Please update us. : Vanguard Discussion

I was following this game pretty hardcore and there wasn't enough information to feed my cravings so I forgot about it.

Would someone in beta please talk about the game?

How does it play?
Easy to get bored?
Have you seen the game image change? (ie i heard it is now softcore, and started out directed at the hardcore players)
Are the classes unique (seems impossible with that four tier !@#$%^&*, god damn i hate that idea, but maybe its good)?
What good things does it take from UO/EQ/WoW, and what bad?

Basically anything, I just want some inside info...!!!! spill the beans!!!!

Later

there is rumor that pre-order boxes will contain a beta 4 key, and although from what i hear the game isnt ready for it yet, that would give everyone a chance to check it out.

I think the Jan 29 release date will be accurate. The preorder games will allow you access to the game 3 days before it goes 'live'...but I don't know about the beta 4 key.

With all the hype that was behind this game, it's no surprise that it doesn't seem to live up to it all...IMHO. The game is still the typical MMORPG in the sense that it's still a grind...kill, loot, repeat and watch xp rise...or your standard 'take this to so and so'...'go kill x number of [insert critter here]' type quests.

What's different? The classes for one. Even the 'standards' Paladin, Rogue, Druid have pretty cool twists to their 'normal' roles. Add in Warrior, Dread Knight, Ranger, Disciple, Monk, Sorceror, Necromancer and at some point after launch, Berserker and Inquisitor...and you have a great selection of different styles of play. The races are unique too... from goblins, orcs, dwarves, gnomes, half giants and cat-people....to wolf-people, fox-people, haflings, barbarians and a half dozen or so types of humans...and you can create a pretty unique toon.

Diplomacy is something unique. It works along the lines of the bartering parlay in Oblivion..but imagine a deck of cards...each card has a 'power'...you select the cards you want to use during the parlay and it's a verbal joust of sorts. Kinda fun...but not my cup of tea.

The lore seems to be lacking...I understand there will be much revealed IG through quests and such...but there isn't any all-encompassing 'theme'.

What I am enjoying most is the huge amount of things to do. There are a good amount of dungeons and such to keep you busy...and even just exploring down the road you will pass a ton of interesting things that beg you to go and check out.

Unlike SOE/LA...the Sigil team is receptive to the community's feedback and suggestions ( so much so that they host IG 'round-table discussion' for each class)...and they are very quick to correct issues.

I'm looking forward to the game...but it's far from revolutionary and certainly no WoW-killer.

just my 2c

Thank you for the info! I appreciate it.

I am and was having second thoughts about preordering it, I'm going to wait for the major reviews to come out...seems to be having that tight lip eq2 release that screwed me over.

Could you just touch on a few more things like...
How does it run/look and your specs?
XP - Level, WoW, or old EQ, inbetween?
Gear > Level, Gear < Level atm?(I know it can change at max)
As of right now out of the tiers is there class favorites? IE would you rather have two sorcs than a sorc and a necro, or two clerics over two blood mages?

Thats all I'll leave I have more...but I'm just curious, thanks for the time!

Explaining how it looks is a bit tough considering it's a beta...but overall it looks good -- not a "Far Cry" but not a dated-look either. I personally can't stand the 'cartoony' feel of WoW..so this game is a welcomed sight for me. I'm running a 3.2 GHz with 2 Gig of RAM and a 512 Radeon Card and I still get lag like crazy in main cities and even passing between 'chunks' (the map is broken down into squares commonly refered to as 'chunks') there is typically a slight hiccup. But most of this is due to beta and the other programs they are running for detecting issues and such.

XP...I've heard comparisons to everything under the sun, but I think it's like WoW and EQ. You gain new skills every 2 levels and it's still you typical grind and quest treadmill.

Currently I think it's more Gear>Level...but this is constantly changing. They just released a patch that prevents you from wearing armor or equipment that is too far above your level... it's called Equipment Expertise and each piece has a % associated with it...you can only use your 100% EE. Higher level items have a higher % and lower level players just can't afford to equip those items. But currently, it's still Gear over Level.

I don't think there are class favorites....and that is one of the great things about the game. Each class really does have a role to play. Now, you'll still have those players who want to tank... but now instead of 1 'tanking' class...an argument can be made that there are two (warrior and paladin) and possibly 3 (Dread Knight--this class seems to be in limbo atm)... different 'tank' classes each with varying differences. With so many classes to choose from, there really is a great deal of depth in groups / combat parties...and I would argue that I'd rather have two differing professions instead of 2 of the same. Each brings something different to the group and at least not atm is there one uber-class.

Wow, thanks a lot!

I'm not feeling so bad about it anymore, I was just hoping it wouldn't be a flop. I need something to get away from WoW and this is sounding great.

Thanks again for all the info!!!