Ask Massively goes to WAR

Boring is a matter of opinion, and there are very subtle differences to the questing scheme that PQ's offer, to dismiss them outright as exactly the same is unfair. I also wouldn't call enjoying the game and even seeing the small differences there are as great is brain washed, if you truly believe that, I don't suspect you can really play any main stream MMO without being able to have the same statement reflected on you. That being said, Abriael is an insane fanatic, but you can't classify a game because someone was a bit too overzealous in defending it (even when it's WAY WAY WAY too much).

Tasogare pretty much has it spot on. There's a lot of hate going back and forth that's been less than constructive here.

Yes, PQ's can be grindy - but not all PQ's are created equal. I've had some very memorable experiences with the better ones, and the differences between "kill X then Y then Z" and PQ's that have different mechanics tossed in (even when it boils down to much the same end result) can be night and day.

If you're just solo or duo grinding out Stage 1's, PQ's are going to blow.

If you've got a group and can finish out the whole thing (or multiple different ones ideally) the influence goes a lot faster and the grind is fairly well minimized.

Beyond all this, WAR's grind is a lot better hidden so far, for me, then WoW's grind ever was. Not having to wait until I'm at the top of a PvP level bracket to participate is huge as it opens up so many more options for playing the game.

Is there a grind? Of course there is - every MMO to date has had a grind associated with it, it's how companies get you to re-up your sub. The only question is which grind you prefer. For me, so far, WAR's grind is a lot less painful and I'm enjoying myself along the way (which is a far cry from the pain of trying to level another WoW alt, but that's probably due to me just burning out on the game - that's fine, happens to most folks eventually).

I think the biggest pull for me to WAR is the lessening on the structure of the game (hear me out). In WoW, it's conceivable that you could play every single part of the game with one set of 25 people. That tends to lend itself to guilds that become very cliquish seeing how there's no reason for them to ever have to work together. LK is going to see groups as small as 10 being able to go through everything in one form or another (though you'd miss out on some stuff, of course). It just started feeling very "old boys club" where egos and e-peens were running amok over a video game.

In WAR, the endgame has me very interested considering you're going to have to work as an entire realm to get things done. Sure, that's not everyone's cup of tea (and for good reason, I get that a lot of people don't want to have to work with some of the... less than desirable elements that you can run across in these games). For me though, the sense of community over guild is very appealing. So far the number of idiots I've run across has been far fewer (they're still there mind you... ) and maybe I've just lucked out so far but the community overall has been far more open and co-operative as a whole. It's a very subtle difference, but when you can't go hide after a cross-server BG because you're in that Scenario with people that are on your same server people tend to ease up on the stupidity a bit.

So is the game perfect? Of course not - no game has been or will ever be perfect. No game can ever appeal to everyone across the board, because everyone wants different things. For me WAR is a better collection of elements right now than WoW is, for others it'll be WoW over WAR. Neither game is clearly superior though because they are different enough to appeal to different aspect of our desires as gamers.

/soapbox

Only a fool would say WAR quests are exactly the same as WoW quests... ofc including PQ's which are just bigger scaled repetitive flat quests.

Another fool would say they're entirely different.

They're very similar in the fundaments and they have cosmetic differences that usually attract the dolts cause they are shiny and well hyped by Mythic furhers :)

To say all the PQs in WAR are the same formula reveals a great degree of ignorance and inexperience with the game. I am forced to ask if you played more than one racial pairing beyond level 10, and if you did more than one of the PQs per chapter?

Off the top of my head:

There are PQs with multiple stages. These vary internally from fights leading up to a boss, to fights leading up to a swarm of mobs.

As well, there are PQs with single stages. You complete the stage, and you're done. With loot in hand, walk away.

There are PQs heavily based on gather objectives.

There are PQs with sabotage objectives.

There are escort/protection PQs where you protect a MOB/MOBs.

What continues to impress me about WAR is the variety. You never know what you're getting. In one PQ you're battling the forces of evil leading up to a big bash on a dragon. In another, you're beating down belligerent drunks in a bar fight. I certainly never saw that level of variety in WoW, EQ, L2, or any other MMO I've played.

What makes the game even better is the fact that PQs are only part of a system of variety. I can join an RvR scenario whilst I'm doing PvE questing, doing PQs, doing open-field RvR, or even putting up items for auction. This is variety to such a degree that I can get caught up in foiling a bank robbery whilst I am simply arranging my hoard of "valuables". How much cooler is that than stumbling into teenage boys flirting with manginas in Goldshire? I'm unable to quantify it.

For me, at least, the grind is nonexistent. I'm accustomed to the horror of faction/xp grinds in EQ, and now I don't even notice what lvl I am, or find myself pushing to get to the next tier of abilities, zones, etc. My WAR-time is actually PLAYtime, not the work that every other MMO I've touched to date has felt like after the first few hours.

WAR has the 15-minute fixes of WoW and the hours of enjoyment of old school EQ dungeon romps.

As a final note, let me just say this article is an interesting reversal of opinion, Kevin. The last comment I heard from you about WAR was that AoC was so much better you doubted you'd even be picking WAR up on release. I guess I can understand the pressure considering how just about every other site has now given WAR very positive reviews.