Is Vanguard the right MMO for me?

[netcraazzy]

So my girlfriend and I are considering picking up Vanguard but I'm still not 100% sold on the game. We are both ex-wow players but had slightly different reasons for playing. I'm personally into crafting and enjoy long quest lines with good back stories. I do not care for PVP or dungeons that require large raid parties. My GF on the other hand really likes being part of a close-knit guild and doing lots of group oriented quests. So, does Vanguard have the crafting and detailed storyline that I crave while still harboring a good social environment that will keep her interested?

[iHap]

Vanguard is for the hardcore player. if you want to have a fun experience honestly try WoW. I can mail you 14 day trials if you like.

WoW is very raid/instance(dungeon) friendly.

[netcraazzy]

Vanguard is for the hardcore player. if you want to have a fun experience honestly try WoW. I can mail you 14 day trials if you like.

WoW is very raid/instance(dungeon) friendly.

I've played more Wow than I care to mention. We are both looking for something new.

[Telefrog]

I've played more Wow than I care to mention. We are both looking for something new.

Well, going by your description of what you're looking for, Vanguard would be the complete opposite. It's very hardcore, old-school.

[iHap]

There's always Lord of the Rings Online.

[Bone]

Vanguard was very fun for me and my wife. We were both MMO newbies and didn't bring a lot of MMO baggage to the experience (how everyone was bashing Vanguard based on this or that MMO, etc). That said, there were major problems with the game for awhile, but from what I hear it's a lot nicer now. It was already more stable and fun when I quit a few months ago (just couldn't justify the monthly payment and the time sink).

Crafting is pretty deep, the storyline lets you follow the path you choose, there is still a strong social/guild aspect if you want it, and the world and quests are pretty immense. Last time I was in there, raid functionality was still broken (so we cheated it by just having groups play together without any official raid interface- used the honor system for divvying up loot between groups) but I hear it's coming soon if it's not already in place.

You can solo for awhile but after level 20 it's best to group- the quests become very difficult to solo.

Not sure if other MMOs do this, but there were interesting special attacks that played off of your teammates, like where you were standing in battle could allow you to defend or assist another teammate. Pretty interesting cooperative play if you delved into it.

As others have said, it is a hardcore MMO... you do get punished in XP for dying. I personally like this mechanic, it really made our party afraid of dying, and our fights were more carefully planned out. It required a lot of teamwork.

[NeoSuplex]

You might wanna try FFXI. It's strictly BYOFun, but going in together and hooking up with some EvAvers you might like it. Also, City of Heroes is a blast if you're not the parsing, min-maxing, 5-6 hours a day hardcore type. You'd have to be very liberal on your definition of crafting, though.

[nixpayn]

FFXI had a really fun crafting system. Other than WoW it was the only game i ever bothered to craft stuff in - and it was cool cuz of the range of things you could make.

I was a carpenter, i made like.. book cases and desks and shit and sold em at the market. it was pretty cool, cept running around having to compete or trees kinda sucked.. but that was ages ago.

[Telefrog]

Vanguard was very fun for me and my wife. We were both MMO newbies and didn't bring a lot of MMO baggage to the experience (how everyone was bashing Vanguard based on this or that MMO, etc). That said, there were major problems with the game for awhile, but from what I hear it's a lot nicer now. It was already more stable and fun when I quit a few months ago (just couldn't justify the monthly payment and the time sink).

I had imagined that going into Vanguard sans any MMO exprience would be a lot easier than going into it post-WoW.

[GrinR]

Um, I guarantee you Everquest 2 is the game for you. Close to WoW, but much more rich storylines, insane number of quests, a huuuge world, and deep crafting.

[Deadend]

I am thinking either LoTRO or EQ2. EQ2 has got som great crafting, lots of quests that tie together, the housing system was neat where you could get trophies of your conquests and had plenty of roleplay. soloing IS possible for every class (but can be a bitch for some) but is more fun in a group.

LotRO has got the best party sized quests in any MMO and breathes LORE. The crafting is a bit better than WoW and the community is fairly good. PVP is nonexistant except in the few PVP zones where it lets players make a monster thats lv 50 vs lv 50 players. But, LoTRO plays and looks extremely like WoW with a different art style and less flash, as no one goes around shooting magic bolts and summoning demons.

Both are really good MMOs and deserve a chance at being played. But, I quit both of them, since WoW is more my style (casual, quick quests during the week, and a multihour dungeon on the weekends.)

[netcraazzy]

Um, I guarantee you Everquest 2 is the game for you. Close to WoW, but much more rich storylines, insane number of quests, a huuuge world, and deep crafting.

Its actually kind of funny that you suggest EQ2. My girlfriend was really big into EQ1 before WoW came out but says that she didn't like EQ2. Personally WoW is the only MMO I've played besides a little bit of UO back in the day.

[netcraazzy]

As others have said, it is a hardcore MMO... you do get punished in XP for dying.

Ouch, that alone almost makes it a deal breaker for me. This is one reason I never tried FFXI.

[Deadend]

Its actually kind of funny that you suggest EQ2. My girlfriend was really big into EQ1 before WoW came out but says that she didn't like EQ2. Personally WoW is the only MMO I've played besides a little bit of UO back in the day.

EQ2 has apprently improved from the way it used to be. I only played it starting in late 2007. But it has so much content. She probably hated it because it IS DIFFERENT from EQ1, and the default UI is crap and reminds me a bit of windows. It has a stat menu and a webbrowser, a massive help section, and basically felt like using a desktop with a game in the background. It has a 14 day trial that limits you to 4 of the starter zones(well, you may be able to roam further in Neiak and Feydak) the big difference between EQ2 and WoW mechancially is that you can que up attacks in EQ2 (well, your next move) which means it's less about timing for MAX DPS than WoW is.

[Lima Beans]

OP: Honestly, it sounds like you are looking for the opposite of Vanguard.

edit: heh looks like others said almost exactly the same thing

[J Arcane]

So my girlfriend and I are considering picking up Vanguard but I'm still not 100% sold on the game. We are both ex-wow players but had slightly different reasons for playing. I'm personally into crafting and enjoy long quest lines with good back stories. I do not care for PVP or dungeons that require large raid parties. My GF on the other hand really likes being part of a close-knit guild and doing lots of group oriented quests. So, does Vanguard have the crafting and detailed storyline that I crave while still harboring a good social environment that will keep her interested?
You want LOTRO.

It's fucking tailormade for the both of you. The crafting is great, and actualyl useful for once, in fact, most of the best stuff in the game is crafted. The storyline quests are awesome, and kicks WoW in the pants. It's like playing a real singleplayer RPG. And it's fun as hell to group in too, the way they mixed up the class roles makes it feel a lot less like getting ramrodded into doing one thing and one thing only over and over again at the command of some control freak douchebag.

Mind, I'm sure there's still plently of douchebag raid leader types regardless, but the way they did the classes and the game mechanics, it's not really necessary.

[KingGorilla]

So my girlfriend and I are considering picking up Vanguard but I'm still not 100% sold on the game. We are both ex-wow players but had slightly different reasons for playing. I'm personally into crafting and enjoy long quest lines with good back stories. I do not care for PVP or dungeons that require large raid parties. My GF on the other hand really likes being part of a close-knit guild and doing lots of group oriented quests. So, does Vanguard have the crafting and detailed storyline that I crave while still harboring a good social environment that will keep her interested?

From what I have heard, LOTRO really caters to the quest fans, and they have an excellent crafting mechanic. The game really encourages grouping and co-op play. I warn you, I hear that the game is very RP intensive, so you may see a lot of players "in character."

There is also Guild Wars, which is much more small group friendly as you can recruit NPCs to fight with you to fill a role(healer, DPS, etc.) that your group may lack. The main benefit being that there are 3 expansions, as well as no monthly fee.

[Deadend]

the best part of LoTROs crafting is that you can make good gear for your level. sure you may be able to get the best gear for most of the game via quests, but it's not like WoW where 85% of the time the gear you make is crap for your level.

[KingGorilla]

I do hear that it is harder, though. So maybe you get what you pay for. But hear this, my motherfuckin rocket is great.

[J Arcane]

I do hear that it is harder, though. So maybe you get what you pay for. But hear this, my motherfuckin rocket is great.
It depends on what class you play. My Champion can solo like a champ, and so can my buddy's hunter, but the other classes tend to need at least one other party member to really get anywhere past the initial nooblevel stages.

So my recommendation to netcraazy is just to have him and his girlfriend both create characters at the same time, and just run together whenever you play.

[netcraazzy]

Wow, I'm seeing a lot of suggestions for LOTRO. I honestly never considered that game but now I'll have to look into it.

[Atorak]

I played LOTRO for about 6 months, and it's an enjoyable experience. The people in the game seem a lot more mature than the WoW crowd (played that for a year), and it does many things better than WoW. They have changed some of the quests with recent patches to make almost all quests outside of the "Book" quests (main storyline) soloable. Very much a positive, because without a guild, sometimes group quests take a long time to get people together.

It is light years ahead of WoW in terms of graphics though. If you've got a nice machine, riding into Rivendell for the first time will make your jaw drop.

The only thing LOTRO doesn't have is the insane amount of end-game raiding that WoW has, or arenas.

[Bone]

netcraazzy- if you liked EQ2, a lot of Vanguard players said it had very similar mechanics to EQ2.

Also, the XP punishment was not that big a deal. If you really blew it, the most you would lose is maybe 1 or 2 hours worth of XP.

[Andruil]

You could loose an hour or two worth of xp?!? ouch...

To comment on EQ2 I played it when it first came out for about 3 months and ended up quitting in order to actually pass my college classes. I recently came back and have found the game vastly superior to when it was released. They just recently added a new newbie starting zone and did an excellent job with it. I would recommend finding a free trial for it and giving it a shot. Its also very solo friendly now.

I'm an ex-wower as well and at this point I'm stuck with tabula rasa. It has a more fps feel to it and is pretty enjoyable. At this point I'm waiting for something new like age of conan or warhammer online to come out. That or a beta... I'd settle for being in a beta at this point :p.

[Bone]

You could loose an hour or two worth of xp?!? ouch...
Yep, not too much time lost, but enough that you didn't do stupid shit in combat. Finishing hard quests meant really thinking out the strategy.

[zrikz]

I play Vanguard right now, if your up for crafting, I highly recommend it. Out of EQ/EQ2 / WoW its by far the best. Some of the crafting gear in VG is better than the highest quest / dropped loot. I cant comment on LotR as I've never played.

Its not really that hardcore of a game. At level 50 you loose 5% of your exp from a death. If you go back and get your tombstone or get rezed, you get 4% of it back making a omg.. 1% lost.

If you happen to not be able to get your tombstone back then you take a 5% exp hit and you summon your tombstone to you anywhere in the world for free. At lvl 50.. one of the slowest levels to gain EXP, I can get 5% back within an hour. And you cant loose a level from death either.

Just to give you another comparison.. Levels 1-15 you pretty much get 1-5% exp per kill anyways and probably 5-25% exp per quest.

There is only 1 dungeon that requires multiple groups / raid. There are a ton of quests that are pretty interesting.

/edit for more info. You can duo up to lvl 50 no problem if one of you is a healer class. Quite a few people in my guild two box and have a healer / dps class of some sort and they have hit 50 in no time. You wont be able to do all of the big reward quests, which is where a group comes in, but you can get along fine. If you add in crafting to that, then you dont need those quests anyways.

You can probably solo up to 20, but it gets pretty slow / boring unless your a Necro or a Ranger.

From your listings and others I recommend Vanguard or LotR.

[Andruil]

Yep, not too much time lost, but enough that you didn't do stupid shit in combat. Finishing hard quests meant really thinking out the strategy.

Yeah but... I rather like trying to be suicidal :p. I generally try to kill things that I shouldn't be attempting or go around trying to kill group bosses by myself. I'd find it annoying to have to be extra careful about agro and adds and living in general.

[Bone]

Yeah but... I rather like trying to be suicidal :p. I generally try to kill things that I shouldn't be attempting or go around trying to kill group bosses by myself. I'd find it annoying to have to be extra careful about agro and adds and living in general.It's all those things you don't want to do, that actually taught me how to play a Warrior class the right way. Managing aggro and adds, etc.

[KingGorilla]

I do not want to champion LOTRO any more than necessary. But Guild Wars and LOTRO also have huge install bases. Guild Wars has sold millions and LOTRO was one of the top selling PC games of last year, even getting a sequel 6 months after release. Something I forgot in my initial post, the more people means that it is easier to group up.

[netcraazzy]

Well, it looks like we will not be playing Vanguard afterall. I went home last night and checked her PC and it does not meet the minimum video card requirements. :( We downloaded the EQ2 trial instead but have not had a chance to get past the initial character creation.

[Deadend]

For EQ2 make sure you get EQ2map and a UImod. check out eq2-interface for ways to make it look unlike crap.

[Inspector Fowler]

As a recent convert from WoW I will support a lot of the comments here for LotRO. It has a similar quest structure to WoW but there are some big differences that I appreciate like:

When you complete a major story chapter, it stays finished- each area is instanced. As a beginning human, for example, you start out in a village and through a series of missions, it gets invaded and burned down.

Every time I re-visit there (for now, it may change later), they are re-building the village. It is still burned down. Not like in WoW, where I always felt like it doesn't matter what I do.

The crafting is more complicated but more fun (to me, at least). As some have mentioned, you actually can make decent gear for your level, instead of only getting it through quests.

Respawns for both material nodes and creatures are actually decent in low-level zones. In WoW nothing pissed me off more then some asshole who was juuuust ahead of me stealing the ore while I actually fought the creatures. In LotRO I've noticed that stuff re-spawns so fast I can still make a decent living mining even with the competition. Again, it may change in higher-level zones. I also notice that even a quest creature respawns more frequently then in WoW, which means I waste a lot less time looking for "just one more" monster.

You can dye your clothes. Imagine that, not looking like every other asshole your level! The items retain their normal properties but you can make them look different. Not only that, but as long as you're outside the PvP areas, after level 20 you can wear separate outfits just for looks- as in, you can eqip certain armour for it's properties, but retain a distinct look for your character. I HATED having to wear "whatever worked" in WoW no matter how stupid it looked.

There are some other notable elements- the music system is fantastic. You can "freeplay" an instrument or import specially notated music and play for tips or just for fun. It's pretty badass, and you don't have to be a minstrel (although they have access to more instruments, I believe- but they can also teach you to play them if they've read the correct scroll).

One last thing, in an effort not to punish players for using the auction house, there are actually mailboxes in the auction house. In an effort to punish forgetful players (at least those in Bree), the bank is a 3 minute walk. Son of a bitch.

Wow, that was a really long post. But I enjoy LotRO and I encourage people who like WoW but are getting a little tired of it to check it out.

[netcraazzy]

As a recent convert from WoW I will support a lot of the comments here for LotRO. It has a similar quest structure to WoW but there are some big differences that I appreciate like:

When you complete a major story chapter, it stays finished- each area is instanced. As a beginning human, for example, you start out in a village and through a series of missions, it gets invaded and burned down.

Every time I re-visit there (for now, it may change later), they are re-building the village. It is still burned down. Not like in WoW, where I always felt like it doesn't matter what I do.

The crafting is more complicated but more fun (to me, at least). As some have mentioned, you actually can make decent gear for your level, instead of only getting it through quests.

Respawns for both material nodes and creatures are actually decent in low-level zones. In WoW nothing pissed me off more then some asshole who was juuuust ahead of me stealing the ore while I actually fought the creatures. In LotRO I've noticed that stuff re-spawns so fast I can still make a decent living mining even with the competition. Again, it may change in higher-level zones. I also notice that even a quest creature respawns more frequently then in WoW, which means I waste a lot less time looking for "just one more" monster.

You can dye your clothes. Imagine that, not looking like every other asshole your level! The items retain their normal properties but you can make them look different. Not only that, but as long as you're outside the PvP areas, after level 20 you can wear separate outfits just for looks- as in, you can eqip certain armour for it's properties, but retain a distinct look for your character. I HATED having to wear "whatever worked" in WoW no matter how stupid it looked.

There are some other notable elements- the music system is fantastic. You can "freeplay" an instrument or import specially notated music and play for tips or just for fun. It's pretty badass, and you don't have to be a minstrel (although they have access to more instruments, I believe- but they can also teach you to play them if they've read the correct scroll).

One last thing, in an effort not to punish players for using the auction house, there are actually mailboxes in the auction house. In an effort to punish forgetful players (at least those in Bree), the bank is a 3 minute walk. Son of a bitch.

Wow, that was a really long post. But I enjoy LotRO and I encourage people who like WoW but are getting a little tired of it to check it out.

Thanks for all the info everybody. I actually tried to get her interested in LOTRO and she wouldn't bite. We tried the "Play the Fae" EQ2 trial and neither of us were very impressed with it. I've actually borrowed Mass Effect from a co-worker and have been getting my RPG fix from that for the last week.

[Knightsaber]

If you like crafting...well, I won't even mention it, but it's a game everyone thinks has failed, but can still be...nah I won't say it.