Free to Play - EvE limits you in ships, skills and gear while in GW2 you can use everything from base game.
Very bad and slow skill progression in EvE - in GW2 you can level up without XP boosters from Gem store alone by doing World Events on each map and story line and even fast level by doing endgame content with help of friends from day 1 ( Dungeons give you 70% of XP or more for each run)
Exploration : in GW2 you get unique rewards for completion of all points of interest and also grant you the ability to collect legendary weapon and armor pieces even for FtP. In EvE you dont get rewards for entering new systems where you never been before and there are no rewards for discovering planets or space stations.
Micro transaction store - GW2 all items are either cosmetic or comfort ones. In EvE XP boosters/Skill Injectors are totally game breaking - In GW2 you can get maximum level by playing casually 1 hour for 80 days eg. 80 game hours . In EvE after 80 game hours you still a beginner low level.
Trading - EvE very fragmented and complicated in game trading with stations, systems and regions which often require hauling even though its sci fi game. In GW2 - one single transparent market for whole world with access from anywhere even though its a fantasy game. No need to haul.
Crafting - similar in both games
Combat and gear - in EvE FtP players cant fly T2 ships and are skill limited to level 4. In GW2 FtP players can use all skills at max level and use all gear from base game. Thus no disadvantages in GW2 while in EvE paid accounts always will beat unpaid ones as level 5 skill often gives unfair boost to damage, armor etc.
Player community - hostile and toxic with lots of spammers in EvE and nice and friendly in GW2 with no spammers.
Story PVE - in EvE non existent. Only random missions. In GW2 great story.
Summary - while EvE has great potential in terms of setting its sucks on many basic game design aspects thus i would rate it 1 star. GW2 4,5 stars as old endgame content dungeons is no longer developed but fractals are.
âŚbut not expansions. So both are limited but you fail to note that clearly.
Eve is not about skill progressionâŚthere are only 5 levels FFS. Are you daff? EVE is not a RPG where you have a bazilion levels and paths to go down. Just barriers to entry based on SP.
So you need constant verification and gratification that you are a good little boy? Oh look you took two steps forward; here is a cookie. Sad
Eve is about knowledge and skill not leveling upâŚtry harderâŚ
More âbut mommy I want it now!â cryingâŚ
LOLâŚso itâs a totally unrealistic market thenâŚpointless.
So no need to think? or try?
Unfair? Itâs the same incremental % bonus as from level 1 to level 2 or 3 to 4âŚsadâŚ
Ah so you need to be entertained like a childâŚgot it.
Youâre just an entitled whiner than expects zero effort to have all the top stuff. You are too lazy to work for anything and expect everything to be handed to you.
GW2 is a great game BTWâŚplease go play that as it is clearly the theme park you need.
Expansions do not change any game mechanic especially in pvp - you can use exotic, ascended and legendary gear as ftp player. New professions are differerent but not op in comparison to core classes. Plus Expansion bundle as bundle costs not more than 50 Euros and can be bought couple of times a year for half a price eg. 25 Euros.
Speaking from many years of experience in both Eve and GW2 (2012 and earlier).
You (author of this post)'ve chosen two VERY different games that can barely (if at all) be compared.
Best analogy that comes to my mind is: dry whine and chocolate ice cream. You get them both for very different reasons.
Iâve been a Guild Wars player since the original game in 2005. Then to Guild Wars 2 which I joined several years ago - and itâs not a very good game. The original is fantastic, but dated now.
No comparison should be made between Eve and GW genre, because they are from 2 separate MMO genres. one is classic fantasy, the other is futuristic sci-fi a la second-life. They are so distinctly different that neither complement the other one or have anything remotely in common in terms of flavour.
Finally: letâs make 1 thing clear, since you brought the subject up: Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2 are VERY DIFFERENT. One is classic, Holy Trinity similar to original wow-gameplay, while the other is an alternative combat-oriented mix of everything kind of game with a vast map and lots to do, but never quite achieving the fun simple gameplay of the original game. Guild Wars 1 is magic, fun, exciting and classic. Guild Wars 2 has improved graphics, a totally different game engine and combat system, more classes, a huge expanded world with different races etc, mounts, but in my opinion becomes extremely boring after a few weeks/months gameplay because it lacks everything the original game had at its core and what made the genre classic in feel and in everything.
That being said, there are a huge number of players in Guild Wars 2, most of whom enjoy it and take part in the tremendous grind on a daily basis to get the latest gear etc. I left Guild Wars 2 a long time ago and iâm not going back, but hey if it pleases millions of other players (and let me emphasise lots of YOUNG new MMO gamers from the new generation), then thatâs a good thing and great for them!
Now to deal with your comments:
True. The comparison is kind of off though, because as I said they are totally different games. One thing I enjoyed about Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2 (a little) is the ability to create an instant pvp-only character, which has max stats. But you can also do that now with the free level 80 boosters you get as gifts on your main accounts, to make a new max levelled pve character complete with armour, weapons etc. The only problem is - Guild Wars 2 is so vast, and every area tiered to match specific levels of player vs enemies, that whether you are level 1 or level 80 really doesnât make a difference. The only way to truly be effective in GW2 is to know your classâs combat system effectively and use combo moves. Itâs VERY different to the old Holy Trinity style gameplay where teams relied on a monk, caster, warrior for support. Now every class in GW2 is practically a soloist with 1 heal skill on the main bar, and you have to learn which combinations work best for your class to deal the most damage. Players run around mostly as soloists on the map, not in groups. Having one giant instance doesnât help this either. World vs World (WvW) mode and Dungeons/Fractals is another thing altogether where you have to rely on team effort to make it to the end, but again its all solo DPS in a team, and no Holy Trinity.
Now the Eve experience is so completely different to what Iâve described above. Being in space with a rookie ship, learning the career missions while talking in rookie help when I was newâŚno comparison to Guild Wars 1 or 2. I would say the Guild Wars 1 experience is equal to the Eve Online experience as a beginner. The Guild Wars 2 experience is not as fun as the Guild Wars 1 beginner experience, simply because it changed the whole feel and gameplay style of the classic fantasy genre.
As iâve already said - Guild Wars 2 skill progression means very little, because the map (which is huge) is tiered. Enemies in a level 80 map are harder to kill than enemies in a level 1-10 map. I got the impression that when I reached max level all of the map felt the same in Guild Wars 2. I think this is one of the problems of the game - although many players enjoy it the way it is and claim that having an effective build including armor, weapons, runes etc will allow you to feel the difference in the enemies as you go between tiers. Perhaps its my class (Mesmer), but the entire map killing enemies feels the same and takes almost just as long whichever map level I am in.
In Guild Wars 1 itâs very clear: maps at the start of the game have easy enemies, and as you progress the map becomes harder.
In GW2 there is a HUGE amount of messages and alerts about rewards and completions of this and that, that they will clutter your gameplay, even if you are playing for just 1 hour. It stopped me from logging in for a year once. You get rewards for nearly everything you do, every few minutes of killing a monster or completing 1 simply activity - forcing you to stop and empty your bag at the nearest vendor. Itâs actually SPAM, because most of it is junk or useless.
Eve Online does no such thing. The rewards for missions are basically isk and LP. You have the option whether or not you want to loot or salvage a wreck. There is a new screen in Eve (i forgot the name) which gives you messages about tasks you have completed or achieved, such as going to warp or docking or killing your first enemy etcâŚbut I think you can switch this off. In GW2 you canât. Itâs HORRIBLE. Imagine being forced to empty your cargo hold every few minutes or everytime you kill a pirate, because itâs filled up with:
a reward for killing the pirate
a reward for killing 2 pirates
loot from both pirates
a reward for logging in
a reward for using a new combo
a reward for reaching level 10
You get a message right in the centre of your screen for each.
Your cargo hold is now full (30-40 items if you use the âidentification kitâ) - you have to go to the nearest vendor and sell it all, and the total isk you make is probably no higher than 10,000. Itâs really that bad. Most players donât have a problem with it and say itâs free money. I donât like anything that pushes me into the grind or reminds me of the grind, so Iâd rather not have all the rewards (itâs such tiny amounts of cash anyway).
Guild Wars 1 never had any of this crap.
Now, rewards in Eve: thankfully there are none! Well, apart from the gifts we get in our account from time to time which I donât use.
If they do decide to bring in rewards then I think they should be relevant, and not spam. Also rewards should have value and not be similar to junk items.
What you said above is correct: however I would also add that in GW2 you can enjoy (if you enjoy the game) maximum gameplay even if you are level 1, because there is so much to do in the game, and you can do nearly all of it as a level 1 character. The game is designed so that players have maximum options at all levels and no single player or class or level has any greater benefit than the other.
Totally correct: I would however say that I donât think Eve is a good representation of a decent sci-fi game. Eve is a whole genre by itself. To be honest - I donât like the idea of REAL player markets in the fantasy MMO genre. I think it ruins the game. This is a strong opinion I have. It just isnât necessary to add to the game in any way. I like the idea of a virtual market, with some influence from cross-player transactions etc, but not as the main influence.
Crafting in GW2 I have never done (except for 1 item as a beginner) and will never do. I think itâs horrible and grindy. Crafting in Eve Online is amazing on the other hand. The only reason why I donât do it is because I just canât find a niche in Eve where crafting is meaningful and lucrative. All areas of the game come with risk of loss and there isnât much value placed on things players create because of this. If I craft an item, I donât want it to be destroyed (just the way I am).
Nothing really to say here. I donât believe any game company should really allow ftp players to benefit longer than 1 month in anything to be honest. Just fills the game with spam accounts and stuff in general. Everquest 2 doesnât allow this and you can really feel the effect it has when you become a subscriber. The community is exclusive because of this and you feel special.
Completely disagree. You have toxic people in both games. Iâve met the nicest people in Eve, and a few very helpful people in GW2. But gamers are gamers. I would say Eve Online makes it âeasierâ to be toxic however just because of the way the game is. GW2 has much less player freedoms.
Totally true. One thing I enjoy about GW2 in spite of how much I dislike it are the new races. They are engaging and some of them funny. Eve Online missions are very badly written, and are only meant as filler for a few hundred thousand isk.
GW1 as part of the classic old fantasy mmo genre = 5 stars
I would say compared to the original game, GW2 = 1 star
Compared to itself, GW2 = 3.5-4 stars (the graphics are amazing, the races and huge expansion in lore etc gets points, even though there is so much about the game I do not enjoy - in comparison to the original).
Eve in the Sci-Fi genre of games = 3 stars (only gave it -2 due to too many elements that can potentially lead to toxicity)
Eve in its own genre = 5 stars
I dont know how it was back then in 2012 but today in GW2 low-medium tier ores, leathers, woods and silk are worth more than highend tier ones. In fact many players keep low to medium level chars just for that - as salvaging in GW2 depends on level char performing salvaging. Nobody sells cheap loot - its all gets salvaged to materials for crafting high end tier gear same as in EvE ores of belts or loot salvage. As for inventory filling up fast - you have 80-100 slots, plus devs saw and solved this problem and now you get âcratesâ or âbagsâ instead of direct loot. Those crates are stackable up to 250 in one slot. So now you get common, seldom, rare crates so your inventory stays empty. Only by opening the crates you get loot like weapons and armor pieces etc. In addition to that there a comfort item called copper salvage kit which has infinite uses and cost 3 copper per salvaging operation. Its actually the one and only item from the Gem Shop which is really nice to have.
I dont see the point in this post. I read most of it and flicked through some of it and still dont get the point. Is the OP disgruntled with EVE and is he trying to boost GW2?
Thanks for your reply. I think itâs great that GW2 has a large community of players.
I think iâm just from the old school (GW1) - I enjoyed playing this so much that GW2 just doesnât hit it. GW2 is just way too big and all the extras they have just seem unecessary.
But thanks.
I might return in a few months to fly around on my skimmer on the water. I loved that lol.
So OP is comparing apples with bicycles and came to the conclusion that bicycles are better because they can carry you somewhere, while apples canât?
