Guild Wars 2 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Aug 28, 2012
User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,683 out of 2137
  2. Mixed: 138 out of 2137
  3. Negative: 316 out of 2137

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Undercover007
    Nov 20, 2012
    4
    Overhyped. The graphics are excellent at the time of launch, but the good features stop there. It has a disguised form of grinding that tries to fool players into thinking they are not grinding while doing exactly what grinding is: repeated kills over and over.
    The classes are a huge let down. Most have cool animations and effects but these have no impact on gameplay as the abilities are     weak and generic. All classes can do all the functions as melee damage, ranged damage, healing and support and as such excel at none which just furthers the feeling of weak classes. Furthermore you can be up-leveled (rarely) or down-leveled (more commonly) to provide a fixed challenge level. While some people like the constant challenge, this only increases the feeling of weakness since you can never enjoy the power you accrued.
    Mobs are repeated through several areas, just leveled up and with maybe a different name (not always), which contributes to the tedium after a while.
    Add to all this that it has no demo nor trial nor the possibility to sell the game you bought (as per the aggreement) nor a money-back guarantee and we have a trap where we just sank our money. All this fear of losing money on the part of the company only reflects a lack of confidence on the tittle.

    Bottom-line: not worth it.    … Expand
  2. Vaash
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing, there has been many hyped-uped games this year, SWTOR, TERA , Diablo III. none lived up to my expectations, but GW2, not just lived up, but exceeded it. i've never enjoyed a game so much in a long long time. Great job Arenanet!
  3. joggy
    Aug 28, 2012
    9
    OK, cant logon to servers, so I'm taking my time to write this :). Took pre-purchase. Played for some 35 hours already. Now, I did have 1 guild wars 1 game, but I didnt like it, so I didnt play it very long, hence I cant compare this game to guild wars 1. But I can tell you that this game has been huge fun for me for the past 3 days, and thats only start :). It seems that people in arenanet have done their research, looked for everything that players of MMO's didnt like, and found a way around that. Materials clogging your backpack? you can put them in a bank from anywhere in the world. Production made easy cause you can access the bank directly from that window. If an area is full of players, and the game would be laggy otherwise, you will be thrown into overflow (copy of that area) to wait your queue. Everything you do in overflow counts just as it would if youre on a main zone. I understand that some people find this a minus, but to me it's realistic solution to computer and networking limits we have today. World vs Word is everything I hoped Warhammer online would be (warhammer looks like a todlers game in comparison). Before I thought that 10 keys in total would be somewhat on a minus side, but trust me, combinations are endless and fun, and you will use that 10 keys, not like wow where you have ton of abilities of which you use what? 3 keys for pve and additional 2 for pvp?
    Graphic is nothing groundbraking, but looks very very nice. Caracter control are inferior to those of wow (again), but better than any other MMO I have tried, so close 2nd :). All in all, this is a game that knows the limits of todays technology, and deals with them in a right way. Programmers were not on drugs (hey, give us 300 million dollars, we will make you best game ever in the whole unknown and known universe, riight). And most importantly, this game is fun to play :).    … Expand
  4. NetherWitch
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    What the reviews say is in fact the truth. ^^
    Yes, some minor things need to be ironed out, but the game just launched. It is also really nice to see such a great community. Seems like a lot of sane people are playing this game...unlike let's say another MMO.
  5. femmefatal
    Sep 23, 2012
    9
    Don't listen to the naysayers they are just WOW fanbabies who are upset that GW2 is so popular and good. It really is fantastic and the graphics are some of the best I've ever seen. It also puts RIFT to shame and the world is HUGE and you get 5 starting areas and several classes and 5 races. It has one of the most unique skills systems I've ever seen with 5 of the skills out of the 10+ you get attached to each type of weapon you use. It truely is one of the best MMO's on the market now and well worth the $60 I paid for it. There is lots to explore and an very simple combat system but still enough to do to make it skillful and not just a roll face type of combat system.
    It has daily achievements for you to do, monthly and many many more types to grant you titles and money.
    The endgame is well not really an endgame because there's really no raiding required, there's no grind required UNLESS you want to grind for OPTIONAL ARMOR and WEAPONS that are PURELY COSMETIC and nothing more. Too many WOWbabies whine because it's not easy to get in 3 weeks time playing lol.

    Trust me if you want a great fun MMO to play that doesn't take all your time away this is the one. Nothing out there is as good as this and so much fun. :)    … Expand
  6. TheangryOne
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    From the ashes of the long burned-out MMO genre emerges Guild Wars 2. The original Guild Wars, which I still say is better tham WoW, should have set the standard for MMOs, but instead was marketed into obscurity; not this time. This time around the differences are noticeable and long-overdue for the genre. It's not just the gameplay, it's the choice. For once in an MMO, the illusion of choice is no longer an illusion. Tank, DPS, and Healer are no longer specializations, just positions. To say that all professions (as the game's classes are called) can do all three is abit of a misnomer. ArenaNet has officially ended the need and use for Tanks, DPS, and Healers altogether! All classes have self-heal, tank, and damage skills built right in, and when downed, can still fight and revive themselves, so wipes are almost completely eliminated. Each class also has access to a wide variety of skills that are almost completely dependent on what kind of weapon you're using (utility skills, as they're called, can only be unlocked by skill points). What's more: The pregame character custimozation actually does have an effect on character progression--by influencing the entire story! Quests? Sorry, the WoW,TOR, and TSW reviews are two pages away. In Guild Wars 2, action finds you. True, there are still some static quests, but the vast majority happen in real time and are completely indiscriminate of one another (you can be doing a quest to deliver a message only to be caught in the middle of a massive undead invasion), and if you fail one of these massive public events (numbers are no guarantee of success, as I found out the hard way), the game shows the results of failure and opens the door to more events that would be unavailable otherwise. To top all of this off, the game is subscription free! THANK YOU ARENANET, you're the smart ones in this industry; keep up the good work.… Expand
  7. op8
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Absolutely fantastic!.....Give it a year, and this actually IS the MMO that will knock WoW off the top, and it deserves to......................................Dark Souls, GW2 and a even more fantastic looking games coming up... its a great time to be a gamer!
  8. Anunnaki
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Reasons why I love guild wars 2 [not a review]
    Every MMO I played generally states that humans are a new race and they are so majestic, dignified and young race. Guild wars 2 is different instead they say they are a **** up race who **** up so much that they are left to such a small kingdom.
    Everything/Anything I do gives me XP, So i dont have to worry about grinding at all and the dynam    ic events you like you are given the same XP for any number of times you try.
    Professions and their powers are way different than other MMOs, you dont have to reach level 30 to get a specific good spell. At level 7 you can have 10 different spells from 2 weapons you can swap, one healing power and one utility power. And the interface is so clean.
    you dont have to wait in queues, you can play all the time[thanks to overflow servers]. You can be level 80 anytime in W v W v W and have fun.
    And the best one No monthly fee

    there are so many articles, reviews stating their experiences in guild wars 2, which are so overwhelming, if you are reading this probably you have already read all those. So I am not gonna share my experiences all over again. I would just say "you know how MMO are supposed to be that alternate life where you lose yourself and enjoy and you can be awesome at it, GUILD WARS 2 does this best". If you enjoy RPG or MMO, this is a must buy. It is just 60$ for life, what is wrong with it. Buy it now.    … Expand
  9. Hiei987
    Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This is first MMO since Wow that has all the potential to be a hit for many years to come. ArenaNet have taken a lot of risks with going away from the traditional MMO style, but most of them have been received quite well. The game attracts all of types of players and provides a great amount of content fit for any player, whether casual or hardcore.
  10. Wombatkilla1
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    I am so sick and tired of community reviewers that feel it necessary to compare new MMO's to WOW which has had close to a decade to mature and polish itself. This game is amazing, and far more polished and entertaining as a 'new game' than WOW was. The graphics are great, you dont need a computer powerhouse to run it, and there is sooooo much to do. There are a few bugs, and problems with the system... of course. These things take time to correct, and im sure they will be. Enjoy the game, and the first MMO that really sets forth a legit challenge to the MMO throne.… Collapse
  11. stocean
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game made me think that Arenanet might be the new Blizzard at least for me. The quality and quantity, effort put in, and fun you expected from Blizzard but couldn't get recently, this game has them all. The game looks amazing especially for an mmo The music, voice acting, and sound effects are top notch The gameplay is very fun and challenging. The game's longevity also seems very optimistic. Firstly there's no subscription fee! So you could come back anytime you want. Also there are many different stories, professions to play through in a variety of ways. Lastly the game's endgame focuses on horizontal scale rather than vertical scale. Vertical scale is your typical WoW raid or D3 tier system in which you get higher and higher gears as you play. In vertical scale, once the contents are gone, there's not much to do. Since GW2 is a Horizontally scaling game it focuses more on customization and PvP where your skill, choice, and play rather than your gear, gold, and playtime matter. High-end dungeons only reward cosmetic items and don't really give you a gameplay edge over others. This is generally much better for replayability unless you add contents faster than gamers consume. Anyways, this game really can't go wrong with its great quality and huge amount of contents. I urge you to go buy this game if you want a very decent mmo with both good PvE and PvP.… Expand
  12. Scoobydruid
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    Game is a breakthrough in MMOs. It respects my time and doesn't favor people with monster amounts of time over adults with families and jobs. Grinding is essentially eliminated and the world event quests are very fun. No pressure to get to max level. Extremely Casual Player Friendly. RvRvR is fun and you can participate early one once you've acquired a few skills (otherwise you don't have enough skills to do much).

    Lots to do. This game rivals any of the MMOs that have sub fees. The fact it has no sub fee is simply astonishing. The quality is second to none.    … Expand
  13. nodq
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Really? Really? .... Really? The best MMO since WoW, and this time for SURE people! You can not compare WoW and GW2 but you can compare MMO releases and the fun of it and the feeling it brings at release + bugs etc. and GW2/Arenanet made an awesome job for sure. 9.5! Giving 10 because of 0 rating trolls here.
  14. MornFuin
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    So many WoW fanboys hating this lol best game ever. The game artstyle, gameplay and music are just amazing. The launch wasn't that bad many mmo games had a much worse launch.
  15. Raeven1301
    Sep 26, 2012
    10
    The finest hour for MMO's, I started playing MMO's with World of Warcraft at launch, I have since played most of the MMO's that have come since and a few that came before also and I feel I speak with some authority when I say that this is by far the best game I've played at launch in this genre. Please feel free to ignore any comments whining about lack of end game content as these people fall into two distinct categories: 1. People who raced to 80 as fast as possible and didn;t even wait for others to join them and didn't try out any of the end content. 2. People who simply haven't played but are upset that WoW servers are becoming quieter these days. Either way, there is plenty to do at end game, far more than WoW at launch which had zero end game content, no raids, no BG's, basically you could do UBRS, help lowbie guildies or save for an epic mount and that was it....oh, or go to Hillsbrad and lag out for 30 minutes. Apologies for comparing so much with WoW but someone needs to counteract all the whining WoW fanboys.

    Thankfully, GW2 addresses the modern day problems with all MMO's, there's no kill stealing, no imbalanced gear-based PvP to deter new players from trying it. No fetch and return quests, no ninja looting, no easy mode levelling where you simply round up as many mobs as you can aggro, not even those rude players who always seem angry and hateful....because there's no need to be angry, no one can steal your kills, loot or even nodes, you can only help fellow players and this makes for a fantastic community where I find myself regularly aided by passers by, healed and thanked, just like the good old days :)

    The PvP is amazing also, would like some CTF maps but again, as a brand new game I am certain more will be added to both PvE and PvP as with WoW. Thank goodness for GW2 because I was sick of MMO's where everything before max level was geared to get you to max level and joining the grind as soon as possible and I was sick of MMO's where end game felt like a part time job. By far the best game I have played and I genuinely cannot recommend it enough.

    However, a small word on new players, the first 3 days or so are confusing, you have to get used to the new way of doing things and learn how things work. I would say they needed a tutorial but finding these things out is a huge part of the experience for me and something you will remember with fondness when you're a seasoned veteran.    … Expand
  16. insanewicked
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    So far so good. I absolutely love the art style and the combat, while very shallow at a first glance, is incredibly deep and demanding. The launch has been incredibly smooth and I have had no problems accessing the 3 day headstart. I am very pleased with the game and I am fully happy with my purchase.
  17. theNILE
    Dec 8, 2012
    5
    There are some serious problems with this game although for the general casual player it may be very enjoyable. After the rush of players upon release, low levels ran out of quests and events stopped occuring often enough in their maps. They have to go to the alternative areas to level as grinding monsters gives very little exp (even with the points of interest etc). The game doesn't tell you anything. There are no tutorials, you get no guidance in the game and this includes World vs World.

    Now the problem here is that the game doesn't tell you anything and I believe this is partly why 90% of the players do not play WvW or do not really care about playing it. You do get exp and karma from objective in WvW which is nice. The loot you are rewarded for killing players is a joke, you basically get a few trophies. Now, WvW is 24/7, which mean there is not much sense of accomplishment. You're just playing for numbers/stomps. The WvW maps are too open considering the population of participants in WvW - plus it is 24/7. Considering the combat in GW2 itself is somewhat slow-paced, WvW often becomes dull. Siege weapons often result in balanced armies just shifting somewhat becomes two locations and operating these weapons is not particularly interesting. Now the biggest flaw of WvW is that it requires players to respond and lead. That is fine but when barely enough people even play WvW to have mid-sized battles this is a gigantic issue. GW2 is definitely miles below others MMOs in this department. Leveling up is simply and easy once you get a hang of the game but there are three areas in the world which are flooded with....zombies. They all have the same AI and because as you play through the game, enemies require a longer period of time to kill, these zombies become a chore. Reaching the final level itself isn't hard but I didn't feel that a point to put into my traits was really satisfactory for a level. The final gear itself is not even necessary to play this game.

    Rewards from huge world event chains are pathetic. The random crap you get it better than the rewards 99% of the time. There are tons of skins and dyes for you to collect/buy if you are interested in this. Sadly I have to say that it's all just fluff added onto a pretty mediocre core with ridiculous bugs which ruin gameplay and consistently piss you off e.g. random ear-shattering loud sounds, disappearing armies. I really did give this game a second chance, but the huge issues just drove me round the bend. That being said, the graphics are good, the game very rarely crashed and most minor bugs were solved quickly.    … Expand
  18. Brezhnev
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    In reality worth a 9 but gave it a 10 to balance the WoW kiddies who gave it a zero.
    Tho many quests are redundant, just like in all MMO's. I have been challenged by many others.
  19. Kuse
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Definitely the next generation of MMOs and easily the MMO of the Year. World of Warcraft should learn something by Guild Wars 2. You don't alienate your fans just for the sake of the almighty bottom dollar. Guild Wars 2 is a lush, beautiful, vibrant game that takes you in and never lets you go. There is something for everyone here, whether you are a hardcore or casual player. The crafting is robust and fun and there is a reward lurking behind every little thing in this game which keeps you coming back time and time again. Herald in the new King of MMOs cause this bad boy is going no where anytime soon. Best of all its free to play! You have nothing to lose purchasing this game!… Expand
  20. DeFrank
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Exceeded my expectations in every way. A ton of content with little to no compulsion to grind. PvP and WvW alone will provide months of solid gameplay.
  21. InfinityBlaze
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is amazing. There is no other word for it. The art style is minimalistic and charming. The combat is fun and fast paced. And there's no tedious, addictive gameplay with the $15 sub fee. Not to say its not addicting though. Guild wars 2 has great PvP, an engaging story, and fantastic crafting. MMO player or not, GW2 is a must buy.
  22. ozymandiasza
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    I've played Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, Star Trek online, Dungeons and Dragons online, Rift, Guild Wars 1 and this is by far the best MMO I've ever played. I would recommend it to everyone!
  23. Crow86
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    This is honestly the game that made me remember why I'm a PC gamer and brought all my hope back to PC gaming.I give it a 10 because it deserves it. The things I noticed that were wrong were very little and they had no effect on the actual game-play so I didn't care. When you focus on the small bugs about a game and say the game sucks because of it, you should just give up right there because there is no hope for you in the video game world. Anyway, the devs pretty much thought of everything in this game. No more grinding enemies, no more loading up on quests. It's all about the dynamic events and exploration that make this game so incredible. I keep forgetting that I have a story mission to do because I keep getting caught up in doing events and exploring all the areas. When I play this, I play it for hours on end because there is so much to do and I have to force myself to stop playing. One problem I've had with other MMOs are, what I call, stand-stills, where you run out of quests for your level and you are no where near leveling and you stand there trying to figure out what to do so then are forced to grind enemies. This game doesn't have that at all because of all the events you can do. After reading what the negative users have said about this game makes me sick. This is, in my opinion, an incredibly awesome-made game. Just a few things: 1. MMOs are bound to have a few bugs at first but the ones in this game are so minimal to the actual game-play that I just carry on with the game. 2. This game doesn't have quests so what is broken? All it has is your story mission, tasks, and events and all of them are fine with me and I should know because I played a different character in all the beta events and stress tests and found very little problems and guess what, they didn't bother me. 3. The graphics in this game are awesome. It is hard to make a game look original these days so quit crying because it looks too much like WoW which, also in my opinion, it looks nothing like WoW. Also, one thing that I think is just pure genius when it comes to this game is the W v W (World vs. World). It basically takes after Dark Age of Camelot with the sieges and keep raids. I loved that game 10 years ago and this game brought back so many good memories of it. This game is so much better then WoW that words cannot describe it. So anyway, to sum it up, Guild Wars 2 was definitely worth the wait. I was excited for the release just as much as I was just to play it during a beta event for 3 days or a stress test for 3 hours. I love this game. That's all I can say.… Expand
  24. Kooltastic
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game, I leveled to 40 in the last few days and it's so fun! Instant lvl 80 PvP is great and the combat feels very smooth. I also did the first dungeon which was quite the challenge, I can't wait to to lvl 80 dungeons. The MMO tasks you do are the same like in other MMO's but the content is presented in a very unique way. Dynamic events are brilliant and really make the world seem alive. The servers were only down for 3 hours so far which is great for a such a big launch. Only downside are some bugs with the trading post but I'll forgive them for that.… Expand
  25. ryn
    Oct 15, 2012
    4
    I'll keep this short. The graphics and sound come together to form a breathtaking world. Unfortunately, this alone isn't enough to make a compelling game. The combat is fun and engaging (perhaps more so than in competing titles) for the first couple of days. But I have yet to play an MMO that manages to keep it interesting after that and GW2 is no exception. Unfortunately this hits GW2 hard, because as the developers pointed out many times: there is no "carrot" in GW2. What's supposed to keep you playing is the fun of playing the game itself (walking around killing things, exploring, doing dynamic events, etc.) and NOT loot rewards. Well, general game-play quickly becomes sleep-inducing. Crafting is a major gold-sink and feels like a waste of time, even if the interface itself isn't bad. The economy is a complete joke, with 99% of items selling at vendor price and the other 1% climbing to insane new heights every day. Unless you've played from release and speculated your way to huge profits when various recipes were changed or discovered, you are going to be dirt-poor from 1-80 and beyond. The dungeons are boring and frustrating at the same time, but to expect differently when you put 5 classes that all do everything in a dungeon that you over-tune to hell to make it "challenging" is madness. World-vs-World PvP is a zerg-fest of epic proportions and if you think that structured PvP will appeal to you, go play Dota2 or LoL instead for a much more complete and fun experience. The personal story is decent up to level 50 or so, then it looses pretty much all it's appeal and turns into another terrible, unrewarding grind.… Expand
  26. Tempestozaur
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    An amazing game! I especially like the exploration part of hidden caves and dungeons spread around the world which in general reward you with loot chests or special events.
  27. Amiron
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    Combat; Pros - Fast paced, little downtime, reaction time oriented, utilizes action rpg mechanics such as real-time blocking and dodging, not based on stats and numbers but instead complimented by them, and higher level (10+) combat/skills is very fun. It doesn't grow stale because the PvE mobs are VERY smart as compared to traditional MMO's. They will dodge your attacks, block, knock you down, etc. This proves to be a fun combat system for PvP too, providing a more visceral experience.
    Cons - Early levels can prove to be a little slow, but discovering skills through fighting can be exciting for the first time.

    Crafting; Pros - Provides significant exp, has an interesting discovery mode that allows you to mix and match ingredients to discover new recipes, very easy to earn nodes while leveling because nodes are instanced to be personal to each player, therefore node-stealing is literally impossible. You can always farm ANY type of node as long as you have the farming equipment viable for it, even if you don't have a crafting discipline, and it ALWAYS provides exp, even if you farm something that is too high level and you get junk for it.
    Cons - Can be pricey depending on which crafting discipline you choose.

    Personal Story; Pros - Unique playthroughs; you could play the same race more than three times and have an entirely different personal story each and every time, depending on which backgrounds you choose for your character. Tons of voice acting that is for the most part high quality, with a few hiccups here and there. You get to make impacting decisions that affect your "home instance", which also screams for another playthrough.
    Cons - For those who like to completely define a unique character, it can take away from that and make you feel slightly standardized. Can't choose voice for character, either.

    Graphics; Pros - Unique and unlike most art styles I've ever seen, works well with game's design and engine, even low settings provides a very good looking game.
    Cons - My only complaints would be you can't push the graphics even farther.

    Overall - Top all of that off with a one time purchase with no subscription fee, and you've got yourself an award winning MMORPG that is fresh, unique, and provides for an experience unlike any older MMORPG can provide. The main question; is it revolutionary in making you think differently about MMO gaming? I would say yes; among the action oriented combat which resembles a console game, stylized graphics, interesting and fresh crafting mechanics, and easy to use UI topping everything off with no subscription fee, this game is a candidate for Game of the Year, hands down. You owe it to yourself to try it.    … Expand
  28. WaterWoman
    Aug 28, 2012
    9
    It's hard for me to give a game a 10; perfection. With this game, yes I don't like doing some tasks like pick up stuff for 15 minutes, blah, blah, blah, so I can't give it a 10. But overall this game is addicting, more polished than GW1, fun to play, massive amount of content, smooth, nice to look out, great character builds, good weapons, good enemies, etc.... It's my favorite MMO.
  29. webtiger
    Mar 10, 2013
    0
    after months the game still has some of the initial bugs and the improvements made to the game are not really improvements but stepback´s so anet has to do better if they want to sell games because the game has stagnated and is slowly dying. and check once and for all the lag problems that are the worst of the game.
  30. Emerica
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    This game is by no stretch a perfect game but I would say it certainly meets its expectations in almost every way. The graphics are excellent, and anyone who doesn't think so needs to realize the difference between an FPS and an MMO. MMO graphics are notorious for being a bit outdated due to performance issues, if a software company pumped out an MMO with top tier graphics you best be ready to shell out serious cash for top tier hardware. The combat system is excellent with plenty of dynamics to vary each confrontation. Things such as skill swapping, weapon swapping and dodging make combat less linear. The quest system while not new is a bit refreshing becasue you have plenty of ways to accomplish the same common goal and you never have to return or even talk to the quest giver at all. The downlevling system is flawless and amazing in every way making every piece of content challenging and new. The crafting system although not innovative is thouroughly enjoyable and well worth the time and effort. For all of those complaining about the bans going around for the "exploit". I totaly agree that it is not fair to punish people for not knowingly or knowingly exploiting a blatant developing mistake, but it is fair for them to warn the players that doing this in the future will have consequences. Problems like this can ruin the economy of the game almost indefintley. A-net spoke on Reddit about it, not to brag but to warn: we are watching and we will punish you for your actions. For all of those saying that the launch was horrible, you clearly have never been a part of a launch of an MMO ever. The Guild Wars 2 launch was almost perfect with very small hiccups along the way. If you will all remember the Diablo 3 launch, or SWTOR launch or even WoW launch. They all had some game crippling issues out of the gate. Arena net gave us what they could with what they had and didn't compeltley kick us out. Although with all of the great things there are still aspects of the game that are left undetermined. First off the issue of the endgame. Without a gear grind or treadmill what will be left to do? Will WvWvW and PvP be enough to keep this game alive? Right now we are all acting on blind faith that Arena Net will patch in content and make end game whatever we dream it to be, well thats what they are saying anyway. But like anything there will always be a hint out doubt, we will have to wait and see. Secondly the ban hammer may be a little to liberal and Arena net needs to chose their battles, banning people for being racist is one thing but banning people for mild remarks about a player is a totally different thing.

    Through all the great aspects of this game there are some things that are still unclear and may end up becomming shortcomings.

    TL;DR: Games not perfect, but well worth $60. It is a pick up and play MMO with no monthly fees. Hopefully Arena Net will continue to support it with new content regularly. For now 8.5 (Rounded to 9 becasue of the massive amount of trash 0 reviews)    … Expand
  31. hanibaldemp
    Sep 1, 2012
    9
    This game is fun and that is all.congrats to abet for making such a great game thats not such a grind like every other mmo but is concentrating on the fun factor which is what was needed in the mmo industry.
  32. plaguebourne
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game impressed me in closed beta both in quality and amount of things to keep me busy. The map flow is impressive given the event locations are nonlinear. It's the first time I've played an MMO in years that has offered me a challenge, looked beautiful, and kept me wanting more. I also am impressed with the fact that the dev team made leveling a bit of a challenge and seemed to want it to be an important part of the game rather than a quick grind to max level/endgame content... and looking at the amount of leveling content and the quality of it, I can see why. This game makes me want to explore every corner of every map, tame as many creatures as I can, and learn as much about the lore of the world as I can absorb. Also, the crafting system is fun, allowing you to discover new recipes and enhancement items rather than just serving you up the recipes and making you sit and grind out a hundred of one item.

    Congratulations to the ArenaNet team on an amazing accomplishment. You've taken a bitter old hardcore MMO gamer and made her a believer in the genre again.    … Expand
  33. Alargus
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    BEST GAME EVER! Definately a great sequel to the legendary Guild Wars. I am very excited to max to max out all of my characters. They mastered every aspect of MMO's
  34. Steven121121
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    Great game. The graphics are in fact wonderful if they aren't your computer is to blame not the game. It's a good plot and although it doesn't feel like the old guild wars I am enjoying it all the same. It's not a pay2win. You can get exp boosts with them but there isn't an exchange for gold using gems! You would have to trade it to another player for gold. It has a good plot and a better combat system than the old guild wars. Although the customization for skills isn't the same it's still there the focus has been shifted from what you play with such as builds anyone can use to how you play.… Expand
  35. themetacritic
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    This game is one of the best mmo's I've played. Smoothest release compared to any other and the gameplay is just fun. Most MMO's require a holy trinity(tanks, healers, dps) but not this game. It's been erased and for the better. Now there's never a reason to sit around waiting for a group. The scenery is breath taking. Community in this game is amazing and everyone is friendly. Crafting and farming is very easy. Minimal bugs get worked out quickly. The only cost for Guilds Wars 2 is $60.00 with no reoccuring monthly charges and it's a steal. There is no pay to win in this game, which makes everything balanced. There honestly isn't any better way to make a mmo. GW2 is a great mmo and is not going away anytime soon!… Expand
  36. ninjakeisari
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Finally a game where the focus is in the adventure itself, not in the item level of the gear you wear!
    Guild Wars 2 gives the players a beautiful, lovingly crafted world to be explored. The graphics are gorgeous and the game's unique art style is brought to life in amazing detail. The combat is fluid and skill based and in SPvP you'll win because you're a better player than the other, not     because your gear has more stats in it. The world is vast and there is always something to do, actually the best way to level is to just wander around and explore the world as you gain experience from gathering, events, crafting and finding locations.

    Of course every game has its flaws as no game is perfect, but for me the recipe of Guild Wars 2 is spot on. The combat is challenging but still very enjoyable once you get the hang of it, you'll need to think of it more akin to Dark Souls instead of typical MMOs, you can't just stand there and take those hits after the first zone. Dynamic Events are basically randomly occurring chain quests that have different branches on success and failure, but they've been so well made that it's hard to complain. Jumping Puzzles may be insanely hard for some (I love them though), but they're completely optional, you're not forced to do them if you don't want to. Actually the great thing about this game is that almost everything is optional, you can do what you enjoy instead of being forced to do something else. You like PvP? You'll have lvl 80 character and equal gear with everyone else from lvl 1. Enjoy WvW? You can level there, everything you need from experience to gear can be gained in the eternal battlegrounds. You happen to be a pacifist? Crafting, gathering and exploration both give loads of experience.

    tl;dr: Guild Wars 2 is a beautiful game which has something for everyone, it may not re-invent the whole MMO-genre completely but it does everything so perfectly that it's hard to not enjoy it. Of course some may dislike certain aspects of the game but for me this is the game I've been waiting for years, the game of adventure and...fun! When my biggest personal complaints about the game are the lack of first person camera and the difficulty of choosing the profession to play as they're all equally fantastic, you know I'm forced to give it a 10.    … Expand
  37. Tikvaw
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    Nice graphics and immersive world, very detailed and made with love. Beautiful main cities. Interesting combat mechanics, with different skills for different weapons additional to traits and other skills. Meaningful crafting with discovery of new reciepes and xp gain. Travel instantly from anywhere to designated teleporters. Funny events and quests. WvW is very funny and gives bonuses to the whole server. Game runs smooth. Only downside yet, trading post still isn't working and they have sometimes connectivity issues.… Expand
  38. pablobosa
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    A lot of effort went into every detail. You can tell this game was made with love and patience. The art is outstanding, the gameplay hard and innovative, and there is so much to do. As a completionist i cant leave an area without checking it all and its so worth it. Even the crafting is fun.
  39. WeTehPeople
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    I'll admit, at first I was skeptical about Guild Wars 2. My overall impression of the gameplay and information collected by internet sources made me think this game had a lot of promise. Problem is, I felt that way about a lot of MMO's that also emanated "Promise". Turns out this is actually quite a fantastic game. Not to mention F2P? I mean come on. The concern people express in their negative views is quite minimal. Okay, lets get this straight, this isn't going to be some ground breaking "New Age" of MMO where everyone is going to go ape sh*t over it. If you've never played an MMO you might not like it...on the other hand you might fall in love with it. Its a quality game, combats fun, visuals are good, voice acting is okay, but most of all the community is awesome! 9/10. Finally an MMO WORTH my time.… Expand
  40. Kangamangus
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    The game is good bang for your buck, especially if you don't want to pay over and over again for content that will probably become routine if you crack out on it. No monthly fee is a strong point. Some people will say Diablo 3 is good for that reason, but I never got a chance to connect to the servers before I got my money back. Also, you don't have to worry about your account being banned if someone hacks it, because it's your fault if you get hacked in the world of Blizzard. As far as the game goes, it's familiar MMO in interface and typical fantasy themes, but some unique twists keep it interesting. I never found myself bored or wishing I didn't have to cross the map, because no matter where you are, there are usually world events happening nearby. These are missions or objectives that vary in size and difficulty, and anyone can participate. You don't have to worry about competing for kills or drops, though, as you get your own loot. Most of the time, other people's contribution counts towards yours. Kinda neat, making the community and players friends instead of foes, more often than not. Yes, someone can still draw adds to your fight and get you killed. You'll never stop stupid people or jerks from being on the internet. Blizzard and their junkie whore fan base is proof of this. A lot of concessions were made for the player. You can send mail from anywhere in the world, and download crafting resources to your bank from any where in the world, meaning you can loot an insane amount before you'll need to sell stuff or visit your stash. This game was working 3 days before launch, and has been working very consistently since official launch. No need to defend that.… Expand
  41. Kingmannie
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is utterly fantastic. I'm not even going to begin to compare it to other MMO's because this game is in a league of its own. Apart from the hiccups that every huge MMO gets during launch, Guild Wars 2 has drawn me straight into its amazing story based PVE experience, exciting PVP (wvw) experience plus its enthralling and beautiful world. I get all this without having to worry about money coming out of my bank account each month and how much 'value' I'm getting. I can pick this up or leave this down yet I find myself unable to stop playing and I can anticipate based on the history of their expansions that it will have me hooked for a very very long time. Some of the pros I see immediately in terms of gameplay are; The lack of grinding due to interesting and varied approach to experience rewards... yes that right you can travel the whole map and PVP and level up at the same time. When your actually doing the PVE content you can do dynamic events which number in the hundreds across a sprawling beautiful map, they are fun varied and interesting. When you get to the story, its presented in a more personal light, you don't just click on an NPC and click the text off again. You actually see your character in all his/her glory with the gear and your creative input on the screen. Whether you love PVP, PVE, story based content, exploring content or just sheer messing about Guild War 2 has it all at a low cost without the super addicting but highly negative push of a monthly fee. Guild Wars 2 does it all and does it with style, do yourself a favour and take the chance. SB… Expand
  42. Misjah
    Sep 2, 2012
    4
    Huge disappointment, completely over-hyped...
    World graphics are only slightly better then WoW and the quest system is a complete ripoff from Warhammer, just like Rift. WvW also reminds me much of warhammer open world PvP, the pvp could be great but has a big chance of ending up completely **** like warhammer did.
    The jumping puzzles were difficult and fun but nothing new having just pla    yed SWToR.
    The engine was a HUGE disappointment, the game has a far view distance and lot's of character polys, NONE of which makes the game run very well, the input delays completely killed the experience for me, without without v-sync it was horrible!
    The most exciting part of GW2 was the weapon/ability system and i had completely discovered all my weapons and abilities by level 8, taking a quick glance of the unlockable abilities and traits did not boost my excitement one single bit!
    WoWHammer2 was just another theme park clone with slightly exciting pvp, the ONLY great thing about it is the little polished lore there was, a chance for some fun WvW PvP and the fact that's it's F2P.
    For that, I give it a 4/10.    … Expand
  43. Machineman87
    Sep 6, 2012
    1
    Security is absolutely the most glaring issue with the game.

    After years of learning security best practices from other game
  44. DamoclesRising
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    This game offers much to players starved for change and innovation, while still giving the great feeling of progression and reward MMORPGs strive to give. Players are naturally encouraged to play together thanks to systems they have in place, and are all rewarded equally for things they participate in, whether that be quests or simply kills. Rewards also scale to your level, and your level scales to the difficulty of the event. The event itself scales in difficulty to the number of people currently partaking in it. Guild system is great, providing cool things like Guild Emblem armor, or banners for forts in WvWvW, the multi-server persistent siege-warfare pvp battlefield. that being said, once you hit max level, the game returns to feeling like a grind as you try to obtain all the best gear, but it still provides a fresh experience in doing so thanks to the innovative gameplay. There were some bugs on release, but most have been dealt with in a timely manner. Its a great game guys, try it out.… Expand
  45. TheBrutal
    Sep 13, 2012
    2
    Game play is boring and feels very disconnected. When you die it sends you to the ground like your having a last stand which i found to be very frustrating and frankly just not needed. As for questing it was a bit different which was nice but if you wanted to play alone and quest you can just count that out because its based on there being many people there to help you. The games not bad if you've never played an mmo before but if you are a veteran it going to be the same thing you've seen everywhere else. I give it a 2 because the graphics were good but it had nothing else going for it.… Expand
  46. Orctownorc
    Oct 2, 2012
    10
    Fans of fantasy RPG have had to wait a long time for a game where they can imagine themselves as heroes in 'another world' without paying by the month for it. This game fills a gap that Witcher 2 and Dragon Age 2 both sorely failed to fill. Guild Wars 2 scratches the itch of Fantasy RPG fans with an expansive, beautifully presented world. There is exploration, crafting, swords and sorcery. There are guilds and social elements if you need them, or you can solo if you prefer. If you want PVP. There are plenty of different builds to play around with, and five races to delve into. The developers appear to be doing their best to offer a gamer-friendly experience and have certainly worked very hard to make this game big enough and flexible enough for everyone except the most head-up-the-arse hard core-nutters. The elements of killing mobs and bosses, and grinding levels are all familiar, and not really better than youve already seen elsewhere. But the art IS better. Many small details of presentation ARE improved. And the pay-once play-forever model is a SUPERB challange for Blizzard to start trying to earn money with better games rather than milking and exploiting their customer base all the way. If you are an RPG fan, you can't go wrong with this game. If you haven't tried an MMO before THIS is the place to start. If you play WOW and are curious, play some of a friends account and choose whichever game you prefer. Thanks Arenanet for expanding our choices, and thanks for Trying to upgrade and evolve the model. If this game gets Blizzard to try harder we all win. For that reason alone... for daring to compete we should all appreciate and applaud what this game represents. The trolls giving this game 0s and 1s should understand just how this game might end up helping them enjoy better games at better prices and repost with scores that reflect an understanding of how Arenanet efforts will finally IMPROVE their gaming experience. 8/10 for the game. 10/10 due to its entirely positive influence on game design for those games to come which will be better and cheaper because of Guild Wars 2.… Expand
  47. hegyitaho
    Oct 29, 2012
    0
    not an mmo revolution, but still as wow's getting older and older, this is it's best alternative (also sub free!). i don't care about pve in general but there's very of it little even to my liking. pvp-wise it's much better, still there's no incentive in the long run (i mean spvp, which lacks ranked teams, arena ladders), also pvp feels like just burning all your skills asap and waiting on cooldowns. WvWvW is too hectic with too may people that makes the frame rate drop to single digit number (4 core cpu, 560ti, 8gig ram). i would be really interested in statistics about the active players as a function of time, i have a feeling that its a small fraction of the peak value. graphics are great, story and crafting and pve are well below swtor. level grindig is horrible, despite of or partially because of this "everything is a dynamic event" craze… Expand
  48. biscuitasylum
    Nov 11, 2012
    3
    I tried really hard to like this game, seeing how I played the first Guild Wars for 7 years. I'm mainly here to score the game because 8.1 is a farce. It was a huge let down for myself. However, i would highly recommend the game to people who may not be familiar with the first or don't want to pay subscription fees. The Graphics aren't that much of an improvement over the first... If you have a high end gaming machine like I do... you'll notice very little difference... you can tell they catered to the low to mid level gamer machine. Not that that's bad or anything but come on people... time to upgrade your computers, you're ruining it for the rest of us who do upgrade. It was said that the grind would be gone... no, the grind is still there, except now it has a dress on and its not that pretty. You're still going to grind. I was very very disappointed in the skill system, skills are now bound to weapons instead of having a choice. There are no longer dual professions and no way to create uber builds. You no longer have to use your brain to calculate a build. They've dumbed it down to make balancing the game easier for the company and the mediocre players. You now pay a fee to portal, which isn't so much a gripe if the wait time wasn't so ridiculous (and no, it's not my connection, I'm on a T3 line). There are many bugs within game play, sometimes I wonder if they didn't pay attention to the beta trials or if they even played the game themselves. The story line... is okay. Puzzles and W-v-W is okay. The dungeons are where its at... but again, here comes the grind. I give this a 3 because its a three for me... but for someone else... I would say a 5 or 6.… Expand
  49. FexZ
    Jan 10, 2013
    9
    The game doesn't have that good graphics. But I'm not playing games because of graphics. When I first tried the game in it's beta state I was like a "donut" simply, is this real? Am I playing this MMO? Simply the best MMO to date. Age of Conan still has better graphics, but hey. They just took normal quests were you read paragraphs of paragraphs of text and just go over there talk to that guy and go all the way back by putting in hearts where you put out fires, kill monsters, gather this and that. It's variety! And not to forget the event system, event chains like something happens, and you fail to stop it and now you have to take it back.
    The personal story is also amazing except the last quest. You simply spam one button. You have so many different choices which means you can play it again and have a different experience. And with this personal story you can actually tell your friends and people you met online who your character is and what they've done in order to "save" the world. The gear system is just amazing. Every peace of gear in heavy-, light- and medium armor is equally good. Nothing is better than other gear just different stats. And the fact that you can change the looks of gear to what you like it to be is great. Now let's move over to the dungeon system. first of all it's ONLY 5-man. because the classes do everything like tank, heal and dps. The class is not what you are and what you do but how you do it. If it's mor than 5-man you need a specific tank class etc. More about classes later. But the dungeons consist of one story mode and explorable one. Story mode: Well it's story based, and actually not a bad one either! It's a extra story for your personal story. It's hard if no one in the group knows the tactics but when you learn them they are fairly easy, and you get good exp if you're leveling (lvling) up. Before I start on explorable I'm just telling you that they said they will remake everything we know of the dungeons to this day :) Explorable: Consists of 3 or more paths, much harder but still not that hard, more teamwork, more skill ofc. When you finish you get emblems to use for gear/legendary(ies). Classes/Races: 5 races and 10 classes. Each race can be every class, each races has they're own story. The customization is slick and has much to it. The fact that you can get dyes and color your armor the way you want is amuses me every day and every time I do it. I've tried every race and the only races I don't like that much is Azura just because they don't have as much detail to the armor as the others. But the classes. 2 soldier classes (heavy armor) which is Warrior and Guardian. 3 adventure classes (medium armor, which is ranger, thief and egnineer. 3 scholar classes (light armor) which is elementalist, necromancer and mesmer. Read more about the classes on http://www.guildwars2.com Fun stuff to do: Jumping puzzles. I've got to say, these are fantastic! It's ridicolus how much fun it's to see how much people can fail at these. Do them with your guild or friends. It's fun!

    One shout out to ArenaNet for this amazing MMORPG. They have invented the best MMORPG to date.    … Expand
  50. MrMT
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    The game is tremendous. Obviously it's early days, and there have been some issues here and there, but the playing experience is top of the line in every way. A vast world to explore. A good range of interesting classes and races. Excellent pvp, which can handle many players. (My only small gripe is that I would have enjoyed pvp in the main game world, but the game has large pvp zones which work very well). The world is alive with action and sounds. The draw distance is impressive. I have high hopes for this one - long may it prosper.… Expand
  51. gromit
    Aug 29, 2012
    6
    maybe my expectations were just too high. It isn't a bad game, nice graphics and smooth gameplay, but everything in the game is just a rehash of every other MMO, nothing innovative, nothing to really get you excited that this is something new and different, also nothing really to get you hooked early on.
  52. sandal
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    The sequel to Guild-wars set within the same world, 8 fun classes and 5 which are each different and have there own story, Graphics are superb and the music is beautiful with nice combat sounds. The combat is fun and compelling with a dodge system and fast paced action.
    Highly recommended to anyone looking for a new rpg or mmorpg to play.
  53. PresCthulhu
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    I play mmos since WoW came out. I literally tried out everything since then. I know there are more HC gamers, who started before me. For me this game is the best MMO I ever played with yet, I really do not have anything to add. Easily a 10/10 for the time being.
  54. prinnylaharl
    Oct 3, 2012
    6
    Pre-ordered months in advance in anticipation, but sadly the game just does not live up to expectations. For the first few days I'd have gladly given the game a 10/10 however, when you make it into the 70-80 range the PVE content immediately falls off and becomes boring due to poorly tuned events and somehow even more repetitive combat than the "Cookie cutter" MMOs such as WoW. There is no true difficulty in the game since you will almost never really die and fighting PVE bosses is as simple as learning their one threatening move that is hidden in around 4-5 weak but flashy hits and then using your invulnerability dodge to get through it. A.Net had such potential with the open world bosses and they really could have made some interesting open raids such as they did with the earlier bosses, but the late game ones really don't even come close to that quality. Most will say the focus on GW has always been PVP, which is true so let's go to that. Currently PVP is entirely imbalanced which is alright I suppose due to it being new, but even then the PVP is for the most part slow and repetitive with very little reaction based combat for most of the classes and is in many ways worse than GW1 and honestly right now not even WvWvW is fun enough to make up for the core gameplay mistakes. Overall it's fun enough that I got my moneys worth and will still make alts for the fun low level content, but most players will want to look elsewhere for a good MMO. Both PVE and PVP players have much better options to choose from.… Expand
  55. teejaymmk
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Really a big breath of fresh air after playing countless WoW clones for the better part of 10 years now. If you are like me and have long been bored of the tried and true formula approach to all MMOS for the past 10 years, this is what you have been looking for. Just give it a shot, its free so why not?
  56. NinjaPepeprs
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    This game is fun. To start the, the game is action-packed, the quest system is unique, the graphics and art style are beautiful and the music is pleasant. It took me about 1-2 hours to work out how to play the game. By no means does Guild Wars 2 hold your hand, it instead takes the approach of throwing you in the middle of the pool so to speak, not the deep end. They give you just what you need to go off and learn for yourself. I think this is refreshing compared to most other modern games. I can't pick to many negatives with this game other then it will be confusing to work out some of the mechanics; but as previously mentioned it is enjoyable in its own right.… Expand
  57. Kermie
    Oct 1, 2012
    9
    A terrific blend of social questing, incredibly flexible game mechanics that engage rather than bore, and a deep, beautiful, and magical world to explore is something we've seen from many games in years past. But take that and apply it to an MMO...and do it incredible well...that is truly a remarkable accomplishment. It's fun, It's huge, and it's abounding with far too much content for a single human being to comprehend. The grind is there, but is masked by the ingenious social events and fun and varied quests that you accomplish. It's the art style that is truly wonderful, ranging from massive snow topped peaks to the depths of Tyria and everywhere in between. Jeremy Soule's score is, yet again, magic. I love it, and I hate MMO's. Consider me a believer; ArenaNet has produced a remarkable package, and if you pass for any reason you'll be missing out on an incredible adventure.… Expand
  58. mromih
    Sep 22, 2012
    10
    Incredible. The only downside is struggling with the addiction to play everyday. Beautiful graphics. Incredible sound effects and music. And you can do sooo many things in this game other than just concentrating on killing monsters for farming xp or entering an instance for 3 or 4 hours and ending without any loot cause you lost all rolls (like ..well.... you know) This is a WELL balanced game. PC gaming always will rule!… Expand
  59. Conure
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    When I first logged in, and for the first half hour, I thought this game was just like World of Warcraft - I was wrong.

    The more you play, the more you realise that Guild Wars 2 is a significant step forward for the genre. The music and visuals lend to a highly engaging atmosphere, and I never feel as though I am grinding. The entire world has been lovingly crafted with the type of deta    il rarely seen in games of this scale. The "quest system", if you could call it that, allows you to play how you want, where you want. For example, there are often multiple ways to complete a quest, and should you grow bored of one area (unlikely!) then you can easily go elsewhere. the game has a real sense of exploration which you would find in a game like Skyrim, but with the detail of The Witcher 2.

    After disappointing releases over the past 12 months with The Old Republic and Tera, this game is a welcome and fantastic game. I will give the game a ten, based on the fact that after a weeks play it is the best early/mid game MMORPG that I have ever played.    … Expand
  60. KristofER20
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Absolutely amazing game, everything from the world, characters, story, gameplay, style, this is truly a piece of art. It was the best 50£ I have ever spent on a game in my life, and I hope that Arenanet will keep up the good work, and will amaze me/us again with new content in the future.
  61. sektor
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    Revolutionizing the genre a must play for MMO and Action RPG fans. Miles ahead of similar action MMO's mindless gameplay. After reading most of the negative reviews I realize it comes from a lack of understanding of the game itself as well as a lack of awareness. People who are giving this a low score are coming into the game with a cookie-cutter MMO mindset. Come in with a blank slate and see why this is the best MMO of this year and probably this decade.… Expand
  62. midiankomidian
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    absolutely stunning,full of detail with new possibilities like never before...dynamic events are perfect and they are shifting and changing the world of Tyria. The art style is absolutely gorgeous, I am very excited about the game it is a absolute must not only for an MMO player,but for every gamer out there..10/10 without a doubt
  63. Kimomarudotcom
    Sep 11, 2012
    10
    This MMO is amazing. It does ape so many of the mechanics that make MMOs great (and, yes, if you're sole intention is to level up you will certainly be grinding), but it's ambitious in so many ways. Events are dynamic, so in just roaming the country side you'll find yourself joining in on dynamic world events, harvesting resources to craft weapons, armor, and jewelery or even just traveling to all sites marked on world map for the completionist players. I must say, however, that the greatest thing about it is the Black Lion Trading company, GW2's online market. Ever get tired of storing stuff in your inventory just to sell them back in town? Right click on your inventory objects and sell them right away on Black Lion - you'll get money for them later when people buy what you posted. So awesome. Tired of grinding for gold to buy armor on Black Lion? If you're like me, paypaling ten dollars is definitely the way to go - the gold I got in return was more than enough to amp up my character and still have plenty left over for my character bank account. I'm on level 45 so far and GW2 remains one of my favorite games this year. GW2 is a triumph of the genre and you're missing out if you don't pick it up.… Expand
  64. kiwicube
    Sep 27, 2012
    10
    GW2 is a fantastic MMO that has made a great change to how MMO's will operate in the future (at least i hope) . Graphics for this game are amazing, however, needs a good spec PC to run. The game has a wise variety of classes and unique skills for every race. Not necessarily classed into tank, healer, DPS but you are able to customise every class to what you like. Personal story starts off amazing until around level 60 where I personally found it fell off. Questing is made fun and the dynamic events are great fun when in a large group of players, however some areas lacked event number and variety. WvWvW is a brilliant idea, however slightly imbalanced at the moment due to servers starting up. Exp gaining is solid all the way through, grinding is taken out of levelling, however farming materials did become tedious. Dungeons were very difficult, however, were very fun to play through once I found for narrative purposes. Other issues I found is that auction house took a while to fix, some personal story quests were bugged and some hearts quests were very difficult to complete compared to others. Also there is a limited amount of lvl 80 content at the moment which is disappointing, however, they still need to complete the rest of the map. Would love to see flying mounts to show off the scenery more as well as more variety in WvWvW, maybe a few extra weapons and finally more tough dragons.
    Can't wait to play the expansions that will hopefully be arriving!!    … Expand
  65. Mudget
    Aug 30, 2012
    8
    This is an -initial- review, as the game just came out and my guess is as I become more familiar with it, the score will go up. But from a die-hard Guild Wars fan who has been sitting on the edge of his chair waiting YEARS (and then years on top of years) for this sequel - some of the air has been let out of my balloon. I'll just say what every other poster has said, because it's true in my case, too - I'm a die-hard MMORPG and RPG fan in general - have played every single major MMORPG release (and many minor ones) over the years since 1997 when I was addicted, truly addicted, to the original EverQuest. I'm much more a single-player RPG'er and will build an entirely new computer just for new releases like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (which lived up to the hype and was worth the PC construction). But EverQuest hooked me, DAoC hooked me, WoW hooked me, Conan hooked me, and, most recently, Star Wars hooked me. But none of those experience even barely hold a candle to the good times I had in the surprise hit of (2005 was it? 2004?) - Guild Wars. GW was so completely different. Absolutely re-wrote the book for MMORPGs and was underappreciated in this regard by both critics and players alike. Not just because it didn't cost a monthly fee, but because the game was more a hybrid between a collectible game like Magic: The Gathering, and a standard grinder like WoW. It was the collectible skill system that was the most innovative feature, and the endless hours of PvP trying out different combinations of found skills that kept me coming back.

    So I'll begin by saying that the move by Guild Wars 2 away from the collectible skill set system of the original game to a hybrid of very typical WoW grinding, Warhammer Online/RIFT area event quest generation, and so forth - was the first thing that let air out of my balloon. This line sums it up for me - GW2 is not the innovative MMORPG that GW was. It's not that it's a -different- game, like GW was, it's that it is a combination of many very -typical- games. Happily, the combination does work on many levels, and it is generally fun, albeit quite confusing at first. And VERY confusing if you're a diehard Guild Wars fan who expected this to be a sequel of some sort. Aside from the lore, there's not a lot of similarity between the first GW and this one. As with so many games nowadays in which critics praise the graphics as the "BEST IN ANY MMORPG TO DATE" - the graphics are actually just nice. They're not ground-shakingly good or making use of anything new in the genre, necessarily, but there are some nice vistas and good looking character models and animations. Still, I find myself saying that with almost every release nowadays. Finding one's way around massive cities is one of the more aggravating experiences in a new MMORPG, and GW2 is no exception, compounding this problem with multi-level cities in which you must hop into portals to get to some upper levels (took me quite a while to figure that one out). Slightly goofy camera controls add to this frustration a bit. But overall, the world is fun to explore and the new ability to JUMP in a GW game is nice. (Although again, this doesn't really feel like a sequel to me at all, but an entirely new game, more a spiritual successor to Aion or RIFT than to the original Guild Wars). There is indeed a TON to do in this game and you will never, ever be bored. Collect stuff and craft, dye armors, hop into a big local event that just sprung up, PvP in a smaller setting or PvP in a World-vs-World setting, follow the main quest, or just explore (you are rewarded for just exploring, which is awesome) ... there's never a dull moment. I guess so far for me this is the big selling point. But at this writing, I just can't get past the fact that I am still heartbroken that this isn't a sequel to the Guild Wars system of collecting, mixing and matching "skill cards". Oh well, over time, this may make me a whole new fan in a whole new way. For now though, I give this game a solid 8, because it stands strongly on its own. Can it pull me out of Skyrim (as I originally thought would be a no-brainer)? That's a tough question. When I get home from work and log into my computer my finger first hovers over the Skyrim icon and then hesitantly heads over to GW2. So, yeah, so far it's working. But only barely. This isn't the innovative ALL NEW game I thought it might be - we've seen all these elements in other games before (unlike in the original GW) - but they've been put together in a new way, and I think it might just stand a chance of being the trendy game to play for a few months before everyone either sinks back into their WoW comatose or goes back to the game they're truly in love with. Then again, maybe this will become the go-to game. Too early to tell.

    I'll update in a few months.    … Expand
  66. McGamor
    Sep 25, 2012
    10
    Finally a game that combines the best features of the good mmo's while adding new mechanics and ways to play the game. It will be a long time I think before a better game than GW2 will be made.
  67. Gothic90
    Sep 8, 2012
    8
    If I want to describe GW2 with one sentence, I would say: "an MMO that gets most of what it intends to do right." There are three separate worlds of the game, sPvP, WvW and PvE. sPvP features flat progression: there's build differences, but there is no vertical gear difference (you can choose different gear but it's always about trade-offs). This is imo the most important feature of GW style PvP. Newcomers shouldn't have an unfair disadvantage of having worse gear than old players. Also good players shouldn't need an artificial faceroll advantage over lesser players. sPvP should be skill based instead of gear based. Classes can build into different roles and adds more variety to PvP. WvW may seem like a zergfest, but mindless zerg will seldomly win you games. Supply control, being responsive to opponent movements and strategies are all important. Three faction is also a good thing to bring back from DAoC. While two factions can't artificially ally, when your server claims more land, there is indeed a higher chance of being attacked from both sides. The only problem I have with WvW is that some servers have heavy Asian/Russian/Oceanic population and they have different time schedule, and their rating often under/over estimate their strength. Hopefully Anet can release an Asian server to alleviate this problem. I also wish there would be more focus on open field battle rather than base offense/defense. The PvE world is, unfortunately, not that awesome, and quite a few issues needs to be fixed. Exploration reminds me of Skyrim and is a pretty good part of the PvE world; The reward system is quite nice, coin/karma segregation design is elegant: it discourages annoyances such as gold farmers (they'll have to farm a lot harder than usual), but is not so frustrating to normal players. However, a few problems: dynamic events could be a little more friendly towards solo players; right now some events take too long for solos or 2-3 players and may become an issue once the heat from release is over and newbie zones become less populated. The PvE world, especially the personal storyline, is also quite buggy unfortunately. Some dungeons are also too hard, especially Ascalonian Catacombs; it seems to have an unreasonable difficulty. Trade post was not so good for the first week. Though I heard it's a conspiracy theory to discourage gold farmers, and in that case it's not good but understandable. Overall the PvE world isn't on a smooth release. I also happen to not like the dungeon reward system that rewards you more for going to a same dungeon over and over again than going to all dungeons. Overall it is a good MMO and a pretty smooth launch, and since it doesn't have a subscription fee, I can play at any time I want and don't feel "I have to play tonight, or it's not worth my subscription". Cash shop items are also not unfair towards free players. Problems of the PvE world needs to be patched, and hope Anet adds some more varieties to PvP. Other than that, the game is pretty damn good and I have been playing it almost non-stop.… Expand
  68. Demonio
    Aug 30, 2012
    1
    It is a zerg fest, fun in the first hour of play but then really boring ... loading everywhere ... queue for open rvr LOL
    This game really suck a lot!!!
  69. maghrebi
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    realy realy realy beautifull! i havn't had this feeling since vanilla/tbc WoW. and i'm serious! have been waiting on diablo 3 since WOTLK and i got very dissapointed after all those years waiting, and i must say that i havn't felt this feeling that i have in GW 2 in YEARS. this game rocks, it looks nice, combat is cool, environment rocks!, custumization is nice, most important it plays fluid en cool! and heck it has no subscribtion!

    I thought i was going to play diablo3 for 5/10 years, but i havn't seen this fun since the release of it!
    Guild wars took my heart within the beta's and now when it is released it swallowed me even more.

    Can't wait to get home and continue the pvp tournament i started yesterday :D

    i'm on my work right now and i realy miss it to play my character, well if that occurs i really know the game is good!    … Expand
  70. heerobya
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    The next evolution in MMO gaming. It may not be revolutionary as an entire package, though there are some revolutionary ideas like the Overflow servers. GW2 will easily become the next touchstone for all MMO games to follow as WoW was before it. GW2 takes the same approach WoW took when it revolutionized the MMORPG genre - take what works, make it better, throw out what doesn't work and do something better. PvE via Dynamic Events, structured PvP, World vs. World and a host of other game elements like crafting, exploration, and community friendly open world interaction make this MMO a gem the likes of which we haven't seen in ages.

    GW2 brings back that sense of wanderlust and adventure and just plain FUN many of us MMO veterans have felt the genre has been lacking for far too long.

    Best of all, there is no subscription fee and despite a few launch hiccups Anet has delivered a AAA quality title at a F2P price point. If you are a fan of RPGs and/or MMORPG's you need to buy GW2. Period.    … Expand
  71. andersoyvind
    Aug 28, 2012
    9
    I don't like rating games with a 10 until it's a true winner. Also I haven't played long enough for it to have reasons to rate it "perfect". I'll make it short and simple for you, though:

    Buy it. Own it. Play it. Enjoy!
  72. kendro1200
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Smoothest MMO launch in the history of the genre and one of the most innovative MMOs in the industry, as well as just plainly fun.
    Take everything that you thought you knew about MMORPGs and throw it out the window, this game isn't anything like what you've played in the past. All of the boring, and dull things that run rampant in the MMO genre like a disease are absent in this game.
    Sk    ills, attacks and combat are dynamic and everything matters. For once standing behind a pillar when something attacks you will actually save you, and sometimes the pillar may even crumble under a brutal attack, leaving you exposed to another attack. You can dodge out of the way of attacks, avoiding damage all together. You can actually move while attacking. If you like to explore virtual worlds then are you in for a treat, there are tons of areas to explore and a very large chunk of experience to reward you for exploring regions of the map.
    The sidekick system keeps you from drastically out leveling content, by scaling down your character to at most of 2 levels above the content of the area the character is in. You can actually go play with your friends and/or family without having to waste time or feel generally unrewarded for doing so, because guess what you'll still gain all the relevant rewards as if you were out and about in an area more appropriate to your character's actual level. When armor or weapon loot drops the item level is in a very close range of what you're character's actual level is, sometimes even above, so yes you can kill a level 1 centaur and get a level 80 2 handed axe while helping out someone new to the game.
    Speaking of helping people out, this game removes any form of penalty MMORPG's usually place on playing with other people. Mobs don't get tagged, if you do damage to it, you are rewarded xp and loot. People working on the same quests or events in your area doesn't slow down your progression, it actually speeds it up. Loot is always dropped on a personal basis, no loot roles or fights.
    Speaking of loots and fights, the game has truly epic fights, the scale of which has not been seen in the genre for a long time. The game by design has zero raiding, as set up by EQ and WoW. There is no instance of a dungeon where you need to gather a large number of people in order to then decide who gets what on boss drops. Instead there are these huge outdoor dynamic events that players can trigger and participate in. Then when all is said and done, everyone gets their own loot, with at least once piece (usually get anywhere from 3 to 5) being an upgrade of some sort.

    The pvp in the game is awesome. The game was built nearly from the ground up to support PvP rather than have PvE built first with PvP then added on later, hence why the combat for the game is so amazing. There are two general forms, there is the Structured pvp, and the World vs World pvp.
    Structured pvp are capture the area to accumulate point races.
    Then World vs World is an insanely large map where servers are pitted against one another with keeps, castles, siege weapons, varried terrain, npc mercenaries, basically everything needed to make huge epic battles. To top it all off it's not just one server against another, it's three servers in a free for all, and the fight is always going on. Various landmarks such as towers, farms, lumber camps, keeps and castles are tallied up every hour or so and the servers holding them are awarded points, with a final point count made at the end of a week. Then servers are ranked and then everything starts over again with evenly ranked servers fighting against one another.

    Going back to PvE the personal story and level of customization for characters is amazing and blows away anything done in the past. The personal story you set up puts a lot of emphasis on your choices, make poor choices, or choose things that you don't have your heart set and you'll probably end up with a crummy story. On the other hand if you pick your choices carefully you can end up with a truly awesome story, like a 007 pirate (yes that is a real option, pick carefully!).

    The crafting system is awesome and I've run into a lot of people that have gotten just absorbed into it, people who normally don't like crafting systems. To start off with, crafting supplies don't take room in your inventory for the most part, you pick them up, and you can then send them to a personal stash from anywhere in the world, and then when you go to a crafting table inside a major city or town you then have access to that stash, and you can begin crafting. You can either stick with recipes trainers will give you, or you can try to experiment with various pieces and if you discover something new you are rewarded with lots of skill points in that craft.    … Expand
  73. Innocente
    Aug 30, 2012
    5
    There is much to like in GW2, and much to dislike as well. I had high hopes for great gameplay and a long lasting home in GW2, but I fear that is not to be the case. My review is of the game AS IT IS NOW, not of some 'future' GW2 after it has had months and months of refinement. That sort of refinement should have been done before launching. *Player Market is broken. * WvWvW is broken. * Cross-Server Guesting is Broken. * Dungeon group management is broken. * Many World Bosses are broken. * Game Stability (crashes & lockups) is broken. * Game Balance scaling is broken (Solo challenges are to hard, and Group challenges are to easy). * Overflow Server mechanics are broken. * Crafting scaling and balance is broken. **** Overall, GW2 needed another 6 months to 12 months 'in the oven', so to speak. I do not know why it was rushed out in this condition, but there were indications of known issues at the Beta Weekend Event 2. At that time, they had 100 servers online. That must have led to empty worlds, as they very quickly cut that down to 15ish for the next beta. That led to a host of stability and overflow issues that persist to this day; not fun. GW2 is worth a look, but one needs to play a character to Lvl 30ish or so to get a real feal as to how the game plays, and what to look forward to. Or not, as the case may be.… Expand
  74. Mercenary222
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Awesome game and awesome value. The game is well designed and highly refined. The graphics and the world they created are incredible. This game is so deep, there is so much to do and so much to learn, and every thing is well thought out and balanced. It definitely has a different feel from any other MMO I've played, in a good way. There are a lot of good ideas here that have been executed well. The PvP is blast. I have experienced no server issues, no bugs nothing.
    I will be playing this game for years to come because there is so much here. This game is highly recommended.    … Expand
  75. drwebs
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    Awesome game, no subscriptions. This game is perfect for what you want in an mmo. Arena net set a standard here folks. Don't be shy come join in on the fun and no more subscription based games!
  76. Redstripe420
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    WOW... and not world of warcraft, this game is amazing. i cant belive this game is so good the way it is. i also have come to the conclusion that why the **** did i have to pay for wow when this game is better than it??? in a nutshell this game is GREAT dont think about it, just buy it. im happy that i actualy bought a game that is actualy fun.

    diablo 3 sucks so bad, im very thankful fo    r this game to come as i felt we were doomed!!… Expand
  77. zfile
    Sep 1, 2012
    1
    Why are people so hyped for Guild Wars 2? This game is So medicore.Dated graphics & Repetitive and boring combat. also have Limited character developement and customization.Don't waste your time playing this game.
  78. lioncross
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    While I could rant on and on about why I think this game is amazing, I will say that unlike other recent MMORPGs (that feel like single player), Guild Wars 2 brings back the Massive Multiplayer Online in MMORPGs. And I wouln't want it any other ways in the MMORPGs I play.
  79. Fevered_Dreamer
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    While I worry that it might still be too early to make any lasting judgments, through my time in beta and playing live GW2 is one of the best MMO experiences I've had to date. The game shines as much for its innovations and new ideas as it does for the decision not to include some of what has become standard fare in MMOs over the last decade. The level of polish and detail in the game is deeply impressive, visuals are wonderful and the creative approach to flexible play is a breath of fresh air.

    Many will write on the quality of dynamic events, the A+ PvP and other popular aspects of GW2 but one of the aspects I've most appreciated is the subtle rewarding of exploration. Progression in GW2 is easy if one is a progression-minded player, but for those of us who like to search around and relax throughout the game there are a host of treats and surprises that might otherwise go easily overlooked.    … Expand
  80. Roflmywaffle
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is a fun time. There is obviously room for improvement and they are patching it constantly. This headstart weekend there were 3? patches that improved stability and fixed some issues. I have not dabbled in the PvP because between the PvE and WvW I have my hands full. To address some of the lower reviews. If you hit a wall where you have run out of quests to do in your area you can simply go to any other area in the game and GW2 will "equalize" you to that areas level. If you get banned from the game for 3 days it is in the TOS - that is your warning. Again the game is missing some things - like a functioning Trading Post, along with some other things from your typical MMO that are missed - such as an inspect function and a trade function; everything is via mail. On a completely unrelated note - the dyes are awesome.… Expand
  81. opelwerk
    Aug 28, 2012
    9
    An excellent MMO that while following the usual tropes of a themepark MMO, significantly improves and expands them. While combat may take some getting used to, it is a far richer experience than most alternatives. Unlike the traditional MMO combat system, player movement and tactical finesse is a critical part of success. Progression through the game's 80 levels is a joy and a multitude of options are available for gathering experience, from crafting and PvE to PvP combat in both massive cross server fights, or tactical battleground settings of 10-16 players.… Expand
  82. maddoctor
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    The game is absolutely stunning. Although it is lacking some dx11 features, the graphic artists created a beautiful world, the presentation and the art direction as simply spectacular. The old boring quest system has been replaced with an intuitive and unique mechanic called Dynamic Events. These change the landscape considerably and offer a variety of ways to progress them, there are events that spawn after a failure. NPCs don't just stand still waiting to give quests to players, they interract with each other and then environment. The NPCs tell a story, and it is a mistake not to stay awhile and listen and to that story unfold in front of your eyes (and ears) and instead run for the exp. This creates a living breathing world that responds to player action, the game feels alive like no other and your actions actually have a meaning, they change the surroundings and offer new posibilities.
    Exploring is key in the game, there is just so much to be found in the world of Tyria, coupled with the amazing scenery and art direction, you are never bored of looking to the vast landscape and exploring to your heart's content. There are well hidden places to be found, jumping puzzles and hidden treasures that are there to be found by expert explorers.
    Combat is very well done, active and up-close and personal. There is no aggro mechanic or any kind of passive block and to-hit mechanisms, it's all up to the player to either hit or be hit by enemies. The game has distinct professions that offer variable abilities for every situation. Each one can perform control damage and support tasks, to a certain extend, marking the end of the holy trinity that plagued RPGs for so long.    … Expand
  83. growt
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    I think lots of the 0-3 reviews here are extremely biased. Problems on launch day, really? Doesn't play like WoW or whereever you come from? go figure. I love the game so far, it's better than every other MMORPG I played so far in almost every aspect.
  84. Hyena_Grin
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    I've looked through many of the negative reviews for this game, and every single one is making assumptions about the game which simply aren't true. I'm tired of seeing people who played the game for an hour complain about features of the game that they have not fully experienced, or don't understand yet. For example, one person complains that you can't play together because of overflow servers, when you can easily just right click on a party member and 'Join In' on their overflow server. Not to mention overflow servers will become less necessary as the playerbase expands across the world. Right now everyone is in the 1-30 levels so yeah, there's overflow servers. But there's also no queues to get in and play.

    Some others complained about the skill system. Saying it is too limited. GW2 uses a weapon skill system that gives you five skills based on your weapon(s) and complains that this makes it 'generic.' I don't know how anyone can say that every class having many different sets of skills available to them is somehow more limited than every class having exactly the same cookie cutter skills. An elementalist specced around dagger+focus is extremely different from an elementalist specced around the staff. A warrior specced around sword+shield is completely different from a warrior specced around the rifle. This system creates classes within classes. It isn't limiting at all.

    Speaking of skills, another person complained that you only get a handful of skills compared to other MMOs. This isn't true. Weapon swapping is an important part of gameplay. During combat most classes can swap between two sets of weapons, giving them ten weapon skills plus their healing/utility skills. The fewest number of skills a class can have available at a time is 16. In the case of elementalists, they can swap attunements between four elements giving them 20 weapon skills plus their 5 healing/utility skills. 25 total. The engineer gets kits that replace their weapon skills with special engineer-only skills, and they can carry three of these kits at a time, and each utility skill gives them a special ability that they can use at any time, regardless of whether the kit is active or not. This comes out to 5 weapon skills, 15 kit skills, 2 healing abilities, and 2 elite abilities. For a total of 24.

    There is plenty of variety, IMO more than other MMOs by a longshot. Not to mention that while other MMOs have very samey abilities, virtually every ability in GW2 is interesting, unique, and beautiful to watch. Characters will leap at foes and dance around them evading blows. But a lot of this is unlocked over time as you play the game.

    Others complain about the questing system. This is a game about exploration where you can travel where you want and do what you want, and have that progress be meaningful and develop your character. You can get through the entire game without doing a single 'kill ten rats' quest if you wish. Or without doing a single 'collect ten flowers' quest. The free-roaming nature of the questing system obviously throws some people off, but I for one would never go back. And for those who enjoy more linear quests, the personal stories provide beautifully scripted quests where you have to make choices about things that directly impact your character's life.

    Events are somewhat generic in the early starting areas of the game, but they quickly evolve into deeply satisfying contested areas where forts change hands and entire areas once friendly are overrun with enemies. I've stood on the walls of a fortress in the Shiverpeaks and rained fire on invading enemies, only to be pushed out of the fortress. And after rallying together with other players, we stormed the fortress and took it back from the invaders. No this was not PvP, this was Players versus Events. Until you've experienced chained events with world-changing results, you haven't experienced Events.

    I've played in all the beta weekends and in the headstart. It might just be the best game I have ever played, and I never thought I'd say that about an MMO. Everything is polished to a perfect shine. Its gameplay, unlike every other MMO I have played, would not lose its appeal even in a single player setting. This is truly a revolutionary game in the MMO genre, and it makes sense that some people aren't going to get it right away. But that just means that you might want to think twice before taking the advice of someone who played the game for an hour and thinks he's seen enough to rate it.    … Expand
  85. Jaws
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is the best MMORPG that I've played in a loooooong time and it definitely raises the bar for future MMORPGs. Awesome game? Check. Buy once? Check. No subscription? Check. Haters gon' hate? Check. After playing GW2 - I don't see myself playing any other MMORPG for a long, loooooong time. This doesn't mean GW2 doesn't have its flaws - but NOTHING comes close to the awesomeness of this game. Once ArenaNet starts releasing expansion packs to introduce more content, this game will be the new king of MMORPGs if it isn't already.… Expand
  86. Axiom
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    14 year MMO vet here. GW2 is the best MMO since WoW, maybe in forever. Massive, immersive world, tons of fun content and fun over all game play. Definitely one of the largest, most beautiful MMO worlds since Vanilla WoW, with plenty of redundancy to further increase re-playability. Combat is fun and dynamic. Professions are well designed and offer a lot of variety. Everyone has a self heal, no dedicated healers in this game. The game has a lot of innovative features that not only work well on their own, but the entire game comes together to produce something much greater than the sum of all it's parts.

    Between beta events and the three day head start, I've already logged 200 hours of game play. The fun and sense of discovery has never waned and I look forward to playing this game for the long haul!

    Too many MMOs in recent years have failed to offer much beyond a month of play for many players. It's great to see a new MMO that has the content, world and game play to support a long term commitment from the players. Guild Wars 2 sets a new bar for MMO design that will be very difficult to match or exceed in the next few years. Unless there is some game in development somewhere that can outdo what GW2 has done, this is going to be THE game for many MMO players for the next year, or even a few years, depending on how well Arenanet are able to build upon the game via future expansion.

    A final note, there is no subscription fee, which is amazing, since the game offers more than any game since WoW launched as far as world size, content, features, etc... You aren't getting a discount experience due to the lack of subscription fee. If you do like the game and keep playing, you might want to consider making use of the Gem Store, as a way to support the game and it's further development financially. Nothing in the store is pay to Win or even provides an unfair advantage, but there are things like character slots, expanded vault space, etc... that will be useful to almost everyone. Dropping $10 on gems every once in a while, in lieu of a subscription fee, will provide some nice account upgrades or even some fluff cosmetic items, while ensuring the future successful expansion of the game moving forward. To sum up, the game is massive, fun, immersive, with a huge world space, tons of content, breadth of features and depth of game play pretty much unparalleled by other current games in the MMORPG genre. If you are an MMO fan, you can't go wrong for $60. For many, this is a game that will provide hundreds or even thousands of hours of game play. There is no better entertainment value for your dollar!    … Expand
  87. jchowder
    Aug 28, 2012
    9
    I'm not one to review many games, but I felt this was worth sharing. This game is too addicting, visually very pleasing, and alluring. Guild Wars 2 = Wife Aggro
  88. JunkMazz
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is the next stage in MMO evolution -- bigger than the jump from EverQuest to World of Warcraft.

    Some points to consider:
    - Free to Play + Cash Store means spend money on what you want, when you want, if you want. Not pay to win.
    - Personal stories based on your decisions when making your character and branches during the story quest itself mean every character you make h    as slightly different lore progression.
    - No more immersion crushing yellow punctuation hovering over people's heads. (yes!)
    - Everyone gets EXP for hitting your mob. It encourages interactivity.
    - Everyone can resurrect everyone else. Down? Anyone can come by and help you up.
    - Every class can heal and fight ranged. Brilliant -- no more "tanks" healers" and "DPS" Every profession (class) is a bit of everything, but in its own particular way.
    - EXP for crafting. Tons of it. Pacifist? You can level to 80 by crafting -- no joke.
    - Dye your armor whenever you want. Collect from the hundreds of possible dye colors and create a unique look.

    There's plenty more -- read the official sight -- but, to sum up, if you're like I was, playing every AAA MMO title released hoping for the next big thing and continually being disappointed, you'll breathe a sigh of relief that, finally, a post-WoW MMO lived up to its pre-release hype.    … Expand
  89. domz
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    I have to the say, this is the best MMO I have played in years. Most new MMOs that came out are WOW clones (or same style) and nothing new. This one has all the best features of the best mmos out there, dynamic quests -> Rift.

    Only thing that is lacking is the dungeons. They are too hard to do without the standard TANK/HEALER/DMG. Needs a better dungeon strategy.
  90. ringruXeeh_Bitz
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    How can this game get anything less than a 10, £40 for a game ill be playing for years, NO MONTHLY FEES, of course there are bugs, rating the game 0 because the trading post doesn't work is stupid, bugs will get fixed, updates expanding the world for free, Rewarded for working together, exploring, nothing feels like a choir, just fun. Highly Recommended!
  91. stayBlind
    Aug 28, 2012
    9
    Great game. Awesome combat mechanics, graphics, sounds, animations, etc. Currently missing the trading post and with some minor bugs; haven't found any game breaking bugs
  92. Jetillian
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    So people are going to complain about certain things broke? Fine, but when you're dealing with 400k CONCURRENT users online, unforeseen issues will occur. For what it's worth, it is THE smoothest launch of ANY game. Yes, even Warcraft. They have delivered on numerous occasions, spilled their souls into the story, content, and technical systems. It's not about pressing "1" multiple times: it's about knowing when to use your abilities at the proper times. There is something that has been missing to MMO's: fun. This game delivers that on so many levels WITHOUT Skinner box feelies through the levels. This allows the person playing to feel fulfilled even to the end of their PVE route of levels, without the taste of ash. Those who base their judgments or parallel this game with others: you just can't. You can't say that every fantasy setting is the same as the next. You want to parallel it with a game then do it with Warhammer--the game it was set out to be for in the first place. Guild Wars 2 has no hype train: it's the people playing the game telling others it's time to try something unique and higher quality. As for graphics, if you don't apply some kind of spectrum of quality for people, you limit the amount of people to play the game. Sure, it doesn't have SUPER QUAD GRAPHICS OF NEXT GENNING but there is a masterwork level of art direction with ALL of their choices in that regard.

    If you are looking to sink your teeth in with tons of story, get this. If you are looking for hardcore PvP--siege or battlegrounds-esque fighting--get this. There will always be the naysayer, but everyone will ALWAYS have their preferences either way.    … Expand
  93. kurtbarlow
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Best MMO-RPG in many years. Beautiful graphics, fun and great game play. PVE is excellent but what takes this game on another level is best PVP ever. And world vs world vs world is even better.
  94. ChalleCHezz
    Aug 28, 2012
    10
    This game is just too AWESOME! No problems with the game has had any impact on me 'cause the PVE and WvW has been designed in a great way. THANK YOU ARENANET for this great game, one of the absolute best I've ever played!
  95. truncks1
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Simply an amazing game. I've played many of the major MMOs (EQ, WoW, GW1, Tera, +many more), and this game (thus far) contains more depth and breath taking artwork than the rest combined. While more work needs to be done, this is the most complete MMO at launch I've ever played. It takes all the lessons that have been learned from other MMOs and solves them in a great way. From Dynamic quests to the crafting system, this game makes me feel like its my first MMO all over again. The combat system is simple yet full of depth and the talent/skill system allows for more personalization than you first realize. Just exploring the world and doing whatever you want always has rewards ready for you. From xp, to armor, to power ups - the game makes you want to continue playing at every turn. The personal story is very well done - though I have to admit the Asura and Sylvari (for me) have been strikingly great. It makes it very rare that any two people will choose the same choices and the dye system/personal character customization makes sure that no two characters look exactly the same. I highly recommend this game to anyone starting in the MMO genre or anyone that knows MMOs and wants to feel renewed. The game will only get better as Anet solves the small problems that any game with this hype/size will suffer.… Expand
  96. ueppa80
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    This game is AWESOME. The best MMOPRG since WoW The Burning Crusade. One of the most beautiful game EVER. Don't trust the haters that give a negative scores. Haters gonna hate. Buy this game. Play this game. Love this game.
  97. Bl4ck3nD
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    So much content and so much to look at, the combat is fun and fluid, there are a few minor bugs atm but they will be ironed out.
    Overall it's money well spent and there is plenty more I haven't seen
  98. Shcotte
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    Guild Wars 2 is a rich game with a fun environment that feels alive. The questing is fun and you are rewarded for exploration. The combat is very smooth and intuitive, the skill dodge element is a nice touch. The world is huge, the art style and graphics are pretty. Overall I have enjoyed my time in GW2 thus far and would recommend it to any who is a fan of the MMO genre.
  99. GameExcuse
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Overwhelming! I've already logged over ten hours and feel like I've just scratched the surface. Gorgeous artwork - I feel like I'm actually playing a cut-scene. Character creation on all five species is amazing. And unlike the first Guild Wars, the writing here is really clever. Take time to stop and talk to the NPC's. Especially the Asura, who are downright hilarious. Even if you don't do any missions, just loiter and eavesdrop. Soak up the local color, and THEN go off questing.… Expand
  100. scorthyn
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    THIS GAME IS THE NEXT STEP IN THE MMO GENRE, being a experience MMO player and played wow for more than 5 years with other mmos in between, I can tell this is the only game that can provide the same amount of fun I had as the first mmo ever played. The world is alive, you'll never get bored and there's always something to do!
Page:

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 69 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    90
    GW2 has made a powerful impact on the MMO scene, confirming years of expectations. Stunning presentation and revolutionary design guarantee a thoroughly enjoyable experience. However, it’s not flawless, nor complete. The beautiful vistas, the massive PvP element, the rich leveling experience- those can offer hours of gameplay, but the endgame is desperately seeking for enrichment. [November 2012]
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Jan 2, 2013
    95
    Guild Wars 2 surpasses the original in every aspect, from its massive and atmospheric world to its addictive and engrossing gameplay.
    Read full review
  3. RPG Fan
    Nov 28, 2012
    80
    After spending fifty hours with GW2, I have a lot of praise for ArenaNet's work and the way it changes up some of the typical trappings of the MMO. And yet, I find myself thinking less and less about it each day. It's not a declaration against the product, mind you, but simply a fact that this game still is very much an MMO, and your enjoyment will directly relate to how much you enjoy the genre. For many who were hoping for a clean break from MMO design philosophy, Guild Wars 2 will probably come across as a slight disappointment. It pushes the genre slightly forward, however, and could lead to even further development in the future.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »