Almost Impressed by Warhammer Online
Oct. 7
I love MMOs. There is just something wonderful about getting to roam around in a world rich in lore and history, spending time within something you previously would only get to read about or play in tabletop form. There are few fantasy worlds more beloved than that of Warhammer, so anticipation has been high for their latest offering, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.
I spent a few hours within the WAR world, have talked to friends and foes alike who have pretty much lived within the game since launch, and have my personal impressions here for you. Is this the WoW killer everyone has been waiting for, or will it go the way of Hellgate: London and Age of Conan?
Beauty and Majesty
Initially, on logging in, I was struck by how beautiful a game this is. WAR's art style tends toward the extravagant, with gorgeous cities and breathtaking scenery. I was particularly impressed with the character design. The Greenskins move exactly as you would expect them to, be they large loping creatures or short, darting goblins. I don't necessarily agree with the choice to make classes race-specific. You end up having a dozen or so classes that really are just reused over and over again with different names. Then again, how a Dark Elf handle magic is going to be vastly different from how a Dwarf interacts with it. So while it looks like an over complication of a simple system, I can accept the argument for their choices in class design if defended in the name of lore.
A PvPers Wet Dream Sours
Yes, it's a crude description, but it's true. Those people playing WoW specifically to slaughter other players, you really should check out WAR instead. Not only is this game completely designed around PvP, when you kill other players you get the chance to loot their gear. This means that I would be loathe to wear my best pieces while stepping into Realm vs. Realm combat for fear of losing it.
The upside to WAR is also the downside, I'm sorry to say. The public quests, and later the Realm vs. Realm quests, (there are three per chapter) enable players to group up for PvP. The trouble is that most players tend to only do the first public quest and then skip the other two. If you try to attempt to complete these objectives on your own, you get slaughtered, since the guards are extremely buffed up on steroids. I wish there would have been a blend of Tabula Rasa's node system here. While PvP is the focus of the game in WAR, players who are dealing with low population servers are left frustrated and unfulfilled. Personally I was never able to experience the Scenarios because after 3 hours of waiting in the queue no one showed up to the fight. If they had added a support force of NPCs, the PvP would have been more meaningful. There is a lack of purpose in the WAR PvP that leaves even the PvP lovers wanting more.
In the end I left my experience with WAR loving the visuals but being bored by the gameplay. Basic quests were too buggy to complete, but I can chalk that up to being a newly launched game. On the other hand, they've pushed the launch date back several times, so you would hope that the starter zones would be bug free after all that extra testing. Looking back on it, my time in WAR was more of a chore reminiscent on EQ II, only there was no brilliant crafting system to lure me into the basement to make cloth. I love the concepts that WAR is trying to work with, and I'm truly excited that there may be another MMO out on the market. But really, my little Dark Elf Sorceress will languish untouched because for me, WAR really wasn't all that fun. WoW killer this is not, but on the other hand, perhaps it doesn't have to be.
Arturis (15)
Crimson N Clover (31)
Dimsum Queen (5)
Freckled Moon (3)
Hindsight (4)
Comments
You write: "when you kill other players you get the chance to loot their gear. This means that I would be loathe to wear my best pieces while stepping into Realm vs. Realm combat for fear of losing it."
This is not a true statement. Random gear will occasionally drop from players, much like it will from a mob. This is not the gear currently worn by a player, however.
You write: "Basic quests were too buggy to complete"
I have completed hundreds of quests and only run into a problem with ONE of them. And, considering you only played a few hours, I do not see how you could have run into any problems. The opening, first tier, quests have been thoroughly tested and fixed before beta was complete. To put this succinctly, I do not believe you.
As to PQ's, they are an alternative to standard quests. They sometimes require groups beyond stage I (I have single-handedly completed stage II on some PQ's), and definitely require groups for stage III. That said, you can grind out (grinding is not fun), stage I over and over until you max out your Rewards. You can usually do this within an hour. This will give you all three rewards for a chapter. You will only be missing the loot rewards for completing a PQ. Then move on to the same chapter PQ in a different area and do the same thing. Easy. On higher population servers you can find groups to finish a PQ, or join a guild and make it an event. I don't care about the loot rewards personally, so I prefer fighting it alone in one PQ, waiting for it to reset back to stage I, then doing it again. I'm a loner like that.
First, I suggest joining a server with a higher population. Secondly, join a guild that is active in PvE and RvR. Thirdly, play for more than a few hours. Fourthly, be honest in your reviews.
What I have enjoyed:
+ RvR in Tier 1 and Tier 2. Taking a Keep is exciting. Defending a Keep is even more so.
+ Scenarios - Especially some good Capture the Flag, is fun.
+ Equipment is easy to get. No raiding necessary. Grind on a PQ for an hour and you're set. Watch the AH and you've got the extra pieces you need. The players you kill give you equipment and coins. How nice of them.
+ Crafting sucks. So I don't have to waste my time with it. How convenient.
+ I hate raids, and this game does not focus on them. WOOO!
+ The classes are enjoyable.
+ I don't feel like I have to rush my character to max level in order to have fun. If the game had an XP OFF option, I would have used it and stayed in Tier 1 for a while. I enjoy every level and every tier. It's not about end game.
+ Travel is fast. You click on the flight master. You see an animation. You are then at your destination. Done. Mount at level 20. Niiiiice. And not too expensive. I had several gold to spare when my shadow warrior bought hers.
+ Open parties. I like that. You click on a button, see how far they are from you, then join their group and do a PQ or RvR. This led to finding a nice guild early on.
What I have not enjoyed:
- Wait times to log in on high pop servers.
- The equipment from renown should be better. (A TRUE PvP game would make the rewards from PvP just as good as from PvE)
- The experience gain from PvP should be better.
- Some of the quests are pretty straight forward grinds. (But at least every boar gives you a liver, and not just some of them)
- A few annoying bugs with abilities (not quests).
- The numerous options for RvR take away from the Open World RvR, which is sad. Sometimes it's just fun to run into someone and fight them. :(
- AH is broken. Works, but broken when it lists things you didn't specify.
- Some classes are OP. Strangely, this seems to be Healers. Who'da thunk it?
- Without a guild, it is quiet. Too quiet. Guild chat compensates for the lack of community on the public channels, but if you're not in a guild, it can be unnerving.
I'm a casual gamer. I like to log in for an hour or two each night, or every other, and just play. This is the game for that. If you want to play for eight hours straight, this is also the game for that.
I don't want there to be a WoW killer. I think there is plenty of room for several great games. This game stacks up well to WoW, it just does so in a different way. This is the game for me, an avid PvPer. It might not be the game for others. But seriously, be honest in your reviews. Outright lies are no way to defend your own favorite. And play for more than a few hours before you give a review. That's just... dishonest.
- LC
wow... that was... amazing. You should TRULY be the one getting paid for this.
haha
dude, get over yourself. if you don't like the review then don't come to the website anymore. This guy didn't have a great experience playing Warhammer, and he's entitled to write whatever he wants about that. Don't get your panties in a bunch.
Hey Lucky, looks like the only person defending "their" game here is you. I'm glad you love WAR, that's a lovely thing. I honestly hope it gains in popularity. But where you found fun I did not. It's even more exciting that WAR has made a fanboy of you in its short tenure on the live servers. It proves that there are games out there for every type of gamer.
We are both entitled to our opinions, that's what reviews are.
Oh and for the record Skippy, I am definitely *NOT* a he.
Mandifesto -
While you brought your opinions to the table, and that is always perfectly acceptable, you also brought several outright lies (or do we call them misunderstandings?) along with you. I read the original post about why WoW players should move to WAR, then the rebuttal, then your post that you would soon have a review up on WAR. So, here I am, and I found inaccuracies. So, I posted in return. It doesn't take a 'fanboy' to do so. I would have posted something similar on any topic in which I am familiar and found such glaring errors.
I don't expect you to address these errors, that is not how the internet works. But next time you write a review, just be honest. There are enough points against Warhammer for a large number of people to dislike it without adding fiction to the lot(the RvR focus alone is probably enough to drive away some people). I hope that WAR (and all MMO's) does well.
My respect is not easy to gain (Just ask Funcom and Blizzard), and I have yet to decide on WAR as a long term investment of my time. For now, it will do. They seem determined to fix what is broken, and change what needs changed. That gives them a few bonus marks in my book.
Skippy -
I'm just giving this website a chance, and you want me to leave already? Just because I disagree with a review, or rather, parts of a review, doesn't mean I hate the reviewer or the site. I came here to give correction to a few points that were made, and to offer my own take. No panties were bunched in the creation of my posting. Rest assured.
- LC
And people wonder how flame wars start. Lucky, I just wanted to make it clear to you that reviews in general are opinions. For instance, I dislike WoW PVP; you do not. Ergo, if we were both to write up reviews on some new PVP content, then neither of our reviews would be necessarily unbiased. I want you to stay at the site (by all means, stay... this is one of the only gaming sites I can get to at work, and I want it to stick around); I just want you to remember that it's all a matter of opinion.
And my apologies, Mandi... I didn't even look to see who wrote the article.
Skippy -
Absolutely, I couldn't agree more. That said, what we can't do is make up 'facts' about a game and place them in a review and call it a job well done. Or, well, we can, but we should get flamed for it -- or have them pointed out, at the very least.
I still can't call myself a fanboy of the game (I've played 2 hours over the past 5 nights -- not very fanboish of me -- and politics have been WAY more interesting than gaming), but I will step in and defend the game against glaring errors, as I would for nearly any subject if someone made an erroneous statement concerning it and I happened by with a moment to spare.
No flame wars necessary. We've all got opinions. I think sharing them is fun.
- LC
I currently play both MMO's on a regular basis. I used to play many games, but one thing that I have to say is, when you have tasted quality, it's hard to play other games.
It seems like WAR has lived up to it and I am currently enjoying the game, but some of it's aspects are extremely frustrating. AS I said, I play a good quality game, and I would only expect the same from the other to be in my library.
Some of the current things that are aggravating me, and honestly making me less prone to play the game when it happens:
- The quest experience is awfull; I recently saw that mythic buffed quest EXP for tier 3 and 4, but you would need to take 5 times as much time doing quests, than doing scenarios that gives far too much EXP
- Bottle necked scenarios; on tier 2 and 3, currently, only the most popular scenario is active most of the time. Don't even THINK about trying the others, it will never pop. I am not sorry to say that doing morkhaim temple for 12 levels was absolutely not fun for me. I'd rather do quests... but the comment above explain why I am stuck in this scenario.
- Ghost Public Quests; What Mandie said was true. I want to achieve these public quests, and the quests were made for the public, but some of them that are not close to popular places, are empty at all time. This is to say, I always play with others, such as my wife, her brother and a good friend, yet we can't deem to do them with 4 since tier 3.
- order? I understand having 2 sides, and I understand that it is made to be unbalanced: But on 2 servers that we play on, don't think about seizing a keep. there will always be double destruction no matter how many you bring.
- Carbon Copy classes; Yes, I like to say it like this, because that is what it is. An archmage, is the same as a shaman. The disciple is the same as a warrior priest.
Where is the variety? You get fooled easily by having technically 6 core classes, while every other is a carbon copy, with different names for spells.
- lackluster of stuff; that's right. The world is small, the zones are small (divided in two most of the time)no dungeons for lower levels, and if you dare try it, careful about it.
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While smaller, here are the thing that makes me keep on playing and enjoying WAR. They represent a lot to me.
- Great lore: The story and lore behind WAR is very in depth and most of it so far, I have liked a lot. It's shiny, and gives me a good read in game!
- The Tome of knowledge; I love it. This one is a great invention, and I like all of it. Store, achievements, titles, kill counts etc. Fills me with goals and I like it a lot.
- Exploring fun; It's new and there is so much to explore. Places in the TOME that asks you to seek and find by yourself, then gives you a reward for finding it.
- Interesting PVP ideas. That's about it. 2 factions, waging war. It's amusing so far, but that might change over time.
- the 3 "exp bars" known as reknown, EXP and INfluence all give many goals and fills the game with things to do. I like to take extra time to make sure all 3 goes up at a steady pace.
Anyhow, I'll only leave a last comment to close my arguments. As it stands right now, I wouldn't give up World of Warcraft for Warhammer at any time, but I would not give up Warhammer for any other MMO in the market right now.
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