Quitting WoW - what's the best MMORPG for me? [Archive]

Blackadar

04-24-2005, 09:28 PM

I didn't pay much attention to MMORPGs because my PC was very old. I finally bought a new one and got into WoW in a big way. It now looks like I won't renew my subscription.

To me, WoW is a great game from levels 1-59. At 60 it's complete dogshit. I like small, easy to assemble groups. I like to solo. I like to craft. At 60, there's none of this. You either run in huge groups that take 2 hours to form, be a part of another 15 man instance raid group or now get in a 40-man raid to zerg Tauren Mill all over again. That's it. The latest "honor" patch shows me the game is going in the wrong direction...at least for me. I was never interested in PvP. I'm still not.

I've taken two characters to level 60 and had a 3rd on the way when I pushed back from the screen the other day and said "what's the point"? I don't play with my characters after level 60 anyway. Many raid groups kick off at 9:00 PM during the week and I have a job (and a real life) that doesn't allow me to stay up to midnight running MC yet again. I just can't bear to make another character and go through the 40s and 50s leveling grind knowing that I won't use him at level 60.

So it appears I'm done with WoW.

Here's what I'd like:

1. A game that takes longer to level. I don't mind it taking a while. As long as there's not a ton of "grinding" to do it. Mission-based exp is fine.
2. A game where there's easy-to-find groups all the time and short (but rewarding) missions.
3. A player base (as much as possible) that's not comprised of screaming 12 year olds.
4. A game with a rewarding crafting system.
5. A game in which you can solo if you want with little trouble.

I tested out EQ2 but I really haven't gotten into it enough to tell. There's CoH, the Matrix online and a few others. What should I buy?

Just a couple of caveats: I realize I won't find EVERYTHING I want.

I really like WoW from 1-59, I just hate 60. I realize that all games of this type hit the brick wall. My challenge with WoW is that it happened so quickly. It's not any one factor that's killed WoW - it's the combination of factors - quick leveling combined with endgame zerging combined with no crafting - that leave me bored.

For example, I understand there's no crafting in CoH. Ok, I can deal with that. I don't HAVE to have crafting. In WoW, the lack of crafting kills the game for me because I get to the endgame so quickly. So in CoH, does something take the place of crafting? Does it take a lot longer to level? How do you get new missions or is it just grinding? Why do people like CoH when there's no crafting and no PvP?

My guess is that I'll probably go with either CoH or EQ2. In a lot of ways, I'm pretty content to run the "kill 20 of these mobs" missions for a long, long time. As long as the lure of new weapons, powers and areas are out there, I'm fairly happy.

With that in mind, can I jump into CoH and feel that I've accomplished a mission in an hour or so? How about EQ? Do I really have to group after level 10? Can I find groups easily? If you're playing EQ2 or CoH, why do you like it?

Danny

04-24-2005, 09:32 PM

Here's what I'd like:
2. A game where there's easy-to-find groups all the time and short (but rewarding) missions.
5. A game in which you can solo if you want with little trouble.

From what I know, you will not find a MMORPG that is any better than WoW when it comes to this. EQ2 is supposedly much more of a group game where past level 15 or so you pretty much can't solo anything. The Guild Wars could be good, but its really a pvp oriented game, so thats probably out for you.

ShaqFu

04-24-2005, 11:45 PM

Danny

04-25-2005, 12:00 AM

MikeVic

04-25-2005, 12:08 AM

Danny

04-25-2005, 12:45 AM

I believe last I heard, they aren't deleting any characters. I imagine at some point they might need to do some clearing of their database, but I would say you have a good three months minumum.

sabotai

04-25-2005, 01:27 AM

One time I quit EQ, deleted my account, and went back to it about 9 months later and was suprised to find my characters still there. I don't think many MMORPG's delete the characters unless they have to because they know with expansions, they'll get old customers back.

As for what' out there other than WoW. I don't really know. I had been thinking of getting The Matrix Online, but I don't know. I'd like to hear what is in CoH other than crafting as well (if anything).

daedalus

04-25-2005, 01:41 AM

Based on all I've read, I haven't heard of anything in CoH that takes place of crafting. You know the GG/OO crew well enough to see if the Wanderers can make EQ2 a more enjoyable experience for you. That maybe a worthwhile shot.

I don't know if there are too many Wanderers still playing DaoC but I enjoyed it back in the early days. With certain classes, you could solo fairly well in that. They were supposedly working on crafting there but I haven't follow it much.

Bad-example

04-25-2005, 02:07 AM

I have played EQ, EQ2, WoW and CoH. I am currently playing CoH and enjoying it.

I have only gotten to level 20, so I can't say what the higher levels of the game are like. The character creation alone is very fun to toy around with. So far I have enjoyed grouping with people from the board here, and also have done well soloing in 30 and 60 minute sessions.

I like that the inventory system is extremely simple and that there is not a lot to bog you down while playing. Crafting is non-existent, but also absent is the long list of items that can be so cumbersome to manage in other games. I enjoyed blacksmithing in WoW but I don't really miss crafting in CoH.

When playing, I usually concentrate on missions. I go see, or call up a contact and get a mission. These usually are either to kill 15-20 of one or two types of baddies, or a door mission. Door missions are more fun, taking from 20 minutes to an hour or so. There are task force missions as well, but they are more involved than I have experienced to date.

One of the most critical elements of the game is planning your character build in advance. There are a lot of choices in how to select your powers and add enhancement slots. The official message boards are a huge help in avoiding gimping your hero. You can fix any mistakes you make through a respec, but I understand the requisite missions are pretty tough.

That is just a quick look at the game from a lowbie perspective.

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 05:14 AM

You're forgetting that the WoW expansion likely will hit stores around Christmas. You're also forgetting that between now and than, WoW is likely to begin its hero class system. With that you'll probably be able to create hybrids (mixed classes). And, with expansions, you will probably be able to go beyond 60.

Also, the recent 1.4 patch introduced the honor system. Some people have over 600+ honorable kills since Tuesday. WoW is only going to get better with age, especially for high level players.

This is the best MMORPG ever. As an industry analyst, I don't see anything else topping it for awhile.

I absolutely despise the "honor" system. It's awful and it's turned the servers into a bunch of raving, ganking 12 year olds.

As for the expansion, etc. I didn't feel like waiting until Christmas to play the game again. Blizzard has been so incredibly slow with content patches. I'd agree it probably will get better with age for higher level players. Right now, there's not a helluva lot to do. After ramping two characters to 60, thee's no point to ramp a 3rd.

As far as my account, let's just say that I've given it away...so if I ever do play again, I'll start at level 1.

It looks like either CoH or EQ2 next...not sure which one. Both have their appeal.

condors

04-25-2005, 05:26 AM

I would throw a word in for COH.

The lack of "loot" and crafting in COH is a big plus for me there is no camping involved.

You have contacts that give you misssions you can also roam the streets getting bad guys.

I believe COH has the highest fun factor and i am able to play limited hours and still feel like i did something. (I can do a mission solo usually in under an hour)

Ragone

04-25-2005, 06:17 AM

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 06:34 AM

I"m going to save you some trouble blackadar

DO NOT PLAY EQ2.. its horrible, simply put.. you get exp debt if groupmates die.. not only that.. soe is offering some kinda service in the near future to sell items for real life cash

That's kind of funny Rag. I'm hearing a much different tune elsewhere - that EQ2 is now *very* solo friendly and has a deep crafting system and interesting world. Of course, everything is subjective. ShaqFu is supposedly an "industry analyist" and says WoW is the best while there are many players quitting and going to other games. I guess it's all what you like/dislike.

But thanks for the opinion on EQ2. I did the Trial of the Isle demo and played a bit with it. It's not bad from a character development standpoint but I didn't like the graphics much - very muted.

hhiipp

04-25-2005, 06:40 AM

Black, I've played nearly every big mmorpg out there for at least a short period of time, Asherons Call (briefly), EQ (very briefly), EQ2, Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot, WoW, and Shadowbane.

The problem I've run into is that nearly every game is relatively the same, you get your mission/quest/objective and go run around doing them, playing the leveling game over and over. It's all very repetitive and I doubt I'll never find another mmorpg that I can get involved in again, because every time you start a new one you compare it to the last one you played and wish things, like crafting, were done in the same way that they were done in (previous game).

Almost all these games are the same, it's just about finding the interface you like. If you can find that and some people to play with you're usually golden for some time.

And the things you were looking for:
1. A game that takes longer to level. I don't mind it taking a while. As long as there's not a ton of "grinding" to do it. Mission-based exp is fine. Good luck here, grinding is part of the longer leveling process.
2. A game where there's easy-to-find groups all the time and short (but rewarding) missions. Only way I know to do this is find a solid group of people who are only going to play when you do, so as they don't outlevel you and leave you behind.
3. A player base (as much as possible) that's not comprised of screaming 12 year olds. Nearly every game.
4. A game with a rewarding crafting system. This may be one of the few things you will be able to find, but I'd wouldn't recommend looking at EQ2 for this, their crafting is one of the biggest nightmares ever. Dark Age of Camelot has a nice crafting system imo but the game is aged a bit and not sure how easily you'd just fit into the player base with it being this late in the game.
5. A game in which you can solo if you want with little trouble. WoW is the only recent game that I've played where soloing was a fairly viable option, although I have heard that it is possible in CoH.

The game I might recommend to you is Ultima Online, it is very old 7-8 years? I haven't played it in ages but assuming things are still relatively the same: You basically only solo in this game and it's not about leveling, you have skills and the more you use skills the more they go up, such as if you want to be a sword user, you take your sword out and start killing rabbits or bears or whatever. If you want to be a tailor you could then skin the animals and take the leather hides, and you'd probably want it to be on a separate tailoring character. You'd somehow get him all the hides you collect and then he can just make items until he runs out.

hhiipp

04-25-2005, 06:44 AM

That's kind of funny Rag. I'm hearing a much different tune elsewhere - that EQ2 is now *very* solo friendly and has a deep crafting system and interesting world.
Whomever told you it was solo friendly is yanking your chain. I solo'd almost exclusively from 1-20 with a wizard, after that point I -could- still solo blues and sometimes whites but not without downtime.

The crafting is 'deep' alright, it forces you to make 2-3 items before you can even craft the original item you wanted to make. Add into this the cost - I've never played a game where money was so hard to come by, so I'm not sure how you'd finance crafting.

Ragone

04-25-2005, 07:24 AM

Only Certain classes can solo.. just like eq1

Raiders Army

04-25-2005, 07:28 AM

I'll throw in a vote for City of Heroes as well. I have a level 50 Electric/Electric Blaster, a level 38 Bubbler, a level 33 Fire Tank, and a level 12 Peacebringer. Although level 50 is somewhat of a grind to get to, it's a fun grind.

The best thing about the game is that it's easy to pick up, but difficult to master. You can play for 10 minutes and feel like you've accomplished something. You can play for hours and feel the same. I like the fact that it's quick, the combat is great, and the missions are completable solo (albeit with some builds and near the end, you can't solo Arch-Villians).

Peregrine

04-25-2005, 08:05 AM

Blackadar, I played EQ2 before I played WoW and liked it a lot, and I've heard it's improved a good bit since then. I too was infatuated with WoW for a while, but as you pointed out, it doesn't take you long at level 60 to realize that there's nothing else to do. I've personally gone back to Dark Age of Camelot, which is a great game, though I'm not sure how many of the qualities you're looking for it has.

Danny

04-25-2005, 08:09 AM

To me, it sounds like Blackadar would be best off trying CoH.

Anthony

04-25-2005, 08:55 AM

it probably doesn't pay to be a power gamer in a game without much high lvl content.

i'm curious about Matrix Online, only because i like the (first 2) movies. i tried SWG a while back, but it didn't feel too "star warsy".

Anthony

04-25-2005, 09:02 AM

If he is no longer having fun, then he did the right thing. But, I do agree that based on what he is looking for, it is unlikely he will find anything better. Also, sssuming he didn't delete his characters, he can always come back in a couple months if he wants. When you cancel your account, your characters aren't deleted.

that's good to know. i cancelled about a month ago, not enough role playing for me (Avlis server for NVN was the best MMORPG i've experienced) and story-wise i don't feel like i can have an impact on the game world (i don't know what game *does* let you have an impact, however minimal). but yeah, i still have the WoW icon on my screen, and every time i open my PC draw at my desk i see the WoW box. nice to know i can go back to it whenever i want and not have to start over.

A-Husker-4-Life

04-25-2005, 09:03 AM

Try Lineage 2, it alot harder to level in that game....

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 09:13 AM

Try Lineage 2, it alot harder to level in that game....

I've heard nothing but horror stories from that game.

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 09:15 AM

To me, it sounds like Blackadar would be best off trying CoH.

There are only 4 options that I'm really considering:

CoH - looks fun, but I worry about how deep it is.
EQ2 - it looks deep, but I worry about how fun it is.
Matrix Online (unlikely) - it looks...unfinished
None of the above

hhiipp

04-25-2005, 09:16 AM

that's good to know. i cancelled about a month ago, not enough role playing for me (Avlis server for NVN was the best MMORPG i've experienced) and story-wise i don't feel like i can have an impact on the game world (i don't know what game *does* let you have an impact, however minimal).
This is where the huge problem with these type of games lie, you have a good experience in the previous game and then you go to the next game searching for that same experience, more times than not you're just setting yourself up for a let down.

If you want to make an impact on the world you might try Shadowbane, there is PvP, but you can build your own city with the help of others. You go out and farm and then you can build up the $$ to buy different buildings and such, the problem is other cities can declare war on you and destroy your town.

Critch

04-25-2005, 09:24 AM

I've gone the same way with WoW. About three weeks ago I stopped playing and I've felt no need to sign back on since. Not sure why, it wasn't a planned end. Whenever I think about signing on for a quick mess about, the prospect of needing the last couple of patches puts me off. Somebody remind me to cancel my subscription :)

New one for me will be Guild Wars on Wednesday. Not sure how much the game appeals to me as it seems completly geared away from solo-ing, but the fact that it'll be new and fresh (for me the best time on WoW was the first couple of weeks when everybody was new) combined with the no monthly fee is enough to drag me in.

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 09:40 AM

CoH is the first MMO i've stayed with beyond the first month that came with the retail box. In fact, it will soon be a year.

I have gone through every stage you can have from Elation to Frustration but in the end this has been the most fun. The way the game "feels" is the most important to me. Character mobility is second to none. 3rd person, WASD, with mouse-move is the only way I like.

The fighting is FUN AS HELL. Best implementation yet in an MMO.

Grind? Can I get an AMEN! Yes, there is hellacious grind but somehow you work through it.

No crafting. The only loot in the game are things called enhancements that you use to improve your Powers. An example of an enhancement would be an Accuracy Enhancement. You place it on a melee power and it give X% accuracy improvment. The enhancement system allows 2 characters of the same exact build to be different.

If you would have asked me a year ago if I would still be playing CoH in April of 2005 I would have laughed.

Be warned! you may try the game and hate it but you will be spoiled by certain aspects of the game and may find it hard to play another MMO. This happened when I tried Matrix Online. The movement scheme is so vastly inferior to CoH it was PAINFUL.

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 09:45 AM

Ryche

04-25-2005, 09:53 AM

I don't think EQ2 would be the game for you Blackadar. I'm up to level 46 now and the leveling process has most of the elements you don't enjoy. I can honestly say I haven't soloed outside of finishing off a low level quest since I was about level 10. It's definitely a game where you need to enjoy the social aspect I believe. If my wife wasn't playing it, I probably would have abandoned it for WoW by now. That may still happen soon as she's becoming dissatisfied with the way they are handling the balancing of the classes.

The highend game is more involved than WoW I believe, it still mostly comes down to raiding. After level 20 or so, you really can't get much accomplished by just logging in for an hour or 2.

Haven't played CoH, so I can't offer much insight there. Known a couple people who played it, they enjoyed the lower levels but never found themselves sucked in by it.

Honestly, I think WoW is about as close to your ideal as you will get at this time. I know I'm looking forward to diving into it more in the upcoming months.

JeeberD

04-25-2005, 10:01 AM

Dammit, this thread has me really jonsing for some CoH...

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 10:29 AM

I will say that City of Heroes is more of a laid-back game. You can solo almost the entire game (at a decent clip if you pick the right Archetype) and joining pickup teams to help you with more difficult missions is fairly simple.

You can have up to 8 characters on any server and there are about 10+ servers.

With the next content update (4th) they are adding PvP but it doesn't yield XP for the character and therefore isn't necessary for advancing to level 50 which is the cap for the foreseeable future. PvP is consensual and is in the form of Arena/Coliseum type matches where you enter the Arena and search for matches that can be 1 vs 1 or Super Group vs Group.

There are 4 Archetypes (AT) tanker, blaster, scrapper, defender, controller. Each AT has a Primary and Secondary powerset. E.g., Tanker has Defense as Primary and Melee attacks as Secondary.

Powersets for tanker are:

Invulnerable
Fire
Ice
Stone

and their Secondary sets are:

Fire
Ice
Energy Melee
Stone Melee
Super Strength

Now, each primary/secondary powerset have different strengths/weakness/aspects. E.g.s, some have knockback, some do knock down, some do Damage over time, some have holds, some resist damage, some make it harder to be hit etc. etc.

And that is just tanker. There are many varieties and you should be able to find an AT that fits your style.

Raiders Army

04-25-2005, 10:31 AM

yep. yep. yep.

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 10:40 AM

Thomkal

04-25-2005, 11:01 AM

I beta'd Guild Wars for short periods in their last two beta weekends, and I can tell you I didn't find much there to inspire me to play a lot of it. But it is free to play once you pay the cost of the game (no monthly fees, have to pay for expansions I think). In all honesty I didn't get as good a look at the game as I should have, so I'll be in there when it goes live when I get my game tomorrow or Wed.

As for COH, its the biggest grind there is. I can't imagine where my CometFlash would be if I just solo'ed him instead of teaming up with some people from here. And many of the missions are similar though you do get a few different ones as you get higher in level. And the building/cave/sewer interiors add to the boredom of all that grinding because they look exactly the same in terms of decoration, they just mix and match the parts of it. But yet I've recently returned to COH, so I must be enjoying it. :)

As for class, Cometflash is a defender, and I think its a nice class for solo or groups. You get to attack from a distance and then get some "debuffs" that either do things to the mobs to create problems for them, or "buffs" that make things easier for yourself or your party members. Plus some healing/resurrection if you pick the right power group.

Whar

04-25-2005, 11:50 AM

There are 4 Archetypes (AT) tanker, blaster, scrapper, defender, controller.

The Legend of Pain Cry Issue #3

Pain Cry finds himself fighting the nefarious Tsoo with the firey Tauntological. Picking a secure location Tauntological goes to draw some Tsoo into the waiting fists of Pain Cry. We join our heros in mid action ...

Tauntological : hmmm 4 inc
Pain Cry : Now when you say 4 .... RUN!

Join us in Issue #4 when Tauntological fails the math section of his G.E.D. ... again. And Pain Cry has his major medical deductible raised!

ShaqFu

04-25-2005, 11:54 AM

Of course, everything is subjective. ShaqFu is supposedly an "industry analyist" and says WoW is the best while there are many players quitting and going to other games.

Remember I'm simply going off sales figures, though I do play WoW myself and have found it to be better than anything else. Tried EQ2 and dislike the interface. CoH is too cheesy. Matrix Online is cheesy. Honestly, if I did anything, I would go back to Ultima Online. Otherwise I would wait for something better. Companies are likely to improve on what is good about WoW in future games (like DDO, MEO, and the new one from Lord British).

My character is only 35 and that's after more than two months of play. There is likely to be new content before I reach 60.

Blizzard has released 1.30 in March, 1.40 in April. A new content patch every month doesn't seem out of the ordinary.

Have you done all the end-game quests?

The biggest reason people have left WoW isn't due to lack of stuff to do at Lvl 60. It has to do with the almost weekly server outages and other technical issues that interfere with gameplay. Those things are normal for a first-gen, first-edition MMORPG.

I would either give Blizz a chance to ramp things up. Hero classes will add a new element. Blizz should increase cap in the near future. Creating new lands enables them to add 60+, 70+, 80+ enemies.

At this point, if you were Lvl 80, where do you go? You just end up griefing and farming.

If you must go with another MMORPG, I would go with the original EQ or UO.

hhiipp

04-25-2005, 12:11 PM

Woo, glad I'm not the only one here that thought UO might be what he was looking for.

jbmagic

04-25-2005, 12:14 PM

Never Winter Nights is pretty good and free to play online.

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 12:16 PM

Remember I'm simply going off sales figures, though I do play WoW myself and have found it to be better than anything else. Tried EQ2 and dislike the interface. CoH is too cheesy. Matrix Online is cheesy. Honestly, if I did anything, I would go back to Ultima Online. Otherwise I would wait for something better. Companies are likely to improve on what is good about WoW in future games (like DDO, MEO, and the new one from Lord British).

My character is only 35 and that's after more than two months of play. There is likely to be new content before I reach 60.

Blizzard has released 1.30 in March, 1.40 in April. A new content patch every month doesn't seem out of the ordinary.

Have you done all the end-game quests?

The biggest reason people have left WoW isn't due to lack of stuff to do at Lvl 60. It has to do with the almost weekly server outages and other technical issues that interfere with gameplay. Those things are normal for a first-gen, first-edition MMORPG.

I would either give Blizz a chance to ramp things up. Hero classes will add a new element. Blizz should increase cap in the near future. Creating new lands enables them to add 60+, 70+, 80+ enemies.

At this point, if you were Lvl 80, where do you go? You just end up griefing and farming.

If you must go with another MMORPG, I would go with the original EQ or UO.

Shaq, I appreciate your passion for WoW.

But most of the people who I know quit have done so over content, not technical issues. Perhaps that's because I've had the game since November and know a lot more level 60s characters than someone who is only level 35. At level 35, I am sure WoW is the greatest MMORPG out there. Enjoy it while it lasts. But level 60 is a whole other story...and it's not a happy ending.

Again, I've had the game since release. That's 6 months...I don't feel like paying for another 6 before Blizz implements Hero Classes, an expansion, new lands, etc. Hell, some of that shit was promised on release (like the Battlegrounds). To ask someone to wait until Christmas for these things....doesn't seem right - it really seems pretentious. I've given them 6 months of chances and I really see the game heading totally in the opposite direction of what I want out of a MMORPG. Most of the released level 60 content focuses on large raid-type content, which is not what I want to do.

BTW, I don't consider 1.4 to be a content patch. The only "content" released was the honor system, which I think to be totally flawed. The servers have been an absolute mess since then.

I'll give you an example. I'm running in Southshore with my level 34 warrior. I come across a level 36 Tauren warrior. Normally, we'd stop, flag, fight. So we do. He flags. I flag. We fight. He wins a close, well-played battle. So I res close to him and bow. He bows back. I heal and we start to square off again.

This is an honorable battle. But wait, stop the presses!!! There's 4 other Alliance characters who think they instantly have to jump into the fight. I'm typing in "back off" and "don't fight him" and "STOP!!!" and I'm being totally ignored by a level 45-60 gank patrol. All they wanted was more "honor". I felt so bad for the Tauren. I literally stopped fighting him when they jumped in. When they killed him I /mourned my opponent. If I could have helped him kill the Alliance players I would have.

There's no honor there. It's a horrible system.

I've done a lot of endgame content. Have I done every quest? No. So what? I haven't killed Onyxia, Kazzak, etc. But it's all the same - large groups that take hours to form and get ready. It's not for me. There's so many level 60 characters now and many of those don't even really know how to play. I look at WoW and see a level 60 noob farm. And most are cookie-cutters of each other.

Does that mean WoW is a bad game? No. It's just not for me.

As for UO, I played it quite a bit back in its heyday. I'm not going back to it.

ShaqFu

04-25-2005, 12:34 PM

This is an honorable battle. But wait, stop the presses!!! There's 4 other Alliance characters who think they instantly have to jump into the fight. I'm typing in "back off" and "don't fight him" and "STOP!!!" and I'm being totally ignored by a level 45-60 gank patrol. All they wanted was more "honor". I felt so bad for the Tauren. I literally stopped fighting him when they jumped in. When they killed him I /mourned my opponent. If I could have helped him kill the Alliance players I would have.

Good point. One thing they should allow is for you to be a traitor to your faction. There have been times when I've wanted to kill an alliance member for screwing me over. Give me a dishonorable kill, drop my reputation within the faction, and let the opposing faction show me some love. Being able to help that tauren out is a fine example. That would make it a true honor system.

I don't like grouping much either. I hate getting stuck in a group of idiots who instead of pulling will run right into a mob of elites. I hate getting stuck with a group that can't stick together in an instance. Or with a group who loots before killing the entire mob. I've only had a handful of really good groups that knew how to handle a dungeon.

I had an honorable battle yesterday. Lvl 33 Taruen Hunter with Lvl 32 pet is in Ashenvale. I taunt him, bully him and follow him. He stops every so often and eventually I flag myself. Than a dozen others decide to do the same, even though I had called him out. Smartly, he moved on. I kept following and the others didn't. Just before the Zoram Strand, he finally launches the attack. Nobody was around. Just him and I. I had to heal once, but won the battle. Nobody else there to kill him on rez.

It's taken me since Jan/Feb just to get my warrior to Lvl 35. I play in spurts and bounce occasionally to my alt. It will be awhile before I even get to 60 and at that point I want to do the "end-game" quests. By that time, we'll either have had several content patches, the introduction of the hero classes, an expansion, or some or all of the above.

It's the only MMORPG I don't mind paying $14.95/month for.

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 12:38 PM

The Legend of Pain Cry Issue #3

Pain Cry finds himself fighting the nefarious Tsoo with the firey Tauntological. Picking a secure location Tauntological goes to draw some Tsoo into the waiting fists of Pain Cry. We join our heros in mid action ...

Tauntological : hmmm 4 inc
Pain Cry : Now when you say 4 .... RUN!

Join us in Issue #4 when Tauntological fails the math section of his G.E.D. ... again. And Pain Cry has his major medical deductible raised!Hehe. Nice. Took me a minute to catch my error from your post. I won't correct the original for posterior's sake.

Yes, let us read from Holy Book of Archetypes...

Then, shalt the number of Archetypes be five, no more, no less.Five shalt be the number of Archetypes, and the number of the Archetypes shalt be five. Three is not the number, nor either four, excepting that thou then proceed to five. Six is right out. Once the number Five, being the fifth number, be reached, then createst thou a Fire Tanker and lobbest it towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.

Raiders Army

04-25-2005, 12:47 PM

Ok, it's looking more and more like CoH. Two questions:

1. What's a good solo class that's decent in groups? I don't want to be the most common class. In WoW, this would be a warrior, mage, paladin or shaman. Even though rogues and hunters are better solo, they're not that group-friendly.

2. What's the top group class that groups "can't live without"? In WoW, this would easily be the priest.
1. IMHO, I think that all classes are decent in groups. It's the solo part that you may struggle with, as defenders and controllers are very slow in the first levels in the game before they can solo effectively.

2. I think defenders are the ones groups can't live without. Empathy and Force Field being the "big two" that add the most to a group. On most Task Forces, the leader says, "We won't start without an empath."

I've played with a blaster, defender, tank, and peacebringer. The Fire/Fire tank has been the most fun, while my bubbler defender hasn't. Although I bring a lot of defense to the group, I have a lot of trouble staying awake during missions (rebubble every 4 minutes). Seriously.

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 01:13 PM

Dittos to what streak said.

One of the top current uber builds is the Fire Tanker. Once they get burn at Level 18, it is off to the races. It is a massive DoT (damage over time) power that quickly kills.

Another great build is the spines/invuln scrapper. Spines is the AoE (area of effect) damage scrapper. I've watched ageofquarrel's spine/invuln scrapper do things I could only wish for my claws/regen scrapper.

If you don't want to EVER die then you'll want to be an Invuln Tanker. Ask hoopsguy as he has the highest level invuln tanker among us. When Don the Baptist dies, you can bet the apololypse is right behind.

All controllers but Mind get Pets at level 32. Pets are basically summoned beings that fight for the Controller. I think Gail Force (gravity controller) solo'd an Archvillian in her late 30s early 40s with her pets. Soloing an AV is supposed to be impossible.

If you like martial arts or Wolverine claws or fighting like a maniac until everyone is dead: choose a scrapper. Also good for soloing.

If you like mixing it up in melee and being more of a crowd controller: choose tanker. Fire tanker is most offensive of tanks and is only good tank soloer.

Pumping out tons of damage at range is the blaster. Many changes have caused them to be a bit out of whack in the survivability area, but Raider's has a 50 blaster and can tell you more about them. Blasters are the kings of damage but have been best described as the glass cannon. They can/do die easily.

Healing, force fields, buffs, debuffs, are the defender. You can kick ass without them but they make life in battle run like a well oiled machine with less downtime.

Controllers are an odd lot. Fragile as hell but they can do what others cannot. Holds. Group mezzing, sleeps, and they can even double as a healer as their secondaries are the defenders primaries. At 32 they (excpept Mind) become Machines with their pets.

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 01:39 PM

Thanks for the info Bone.

Oh yea, one other MAJOR complaint about the PvP system. The stupid points/rewards system. You have to work your butt off to get the better rewards by doing nothing but PvP. And once you do, you have to maintain that level so you can continue to use those rewards. So you spend 3 hours a night on the battlefield doing nothing but PvP for the week to get your status up to get your rewards. Then if you don't do that again next week, your status drops and you lose the ability to use your rewards.

What the hell is that all about? If that's not geared to the die-hard, hardcore, "leet" player, nothing in any MMORPG is. To me, that's the anthesis of a casual-player friendly system.

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 01:41 PM

Thomkal is right about the grind.

I've never played another MMO this long so I cannot really compare but if the fit is right for you the grind will become a journey, the end of which you will feel you've accomplished something. You will also know your character pretty damn well.

I had many times of pain and doubt but somehow pulled through and now am looking forward to grinding other characters to 50.

Also, it doesn't hurt that we have a great cast of misfits playing from here.

Bonegavel

04-25-2005, 02:12 PM

As for hunting, there are a plethora of areas to hunt (known as street sweeping) in the main parts of town and also areas known as Hazard Zones where the duke boys hang out. They are basically chocked full o' villain goodness.

It is nice to switch back and forth between doing missions and street sweeping. I spent the first 20 levels mainly in missions. 20 - 30 sweeping it up in Independence Port, 30 - 38 sweeping in Brickstown and then the last 10 almost all missions. The mission xp reward got much better by issue 3 and was incentive to do them beyond the bit of story you received.

I think what makes CoH most fun for me is the actual combat itself. IOW, it isn't like i remember EverBore where you just clicked an attack and the animation swiped at polar bear. You are moving around in combat. Seeking out the greatest threats. A lot of times it is edge of your seat action where you kill the last villain and your health bar is just a smidgen above death.

Each combat sortie can be like a chess match of sorts:

E.g.,
You come upon a group Malta and the first thing you locate is the Sapper. You spy 2 of them. After you shudder and mutter a few curses you begin to plan your attack. The rest of the group consists of 2 Operational Techs that plant machine gun turrets (can be nasty if you aren't careful) and the Tactical ops boys use tazers on you (i think the tazers slow your power replenish times) and lastly you spot a giant 'Mech. Ugh, is the first thing most people say when they come upon the Malta.

First things first, take down the Sappers. Their job is to sap you of your endurance. Once this happens it is a short trip to a dirt nap. If you are solo, you better pop a few inspiriations to help you dispatch them as quick as possible. If on a team, everyone with an attack is on them first.

I also like to try and stop the Operational Techs from setting up their MG turrets, but they are secondary to the Sappers.

Hopefully the team scrapper will be all over the 'Mech trying to keep him off of the blasters/controllers/defenders while the tanker is busy gathering up the aggro (attention) of the as many targets as possible.

Don't want to bore you too much, but each encounter *can* be orchestrated as a work of art or you can just fling yourself at the enemy and think on the fly.

If the combat was just point, click, shoot I would have gone insane.

Whar

04-25-2005, 03:58 PM

This post got me thinking of all the online games I have played. I took a moment and realized I have 8 active accounts right now.

3 EQ accounts. 2 just passing their 6th birth day.
1 EQ MAC Account still open till june
1 Anarchy Online account
1 AC account
2 City of Hero accounts

I need professional help.

From the past

2 Ultima Online accounts
2 DAoC accounts
1 Horizons Account
1 Earth and Beyond
1 Eve online
2 AC2 accounts
2 EQ2 accounts
1 WoW account
1 FFXI account
1 Shadowbane account

Much of that for 6 months or more. These games will be the death of me.

Critch

04-25-2005, 04:42 PM

Anybody know if Anarchy is worth the download? I'm fairly sure the basic pack is free with no monthly fee at the moment.

And how come nobody has mentioned Sims Online yet? :)

TargetPractice6

04-25-2005, 04:53 PM

Shaq, I appreciate your passion for WoW.

But most of the people who I know quit have done so over content, not technical issues. Perhaps that's because I've had the game since November and know a lot more level 60s characters than someone who is only level 35. At level 35, I am sure WoW is the greatest MMORPG out there. Enjoy it while it lasts. But level 60 is a whole other story...and it's not a happy ending.

Again, I've had the game since release. That's 6 months...I don't feel like paying for another 6 before Blizz implements Hero Classes, an expansion, new lands, etc. Hell, some of that shit was promised on release (like the Battlegrounds). To ask someone to wait until Christmas for these things....doesn't seem right - it really seems pretentious. I've given them 6 months of chances and I really see the game heading totally in the opposite direction of what I want out of a MMORPG. Most of the released level 60 content focuses on large raid-type content, which is not what I want to do.

BTW, I don't consider 1.4 to be a content patch. The only "content" released was the honor system, which I think to be totally flawed. The servers have been an absolute mess since then.

I'll give you an example. I'm running in Southshore with my level 34 warrior. I come across a level 36 Tauren warrior. Normally, we'd stop, flag, fight. So we do. He flags. I flag. We fight. He wins a close, well-played battle. So I res close to him and bow. He bows back. I heal and we start to square off again.

This is an honorable battle. But wait, stop the presses!!! There's 4 other Alliance characters who think they instantly have to jump into the fight. I'm typing in "back off" and "don't fight him" and "STOP!!!" and I'm being totally ignored by a level 45-60 gank patrol. All they wanted was more "honor". I felt so bad for the Tauren. I literally stopped fighting him when they jumped in. When they killed him I /mourned my opponent. If I could have helped him kill the Alliance players I would have.

There's no honor there. It's a horrible system.

I've done a lot of endgame content. Have I done every quest? No. So what? I haven't killed Onyxia, Kazzak, etc. But it's all the same - large groups that take hours to form and get ready. It's not for me. There's so many level 60 characters now and many of those don't even really know how to play. I look at WoW and see a level 60 noob farm. And most are cookie-cutters of each other.

Does that mean WoW is a bad game? No. It's just not for me.

As for UO, I played it quite a bit back in its heyday. I'm not going back to it.Ah, I was wondering what you meant earlier when yous aid the servers were messes. I forgot you were on a PvE server. PvP servers haven't really changed much at all with the honor system...

In fact I would say I like it. In PvP you pretty much have to fight anyway so some rewards are nice even if they might be miniscule for the fighting I do.

lytic

04-25-2005, 05:01 PM

TP get xfire!

TargetPractice6

04-25-2005, 05:05 PM

Why? All it is ever going to say is "World of Warcraft Nathrezim Realm."

Whar

04-25-2005, 05:28 PM

If the thought of standing toe to toe with a MOB shooting shotguns at each other does not turn you off then Anarchy Online is a fun game. It has a long leveling process with 200 levels, recently expanded to 220 I think. The most group friendly dynamic on the market, a full group gets a 625% EXP bonus per MOB. A robust, but ultimatly repetitive, mission system.

By far AO has the most do-dads to upgrade. First you have Armor slots to upgrade about a dozen slots. Then you your cybernetic implants also about a dozen slots or so with each implant having 2 or 3 different positions for bonuses if memory serves. I think each implant could have a bright nano and a faded nano, and possibly a middle type implant.

*EDIT* Forgot the third teir. You have 2 HUDs for vehicles or targeting stuff. A nano belt for expanding your buff pool and a few other special inventory slots. Just a tons of slots that you can upgrade. In fact the amount of upgrading and the speed of leveling can produce a bit of frustration.

All classes are 'casters'. Each has a set of nano-programs that they can run. All classes can develop any skill they wish via a point system. The control is through costs associated with a class. For instance the Soldier class can buy weapon skills very cheaply and buy more skill ups per level than a Medic can. The Medic in turn can upgrade First Aid and other medical skills much more rapidly and cheaply than the Soldier can.

All in all AO is a solid game but lacks high end content and suffers from a small player population. It relies on PvP action to entertain the higher ups. The PvP is controled via special zones. Some allow for no PvP, the vast majority of the early zones, a limited PvP level and a free for all level. As you level your mission and hunting areas are more and more in the PvP section.

Peregrine

04-25-2005, 07:28 PM

I've played some AO in the past and found it very innovative at the time. It had several nice features that it took other games literally years to implement. The classes were neat as everyone had spells and you really had to focus on what you wanted to be good at, but some of the stuff really bugged me, like the extensive min/maxing required to equip weapons and items, and a bad communication interface, I felt it was very hard for me to talk to people and find a group as someone who didn't know anyone else in the game.

All in all not bad though, but of course I haven't tried it in some years.

Blackadar

04-25-2005, 07:40 PM

Well, I got a deal tonight I couldn't pass up. CoH for $19.99 - and a FREE copy of Lineage 2.

Ragone

04-26-2005, 04:21 AM

oh dear lord.. play coh if you must but please take my advice on lineage 2

use it as a coaster

Mota

04-26-2005, 05:12 AM

There are only 4 options that I'm really considering:

CoH - looks fun, but I worry about how deep it is.
EQ2 - it looks deep, but I worry about how fun it is.
Matrix Online (unlikely) - it looks...unfinished
None of the above

CoH - I love comic books and I love MMORPG's, but there just wasn't enough variety in teh gameplay for me. After a month I was bored to death.

EQ2 - Really enjoyed this one, much more than WoW. It is tougher. And you are less spoonfed. But that's not such a bad thing. You can solo in this game but it is designed to be played in groups. But with that in mind, it is much easier to find pickup groups than in WoW since people are looking for groups. In WoW I found that everybody was in their own little soloing world 90% of the time.

Bonegavel

04-26-2005, 08:03 AM

And how come nobody has mentioned Sims Online yet? :)
Because that sucked rancid donkey scrotum.

Bonegavel

04-26-2005, 08:19 AM

CoH - I love comic books and I love MMORPG's, but there just wasn't enough variety in teh gameplay for me. After a month I was bored to death.
And I think this is where the game weeds out the players. Once you get into the mid to late 20's the game starts developing into a fast paced slug fest. Each issue adds a little more "to do" and, IMHO, you need to find good people to play with or it gets boring (luckily we have the latter in spades).

I doubt you got beyond Level 20 in that month.

Again, what has hooked me is the fast paced combat. I have yet to see another MMO that has combat as fun as CoH.

Also, I love that there is no loot in the game (well, enhancements kind of are) and there is only 1 "camp" spot (Hammidon) in the whole game but I'm sure that will change and the camping will cease. I play this game to have fun not make sure I can find the Bracers of Haberdashery +5 so that I can remain competitive with the 15 year olds that spend 20 hours a day playing.

Everyone has access to the same content. It is up to you how to put your character together to best fight crime.

Don't get me wrong, this game has frustrated me beyond belief at times. However, the fact that i still log in at least 4-5 days a week says something.

I also suggest that if you get bored or frustrated just make a new character. Try out new powers. Spend an hour hunting for badges. Help out a group of lowbies. Try different enhancement combos. Create a new costume. Role-play. Start your Super Group, recruit others, and create a dynasty for it. Spend some time creating a backstory for your hero.

Blackadar

04-26-2005, 08:24 AM

Brillig

04-26-2005, 08:27 AM

1. IMHO, I think that all classes are decent in groups. It's the solo part that you may struggle with, as defenders and controllers are very slow in the first levels in the game before they can solo effectively.

Defenders can solo effectively now? All of them? I'd be interested to know if that's changed, as I quit a few months after release due to the incredible class imbalances...

Anthony

04-26-2005, 08:48 AM

CoH - I love comic books and I love MMORPG's, but there just wasn't enough variety in teh gameplay for me. After a month I was bored to death.

EQ2 - Really enjoyed this one, much more than WoW. It is tougher. And you are less spoonfed. But that's not such a bad thing. You can solo in this game but it is designed to be played in groups. But with that in mind, it is much easier to find pickup groups than in WoW since people are looking for groups. In WoW I found that everybody was in their own little soloing world 90% of the time.

that was a big prob i had with WoW. too many people like Blackadar who wanted to solo and make lvl 60. i don't get it - if soloing is that important to some people why don't they play games like Half Life or something? the whole point of MMORPG's is to interact and be in groups.

for me i only want the ability to solo in these kinds of games so that i can explore on my own, and when i just want an hour to play i don't want to waste time looking for groups of characters who are of a similar level, when time is limited i jsut want to be able to accomplish some things on my own and log off.

i think at this point i won't join another another MMORPG unless it has a dedicated RPG server with people who aren't looking to get to the highest level in 2 months time.

Bad-example

04-26-2005, 12:19 PM

I started playing last night and have gotten to level 3. I don't understand a damned thing.

I've gone with the Defender Empathy character. My secondary skill is some sort of dark magic. I'm very weak and it takes me forever to kill a mob. Also, I just tend to stand in one place and cast the one dark magic spell I have. But there's a lot to do and for some reason, I just can't resist attacking mobs who are mugging the citizens of the city. Must be the good guy in me.

I've figured out those...enhancements - whatever they're called - that can boost powers. I've collected a couple of badges but have NO idea what they're for. I met only one player and they gave me 90k in currency (reputation?) which I have no idea how to spend. I have found the vendor to sell those enhancements and a couple of folks to run missions. It seems like you get one mission at a time.

First off, I would recommend going to the official message boards and check out some of the guides for planning out your hero. They can tell you which powers to skip, which to take and which ones to add slots to when you level.
As an example, this thread has been a huge help for me: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2123828&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=&vc=1

Second, I suggest you try out a scrapper. I play a Dark Melee/Invul scrapper which I believe is a great balance between offense and defense. Hey, whatever floats your boat, but a scrapper is a pretty good choice to learn with.

Regarding missions, you will find that each contact will only give you one mission at a time, but you can have 3 different missions at a time from 3 different contacts.

And lastly, you can buy enhancements from the Super Powered Trainers near Ms Liberty and the Backalley Brawler. However, there is little need to worry about that until you get level 10+.

Blackadar

04-26-2005, 12:26 PM

that was a big prob i had with WoW. too many people like Blackadar who wanted to solo and make lvl 60. i don't get it - if soloing is that important to some people why don't they play games like Half Life or something? the whole point of MMORPG's is to interact and be in groups.

for me i only want the ability to solo in these kinds of games so that i can explore on my own, and when i just want an hour to play i don't want to waste time looking for groups of characters who are of a similar level, when time is limited i jsut want to be able to accomplish some things on my own and log off.

i think at this point i won't join another another MMORPG unless it has a dedicated RPG server with people who aren't looking to get to the highest level in 2 months time.

HA, I never wanted to solo to 60 in WoW and I didn't. I did a lot of missions solo, but I also did a lot in very small 2-3 man groups for 20 mins -1 hour. It's amazing what you can get done with a little teamwork.

In fact, on my first character, I bet I teamed with another rogue for almost 35 levels (from 10-45).

Anthony

04-26-2005, 12:38 PM

Bad-example mentioned knowing which powers to skip...one thing i don't get is this:

why make powers/skills/abilities in (any) game that aren't usefull? i noticed this on my own when i was playing WoW, that there'd be some spells or somesuch that i had no interest in whatsoever. why make useless powers?

Anthony

04-26-2005, 12:45 PM

HA, I never wanted to solo to 60 in WoW and I didn't. I did a lot of missions solo, but I also did a lot in very small 2-3 man groups for 20 mins -1 hour. It's amazing what you can get done with a little teamwork.

In fact, on my first character, I bet I teamed with another rogue for almost 35 levels (from 10-45).

oh, that's cool. my bad, i thought you played a different way.

i always had my most fun in those little 2-3 man groups, for some reason they seemed more willing to talk and such. i couldn't stand being in a group where everyone was using each other to complete their own thing and no one would talk. i had fun in this uber guild i joined where the people were a tad more chatty.

Bad-example

04-26-2005, 12:48 PM

There are way more powers available than you can select, so you can really customize your hero. The downside is that you really need to plan out your powers so they compliment each other. It is not so much avoiding the "dud" powers as it is choosing the abilities that help you realize your vision and match your play style.

Schmidty

04-26-2005, 12:51 PM

I bought this game last night for the hell of it, and like BA, I got to level three. I have a Energy/Energy Blaster named The Eternal One. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Two questions:

1. There are two grayed out "classes" when I try to make a character - Warshade and Peacebringer. Why can't I use them?

2. What server are most of you guys on?

Anthony

04-26-2005, 12:53 PM

hey - if people are gonna be jumping in this game now and it doesn't cost much money i might be getting in on it.

Bad-example

04-26-2005, 12:55 PM

There are 2 classes that you can only play after you have levelled a character to 50.

A lot of us play on the Victory server.

Schmidty

04-26-2005, 01:58 PM

hey - if people are gonna be jumping in this game now and it doesn't cost much money i might be getting in on it.

I'm still playing WOW a lot with my wife (who is at level 54 now), but I plan on playing CoH a fair bit as well.

hoopsguy

05-07-2005, 09:04 AM

Schmidty, Blackadar, Hell Atlantic, and any others - are you guys playing COH? If so, would you be interested in playing with our group at some point? A few of us are starting off new characters post-Update 4. We probably have alts that can accomodate any level you guys are at, plus we can use sidekick or exemplar if we want to work on heroes that have too big a level difference.

Raiders Army

05-07-2005, 11:44 AM

Hell Atlantic is Dean Houston on CoH.

SunDevil

05-07-2005, 12:49 PM

I have been playing this game for the last couple of months. It has a pretty steep learning curve, nothing too complicated, but there is a lot to learn. This game is awesome, and there is a free 14 day free trials for it. I would highly recommend this game.

http://www.eve-online.com/

Danny

05-07-2005, 01:28 PM

I have heard some good things about Eve, but someone menitoned the company is in some trouble or something.

SunDevil

05-07-2005, 01:59 PM

Nope

Blackadar

05-08-2005, 06:51 AM

I'm on COH Virtue - StarScarlet, level 11 Empath Defender.

Anthony

05-11-2005, 09:42 PM

Dean Houston, lvl 10 energy/energy blaster on Victory server. word to your mothers.

RPI-Fan

05-15-2005, 10:24 PM

I've never played any kind of "MMORPG" game before aside from a text MUD-- for CoH, how hard would it be for me to get into this game as a newbie, and how easy is it it to find groups to operate in?

Thanks!
~rpi-fan

Blackadar

05-16-2005, 01:48 PM

CoH is pretty easy to get into as a newbie, RPI.

However, I'm not going to renew. I really got bored fast with it. All the zones I've visited look the exact same as do the mobs I kill. I've been adventuring in the same 3 office buildings. Whoopie. I'm sure there's a great game somewhere here, but I haven't found it yet.

mrsimperless

05-16-2005, 02:18 PM

Have you tried a MUD? The kiddies don't have the patience for them, so if that's your major problem then you are set. If, of course, the big draw for you isn't graphics...

Blackadar

05-16-2005, 02:21 PM

Have you tried a MUD? The kiddies don't have the patience for them, so if that's your major problem then you are set. If, of course, the big draw for you isn't graphics...

Nah, it's not the kiddies - at least not entirely. There are very few of those on CoH. The player base on CoH is very mature. I'm just not excited about the gameplay and zones, both of which seem extremely repetitive.

Blackadar

05-19-2005, 09:30 AM

Surprise...

Believe it or not, I've gone back to WoW. Since I sold my account (something I do NOT regret), I'm starting over. And my hiatus from WoW and my experience with CoH were just the trick. I've also devoted myself to RPing more and leveling less. We will see if that holds.

What I liked most about WoW - and missed in CoH - was the story and feeling of "culture". For example, I started off with a troll priest. Within my first few levels, I know that my tribe was overrun by murlocs and there are few survivors. That we are indebted to the orcs for taking us in. That we're an aggressive but honorable race but that we've been exiled and hated by other trolls because we struck an alliance with the orcs. As a priest, I don't quite fit in with my other trolls, so I'm a bit unusual. This character is on a medium-pop server.

So I started another character - a tauren druid. The backstory is even better. That we're a peaceful and proud race, a plains people who are mystic by nature and love the land. That we're not much different from the Night Elves, but not as haughty. That the orcs helped us to drive off the centaurs and that's why we're allied with them. And as a druid, I'm very much in character with my noble race. This character is on a low-pop RP server.

Both starting areas are visually very striking. I really love the Tauren plains. Since I got my new monitor, the colors of the game stand out even more. It's quite beautiful.

I'm sure I'll run into some of the same problems that I encountered before towards the endgame. Hopefully, many of them will be resolved before I get to level 60. The Battlegrounds seem very interesting - PvP with a purpose, many of the 12 year olds have moved off to Guild Wars and I've selected character types (priest, druid) that are always in demand in groups.