WoW vs EQ2 redux

[PlankOwner]

Can you all who have played both give me some advice on whether or not to spend the bucks to try out WoW?

Am playing EQ2 and love the immersiveness, frankly it has ruined COH for me which I have played to death because EQ2 just has so much more to do and in so many varied ways.

What are compelling reasons to try WoW? I say this because i am trying, key word TRYING, to show some sort of fiscal constraint.

Thanks

[hepcat]

i'll be honest, other than a brief bout of frustrated anger over a quest i still view as broken last night, i can't stop playing. i'm in the open beta for wow, but i just can't seem to get into it.

this is the exact opposite reaction i thought i'd have. i viewed eqII as something to hold me over until the holidays when i'd jump on the WoW wagon. now i'm probably going to just keep playing eqII.

heck, i've got HL2 sitting on my drive and i STILL can't tear myself away.

Wow just doesn't have the same immersiveness to me (remember, i'm saying TO ME...it may very well be to others). cartoony characters just seem to kill it for me. i DO like the enormous number of skills and spells you can have in WoW and i wish EQII had the same thing, though.

[Falcon554]

Both games are alot alike, both are very good. Niether game is another SWG or Horizons.

[Ax]

I have been in beta for both games and IMHO hands down EQ2 is the better game.

[PlankOwner]

So there is no compelling reason to play WoW? There is nothing so different as to go DAMN, I really need to try that out?

Is the immaturity of the player base pervasive in WoW or were there servers where it was more mature?

So far EQ2 seems to have fairly decent people, some really odd names and cluelessness....like the person who was level 6 and had never visited the trainer and so did not have the orc quest...and was mad at the game...lol.

I really thought WoW was the game I was waiting for.....but it seems it was really EQ2. Who woulda thunk it!

Am I the only one who is having trouble going back to playing COH after playing EQ2...I tried last night but I kept thinking "Ah I know what to do in that quest for my proiest now!" COH never felt more 2D than last night. PErhpas release 4 will correct some of that.

[Ned Flanders]

I'm generally liking WoW with a few minor quibbles. Playerbase is tolerable but should get better I hope when it's retail. I was worried about the graphics but they don't bother me much. I'm not having much trouble solo-ing, which is a must for me since I play at random times & lengths. Is soloing possible with most of the characters in EQII?

I went back to CoH after playing WoW for the past week & just couldn't get into it.

[portnoy]

I am in the open beta of WoW and well.... I like EQ2 more.

I gave up on EQ1 a couple of years ago and started anticipating WoW as a replacement. Then last week my best friend purchased EQ2, so I decided, why not, WoW is still free, lemme see what they have done.

...

...

I love the crafting, I love the changes in combat, I love that almost wherever you turn there are NPC's throwing quests in your direction. I love the distinct look/feel differrence between the good and evil cities. I find it hard to play any WoW right now, perhaps the simple combat and environment were more interesting in the beginning, but EQ2 has already surpassed it in depth for me.

*leaves work early, skips homeowork, plays EQ2*

*sigh*

It is a great game.

[YellowKing]

Without getting into the firestorm of proclaiming one game "better" than the other, I'll say that I think EQ2 unquestionably has more depth than WoW. Now, depending on your playstyle, that is either a good thing or a bad thing. Some people enjoy Serious Sam and Painkiller, while others prefer a Call of Duty or a Max Payne 2.

So how does EQ2 have more depth? Some reasons:

- Access quests to get into certain zones (i.e. every zone is not open to you at the beginning of the game)
- The ability to earn guild status points through city quests that enable you to buy specialized items from merchants and upgrade your housing
- The ability to "level" your crafting guild by doing tradeskill quests to open up more items in the guild shops
- The ability to upgrade your skills and spells (both through crafted skill upgrades and monster drops)
- A MUCH deeper crafting system with interdependencies among professions and an encounter-based item creation process
- More race and class choices

Having played both, WoW is a great game, but in terms of features EQ2 has much more innovation. Just about everything in WoW is present in EQ2 in one form or another, while the reverse is not true.

[The Meal]

Threads about two games belong in general PC gaming discussion. I'm moving this thread over there.

~Neal

[Coskesh]

Two very redeeming qualities about WoW - very fun and simple game, and very solo-able.

EQ2 can be frustraiting for a MMROPG rookie, where as WoW will generally draw you in very quickly.

Don't expect too much solo content in EQ2. Better start learning to put groups together rahter than complaining about not having a group or finding a group.

[Koz]

I haven't played EQ2, so I can't knock it or praise it (nor can I play it with my current machine), but I'm having a blast in the open beta for WoW. It's as deep as the Diablo games are. There's room for some strategy but it's completely un-complicated (which I like).

It's simple and very polished (despite the quibbling over class balance). I actually like the cartoony graphics too. Also, everyone I've met so far in the game has been very nice and mature. I've grouped with a few random people, and they were all great experiences. There's always morons on the chat channels, but I just those turned off anyways.

That being said, if you enjoy EQ2, why do you need another MMORPG to play? Perhaps try WoW when you get bored of EQ2. I know I'm going to do the opposite (try EQ2 when I tire of WoW and also get a faster rig).

[PlankOwner]

Not being sarcastic here....Diablo is deep? Really? I guess I am missing something in Diablo or it is just not my type of game. If WoW is deep like Diablo then what you are saying to me is that they made the game easy to get into but is there more to the game the higher level you go? What happens past lvl 10, 20, 30?

The fun I had with COH was trying out new hero types but the tedium of leveling after 15 only go run/fly/jump somewhere to fight sort of different bad guys was too much and so i would roll another character.

I can see many different ways to vary the EQ2 experience should one part of the experience get old.

[Koz]

Well that's the thing, on the surface Diablo is pretty simple. Click on monster, do damage, etc. But the amount of complexity in choosing certain skills over others and such makes certain aspects of it deep (especially with the 1.10 patch). Do you make an elemental druid or a shapeshifting one? You can't really do both, so you have to mix and match as best as you can. But like in Diablo, Wow's interface is so incredibly simple, which is a good thing.

I've only gotten a couple chars past lvl 10, so I'm not sure about end game, but playing a mage and playing a warrior require two completely different ways of playing.

Again, I haven't played EQ2 so I'm not sure how they compare, but WoW's simplicity and apparent lack of depth shouldn't be knocks against it, IMO.

[Lockdown]

Chalk me up as another person that thought WoW would be the game of choice for me.

As it turns out, I spent the first few days after playing EQII by loading up my WoW beta and doing some comparing. I can't even do that anymore. EQII's depth has just won me over. There always seems like there is SO MUCH to do, that it somehow feels more "real" - whatever that means.

But, you asked for compelling reasons to choose WoW. Even though it's not my choice any longer, I can think of a few:

1. Ease of operation. WoW is really simple to get into, and extremely newbie friendly. The interface is simplified (certainly MAJORLY simplified as compared to the endless interface possibilities in EQII). Quest-Givers are beyond obvious, and crafting is a breeze.

2. Overall color and ambiance. WoW has these things down. The colors are almost waterpaint like. They are just beautiful. Now, on a technical level, the graphics don't even hold a candle to EQII, but WoW is very, very attractive in a "cartoony" sort of way. EQII can come off as a bid drab or "rustic" in comparison. The music in WoW is also excellent. Very soothing, if you're into that sort of thing.

3. Camera control. You have options in WoW to zoom the camera out like you are watching things from the freakin' moon! I can't tell you how much I love this. This single feature alone (to me) is so monumentally crucial, that WoW will never be completely off my list of games to play. EQII (possibly due to the hardware demands) only lets you zoom out so far. When in tactical combat sometimes, I love to zoom way out to get better logistics of what exactly is going on, especially in big group fights. You can do this in WoW.

4. Class differentiation. In EQII, it takes until level 10 to feel even remotely unique as far as character class goes. And even then, I would say to really feel "special", it is going to take until level 20 when you can choose your subclass. In WoW, you are unique right off the bat. Hunter is different than Paladin, which is different than Mage, which is different than Priest, etc.. etc... You may have (overall) less class choices than in EQII, but you are extremely different than other classes immediately. As you level higher, and you start getting into your Skill Tree and Training Points, you can further differentiate yourself from even others of the same class. Example: Shadow Priest vs. Healer. Both Priests, both with the same exact spells, but with different strengths to be sure. In EQII, if you have the money to buy upgrades, your Summoner is extremely similar to Joe Blow's Summoner. Now, YK may be able to comment on how I am mistaken here, as you get to a much higher level. I am speaking from what I have experienced and read. But nevertheless, your class feels very unique in WoW.

5. Fun Factor. WoW is a fun game to play, period. The ability to solo is overwhelmingly obvious from the get-go. You can group with people to do some special stuff that WoW offers, but you never feel like you MUST group.

So there you go. There are some compelling reasons that come to mind for me. I could give you a laundry list the other way too, on how EQII trumps WoW... but you didn't ask for that, so I won't bore you.

Best of Luck,

LD

[Vinda-Lou]

I just started playing EQII and it is fun so far - I just left the starter island and got my little hole in the wall apartment. (7 silver a week! I only have 1 silver and some bronze after leaving the starter island.)
Anyway, I'm curious about WoW and will probably pick it up.

My question is about exploration and personality. For those who have played both, which game is better for exploring and enjoying the cool landscapes and scenery? (I know EQII has "better" graphics, while WoW is more stylized) Also, which game world has more personality? Not the players' personalities, but the feel and vibe of the world. Thanks!

[Alefroth]

6 PvP If you like going up against real human opponents, WoW is the only choice.

Ale

[Lockdown]

Vinda-Lou :

I wouldn't be surprised if you get differing answers to your question about personality and vibe of the world. I haven't seen enough high level content in either game to give you a totally accurate answer, but I can tell you this much:

WoW - Makes you feel like you can go anywhere you can see. If it looks climbable when you see it, you probably can climb it. (think hills and mountains). The graphics sort of swallow you up, so to speak. Everything its larger than life. The graphics are all "exaggerated". The Dwarf War Mallet is BIG. The Main Cities are BIG. It fits perfectly with the cartoony theme. Overflowing with personality. Whether or not you "dig" that type of personality is your own deal. I happen to like it, as it doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. Lots and lots of terrain features, rolling hills, and vibrant colors. Not a huge difference between the day/night cycle in my eyes.

EQII - Just different. I don't know if it's better or worse, but it's different. If it looks climbable, it is not necessarily climbable. Invisible walls exist. The graphics don't so much swallow you up. They are more... expansive. Going out to Antonica and viewing the Castle from a distance is just awesome, and very "realistic" feeling. Everything is more subtle. Weapons are about the sizes you would think they should be compared to the insanely well-done player character models. Almost 3D looking. The areas I have seen are more drab, or toned down. Some of the cities look like something out of a 3D Architect program. Queynos Harbor for example (to me) is astounding to behold during the day. Extreme differences between night and day cycles. Certain areas get flat dark! I wouldn't necessarily call it "vibrant" though. You have heard people argue that EQII is more immersive, and I think it's the more realistic style that makes many feel that way. In real life, not everything is water-color painting.

As you can tell, I love both styles. The more I play, the harder I find it to compare the two games.

- - -

Was that any help at all ? Probably not. Sorry. I tried.

LD[/b]

[Vinda-Lou]

Thanks Lockdown. Those were good descriptions. I love the idea of being able to go to where ever you see. Operation Flashpoint and even Ultima 9 were very immersive because you always saw actual landscape, not a distant wall paper.

Being a more casual MMO player, I'm not in it for power leveling, etc. I almost want to be a wanderer - just checking out the sights and sounds. Of course I realize that certain levels are required to survive certain places, but sometimes just walking through the woods can be fun. I can't really think of a game where a walk in the woods is as interesting (due to scenery and atmosphere) as fighting critters. I'm hoping that eventually (as I level up and leave the city) EQII fufills this wish, or that WoW does the same.

[Pharaoh]

WoW isn't boringly complicated nor does it turn into a god awful grind. It also has a visual identity, not a plastic toyland look of EQ2.

[PlankOwner]

I have had a great time just wandering around the different suburbs of Qeyonos, each different and great looking. I am no power power so at first I was unsure of this game but the more I play it the more I like it and, sadly, the more I find it hard to play COH.

I will probably try WoW as Warcraft seems like an old friend after all these years...then again thats what I thought about Star Wars.

[Lockdown]

Thanks Lockdown. Those were good descriptions. I love the idea of being able to go to where ever you see. Operation Flashpoint and even Ultima 9 were very immersive because you always saw actual landscape, not a distant wall paper.

Being a more casual MMO player, I'm not in it for power leveling, etc. I almost want to be a wanderer - just checking out the sights and sounds. Of course I realize that certain levels are required to survive certain places, but sometimes just walking through the woods can be fun. I can't really think of a game where a walk in the woods is as interesting (due to scenery and atmosphere) as fighting critters...

Now see, I totally 'get' where you are coming from on this. And honestly, as I repeat myself, both games have this feeling. WoW, initially, exposes you to a fantastic starting area if you take Dwarves/Gnomes or even Humans to some extent, as your starting area. The landscapes there are "busy", with lots of stuff to explore. Let me give you an example:

If you start as the Dwarves, you will be on a road in a snowy mountain pass. You can see there are large hills all around you. There are snow covered trees also. You can look around and think, "Hmmm... I can't see over that hill, I wonder what's on the other side?" And sure enough, you can walk there and see. The sun rises in the East, so if you are walking that way, you may catch it through the trees with a snowy backdrop.... Totally Awesome feeling! You see an opening in a mountain that's lit up. obviously a building built into the mountain. You go in. Atmosphere overwhelms you! The cartoony graphics lend themselves to this PERFECTLY. There is a bar, there are merchants standing around, but it's not "real". It's cartoon-ish. It's nothing like EQII. (and that's not saying it's better or worse).

Now, to be totally fair to EQII - there is SO MUCH I have not seen yet. I have NO CLUE what the snow covered mountains look like in that game. They may be spectacular. I know one thing. I can't wait to see.

LD

[YellowKing]

In EQII, if you have the money to buy upgrades, your Summoner is extremely similar to Joe Blow's Summoner. Now, YK may be able to comment on how I am mistaken here, as you get to a much higher level. I am speaking from what I have experienced and read. But nevertheless, your class feels very unique in WoW.

It's a trade-off, in my opinion. WoW has a relatively small number of classes, but those classes are all very different from each other.

EQ2 has a rather large number of classes, but the differentiations between those of the same archetype are more subtle.

WoW lets you experience a unique class right off the bat, whereas EQ2 makes you earn your uniqueness - starting out you're just like everyone else of your archetype, and only as you advance do you become more and more specialized and unique.

Which method you prefer is up to you. Personally I prefer EQ2's method, because it feels more realistic. Sort of a "you must learn to walk before you can run" progression.

[Lockdown]

I understand this thinking too.

Sort of like you have to "earn" your uniqueness. It's a good point to be sure. I suppose it's up to the player and his/her tastes, like you said.

LD

[Austin]

EQ2 only scored in the 7's at Gamespy. WoW will probably get a 9+ so clearly WoW is better.





/never heads near Wilmington again.

[Misguided]

PlankOwner,

What's your highest level character in CoH?
If you haven't gotten past the teens, then there's so much you haven't seen yet. Heck, I'm in the mid 30s and there's a lot I haven't seen either.

There's a huge change in the power level of heroes at about 22, after which things change quite a bit. If all you've done is pre-20, well...yeah...I'd probably get sick of that too, eventually.

If you or anyone else would like to join the Wanderers on Virtue, please send a tell to Inspectre or click the link in my signature.

[YellowKing]

The sad fact is that WoW probably WILL get a higher score, just because it's made by Blizzard and games made by Blizzard automatically get good scores. Why? B-b-because they're Blizzard! They're SUPPOSED to get good scores....right? Right?

[Toe]

The sad fact is that WoW probably WILL get a higher score, just because it's made by Blizzard and games made by Blizzard automatically get good scores. Why? B-b-because they're Blizzard! They're SUPPOSED to get good scores....right? Right?

Based on my own experience and the personal reviews of many players that have played in the beta, it would not suprise me in the least should any particular reviewer give WoW high marks.

Many people love WoW. Some of those people will be folks that write game reviews. Accept it and move on.

[FishPants]

Well I am going to throw in my 2c on the topic.

Initially while watching from the sidelines I had absolutely no interest in WoW, and incredible interest for EQ2 (you know there's a but coming right? ).

Anyhow I got into the open beta with WoW, and played around for about 8 levels. The people sucked, flat out, my peers were absolute morons using words like "that wofl almost pwned j00!11!!". I was damn near ready to throw the game out, knowing that I was right all along.

Then came one Saturday where ironically I had nothing to do IRL (This doesn't happen often with a baby on the way, my wife usually has a list a mile long of stuff that needs to get accomplished). Anyhow when I login Blizzard had changed the server selection screen a bit (or maybe I was just forced to look at it because my server was down, so I was given the realm list). At this point I realized that *my* server was classified as PvP (i.e. You can attack anyone at any time, outside of the newbie areas). Can you say gankfest?

I now create a character on a PvE server (which at some point, down the road, they are "supposedly" adding battlegrounds and an honor system into PvE to create a balanced PvE and PvP experience). Anyways the crowd on this server was much better, but being a free beta there was still a high number of kids online after 4pm EST. Not a big surprise, once the credit cards are required I think you will see them leave for the most part.

Now on to the game.. at first the graphics didn't do much for me, and I thought they could have spent more time on it. I then mucked around in my 9800 ATI settings (I have never tried this before) and cranked up the settings/AA etc. The game definitely looked better, but at the same time I realized it doesn't NEED to try to look like "real life". The whole point is this is fantasy, my night elf has glowing eyes, this is intentional. After a few Gryphon rides I also noted the sheer size of the world. It's massive.

The one thing that really captures me at this point is the quest system. There are TONS of quests, and yeah a lot of them are hack n slash quests. But you know what? You are going to grind anyways, its unavoidable, at some point you will grind to level. Why not make some extra experience grinding on specific mobs? There were also some active content quests, escorting NPCs between towns and having instanced encounters on the road. Very fun!

All told, WoW is very very friendly to us folks that don't have 22 hours a day to play a video game. You can easily teleport to your inn with your hearthstone (once an hour max), so you can log quickly when the wife needs ice cream and pickles . On top of it you get an exp bonus when you log back in after staying at the Inn for awhile. It doesn't last too long, but enough to give you a bit of a boost. I like this.

Now to be fair I haven't played EQ2, I did however play EQ for years and got really pissed off at the game. Granted I think EQ was ground breaking, but SoE has really really shitty support staff. From the GMs to the morons that used to run their forums, it was bad. It seemed that they had a smug air about them as the "best MMORPG" out there, and if you didn't like it you could take your money elsewhere. I never ran into problems, but I did see this attitude from their staff and decided that I would take my money elsewhere. Will Blizzard be as bad/worse? Maybe, always that possibility, but I am willing to give them a chance.

In short, WoW is a different experience than what EQ2 is delivering. My old guildmates from EQ1 are saying it's a lot of the same with better graphics and quests. You *do* need to group, and the grind is definitely comparable to EQ1. I like WoW so far, and can see it keeping my interest for a long time on a part time basis.

[Rabid moth]

What about pvp? For me pvp is the single most important aspect of the game, nothing else is more important. What's it like in EQ2? How much of an advantage does a higher level give you? Are there open pvp servers or just optional pvp flags? Can each class compete against another class on it's own merits or is it rock/paper/scissors? I know there is always a certain level of rock/paper/scissors but just how much strict is it. Are there fequent encouters for small scale skirmishes or does it focus on raid level pvp? (For the record, I despise raid level pvp.) Is there colllision detection for pvp? Is is as lame as EQ pvp?

[Exodor]

What about pvp? For me pvp is the single most important aspect of the game, nothing else is more important. What's it like in EQ2?

As far as I know, EQ2 has NO PVP whatsoever.

[Rabid moth]

Well, that narrows it down doesn't it

[Faldarian]

It also has a visual identity, not a plastic toyland look of EQ2.

It's pretty obvious that you haven't played EQ2 or seen it played.

The screenshots for EQ2 didn't impress me either. They looked like SWG; shiny plastic figures that didn't look realistic at all, didn't have any life to them.

In game in EQ2, that's just not even close to the case. There is absolutely no comparison between the early screenshots and how the game looks in motion. Character models are excellent, and some of the scenes you run into when exploring are really incredible; walking through Baubbleshire you hear the brook (the only water I've seen better is in HL2), see the sun poking through trees and beams of light through a light mist in the air, birds flying overhead...

I like the graphics in WoW. I'd have said I much preferred WoW's graphics over EQ2 until I actually played EQ2; there's really no comparison at all.

The artistic style is very different and really subjective as to which someone would like better, so no argument there. But EQ2 feels very, very alive compared to anything I've played except HL2 and maybe Bloodlines.

[PlankOwner]

Have to tell you Misguided that all the non-stop combat to level jsut gets a little old after the new powers start taking a lot longer to acquire so I always get the itch to set what a new power set will play like...that and when starting out it is easy to find groups and then not so easy starting in the teens.

The more I play EQ2 the more engrossed in the world I am...unlike COH, which I do like, but sort becomes same old same old even with new enemy types and terrain.