Guild Wars is a decent back-up MMORPG to play when funds are too low to pay "that other, awesome MMO's" monthly fee.
As a former player of Final Fantasy XI (FF XI), Lineage II, and World of Warcraft (WoW), I’ve been exposed to several different kinds of fantasy MMORPGs each with their own style of graphics, stories and gameplay. By far, WoW out-does both the former games as far as quality of gameplay and content. Fortunately and unfortunately, NCsoft/ArenaNet's Guild Wars rises above Square Enix's FF XI and NCsoft's Lineage II but falls under the shadow of Blizzard's WoW. Consequently, Guild Wars ends up as a decent fantasy MMORPG.
Guild Wars can be played as a regular or multiplayer RPG. But, Guild Wars’ main feature is the PvP combat (want proof? check out its website).
II. Pros
1. No monthly fee!
2. No monthly fee!
3. Stunning graphics and accompanying soundtrack that sets the perfect mood.
4. Awesome jobs and job combo possibilities.
5. Unique gameplay by way of limited power use. Players can only select up to 8 powers at one time.
6. PvP combat for the die-hard fans.
7. No need to worry about raising those crafting skills…there are none in Guild Wars!
8. Instant travelling as well as In-game directions to quest locations. This helps make quests go smoothly and adequately speeds up the game’s pace. Travelling from one city to another is as easy as clicking on where you want to go on the map.
9. Instancing keeps the weirdos at bay.
10. Ability to select NPCs as members of party to help with quests.
11. Perfect place to start for MMORPG newcomers. Guild Wars has ingredients from FF XI, Lineage II and WoW with added flavor of its own.
12. No monthly fee, which makes Guild Wars the back-up MMO to play when funds are low and that “other” account has been deactivated until further notice.
III. Cons
1. The quests seem more like chores than anything else, the usual “go there, get that and bring it back” or “talk to so-and-so and report back“. It’s the same old donkey, beaten to death.
2. Although the character creation is decent, all the players look similar. For the record, this is no different than FF XI and Lineage II. On top of that, player names are hidden, until you click on or move the cursor over them.
3. You could play for hours without even noticing an invite or private message that was sent. It would be nice if the color of chat texts varied more or if sounds were added.
4. The emotes and dancing are cool…NOT!
5. The character movement is restricted similar to FF XI and Lineage II where the character can only move back, forth and side-to-side. Also similar is the fact that the player cannot fall from a cliff or sometimes walk outside a path due to the invisible game boundaries. Plus, bumping into NPCs or objects looks like bumper cars colliding! The movement is very unrealistic and cheapens the quality.
6. The “unique” gameplay by way of limited power use gets old and frustrating after a while. The frustration kicks in when, in midst of a battle, you realize that you should’ve brought “x power” with you instead the one you got stuck with. This would be a result of poor planning, in most cases. Therefore, careful study of powers and enemy weaknesses is required. Still, why should I be prevented from using a skill whenever I want? (other than just to make the gameplay a bit different or make it more like a card game?)
7. PvP combat for the “I could care less“ crowd. Since PvP is the main feature in Guild Wars, players who don’t enjoy it will basically miss most of the game.
8. No crafting for players who enjoy crafting.
9. Instancing can be a lonely and boring experience.
IV. Quick Tip
*****Warning!*****The following tip contains spoilers!*****
Try to hold on to as much salvageable and crafting items and dyes as possible. The place where you start is only a beginning. In the next part of the story, the world of Ascalon is in ruins. The above mentioned items become more valuable and useful.
V. Conclusion
For the price of the game itself, you get a decent fantasy MMORPG without the hassle of any monthly fee. It’s a perfect beginning point for newcomers to the genre and a back-up for those who have other deactivated MMO accounts or just want a change of scenery.