WAR (Warhammer Online)

First off, I know that there have been ENDLESS threads comparing WoW and WAR, along with threads debating whether or not WAR is a WoW killer or not. Personally, I couldn't care less about any of that. From what I have seen insofar, WAR appears to be nothing more than WoW with a prettier PvP system. But that is not what I wanted to say, so I'm going to refrain from expanding on that point for the moment.

What I really wanted to bring up is the class system in WAR. Along with being an ex-WoW player of 2 years, I was REALLY excited for WAR up until this morning. I have done extensive research on the game, I played all through Preview Weekend, and, until this morning, was playing in Preview Weekend Plus.

It seems to me that even though WAR claims a respectable 20 character classes available, after playing for a while it is quite evident that there are really only 5 character classes in the game. The healers, tanks, melee DPS, ranged DPS, and ranged DPS pet classes all function nearly the exact same way across all the races' boards, with the exception of maybe the Engineer in the Dwarf faction mixes things up a bit. There are slight variations to the class builds (I know that Mythic has each classes' mechanic) but other than that they all pretty much play the same way. No significant real difference between the dwarf Ironbreaker, Chaos chosen, Greenskin black ork, or high elf Sword-dancer. No significant real difference between the Squig Herder and the White Lion. No significant real difference between the Sorceress and Bright Mage. Etc. Maybe things get different past level 15 or so (please let me know if this is the case), but insofar I have been sorely disappointed when I go from playing my Witchhunter to playing a Marauder and find that they function, play, and skill up in nearly the exact same way, with minute differences. Not meaning to get back on comparing WoW and WAR (as I personally can't stand WoW anymore) but each of WoW's (9?) classes are each completely individual in respect to mechanics and game play.

I'm not trying to trash WAR here, so please don't take it that way. I really want to like the game, but I find it difficult when I see that not only has so much of their content been recycled from WoW, but then the other content that they made themselves has all been recycled inside itself. Think of this thread as more of a question, if you will. I played 7 classes in WAR up to lvl 15 through the 2 Preview Weekends, and had a hard time discerning any real differences in the gameplay between comparable classes. Has anyone else noticed this pattern, or does it change significantly in the later levels?

I didnt really think of it yet, but its just like every other MMO (cept Pre-CU SWG and UO).

Even though there is two sides, their classes basically mirror each other in terms of abilities, just like WoW.

Sure the mechanics and concept mirror, but not the play style in any way, form, or fashion.

Originally posted by nobrains8503

Sure the mechanics and concept mirror, but not the play style in any way, form, or fashion.

 

Especially at level 40. The classes differentiate themselves more at higher levels, when you have more than a handfull of abilities.

Cheers!

I have to admit, replayabilty may suffer due to the mirroring of each career.

I'm not sure if I played a magus for example, that I would be inclined to roll an engineer as an alt on a different server.

Same goes for archmage, when I roll one after launch, the mechanic is pretty much the same as shaman.

Ironbreaker and chosen are unique though since their mirrors were cut from launch.

Not sure what to tell you except that you are reading too much into the terms. 

I would call, say for example, an ironbreaker a "class".

I would call "tank" an archehtype.

Much like say CoH all Blasters can blast, but a Fire blaster has more AoE and an Ice blaster has more in the way of CC.

Are they the same?  Yes and no.  You really cannot claim that a Swordmaster and an Ironbreaker are the same.  But they are meant to share many abilities.

In fact i rather like that in WAR the classes that share a similar "Archetype" have some set of core abilities they all share.

IN the end the sem-fake differentiation that WoW tries to pull off between classes that can all tank is rather annoying and cumbersome.  The Druid tank vs. Warrior tank stuff was just a pain.  It makes much more sense for all Tanks to say be able to knock something down for 4 seconds.

They still have a number of other things to distinguish themselves.

Frankly I do not really understand what you were expecting.  EQ1-lineage games all only have a few "roles".  The classes are different even the mirror classes are fairly different.

Even if every class was supposedly as unique as WoW likes to pretend their stuff (by making skills with different icons and different names that do the same thing as skills from another class).  Anything that was a tank would still do whatever that role was.

Maybe we just disagree.  But I see significant differences when you consider the various tactics buidls combined with the class mechanics between the tanks.  The do share like 50% of skills in the "core" but  ithink that is perfectly fine.

BTW don't call them sword-dancers.  The wood elves have a unit called the Wardancer, who is basically a crazy wood elf with a huge sword that is impossible to hit.  People will get confused and you might bring out the wood elf crazies agitating for a new faction again.

Witch Hunter and Marauder are about as close to the same as Rogue and Warrior were in WoW which is to say not really that close.

As others have said as you get more abilities things diversify more, even between exact mirrors.

Not to mention that every class has 3 mastery paths that can greatly differentiate the style of play, so yes you can play a dps tank (though youll never be as good as a straight dps), sure you can put all your mastery points into healing specific path as a healer but you will still be effective in combat.

You say boring but i hear "Every class is meant for killing other players" in that aspect yes i can see how they may look similar, but the way they do it is all different. What they bring to the table is unique to that class.

I agree. I've played the pre-view weekend and the last two days and while you cant really get an accurate idea of the game in that time it becomes almost imediately obvious that the classes boil down to 4 or 5 archetypes and are extremely similar.

But think about it. Mythic's biggest focus in the game was how to bring about balance. Everyone knows they were horendous with balance in DAoC and took years to even come close to achieving it. They know it, theres no denying. Now whats the easiest way to balance the classes in the game. Make them all follow a certain pattern of archetype. I knew this was going to happen when the podcast showing how each class fell into a specific archetype.

I do like how each class kinda has their own trick. Healers who's heals get better/faster from melee attacks or spells, etc. Though these are directly taken from Age of Conan, only implented far more bluntly and with far less depth to them.

I think over-all the game is solid and relatively bug free (though the animation and 'cannot attack' bugs are game breakers IMHO,) It's certainly no WoW killer and IMHO AoC is the better game at it's core, even if WAR is more solid technically and bug wise right now.

I can see the game doing pretty well but after a few months the new shine will wear off and then I suspect the game will have subs similar to LotRO.