WoW or Rift?!

[b-dub92]

I am thinking about getting either RIFT or WOW. I haven't played either one but i want a good MMORPG and these two have definitely attracted my eye. I was wondering if anyone could tell me which one you like best and why, and your dislikes and why. What do you like better for WOW or Rift, PvP, PvE, Questing, Storyline, Dungeons and Raids, Fluidity, World Environment, I know obviously the graphics and character selection are better in Rift which i like a lot. I know that the storyline is great in Wow, or from what I have heard. I know it is hard to compare the two games because they are both so different but I want peoples opinions that have played BOTH games, and not only get to lvl 10 in RIFT and say it was boring or something. I want to know details about the pros and cons of both games. Also I know that RIFT is a newer game and not many people play as much as WoW but i have a feeling within the next few months RIFT will have a huge community, I like games with a big community because it makes it more fun I think. Alot of my friends play WoW and I would like to know, What is your favorite???? Thanks!

And when you answer take it from my standpoint, every MMO is different and has different things, just because you don't like one or the other because your not used to it or it doesn't play how your used to doesn't mean someone else will too.

 

[crewton]

From a cost perspective, WoW will set you back more since you have to purchase the original + 3xpacs or get a battle set vs. the game for Rift.

From a gameplay perspective, both run nearly identical on abilities, questing, crafting and character types.

Rift is prettier.

WoW is fully established with something for everyone whether it be end game raiding, arenas, bgs, or trade chat trolling. I haven't gotten to lvl 50 in Rift but I was disappointed by the rifting mechanism. I thought it would be like the rifts in Aion but they are like mini pvp zones instead of world pvp.

I skipped on Rift since it was just a rehash of WoW with more eye candy. Waiting on SW:TOR to feed my MMO desire and quasi playing WoW until then.

 

[b-dub92]

Well for someone that hasn't played either game what would you recommend? I know a lot of people say that the two games are similar but they end up playing WoW because they don't want to leave their guild behind or they don't want to just leave there lvl 85 characters, but they are still bored with WoW because there is nothing to do anymore. Right now I'm heading towards RIFT just because it's something new and it looks fun, the whole rift thing is pretty cool. So if the quest's, game play etc. is alike then why not go with something newer? Then again it might backfire :/

 

[b-dub92]

But why is WoW an overall better game? I know Its just your opinion but i don't want to hear its a better game I want to hear why you think it is. Price doesn't really bother me either and i don't want a f2p game because you wont get the benefits like you do when you pay. I have watched many you tube videos on RIFT and it looks just as fluid as wow

 

[b-dub92]

Thank you, right now i currently play EQ2 and i just want something a little newer with a bigger community. I have some time to think about it though I'm not getting my new built PC til May so I will do some more research

 

[b-dub92]

That's true, I usually just don't like games based of movies because there usually not good but I will give it a try and see how it is.

 

[b-dub92]

Well you know what I mean I just like a game that is new, not based off an old novel or movie.

 

[Guest]

Dont knock LOTRO till you have tried it, Its been my Mainstay MMO for three years, it is very good indeed, with a really nice mature crowd, unlike WOW, its free to play as well, so good to try it out, and don't judge a book by its cover...

I am still contemplating RIFT, I will see what the state of play is after a couple of months, will it still be popular!

Am playing Black Prophecy at the moment, F2P in Europe, basic game ATM but fun for a few hours!

SW:TOR hopefully will become my Full time MMO with LOTRO going Second!

 

[easymark26]

have any of the people in this thread played Rift ?
the comments I see have been "I skipped Rift" or "WoW is better because"

I like both games almost equally,
Rift is just as easy to play as WoW,
In many cases Rift has gotten lots of things correct right away because it has learned from the many mistakes that other MMOs have made, in some cases such as the Auction house, its not as good as WoW but still completely functional,

I like that there arent as many people who have caught on to Rift, I like that it feels like it is a more mature community, I love the Pvp Warfronts except for Whitefall Steppes.
I really enjoy the Soul system, it has kept me from making 8 different alts.
I like that the game has only been out for a month and already they are adding World Events and new content.
all that being said, I have played WoW since Burning Crusade and things have just gotten old to me as far as WoW goes. I need something new and Rift delivers, for me.

 

[b-dub92]

Thank you! That is what I agree with, I don't want to know about other games I wanted to know about wow or rift and everyone would never give me an exact answer. I am looking forward to a more mature community and I hope rift gets a little more popular. Thanks for the good answer that is the kind I am looking for! Not ones about other mmos or ones that have only played wow. I want to know about wow and rift and overall rift seems like a newr funner game for me. I think most people are afraid to make the commitment to switch to a whole new game and lvl up all over again so I think that's why most wow players say that haven't tried or that wow is better

 

[Guest]

Hmmm... go rift then!

I have tried more MMO than I care to remember, I have seen rift being played in person and had a go myself, I am just waiting till I know its going to be around for the long hall-- Been burnt to many times to just jump! ( STO-Tab-Ras-AOC-Hellgate to name a few!)

 

[b-dub92]

That's what I'm afraid of, it just dying quickly. But I have a feeling that wow will soon be gone if they don't keep it up with the expansions. Everyone is getting bored with it and looking for a newer funner game and I hope rift will be a big hit and possibly come close to wow's number of subscribers

 

[b-dub92]

WoW doesn't have 12 million anymore, that was when they were at there peak. There numbers are slowly decreasing, not by much but they are. I'm not saying WoW will be gone but Blizzard will have to do something new to keep its players. Maybe a whole new WoW with a new engine and better graphics? I would love to play WoW mostly because it has done so good and all of my friends play it but I want to give RIFT a try because it looks awesome. I would just have to get my friends to play it which I don't think will happen because none of the want to leave there guild. I'm sure RIFT will get old after awhile just like WoW is for some people but its a new game with better graphics, better customization and it has great potential if people will give it a try. I also understand that people don't even want to give RIFT a try because they think they stole ideas or w/e from WoW but doesn't every MMO? I mean seriously all RIFT did was take the best parts of several MMO's and made it into one game. They have much room to improve also since it is a new game and all. I cant find information on how many people are subscribed to RIFT but I do know they had over 1 million in the first week alone!

 

[easymark26]

12 million people ? are you saying that if an mmo doesnt get 12 million it wont survive?

MMOs rarely ever die, ive been around for some terrible launches of mmos and they are still around, Champions Online, STO, FF14, WaR (so much potential! so little vision), my only advice is to play whatever makes you comfortable.
City of heroes is still around and supposedly has a base of 250k people. they are still releasing new content for that game.
Is it a failure because it doesnt have 1 million or 12 million subs?
If your friends are playing WoW maybe you should play with them, that is what I typically end up doing...

 

[StuMan]

It depends upon whether you want to become involved in a game with a well established long time player base or with a new player base that will be learning about the game with you. You have to remeber that WoW has been around for quite a long time so there are a lot of guides telling you how to play, along with the multitude of opinions about how you should play. I personally enjoy learning the new game Rift along with everyone else that has started it. Just a point, WoW might be the better game at the current point in time, however Rift is an extremely polished game for a first release... Imagine how great it will be after a few patches? I remember WoW in the beginning and it was quite buggy and took a long time to become the game it is today.

In conclusion, you should base your decision upon whether you want to have an experienced gaming population around you while you learn or if you want to learn along with the gaming population. That said it would be worth while trying WoW for its 10 day trial as it wont cost you anything.

Hope this helps.

P.S. It is definately worth looking at LOTRO I have been playing for quite a while and the gaming population is fantastic, great for support. Plus it is free to play.

 

[envymert]

I close beta tested WoW, and still play it but I also subscribe to RIFT. Both are good games, I personally like WoW better as I feel I can play it more casually. The dungeon finder and pvp is easier than RIFT. Both are good games , so I would say try them both WoW has a 10day trial and RIFT has trial weekends from time to time. Next time they have one I will shoot you trial key if you would like.

 

[b-dub92]

Ok thanks that would be great but I don't get my new pc until may:/ haha

 

[Morton]

If you want to dedicate yourself for a long period of time to one MMO game, you should probably decide what type of gameplay you want to be experiencing over and over and over again and spend some time reading and researching what concepts different MMO games are based on.

For example, I settled with Dungeons & Dragons Online because I consider its PvE concept and cooperative gameplay to be the best one compared to other fantasy MMORPG games released so far. In DDO the main goal is to complete adventures which last from a few minutes to 2-3 hours or chains of adventures which take even longer. Experience points are awarded for completing adventures instead of killing single monsters like in many other MMORPG games. Completing an adventure usually requires co-operation of many players who have to contribute their specific skills and know-how to help the group progress with an adventure.

You should probably find out more about the concept of WoW and Rift.

 

[b-dub92]

Best answer selected by b-dub92.

 

[prinzess]

I have checked out Rift and I was very disappointed by the questing system. They are not complete enough. The game did not feel complete enough for a release.

I have played WoW for 4 years and I keep coming back to it. I do have alot of different toons but it makes it fun for me to try all the different classes. The different crafting options. I am trying them all. If I take one toon through leveling one way, I might go and take another toon and level it in a whole different area just to get the storyline and lore of the game.
The BGs are absolutely fun and frustrating all the time. I have spent numerous weekends getting those honor points.
The WoW scenery just does it for me. I can go anywhere from a dense jungle, to a desolate barren, forsaken place to one of the most beautiful beaches with the clearest waters. I cannot even do that in real in a day.
Sometimes I stand on a mountain and watch the WOW sun go down or admire the moon.
But most of all the very thing that ties us to a MMO is the community. Our friends, our guildies, all the new people you meet that become such good friends. That is what keeps us coming back again and again, requardless of the game.

I wish you luck and I hope you enjoy the game you choice.

 

[easymark26]

I have checked out Rift and I was very disappointed by the questing system. They are not complete enough. The game did not feel complete enough for a release.

I have played WoW for 4 years and I keep coming back to it. I do have alot of different toons but it makes it fun for me to try all the different classes. The different crafting options. I am trying them all. If I take one toon through leveling one way, I might go and take another toon and level it in a whole different area just to get the storyline and lore of the game.
The BGs are absolutely fun and frustrating all the time. I have spent numerous weekends getting those honor points.
The WoW scenery just does it for me. I can go anywhere from a dense jungle, to a desolate barren, forsaken place to one of the most beautiful beaches with the clearest waters. I cannot even do that in real in a day.
Sometimes I stand on a mountain and watch the WOW sun go down or admire the moon.
But most of all the very thing that ties us to a MMO is the community. Our friends, our guildies, all the new people you meet that become such good friends. That is what keeps us coming back again and again, requardless of the game.

I wish you luck and I hope you enjoy the game you choice.

I am interested in what you mean when you say

I was very disappointed by the questing system. They are not complete enough. The game did not feel complete enough for a release.

in which ways did it not feel complete ?

 

[reallymj]

I have played over 30 mmo's. From SWG, EQ1, EQ2, AOC, DAOC, COH, WAR, Allods, RYL, Aion, Vanguard, Wow, Rift and many others. Out of all of them Rift and WOW are my top 2 favorites. I played Wow for years from PVP to MT in a raiding guild. I really like the crafting system in both Wow and Rift. I enjoyed the concept of PVP in both games. Wow has the long history of content and end users. Rift is the fresh new game on the block. The graphics blow away any other mmo. I really enjoy the eye candy. From a release standpoint Rift has had the smoothest release out of any game I've played since beta. I am currently lvl 50 Prestige Rank 5 in PVP. Its a lot of fun. The dungeons are fun and easy to learn. The quest system works well. Leveling goes quick and the game is just plain easy to pick up and play if you've played any mmo. The game has shown a lot of promiss so far. Customer service has been excellent. My account was hacked and I lost everything. A GM fixed it within 1 day they were able to completely restore my account. Then they implemented a great feature called coinlock and an authenticater similar to wows. Basically if someone logs into your account from a remote location a password is sent to your email which must be entered in game before you can sell off any items or use the AH. This game just has unbelievable polish and will only get better with time. The classes are great and the soul system is wonderful. You are not limited to only playing a healer, dps, or tank. You can try them all out with only having to play one character. Its just awesome to be able to Tank in a raid one day and then the next you can destroy people in PVP without having to respec. You basically get 4 setups to use in Rift and each one gives you 3 souls(classes) to choose from for your given calling rogue, warrior, cleric, mage. The flexability is great. I can't tell you how many times in wow we needed a certain class and it wasn't available. In Rift they eliminate the issue by giving you the option to switch souls. I would recommend trying both games out for a week or so a piece and then make your decision.

 

[boxturd]

I played WoW from Vanilla to Cata. I've played most characters from hunter to mage and all up to lvl85. Only one I didn't play was rogue. I dual-boxed it, multi-boxed it, arena'd it but was never an end game raider. I now play Rift. I play on the defiant side with a cleric, warr and a rogue and have to say I'm really enjoying every aspect of it. Including questing.

Vanilla WoW was brilliant, BC had some great aspects to it, WotlK was when the decline in game play and player spirit started and Cata is basically rubbish. I cannot possibly imagine starting a new character in WoW. Going from 1 - 85 across all those zones, even with the buffed xp (which means you don't have to do all that BC has to offer) is a no way, never going to happen proposition. Questing in WoW today is varied - from collect 10, kill 10, blow up 10 and pick up the bits 10 - but boring. There's a couple of quest lines which are really epic and fun but those are few and far between. And when you get to 85 and you think you're there then think again. You're going to have to do all the dungeons X times to get gear got enough to do heroics. Then you'll have to do em all again at heroic level to get gear for raiding. Then you need to find a stable, reliable raiding guild and at that stage basically give up any life you thought you had to raid. Either you commit to end game raiding or WoW stops dead in it's tracks as a game.

At 85, if you want to get into even an heroic dungeon then it'll be the ilvl discussion. If you don't have ilvl345 or above then you won't get in. And if you do get in, the impatience and rudeness of the community is just truly amazing. The simplest error and bam, people start leaving the group. PvP is arena - most BG's are boring. AB, AV, EoS etc - done em, been there, which ever side has the best gear wins. Tactics are rush, rinse and repeat. Typical in game insults are 'noob', 'retard' and that's about as good as it gets. Rift however is surprisingly refreshing.

As there's lots of ex-WoW players the skill level is very high and there's a spirit and community which is tolerating. There's some good questing ideas - and fun ones too. For example, at ca. lvl15 there's a quest line which tests your gear and endurance - you have to eat cheese and I had to laugh. There's some very tight areas pakced with mobs with short spawn rates which means you have to pull mobs with care, kill quick, do what you need to and then get out. Really fun because you can really get yourself into a tight spot where only skill will keep you alive. Then there's rifts which have the effect of breaking up the questing process while granting you xp and if players are in the area you get to opt in to a public group. This can be really fun. And then there's world raids. This is when Rift gets to be epic. Imagine a raid level boss, geared for the zone and the number of players and everybody gets to join in.

The soul system in Rift means there are no cooky cutter specs and with 8 souls available you can really have fun with your play style. The Black Garden is novel, hasn't got boring yet and because you can respecc easily, I can play healer today, attack and offensive tomorrow - which again keeps the game fresh.

Rift is epic. You'll have more fun with Rift than you will with WoW.