Poll: Guild Wars 2 compared to World of Warcraft

[Spiritmaster]

I prefer WoW to GW2 though I didn't enjoy MoP enough to continue playing/paying but I think the worlds are more interesting, the lore is better, and the ACTUAL questing system is superior to the walk around and hope there are events now that you've done all 5 quests in this area system. Also while some people enjoy the player scaling in GW2 as it keeps the game challenging even in low level areas, it just kills the sense of progression for me, cuz in an MMO, if i'm in a low level area its usually to gather resources, which I prefer to do unmolested by enemies far beneath my level. Though I do much prefer some aspects of GW2's combat, like combo-ing with other player's moves.

 

[Bestival]

I think that GW2 has the far better leveling experience. But it has no interesting endgame to me. For that reason I find WoW to be the better game. It kept me going for about 7 years, GW2 didn't even manage 7 months.

Nowadays not playing either though. Bring on Camelot Unchained!

 

[Candidus]

both are fatally flawed imo.

WoW: killing things just isn't that fun and the world doesn't give me enough reason to care about whats going on.

GW2: killing things is only 'ok', the quest system felt like busy work, and the 'dynamic event' thing, meh ... less interesting then advertised.

I voted the same way.

I'd like to add that Anet's inexperience creating certain kinds of PvE content is a big problem that few seem to touch on.

Very few of the bosses, whether instanced or world bosses in GW2 actually have mechanics beyond ``hit it a whole lot for a long time``, and those that do are as simple as they get (the volcano interior world boss for example).

Who fought the frost wyrm in the 75-80 levelling zone (the name of which I forget)? What a fucking garbage encounter, right? Mass as 100 or more. Hit fan-mod quality dragon. Walk through AoE's. Hit the dragon with a shoddy model some more. Walk through more AoE's. Die and be rezzed several times. Continue for FORTY MINUTES. Collect very average loot from a chest.

I want that hour of my life back.

This huge failure is exacerbated by the fact that the PvP is a total farce compared to the e-sports worthy PvP of GW1. 100% trash. Pathetic effort. Worst PvP imaginable. Most free to play cash-gougers have better PvP.

The basic questing is the only part of GW2 that is any good, and that's only true subjectively; if you LIKE the streamlining and you LIKE trading immersion for convenience and you LIKE the torpor inducing personal story.

Comparative summary:

WOW's endgame blows GW2 away, but the years are telling: WOW's combat animations are utter shit, its system pales before the likes of TERA, and the world takes the piss out of itself (quests reference reality and memes) far too much to keep immersion going.

GW2 is inferior to GW1 in almost every conceivable way. Basic questing is very arguably better than the same in GW1 and WOW, and naturally it's a far more beautiful game aesthetically, but it has NOTHING else going for it. Avoid, avoid avoid.

 

[babinro]

I didn't vote but I could almost guarantee my answer would be that GW2 is superior.
Why?

I don't care for WoW. I got the 20 level trial version and played 2 classes up to level 10ish before getting bored with each of them. The game never even peaked my interest to buy the game or reach max level on the trial version.

I've never played GW2 but I played the original Guild Wars heavily for about 2 years. That game was amazing and I can only assume that GW2 retains that level of quality. The only reason I didn't buy GW2 was that it seems very different from GW1 combat.

I'm sure I'll eventually buy GW2 but I'm no hurry since I've got so many other games on the table now (mostly Diablo 3). I might buy it a few years down the road along with a bunch of expansions and experience it after the game has been fully polished.

 

[AuronFtw]

GW2 has nothing that even comes close to touching WoW's raid content. The GW2 world bosses are all piss easy, and the dungeons range from being piss easy to feeling like they were designed for tank/healer/dps trinity but that got scrapped at some point and the dungeons never got retouched. It feels very, very incomplete.

The leveling in GW2 is superior to WoW's, but only because of the scaling; the actual content is really the same in both (kill 10 rats, feed 10 cows, collect 10 bear asses). WoW's classes feel more unique, and GW2 has a real problem with skill depth (there isn't any). Compared to the immensely deep skill system in GW1, which featured such incredibly skill-focused attacks such as Diversion, Bull's Strike, Distracting Shot, etc, GW2 is really just 8 classes that all autoattack. Every class has a list of like 20+ utility skills, and most of those are TERRIBLE and not even worth bringing. It's baffling.

All in all, I still prefer WoW because, in the end, when you get to , you actually have shit to do. In GW2 you just get a single new area to farm or a single 20-minute quest to do every 2 weeks, and if you miss it then fuck you anet removes the content from the game, and honestly it's not very good or engaging anyway.

Also, Azeroth has better lore and is far more immersive. GW2's world map is literally a joke; it has no inter-connectivity at all. Every area is just a rectangle bolted onto other rectangles with loading screens in between, and they feel *very* samey. If you've ever gone from the lush forests of ashenvale to the arid wasteland of Barrens to the barren desert plains of thousand needles (before it got flooded, hurr) you got a real sense of the world having... idk, feeling? In gw2 you just go from place to place and it feels like someone just stapled any given area to another area with no thought or reason. It's all very disconnected, and all very samey. Every winter area feels like every other winter area. Every plains area feels like every other plains area. Going through and trying to 100% the karma hearts, poi's, and vistas shows you just how bland and samey every area is.

 

[Muspelheim]

Ah, splendid! People who have played both! I have a question reguarding this. I've played WoW, but I haven't tried out GW2 yet. But it'll likely depend on one thing.

How is the RP like in GW2?

That is the only thing that kept WoW going for me for so long, the roleplaying. It was (and is, although not currently fun enough to justify the subscription) great fun. Is there any in GW2? How developed is it?

 

[AuronFtw]

I am rather surprised GW2 is winning the poll to date. I do generally consider it the better game, but GW2 has generally gotten a lot of flak for not being the second coming of Jesus that some GW1 fans expected it to be.

GW2 is inferior to GW1 in almost every conceivable way. Basic questing is very arguably better than the same in GW1 and WOW, and naturally it's a far more beautiful game aesthetically, but it has NOTHING else going for it. Avoid, avoid avoid.

No.

GW1's PvP system is most certainly better, but as someone who has logged over 1k hours in both games and has experience with both games, GW2's mechanics are honestly better than GW1 in virtually every other category in my opinion.

Considering GW1 was entirely conceived as a PvP game with a shoddy PvE campaign with joke lore added on as an afterthought (intended to introduce the PvP mechanics one by one to new players, see also the entire proph campaign), the PvP is most certainly better. The dual profession system was superior to gw2's joke profession system, the skill depth in GW1 is superior to gw2's complete lack of depth (seriously, where are the bulls strikes, the diversions, the executioners strikes, the Shocks, the Guardians, the Rofs, the infuses? Replaced by <generic attack skill #139803918> with no depth or skill requirement whatsoever). This hurts the PvP content because the PvP is, by definition, much simpler and less deep because the skills are and the combat revolves around the skills. But this is even a problem in the PvE content. If your entire skill bar is just a boring slog of generic depth-less attacks, the PvE content just puts you to sleep. (WoW had this problem with a few classes, namely arcane mage; mashing arcane blast for half an hour was about as boring as a class could be without simply having them go on autopilot).

The combat flows a lot better, the quest system is superior, their system of organizing and collecting items is better, etc. It's just a better game. That's not to say GW2 is flawless, it's definitely not. But it's a better game IMO.

Combat does flow better, but the combat itself is worse. It's less skill-intensive and less thought-inspiring. It's basically the problem with the whole game; a very pretty package with the depth of a teaspoon. The quest system is indeed superior (not that it's saying much, since the quest system in GW1 was a last minute hackjob attempt at PvE), and the items are about on par honestly; if GW1 had a crafting system like GW2's I imagine it would turn out about the same. That said, GW2 is just a shallow imitation of the greatness of its far superior predecessor. It attempted to cater to a decidedly PvE crowd and threw all depth and complexity out the window, leaving only a simple toybox of pointless, incredibly grindy PvE content to appeal to the lowest common denominator among MMO players. The ones who still prefer depth and challenge in their games stuck to WoW or EVE.

 

[Arina Love]

Played GW2 and only good thing i took from it, is that i should never ever play MMORPGs that doesn't have holy trinity. i absolutely hated GW2 dungeons and general feel of combat system. Loathed mandatory leveling down, why game without permission lowering my hard earned stats? this is stupid i didn't feel like i was becoming stronger AT all.
Now playing FFXIV ARR P4 beta and having so much fun.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Wow has gone stale and boring, GW2 is just... It is a single-player game in MMO environment. Also the fighting in GW2 dynamic, but homogenic, it is all the same, every class does the same with basic variation on range and attack type. Otherwise it is the same dance without even slightest rubatto in between. Use one of your 5 attacks, dodge, knockback or dodge. Then there are boss fights that are the same but it is 100 people doing it. No healers, tanks, nukers... It is just everyone doing the same dance.
When in wow you at least need 3 skill sets do something.

I prefer WoW - if there would be something to do.

 

[Candidus]

The combat flows a lot better,

Completely disagree. In general the combat is much the same, however...

- Projectiles and many animations don't correspond properly with their impact moments, which makes dodging a guessing game rather than a skill.
- Further damaging the whole attempt at a hybrid action battle system is the fact that many attacks, both ranged and melee, actually can't be dodged; they work in the old way, hitting or missing or critting based on behind the scenes dice rolling. But there's no clear indication for which attacks are which. This confuses combat and general and degrades rolling to "That thing you do when you're in a certain amount of trouble".
- In GW2, the developer's pretentious preoccupation with aesthetic has seen many features that made combat in GW1 easier to read just plain vanish, with no refinement or replacement. Mob icons on the minimap, highlights for those icons when the target was tabbed and a highly visible cast bar being the most useful to me.
- Further damaging readability, especially in PvP, is the problem of the animations themselves. Compare it to Neverwinter: animations that are short on frames but high on detail. Punchy, readable, satisfying. In GW2, the animations are short on frames AND short on detail. Have you ever watched death blossom without the awful "artistic" smudge that covers many of the game's skills? It looks cheap as shit, let me tell you. When all those smudges can stand on top of each other (monsters didn't collide in GW1, but players did. They no longer collide in GW2) the net result is a mess you have no option other than to spam into.

I guess you could say it's lucky that there's no class in GW2 that requires the skill and finesse of a prot healer in GW1. Because finesse in GW2 is non-existent.

Edit: OH OH, I forgot. First, you make Y axis a thing, then you make your Y axis hit detection UNETHICALLY BAD. Huehuehue. Try the ranger's stills from high ground onto low. Back when I did so, some skills liked it and many didn't. Seriously, the coding is such an embarrassment.

the quest system is superior,

I stand by the statement in my post above. That's subjective. Highly arguable. I don't like hunting for active events because there aren't enough standard quests around. It's lazy on their part and inconvenient for me.

their system of organizing and collecting items is better,

So GW2 has its inventory and graphics going for it. Granted.

it's a better game IMO.

And a far worse game in mine.

 

[Tragedy's Rebellion]

I am rather surprised GW2 is winning the poll to date. I do generally consider it the better game, but GW2 has generally gotten a lot of flak for not being the second coming of Jesus that some GW1 fans expected it to be.

GW2 is inferior to GW1 in almost every conceivable way. Basic questing is very arguably better than the same in GW1 and WOW, and naturally it's a far more beautiful game aesthetically, but it has NOTHING else going for it. Avoid, avoid avoid.

No.

GW1's PvP system is most certainly better, but as someone who has logged over 1k hours in both games and has experience with both games, GW2's mechanics are honestly better than GW1 in virtually every other category in my opinion.

Considering GW1 was entirely conceived as a PvP game with a shoddy PvE campaign with joke lore added on as an afterthought (intended to introduce the PvP mechanics one by one to new players, see also the entire proph campaign), the PvP is most certainly better. The dual profession system was superior to gw2's joke profession system, the skill depth in GW1 is superior to gw2's complete lack of depth (seriously, where are the bulls strikes, the diversions, the executioners strikes, the Shocks, the Guardians, the Rofs, the infuses? Replaced by <generic attack skill #139803918> with no depth or skill requirement whatsoever). This hurts the PvP content because the PvP is, by definition, much simpler and less deep because the skills are and the combat revolves around the skills. But this is even a problem in the PvE content. If your entire skill bar is just a boring slog of generic depth-less attacks, the PvE content just puts you to sleep. (WoW had this problem with a few classes, namely arcane mage; mashing arcane blast for half an hour was about as boring as a class could be without simply having them go on autopilot).

The combat flows a lot better, the quest system is superior, their system of organizing and collecting items is better, etc. It's just a better game. That's not to say GW2 is flawless, it's definitely not. But it's a better game IMO.

Combat does flow better, but the combat itself is worse. It's less skill-intensive and less thought-inspiring. It's basically the problem with the whole game; a very pretty package with the depth of a teaspoon. The quest system is indeed superior (not that it's saying much, since the quest system in GW1 was a last minute hackjob attempt at PvE), and the items are about on par honestly; if GW1 had a crafting system like GW2's I imagine it would turn out about the same. That said, GW2 is just a shallow imitation of the greatness of its far superior predecessor. It attempted to cater to a decidedly PvE crowd and threw all depth and complexity out the window, leaving only a simple toybox of pointless, incredibly grindy PvE content to appeal to the lowest common denominator among MMO players. The ones who still prefer depth and challenge in their games stuck to WoW or EVE.

I absolutely agree with you, GW1 was (is?) far better than GW2 in every *meaningful* way. GW's skill system was absolutely mind-blowing and UNIQUE, but unique in a way that works rather than the boring slog of action bars that is GW2.

Between WoW and GW2 - eeeeeeehhhhh, WoW is a pale shadow of what once was, being degraded to button mashing and gear, and boring pulled-out-the-ass lore which has nothing to do with the Warcraft universe. It really has too much problems and I'm sleepy to list them all, but avoid it. GW2 is prettier, but that's it. The mechanics are horrible and the PvP is even worse than WoWs, also avoid.

I really wish they would go back to GW and make a new expansion for example. GW2 has nothing going for it (except no subscriptions) and it will only go down, because of its shallow and boring mechanics.

 

[InfinityX]

Its really a matter of preference.

I didn't play WoW past Lich King, but I did find it fun. Played for about 3 years

with GW2, the lack of End game (not asking for just raids, but really anything other then farming) really killed it for me. probably got about 4 months of playing

what WoW does better (Pre-Cata)
-Dungeons / Raids
-Content
-Multiple PvP matches
-Quests

what GW2 does better
-Customize Character
-PvP balance
-Better looking world and Art style
-No trinity (though, with the current meta of DPS or bust, its debatable if it is a good idea)

Of course, just my opinion

 

[Korten12]

Honestly I prefer GW2 over WoW. I went back to WoW and damn... It's aged VERY badly. The combat is just sooooo boring. I know people knocked TOR for having the same combat but I can't see it. It's similar but TOR is faster and larger mobs which make it a lot more exciting. GW2 on the other hand has kept me playing for over 600 hours and counting. I don't think it's perfect but I think it's only getting better.

The zones are nice to explore and the event system I find a lot more fun than questing- also because I feel it allows for more freedom. In most games I hate how it seems very linear, you have to go to Zone A to Zone B and then Zone C. I like how I could do Zone A to Zone F to Zone B and then Zone C if I want. I like how I can go back and still level in lower level zones and it's viable and the content is still fun whereas in most games going back to lower level zones have zero purpose and all the content is way to easy.

The only thing it needs to improve upon is it's end game and if it can fix that, then it will only get better.

 

[Drauger]

Ahmm both suck imho:

World of Warcraft: way tooo outdated, yeah I know, it may been a good game but it just feels so old no matter how many updates it gets, it's just not fun anymore.

Guild Wars 2: ehmmm it was ok on launch, but I found that there aren't many things to do after you finish the main story , and I know I said WoW felt old, but I REALLY MISS A HEALER CLASS, yeah I know everybody kind of heals now but it just doesn't feel right, I fell lost when playing GW2 is like everybody just rushes and beats the hell out of everybody else/mobs .... I feel that roles are needed in mmorpg Imho.

Right now? playing Tera, and enjoying it.

 

[Aramis Night]

Tried to get into WoW when it launched and it had nothing remotely innovative going for it. I had just spent a little over 2 yrs playing other mmo's that were just like it. The only difference with WoW was that it looked like a bad 80's cartoon. I just couldn't get into it.

Instead i got turned onto the original Guild Wars and it was a breath of fresh air. The pvp was the best/most balanced of any game of its type and for the first time ever, i actually enjoyed it. The lack of a gear treadmill and the low level cap made it very attractive as it was a game where it was your skill in gameplay that mattered, not who had the most free time to grind. The hybrid classes and the skill deck building was very addictive and fun. It also meant that just because you saw X class, didn't mean you knew what kind of skills you would be up against so pvp was always exciting. Each class had hundreds of skills to choose from.

Now the pve/lore in Guild Wars started off very basic and simple to start, but with the additions of the expansions, they really created a very interesting world by the end. They even poked fun at the storyline of the original game in a play that you walk in on when you go to vabbi, in the nightfall expansion. And they really did a good job of adding a great deal to the pve game. I have yet to see any other game with the amount of end game GW1 had(about 90% of the total game in fact). Also the expansions would literally double the size of the world from what the original game had. The world was just massive.

As for GW2, it isn't bad. I still enjoy it, but ill admit that i did enjoy GW1 more. Problem is that people came down on GW1 for not having characters able to jump. So they gave people what they complained for and gave us dynamic events as well, which i enjoy. But i do really miss the skill deck building. Though i understand that they are working on giving us more skills and weapons for each class in the future. I will continue playing GW2 alongside my other games, but if it becomes closer to WoW than GW1 in the future, i will likely abandon it.

 

[Kyrinn]

Honestly, Guild Wars just doesn't have any staying power in terms of end game content. They didn't even have any type of grind for a long time; which for an MMO is pretty much required. Without the carrot on the stick an MMO just becomes that one game that's fun to play for a while but you get tired of it fast.
WoW on the other hand has regular updates and endgame content for pretty much every type of player. Do you want to push the limits and try to kill all the raid bosses on hardmode as soon as possible? Go for it. Want to just raid with friends? Done. Want to just queue for LFR while you dick around? Sure. The raiding scene alone puts WoW above GW2 IMO, regardless of the whatever state of the game people claim it's in. PvP...well WoW has seen better days, but does have much more skills than GW2 does so the balancing act is harder to pull off.

All in all I still have to give it to WoW though because there's just so much to do. I guess the biggest flaw WoW has right now is that levelling is pretty much a useless timesink compared to end-game. Not many people enjoy levelling anymore.

 

[MHR]

I played both games extensively, they both suck.

I played WoW from release 'till burning crusade and logged like 246 days straight and left during the BC expansion. They ruined it with dumb decisions, especially on the PvP front. It's just a mess like a good neighborhood gone bad with graffiti and hustlers on every corner. There's nothing that could make me want to go back.

I'm still playing GW2 and it has no endgame at all. It's just a themepark where you can run around wherever you want doing little things but once you've ridden the rollercoaster and smashed the clown in his jibblies a few times, it's really boring. At 80 there's nothing to do but grind, and not even the kind of grind that gets you anything because the endgame is just to acquire different armor skins and grind achievements and such. It's pretty boring.

I'm gonna say GW2 > WoW though because if WoW has gotten worse than I remember, it's an absolute clusterfuck.