Would like some Guild Wars info

[depward]

Missed the "beta weekends" unfortunately but lately Guild Wars has really interested me.  I've read through the main site and other supplementary sites and it looks pretty neat!  Though, I still have some questions . . . so I was hoping some people who have played during the weekends can answer them for me  

1)  I know the developer is marketing it as a kind of angle of a MMORPG . . . but does it play like one?  I've also heard it plays a little like Diablo?  How DOES it play?  I've heard that they are trying to make it as less of a grind as possible . . . but what do you do if you don''t have to level grind?  Just Guild vs. Guild/player vs. player kind of stuff?

2)  I've looked through the character classes and such but I've yet to really find an answer.  What class is MOST like a typical black mage kind of class?  As in, lots of damage with spells?

3)  What classes did you NOT see running around during the weekends?  Maybe this is a bad question because the game isn't even "officially" out yet . . .

4)  Was it fun?  Did you enjoy yourself?  How were the other players?  Did you experience any, "OMGz this uber axe is so kewl!11!!1" sayings or were people kinda more mature?  Though, I know every game has them, I think every game has a frequency of them  

5)  Graphically, did it look/run ok?

Thanks for taking some time to answer.  Would really like to hear some opinions from some ConsoleGolders  

[depward]

Yeah found that an Elementalist is what I'm looking for.  Wow it seems like there is a lot of customization to be had when developing a character.

[Destructor]

I played the open betas a few times, and the game feels a lot more like Diablo than a MMO. Yes, you get new powers and such as you level, but it really feels like Diablo.

Maybe that's why it'll be completely free as far as a monthly fee goes, instead of the usual MMO monthly price.

[Calvin]

The combat is so mind numblingly boring in the last iteration i played its not even funny. its diablo, just without the freedom, and without a really persistent world of tings to do. random teams in battles eliminates a ton of fun (where is the "guild" in that geniuses?)

I have very low expectations for this in the long run.

[Fez]

Hmm, well I played in the first beta events and thought the game was better than I expected.  There isn't at this point a large number of races or classes, but you can make some interesting character combinations that are different - such as Elementalist/Monk, etc.    The non PvP part of the game is based more on a mission format, so the idea is that you complete certain missions to advance to different parts of the world.  A little like Dungeon Siege in that respect.  Once you open up an area of the world you can travel back and forth between towns (sort of like safe havens) automatically if you like, or fight you're way back.  Also, completion of a mission will affect how everyone else in the world treats you.  If someone in your party has killed an NPC before, then that NPC will be gone when you reach that location, regardless of whether you ever killed it before.  There are also areas that are designed for exploration, where you may find new trainers to teach you additional skills.

Character customization is pretty interesting.  Besides the typical acquisition of better items, there is also the slection of skills/spells in the game.  There are hundreds of skills and spells in the game, and they each seem to have some use.  When you venture out into the world, you can select 8 skils from all your skills to use on a particular mission, which can make each mission seem a bit different when you go through them.

I don't see the game necessarily being a long-term game necessarily, but I see it being as entertaining as other MMORPG's.   Those usually hold my interest for a few months before growing stale.  However, this game is constantly getting updated with new content at the moment, so its hard to tell what the end result will be like.   But as Guild Wars has no monthly fee, who's complaining about even a few weeks of fun.