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Warhammer Online Beta Impressions Part 2
Part of Keen's adventure in MMORPG, Reviews, WAR

Beta Impressions Part 1

I'm going to start off these impressions by hitting a few key topics then I'll move on to some bigger stuff. I'll be doing a few entries today as well as happily answering any questions you have in comments or emails.

Realm Balance - Overall I would say that the two realms are fairly balanced on the whole. I definitely don't get the sense that one realm is naturally more powerful than the other. Population-wise it has been lopsided the entire time I have been in beta in favor of Destruction. On average Destruction will have 1300 people and Order will have about 800-900. *These numbers are examples. In terms of class balance there are still several issues that I will go into at a later date.

Zergs - The power of the Zerg manifests itself strongly in Warhammer Online. A group of 6 will not be able to take more than 2x their numbers even if they are incredibly skilled. Open-world RvR has proven, so far in my experience, to attract zergs. This is nothing new for those who have played DAOC. People tend to gravitate towards one another for safety. With the open-group system this is much easier. Is this a bad thing? Yeah, if you're one who likes to solo or move in small groups all the time. The plus side to the zerginess is that it brings about a LOT of epic battles... I'm talking 50 on 50 clashes. INCREDIBLE fun.

Crowd Control - In DAOC terms it's almost nonexistent. There are short stuns, knockbacks/downs and snares but nothing like mez. There will never be a time where you stand around waiting to do something. In some ways I miss mez... don't ask me why.

Stealth - Most of you know about this. It's in the game for the Witch Hunter and Witch Elf but it's not your normal stealth. When active it drains AP and lasts a short duration with a cooldown. It's enough to maybe sneak away or into a fight without being seen but it's definitely not the backbone of these classes in any way shape or form.

Bears Bears Bears - This is one of the things I feel let down about. When Paul Barnett discussed the "bears bears bears" stuff I thought this applied to 'normal quests' and not just "Kill Collectors". I thought that if I was out killing bears then I found a quest that needed me to kill bears then I could get credit for that quest. Unless I have TOTALLY missed something (and I doubt it) this theory of getting credit for things you've already done applies only to kill collectors who want you to kill a very specific type of mob and will reward you some experience for doing it. Color me disappointed on that one.

Siege Weapons - They are nothing short of awesome. I love using rams of doors and having multiple people participate in them. I love how they are so easy to take control of and use with a little interface that comes up giving the option to aim then, repair them, or release them. When aiming it's almost a mini-game in itself because you have to aim the thing - sometimes ground target sometimes reticule - and adjust for wind. Hellblasters and Catapults are downright nasty and oil that can pour down on people attacking doors makes me laugh hysterically EVERY time it kills people.

Questing - For the most part it's standard mmo questing. This is where the annoying "zomg it's just like WoW" crowd can actually speak without me wanting to force choke them through the internet. It's EXACTLY like WoW in this regard. So what? Are you going to try and justify that this is a BAD thing? It's a fantastic thing. WoW's questing-to-level was mostly polished. But wait! There's more! WAR takes it a step beyond WoW and introduces more types of quests, a much better tracking system including map waypoints that will tell you where to go (they can be turned off), and rewards you can actually use. But wait! There's EVEN MORE! You don't have to do them if you don't want to! Unlike WoW where the only alternative to questing is grinding... you can RvR in WAR or grind or quest!

More details on page 2.

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