Coming from GW2, is ESO worth playing?

samjohngrimeseb17_ESO

I've been playing GW2 pretty heavily for the last 6 months or so and would like to take a break. I was wondering if anyone else had made the switch and whether ESO is an improvement?

I play along with my girlfriend so I'd like a lot of content we can duo. I've heard the game is pretty stale and uninteresting; is this really true?

I've found the game for £13 so am definitely considering it, just don't want to waste my money.

Thanks in advance

Tandor

If you're only interested in PvP then you might want to wait until the performance issues in Cyrodil, the PvP zone, are fixed. If you're interested in PvE then go for it, it's a wonderful game with beautiful graphics and rich lore.

By and large, those who are playing the game without any problems are loving it, while those who are suffering performance issues have either left with the intention of returning later, or are sticking with it in the hope that improvements will follow. What all of them seem to share is a love of the game, and the one thing I've not seen anyone say is that the game is stale and uninteresting. The critics might say that it is potentially great but flawed, but not that it is stale and uninteresting.

My advice would be that at £13 you should buy the game, and use the sub-free month to decide for yourself whether it's worth continuing with.

Sleep

Haven't played GW2. I prefer ESO's graphic and art style.

jeevin

It's definitely worth a try for that price but don't expect the level of polish that GW2 has. Expect a vast world with filled with some interesting quests and lots to see. Also be warned phasing for quests makes grouping somewhat tedious especially if you both play through the game at a different pace.

jeevin

Deleted double post

Thudunblundur

Just adding to what others have said and I agree with: Don't think of this as a pure mmo or a pure TES title. It's not quite either and bits of both. This throws a lot of people off balance.

My personal feeling is that even with its current glitches it is right up there with the best. Just don't expect perfection.

Mojomonkeyman

I came from GW2, which I played for several thousand hours since its prerelease. I switched to ESO when it came out and never looked back, despite being a pvp only player. PvP is great in ESO, if only it would receive the necessary dev attention.

GW2 is polished but the pvp/wvw team was pretty incapable imo.

Istyar

If you wanna play with your GF, stay in GW2.
GW2 is more solid than ESO atm, you have the whole group support there that you'll not have here. Eventually, you will pass two or three levels from her character and both of you will never do a quest together again.

But, if you want a solo experience, try ESO.

Martinus72

I have come to ESO from GW2 and may tell you to definitely give it a try, despite undeservedly bad press and many haters and moaners on these forums this is by far best MMO on the market at this moment, you will be captivated by its beauty and lore. It is not polished yet by any means but gives hundreds of hours of good fun.

Rune_Relic

samjohngrimeseb17_ESO wrote: »

I've been playing GW2 pretty heavily for the last 6 months or so and would like to take a break. I was wondering if anyone else had made the switch and whether ESO is an improvement?

I play along with my girlfriend so I'd like a lot of content we can duo. I've heard the game is pretty stale and uninteresting; is this really true?

I've found the game for £13 so am definitely considering it, just don't want to waste my money.

Thanks in advance

Wait ...what...hold on!
You have no game and no subscription yet you have posted on this forum ?
Sure the devs said that was impossible without a current paid scubscription.

I am getting a stong scent of something large and furry wafting into my nostrils.

dennissomb16_ESO

Strange. You are posting on the forums, therefore you have an account and can play the game. If you are asking if you should get a second account for your GF, try the game and see if it looks interesting to you. One thing however. If you like PvE and plan on questing with your GF, you need to always be on the same quests at the same time, or phasing will make your life hell

danno8

dennissomb16_ESO wrote: »

Strange. You are posting on the forums, therefore you have an account and can play the game. If you are asking if you should get a second account for your GF, try the game and see if it looks interesting to you. One thing however. If you like PvE and plan on questing with your GF, you need to always be on the same quests at the same time, or phasing will make your life hell

Rune_Relic wrote: »

samjohngrimeseb17_ESO wrote: »

I've been playing GW2 pretty heavily for the last 6 months or so and would like to take a break. I was wondering if anyone else had made the switch and whether ESO is an improvement?

I play along with my girlfriend so I'd like a lot of content we can duo. I've heard the game is pretty stale and uninteresting; is this really true?

I've found the game for £13 so am definitely considering it, just don't want to waste my money.

Thanks in advance

Wait ...what...hold on!
You have no game and no subscription yet you have posted on this forum ?
Sure the devs said that was impossible without a current paid scubscription.

I am getting a stong scent of something large and furry wafting into my nostrils.

If he found a box retail, like he said, it probably comes with 1 month sub included, like we all had when we bought it.

Like others have said, GW2 is very polished and the classes are far more balanced. In ESO if you want to have the best chance at a fun time without wasting your time you should roll DK or Sorcerer. Also consider that you will probably end up using a staff and cloth armour to be the most effective, as stamina based builds just don't work very well right now.

Also be warned that in order to get to the highest level (VR 14) you will need to group up at the VR 10 level, as there is no easy or clear path to solo to VR 14.

I will say I had a very good time 1-VR10 for the first couple months in this gorgeous world.

Crumpy

Sleep wrote: »

Haven't played GW2. I prefer ESO's graphic and art style.

That was a really useful post my friend!

DDuke

The leveling experience is the best out there (atleast until VR) & stories/quests are well made.

PvP currently has issues (used to be awesome in launch/beta), but those will hopefully be fixed... If you're PvP focused player I'd suggest you to wait a while before subscribing.

PvE is fun, but lacks replayability (proper itemization) at max. level, but there's a lot of potential there & end game probably isn't a concern for you before hitting VR14 (takes a while).


I'd get it for £13, just for the story/leveling experience, but seriously reconsider keeping the subscription after hitting VR14 if these issues still persist by that time.

Frenkthevile

The character customisation, the skill lines, the equipments sets...are WAY better.
Graphics is 2Xbetter. Story isn't childish as GW2 ''Living Filler'' and you play a role in it. (spoiler: final boss isn't killed by spamming ''2-2-2-2'', lol).
There are quests, that add a lot to the immersion and lore.
Mobs and bosses aren't stupid like in GW2...most of them.
PvP has great potential (and is FUN even for small groups), mounts and bigger maps, with also quests and delves.

Overall, i think ESO wins on ANY level, and i can say that because i played gw2 for at least 1 year.
GW2 imho is just gemstore, time-gated items farming, and silly ''sit-com'' side stories now...and btw ESO hadded more content in 4 months than GW2 in 2 years, so...

linus2503

At this point, there are probably 20,000 hours of gameplay videos on YouTube. More than enough to make your own idea before buying.

TheBull

ESO is the reason GW2 is struggling. After you Cyrodiil you will never RvR again.

Pseudolo

I've played GW2 and run away from it screaming because of the cash shop, legendary weapons, inflated economy and so forth. I'm liking ESO and I think it lacks almost all those things that rendered my GW2 experience a nightmare. My opinion is: JUST BUY IT ALREADY!

khele23eb17_ESO

Frenkthevile wrote: »

The character customisation, the skill lines, the equipments sets...are WAY better.
Graphics is 2Xbetter. Story isn't childish as GW2 ''Living Filler'' and you play a role in it. (spoiler: final boss isn't killed by spamming ''2-2-2-2'', lol).

On the other hand GW2 at least had a cut-scene when you killed the last boss. Here you get a nice build up, an OK fight and when the boss is at low HP the game kinda freezes for a few seconds and you start wondering if it crashed. But no. You get a loading screen, get ported to some other location and an NPC explains youve won. Come on... Dont talk at me ZOS, show me! That was such a disappointment. 3-4 proper cut-scenes at key points of the storyline would have made the leveling process so much better.

Frenkthevile

khele23eb17_ESO wrote: »

Frenkthevile wrote: »

The character customisation, the skill lines, the equipments sets...are WAY better.
Graphics is 2Xbetter. Story isn't childish as GW2 ''Living Filler'' and you play a role in it. (spoiler: final boss isn't killed by spamming ''2-2-2-2'', lol).

On the other hand GW2 at least had a cut-scene when you killed the last boss. Here you get a nice build up, an OK fight and when the boss is at low HP the game kinda freezes for a few seconds and you start wondering if the game crashed. But no. You get a loading screen, get ported to some other location and an NPC explains youve won. Come on... Dont talk at me ZOS, show me! That was such a disappointment. 3-4 proper cut-scenes at key points of the storyline would have made the leveling process so much better.

(spoiler!)
What freezes?
You get a cutscene...you're given the Sword of Meridia and cut the boss in half! Then you get teleported away by Meridia and take your soul back...
I think you found a bugged cutscene xD

Aoife32001

I mostly play ESO with my brother, and have never found grouping to be a problem. That being said, we stay at the same pace, so if you're planning on both playing on your own and playing duo, you might want to start two characters--one for soloing, and one for duoing. Your solo character could either be leveled in a different alliance, or even just in PvP, so you don't have to repeat much content (pre-Veteran/Champion).

As for being stale and uninteresting, that hasn't been my experience. I've thoroughly enjoyed it thus far.

Elsonso

I have never played GW2 and people have flatly told me not to. I come from a WoW background and still have an active subscription there until November.

I am one of those people that @Tandor was talking about with the statement, "those who are playing the game without any problems are loving it."

I am a PvE player who has about 7 days of playtime in my main character and is only Level 36, so I cannot attest to end-game or PVP play. However, one of the reasons that I am not progressing fast is just that I like to wander. The TES person in me needs to see it all.

While there are bugs in the game, I do not experience random crashes. Almost all of the bugs that I see are minor. Occasionally a moderate bug presents itself prominently but does not stop game play, like the "sound bug" that should be fixed in 1.4.5. There are some omissions in the implementation of the game UI, like search and filtering in banks, inventory, and stores. A UI designer has said that while they are interested in adding those things, they are not actively working on it. I use addons to give me these things, which I find to be an acceptable workaround.

I do want to comment on grouping. I have stayed away from formal groups but have participated in adhoc groups through either the "group with me" or just simply playing off what they are doing. I have been watching closely the conversation from the devs on grouping and dungeon repeatability. Update 5 in about 5 weeks will introduce an initial version of both of these and if it does not fix the problems with grouping, it will certainly change it. While I doubt that Update 5 will be the final word on grouping, I do look forward to it.

Pmarsico9

Despite what ESO's version say, this is still very much a game in a semi-beta-state. I think it will still take another year or so to fix class/skill line imbalance issues and performance issues overall, provided they take a break from spamming more and more group PVE content out and provide some meaningful solo content and PVP fixes.

Caroloces

I have played GW2 and I liked it. What ESO has is the rich lore from the Elder Scrolls tradition, so you feel like you're playing in a world with well-established traditions. I play with my brother, as well as playing with a few guilds, and the good fellowship experienced through these social collaborations really enriches the game. The general community within the game is wonderful. You'll find people friendly and courteous for the most part, and quite willing to help you when you encounter difficulties. The crafting system is superb, and only going to get better when they introduce spellcrafting. A new Justice system is coming down the pike which has elements of the traditional TES Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild. Honestly . . . I've been playing since Beta and I'm as excited about playing now, as I was when the game was looming upon release.

Grunim

I'm a former GW2 daily player who began on that game when it launched and who stopped playing GW2 in favor of ESO earlier this year.

ESO has TONS of content you can duo. You will be able to duo most every quest with the exception of the main story quest, fighters guild quest, and mage guild quest.

The quests are much richer than GW2 quests, with FAR better writing. I find I want to replay PvE content more in ESO than I wanted to replay content in GW2. For example, I only did world completion on one character in GW2 where as in ESO, I've completed maps on multiple characters not because I needed to for achievements, but because I loved some of the stories I'd encounter.

I disagree with people who find ESO to be stale and uninteresting. For me, it's much more interesting than GW2.

khele23eb17_ESO

Frenkthevile wrote: »

khele23eb17_ESO wrote: »

Frenkthevile wrote: »

The character customisation, the skill lines, the equipments sets...are WAY better.
Graphics is 2Xbetter. Story isn't childish as GW2 ''Living Filler'' and you play a role in it. (spoiler: final boss isn't killed by spamming ''2-2-2-2'', lol).

On the other hand GW2 at least had a cut-scene when you killed the last boss. Here you get a nice build up, an OK fight and when the boss is at low HP the game kinda freezes for a few seconds and you start wondering if the game crashed. But no. You get a loading screen, get ported to some other location and an NPC explains youve won. Come on... Dont talk at me ZOS, show me! That was such a disappointment. 3-4 proper cut-scenes at key points of the storyline would have made the leveling process so much better.

(spoiler!)
What freezes?
You get a cutscene...you're given the Sword of Meridia and cut the boss in half! Then you get teleported away by Meridia and take your soul back...
I think you found a bugged cutscene xD

That is not a cutscene XD Those are barely a few frames of an attack animation. And yes, twice out of 3 times Ive played through this the animation didnt even show up.

Phantax

samjohngrimeseb17_ESO wrote: »

I've been playing GW2 pretty heavily for the last 6 months or so and would like to take a break. I was wondering if anyone else had made the switch and whether ESO is an improvement?

I play along with my girlfriend so I'd like a lot of content we can duo. I've heard the game is pretty stale and uninteresting; is this really true?

I've found the game for £13 so am definitely considering it, just don't want to waste my money.

Thanks in advance

As an ex GW2 player (with the odd trip back there) I'd say yes ESO is worth taking a look at. If you'd have asked that question a couple of months back then I'd probably have said no.
Recently though Zenimax have seemed to start sorting things and the game is looking better on all aspects.

Look forward to seeing you in-game

Drazhar14

I played GW2 for over a year. I switched to ESO and will never go back to GW2. I've always really liked the Elder Scrolls series, so it was only natural. GW2 was a good game and I enjoyed the journey, but I got bored of GW2's events, which were pretty much all giant laggy zergfests with way too many players crammed together, plus I had no desire to grind for ascended/legendary gear. I also prefer the ESO combat system.

However, if the Super Adventure Box gets another update, I might go play that for a bit. That was by far the best part of GW2. GW2 also has much more activities, minigames, and things to do in town. I think that is the only advantage it has over ESO. Oh, and jumping puzzles! ESO needs more secret, hard to get to places.

Phantax

Drazhar14 wrote: »

ESO needs more secret, hard to get to places.

Agree with this 100%, exploration in ESO is lacking in reward. Couldn't even begin to count the number of times I found unsuspected stuff/places in GW2 that were more than just eye-candy !

Yes ESO is still in it's infancy but I'd like to see more fluff connected with exploration !

babylon

ESO is much more visually appealing and artistically made - the land feels far more realistic and natural than any other game I've played. Also has more depth, better humour and much stronger stories. The AI can only be better than GW2 (GW2 kinda has mobs like wind-up toys and kinda just throws them at you at high speed), so that goes without saying. And ESO is going to get better and better as they add more things and give us more fluff and sideline activities to do. We all like to *** about things, but this game really is awesome underneath it all.

drogon1

I played GW2 but never reached max level due to something lacking in the world and gameplay. ESO on the other hand has been a ton of fun, and I find it a more entertaining game by a longshot. Give it a try.