Guild Wars: Factions -- Not your daddy's Guild Wars
So, I've had about five days to play Guild Wars: Factions.
Due to shipping problems with the Collector's Edition, I can't play again for a while. I don't know exactly how long it will be. The Powers That Be (NCSoft and ArenaNet) took some small steps to ameliorate the problems caused by the shipping delays, though it's largely a token offering in my mind. I still will probably be without the game for at least a week and there's no assurance it won't be much longer than that.
The rest of this discussion is probably more interesting if you play Guild Wars, or at least some kind of RPGs. I'll try not to be too obscure, but hopefully you can infer the bits I've forgotten to detail. Wouldn't that be amazing?
I like the new classes, though in some ways I find playing a Ritualist a little frustrating. It's fairly indirect and inactive. However, the two classes I tend to like the most are the Elementalist (direct damage spells) and Monk (Healer), who tend to have very direct effects in the game.
Ritualists are mostly known for being able to summon spirits. These spirits cannot move, but generally have some kind of attack. There are basic attacking Spirits of Pain, while Bloodsong steals health for itself. More interesting spirits cause blinding to enemies, interrupt enemy actions, cast healing spells on allies, reduce damage allies take, etc. One of them knocks down enemies with its attack, unless the enemy was moving.
Ritualists can also buff allies and debuff enemies (using what are called "weapon" spells, but they are really just another kind of enchantment on enemies or allies). They also have a line of lightning damage spells, but they have largely underwhelmed me. I'm sure it's because the lightning line of spells that Elementalists possess just seem better to me, but there it is.
Ritualists are indirect since they usually don't attack enemies, instead summoning things that attack enemies. What's more, summoning these spirits takes a long time, and has a very long recharge time. A lightning spell usually can be cast in 1-2 seconds. Most of the spirits take 5 seconds to summon (during which you get a little bored because you are just waiting, really). They also typically have recharge times of 45-60 seconds, while about 75% of all skills recharge within 1-20 seconds (and many, many of then recharge within five seconds).
So, while it seems relatively effective, I find my ritualist tends to summon a few spirits at the beginning of a fight, and then has not a lot else to do. Even the lightning spells tend to be slower casting and slower to recharge than other classes skills. The spirits are potent enough to be useful and interesting, so I don't feel they are underpowered. Just a little boring to play. (I'm sure this is my personal bias, and I'm probably not paying enough attention to battle while summoning spirits.)
The Assassin class fights with daggers up close. She attacks faster than any other character (generally speaking). She also generally chains attacks: Many Assassin attacks require that you first land a different kind of attack. There are Lead Attacks, Off Hand attacks, and Dual Attacks. Dual Attacks follow Off Hand Attacks, which follow Lead Attacks. I hope that concisely makes sense.
Assassins also have various ways to debilitate enemies, hexing them with damage over time spells, poison, crippling, etc. They also have a line called Shadow Arts, which are generally defensive and tricksy. Of note in the Shadow Arts are the short-range teleportation skills. Death's Charge allows you to teleport from where you are next to an enemy. This avoids the tricksy issue of getting to enemies who would rather not actually fight you.
I certainly like playing as an Assassin, but it's a death-prone job, and I don't just mean for the target of the assassin. They don't have as much armor as Warriors, but are just as much in the face of the enemy. Assassins are fun, however, largely because they do incredible damage in a fairly short period of time. In, short they do spike damage like Elementalists can do, but in melee. Over time they probably do a similar or lesser amount of damage as Warriors do, because Assassins seem to have more of a waiting period after the initial flurry of attacks (and skill activations). Assasin base damage (assuming you have a maximum damage weapon, which isn't hard to get) is 7-17 every 1.25 seconds, while an axe-wielding Warrior does 6-26 every 1.33 seconds. The Warrior clearly has the edge, and I'm guessing that skills add about the same amount of damage over time.
The other very noticable difference in Factions is how fast you level up. After about 10-15 hours of gameplay you can reach maximum level (twenty). It was probably closer to 50-75 hours in the Propecies campaign, though in either case it's likely very different if it's your first time playing (either in general, or that campaign). I certainly like leveling up faster and getting to an even playing field. Once you are level 20, and enemies are made for level 20, you eliminate problems of players being different levels trying to quest together. It never becomes stupidly easy for you because you are "ahead" of the curve (or hard because you are behind). The curve is very steep, and short, and then it's a flat line. I really greatly prefer this over other games that just keeping adding new areas and quests of increasingly higher level each time. There's little point to buying the World of Warcraft expansion unless you have a level 60 character, because apparently much of the content is for level 60-70 characters. Guild Wars just avoids that problem by making all of the areas the same level of difficultly, except for right at the beginning. (Prophecies was far more like WoW in that respect than Factions is, and I like the change.)
You also gain less skills through quests, and more are offered from skill trainers (who you pay gold to in order to learn new skills). This produces greater variety in what skills players are actually using, which seems cool. You can also capture skills from enemies much earlier in the game, which further produces more varied (and therefore interesting) gameplay.
I'm disappointed that it isn't easy for me to get my characters to Alliance Battles, which seemed like one of the funnest parts of the game during the Factions Preview Weekend (about a month ago). I've also heard that they changed it some in ways that are less fun, but I'll have to get there eventually and see for myself!
I'm sure I'll have more to say when I actually get my official, final copy of the game, of course. Since it's not like I'll stop playing.
Due to shipping problems with the Collector's Edition, I can't play again for a while. I don't know exactly how long it will be. The Powers That Be (NCSoft and ArenaNet) took some small steps to ameliorate the problems caused by the shipping delays, though it's largely a token offering in my mind. I still will probably be without the game for at least a week and there's no assurance it won't be much longer than that.
The rest of this discussion is probably more interesting if you play Guild Wars, or at least some kind of RPGs. I'll try not to be too obscure, but hopefully you can infer the bits I've forgotten to detail. Wouldn't that be amazing?
I like the new classes, though in some ways I find playing a Ritualist a little frustrating. It's fairly indirect and inactive. However, the two classes I tend to like the most are the Elementalist (direct damage spells) and Monk (Healer), who tend to have very direct effects in the game.
Ritualists are mostly known for being able to summon spirits. These spirits cannot move, but generally have some kind of attack. There are basic attacking Spirits of Pain, while Bloodsong steals health for itself. More interesting spirits cause blinding to enemies, interrupt enemy actions, cast healing spells on allies, reduce damage allies take, etc. One of them knocks down enemies with its attack, unless the enemy was moving.
Ritualists can also buff allies and debuff enemies (using what are called "weapon" spells, but they are really just another kind of enchantment on enemies or allies). They also have a line of lightning damage spells, but they have largely underwhelmed me. I'm sure it's because the lightning line of spells that Elementalists possess just seem better to me, but there it is.
Ritualists are indirect since they usually don't attack enemies, instead summoning things that attack enemies. What's more, summoning these spirits takes a long time, and has a very long recharge time. A lightning spell usually can be cast in 1-2 seconds. Most of the spirits take 5 seconds to summon (during which you get a little bored because you are just waiting, really). They also typically have recharge times of 45-60 seconds, while about 75% of all skills recharge within 1-20 seconds (and many, many of then recharge within five seconds).
So, while it seems relatively effective, I find my ritualist tends to summon a few spirits at the beginning of a fight, and then has not a lot else to do. Even the lightning spells tend to be slower casting and slower to recharge than other classes skills. The spirits are potent enough to be useful and interesting, so I don't feel they are underpowered. Just a little boring to play. (I'm sure this is my personal bias, and I'm probably not paying enough attention to battle while summoning spirits.)
The Assassin class fights with daggers up close. She attacks faster than any other character (generally speaking). She also generally chains attacks: Many Assassin attacks require that you first land a different kind of attack. There are Lead Attacks, Off Hand attacks, and Dual Attacks. Dual Attacks follow Off Hand Attacks, which follow Lead Attacks. I hope that concisely makes sense.
Assassins also have various ways to debilitate enemies, hexing them with damage over time spells, poison, crippling, etc. They also have a line called Shadow Arts, which are generally defensive and tricksy. Of note in the Shadow Arts are the short-range teleportation skills. Death's Charge allows you to teleport from where you are next to an enemy. This avoids the tricksy issue of getting to enemies who would rather not actually fight you.
I certainly like playing as an Assassin, but it's a death-prone job, and I don't just mean for the target of the assassin. They don't have as much armor as Warriors, but are just as much in the face of the enemy. Assassins are fun, however, largely because they do incredible damage in a fairly short period of time. In, short they do spike damage like Elementalists can do, but in melee. Over time they probably do a similar or lesser amount of damage as Warriors do, because Assassins seem to have more of a waiting period after the initial flurry of attacks (and skill activations). Assasin base damage (assuming you have a maximum damage weapon, which isn't hard to get) is 7-17 every 1.25 seconds, while an axe-wielding Warrior does 6-26 every 1.33 seconds. The Warrior clearly has the edge, and I'm guessing that skills add about the same amount of damage over time.
The other very noticable difference in Factions is how fast you level up. After about 10-15 hours of gameplay you can reach maximum level (twenty). It was probably closer to 50-75 hours in the Propecies campaign, though in either case it's likely very different if it's your first time playing (either in general, or that campaign). I certainly like leveling up faster and getting to an even playing field. Once you are level 20, and enemies are made for level 20, you eliminate problems of players being different levels trying to quest together. It never becomes stupidly easy for you because you are "ahead" of the curve (or hard because you are behind). The curve is very steep, and short, and then it's a flat line. I really greatly prefer this over other games that just keeping adding new areas and quests of increasingly higher level each time. There's little point to buying the World of Warcraft expansion unless you have a level 60 character, because apparently much of the content is for level 60-70 characters. Guild Wars just avoids that problem by making all of the areas the same level of difficultly, except for right at the beginning. (Prophecies was far more like WoW in that respect than Factions is, and I like the change.)
You also gain less skills through quests, and more are offered from skill trainers (who you pay gold to in order to learn new skills). This produces greater variety in what skills players are actually using, which seems cool. You can also capture skills from enemies much earlier in the game, which further produces more varied (and therefore interesting) gameplay.
I'm disappointed that it isn't easy for me to get my characters to Alliance Battles, which seemed like one of the funnest parts of the game during the Factions Preview Weekend (about a month ago). I've also heard that they changed it some in ways that are less fun, but I'll have to get there eventually and see for myself!
I'm sure I'll have more to say when I actually get my official, final copy of the game, of course. Since it's not like I'll stop playing.