WoW open beta impressions Options

[DarkEpyon]

Now what kind of friend would I be if I had this sucker and didn't tell you anything about it?

Not a very good one. A stingy one at that.

OK, so it's been just under a week since I got my hands on this puppy, and I must say this game's a blast.

Here's a break-down of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good
There's no dearth in quests in this game, plus they also net you EXP.
The graphics are quite impressive.
You can't level down when you die.
If you can't find a group, you can solo like a mofo.
Money-making is actually fun, considering the plethora of quests.
Pretty much every piece of equipment is visible on your character.

The bad
Somewhat limited character customization at start-up, but this is made up for.
Screencaps are saved in a large and shitty format (tsa).
Alliance and horde characters can't party together. Example: if you're a night elf, and your buddy's a troll, you're both SOL.
Wicked lag (however, this is characteristic of all open betas).

The ugly
Pretty much every horde character, but the taurans look so badass.

I have several screenshots, but I have yet to upload them.

Also it should be noted that it costs 10 gold (1 gold=100 silver, 1 silver=100 copper) to obtain a guild crest. To start a guild, you need 10 silver and 9 other people. The tabard design is also pretty cool. You can choose from over 100 emblems, and you can change its color along with the border and the background.

If this game appeals to you, go ahead and pre-order. Then enjoy some (insert lowbie monster here) with your Thanksgiving turkey.

EDIT: Corrected the guild thing.

[Mute]

Well, the Open Beta has come to a close and I thought I'd post some impressions for the curious. Since FFXI is the only other MMORPG I have ever played (in depth), most of the impressions are direct comparisons between the two titles. In other words, if you are offended by negative FFXI criticisms, I suggest not reading any further.

I honestly thought I'd never play another MMORPG again, but so far this game seems like it is potentially way more enjoyable than FFXI ever was. For one, you can travel between the major cities on an in game transportation system at level one! None of that bullshit just to get an Airship Pass. Plus you can ride Gryphons to different areas that you have visited in the past which really helps out if you are trying to meet someone or get somewhere quick. There are also hearthstones (sp?) that bind you to an Inn and can instantly teleport you there once every 60 minutes. I hear there are also mounts, which is a plus since one of my favorite aspects of FFXI was riding around on Chocobos.


Leveling seems alot more action oriented and constantly on the go (at least for melee, I didn't try a mage out). It felt like you had to sit half the damn time you were leveling a job in FFXI. In WoW, I think I only sat one time (in total, 3 different characters to level 5), and that was because I got in trouble with an added aggro. Which brings me to another point, you can usually survive the adds with food/potions (which are alot more affordable than the ridiculous FFXI potion prices). Oh yea, and you can actually run away. And if that isn't enough, NPC guards that are patrolling will help you out if you are running. ^^

As far as soloing, I'm not sure how far one can go alone, but Blizzard really made each character self-sufficient. This is nice in case some of my buds weren't on and I just wanted to slay some things on my own. :D

With respect to FFXI, these opinions are purely based on only a few hours of gameplay on the Open Beta while I had several hundred hours worth of FFXI to really focus my likes and dislikes. I'm sure WoW will have some shortcomings, but as for now, some of the annoyances that really frustrated me about FFXI are seemingly addressed and made for the better on WoW. The Beta has me nothing less than excited and I'll be picking this up next Tuesday.