DAOC or WOW?

[Aeon Blue]

I find myself in a position where I am able to give the time and money to a MMORPG, the thing I am not sure about is which to go for. I used to play DAOC and still have a lvl 39 Troll on an account (Aeon Blue for anyone who played on Prydwen about 4-5 years ago).
Has anyone played both and can give a good solid, 'go for this one becasue.....'?

If so, let me know.

Cheers

 

[Fana]

Both are excellent games in their own way.

Visually they are different as is very evident. WoW has gone for a less realistic look that is also very easy on computer hardware while DAoC these days have very realistic looking but demanding gfx. Animations are good in both games, both contain a good selection of animated emotes with WoW having more "funny" emotes while DAoC sticks to realism. DAoC wins in gfx technical level of detail, while WoW's armour/weapons and other textures etc has less detail since it uses less polygons.

Both games suffer from lag issues - WoW has lots of serverside lag, while DAoC has had trouble with the french (and some others) internet backbone on numerous occasions.

WoW has an extremely attractive and intuitive interface with thousands of mods out there to customize it to your preferences. DAoC on the other hand has a rather clunky interface that takes time to learn (but works well enough once you know it), can also be customized by modders that really helps in getting a layout and functions you are comfortable with.

Gameplay differentiate them alot. Basically you can say that WoW is PvE focused while DAoC is PvP (RvR) focused. You can engage in both play forms in both games but its evident where the developers put in most effort. In WoW you will level and gain power and items etc to be able to PvE better, in DAoC you will level and gain power and items to PvP better.
Both games have PvE grinds that you will need to engage in to become powerful, but in DAoC the recent trend has been to try to reduce these grinds, while in WoW the opposite is true.
You can solo in WoW with any class, or you can group, although your choises end at max level - if you want to advance any more in power at 60 you will need to group and even raid (40 people groups).
You can solo in DAoC as well, with certain classes, other classes need a "buffbot" to solo (a second account you log in at the same time and use to buff/heal your character), and some classes cant solo at all. Grouping opportunities may be limited because of the lower population, although with the addition of task dungeons and such there should always be some grouping available. You can also play at the "Classic" server (Glastonbury) where buffbots are of limited use (and thus there is more grouping).

WoW at max level is either raiding epic dungeons with 40 people for epic items, or pvp in battlegrounds for ranks (that you lose while inactive) against teams that may or may not be organized (and thus you may or may not have a fighting chanse).

DAoC at max level is, for most people, realm vs realm warfare, either in 8 man groups trying to find other groups to fight, or soloers trying to find other soloers, or sieges of the 21 keeps and 84 towers. Some people also enjoy the PvE daoc has to offer, raiding in Atlantis and such. Advantage for daoc (apart from the rvr aspect) is that you can do meaningful progress (at least in pvp) at max level solo (or with your trusty buffbot), if you enjoy that.

WoW is still expanding with new players joining daily, while DAoC has a rather small playerbase. DAoC has a tighter and somewhat more mature community, while WoW has alot of youngsters.

WoW customer service is crap and impersonal, while in my experience DAoC (GOA) customer service is overal pretty nice and personal (the GM's talk regularely with us here on these boards etc, and feel like part of the community). Then again with 5.5 mil subscribers Blizzard can afford to piss off the few with problems i guess.

 

[WiZe^]

Wait for WAR!
cba to read all ur of ur text fana

 

[Whisperess]

If I were you I'd go for WoW, if you can stand the graphics and absolutely want to play a MMO. (otherwise I'd suggest Elder Scrolls: Oblivion)

Case to point, you will need quite a few addons to catch up to the rest of the world in Daoc.

One can argue that yes, WoW's got better/more fun PvE but Daoc's got beter RvR. Yes, it does have a better RvR system - but if you're on your own you'll probably not have that much fun in RvR in the long (or short) run - whereas in WoW (even if their rank system is absurd) you won't have that problem as it's accessible even for solo players. Picking the right server type and faction matter a lot though.

Besides, it's never wrong to see something else; even if Daoc has improved a lot during the years (if you played 4-5 years ago you can't have lasted long since they celebrated 4th year anniversary not too long ago ) it still feels "stiff" in comparison. (my opinion)

Edit:

if you want to advance any more in power at 60 you will need to group and even raid (40 people groups).

That last part is just not true. You do not have to go on 40 people raids in order to advance when at level 60. There's a wide variety from 5, 10, 15 and 20 man instances available for great loot available. Yes, MC, BWL and AQ40 does have the top-end loot, but they are not a requirement in order to have fun. Then there's PvP armor available too if that's more the OP's thing.

WAR is probably a good choice too, but it's not available until 2007 so it's not really an option, is it?

 

[Aeon Blue]

Thanks for the awesome responses guys!
I think DAOC may have won this, if the guys on Prydwen Midguard are still as cool as they were when I was playing before (after a reality check this was actually Winter 2001 - Summer 2002) then I should feel right at home, picking up with Aeon who I left resting on a mountain outside Bledmeer Faste.
Alas it appears my old guild 'The Mighty Chronicles' is no more but I am sure there are plenty of guilds with good comradeship still going.

Thanks again for you help.

Aeon Blue
DAoC - Prydwen
lvl 39 Troll Warrior (Finally woken up)

 

[Starman]

Can I suggest DDO?

 

[Aeon Blue]

Indeed you can, and I did take a look at it, but I have to admit I am not a big fan of the Ebberon setting. If it had been FG then I would have been very tempted.
As for WAR, I am a big fan of GW tabletop wargaming so I will probably have a go on a friends account to see how it goes.

 

[Fana]

That last part is just not true. You do not have to go on 40 people raids in order to advance when at level 60. There's a wide variety from 5, 10, 15 and 20 man instances available for great loot available. Yes, MC, BWL and AQ40 does have the top-end loot, but they are not a requirement in order to have fun. Then there's PvP armor available too if that's more the OP's thing.

Hence why i said "you will need to group and even raid" In daoc you can get to the peak of pve power (and get ready for rvr) with little need for other peoples help (especially on classic as you dont need to do Master Levels there). Not saying this is inherently a good or a bad thing, just stating that as a soloer you dont have much to do at 60 in wow (getting your armour through pvp is incredibly time in-effective as well, as pvp rank 10 on most servers - full blue armour set - will require you to pvp for 6-10 hours a day for 8-12 weeks or so).

About DDO. Its an excellent game really, but it suffers alot of bugs, and a crippling lack of content. Its still nice to play through the content that is there, but there just isnt enough. I have played it semi-casualy since the 4th or march (3-4 hours a day most days of the week) and am level 8 already (max is 10), having done all except 2 quests or so. And since the quests are completley static it just isnt fun repeating them, and there is *nothing* else to do besides quest (well you can roleplay, but you can do that in any mmorpg). If you are very casual however, it might be the game for you.

At the moment i am myself waiting for Vanguard, which looks very promising. Supposed to come out later this year. And of course im also anticipating Warhammer Online, but that isnt until sometime in 2007 so could be almost 2 years off. Meanwhile im playing Oblivion and when i get tired of that i might reactivate my WoW account again, not because i think its a really good game (neither is it really bad) but because i have a nice guild there

 

[Tilda]

Indeed you can, and I did take a look at it, but I have to admit I am not a big fan of the Ebberon setting. If it had been FG then I would have been very tempted.
As for WAR, I am a big fan of GW tabletop wargaming so I will probably have a go on a friends account to see how it goes.

Assuming this was in old frontiers, you may need to send a RightNow through the GOA website if he's stuck there.
Personally if you're starting again, I'd suggest starting on Glastonbury, classic server means you dont need a buffbot and there are generally far more people leveling up as the server is relativley young.

 

[kladen]

i have played both, and wow is better at the moment, daoc improvements are nice but the demanding gfx poor music and interface puts it behind. wow is more balanced than daoc also in pvp wise but does not have as much pvp options (only battlegrounds)

another sad thing about daoc is that is rather unpopulated so you will find it lonely. everything solos or is high level

 

[Tilda]

kladen thats crap.

WoW pvp is absolutly shite compared to daoc's.
DAoC has currently, and has for quite some time, the best pvp in the mmorpg area. wow dosn't even come close.

 

[LordjOX]

Can we say talking out of your arse?

 

[Fana]

kladen thats crap.

WoW pvp is absolutly shite compared to daoc's.
DAoC has currently, and has for quite some time, the best pvp in the mmorpg area. wow dosn't even come close.

Cant categorically say that DAoC pvp is better than WoW pvp tbh. They are different, and due to some implementation issues WoW pvp is currently not as good as it should be, but i do think WoW's actual pvp mechanics (f.ex. interuption code) and balance (any class can beat any other) is alot better than DAoC's. DAoC on the other hand offer a superior setting (realm vs realm in a large persistant area, capturable objectives etc). Both leave something to be desired in the pvp rewards category (WoW's system rewarding only those that play 24/7, and DAoC making someone thats high ranked way too powerful).

but best pvp in the mmorpg area? Id have to go with Guildwars there really^^

 

[Poag]

I'd suggest WoW myself.

Its alot more "New MMO player" friendly than DAoC is, lets be honest here DAoC has a huge learning curse

WoW does alot of hand holding through the early game if you want it to, with this WoW lessens the curve that your assaulted with nicely.

PvE wise wow is alot more interesting than DAoC, encounters are faster, have more "little things" to them and some are downright funny


On the PvP front, i'd say DAoC has it there, i do like a good seige

But for quick action [if your server has short wait times] WoW is there, can be guarenteed of a fair fight [even teams wise] pretty much most of the time, and...aside the CTF gulch [boo hiss] the games are fun and do require some level of tactics

/me shuffles back to Arathi Basin

 

[Tallen]

If your main focus is PvP, DAoC by a country mile.

If you like instant fun without the time sink, WoW.

imo.

 

[kladen]

that is what i meant, the pvp in wow is better. as in player vs player. but daoc offers realm vs realm which offers alot more. wow is better balanced pvp wise. unlike daoc where range players have a larger advantage, and stupidly long aoe mesmerising which can be done by just 1 player, stuns that last too long. wow on the other hand has a better balance of skills per class for pvp. (daoc "seems" like they designed the skills for pve and didnt think about pvp)

 

[Tallen]

wow is better balanced pvp wise. unlike daoc where range players have a larger advantage, and stupidly long aoe mesmerising which can be done by just 1 player, stuns that last too long. wow on the other hand has a better balance of skills per class for pvp. (daoc "seems" like they designed the skills for pve and didnt think about pvp)

I could go into real detail here, but I really don't think i need too. Anyone who has played both games knows this is crap.

 

[kladen]

ive played both so thats the verdict i came up with.

 

[Cadiva]

(daoc "seems" like they designed the skills for pve and didnt think about pvp)

Oh dear me, are you playing the same game as everyone else? DAoC was designed as a Realm versus Realm game with RvR (or PvP if you want to call it the old school way) as the very heart of the game.

From my impressions playing from closed Euro Beta day one, WoW tacked PvP battlegrounds on after realising their core game concept - the conflict between Horde and Alliance, could pretty much be ignored if you never went into the opposion's territory. And, even if you did, you could keep your PvP flag off and only the opposition guards could actually touch you.

Considering the main focus, at least of the first two, Warcraft games was the Horde v Alliance fight, WoW doesn't really do that well at all on anything but the dedicated PvP servers.

As to which to play, depends entirely on your own style of playing. DAoC has a free trial on the US servers atm which it might be worth you trying first before buying all the expansions to catch up on your old account.

Personally I enjoy WoW when I play it but it has singularly failed to grab my attention to the point that I 'need' to log in every day and see what's happened overnight - probably because nothing much does happen overnight unless you're on a PvP server perhaps and even then I suspect it's only personal rankings which change.

DAoC has had my attention since day one, despite all its flaws because, at the end of the day, it has a 'real world' feeling to it and an indepth background rooted in existing mythology from ancient Britain and Scandinavia.

 

[Fana]

Oh dear me, are you playing the same game as everyone else? DAoC was designed as a Realm versus Realm game with RvR (or PvP if you want to call it the old school way) as the very heart of the game.

From my impressions playing from closed Euro Beta day one, WoW tacked PvP battlegrounds on after realising their core game concept - the conflict between Horde and Alliance, could pretty much be ignored if you never went into the opposion's territory. And, even if you did, you could keep your PvP flag off and only the opposition guards could actually touch you.

I would rather say that WoW tacked on battlegrounds when they realized that their crappy servers and netcode couldnt handle proper pvp - before battlegrounds the servers (pvp servers anyway) would crash every day from some pvp related event, like cityraids or big zergy battles at crossroads or hillsbrad etc. With battlegrounds they confined all the pvp to instances that they could place on their own servers within the servercluster thus preventing load on the worldserver.

About the "DAoC was designed as a Realm versus Realm game": Well yes, although there are abilities in daoc that were clearly designed for pve and not rebalanced for pvp, like long duration ae mess spells f.ex. - its gotten better by the introduction of other abilites, RA's etc, but that was done to try to bandaid the mechanics when they clearly should have been altered for use in pvp at the design phase of the game.

 

[Cadiva]

I would rather say that WoW tacked on battlegrounds when they realized that their crappy servers and netcode couldnt handle proper pvp - before battlegrounds the servers (pvp servers anyway) would crash every day from some pvp related event, like cityraids or big zergy battles at crossroads or hillsbrad etc. With battlegrounds they confined all the pvp to instances that they could place on their own servers within the servercluster thus preventing load on the worldserver.

About the "DAoC was designed as a Realm versus Realm game": Well yes, although there are abilities in daoc that were clearly designed for pve and not rebalanced for pvp, like long duration ae mess spells f.ex. - its gotten better by the introduction of other abilites, RA's etc, but that was done to try to bandaid the mechanics when they clearly should have been altered for use in pvp at the design phase of the game.

The above is also true. However, at its core, DAoC was made to be three realms fighting against each other, so PvP was at the heart of its end game.

WoW's crashing during PvP was a huge pain in the neck and the BGs I guess were a good solution.

I'm not dissing WoW or saying DAoC is better or anything. Just wondering how Kladen could have come to his conclusion

 

[old.Tohtori]

WoW if you have a sense of humour, and like to have fun(you know what i mean) while playing.

DaoC if you have a stick up yer arse and want it to be "real".

That's basicly it.

 

[Ebonn]

If you like PvP get Guild Wars, and save yourself a subscription fee while waiting for better stuff than WoW/DAoC to come along.