Well it’s been a month since I got my Warhammer account and it is certainly been fun. It’s based on the tabletop game of the same name, Mythic Entertainment (of Dark Age of Camelot fame) and Games Workshop have come up with a game that will probably become the Realm vs. Realm PvP standard for years to come. If you like Player vs. Player on a massive scale then this game is for you. You have your sides, Order vs. Destruction, and then you choose your race and class. Classes are unique to each race in this game unlike it’s major competition, ahem–World of Warcraft.
I know that there will be many comparisons made of the two games but they will both shine. Simply said–there is a game for every style of player, just like for every body type there is a martial art style to fit it. It was very smart of Mythic/Games Workshop to release their game at a different time from WoW’s expansion, Wrath of the Lich King.
Since I enjoy playing ranged DPS classes (Damage Per Second) I will compare a few points that I’ve noticed about them in both games. In WoW you can choose from multiple races for a particular class where as in Warhammer each race’s classes are unique to them but there is a pairing equivalent for the opposite side. For example Order’s Bright Wizard is similar to Destruction’s Sorcerer/Sorceress in that they are both long range mages but they use different kinds of magic. In WoW, Hunters need to feed their pets and purchase arrows or bullets to fight. This means that two of their backbacks are reserved for food and ammo–limiting them when collecting loot. In Warhammer, White Lions (Order) and Squig Herders (Destruction) do not have to contend with feeding their pets or purchasing ammo. However, White Lions and Squig Herders are limited to their respective pets, lions and squigs, they cannot change their pets as a Hunter in WoW can do. Another difference is that on the Order side they have split the Ranged DPS class (the Shadow Warrior) from the pet class (the White Lion). The Shadow Warrior is a ranger that wields a bow and then swords close up. Something for all you Legolas fans (Lord of the Rings) out there. I’ve heard on the rumor mill that the second Hero class in WoW could possibly be an elven ranger. There has only been one human that has become a ranger in WoW lore that I know of but it would still be balanced for both sides with Night Elves (Alliance) and Blood Elves (Horde). The White Lion is actually a melee DPS class and wields an axe along with a white lion pet.
A similar situation appears for the Warlock’s demonic pets in WoW. A Warlock has to obtain a shard to use to call a pet and it is destroyed everytime one is called. In Warhammer, the Magus also has demonic pets but they can just cast a spell to call them, no shard required. This also frees them up from having to keep a backpack full of shards to call pets and more room for loot. The difference between Magus pets and Warlock pets is that Magus pets behave more like turrets. They are stationary. A Warlock’s pets move about with the Warlock, just like the Hunter’s pets do. I assume that Mythic/Games Workshop did this because the Magus (Destruction) is paired with the Dwarf Engineer (Order). The Engineer has gun turrets that it can call just like the Magus can call their pets, but both are stationary.
Other contrasts that I have noticed about Warhammer vs. WoW are in Warhammer you never have to say “Looking for Group” when you want to join a PVP scenario you are automatically grouped. Same goes for if you are doing massive Realm vs. Realm. War bands (multiple groups) are also automatically filled unless you tell the queue that you are coming as a group and then those slots are reserved for your group. When you come across an item when grouped the game automatically gives you the choice to choose “Need, Greed, or Pass” and does the dice roll for you–saving huge amounts of time. No need to designate a looter in the group to divvy up treasures after a fight–it’s done as you play.
So far I have to say that the Warhammer pet classes have my attention the most, especially the Goblin Squig Herder. The goblins remind me of Dobby the house elf from Harry Potter. The way they talk make me laugh so much! Did I mention that I like pet classes? I *heart* pets! Try Warhammer out if you would like a break from 40 person raids in WoW. It feels very relaxed and fun instead of like a job worrying about if you are going to be chosen in your guild to be in the next raiding party or not. Also raids are very fast paced. Even large events are about 2 hours instead of all day–which I’m sure would be good for player families too. Enjoy your Warhammer adventures and embrace the WAAAGH!
