Norrath vs Azeroth.. a simple gamers thoughts

- Posted by - Jul 22, 2010 ¦ 4 Comments

I’m a gamer.  My game is EverQuest 2.

Everywhere I turn, I see and hear about World of Warcraft.  I’ve bashed WoW on my podcast, I’ve ruthlessly taunted my step son for his obsession with this WoW Rogue.  But, no matter my perspective, and my bias toward EverQuest2.. the fact remains that WoW is a hit.

Admittedly, I have played both games.. so, where do I really stand on the WoW vs EQ2 debate?  Well, probably where a lot of people are with Mac vs PC.  They both have their good and bad points and attract different crowds.

I’m gonna break this down into four comparisons which I look for in a game.

  • Graphics.
    • Character:
      • WoW:  Cartoonish, Cookie-cutter – each race and gender has a very limited choice of appearances.
      • EverQuest2:  More realistic and very customizable, from textures and colors, to actually being able to reshape most facial features, giving you the ability to create a unique character.
    • World:
      • World of Warcraft:  Cartoonish, yet very full and enjoyable.
      • EverQuest2:  Realistic, vast and a joy to explore.
  • Performance.
    • World of Warcraft:  Pretty smooth on mid-level machines
    • EverQuest2:  You’ll need to upgrade a bit to use quality settings
  • Community.
    • World of Warcraft:  From what I’ve experienced, a bunch of juvenile children.. even the adults.
    • EverQuest2:  More mature, helpful and imaginative.
  • Extras.
    • Player Houses:
      • WoW:  No
      • EverQuest2:  Yes, 6 Different designs (Freeport, Neriak, Halas, Kelthin, Qeynos, Gorowyn), available in 2-6 room Layouts, each giving the player additional item storage.
    • Guild Halls:
      • WoW:  No
      • EverQuest2:  Yes, 2 Different designs (Freeport, Qeynos), available in three tiers, granting the guild access to most features of a small city, including transportation, merchants, crafting and banking, etc
    • Mounts:
      • Wow:  Yes.  A wide variety including Horses, Rams, Prowlers(cats) and even Dragons and Griffons.  Some land and some which actually fly.  Available in different speed options.
      • EverQuest2: Yes.  Horses, Bears, Prowlers(cats), Clockwork Discs and more.  All land-based.  Available in different speed options.

So, what am I getting at here?  Both have their points.  World of Warcraft seems to be geared toward teens, and EverQuest2 more toward adults.  WoW definately beats EQ2 in performance.  EQ2 wins hands down in it’s community.

So which is the right game for you?  Only you can judge.  If you’re looking for big time dragon raids with a bunch of “MC-Hammer Dancing” orcs.. WoW is for you.  If you’re looking for a mature crowd, good friends and Adventure in a realistic Medieval, Role Playing, setting…  I’m known as Jethal, and I’m on the Antonia Bayle Server of EverQuest2  come round and say hi.

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  • http://www.kaardal.net spycks

    I have also played eq2 since they launched the game, and also ventured into eq1, tried wow when a friend forced me to after many years of nagging, i have tried pretty much every game on http://www.mmorpg.com and Norrath always brings me back, good to see we still have people that understand and like this game as much as we all do. :)

  • http://edenevergreen.deviantart.com/ "Eden Evergreen

    Thank you for that review. :)

    I've heard so many negative reviews about the Warcraft community, and the PvP-orientation thereof, that I never actually tried it myself.

    Norrath has been "home" since I stumbled into it in EQ back in '02. I transitioned to EQII when adequate computer upgrades were acquired, and discovered to my surprise that it "fit" my playstyle better than the original.

    I'm much more of a decorator / tradeskiller / explorer than a raider (8 x level 80 crafters, 1 x level 80 adventurer, to give you an idea). By all accounts, there are a distinct shortage of options along those lines in the other game.

    The wide variety of options in EQII is part of what keeps me coming back, along with an appreciation of the amazing artwork they accomplish with low-res models and textures.

    PS — you did miss mentioning that if folk want a more anime look in EQ2, that option also exists in character creation. It's not my personal "cup of tea" but some folk really like those, and I'm glad they're available for those who do. :)

  • Norcal

    No spell check…should be "severely"…:)

  • Norcal

    Jethal…pretty much agree with your assessment, and for me, it's the community that is the deal-breaker. I don't care if a game has ultra-cool graphics or any of the extras…if all I hear is d00d sp33k, foul language, and experience selfish behavior in groups, it severly detracts from the experience. The only other deal-breaker would be server performance issues, but I think over the years, both games have improved in that area significantly and down-time is rarely an issue…up until the next expansion comes out…that always throws them for a loop.