Hall of Monuments worth it?

[Flamethrøwer]

Assuming GW2 full launch is still a couple/few months away, would it be worth it for me to purchase, learn, and play through GW1 in order to get some Hall of Monument rewards? Are the rewards worth it? Do I have enough time? Would I have to buy expansions to accomplish this?

 

[Stc95]

Depending on your playstyle there is plenty of time to even get 50/50 in the HoM, but that would require some dedication. Seeing as how the stats for the weapons/items are not known yet, it is difficult to judge their worth. Knowing Anet, the weapons will not be all powerful, most likely they will be nice for new characters, similar to how bonus items were in pre-searing in GW1. The titles associated with HoM are just that, titles. Most likely quickly replaced with more prestigious GW2 titles, though I am excited to display my GWAMM for a little while

My personal recommendation would be to get GW1, not for the HoM, though that be a nice benefit, but rather for the back story. After spending years of my life in GW1, I can't begin to describe the feeling I get when I stumble across an old GW1 monument or location in GW2. Seeing the Temple of Ages underwater in a swamp was a mixture of elated discovery and depression that ToA has literally fallen. Seeing statues of Pyre Fierceshot on the other hand made me swell with pride as I recall fighting with him in GW1 to create the Charr we are familiar with in GW2.

Trying to put it in a perspective that most here can relate with, it's like the Old Testament and New Testament. NT is great on it's own, but there is a fuller appreciation for the NT once the OT is known.

But then again, I am very biased

 

[Brydon]

"Worth it" is a very sketchy term in video games... Financially, you're talking about buying the Guild Wars trilogy plus Eye of the North in order to get some items that might help a little at first but are mostly cosmetic (same as what everybody else has, just looking a little different).

In contrast, they will probably have plenty of spiffy cosmetic items available to purchase in the game.

So if you JUST want the GW2 rewards, I would suggest that you skip it and use the money in the in-game store instead...

But if you want to play a really good game and have fun exploring the story... I recommend GW1. It IS a mess of fun and you can get into it fairly cheaply.

 

[Flamethrøwer]

"Worth it" is a very sketchy term in video games... Financially, you're talking about buying the Guild Wars trilogy plus Eye of the North in order to get some items that might help a little at first but are mostly cosmetic (same as what everybody else has, just looking a little different).

In contrast, they will probably have plenty of spiffy cosmetic items available to purchase in the game.

So if you JUST want the GW2 rewards, I would suggest that you skip it and use the money in the in-game store instead...

But if you want to play a really good game and have fun exploring the story... I recommend GW1. It IS a mess of fun and you can get into it fairly cheaply.

I was really just hoping to get some decent GW2 perks, but it sounds like there won't really be much worth having. I have plenty to keep me busy until release (I hope it's not too long), and I'm really not wanting to buy the game plus expansions for items that don't sound like they will be worth it...
Thanks for the inputs!

 

[Taran]

For me, yes, its worth it. From what I have read, the "bonus" items are available to all your characters and level as you level. So they would be at least equal to or maybe slightly better than the normal gear you find. Since I'm an alt-aholic, the reply value over multiple characters is an enormous boost. Since they level with the characters, I never "have" to buy new equipment or weapons. I can focus that money on crafting, repair, or "cool stuff". Thus, I won't have to replace those items until I reach level 80 (where the awesome gear will be available). And you only need 30 points to collect those bonus rewards.

Not only for the added bonuses, but like STC95 said, you can definitely appreciate the back story far better. I really like the Guild Wars story and now that the human race is an endangered species, it really gives you perspective. In GW1, humans dominated everywhere. Now there's a sense of lost history as humans are dwindling and other races are emerging.

And best of all, in GW1 you get to kill Charr. Shoot 'em, burn 'em, hack 'em into little pieces. Its really satisfying listening the death howl of a dying Charr at your feet. Bad kitty.

 

[Prophet Elhanan]

For me, yes, its worth it. From what I have read, the "bonus" items are available to all your characters and level as you level. So they would be at least equal to or maybe slightly better than the normal gear you find.

I've been wondering how this is going to work. I would assume people would be screaming imbalance (or unfair) if us GW1 guys and gals get weapons and armor that level with us. From what I saw in the beta that was the only thing I ever spent any coin on.

 

[Flamethrøwer]

For me, yes, its worth it. From what I have read, the "bonus" items are available to all your characters and level as you level. So they would be at least equal to or maybe slightly better than the normal gear you find. Since I'm an alt-aholic, the reply value over multiple characters is an enormous boost. Since they level with the characters, I never "have" to buy new equipment or weapons. I can focus that money on crafting, repair, or "cool stuff". Thus, I won't have to replace those items until I reach level 80 (where the awesome gear will be available). And you only need 30 points to collect those bonus rewards.

Not only for the added bonuses, but like STC95 said, you can definitely appreciate the back story far better. I really like the Guild Wars story and now that the human race is an endangered species, it really gives you perspective. In GW1, humans dominated everywhere. Now there's a sense of lost history as humans are dwindling and other races are emerging.

And best of all, in GW1 you get to kill Charr. Shoot 'em, burn 'em, hack 'em into little pieces. Its really satisfying listening the death howl of a dying Charr at your feet. Bad kitty.

While the Charricide does sound tempting, your point about gear only pushes me further away from wanting to do the Hall of Monuments! A big part of the fun I have while leveling is working for gear upgrades, and crafting things to use as I level. I used the heirloom gear in WoW, that leveled as you leveled, and really missed getting upgrades. I'm sure the HoM is worth it for a lot of people; I'm just saying it really doesn't sound like it's for me.

 

[Abba San]

And that is fine. If you had been playing Guild Wars and were getting close to some of the items - go back and get them. We have months before the release of GW2 - and GW is a ton of fun. I need one more title for GWAMM and I'm going for it even though it doesn't give me more rewards in the HoM.

 

[ewoksrule]

For those lurking there are some great guides to getting 30 points from scratch if you just google it. They talk you basically step by step depending if you want fast or cheap methods.