(this is just a cut-paste of the discussion in the AoC forums, I thought it'd be interested to post it up here. Note: I HAVE been playtesting WAR on a off over the past month, so I have an inkling of knowledge)

I'm only level 6 and I've already encountered bloated servers, lootlag, brokens quests, missing loot, missing loot from PQs, broken mobs, and broken PQs, and a variety of other bugs.

So far AoC owns WAR when it comes to polish at the beginning. Note though: I'm an Order Dwarf on Azazel, so maybe people are having different experiences in other places.

Also remember, WAR is NOT an instanced game... so you're going to have to mush through the queues and server lag and take it like a man. There's no alternate shard for you to run to. Again, AoC wins here. WAR is shades of WoW at release so far and I /cancelled WoW for similar reasons as I've stated already - to return a year later when they got their act together.

Overall, WAR is RPG-lite compared to the RPG-heavy nature of Aoc. If you're a beginning gamer looking for a more relaxing, less strenuous game, then WAR is for you (especially if you're willing to put up with the bugs I've already stated). If you want REAL fantasy RPGness, AoC wins out period.

As for PvP, WAR's PVP is nonexistent exept for a slapped on RVR ststem. The inherent "gameyness" lies is simply min-maxing your character (which is stupid easy) and working an overall strat. None of this matters when u actually go to battle. You can have a cup 'o tea while fighting someone in PvP in this game. But hey, there's RvR so it's all good right? right? uhh, no. Planetside and WW2O have more combat/RvR depth than WAR. And if you look at the overall "political structure" of a game, AoC has this in spades over WAR. I see no warmongering between guilds in WAR, it's just RvR. There's no resource snatch, no battleground grab, and no gratuitous smacktalk and "reputation-gained" as there is in AoC. Concurently, AoC has a much better UI and ability to "lose thyself" in the game with regards to RP and the overall presentation of the game itself. WAR just feels like a Disney game in this regard... similar to WoW's RP potential (which is a joke).

Also, WARs skill trees are sophomoric at best. AoC skill tiers are things of beauty and much more complex, especially when interwoven into the combat system. So basically, with WAR you're just going to get cookie-cutter builds and not much tactical variety. You may as well just be tossing some dice and waiting for the result.

As for crafting, I like AoC's better. Why? Because I have to EARN the right to craft well in AoC. WAR is just picking up junk off dead bodies and clicking on them. voila! done. It wouldnt be so bad if they had a crafting UI similar to SWG's, but it doesnt, not even a "forge" like WoW has; u can just craft on the spot. And since there arent many differing items, it's real easy to find them. Whereas AoC has a plethora of itemization involved with crafting to go along with actually having to physically farm and fight for many of them.

Also, nothing beats the questline in Tortage, and WAR is no exception. The quests in WAR are NICE, but too wordy and dont maintain your attention. I find myself reading AoC Quests... I find myself skipping WAR's encyclopedic quests. But hey, if you like reading a LOT then WAR is good, especially if you dig into the compendium. Personally, I look at that stuff as a distraction from the game. I like my quest-text short, sweet, and artistic... so AoC wins.

Overall, the underlying "GAME" that makes up AoC is way better than WAR's. AoC just has more to offer by far. It may not be as APPARENT as WAR is at first (WAR slaps you in the face with stuff), but in the end there's more going on in AoC when you connect all the dots... combat, pvp, RP, politics, art, beauty, death, resources, and REAL War and accomplishment. In AoC you're building a heroic demi-god from the ground up and there's no real end to how far you can go, whether by lootz or by skill. In WAR when you reach the end you're just thrust onto an RvR treadmill that resets over and over, and that's it. And remember, there is NO current real endgame-raiding in WAR (it's not even installed in any way right now)... definitely not on the scale of AoC.

In conclusion, I've played many games and even many RvR type ones and I just dont see WAR's lasting power even in regards to RvR alone. Let alone the grander scope of things. I look at WAR as a relaxing game you can sit around and try to get that next cool "accomplishment" like you get from killing 25 snotlings or opening your charsheet 100 times... I dont see it as a longterm product at all really. And honestly, I get the feeling they may suffer the same fate AoC did shortly after release as there's nothing really groundbreaking about the game at all and it's just not as mentally engaging as AoC or even WoW is. If you think "endgame" may save you there's not much there anyways even if you're in an organized Guild; the PvP itself is lacking any real rank structure let alone the ability to organize on an RvR scale (there's no command structure). And once you roll the map a few times guess what? You're bored.

Nope, not for me... I'll pass. I see way more potential in AoC then I do in WAR. AoC is groundbreaking, WAR just PRETENDS to be. And if you want something different than WoW then why play WAR? It's a LOT like WoW but in many ways worse. If I wanted a WoW, I'd just play WoW and forget about WAR... that'd be the smart thing to do. The SMARTEST thing to do would be to forget them both and play AoC.