Also, over in the WildStar thread, lots of "omg you guys, WildStar is trying to avoid the "the real game is the end game" trap that other MMOs fall for! How amazing!".
If there is one gaming term I could strike from existence and cast whoever first laid claim to such a miserable descriptor into the fiery pits of hell, it would be "End Game." Not "visceral", not "cinematic", not even "hardcore/casual" which has been such a plague.
Look at this shit.
LOOK AT THIS SHIT.
LOOK UPON IT AND DESPAIR.
Banished is a
god damned city building game, made almost entirely by
one dude that came out Tuesday. A
city building game, and there are "Lol, no endgame" complaints.
Ugh. Fuck off. Not every game needs to have some absurd mechanic to keep you playing into infinity, even though this is a city building game and the variables for repeated play are actually much higher than usual.
Okay, rant over. Back to Guild Wars 2's utter lack of things to do at max level.
Just getting back into this. Have only played a little... I have three characters created.
A warrior, a guardian and a mesmer. What would you guys recommend as a "first" character.
In order of recommendation: (Necros left off since I haven't played them enough to appreciate their nuance).
- Warrior: Warrior feels a bit like the old 'Jack of all trades'. Solid ranged combat (both AOE and single target), great control, great melee damage and even some condi damage tucked in (bleed, burn, even torment). You can even support like a champ with banners and shouts. Some would argue they're almost 'master of all' too, and in some ways I agree just because the total package is so damn rock solid. The problem is, they aren't boring but they're just not as interesting as the other professions. The variety of weapons they can use (more than any other class) helps.
- Guardian: Very survival oriented (obviously) and they can be a blast to play. A good starting profession if only because they take a lickin' and keep on tickin', which is important in a melee class because you're going to be charging in and engaging enemies face to face (they've very little ranged attacks to speak of).
- Ranger: Lots of range (obviously) and the pet helps you keep enemies controlled, so that can make your early experience less difficult. I was very anti-ranger early on, but I've gone back and they're actually kind of fun.
- Engineer: Engineer has a bit of a learning curve, but only until you start unlocking the more interesting kits (flamethrower, grenades, etc.). The toolbelt is fun and the usefulness of turrets helps with the early levels. It's a profession where you can get chopped up rather easily until you find the groove, but very fun to play.
- Elementalist: Learning to 'stance dance' between the 4 attunements means they have a very sharp learning curve. Dagger / Dagger is kind of damage / melee oriented while staff will give you enough tools to learn how to self-combo and such.
- Thief: Batman: The class. You will spend more time dodging, using your naturally evasive attacks and dancing in combat than you will straight up attacking. Fun, but difficult to master. Thieves die a lot if you're not careful about who and what you engage.
- Mesmer: A cloth class with a weird sort of melee-duelist vibe with illusionary magic. It's a unique design in MMOs (Hell, gaming) that doesn't 'click' right away, and the design of the profession still feels like it doesn't rev up until level 40 or so. It can be extremely fun, but it's hard to find that fun early on.
That said, my wife went straight for a Mesmer and had a ton of fun at launch, my second profession to 80 was my thief, and in general you can have a lot of fun with any class if it 'clicks' with your playstyle.
Try them all, seriously. Go into the Heart of the Mists (not the edge, that's a tad dangerous) and you'll have all of your traits / skills unlocked, and you can play around a bit and get a feel for things.
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