The Sword and Laser discussion

Anyone play the GuildWars 2 Beta this weekend? If so what are your thoughts on the game thus far?

I've tried two professions so far, engineer and mesmer. I am having a lot of fun (until I got kicked out for server issues), and the biggest complaint is lag due to the number of players. I will really enjoy it once it's released sometime later this year.

Remy wrote: "I've tried two professions so far, engineer and mesmer. I am having a lot of fun (until I got kicked out for server issues), and the biggest complaint is lag due to the number of players. I will re..."

I got to try a mesmer and an elementalist. The game is pretty amazing / awe inspiring in it's complexity and scope. I think they have a winner on their hands once they've worked out some of the kinks.

Andrew wrote: "I would love to try this game, but after getting burned with GW1 I am very wary. Wish there was a way to Beta it without pre-purchasing."


Burned? Do tell!

my friend played gw2 beta this weekend and told me about the game style and content as he was playing and I was drooling! I so wanna play, definitley want to try elementalist :)

Andrew wrote: "Matthew Henry wrote: "Andrew wrote: "I would love to try this game, but after getting burned with GW1 I am very wary. Wish there was a way to Beta it without pre-purchasing."

Burned? Do tell!"

..."

I liked GW1, but cannot stand games like LOTRO or WoW. I think it boils down to what you're looking for in a game and the people you connect with in the game community can make a huge difference.

GW2 is totally different from the first in play style so I think it's worth you checking out.

Andrew wrote: "I keep hearing that from friends that got "burned" with me in GW1, but I will not pre-purchase a game without playing it. I played WoW for years and enjoyed it. I have played almost all MMOs and Wo..."

I think its a case of what people like and their expectations. I did a few WOW trials and was bored out of my mind. Had a blast with GW and its expansions. I've been playing SWTOR for months now. I have 2 50s, a new one on its way up, and other than starter planets (which I prefer to solo), I've never not played in a team.

Dabbled in GW2 this weekend, and so far my experience has been meh. The events are ok I guess, but overall I just felt ineffectual. Like the world would never notice if my character had never been there.

Yes, I know that this is how all games work really, but at least they give you the illusion that your character is special. I did not get this in GW2.

I didn't have as much time as I would have liked during the event but I definitely enjoyed the game. One of my first comments was that it seemed more cartoony than the original. My biggest complaint was that you can get more XP from wandering around and discovering waypoints and areas than from killing monsters. I created several chars with different classes and by the last one, I was already tired of doing the beginning level quests and events. Starting over when the game releases, is going to a little depressing to start over. Since I created mostly humans to do apples to apples comparisons of the classes, I guess I have to go for other races at release time just for some variety.

That's definitely a problem with betas and server wipes. Losing all the effort you've put into the game already and then you have to go redo the same stuff all over again. From what I've heard about GW2, you could just create a different race and you'd get new starting events (but you mentioned you created several chars, so maybe you did all of them already). I guess that's a sacrifice you make for getting access to the game before it's released.

Also, earning XP by wandering around an unlocking waypoints is a nice easy way to get XP at first, but once you've hit them all in an area, you can't get XP that way anymore, so then it's better to participate in the events and storylines.

(I'm an unashamed GW fan, yeah.)

I played as much of the Guild Wars 2 beta during the first BWE and I actually really enjoyed it. I had never played Guild Wars 1 but I really enjoyed GW2. I think it is the first MMO I've played in a long time that is actually trying new things and trying to grow and expand the genre, whether it ultimately succeeds or fails I give them credit for that. I like that they have done everything they can in order to create a world where instead of having to endure alot of people trying to annoy everyone else, it actually benefits you to stop and help out someone. I like the idea of having a personal story as well as having things going on in the world in general as I found it helps give it a bit more of a personal feel to it. I think the automatic level downgrading (or upgrading in the case of PvP which is totally separate from the PvE side) is genius as it provides so much more content, you can take things more at your own pace without worrying about trivializing it due to out lvling things. I think it will take people awhile to get the hang of the combat if they are mostly from a WoW/SWTOR/Rift static combat background (I know it took me a little bit) since you have to be much more active when fighting unlike most games you can cast almost everything while moving and you should be moving most of the time. There were definitely bugs and they still have alot of things to work on and get ready but I really enjoyed what I played of the beta and I think it is shaping up to be one of the best MMOs of the past while

I was an avid player of Guild Wars 1, and I already adore GW2 much more than I ever did the first game. I played an elementalist over the weekend, and I had so much fun. The graphics are increbile, both in quality and general art style, the way everything is so detailed and fits together so well. The soundtrack is beyond questioning as well.

But what I enjoyed most was the combat/cooperative gameplay aspect. I had a lot of fun with my elementalist alone, because even for casters combat is so much more dynamic than I've seen in other MMOs. But then playing together with other people just adds a whole new layer to it. The way skills work together as combos, and the way that ever player you meet is an ally, not a rival, just gives the game a unique feeling that I have not witnessed anywhere else. In other MMOs I remember seeing a player approach and I hated it because chances were that person wanted to steal a mob or a resource node or just make question less easy for me in general. In Guild Wars 2, you always play together. There is nothing to be lost in helping out random strangers, but everything to be gained. The game rewards you for going out of your way to help - rez a stranger for XP, help defeat a mob for XP and loot, and so on and so forth.

I've already prepurchases it, and I can't wait for the next BWE.

Don wrote: "I didn't have as much time as I would have liked during the event but I definitely enjoyed the game. One of my first comments was that it seemed more cartoony than the original. My biggest complain..."

This is why I never participate in betas, even for single player games. Nowadays, they seem to be treated as extended demos more often than not.

Mike wrote: "This is why I never participate in betas, even for single player games. Nowadays, they seem to be treated as extended demos more often than not."

I found that the Guild Wars community has been rather helpful there. Personally I haven't encountered any real bugs (except for wonky servers at the beginning, which is to be expected and was fixed soon), but I know that many people who encountered real bugs reported them, and I for my part gave honest feedback whenever the game asked for it (which was a lot). So I think in general, Arenanet got at least a good portion of people who took it for more than a demo :)

One thing to remember. When companies open the floodgates for beta testers, they're also performing stress tests on their servers.

Looking forward to the game, didnt pre order, just did nt want to spoil it for myself, i already know im gonnna enjoy it. Still no release date.

Some of my friends have been speaking very highly of the game, but I don't really have time for it in beta. Like Lucy, I don't want to spoil it before its really out.

Do any of you know what race and profession your going to be, I have always liked to the paladin types so im going to try the human guardian, I have seen them pvping aswell and they look good.

I've heard that the mesmer is a TON of fun from some friends in the beta. I haven't really taken too much time to decide yet though.

Next Beta Weekend is June 8-10. What I've been doing is trying all professions for at least 10 levels to get a feel for them. Some minor changes may be made before release, but I think the professions are pretty close to what will be in the release. I'm a little disappointed no Asura or Sylvari characters yet, but that just means they'll be all the more detailed. I also have to try some PVP this coming weekend since I didn't get a chance in April. Anyone who doesn't want to prepurchase but still wants to try the game, there are sites giving away beta keys; you just have to watch out for scams.

I'm pretty sure I have my main and alts all planned out with race/profession/name.

A post on biobreak made me rethink a couple of them, but I haven't decided completely yet.

My main will definitely be a Human Mez, my primary alt will be an Ele - but I haven't decided what race (probably Charr). Beyond that I'm thinking Asuran Engineer, Norn Ranger, and Sylvari Necro - but I might switch up the Norn and Asura professions (I'd get a kick out of having a pet that's larger than my character).