Monsterfurby said:
What is the game like right now?
It's an excellent game, and excellent value for the money. There are, of course, some caveats, which we'll cover below.
Monsterfurby said:
How long have you been playing?
Closing in on 250 hours.
Monsterfurby said:
Are there any elements you enjoy particularly, or that you are growing bored with?
The game is extremely rewarding to explorers, and the size and detail of the world makes it a good playground for the RP crowd as well. It's one of the best PvP MMORPGs on the market, so it appeals to killers. Achievers? Ehhhh...
Monsterfurby said:
GW2's WvWvW was indeed inspired by DAoC, and shares many qualities with it.
Monsterfurby said:
What I gather seems to be that there is a major disconnect between those rushing to the maximum level and those taking their time. The former seem to be disappointed by the perceived lack of content, while the latter are quite happy with how alive the world feels and how much there is to do. Never having been someone to rush through a game like this, I probably fall squarely into the second category, yet I wonder: Is there enough of a sense of progression that "slower" players will still feel motivated? Also, to those who say that they have grown bored with the game: how long did you play before that happened?
And here's where we reach our caveat. GW2 is not content light by any stretch of the imagination. The world is huge, and full of activities. The issue that achievement focused people are running into is that very little of the content is gated behind grind, and what IS gated behind grind is cosmetic and optional (and the grind for that stuff is, frankly, ludicrous). So there's no drag chute impeding their process. They play their 200-400 hours, cap out their progression, say "what now?" and storm out. There is no infinite progression treadmill in GW2 as seen in WoW and EQ and other games of that ilk. No tiering of gear, no incremental bumps in stats that allow you to progress to the next raid, so you can get more incremental bumps in stats. You hit 80. You spend a week or two getting your exotic gear. Presto...you are as statistically powerful as you will ever be. Some people HATE this. I quite appreciate it. It comes down to human psychology. You can chase a carrot forever, or you can eat the carrot. In the former situation it always feels like you've got something to do, even though you're really doing nothing. In the latter situation, you get to do something, but then the carrot is gone. You pick your poison.
It is notable that "lack of infinite progression" is not the only charge that can be leveled at the current "end game", however. There are some other problems afoot, and they are as follows.
1. The game is BUGGY AS FUCK. This is not as apparent at lower levels, where the content was more rigorously tested, but it breaks with hilarious regularity at higher levels, with DE's constantly stalling out, and skill points disappearing and preventing map completion. It's gone past the point of "understandable for a new game" and into the realm of "ANET WAT R U DOING FFS". They release a patch "fixing" broken events, and within a day or two the events are all broken again. It's becoming worrisome.
2. The "end game" zones (the game employs level scaling, which is...fitfully successful...so technically there ARE no end game zones...although realistically there are), specifically the three zones that compose Orr, are...less than optimal in their current state. Bugs, as listed above, contribute to this. But the zones are just an almighty slog as well. Constant respwans of undead every few feet means you'll fight like a dog to get anywhere, and then again to get back. What at first feels sinister and challenging eventually feels routine and exhausting, and the fact it's a single enemy type for three zones (an enemy type you will already be WELL familiar with) means combat fatigue sets in really quickly. Those who want to "play optimally" and farm spend most of their time here, with the expected negative impact on their fun.
3. The dungeons are not particularly well designed. Without the trinity, they lack the simple elegance of WoW's dungeons...the carefully tuned encounters and trash packs. It feels a bit willy nilly, to be honest. Scrambly, and not always in a good way. They are occasionally punitively difficult, as well, with questionable rewards, so if you're a risk/reward oriented person you will swiftly come to wonder what the point of it all is. That a single dungeon can easily end up eating several hours has been my major reason for avoiding them at this point.
4. WvWvW is FUN AS HELL, until it isn't. Specifically, when you get into a bad matchup, which will happen, as your matchups change every week at the moment. Last weeks' matchup was brilliant. This week? We are getting pounded, and I just look at the current state of things and think "Ugh, why bother", and play alts instead. On that note, pick your server carefully. Most will do well in one bracket or another, but there are a couple of perpetual weak sisters who just get dominated in the bottom bracket all the time.
5. The personal story isn't very personal (or very good). It starts out alright, if a tad campy, but by level 50 you'll become acquainted with an asshole named Trahearne. This poorly acted piece of cardboard will HIJACK YOUR STORY, and you will spend the last 30 levels participating as his toady in the "Adventures of Trahearne". Yes, this is technically spoilers, but it's rubbish, really, and I don't feel bad about spoiling rubbish. Better you be prepared, and have your expectations low.
ALL THAT SAID, I have had a great amount of fun with this game, and feel like I've had my money's worth many times over. As an RPG, or a game, it's a great buy. As a lifestyle replacement for the sort of person who wants to play their MMO for 5+ hours a day for 5 years, it has some issues that need sorting. Gird yourself for some bugs and some bad storytelling, and you'll do alright.
If you have any other questions, ask away.
