Please don't turn this into yet another GW2 vs TSW thread
To OP I'd suggest watching some TSW gameplay vids and getting a hold on a buddy key as I said before. I really like TSW but I also understand why this game is not for everyone (a buddy of mine just lagging behind and dying on every harder solo mission because he cannot understand the skill system and synergy between different skills). If you don't have money to waste then don't buy games blindly. I think that both TSW and GW2 are good MMOs but they are different enough to like one and dislike the other one.
I think you'll get a much better value with GW2. From the beta events it seems to have a large variety of content that is all well polished, so it can appeal to a lot of different types of players and keep you busy with things to do. Attention has been given across the board whether it is through pve, pvp, crafting, exploration, and you are rewarded for participating in any of it. I was surprised to find this last event that they had added all these fun jumping/plateforming puzzles to every zone that was part of the map exploration rewards, it was a nice diversion during play and tickled my OCD for checking off all the map goals. And I got some great equipment upgrades when I completed them all.
TSW's one strength seems to be its story. Sometimes to the expense of everything else, so there is a concern of how much variation you have available to you other than burning through story. The focus on only story is a problem to me for several reasons, and why I would hesitate to recommend it. For starters, whether you can enjoy the story is pretty subjective so its a gamble to get the game on only that merit. Even a good story can not be enjoyable if the setting or characters aren't your cup of tea. Story is also a one time canned experience, so once you've gone through it, there really isn't any reason to do it again, and it can be a downright grind to do it again on another character. And knowing Funcom's track record, there is no gaurentee they will produce more content for it in a timely manner, though whether this is an issue for you would depend a lot on your play schedule.
Really if story is the only thing you are looking for (and imo given the state of its other aspects its the only reason why someone would find it appealing) TSW may work for you... but I would wonder why someone wouldn't just watch a lets play of TSW or something on youtube as you can experience it all just as easily. But story by itself doesn't seem worthy of a subscription fee. On the other hand, when you've got a game that is kind of a total package like GW2, the only way you can experience it is to play it. That it has no subscription fee, and delivers more than just story... seems like a no brainer to me.
Waiting for: A skill-based MMO with Freedom and Consequence. Woe to thee, the pierce-ed.
My personal preference will be Guild Wars 2, by a huge margin. I've both on pre-order so i have tested Guild Wars 2 and TSW. For some reason, TSW bores me after a few hours into the game. The combat system on TSW gives you lots of possible combinations, (albeit im pretty sure there will be cookie-cutter builds and combinations that simply does not work later), but i feel that the combat feels.. weird compared to Guild Wars 2. It's nowhere near as fluid, i do not know how to explain this, but if you have played Guild wars 2 and manage to try out TSO, you will probably know what i mean.
The world zone differs a lot too, from a realistic TSW to a more fantasy based settings on GW2. This, i would prefer GW2. I do not care much for realism in an MMORPG, but its preferrential so its up to you. GW2 has an event based system which you should have read about, things you do or don't do in the zones trigger events and could lead to another, making the pve much more logical. TSW is more typical, or at least i feel that way. Going to someone with 3 quest ( 2 which i can pickup immediately, 1 which needs the first two to be done) , running around the city shooting at zombies, going back to that same NPC and picking up the final quest and then more walking around the city with still more zombies and nothing changing.. feels.. stale after playing Guild Wars 2.
There's also the question on the direction Guild Wars 2 decided on, in which skill and timing plays more of an aspect than gears. There's no such thing as getting gears for requirement to do a kara run, after which u have to do 40 more kara runs in order to proceed to the next stage. Same for pvp. Its only a difference in cosmetics. I think this is one factor you seriously have to consider, which do you prefer?
I can hardly imagine anyone who played/tried both would actually suggest TSW over GW2. No, seriously.
TSW isn't a bad game, but it is so... limited. I continually ran into things I could not do, I failed at or which simply where hard in the boring way, not challanging in the exciting way, but in the tiresome way. Animations and sounds effects are simply horrible. Sure, TSW has it's charm, but I never got into that mental state called "flow", which is usually associated with having fun in games. (Look the term "flow" in Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%29 ) All factions have the same zones, which makes replay worthless. The ability wheel means you can make 100s of trash combinations and you can essentially forget balance. TSW has it's merits but it just isn't a fluid experience and gets frustrating in the mid game.
GW2 on the other hand immediately had addictive qualities. It is a pleasure to look at, has so unique races and so different and fun to play classes. Everything is round and I immediately got into the flow feeling.
I am a bit too lazy now to go into greater detail, but I'd pick GW2 over TSW any day. It depends a bit on what you seek in a MMO, of course, but for me GW2 is leagues better than TSW, and if you see my posting history here, you know I am very critical and NOT easy to satisfy. I didn't have so much fun with a MMO as I had with GW2 in years. Of course I only saw the early 15 levels, as far as open beta went. So take it with a grain of salt.
(The F2P argument doesn't really interest me, I play a game because it's good, not because it's free. If a game is worth a monthly fee, I pay it.)
EDIT: I played TSW beta and I bought it and had played it ~ 4 weeks after launch into mid game. I played GW2 extensively over 3 beta weekends. Just so you have a referrence how far my experience with these games goes.
To each his own but please stop already complaining that you were unable to choose right skills and fight in a bit harder zone. I've read your posts and I know that the problem is yours because I ran into same problems but solved them after reviewing skills I used and making some adjustments. If you don't like TSW then fine but stop this complaining already.
You assume too much.
I play MMOs for 8 years, and computer games for 25 years. So I can claim not to be a total noob. I gave the skills considerably time. I even made ALL the quests of an entire zone (Savage Coast) a second time to pimp my char and learn additional skills. Sure, they MAY be a way to make it all work. But when I put so much work into understanding the skill wheel AND even making an entire zone 2 times, I think I can claim I put reasonable effort into TSW. You may disagree, but that is MY opinion, and the OP asked for opinions. Don't like it, fine, but instead of attacking me you could write your OWN comparision. I think that would help the OP more than baseless name calling me, muchacho.
NOTE: I don't understand how anyone can even say TSW PVP would be equal or better! The only PVP TSW has are 2 arenas and a larger zone. The arenas are pure zergfests and the larger zone is just with mediocre layout and design, whereas GW2 has 5 VS 5 for the small quick appetite, a medium size castle siege and THREE large castle siege battlefields. The GW2 PVP areas are so much more complex and interesting compared to TSW. Sorry, but this isn't hating or loving, it is a simple fact. GW2 PVP may not yet be perfect, but it is leagues ahead of all the simplistic arena zergs we have seen in MMOs inthe last few years.
The only thing TSW does better is, it has logic puzzles, and really difficult ones.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I play MMOs for 8 years, and computer games for 25 years. So I can claim not to be a total noob. I gave the skills considerably time. I even made ALL the quests of an entire zone (Savage Coast) a second time to pimp my char and learn additional skills. Sure, they MAY be a way to make it all work. But when I put so much work into understanding the skill wheel AND even making an entire zone 2 times, I think I can claim I put reasonable effort into TSW. You may disagree, but that is MY opinion, and the OP asked for opinions. Don't like it, fine, but instead of attacking me you could write your OWN comparision. I think that would help the OP more than baseless name calling me, muchacho.
People in Germany say muchacho? I think the world is a better place for that.
I play MMOs for 8 years, and computer games for 25 years. So I can claim not to be a total noob. I gave the skills considerably time. I even made ALL the quests of an entire zone (Savage Coast) a second time to pimp my char and learn additional skills. Sure, they MAY be a way to make it all work. But when I put so much work into understanding the skill wheel AND even making an entire zone 2 times, I think I can claim I put reasonable effort into TSW. You may disagree, but that is MY opinion, and the OP asked for opinions. Don't like it, fine, but instead of attacking me you could write your OWN comparision. I think that would help the OP more than baseless name calling me, muchacho.
People in Germany say muchacho? I think the world is a better place for that.
Germany doesn't exist anymore, safe on paper. Aren't we all a happy, global, multicultural mishmash today?
People use Anglicisms all over the world. Why not Spanicisms? Or Francicisms? Or Japanocisms?
Why so serious, Kumpel?
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Gw2... Doing investigation quests weren't that fun for me... They were either easily decoded or easily decoded... I never really felt challenged. But if you want a game filled with brain teasers, get the book. It has more than tsw could offer. I like guild wars 2 better, simply becuase of the faith I have put in for Anet and they have done very well so far, and have a much better reputation in my opinion, not saying funcom isn't a good company, it just hasn't had the several years of past succes like Anet (of course they have had only one game...) so I feel better. Also, the lack of a sub fee for gw2 is very interesting. Also, if you want a real intake challenge, the jumping puzzles are super fun, and there are several puzzles in gw2 you can solve, such as the underwater piano thing and there was a like mini dungeon filled with tricks and traps. The combat in gw2 is easily better, however tsw have been making changes to its own combat recently, so the aren't all that bad now. The final thing I have to say is get both. It is possible, get tsw now a pay the sub and get gw2 after release and play then, becuase you only have one sub to worry about!
I have already bought GW2, it works better for me.
The bad thing about TSW is the fact that FunCom probably will be as slow adding new content as they were in AoC. ANET can create really fast as they shown with Factions and Nightfall.
I think you probably should try TSW before deciding if you are unsure.
I guess it depends on which world you like best.I have already bought GW2, it works better for me.The bad thing about TSW is the fact that FunCom probably will be as slow adding new content as they were in AoC. ANET can create really fast as they shown with Factions and Nightfall.I think you probably should try TSW before deciding if you are unsure.
Well, it will be longer now because of DEs, they themselves said it takes about 6 days (or was it weeks?) to create one DE. So they will be slower.
TSW has better intense gameplay but GW2 will have lasting power. Once you are through the main stories in TSW there is little reason to continue to play the game which is sad because its one of the best MMO experiences you _can_ have atm, but there simply isn't a viable endgame.
GW2 automatically make you cooperate with anyone in the area since all events are area based where the area changes there is no indivdual quests as such in the game except for your personal story so whoever is in the area automatically counts as your own group for completion. And GW2 has a viable 3 side non-battleground PvP that feels almost like old DaoC.
GW2 also really HAVE done away with the Trinity, there is no tank / healer / dps roles in the game at all.
TSW otoh has tried to break some of the standard mold, by not having classes and levels, the character development system is extremely similar to old starwars galaxies, but you still have the traditional tank/healer/dps builds you make and the entire endgame is build around item grinding with the trinity sadly.
"You are the hero our legends have foretold will save our tribe, therefore please go kill 10 pigs."
I have played both pretty extensively. I bought TSW to cover grounds until GW2 released, so I have played quite a bit of both.
The majority of this will be opinion based, so as usual, take this as someone elses point of view, not yours.
Combat---
Both feature a more actiony combat than the standard mmo. Both feature a dodge. Both feature a deck of equally powerful skills that you chose from. There is pretty much no tiered skills in either game. A skill I unlock at level 3 (or third skill in TSW) will often be just as powerful as a level 10 skill (or tenth skill in TSW.) This is different from the standard where I unlock a skill at level 3, only to replace that skill at level 10.
GW2 ultimately WILL have more depth. TSW will give you 8 active and 8 passive. From these, you can build many decks, but once you build a deck, your deck is very set in stone. That deck, will be that deck, and nothing more. The only way to change this is actually change your deck. But again, chosing a different deck will only change the deck, not the depth.
GW2 however, offers 10 skills, which are active and passive, depending on what you chose to bring along. Every passive skill also has an active skill once you activate it. The difference comes into play when you take a look at each skill. A lot of the skills come with little tidbits on them that make them have more depth. A skill may do so and so damage when you use it. But if you use it again in succession, it will cause bleeding. If you use it a third time, it will knockdown if the opponent is bleeding. At first glance, this is not that incredible. But it is, because it basically takes 3 skills and puts them into one skill. So skills can be and often are multiple skills layered into one. The other big difference is the amount of situational use that GW2 forces upon you. A skill may do this in a regular setting, but in a slightly different situation, it will do something entirely different. This is also true in TSW, but pretty much the entire GW2 engine and combat is designed to exploit these little changes.
The last and most important thing to me, is the control of your character. While the TSW uses active combat, it also uses a lot of dice rolls. With each roll, you take a little bit of control away from your character. GW2 offers a more direct control then a dice rolling game. When you are blinded, you don't have a chance of missing, you simply miss the next three attacks. When you block, it isn't because the dice rolled and blocked for your character, it is because you used a skill to block. Actually, the only thing that I can think of that uses RNG in GW2 is criticals. Criticals, cannot be manual in a third person game though. In a first person game, a critical can happen when you hit the legs or the neck or whatever, but in a third person game, having manual criticals is very difficult.
Story/Lore/Setting---
The story in both games a actually pretty similar. The settings are vastly different, but the story is more alike then one might think. In both games, there are multiple factions fighting some great evil. In both games, you are assisting and/or uniting the factions to overcome this great evil.
Though the lore in GW2 is vast and detailed, it is still a generic fantasy setting. Mages, dragons, swords, castles. They have different races to fill different taste, but the setting will always be high magical fantasy.
This is the biggest selling point for me about TSW. The setting is modern and filled with conspiracies. There is no need for a back drop, because we all know the story already. We know about Area 51, we know about Stonehenge, we know London, New York, Tokyo, and Paris. The setting in the TSW is fresh but not so fresh that we get lost.
PvE---
Both are incredibly strong in this aspect, and I would advise against believing anyone who says either game has weak PvE.
Both games are very open. They are very non-linear, and very explorable. Neither game directs you to a location before you can advance. You simply play the PvE and move on if you need to. There is no requirement for doing quests or any of the "artificial" limitations that exists with quest hubs.
TSW does this very well by using open, tiered quests and by limiting them. You can have your main story quest, one major quest, and a few minor quests. Though it seems small, this is actually very clean and organized. This system tells you where you are on your story, where you should go next, and where you can goof around. It keeps the game organized and it "forces" you to miss some quests. This is good, because if you had to complete every quest in that zone, the game would become very stale and very static. So with this sytem, you can only help out so much. You will always come back and find some quests that you missed because you couldn't pick them up. Youll also have a lot of exploring to do, because quests are scattered around, even in the deepest of corners. There are no hubs, just random quests lying around the world.
GW2 does not underperform either. GW2 uses a different system, but accomplishes the same type of gameplay. You have your main story, which you can do whenever you want. You also have a few renown hearts around the map, which are very basic questing used to pull you off the beaten path. It is only until you get into dynamic events that you appreciate the world. You cannot store events in a quest log. They just happen. You will miss lots and lots of events as you progress, which like I said, I prefer. This, like in TSW, will always "force" you to skip some and comeback later. Events are triggered randomly, by players, and by world status (weather, time...) Events are also scattered in the deepest parts of the sea and darkest parts of corners.
Both systems will have you exploring all over if you want to see what happens.
It's hard to give an edge to either game. TSW presents its PvE a lot better than GW2. They have excellent cutscenes that really pull you into the quests you do. However, TSW falls victim to a very static world. Nothing changes, nothing moves. I will give a quick example for quests that would be identical in both games.
Say you have to go to a mansion and kill some ghosts.
In the TSW, you would most likely start off with an excellent cutscene. The quest would have you go and kill 15 ghosts. After this, you might have to go back and remove some ancient books from the mansion to help ease the haunting. The problem is, like many mmos before it, you don't actually kill all the spirits. Nor did you actually effect the world. Someone could literally come by seconds behind you and pick up the same quest and kill the exact same ghosts.
In GW2, if this was the quest. You would have to the mansion and fight off until every single ghost was defeated. Some players would be killing spirits, while others would be burning ancient books. You would walk away and know that the mansion is no longer infested with eveil spirits. Players who come by after you wouldn't even know that spirits normally infest that building. Slowly, over the course of several hours (or days or weeks depending on the event) spirits would manifest themselves until they again infested the mansion. Only then would the event kick off again.
PvP---
I cannot say much about the PvP because not enough players (including me) are good enough to actually give an accurate overall feeling of how the PvP will be in the long run. GW2 is aiming for an e-sport like PvP. They balance their skills differently for both PvE and PvP making sure PvP is absolutely balanced and fair as can be. I could say a lot about the TSW world PvP, and it is great, but I have not played enough of the GW2 PvP to make a comparison.
General Gameplay---
TSW is designed for a mature audience. It's erie and dark as hell. It is not a horror game by any means, but it's not a game you'd want your third grader to be playing. The game has the freshest setting in all the recent mmo's simply because it is designed for an older group.
GW2 shines in its vastness. GW2 will no doubt, emcompass a larger array of gaming then TSW. TSW is designed to be played as a story and solve the game until the end. There are very tiny bits of extras tossed in here and there. You craft, PvP, and do a few other things, but just subtly. GW2 will offer much more, and offer in a more integrated way. From the samllest things like minigames, in-game sports, to full blown global tournaments. The game will simply, in my opinion, fill a larger plate than that of TSW.
AS title says, i am looking for feedback on if i should put my money into TSW or GW2- i Have yet to play TSW as it does not have a trial at this time, but i have tried beta for GW2. Just looking for some honest opinions on which you think would be a better long term game to play and give a few reasons why ( i.e graphics, etc etc ) .
Im not looking for a pissing contest here on which is gonna have more subs blah blah blah, just general feedback based on your experience with either .
Thanks in advance ,
Wizzy
Really, really depends on what you're looking for.
Imho, GW2 offers a more refreshing experience, and actually is designed to deal w/ a lot of the problems current MMOs have. If you don't mind playing a new / different kind of MMO, then it's definitely worth a shot. Some of the dialogue can be a bit corny, though, so if that's a huge deal for you, then TSW may be the better option. Personally, though, I think GW2 is going to have more longevity.
TSW has a more mature setting, but it also has a subscription fee, and is still pretty buggy. It's PvP is also a complete joke atm. Where TSW shines, is it's one of the few MMOs with a dark, horror theme, and is heavily based around your own story investigating these wierd occurances. The investigation missions can be quite nice, as some of the puzzles are fairly difficult to figure out w/ out cheating.
That said, TSW has the same core design as SWTOR in a lot of ways. The skill / anima point system is more similar to GW1 in function, but the questing and endgame is very much like SWTOR. From what I've seen, TSW is also already suffering from a population drop, so it's kind of hard to say if that will continue or not.
TL;DR
- If you enjoy a fantasy setting, and are sick of the traditional WoW-themepark / single player designed MMOs (and actually mean it), go with GW2. It's a very well designed / polished game, and also happens to be one of the cheapest AAA MMOs on the market. It's got some of the best PvP I've played in a long time, and the PvE is really good at sweeping you up in a world, and taking you away on tangents. It's an absolute dream if you are the exploring / adventuring type, or are really into achievements / completionist.
- If you are sick of the fantasy setting, but still like 'kill X' quests, and still like grinding dungeons for better & better loot, or you are a huge fan of the cthulhu mythos, you may enjoy TSW more. It's definitely not a bad game, though it is a lot more expensive than GW2. The story and cutscenes are also generally done quite a bit better than GW2's, but it plays a lot more like a single player game, than it does an MMO.
I play MMOs for 8 years, and computer games for 25 years. So I can claim not to be a total noob. I gave the skills considerably time. I even made ALL the quests of an entire zone (Savage Coast) a second time to pimp my char and learn additional skills. Sure, they MAY be a way to make it all work. But when I put so much work into understanding the skill wheel AND even making an entire zone 2 times, I think I can claim I put reasonable effort into TSW. You may disagree, but that is MY opinion, and the OP asked for opinions. Don't like it, fine, but instead of attacking me you could write your OWN comparision. I think that would help the OP more than baseless name calling me, muchacho.
I guess all those years of gaming didn't amount to much. Weren't you the one that claimed that the Tera starter island was hard? An area the developers felt the need to beef up because it was way too easy, even after the tweak in difficult.
Anyway, if you felt that you needed to do savage coast twice, then I think that you definitely did something wrong. Usually it's not just one thing, but a combination. Improper ability selection (abilities that don't complement each other), poor gear selection (gear that don't complement the abilities), mouse clicker, lack of surrounding awareness can be reasons for somebody to struggle in TSW. Not saying that you had these issues, just that these could be some possible reasons.
What I didn't see as well was any mention of dungeon gear usage. Blue gear and above are a double edged sword. They are specialised gear in terms of the job you're trying to accomplish. Green gear are more all round overall, but blue gear of the same QL level will have far superior stats. The issue here is that overspecialising in blue gear does not work well in soloing. For that, people need to regain some balance lost by mixing blue gear. For example:
A fully decked tank will take eons to kill anything in tank gear.
A tank with 70% tank 30% dps gear will have less of a problem and still be very durable.
A tank with dps abilities and 70% gank gear and 30% dps gear will be even faster, just less durable and so on.
Same thing is true for a pure dps, glass cannon does not work well the more durable the monsters become (at some point they have stuns, they regenerate and use similar to player abilities as well)
Same thing with healer.
Now looking at the above examples, a tank would build his ability deck differently than a healer so as to become an efficient soloer. The idea is to capitalise both on the gear you have and the synergies those gear provide with the abilities. For example a tank hybrid could put into better use mitigation abilities while a healer could use regeneration abilities. And of course the choice of weapons is a restricting factor at the beginning.
The bigger eye opener in terms of the skillset are of course the nightmare mode dungeons. Prior to that things like different set of gear for tanks (physical or magical protection, defence, dodge, evade gear), abilities like impairs and any possible way to generate aggro become a lot more important than before. Damage dealers learn the necessity of purges, cleanses, AoE or solo builds, hinders, afflictions, damage mitigation etc. And so do healers with their own subset of skills.
The thing is that you get to decide on your own by experimenting on what works for you and you regular (or random) group and adapt both your build and playstyle.
I have not played GW2 yet (will save my experience for the actual launch) but from what you're describing it seems that the whole thing is much more streamlined. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it makes for more people being above average in what they are doing. On the other hand the gap between average players and good players in TSW is quite big and very apparent, especially in the nightmare runs.
Well I'm a fan of both games and playing tsw now, still waiting for gw2 but played all the bwe's. I perfer gw2 and feel it is the bigger, better game with more to offer. That said tsw is good and has a specific flavor that if appeals to you will be a great experience. Having done a good majority of the missions and zones in tsw besides the pvp it seems a bit small in comparison to gw2 and we have only seen a small amount of what that game has to offer which is already impressive. Gw2 is more pg13 and tsw is more r rated, both in a good way. Both have cool elements in terms of combat, Tsw has the skill wheel which works well to an extent. What I mean is in my case I found a great build early using shotgun/assault rifle that made eveything else not really worth anything so progression wise I felt I was moving laterally at best and that most of what I got was useless. This is one of the reasons arenanet tiered there skills. Gw2 has a more action based combat that plays very smooth and is one of my biggest reasons for liking the game as much as I do.
The thing's I love about tsw, resident evil/metal gear style missions,The zombie/horror world and lore, the crafting, the kneecapper. Thing's I love about gw2, the exploring, the combat, the lush world and sense of scale and, the smooth polish of it all.
I will be playing both gw2 regularly and visiting tsw every few months or so after a few updates and new missions.
Altering the old Tolkien quote: "Never ask forum posters for advice for they will say both yes and no."
As far as TSW goes, I can give any tips I've picked up mainly as tank and secondary as dps. Here are two general tips:
V is the area loot button.
If you ctrl-X click a targetted ability, then it fires up at the target you have selected. I'm talking about abilities that you normally need to activate with 1-7 and then click on the ground with the mouse to fire.
GW2 even tho it does some things different it still feels like the same old same old fantasy MMORPG and i have seen it all before..
TSW on the other hand feels fresh and i like that..
But and a big but... we all like different things LOL.. what you should have done is got in on one of the beta weekends for GW2 and got a buddy key for TSW and made up your own mind as we all like different things.
The bad thing about TSW is the fact that FunCom probably will be as slow adding new content as they were in AoC. ANET can create really fast as they shown with Factions and Nightfall.
The bad thing about TSW is the fact that FunCom probably will be as slow adding new content as they were in AoC. ANET can create really fast as they shown with Factions and Nightfall.
So adding content every month is slow?
It depends on how much they add per month, right?
It sounded like they had goals to put out a solid amount of content to me though.
why? Well its pretty simple for me, I'm not into games that don't get updated regulerly and that suddenly dies out. The fact that Gw 1 and 2 are F2P makes the updates thin' out, since there ain't going to be money in the long run for Dev's to keep making stuff (don't come with your fanboi crap here at start making shit up, you know its true) also people don't seem to care as much for the rules and such when its a F2P game as when they pay monthly to play it. And also (I will get flamed for this) GW2 is a kiddy game compared to TSW, and I played enough WoW, Warhammer, LoTR, D&D and so on, I'm getting tired of the same old crap (yes it is the same old crap that we all played a million times before) the question you need to ask yourself is simple, If you like an easy "same old" kind'a game, that you don't have to pay monthly for and that has a community full of 10- 16 year old people GW2 is the way to go, If you want to try something brand new something you have not tired before, where you have to pay monthly, and a great adult community you should buy TSW...
Flame on kiddos!
That has to be one of the most misinformed posts about GW2 I've seen on this site. And that's saying a lot. Where to start.....
Neither GW1 or 2 are F2P. They are B2P. Do you understand that concept? You have to purchase the game before you can play it.
I've been playing GW1 for 6 years and the game has been out for 7 and they are still updating it. They've updated it regularly the entire time I've been playing and I doubt it will be much different with GW2.
WTF rules are you talking about??? What rules does the GW1 community break?
You have a right to your opinion about whether you like the Horror style MMO or Fantasy. But to call the fantasy setting of GW2 childish is just flat out ridiculous. I can only assume you put that in there so that people would flame you.
If you think GW2 is easy, you clearly haven't played it past level 10.
The GW community is full of 30+ people, so your argument about the average age is flat out wrong.
You're 21, at least according to your profile, so WTF would you know about an adult community?????
I'm not saying that someone shouldn't try TSW as it looks like a really fun game. In fact the only thing that has kept me from it is the subscription...at least until now. If people like you play it, that's a good secondary reason for me not to play it.
@OP - I personally will only be playing GW2 because I've played the BWEs and I love it. I won't play TSW due to the sub fees, but it also looks like a really cool game. I think GW2 has the edge in gameplay and structure - at least from what I've seen in videos etc. However, I think it really comes down to which would you rather play - a Fantasy setting (GW2) or a Horror setting (TSW). I think that's really what it boils down to.
Of course, you could always play both.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
For me its without doubt TSW much better value for money as GW2 will last 2 weeks tops for me.
I hope you aren't serious. GW2 has easily double the PvE content of TSW and that content is far more replayable. In addition GW2 far more in the way of alternate content and vastly superior PvP/WvW.
Comments
Please don't turn this into yet another GW2 vs TSW thread
To OP I'd suggest watching some TSW gameplay vids and getting a hold on a buddy key as I said before. I really like TSW but I also understand why this game is not for everyone (a buddy of mine just lagging behind and dying on every harder solo mission because he cannot understand the skill system and synergy between different skills). If you don't have money to waste then don't buy games blindly. I think that both TSW and GW2 are good MMOs but they are different enough to like one and dislike the other one.
I think you'll get a much better value with GW2. From the beta events it seems to have a large variety of content that is all well polished, so it can appeal to a lot of different types of players and keep you busy with things to do. Attention has been given across the board whether it is through pve, pvp, crafting, exploration, and you are rewarded for participating in any of it. I was surprised to find this last event that they had added all these fun jumping/plateforming puzzles to every zone that was part of the map exploration rewards, it was a nice diversion during play and tickled my OCD for checking off all the map goals. And I got some great equipment upgrades when I completed them all.
TSW's one strength seems to be its story. Sometimes to the expense of everything else, so there is a concern of how much variation you have available to you other than burning through story. The focus on only story is a problem to me for several reasons, and why I would hesitate to recommend it. For starters, whether you can enjoy the story is pretty subjective so its a gamble to get the game on only that merit. Even a good story can not be enjoyable if the setting or characters aren't your cup of tea. Story is also a one time canned experience, so once you've gone through it, there really isn't any reason to do it again, and it can be a downright grind to do it again on another character. And knowing Funcom's track record, there is no gaurentee they will produce more content for it in a timely manner, though whether this is an issue for you would depend a lot on your play schedule.
Really if story is the only thing you are looking for (and imo given the state of its other aspects its the only reason why someone would find it appealing) TSW may work for you... but I would wonder why someone wouldn't just watch a lets play of TSW or something on youtube as you can experience it all just as easily. But story by itself doesn't seem worthy of a subscription fee. On the other hand, when you've got a game that is kind of a total package like GW2, the only way you can experience it is to play it. That it has no subscription fee, and delivers more than just story... seems like a no brainer to me.
Waiting for: A skill-based MMO with Freedom and Consequence.
Woe to thee, the pierce-ed.
My personal preference will be Guild Wars 2, by a huge margin. I've both on pre-order so i have tested Guild Wars 2 and TSW. For some reason, TSW bores me after a few hours into the game. The combat system on TSW gives you lots of possible combinations, (albeit im pretty sure there will be cookie-cutter builds and combinations that simply does not work later), but i feel that the combat feels.. weird compared to Guild Wars 2. It's nowhere near as fluid, i do not know how to explain this, but if you have played Guild wars 2 and manage to try out TSO, you will probably know what i mean.
The world zone differs a lot too, from a realistic TSW to a more fantasy based settings on GW2. This, i would prefer GW2. I do not care much for realism in an MMORPG, but its preferrential so its up to you. GW2 has an event based system which you should have read about, things you do or don't do in the zones trigger events and could lead to another, making the pve much more logical. TSW is more typical, or at least i feel that way. Going to someone with 3 quest ( 2 which i can pickup immediately, 1 which needs the first two to be done) , running around the city shooting at zombies, going back to that same NPC and picking up the final quest and then more walking around the city with still more zombies and nothing changing.. feels.. stale after playing Guild Wars 2.
There's also the question on the direction Guild Wars 2 decided on, in which skill and timing plays more of an aspect than gears. There's no such thing as getting gears for requirement to do a kara run, after which u have to do 40 more kara runs in order to proceed to the next stage. Same for pvp. Its only a difference in cosmetics. I think this is one factor you seriously have to consider, which do you prefer?
You assume too much.
I play MMOs for 8 years, and computer games for 25 years. So I can claim not to be a total noob. I gave the skills considerably time. I even made ALL the quests of an entire zone (Savage Coast) a second time to pimp my char and learn additional skills. Sure, they MAY be a way to make it all work. But when I put so much work into understanding the skill wheel AND even making an entire zone 2 times, I think I can claim I put reasonable effort into TSW. You may disagree, but that is MY opinion, and the OP asked for opinions. Don't like it, fine, but instead of attacking me you could write your OWN comparision. I think that would help the OP more than baseless name calling me, muchacho.
NOTE: I don't understand how anyone can even say TSW PVP would be equal or better! The only PVP TSW has are 2 arenas and a larger zone. The arenas are pure zergfests and the larger zone is just with mediocre layout and design, whereas GW2 has 5 VS 5 for the small quick appetite, a medium size castle siege and THREE large castle siege battlefields. The GW2 PVP areas are so much more complex and interesting compared to TSW. Sorry, but this isn't hating or loving, it is a simple fact. GW2 PVP may not yet be perfect, but it is leagues ahead of all the simplistic arena zergs we have seen in MMOs inthe last few years.
The only thing TSW does better is, it has logic puzzles, and really difficult ones.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
gw2
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function()
{
runescape != goodgame;
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People in Germany say muchacho? I think the world is a better place for that.
Germany doesn't exist anymore, safe on paper. Aren't we all a happy, global, multicultural mishmash today?
People use Anglicisms all over the world. Why not Spanicisms? Or Francicisms? Or Japanocisms?
Why so serious, Kumpel?
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation
I guess it depends on which world you like best.
I have already bought GW2, it works better for me.
The bad thing about TSW is the fact that FunCom probably will be as slow adding new content as they were in AoC. ANET can create really fast as they shown with Factions and Nightfall.
I think you probably should try TSW before deciding if you are unsure.
Well, it will be longer now because of DEs, they themselves said it takes about 6 days (or was it weeks?) to create one DE. So they will be slower.http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation
TSW has better intense gameplay but GW2 will have lasting power. Once you are through the main stories in TSW there is little reason to continue to play the game which is sad because its one of the best MMO experiences you _can_ have atm, but there simply isn't a viable endgame.
GW2 automatically make you cooperate with anyone in the area since all events are area based where the area changes there is no indivdual quests as such in the game except for your personal story so whoever is in the area automatically counts as your own group for completion. And GW2 has a viable 3 side non-battleground PvP that feels almost like old DaoC.
GW2 also really HAVE done away with the Trinity, there is no tank / healer / dps roles in the game at all.
TSW otoh has tried to break some of the standard mold, by not having classes and levels, the character development system is extremely similar to old starwars galaxies, but you still have the traditional tank/healer/dps builds you make and the entire endgame is build around item grinding with the trinity sadly.
"You are the hero our legends have foretold will save our tribe, therefore please go kill 10 pigs."
They actually said they are going to implement player housing sometime after launch.
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/18447-guild-info-discussion-thread/page__st__180__p__887047#entry887047
I have played both pretty extensively. I bought TSW to cover grounds until GW2 released, so I have played quite a bit of both.
The majority of this will be opinion based, so as usual, take this as someone elses point of view, not yours.
Combat---
Both feature a more actiony combat than the standard mmo. Both feature a dodge. Both feature a deck of equally powerful skills that you chose from. There is pretty much no tiered skills in either game. A skill I unlock at level 3 (or third skill in TSW) will often be just as powerful as a level 10 skill (or tenth skill in TSW.) This is different from the standard where I unlock a skill at level 3, only to replace that skill at level 10.
GW2 ultimately WILL have more depth. TSW will give you 8 active and 8 passive. From these, you can build many decks, but once you build a deck, your deck is very set in stone. That deck, will be that deck, and nothing more. The only way to change this is actually change your deck. But again, chosing a different deck will only change the deck, not the depth.
GW2 however, offers 10 skills, which are active and passive, depending on what you chose to bring along. Every passive skill also has an active skill once you activate it. The difference comes into play when you take a look at each skill. A lot of the skills come with little tidbits on them that make them have more depth. A skill may do so and so damage when you use it. But if you use it again in succession, it will cause bleeding. If you use it a third time, it will knockdown if the opponent is bleeding. At first glance, this is not that incredible. But it is, because it basically takes 3 skills and puts them into one skill. So skills can be and often are multiple skills layered into one. The other big difference is the amount of situational use that GW2 forces upon you. A skill may do this in a regular setting, but in a slightly different situation, it will do something entirely different. This is also true in TSW, but pretty much the entire GW2 engine and combat is designed to exploit these little changes.
The last and most important thing to me, is the control of your character. While the TSW uses active combat, it also uses a lot of dice rolls. With each roll, you take a little bit of control away from your character. GW2 offers a more direct control then a dice rolling game. When you are blinded, you don't have a chance of missing, you simply miss the next three attacks. When you block, it isn't because the dice rolled and blocked for your character, it is because you used a skill to block. Actually, the only thing that I can think of that uses RNG in GW2 is criticals. Criticals, cannot be manual in a third person game though. In a first person game, a critical can happen when you hit the legs or the neck or whatever, but in a third person game, having manual criticals is very difficult.
Story/Lore/Setting---
The story in both games a actually pretty similar. The settings are vastly different, but the story is more alike then one might think. In both games, there are multiple factions fighting some great evil. In both games, you are assisting and/or uniting the factions to overcome this great evil.
Though the lore in GW2 is vast and detailed, it is still a generic fantasy setting. Mages, dragons, swords, castles. They have different races to fill different taste, but the setting will always be high magical fantasy.
This is the biggest selling point for me about TSW. The setting is modern and filled with conspiracies. There is no need for a back drop, because we all know the story already. We know about Area 51, we know about Stonehenge, we know London, New York, Tokyo, and Paris. The setting in the TSW is fresh but not so fresh that we get lost.
PvE---
Both are incredibly strong in this aspect, and I would advise against believing anyone who says either game has weak PvE.
Both games are very open. They are very non-linear, and very explorable. Neither game directs you to a location before you can advance. You simply play the PvE and move on if you need to. There is no requirement for doing quests or any of the "artificial" limitations that exists with quest hubs.
TSW does this very well by using open, tiered quests and by limiting them. You can have your main story quest, one major quest, and a few minor quests. Though it seems small, this is actually very clean and organized. This system tells you where you are on your story, where you should go next, and where you can goof around. It keeps the game organized and it "forces" you to miss some quests. This is good, because if you had to complete every quest in that zone, the game would become very stale and very static. So with this sytem, you can only help out so much. You will always come back and find some quests that you missed because you couldn't pick them up. Youll also have a lot of exploring to do, because quests are scattered around, even in the deepest of corners. There are no hubs, just random quests lying around the world.
GW2 does not underperform either. GW2 uses a different system, but accomplishes the same type of gameplay. You have your main story, which you can do whenever you want. You also have a few renown hearts around the map, which are very basic questing used to pull you off the beaten path. It is only until you get into dynamic events that you appreciate the world. You cannot store events in a quest log. They just happen. You will miss lots and lots of events as you progress, which like I said, I prefer. This, like in TSW, will always "force" you to skip some and comeback later. Events are triggered randomly, by players, and by world status (weather, time...) Events are also scattered in the deepest parts of the sea and darkest parts of corners.
Both systems will have you exploring all over if you want to see what happens.
It's hard to give an edge to either game. TSW presents its PvE a lot better than GW2. They have excellent cutscenes that really pull you into the quests you do. However, TSW falls victim to a very static world. Nothing changes, nothing moves. I will give a quick example for quests that would be identical in both games.
Say you have to go to a mansion and kill some ghosts.
In the TSW, you would most likely start off with an excellent cutscene. The quest would have you go and kill 15 ghosts. After this, you might have to go back and remove some ancient books from the mansion to help ease the haunting. The problem is, like many mmos before it, you don't actually kill all the spirits. Nor did you actually effect the world. Someone could literally come by seconds behind you and pick up the same quest and kill the exact same ghosts.
In GW2, if this was the quest. You would have to the mansion and fight off until every single ghost was defeated. Some players would be killing spirits, while others would be burning ancient books. You would walk away and know that the mansion is no longer infested with eveil spirits. Players who come by after you wouldn't even know that spirits normally infest that building. Slowly, over the course of several hours (or days or weeks depending on the event) spirits would manifest themselves until they again infested the mansion. Only then would the event kick off again.
PvP---
I cannot say much about the PvP because not enough players (including me) are good enough to actually give an accurate overall feeling of how the PvP will be in the long run. GW2 is aiming for an e-sport like PvP. They balance their skills differently for both PvE and PvP making sure PvP is absolutely balanced and fair as can be. I could say a lot about the TSW world PvP, and it is great, but I have not played enough of the GW2 PvP to make a comparison.
General Gameplay---
TSW is designed for a mature audience. It's erie and dark as hell. It is not a horror game by any means, but it's not a game you'd want your third grader to be playing. The game has the freshest setting in all the recent mmo's simply because it is designed for an older group.
GW2 shines in its vastness. GW2 will no doubt, emcompass a larger array of gaming then TSW. TSW is designed to be played as a story and solve the game until the end. There are very tiny bits of extras tossed in here and there. You craft, PvP, and do a few other things, but just subtly. GW2 will offer much more, and offer in a more integrated way. From the samllest things like minigames, in-game sports, to full blown global tournaments. The game will simply, in my opinion, fill a larger plate than that of TSW.
Really, really depends on what you're looking for.
Imho, GW2 offers a more refreshing experience, and actually is designed to deal w/ a lot of the problems current MMOs have. If you don't mind playing a new / different kind of MMO, then it's definitely worth a shot. Some of the dialogue can be a bit corny, though, so if that's a huge deal for you, then TSW may be the better option. Personally, though, I think GW2 is going to have more longevity.
TSW has a more mature setting, but it also has a subscription fee, and is still pretty buggy. It's PvP is also a complete joke atm. Where TSW shines, is it's one of the few MMOs with a dark, horror theme, and is heavily based around your own story investigating these wierd occurances. The investigation missions can be quite nice, as some of the puzzles are fairly difficult to figure out w/ out cheating.
That said, TSW has the same core design as SWTOR in a lot of ways. The skill / anima point system is more similar to GW1 in function, but the questing and endgame is very much like SWTOR. From what I've seen, TSW is also already suffering from a population drop, so it's kind of hard to say if that will continue or not.
TL;DR
- If you enjoy a fantasy setting, and are sick of the traditional WoW-themepark / single player designed MMOs (and actually mean it), go with GW2. It's a very well designed / polished game, and also happens to be one of the cheapest AAA MMOs on the market. It's got some of the best PvP I've played in a long time, and the PvE is really good at sweeping you up in a world, and taking you away on tangents. It's an absolute dream if you are the exploring / adventuring type, or are really into achievements / completionist.
- If you are sick of the fantasy setting, but still like 'kill X' quests, and still like grinding dungeons for better & better loot, or you are a huge fan of the cthulhu mythos, you may enjoy TSW more. It's definitely not a bad game, though it is a lot more expensive than GW2. The story and cutscenes are also generally done quite a bit better than GW2's, but it plays a lot more like a single player game, than it does an MMO.
I guess all those years of gaming didn't amount to much. Weren't you the one that claimed that the Tera starter island was hard? An area the developers felt the need to beef up because it was way too easy, even after the tweak in difficult.
Anyway, if you felt that you needed to do savage coast twice, then I think that you definitely did something wrong. Usually it's not just one thing, but a combination. Improper ability selection (abilities that don't complement each other), poor gear selection (gear that don't complement the abilities), mouse clicker, lack of surrounding awareness can be reasons for somebody to struggle in TSW. Not saying that you had these issues, just that these could be some possible reasons.
What I didn't see as well was any mention of dungeon gear usage. Blue gear and above are a double edged sword. They are specialised gear in terms of the job you're trying to accomplish. Green gear are more all round overall, but blue gear of the same QL level will have far superior stats. The issue here is that overspecialising in blue gear does not work well in soloing. For that, people need to regain some balance lost by mixing blue gear. For example:
Well I'm a fan of both games and playing tsw now, still waiting for gw2 but played all the bwe's. I perfer gw2 and feel it is the bigger, better game with more to offer. That said tsw is good and has a specific flavor that if appeals to you will be a great experience. Having done a good majority of the missions and zones in tsw besides the pvp it seems a bit small in comparison to gw2 and we have only seen a small amount of what that game has to offer which is already impressive. Gw2 is more pg13 and tsw is more r rated, both in a good way. Both have cool elements in terms of combat, Tsw has the skill wheel which works well to an extent. What I mean is in my case I found a great build early using shotgun/assault rifle that made eveything else not really worth anything so progression wise I felt I was moving laterally at best and that most of what I got was useless. This is one of the reasons arenanet tiered there skills. Gw2 has a more action based combat that plays very smooth and is one of my biggest reasons for liking the game as much as I do.
The thing's I love about tsw, resident evil/metal gear style missions,The zombie/horror world and lore, the crafting, the kneecapper. Thing's I love about gw2, the exploring, the combat, the lush world and sense of scale and, the smooth polish of it all.
I will be playing both gw2 regularly and visiting tsw every few months or so after a few updates and new missions.
My recommendation is to go for GW2.
Saves you a lot of money.
If you have the urged to play horror gameplay you can get it very cheap on Steam sales.
It is more worth to play Bioshock, Dead Space, Silent Hills, Left for Dead, Resident Evil, Alan Wake and Doom.
Pardon my English as it is not my 1st language
Altering the old Tolkien quote: "Never ask forum posters for advice for they will say both yes and no."
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
As far as TSW goes, I can give any tips I've picked up mainly as tank and secondary as dps. Here are two general tips:
Have played both and the best by far is TSW..
GW2 even tho it does some things different it still feels like the same old same old fantasy MMORPG and i have seen it all before..
TSW on the other hand feels fresh and i like that..
But and a big but... we all like different things LOL.. what you should have done is got in on one of the beta weekends for GW2 and got a buddy key for TSW and made up your own mind as we all like different things.
So adding content every month is slow?
It depends on how much they add per month, right?
It sounded like they had goals to put out a solid amount of content to me though.
That has to be one of the most misinformed posts about GW2 I've seen on this site. And that's saying a lot. Where to start.....
Neither GW1 or 2 are F2P. They are B2P. Do you understand that concept? You have to purchase the game before you can play it.
I've been playing GW1 for 6 years and the game has been out for 7 and they are still updating it. They've updated it regularly the entire time I've been playing and I doubt it will be much different with GW2.
WTF rules are you talking about??? What rules does the GW1 community break?
You have a right to your opinion about whether you like the Horror style MMO or Fantasy. But to call the fantasy setting of GW2 childish is just flat out ridiculous. I can only assume you put that in there so that people would flame you.
If you think GW2 is easy, you clearly haven't played it past level 10.
The GW community is full of 30+ people, so your argument about the average age is flat out wrong.
You're 21, at least according to your profile, so WTF would you know about an adult community?????
I'm not saying that someone shouldn't try TSW as it looks like a really fun game. In fact the only thing that has kept me from it is the subscription...at least until now. If people like you play it, that's a good secondary reason for me not to play it.
@OP - I personally will only be playing GW2 because I've played the BWEs and I love it. I won't play TSW due to the sub fees, but it also looks like a really cool game. I think GW2 has the edge in gameplay and structure - at least from what I've seen in videos etc. However, I think it really comes down to which would you rather play - a Fantasy setting (GW2) or a Horror setting (TSW). I think that's really what it boils down to.
Of course, you could always play both.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
I hope you aren't serious. GW2 has easily double the PvE content of TSW and that content is far more replayable. In addition GW2 far more in the way of alternate content and vastly superior PvP/WvW.