To me, Game Update Four was a huge step in the right direction for my play style. I daresay that most players will find it to be the same. It is clear that Sony has chosen to make the game more appealing to a broader spectrum. At this point in time, I would surmise that it was necessary to Vanguard’s survival. That being said, I am very happy with GU4, the worst I can say is that I am indifferent to most of the Veteran rewards. A lot of people have been excited about the flying mounts, which I am sure are wonderful. For me, it just isn’t a priority as I am busy with other projects. For those who have not been in Vanguard recently, but are interested in the changes, you should pay attention to some sticking points. Hardcore players will most likely be turned off by the riftway system. I have also heard complaints about flying mounts. Something that you might have missed in the patch notes are the changes to the decon system and the availability of rare crafting supplies. Harvesters will notice a big change in the harvest nodes. Players that have used custom User Interfaces need to be aware that they will be required to download the latest UI updates before they will be able to take advantage of the riftways.
Now that Game Update Four is now live, I am waiting to see what will be coming next. Some bits of news that I have heard so far have include new starting cities, a revamp of other classes, Pegasus mounts, and in a distant future, alternate advancement. In my view, GU4 could be a big turning point for Vanguard, now that the performance issues are for the most part ironed out. Most of the bugs I notice now are problems with the adventuring quests, which I would think will be a focus. One thing to note if the new starting cities caught your eye is that Phantom made a point of saying that the next game update would not include the introduction of the long awaited Berserker and Inquisitor classes.
Flying Mounts – While I see nothing to suggest the quest is broken, I do see reports that some of the quests have some minor bugs. Another thing you should know is that you must have 45 Adventuring levels to start.
Riftway Revamp – This is by far my favorite new feature. However, I will say that the new system is incomplete if you consider the fact that they removed the dockmasters at Tanvu, Martok and Ca’ial Brael but did not add them as a hub. I am assuming that this will be addressed shortly and I hope that I am not mistaken. If so, this item will quickly be my number one thing to bitch about.
Character Optimizations / Helmets – Some of them look great and some of them are hideous. Luckily, there is an option to turn them off. Hopefully in the future there will be an appearance tool.
Overland Raid – Honestly, raiding hasn’t been a factor in my Vanguard experience to date, but it’s good to know that it is there and getting some attention.
Class Updates – I will add this to my review after I have more information.
Refund Points – The way this now works is that you can now refund and redistribute your points at a cost. The more points you adjust, the higher the price becomes.
Veteran Rewards – While I really do appreciate the experience potions, the vanity pets are of no consequence to me (since they do nothing). It’s not a big deal to me, but I’m sure some people will really appreciate the new furniture and titles.
Bug Fixes / Performance – After the hotfix patch, things seem back to normal. I am in the boat with the people who did not experience a large problem with this to begin with. Some lower end machines should really be noticing a difference. From what I understand, the biggest reason for the performance boost is due to the helmet / optimization changes.
Adventuring Drops / Decons – Originally a lot of people were upset with this change, but in the end, I think it turned out very nicely for all. Instead of being able to decon rare items earned from names, now there are special items that drop which can be deconned. People really went off the deep end complaining about this before the update, not knowing about this new feature. Honestly, the developers, could have been a bit more up front about it.
Updated Harvesting System – This is change that a lot of people do not like, because now, there is no visible difference between a rare node and a regular harvesting node. The opportunists do not like this change because now, they will have to do the hard work like the rest of us. No more following me around and jumping on my rares… In your face!
Experience Ability – This was done to quell the complaints (valid complaints) from people who were unable to enjoy game content as a result of out leveling content too quickly. Overall, I think that this feature was a great addition. I really look forward to day that we can switch experience into alternate advancement to the same effect and at the same time continuing to develop our characters in a meaningful way.
