I prefer comments over likes. Through comments, people give their opinions and feedback before/after playing a Character Build. They offer constructive criticism regarding what should be improved, added or removed. Comments can help make a discussion much better. Of course, I'm not talking about comments like "OMG! +1 for the armor combo alone! Now I am going to read the build!". Yes, they're real! I've seen plenty of these, even in my builds. Likes on the other hand are more about popularity. Then again a big number of likes is bound to give that discussion more attention.
I love getting comments; something to respond to, a way to interact with someone. Since there's no particular structure to commenting, though (where builds are concerned), probably more than half the comments aren't "helpful" per se. They're generally good, but like Noodles said, it's more often "Hey, great job on this!". If every comment were, say, something positive and a piece of criticism, they would be much more valuable. That being the case, l've published my builds with the hope that people will enjoy them, and likes are simple, straightforward ways to express that, along with the ranking system. I hope that one day some of my builds will be considered Legendary. With both helpful comments and generous likes, they are more likely to get there.
Comments are exciting to receive, but likes are quicker and easier to send. Generally, people do "like" more things because comments usually indicate that someone had something to say about the content. Sometimes I like to whip in, like a few screenshots and things, and log right back off to make screenshots and things of my own. I definitely prefer to get comments so I can get feedback, but likes are also appreciated because that means that someone actually took the time to look at the content I posted and basically tell me that they enjoyed looking at it.
I like getting comments on my own stuff, but I mostly just give likes myself. Mostly because I only comment if I feel I truly that my comment will add something of value, not that I don't value my own opinion, I keep it reserved because just I can comment doesn't mean I need to. I mean serious comments by that, not my comical ones.
This is sort of how I see it.
The number of likes and comments can draw the eyes of people browsing the sight. They advertise, basically, by indicating popularity. In that sense, the at-a-glance numbers are for browsers.
Likes have little more value than that, though they are a sign that people do care about the content. Comments, though, are more for the content creators and those interacting with the content itself.
Speaking in terms of blog posts, I value comments because they help me know what my reader base is thinking. Even a simple "That was great!" or "That was garbage!" is more meaningful to me than a like because it tells me whether or not I'm doing well. Success, in my mind, is gauged more by how much people enjoy what I make and how much time they put into reading my work.