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View Full Version : D&D 3.5 -vs- D&D 4.0



A_Halfling
2010-08-05, 01:55 PM
i started D&D playing 3.5 but quickly switched to 4.0 cause my very good friend played it and wanted to game w/ me. so I'm more experienced in 4.0 but still feel i missed out on 3.5 because i know players who like 3.5 better and others who prefer 4.0. so rly my question is witch is witch is better?

Kylarra
2010-08-05, 01:58 PM
There is no concrete answer as it comes down to personal preferences.

Yora
2010-08-05, 02:00 PM
They are not so much different editions of the same game, as actually more like two quite different games.
They do different things, but each game seems to do its thing quite well.

4E seems to be a game that is easy to learn, fast to play, and does not require much effort to make characters.
3.5e is more complex and allows much more options, but also slower and more complicated.

If you want fast and exiting action, and not bother too much with tiny details, 4e seems to be the way to go.
If you want a game that is highly customizable, covers a wide range of situations, and allows you to adjust about every small screw on your character, 3.5e is the better choice.

Morph Bark
2010-08-05, 02:02 PM
A steel sword is better at cutting than one made of aluminum foil, but pears and apples are about equal in taste-value. DnD 3.5 and 4E are like pears and apples, not steel swords and aluminum swords.

The better counter-question would be: what do you mean to have your game focus on, and see which of the two does that best?

Giggling Ghast
2010-08-05, 02:02 PM
Chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry.

Keld Denar
2010-08-05, 02:06 PM
Chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry.

Why choose? Neopolitan ice cream 4tw! It even has a "buy 2, get vanillia for free!" feature. What a deal!

Also, in before threadlock. This topic has been done a hundred times. Google around this site (and Gleemax, Brilliant Gamologists, En-World, etc) and you'll find many threads, most of which are locked today. Reading them will give you an opinion of various view points so you can properly form your own opinion.

lesser_minion
2010-08-05, 02:08 PM
If you're having fun, and you're playing seriously*, then why does it matter what someone who you've never actually met and barely know thinks?

You don't have to choose one edition or another, and you don't have to rely on someone else to tell you which you prefer. It's entirely a matter of personal opinion, and to be honest, you may as well have just asked us whether blueberry ice cream is better than strawberry.

Yes, some people do take it as if it was somehow 'serious business' or try to convince people that it is. And they're wrong.

* As in, you aren't creating your entertainment by mocking the game.

n00b killa
2010-08-05, 02:09 PM
They are not so much different editions of the same game, as actually more like two quite different games.
They do different things, but each game seems to do its thing quite well.


+1 to this

Oracle_Hunter
2010-08-05, 02:10 PM
i started D&D playing 3.5 but quickly switched to 4.0 cause my very good friend played it and wanted to game w/ me. so I'm more experienced in 4.0 but still feel i missed out on 3.5 because i know players who like 3.5 better and others who prefer 4.0. so rly my question is witch is witch is better?
Y'know, I know people who prefer FATAL to...

OK, I can't type that, even in jest. The point is: if you hear a system is fun, try it. If you like it, good. If you don't, then at least you resolved the question.

Now, if you had a more concrete question (e.g. which system has more elf variants; will it blend? (http://www.willitblend.com/)) then this forum is a good place to ask. Otherwise, you'll have to try it yourself.

Evard
2010-08-05, 03:07 PM
One thing to remember is that 3.5 has been around for a much longer time sooo you will have way more options from wizards, 3rd party books, and homebrew than you will for 4e (well for now at least :p). So most of the flexibility that comes with 3.X is based on its age.

Also I've found 4e is easier to homebrew classes for... Such as you want an evil invoker or evil cleric... Then change one keyword (radiant) to something like (necrotic) or (poison)... There are many other options and things to do but it takes a bit of imagination whereas with 3.5 most of the things able to be done have been done :p

Fax Celestis
2010-08-05, 03:09 PM
which system has more elf variants; will it blend? (http://www.willitblend.com/)

All elves blend. It's only a question of which kind of dwarven ale you brew with them afterward.

Furnok
2010-08-05, 03:11 PM
2nd edition is better than all of them ;)

Urpriest
2010-08-05, 03:13 PM
4e has smoother and more tactical combat, 3.5 makes for a more detailed and diverse world where players feel they have more of an effect. It really depends what you want to do.

Example: I'm running two campaigns this summer, one 3.5 and one 4e.

My sister's boyfriend and his friends want to try out D&D. They are of varying levels of nerdiness, and don't have the time to devote to learning a complicated system. As such, I run 4e.

I want to run a game where the players are monsters in a dungeon fighting back against invading adventurers. I want to give players a lot of options and to make different monsters feel radically different. As such, I run 3.5.

Roland St. Jude
2010-08-05, 03:20 PM
Sheriff of Moddingham: All the cool kids know that 5e is the best. (Also, generally, a plain "which is better" thread is pretty much flamebait.)