Guild Wars

Guild wars is one of the best games I have ever played. Extremely addictive. Took me a while to get into but now I've got into the ideas and storylines I think it's fantastic. Although the second part (Factions) lets it down a bit, it's still a great game by itself.

I am an RPG noob. Besides Neverwinter Nights (which I suck at) I have no RPG experience. Or at least I didn't until I picked up a copy of Guild Wars. I always liked the idea of a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), especially ones like "City of Heroes". but they come at quite a price tag. World of Warcraft, EVE Online, and Star Wars Galaxies eat up vast amounts of time, or at least they do if you want to be any good. Even the ones that don't though join these big title in consuming one thing... Money. They all come at a $15/month price tag. Now if you are a High School Student like me who lives on part time job money from the summer (mowing, teaching sports), then that's pretty heavy to say the least. So that $180 a year plus the box price was enough to drive me away. "Wouldn't it be great if they came out with one that didn't require that?" I thought. Well the next week I look into PC Gamer and it was like mana from heaven. Guild Wars, no monthly fee, it said (paraphrased). I jumped online and joined the beta. No game has consumed so much of my time in beta format. I lead Mrs. Weird through monsters and danger, virtually round the clock for 3 days. I was so pumped for the final product. When it came out I rushed out to get it and I have not regretted it yet.

Guild Wars is an achievement of great size in the world of MMORPG's. No monthly fee combined with a great, affordable game. It doesn't stop there though. GW caters to RPG junkies and noobs alike. Its ultra simple format is easy to learn, and the 8 skill system is even easier to use. But because of this 8 skill system you must use immense strategic depth, which is the part RPG junkies like. Don't get me wrong, even by level 5 you will have more than 8 skills, my level 15 has around 40-50. But you can only use 8 (or less I guess if you want) at a time. This forces you to think about what you're facing and to be prepared. Tough enemies, put a healing one in there. Lots of them? Try an area of effect one. Incompetent team mates? Better get some positive buffs to keep them alive.

The two class system puts this skill system into even more depth. Each class is very different. Elementalists pound with magic and fire, while Warriors pound with swords. Necromancers lay curses, negate strengths, and draw power from death. Rangers get animal teammates and fire from afar with a bow. Monks can heal and smite at the same time. And Mesmers turn reality upside down by drawing power from other enemies powers. Cool huh? Better news, you get to be 2 of these classes, with no XP penalty! (Sorry Dn'D joke.) By combining these two classes you can cover your first classes weakness by choosing an opposite class while having no power house ability. Or you can enhance their strengths by complementing abilities and leaving yourself vulnerable. I've seen both work very well. The great news for noobs who are sweating about the complicatedness and pressure of dual classing is that it is nearly impossible to create a broken character, or a character who's skills make him inherently weaker than other classes (with the possible exception of a Warrior/Ranger, don't try it). The primary class that you choose at the beginning will not only influence your appearance, but you will, 99% of the time be better at their abilities and use more of them. Plus you get a special stat (Mesmers-Fast Casting, Necromancers-Soul Reaping, Elementalists-Energy Storage etc.) But dual classing also means you have to balance out your skills (you only have 8 remember?) Hint: Use more from your primary class. To summarize this paragraph, dual classing (with no XP penalty) rules.

Guild Wars is an MMORPG. Duh. You need an internet connection to play. You see other players from all over the USA (or Europe and Korea if your on their servers). But when you enter a mission, the area contains only you, the NPC's, and the foe. You get your own server so that camping, farming, and PK'ing is eliminated. Guild Wars is also very story oriented. Each successive mission reveals more of the surprisingly good plot, through action and cut scenes.

Don't worry though all you PvP lovers out there. PvP is a viable and good option in GW. In story mode you can get onto randomized teams and fight it out. Or join a Guild and do GvG battles, which are definitely my favorite as they are more than just "eliminate the other team" and require teamwork. Or if you want to skip the story all together you can choose the PvP only option and start at level 20 (the cap). You will never have a chance to go through the story though, or collect elite skills. You are limited yo PvP battles. Don't worry though. This is a very fun option too.

Does GW have downsides? Sad to say but yes, though they are minimal in comparison to the big picture though. So don't assume that any of these are deal breakers. My biggest gripe is the very limited character customization and armor appearance. Once you choose a primary class, hair color, height, and face look, your character is pretty much set in stone. You don't look much different from the other same class and gender people around you. (Example: Most girl Rangers will look the same aside from a few small differences.) The other is that all the armor looks the same for everyone of your class and gender. And when I say the same, I mean EXACTLY. Unless they color with dyes, which still doesn't change it a lot. There's no real individual feel to your character. Another is that a couple of things are left poorly explained at the start (ie: Expert salvage kits, class specific runes, and trading.) The final downturn is that most weapons that you find have Pathetic, with a capital P, buffs (such as +5% defense while in stance, weak.)

Small downturns aside, Guild Wars is an excellent decision for anyone who wants to play an MMO, and even for some who think they don't.