Vanguard: Saga of Heroes restrictions removed on F2P

[Spacebar]

Has anybody played this since many of the absurd restrictions were removed?

http://www.tentonhammer.com/vanguard/news/vanguard-saga-of-heroes-eases-free-to-play-restrictions

It used to seem like it could be a decent game that just never got the player base to justify any real investment. But I read about a lot of people joining after the restrictions were removed and was just wondering if it got better.

[Swish]

If you have been holding out on giving Vanguard: Saga of Heroes a try because of the restrictions on free accounts we have some good news. SOE has relaxed a lot of the restrictions previously in place for free Vanguard players with today’s update. Free players can now play any race or class without restriction, are allowed to create guilds, own a house, and you’re no longer limited to 2 platinum in currency. Free players can also now join Caravans & Brotherhoods, have had quest limits increased to 50, are no longer burdened with broker and mail penalties, and now have all bag slots available.

Don’t worry, there are some new perks for those of you that are subscribing as well.

Gold Members:

50% XP boost
Gain faction at double the normal rate
20% discount on broker fees, mail fees, riftway fees, item repair, and housing upkeep
Can purchase 2 housing plots
In progress: Improved odds at receiving rare loot drops. (Coming in next week's update)
Your previous member benefits remain: more character slots, more bank slots, no item restrictions, 10% Marketplace discount, and 500 Station Cash per month.

You can learn more about the newly adjusted free and subscription models here. Patch notes for the update are available on the Vanguard forums.

Fingers crossed it pays SOE enough to keep it online now they've done that. I'm tempted to have a look, never did play it properly.

[Rhambuk]

Loved vanguard one of my top fav mmo's

had so many awesome features, its just to bad the launch was awful, and when it finally got up and proper the population was so low it was hard to play. Went back last year with a friend from p99 was still a ton of fun but little population makes it hard to group. if you need help higher levels will but thats not really how i like to experience games.

[Thulack]

Got a email yesterday saying Rift is completely F2P now too with no restrictions.

[this user was banned]

Got a email yesterday saying Rift is completely F2P now too with no restrictions.

Same here and I got asked to beta test the remake of the failed FFXIV

[citizen1080]

After eq1 vanguard is my favorite mmo. If it had a solid population id be there.

[JonathanHancock]

After eq1 vanguard is my favorite mmo. If it had a solid population id be there.

I only had a midend rig, and had next to zero problems on launch. Such a shame. Dungeon crawling from 10-50 was fucking awesome. So many dungeons with incredibly cool shit to see.

[Blackbilly]

had such high hopes for vg, i'd give it another go if there were people to roll with. The diplomacy card game was great, never leveld up high enough to see if it was actually useful.

Someone in this thread start up a guild and we can all roll together~

[Nune]

Ive had it downloaded and installed through Steam for a while, unless this f2p restriction was some Beacon of Light that brought many people back, the population is Red99 ish. Not numbers wise, but in that 80% of the server is max level and max geared, veru cliquey. I logged on probably around 2 months ago and did some rabblerousing

[Arcinsane]

Same here and I got asked to beta test the remake of the failed FFXIV

played it in phase 2. Still terrible imo :/

[citizen1080]

I have a max lvl bard...i think max lvl...lol been awhile. And like 10 lvl 40ish alts. Healers, tanks, dps...whatever. If we get some interest ill reload it and we can get a guild rolling.

[r00t]

I tried this a couple times, played durin beta high as fuck on crystal meth for like 4.2 days straight just owning noobs in some noob cave after I travelled long and far and got some overpowered ass sword (I quit when my sword broke or got nerfed).

Anyway about a year ago when they started the f2p stuff I checked it out again and seemed like an empty WoW clone so I didn't get past the little tutorial zone.

[Swish]

I tried this a couple times, played durin beta high as fuck on crystal meth for like 4.2 days straight just owning noobs in some noob cave after I travelled long and far and got some overpowered ass sword (I quit when my sword broke or got nerfed).

Anyway about a year ago when they started the f2p stuff I checked it out again and seemed like an empty WoW clone so I didn't get past the little tutorial zone.

http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/.a/6a010535ce1cf6970c017d42907d2f970c-800wi

[r00t]

well, I went diggin for skeptic cat. here's how I got us into beta

http://i.imgur.com/x9Juh8b.jpg

[JonathanHancock]

I tried this a couple times, played durin beta high as fuck on crystal meth for like 4.2 days straight just owning noobs in some noob cave after I travelled long and far and got some overpowered ass sword (I quit when my sword broke or got nerfed).

Anyway about a year ago when they started the f2p stuff I checked it out again and seemed like an empty WoW clone so I didn't get past the little tutorial zone.

LOL were you with us in the Forgotten Few pvp guild?

I'm pretty sure what you remember are the Atchatlan caves, with spiders and weird four-armed beast things.

SO MANY DUNGEONS in Vanguard --- and they're the best MMO dungeon crawls I've ever done. The Ruins of Trengal Keep, for example, is a ZONE-SIZED DUNGEON with multiple levels. Long-ass quest taht can bring you from 20-35 with real nice rewards.

[Rhambuk]

I have a max lvl bard...i think max lvl...lol been awhile. And like 10 lvl 40ish alts. Healers, tanks, dps...whatever. If we get some interest ill reload it and we can get a guild rolling.

Get it rolling bob I'm definitely down to try, Bard was my highest lvl char i think i only got her to 35 or so but bard was so much fun I loved being able to create my own songs.

[Grahm]

Anyone playing? Want to try but with atleast 2-3 people

[Millburn]

I used to play back in beta and a bit past release. I'm down to try this out again. I'm downloading it right now so I'm not sure how long this will take.

[JonathanHancock]

Sounds dope....Ill DL it overnight tonight give a go after work tomorrow. I'll post my toon's name here tomorrow

[Spacebar]

I've been trying it out on and off. I started a monk and a psionicist. Seems super easy, but threads like this make me at least want to try it: https://forums.station.sony.com/vg/index.php?threads/what-makes-you-stay.69531/

[Millburn]

I made a blood mage named Millburn Pennybags if any of you gits wanna hit me up.

[citizen1080]

Downloading now and will reinstall. Daishi, Diashi, Hateme, Sorrowful, Aerial....thats all i can think of atm.

[Khaleesi]

Loved vanguard one of my top fav mmo's

had so many awesome features, its just to bad the launch was awful, and when it finally got up and proper the population was so low it was hard to play. Went back last year with a friend from p99 was still a ton of fun but little population makes it hard to group. if you need help higher levels will but thats not really how i like to experience games.

Agreed.
New MMORPG could learn a lot from Vanguard on what things to do, to set them apart and begin positive trends in the MMO industry - take us away from these regurgitated products.

Unfortunately for most people who played EverQuest II, Vanguad is too similar to really invest in.
Otherwise, it's highly recommended.

[Rhambuk]

I've been trying it out on and off. I started a monk and a psionicist. Seems super easy, but threads like this make me at least want to try it: https://forums.station.sony.com/vg/index.php?threads/what-makes-you-stay.69531/

The begining is very easy, especially on the starter island, once you get to 10 and move off of it the game becomes a lot more challenging. They may have made some more changes I havent played in over a year but things were definitely harder off the island.

[Millburn]

Okay so I wasn't very pleased with the blood mage, just wasn't the right playstyle for me. I kinda went on a character creation spree so I'm just gonna drop all the names here.

Millburn
Spenny
Vesley
Simskin

[EchoedTruth]

Playing as Asmodei - Dread Knight baby $$

[Millburn]

Oh snap DK buddies! Just hit 10 on mine, trying to figure out which path to take off the island.

[Barkingturtle]

Might DL this tonight and give it another shot - I'm one of the few who really liked VG at launch, even. Is it still a 30gb download, though? That is a lot of space on my six year-old PC.

[nilbog]

Did the f2p restrictions change for gear?

The last time I tried I couldn't use some of my items without a paid subscription :T

[EchoedTruth]

Did the f2p restrictions change for gear?

The last time I tried I couldn't use some of my items without a paid subscription :T


All I can tell you is they apparently removed a lot of restrictions. I think some gear might be restricted but you get a gift that removes restrictions on old gear, too.

I really dig it. If FFXIV sucks (again), then P99 and Vanguard will be the only MMOs I play for a long, long time. At least until Elder Scrolls: Online :D

[EchoedTruth]

Might DL this tonight and give it another shot - I'm one of the few who really liked VG at launch, even. Is it still a 30gb download, though? That is a lot of space on my six year-old PC.

Was like 5-6GB d/l, went really, really fast, honestly.

[Millburn]

You can wear everything except the orange gear as f2p other than that...there's really no restrictions outside of bank space (70 something slots instead of 200ish). The rest of the differences between f2p and paid are just bonuses to those to pay not restrictions to those who don't. I like that approach more.

Edit: I went ahead and snipped a picture of the comparison chart.
http://i.imgur.com/5c6nWG8.jpg
2. Rare and higher items will have limited availability for Free members.

[Grahm]

me n some dude named yessir from here leveled to lvl 8.

more ppl shud join game is pretty dope imo.

/tell Hershie

Can get a guild going called The Inglorious Mystical Rampage Entry

[Rhambuk]

got it up and running tonight, ran into millburn, if we can find a few more people i think hes already paid the guild charter we just need a full group to form it

[Sularus Oth Mithas]

Setting it up now. Never did try it, when it came out my machine couldn't handle it. Any tips for n00bs?

[Millburn]

Yeah don't go to your home town when you create a character, go to the Isle of Dawn and do all the quests there. You net yourself full stat armor, a special trinket that takes a lot of work to get elsewhere, and your first mount.

[Sularus Oth Mithas]

Sounds good, it's downloading kinda slow for me, probably make it on tomorrow at this rate.

[stormlord]

I want to feel good about Vanguard.

Most of the big MMO's have similar policies. That's why I can't. They're all business. They will tell you they love you like a woman does, but then they're off frolicking with some other guy.

Maybe it's a good game. I know some like it. But, honestly, I've tasted the waters of modern mainstream MMORPG gaming and they're bitter. I can only be me, I can't be someone else.

[Sularus Oth Mithas]

Seeing how the benefit of a subscription is basically fast experience, and based on what I've read in the forums, I can see nothing has changed.

Faster = Better is still the prevailing wisdom in modern mainstream mmorpgs.

I'd rather see them limit playtime to 5 hours per week for free accounts or something like that. That way you can try the game without feature restrictions and the goal of subscribing isn't to level up faster but to be able to play more.

If a game is interesting enough, speed of leveling is the last thing that matters. I played GW2 for about 6 months and I had so much fun trying out different races and classes and exploring zones that it took me almost 3 months before I had an 80. It doesn't get any easier than GW2 for leveling and it took me that long.

5 hours a week isn't worth the download, the whole point is to get people in and if that was the case I would not be downloading it. If I really enjoy it I might sub later but at least I can give it an honest go and not have to pay to try unlock a class or some other BS like EQ2 does.

Looking forward to trying this bad boy out.

[Mangorange]

Starting this up on a HE bloodmage, Vampiresa.

[stormlord]

If a game is interesting enough, speed of leveling is the last thing that matters. I played GW2 for about 6 months and I had so much fun trying out different races and classes and exploring zones that it took me almost 3 months before I had an 80. It doesn't get any easier than GW2 for leveling and it took me that long.

5 hours a week isn't worth the download, the whole point is to get people in and if that was the case I would not be downloading it. If I really enjoy it I might sub later but at least I can give it an honest go and not have to pay to try unlock a class or some other BS like EQ2 does.

Looking forward to trying this bad boy out.
You want to download it so you can play it as long as you want.

I don't believe games should be free, but neither do I like feature restrictions. That's why I suggest a limit on playtime per week. It gives you a chance to try some things and is simpler than the F2P cash shops that're so popular. What's so good about them? They're disgusting. Advertising and bling bling.

There's no value in faster experience gain to me. That's superficial. Value is content and challenge. When I battle an area and use tactical knowledge to overcome the enemy and acquire a new weapon that allows me to level up somewhat faster, it has value not because of the increased leveling speed but because of the content and difficulties that got me there. The increased leveling speed is meaningless without those things.

What's a game if all the content and challenges are removed? A slot machine.

[Millburn]

So what you're saying is that Vanguard's f2p model is perfectly suited for your tastes. I'm not sure why you're making this argument here, you're basically confirming their business model on this game.

[Sularus Oth Mithas]

Maybe I am missing something but I can't seem to customize my character. I can pick race/class/name then it goes right into the game after that. Am I missing something?

[Millburn]

Yeah you should be able to customize your character after you've done the class/race/name selection. Right after you choose to finalize those selections it'll take you to the customization window. So it's taking you directly into the game instead?

[nilbog]

Installed last night and looked around for a few. I could still wear all my stuff which was cool.

My name.. apparently got taken when they merged servers which really sucks; had to choose a new one. Did a few rounds of diplomacy and logged off.

Still have my OG prenerf 2x Destructions from when you could do the quest twice. vgplayers.com doesn't work anymore, so I can't see my profile or any of the server firsts I had gotten. Is that somewhere else, or just gone? :T

[moklianne]

Still have my OG prenerf 2x Destructions from when you could do the quest twice. vgplayers.com doesn't work anymore, so I can't see my profile or any of the server firsts I had gotten. Is that somewhere else, or just gone? :T

Its being worked on and will be released soon. (TM)

Same goes for eqplayers.com, been down for over a year now?

[Peatree]

Makes me wonder if my old toons are still there. If so I just might have to re-install this and play again.

Had a fully level'd and gear'd goblin warrior named Grench that looked bad ass when he was mounted on his hound. Plus he was a fully level'd armorsmith and that was such a grind.

Also had a mid level female goblin Bloodmage named "Midol" and was just starting to really love that class.

[Millburn]

Well if you guys can swing it we should plan on logging in around 9pm EDT so we can get this guild started. At least that way we have a central means of communication so we all aren't coming in piece meal and not having people to talk to. I put my VG characters in my signature so go ahead and add me, I'll be online with the guild charter around 7:30pm EDT.

My name.. apparently got taken when they merged servers which really sucks; had to choose a new one. Did a few rounds of diplomacy and logged off.


My old toons name got taken as well... went from a sweet Wesley Thunder to Wesley18 Thunder =( at least DAOC had a sense of humor about it when they changed my guy from Chubbycox to Chuforth.

[Grahm]

Ill be on at 9 EDT to try and help get guild started. better pick a good name!

[Millburn]

I was going to name it Ethereal but I'm open to consensus or changing it after the fact. Just want to get it established and we can worry about all that jazz later.

[citizen1080]

Apparently my download failed...will kick it off again tonight.

[Sularus Oth Mithas]

Yeah you should be able to customize your character after you've done the class/race/name selection. Right after you choose to finalize those selections it'll take you to the customization window. So it's taking you directly into the game instead?

Got it thanks, I had only just looked at it briefly before work and didn't go that far. Up and running now, playing a necro. I will most likely play with a few classes to see what feels right before committing to one.

[Anderdale]

had the first lvl 50 druid on my server. sold him for around $400. I might reinstall this and start playing again.

[Millburn]

The guild is up and running! You can hit up Hershie, Vampiresa, or Spenny/Splenny for invites. As soon as we get you guys in we can give invite privs for others to join in on. Some dude who helped form the guild (random from in-game) was totally a Fennin Ro player back in 1999 and is downloading EQ Titanium as we speak. Funny how things work out sometimes...

[Rhambuk]

Fennin Ro player back in 1999 and is downloading EQ Titanium as we speak.

Wonder how sony would feel knowing were using their F2P services to recruit for p99.

Will be looking for you tonight for an invite, should make it a lot easier, just need to decide on a class. Narrowed it down, should have it figured tonight

[mrgoochio]

Whats the guild name? Is there more than one server? installing now

I was Mesmeriz in p99, dont know if anyone remembers me. I was a wood elf bard on vesica dei

[Millburn]

Guild name is Ethereal and there's just one vanguard server. I'm heading out to work here in a few minutes but there's been a few names posted in this thread already. If you don't get in touch with somebody before I get home I can toss you a tag around 7:30 EDT

[mrgoochio]

just ethereal? i saw a guild in the social tab named ethereal something or other

[Millburn]

Ethereal Order or something to that effect is a pre existing guild; just one word for ours.

[Spacebar]

Just joined the guild. My name in game is Grizlik (Goblin Psyionicist). Still trying to get a feel for the game, honestly. It feels huge and looks amazing, though (or maybe I'm just used to old everquest graphics, haha).

[citizen1080]

It really is huge and amazing..massive amounts of content

[mrgoochio]

anyone play this game at night time or u all have lives? :P

[Khaleesi]

It really is huge and amazing..massive amounts of content

Though for people who are socially driven in RPGs, like most EQ players were/are - it's low population is problematic. It's all well and good to start with a group of people here, however that won't last long.

IF, you don't mind the solo aspect, then ya it's fun.

Either way, as always, it's worth people trying a bit. You can't say you're a MMO veteran unless you've played Vanguard.

[mrgoochio]

there were about 50ppl logged on <lvl 50 and everyone else was 50+ just fyi

[Rhambuk]

there were about 50ppl logged on <lvl 50 and everyone else was 50+ just fyi

Yep the leveling game is challenging with the low pop, but once you get up there your in.

leveling does kind of suck when you cant find people to go dungeon crawling and have to solo outdoor mobs, bleh, but the high levels are very nice and willing to help. The last time I played with a friend from p99, I went bard she went cleric, we had a few troubles obviously but around the low 30's we started doing some line of quests for class armor i think and a quick shout would get lots of help from high levels.

[Millburn]

anyone play this game at night time or u all have lives? :P

I play into the early mornings but that's just my usual play time as I work evenings. There's a couple others that have been on into the morning as well.

As for the population, I was actually surprised at how active the server is. Now don't get me wrong, it's still quite barren due to the size of the world but when I left the game back in the day...shit was super barren. The community itself seems quite healthy and stable and I haven't had trouble seeing people in most the level brackets but obviously it's top heavy with how old the game is. There's a mentoring system in place so that isn't as much of an issue as it may appear to be.

[mrgoochio]

still not sure if ill play but i have it installed. my account has a lvl 10 cleric lol :D i think my char was last played right after getting out of the isles. maybe ill roll a new toon or something

[Millburn]

Just a bump to let anybody looking to play tonight that I'm about to log in. Hop on in if you want tagged.

[stormlord]

Nevermind.

[Grahm]

Yo millburn been really busy at work so havent logged on. Try not to poopsock levels tonight lol. Dunno how lvling work but am level 10 so hope to grp with you all tomorrow

[citizen1080]

le sigh...they did not remove all item restrictions...my bard cant wear half her gear. Damn you Sony!

[smokemon]

Made a necro that just wrecks face already, still a lot of glitches though =/

[Millburn]

Yo millburn been really busy at work so havent logged on. Try not to poopsock levels tonight lol. Dunno how lvling work but am level 10 so hope to grp with you all tomorrow

I haven't played since FFXIV beta weekend started up again. I'm currently level 17 but dunno how long I'll sit on that. I have a level 12 DK sitting around anyway so no harm no foul.

[Rhambuk]

Where are people going after the isle?

I used to go to veskals exchange but theyve changed things around and im not such a big fan of themnwars shield :(

[Millburn]

I've been going to Tomb of Lord Tsang then immediately porting over to blighted lands to bind as there are full vendors and full trainers sitting there. I then do all the Tomb of Lord Tsang quests to get about 3 levels or so and then pop over between the other lvl 10 zones to get up to 14 or 15 before heading back to Blighted Lands to do those quests.

When it's all said and done it doesn't really matter where you choose to go from the island you can port around between all those options for like 20 copper or port to the hub cities for free.

[citizen1080]

Just make sure you end up north doing the Hunters League questline around lvl 20. Will get you to almost 30 and in orange gear when done. (Tho you might not be able to wear it as f2p)

[Danth]

I play Vanguard on occasion; for various reasons I prefer making "alternate" characters there than on EQ-emulator. I use Vanguard strictly as a free player and have no intention of ever spending anything on it.

First off, if you're free-play, put your lockboxes (even bronze) up on the broker; don't vendor them. As you level they WILL fund things like flying mounts for you. Also, don't bother wasting money/gold on item unlocks at least until level 40 or so. Prior to then items don't last very long and you level so quickly that it's a waste. If you want to be a bit stingy, wait for level 48 gear or therabout.

Due to the plethora of relatively cheap flying mounts, ships are largely obsolete now. Don't waste money on one unless you have money to spare. Player-owned houses are generally obsolete as well on account of harvested materials stacking to 100 now. Crafting in general serves little purpose unless you take it all the way to very high levels; either craft because you enjoy it, or don't bother.

Bring a large dose of bug tolerance. Vanguard remains an exceedingly glitchy game--much moreso than P1999 even--and the unrelenting stream of glitches eventually wears most people down. It's the video game equivalent of death by a thousand cuts.

The miniscule community still playing Vanguard (less than on P1999 at any given time) exhibits a strange tendency towards denial with respect to the game's myriad faults. These people often discuss how Vanguard isn't really buggy, or how the population's climbing fast, or how it's the greatest MOG ever made and how only Sony conspires to keep it down, or any of a dozen other delusional claims. When these folks start up, it's best to politely ignore them; you won't change their minds any more than you can argue with a religious fanatic and most the folks there are plenty nice otherwise.

Danth

[Faerie]

Is there still no pvp server?

[Millburn]

Is there still no pvp server?

No but god damn would I love for there to be one. My Disciple right now trucks with absolute impunity.

[Faerie]

I played on the FFA server when the game released, up until the merge of all pvp servers together. Vanguard really had the potential to be the best MMO of all time, and EQ's spiritual successor; but the bugs really made it difficult to play at times. Microsoft (and then SOE) pushed Sigil to release an unfinished project, and I think that's what killed the game before it even began.

The classes were so unique and interesting that I really wanted the game to work. I was bard and blood mage, arguably two of the coolest classes ever. The way bards composed their own songs was magical, as was the interesting implementation of a cloth DPS/healer class. Blood mage had organic symbiotic creatures/items, that were applied and worked as buffs. So cool.

[Millburn]

The mechanics in Vanguard are as a whole really one of a kind. They took such nuanced approaches to each class that ended up really setting everything apart. The fact that Necromancers could craft their pets with items and trophies you got from mobs and bosses around the world was spot on badass. Pretty much every class had something like that though, so instead of each one having its own role and niche to fill in the metagame they had their own way of playing from the user end. I wish more games would do that.

[Snagglepuss]

I liked how they moved away from the ranger being a weak melee druid to more of a scout / archer. They are still portrayed as a light armor dps class, but their ability to deal serious bow damage, especially while hidden is so cool. Add in some nature based attacks and the ability to charm animals, and they are a super versatile class that is great for an explorer / solo type of player. The different defensive stances allow you play a variety of styles like archer, melee dps, or evasive.

Also, I thought it was cool how rogues deal huge damage while being "stealthed" or hidden, much like using sneak in EQ. They remain hidden until they grab aggro and are attacked.

The attack system was really cool how you could exploit mob weaknesses through certain attacks. The chain attacks and counter attacks were really neat. Classes like rogues could create opportunities by distracting the mobs allowing group members to exploit various weaknesses of the mob.

[stormlord]

I liked how they moved away from the ranger being a weak melee druid to more of a scout / archer. They are still portrayed as a light armor dps class, but their ability to deal serious bow damage, especially while hidden is so cool. Add in some nature based attacks and the ability to charm animals, and they are a super versatile class that is great for an explorer / solo type of player. The different defensive stances allow you play a variety of styles like archer, melee dps, or evasive.

Also, I thought it was cool how rogues deal huge damage while being "stealthed" or hidden, much like using sneak in EQ. They remain hidden until they grab aggro and are attacked.

The attack system was really cool how you could exploit mob weaknesses through certain attacks. The chain attacks and counter attacks were really neat. Classes like rogues could create opportunities by distracting the mobs allowing group members to exploit various weaknesses of the mob.
The ranger in EQ2 is very much a scout/archer as well. Not much different. I don't think the EQ2 ranger has a pet, though. That makes the Vanguard ranger seem more like a beastmaster.

Drizzt was a ranger in the Salvatore novels and he had a magical panther...

The EQ1 ranger is very much a oddball combination of combat and magic. I always liked it. First and foremost, the magic system in EQ is interesting because of the kiting and aggro mechanics. It's not boring like melee.

I tried playing in EQ2, but it inevitably ended up just being button mashing hack/slash and little/no kiting or aggro control. I don't know if that's how Vanguard is, but since it's the same cojmpany working on both, I wouldn't be surprised. The ranger in EQ2 can snare and kill from a distance, but it's just not the same thing - it's much more hack/slash. Yes, a couple classes can "kite" or do "aggro control", but many just kill their way to the end. A lot of this can be blamed on how EQ2 works underneath. Its mechanics are more watered down.

The Warder in EQ2 can kite (ranged spell damage) and and do aggro control (by rooting), for example. But the warder is a staff wielding healer caster that's not to be mistaken for a ranger. It's far more like a druid.

I guess some people like aggro control and kiting and others don't. To each his own. I think it'd be better if there were more skill-based games out there so we can make our own custom "class".

[Gadwen]

I don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but they took Vanguard off the launcher ads for EQ and EQ2. Doesn't seem like a good sign.

[Anesthia]

Vanguard is a niche MMO. Don't read too much into it.

Playing a bard and having fun. The complexity of crafting, diplomacy (addictive card game!), and composing buffs (including tooltips o.O) is a nice counterbalance to the predominant WoW mentality. It's like EQ grew up and followed The True Vision instead of space kitties.

(I played the beta and pretty much stopped adventuring to level up Diplomacy as high as it would go in the starter areas. Excellent MMO.)

[Millburn]

Hey Vamp I won't be able to get online until much later than anticipated. Probably gonna pass on logging in as I have another early day tomorrow. Won't be able to run Tomb of Lord Tsang but perhaps tomorrow as I finally get a day off on Sunday. Could you let Khoum know as well?

[Rhambuk]

been trying to catch up to you guys, 12 atm, going slow ive done tomb ive done three rivers im in wildgrowth now and the quests are advancing faster than I level. I did the lvl 10-12 quests now its 13-14 with multiple mobs.

Anyway new job so my playtimes have been screwy lately, should be around this weekend!

[Millburn]

No worries Rhambuk, we can always mentor down to do content with you until you catch up. Don't be afraid to jump around to the different continents and areas using the rift stones, it's a great way to keep your play experience fresh.

[Mangorange]

Ok Splenny

[OngorDrakan]

Played for 5 minutes. Couldn't do it. Maybe I have to start over to understand WTF I'm doing.

[Targobaath]

Hmm, I may give this a shot again. I played the shit out of it in beta and loved it. But man did they fuck it up after a while.

[Rhambuk]

Hmm, I may give this a shot again. I played the shit out of it in beta and loved it. But man did they fuck it up after a while.

They must have really ruined it after beta, i played a little bit after release and they couldn't pay me to play that shit now. sorry to offend if you really do like that game but it offers nothing to me.

[Millburn]

There's still a bunch of us playing regularly, so plenty of people to talk and game with once you get in Targo.

I haven't logged in for a couple days as I've been out of town in Vancouver but I'm back around the house tomorrow. You can hit up Vampiresa, Splenny, or Khoum for guild invites.

[Rhambuk]

ive erolled because savarin started to play once we get off he island well hit ou up for an nvite

[radditsu]

well, I went diggin for skeptic cat. here's how I got us into beta

http://i.imgur.com/x9Juh8b.jpg

All I got from this is that you use windows xp and norton....I am disappointed.

Topic this game always seemed super interesting, but had a lousy population so you can't do anything. Did they re balance at some point to allow solo content?

[Rhambuk]

you can solo some stuff but its not easy if your say a rogue or a warrior, there are a variety of good solo classes, druids necros wizards bloodmage disciple though disc is the only melee that can really solo effectively maybe a dreadknight if hes twinked but if you start out he wont be.

[Anesthia]

Played for 5 minutes. Couldn't do it. Maybe I have to start over to understand WTF I'm doing.

Play a number of short sessions and see if it grows on you. Took me a while (and is still taking me a while) to get into it. It moves at a slower pace than modern retail MMOs and much of the depth needs to be uncovered over time. Even if you treat it like an RPG the world exploration aspect is excellent. I still remember my Qalia-based monk coming down from the city on top of the mountain (in beta) and seeing the vastness of the desert before me.