I will play almost every class at very least to try them out. I might even find out I enjoy a class I didn't think I would. *shrug*

 

[Strid]

(thanks to the weapon based ability system, which isn't a bad idea at all)

I had extreme amounts of concern for this type of system, but you're right, it wasn't a bad move at all. It's very interesting and well done. Oddly enough, it still gives that freshness to gameplay that a sub job adds by not making your character so one dimensional. To be honest, I think the weapon system allows for far greater variability than sub classes did in the original. That said, I would prefer if the weapon swaps were almost instant (save for animation actualities), now that, would make it perfect.

 

[Ecks]

Well for us head start peeps playtime is just around the corner (or a few hours from now, I think). I'm excited.

Me and my buddies have decided we're gonna roll on the Meguuma server, and if for whatever reason they completely renamed all the servers (which I don't believe they will do) I will update this thread with the adjusted server name.

Wouldn't mind any qcdn folk rolling on the same server. It'd be great!

WooHoo!!

-Additions-

Meguuma is the server.

Ecks Grimoirath - Sylvari Necromancer
Zenriori - Charr Warrior

That's it for now but I plan to have at the least one toon for each race. Time to pass out now.

 

[Elemmire]

I'm on Sorrow's Furnace

 

[Strid]

Holding off, I'm not paying $59.99 for a PC game. I know GMG has a 20% discount on everything right now with a code, but even still, until they drop the base price I'm not buying it.

 

[Rappa]

I'm debating getting this. The introduction cost is the main reason I'm currently holding off. I didn't really care for the beta but I think it was just because too many events were being caused because so many people were playing so it was confusing and laggy.

 

[Ecks]

Hmm, well I am loving it!

And seeing as I pre-ordered back in like... oh.. 2010, I think I have been able to scrounge up $60 in 2 years. But that's the norm for PC or console gaming anyway now. Why so stingy over $60? This is an F2P MMO (aside the initial cost) that has the content of more than some of the P2P MMOs on the market. Sorry you had lag in the beta Rappa. The game is by no means finished as it evident by constant updates daily and it's just been the 3 day head start. There have still been some kinda big bugs but they've been relatively quick in coming up with fixes which is a good sign.

I enjoy it because there's stuff to do if you are limited on time you can just hop on do a few events explore maybe a few areas and then log if that's what you gotta do. Or you can take time and really explore areas which is rewarding with experience and visual enjoyment (at least for me). There's so much to do; events that are constantly going on and usually end up triggering even bigger events, different pvp instances that are constantly going on (though I haven't tried it personally yet, I've listened to friends as they enjoyed it), story quests/missions, and exploration. I like this this game because it encourages exploration. There are special hidden random loot chest that aren't listed anywhere but just require some creative exploring with platforming and experimentation to find.

My main is lvl 20 or 21, I forgot and I've just been having a blast.

 

[Strid]

And seeing as I pre-ordered back in like... oh.. 2010, I think I have been able to scrounge up $60 in 2 years. But that's the norm for PC or console gaming anyway now. Why so stingy over $60?

Because it isn't yet a norm as much as it is, unfortunately, becoming one. I don't want it to be a norm, and neither should anyone else. Console games cost $10 more than PC games because of platform licensing fees. I'm not going to give $10 over MSRP for no extra value. I have no problem paying $59.99 for console games, but until there is an actual price increase on games, around the board, I wont buy one for that on PC.

I'd love very much to be playing, it's not me not liking the game at all. They just don't want my money, yet.

 

[Ecks]

Then get the collectors edition so you can feel like you really got something extra for your money. Honestly, I kinda wish I had gotten a CE. The Rytlock statue is the largest statue I've ever seen come with a MMO CE and it looks awesome, plus there's the other usual goodies: Art Book, (not sure if there are music cds), and tons of in-game items.

Anyway, Pics of my Sylvari. Lv. 6 at the time of these pics exploring Lion's Arch.

 

[Elemmire]

Rappa! :O There's a name I haven't seen in awhile.

And I think it's worth it. 60 bucks is standard price and it's an MMO with no monthly fee so it definitely is less money over time than other MMOs, especially WoW.

 

[Strid]

$59.99 for a PC game is not standard price... If you think that's standard price, you're buying too many consoles games and not enough PC games.

 

[Ecks]

I'd say it's still worth it. Like Elemmire said, there are no monthly fees.

I'm still having a blast. I hit level 34 before going to sleep last night and did the first dungeon with a group of my friends. (Level 30. Ascalonian Catacombs) That was a tough yet fun dungeon and it's clear they really put some thought into it as there were puzzle solving trap parts as well as your normal killing lots of mobs aspect. There were also about 5 bosses and none of them, save perhaps the first and last boss was really a tank & spank. It's actually kind of hard to consider anything a tank and spank in this game since there is no dedicated healer class or even really a dedicated tank class (however Guardian is perhaps the closest form).

Pics of me at lvl 26. I thought the area was quite photogenic.

 

[Ecks]

Picture update time, level 34 to 42 in one zone (+ story quests):

One of my pets, isn't he cute?

A costume I put on as part of a quest, it was awesome.

A cool looking sword I used as part of a story quest.

 

[Ecks]

Continue picture time. (think theres like a limit on pics per post, so I just posted 4 in the last one)