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

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2132 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,679 out of 2132
  2. Mixed: 138 out of 2132
  3. Negative: 315 out of 2132

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  1. Jyiiga
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    I've been playing MMORPGs since the days of Asheron's Call. Rarely now do I find a new title as engaging as Guild Wars 2. Everywhere I go in the game I stumble into fun, the hours roll by and never do I feel like I am grinding. The dynamic events have been a joy and the combat refreshing. The trinity is gone and I could not be happier. On top of all of that no subscription fee. My one and only complaint at this time is WVW drags down the FPS a bit, but never to unplayable levels. If you like MMOs, buy this game...… Expand
  2. Bea_Arthur
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    I've been playing this since the early days of beta, and I'm happy to have played the Head Start for the last few days. There have been a few launch issues (downed trading post, unevenly matched WvW, etc.), but I'm not going to factor any of those minor quibbles into my review since they are easily fixed.

    As an grown-up gamer with a 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM job and a wife, it's been harder and     harder to justify and maintain my love of MMOs. I cancelled my World of Warcraft account in 2010 because I didn't have time (and quite frankly got bored of the constant raiding, grinding, repeating process). Since then I've tried Rift, Tera, Lord of the Rings Online, D&D Online, and numerous other MMOs, hoping to recapture the magic I had lost with WoW, and hoping they had systems to cater to the less-than-consistent player that I am. Unfortunately, none offered what I wanted.

    Then along comes Guild Wars 2. Not only does the gameplay lend well to jumping in for an hour at a time (dynamic events, quests, etc.), but the game also provides good incentive to explore and enjoy the world (Vistas, POIs, etc.). Not feeling like grinding out a level? That's fine; try and see all the locations on the map. You get achievements, EXP, and items for exploring 100%. I've seen some reviews that indicate that the actual combat is "nothing revolutionary", but I'm not sure if they actually PLAYED the game or just wanted to complain. The dodge mechanic (which WORKS, contrary to several reviews on here) is an integral part of the experience. As an Engineer I use is constantly to avoid damage and gain distance between enemies and myself. It's not on the level of TERA in terms of active combat, but it's still a leap ahead.

    The hotbar (a staple of most MMOs) is still present and changes skills depending on the weapon you're using. For an engineer I have different abilities for pistols (dual and single wielding with shield), rifles, and any kits I might be using (flamethrower, tool kit, etc.). It's an amazing breath of fresh air to have your skills be determined by whatever weapon you're holding in your hand. That said, there are only 5 major skills (beyond utility, healing, etc.) for each weapon. You'll learn those skills VERY well over the course of 80 levels, which might irk some people.

    My only minor complaint with the game (and why I gave it a 9) is that while they minimized the grinding within the game, it's still present. It's a different form, but still there. In order to keep up with the zones and story quests I needed to do all the dynamic events I possibly could, explore 100% of the map, craft, and clear every "heart" (essentially quest hubs) for all the zones I've been through so far. Some may dismiss that as "part of MMOs", but does it need to be? There have been numerous forums conversations (even with the developers) to address this, and I appreciate their willingness to accept positive criticism to make the game better.

    All-in-all, I look forward to playing it for years to come. It's a solid buy for anyone who wants something new in their MMOs.    … Expand
  3. BillHicks
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Epic game, character conversation that I would normally pass by, living world, amazing art, combat system, using your brain, discovery, mechanic, sound, challenge, puzzles, community, magnificent launch, personal story, different starting zones for all races, choices, questing, exploring, crafting, free to play with no pay to win items from cashshop, endless endgame-game in lower zones downgrade you to appropriate level so there is ALWAYS a challenge, AMAZING, guild management, guild upgrading, PvP, world PvP.

    Now, if you have WoW Syndrome, you will be in trouble, because this game force you to use your brain.    … Expand
  4. Ayestes
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Best MMO out there for old hardcore MMO veterans that have families. Doesn't matter if you have all the time in the world or only a few hours a day, Guild Wars 2 is the most enjoyable MMO out there. The PvP is visceral and skill-based, and most of all extremely engaging.
  5. oorunner
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    They really hit the mark with this one. From the masterpiece artwork, to the intense pvp. The world versus world battles are of epic scale. Just strolling through the world Immerses you in so many ways. Plus to top it off, no subs. Things will never be the same in mmos.
  6. Goosejuice
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    This game is fantastic. I created an account on here just to write this review because ArenaNet deserves all the praise they get. I thought I would never play an MMO as I always liked FPS and every time I tried to get into them I always felt like it was grinding and boring and that really had little appeal. Every time I play this game there is an event going on in every part of the map. The amount of focus the creators put on players helping out other players makes this game something truly special. You want to help a downed friend, not just because of the XP but because you've been there too and you know once you get that player up you can kill more together. The worlds are amazingly beautiful works of art as well. My first few days I just spent exploring because the thought put into designing the maps is just astounding. This game is hands down the best $60 I've ever spent. If you're a FPS only kind of guy and never thought you could play an MMO I highly recommend giving this one a try, you'll be glad you did. I sure am.… Expand
  7. Edmo
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    I followed the development of this game for years.
    I played all betas and I can say that the game delivers what it promises.

    Some problems occurred at launch, worse than in betas, but this is normal in any launch of a massive online game. Even with these problems the servers are full and yet I had no trouble logging in, the game has no queue, when an area is full you is sent to overflo    w server to play the game while waiting for a vacancy on the real server, all what you do in the overflow is kept on your character, that's wonderful! The dynamic event system is also wonderful but not when you have over 100 people on it, when people spread the maps we can see how the events are fun with a reasonable amount of people, and how the events change the world! Many people make the events and leave the place without waiting a few minutes to see the change happening! The world seems Alive! NPCs have their tasks, they do not stand around waiting for the player, they do things without players!

    ArenaNet made no changes to spoil the game. If someone bought the game thinking that something is wrong then it should not have bought! They will not make drastic changes in their combat, PVP and quest systems to please the haters, just some tweaks that all MMOs have.

    The game delivers what it promises, then people should read up on the features before buying.
    One thing that you will only find with it on hands is that it is fun, but you need to learn how to play, do not play it thinking you know everything because you're a veteran of other MMOs    … Expand
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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.
  12. afterburner
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    It's rare to have my expectations for a game met. While the launch hasn't been without it's problems, this is the best game I have played in the last decade. I love doing everything in it so far. Played all 3 beta weekends and bought the collector's edition. It's refreshing to have a gaming company that's willing to put user experience before profits. A company of gamers for gamers :D
  13. Kuzzi
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    Hands down the greatest game I've ever played, and I have close to a thousand titles under my belt. Not sure why, but the critic score is lower than I expected...
  14. 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!
  15. Randomsub
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    In a genre dominated by World of Warcraft and other similar games Guild Wars 2 is refreshingly different. It ditches static tank and heal group gameplay for action based gameplay. No subscription fee means the game does not have to introduce tedious but psychologically addictive gameplay to keep its player base. Instead I'm playing simply because it's engaging and above all embodies what a game should be and what the rest of the MMO genre is lacking: FUN!… Expand
  16. sua6
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    I don't understand the nitpicking from the reviews previously posted. This game is phenomenal. First off: this game looks amazing. Not amazing because it looks incredibly realistic, but because of the art style that the developers chose to pursue. I'm not entirely sure what some of these other authors were looking for in terms of graphics but quite honestly, either they're playing a different game or are playing on a very outdated rig. From distance, structures and landscapes look like concept art. The idea is amazing. When's the last time you played an MMO with the graphics of Crysis? I'm not trying to say that Guild Wars 2 is a leader in the category, but it certainly does NOT fall short.

    As far as connectivity issues goes, I played all throughout the three day head start on a mediocre internet connection and had very few problems. Even such, this was the smoothest launch that I've been apart of (Cataclysm, Diablo 3, Tera, Rift). Giving this game a 1 rating because the pre-launch head start was a little rocky? That's a bit critical. You're not even paying a monthly fee to play the game and you're still complaining. I absolutely hate the idea of rating a game based off of other reviews, but unfortunately I feel the need to counter out the unneeded negative reviews given by authors who obviously have other problems with the game. I would otherwise give the game a 9.    … Expand
  17. Teepster
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    I am scoring GW2 a 10 despite the minor issues with the trading post and forums being down because it is simply an amazing game. It is visually stunning and just plain fun to play. And, I have not even tried the PvP aspect which I am looking forward to experiencing. GW2 literally has me at PvE. But, the biggest factor for me is the design. The elimination of the trinity, the fact that it is B2P, the focus on skill over gear, the questing system, dynamic events, accessibility due to way points and the beautiful art direction make GW2 a game that I want to support as well play. I hope that other developers take a good look at GW2. I genuinely believe that this is the direction that MMOs should take going forward.… Expand
  18. underxgroundx
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    This is the best mmo ive ever played, nothing can beat the awesomeness level of guild wars 2. If you're not playing this game you are missing on your mmo life. Anyway, buy it now and i need to go back to guild wars 2 because im wasting my in game time.
  19. evokerz
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    - No subscription fee -
    - An ever changing PvE world -True action combat - Your level scale to zone - No more tank-healer-dps role system
    - No more grinding to level before I can start PvP - Skill based pvp where no more grinding for PvP gears so I can steam roll others or others can steam roll me because they have higher PvP rank and playing longer than me (sPvP)
    - Huge PvPvE world wit    h myriad of different objectives (W v W v W)
    - Huge PvE maps and a lot of zones to explore

    What else can you asked? This game worth every penny of your dollar spent to purchase the box.    … Expand
  20. dansamy
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    Great game. Some launch issues, but a better launch than many other recent games. If you want to rush through the level treadmill and do large-scale end-game raiding, this isn't your game. If you're about the journey, you'll like this game.
  21. 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
  22. Lheim
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    GW2 is an excellent mix of some of the best features of many predecessor MMOs, combined with a frenetic combat style that is more about using the right ability at the right time than watching your cooldowns. It's hard to describe the experience of playing this game, except to say that once you start, you're so pulled along by the temptations of one more dynamic event popping up, or one more vista to try to find, or one more skill challenge nearby, that you find yourself not noticing that you've levelled, or what time it is. It's the first mmo I've played that has been so perfectly, intuitively designed in such a way to encourage and reward cooperation - no stealing each other's loot or nodes, no being on different stages of quests; if you're in the area you're assisting other people in what they're doing by default, and you even get XP for rezzing downed players.

    The game has some technical flaws right now, with outages of the auction house and mail system, and some issues with getting together on the same shard as your groupmates - but these are visibly clearing up as the launch frenzy goes on. I can't honestly base my review on these temporary factors. The only real criticisms I can make is that sometimes, tuning can seem off - the scaling of some dynamic events, in particular, can go from too easy to rediculous hard, and some areas of the world have respawn rates that are so rediculous you can find yourself backing up into monsters you just looted.

    All in all? Buy. The game world is lusciously detailed, the sound is lovely, and the cash shop contains little more than fluff. I can see so many of the interface and user-experience features that GW2 comes with becoming absolute must-have standards for future releases.    … Expand
  23. nKoshi
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Sequel to the first and it keeps the great formula going. No subscription fee, cash shop that allows you to buy boosts for PvE and cosmetic stuff. The shop works in a way that you exchange game currency for store currency thus you can buy everything you'd want by just playing the game, no need for cash (though it is faster to do so ofcourse).
    And naturally you could also spend the money y    ou would normally spend on a subscription fee and get some goodies for it instead!

    The main gripes I keep hearing about are no endgame PvE. Thus you get bored.
    I personally have been max level for some days now and I'm simply enjoying the crafting, getting achievements, PVP'ing and I started another class as an alt.
    The PvE is also quite good with the 5 man instances. Exploration mode is fantastic and a good challenge!

    Plus with the no subscription fee you can put it aside and resume any time you want.

    So far so good!    … Expand
  24. dravus
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    Deserves a 9.5. Ive played almost every MMO since UO in 97. Each game had its perks: Shadowbane: city building and ruthless pvp Horizons: best player housing ever made (own premade plots of land, not like UO where it was citysprawl) Warcraft: pve gods. look back at 2004 reviews. they made the MMO accessible to 'nongamers'. Just to name a few that left a good impression. For GW2, this game gave everything I was getting bored with in an MMO a new look. Grouping, no more node stealing, COMMUNITY! (server pride), discoveries in crafting, and PVP... crazy pvp goodness.

    I cant tell you how great it is to be able to dodge and use position, to fight an elite that will 2 shot you and, with proper skill use and dodging, be able to bring it down. Very satisfying. (I went back to other MMO's after the guildwars2 beta ended so I could kill the MMO itch i had until GW2 was released. It suddenly felt strange to not be able to get out of the way of an incoming attack, couldn't actively block an attack i knew that was on its way to hit me. Basically i wasn't rewarded for being aware of the next move)

    And teamwork: everyone can rez (get exp for helping), everyone gets credit for helping bring down a mob, etc. You get rewarded for helping each other. but never forced to.

    TLDR: Overall the game feels like the next step in MMO's. I believe future MMOs will continue with dynamic events/questing. combat will be more involved and personal stories will be the norm. Not saying these are revolutionary and all new ideas, but much like warcraft did in 2004, gw2 brings in the best ideas into 1 game and adds to it. 2 thumbs up! see you in game    … Expand
  25. Bone_White
    Aug 30, 2012
    9
    Yes, the game has problems on release, which will like most mmos, be fixed in due time. If there was a less flawed release, then the review would me a 10. This game encompasses such fine attention to detail, from the way a character stands on uneven ground whilst fighting, to the branching (and I'm not talking single figures here) story-lines. I will be playing this game for years to come, and it's by far superior to any competitors, subscription based or not.… Expand
  26. BackslashAZ
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    I signed up for an account here specifically to review this game. This is the best MMO I
  27. rvrd
    Aug 30, 2012
    10
    GW2 will win GOTY 2012. Basically aside from the launch issues... when it works it's fun as hell! Very addicting gameplay. Anything you do in the game is interesting and engaging. ANet will constantly be improving the game so it's just going to get better and better! Worth every penny and I am already thinking about what new content and expansions will come out in the future. Goodbye real life. Hello GW2!… Expand
  28. Decretorius
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is the most fun I've ever had playing an MMO, and I may end up deciding it's the most fun I've ever had with any video game.

    To provide some context, I've played Ultima Online, Wow, the original Guild Wars, and SWTOR. For a variety of reasons, none of them kept my interest for too long. GW1 showed promise but didn't feel like the full-fledged MMO I was looking for.

    Then     GW2 came along. It retains all of the best parts of GW1 (the environments, emphasis on skills, etc.) and improves on everything the original got wrong. GW2 is fully persistent, has improved crafting, improved presentation, improved questing (i.e. "dynamic events"), open-world PvP ("WvW"), and still doesn't have a subscription fee. This is a big point for someone like me with a job that demands long hours and a six-month-old. I play when I have time, and if I don't have time, I don't have to worry about "wasting" $15 per month. Also, the level of polish is extraordinary. You may say that many of the features listed above aren't new, and that's true. But they all work so well that they still feel refreshing.

    There are other little things that really increase my enjoyment in game. These include being able to deposit collectibles into the bank from anywhere in the world, fast travel, and getting experience rewards for just about everything. It's hard to imagine playing an MMO without these features after having experienced them.

    Perhaps my favorite improvement is the combat. Gone are the days of staring at my skill bar and going through rotations. Just as ArenaNet intended, I find myself actually watching the fight, using skills on the fly as appropriate, dodging, and focusing on positioning. It may not seem like much, but considering that a big part of any MMO is combat, these improvements make the game much more fun than the other MMOs I've played.

    Is there any room for improvement? Of course, The trading post was down for a while (but is up now), and there have been a few bugs to work out, but: (a) that's to be expected with any MMO launch; and (b) it hasn't detracted from my enjoyment of the game. Simply put, I've had an absolute blast every second I've spent in GW2.

    One final thing I want to say is about the reviewers who are complaining about bans and giving the game a zero. THIS IS A GOOD THING. 99.9% of people who play the game will never have to worry about being banned because they won't pick racist character names or intentionally exploit bugs, thereby ruining the economy for others. And make no mistake, the people who were banned were intentionally exploiting things. ArenaNet stated that the only people who were permanently banned were exploiting the same bug hundreds of times, and the bug itself was that rare gear was priced at 1/1000th of its normal price. If you bought something hundreds of times at 1/1000th of its normal price, you knew what you were doing and have no excuse. For the rest of us, we should be thrilled that ArenaNet is sticking to their guns and preserving the integrity of the game for the non-exploiters at the expense of a few 0's on Metacritic.

    Bottom line: if you have even a passing interest in MMOs, get this game. And if you don't, watch a couple videos and read some more reviews, and if you're at all interested, get the game. Without a subscription fee, GW2 is a relatively low-risk purchase with a ton of upside.    … Collapse
  29. konawolv
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    This game is everything it was hyped up to be. It is a gorgeous and lush fantasy world, with tons of exploration to be had. Dynamic events/heart events allow for a very smooth and unique grind (it doesnt seem like a grind, because what you do changes the world around you). This is not a game that you want to rush to max level in. Take your time, explore, have fun.

    You know what's great?     You dont have to level if you dont want to!! You can head straight to max level pvp if that is what you enjoy! Or, you could do WvWvW and level while doing pvp. This is what you are headed for if you buy this game (personal experience):
    I was looking for a Point of Interest on the map which was located behind a waterfall in an underground cavern. I ended up traveling to the wrong of the creek by accident and went into a different cavern. While there i met a random person on an overflow server, and we found ourselves scaling and platforming down about 300 feet. We kill the misc. monsters and continued another 200 yards through the cavern and popped out at the other end of the map. There, we snagged some strawberries from the pasture and nabbed a view point that had us looking out over the vast ocean.

    My favorite thing however about this game is the Mass Effect style personal story.

    Pros:
    Gorgeous looking game in every aspect.
    Script writing is bar none in any MMO and rivals that of strict RPG's
    Combat is 60% skill based, 40% gear (good balance) in pve, and 100% skill based in pvp
    15 hour long WvWvW battles
    Dynamic events    … Expand
  30. Kallwren
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    I'm a bit of an mmo fanatic, I tend to try out (if not purchase) nearly every major mmo release. I'm a long-time WoW player (I started on day one of release and only very recently stopped playing regularly), and I've also made my way through FFXI, Rift, SWTOR, Warhammer, FFXIV, The Secret World, Tera, and a number of others. For years I found myself returning to WoW because other games, while ambitious, frequently fell down in one area or another and failed to really capture my attention. Often the graphics lacked any real art style, or the questing was repetitive or the story lacked distinction. Guild Wars 2 finally seems to have gotten it right. Unlike many games I don't get the impression that they were trying to make the next wow-killer. Rather they seemed focused on just making the most engaging game they could and it really shows. The art and graphics are beautiful and atmospheric, I often enter a new area and find myself screeching to a halt to stop and appreciate the environment. The story, while unfamiliar to me (I didn't really play GW1) seems well crafted and the personal storyline is drawing me in to this new world and making me care about characters that aren't Thrall or Jaina. I recently received a msg in my game mail in response to a completed quest that was so charming that I haven't wanted to delete it and frequently my guildmates and I are sharing snippets of npc conversation that we overhear as we travel this online world.
    As for gameplay, I'll admit that initially part of me was doubtful about doing away with the holy trinity of tank, dps and healer. But removing these set roles seems to make everyone have to focus on working together, an interesting and at times difficult challenge but it's proving to be rewarding. Being able to change up abilities by swapping weapons really helps keep combat fresh and interesting and the combo system encourages you yet again to learn how to play well with others and then rewards you substantially for doing so.
    Above all I love the questing system, I feel like my job is to go off and explore and find adventure rather than to follow a trail of breadcrumbs and perform a list of chores and that's why I play games, so I can be a big damn hero. GW2 has definitely won me over.    … Expand
  31. AcFree
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    An excellent breath of fresh air in the field of MMO's: While not ground breakingly different from the standard formula it does more than enough to keep both MMO veterans, and new comers alike entertained for hours on end.
  32. Twocents
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    Too many people giving this game an undeserved zero. While the worse elements of this game could be rated as low as a 7.5, the best elements could easily be given a perfect 10. Having scrutinized this game over anything and everything, my rating would range from 8.5 to 9.5, with my consistent rating at 9.25. My advice for anyone reading user reviews, ignore anyone who put down a zero. Read what people wrote who gave this game anywhere from a 6 to a 9, as their reviews aren't driven off some immature emotional outcry. Also, if you are still unsure about this game, wait a while. Watch videos, read reviews, read about the classes and gameplay. If you are still on the fence, don't buy it, or play it at a friends house. Just don't buy it and rate it a zero for no real reason, as no game really deserves a 0 unless it flat out does not work.… Expand
  33. Danomeon
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    I'm choosing to rate this game a 10 not because I think it is a perfect game, but rather because it is the most fun playing an MMORPG I have ever had. The game does a good job of retaining what makes MMO's great while innovating and finding new and creative ways to deliver content to players. Rather than the standard actionbar keypressing combat, we instead have a system that allows for dodging and one can use all of their abilities while moving. Instead of a traditional party system with tank, healer, and DPS (where really most people only want to do damage) we have abolished the trinity system and have replaced it with damage dealing classes and support classes, all fun player options that makes grouping up for dungeons easy and fun. Instead of the traditional questing structure of heading to a hub, picking up a huge bundle of quests, completing them all, and returning them, progressing through an environment in this game involves doing a combination of different events including exploration and platforming challenges as well as dynamic events and Guild Wars 2's answer to quests, reknown hearts. The game also takes a unique approach to PVE with the absolutely massive boss battles and invasions one can take up arms against as they wander throughout the world in the form of dynamic events. The game's PvP content is also innovative, including an awesome server-vs-server-vs-server option where three servers duke it out. These battles can get absolutely massive - even classic "Huge" battlefields in MMOs like old school Alterac Valley from WoW or Warhammer's massive battlegrounds don't compare. Then there are the small details - the little things that improve the game even more. The personal story is a nice touch to add some context to the game, the graphics and sound design are beautiful, being de-leveled upon entering lower level zones to be able to complete the content without feeling too powerful makes group play easy and allows you to play whatever you want whenever you want, having the ability to immediately deposit the items you collect for crafting into a tab of the bank from anywhere in the world is genius, and having an overflow server that prevents players from having to sit in a que just to play the game are all little strokes of awesome that make this game great.

    To top it all off, unlike other MMO's once one purchases this game there are no subscription fees whatsoever, and the cash shop in no way is pay for power. It's an incredible value that I would be willing to pay 15 dollars a month for if it were subscription-based.

    This is the most fun I've had playing an MMO in ages, and I think a lot of people share my opinion as I can see by the high user score (especially for an MMO, SWTOR and WoW expansions usually get yellow and red user scores) not to mention a really nice critic score thus far. I can't wait to see what will be happening to this wonderful game in the future.    … Expand
  34. Atreidesx
    Aug 31, 2012
    10
    I started Guild Wars 2 a skeptic. It looked like WoW, controlled like WoW, and follows the same basic structure that revolutionized the genre, but grew stale (for me) over the years. Comparisons to WoW are definitely fair, but somehow Guild Wars 2 makes everything fresh and fun again. The ability to instantly teleport to any waypoint you have visited is incredible. The action packed combat feels like more then a numbers game. You don't just stand next to your foe exchanging blows and cycling skills. Rather, you jump and dodge, switching weapons on the fly. Colossal world bosses inhabit even the starting zones, and I love the jumping puzzles (essentially platforming segments) that inhabit hidden caves and lead to treasure. The way that higher level characters get downleveled in lower zones in brilliant. It makes it fun to run around with friends that are higher/lower level then you. When you face a boss, you both get to contribute (instead of a max level character one shotting it for you). So yes, I give this a 10. I wanted to be disappointed by this one, but I'm having a blast so far.… Expand
  35. Namtar
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    I prepurchased the game in February.
    Beautiful game, brings some fresh air in the mmorpg world...
    But i expected more from ArenaNet. Awfull launch, too many bugs. Nothing that couldn't be found out in a 15-days open beta.
  36. righteously
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    It is questionable as to whether GW2 got rid of the dreadful grinding concept of the MMOs. ( I find myself repeating the same things over and over to fill up a heart) What isn't doubtful though is the brilliant and exciting cover-up of such mundane norm of the mmo convention. I may have been repeating the same things, but was NEVER bored. The more-realistic combat system, gorgeous atmosphere, uniquely orchestrated sounds, never-the-same dynamic events were all happening simultaneously while I was satisfyingly watching my quest bar go up. (interesting note, they don't just say kill 10 bazingas and the numbers show up, but an abstract progress to how far you have "assisted" the frog people) So in a sense, they did kill the grinding system because players won't notice it that well, and even if they do, they won't care because the experience was so good. All in all, Guild Wars 2 is a fantastic of its genre, very innovative, and has taken a first big step to a mmo revolution. In the future, people will ask you, " do you WoW, or GW2?"… Expand
  37. Humblehawk
    Sep 1, 2012
    10
    Many of tje negative reviews here are personal issues, rather than true reviews of the game. Sad really. If you review at least say you do not like the graphics or mechanics, something objective. Anyhow, Guild Wars 2 in my humble opinion is simply awesome. Easily worth $60 investment and perhaps even some cash shop appearance items. Who can resist a few cool or cute minis following you around. The best part of the cash shop is that there are no items in it that are needed t play play the game to its fullest. Its simply cosmetic or convenient. I think the look in the world is awesome. I've caught myself just looking around in awe more than once. Coming out of one particular shore town I walked out on to the beachand rounding rock cropping there on the water line, I looked up to see in the distances across the water a huge floating rock island with a castle on it. Mega awesome moment. The graphics are not state of the art, using older tech, but the way Anet uses that tech is stunning. And optimized for even slightly older machines. I use 5i intel with Nvidia 460GTX average fps is in the 60s. Do not listen to the griefers or the haters. Buy this game and enjoy the sovial aspect of the game. Play at your own speed. A++… Expand
  38. betelguise
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is fun. However...
    If you rush to max level (PvE only) thinking that's where the "fun" starts, then you may hate this game.
    There is no rush, there is no endgame. There is no monthly fee.
    The game is like Skyrim, by that I mean the journey is the fun, not the ending.
    Or it's like a good book. What? I will try to explain. The best books can't be opened to the last chapter a    nd enjoyed. It's the journey and the experience to get to the end that is entertaining. Same with GW2.

    Play it, don't rush and enjoy the journey, not the ending.

    Don't like to read? OK
    Do you like to have sex? It's not the squirt at the end that makes it fun, it's getting there and everything in between that's the fun. The squirt is just the ending.
    PvP is flat out fun. No uber gear to pwn nubs. All are equal. It's all how you play.

    There are issues but what massive mmo does not have those.
    Anet is working to fix the issues and doing a fine job so far (15 days from launch and there is a patch every day)

    For a flat fee and a game that can entertain for years, this is one bad ass game!    … Expand
  39. mjukicpro
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    A game based completely on having FUN. FUN! Dynamic PvE events, an awesome exploration system, incredible artwork that saturates the game and a great dev/community relationship. Guild Wars 2 is an awesome MMO for those who hate grinding and just want to have fun.
  40. ZDB
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Despite a few flaws at launch, this game is the new gold standard for MMORPGs. I've been playing MMORPGs since Ultima Online and no game has provided the amount of entertainment that Guild Wars 2 has in the brief time that I've played it. Some games might have done certain elements better; WoW has better dungeons, SWToR had a better story, but those games were seriously lacking outside of their strengths. Guild Wars 2 has the total package: fun PvE with epic world bosses, PvP that is well balanced and addicting, and a story that draws you in and immerses you in the lore of the world. Oh and did I mention it looks fantastic?… Expand
  41. hrangel92
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    The game is amazing. One of my biggest concern with most games is combat. I've played ToR, Aion, and Rift. One of the things i hated about most of those games was the combat. especially ToR. Some abilities would have the animation take priority over the effect, so you would basically use and "instant cast" stun but it's animation would take 2 seconds! To some this isn't really a big deal but to me it's pretty game breaking especially in PvP. One of the major reasons I kept going back to WoW was because of the combat, it just flows way better than any of those games. Guild Wars 2 combat isn't as great in terms of flow but the way its structured is really good. You run around with 2 weapon sets (1 for elementalists but you get 4 elements to swap through instead) and you swap them around during combat. You can really customize your play style by having a burst combination in set and a tanky combo in the other or w/e you like. The pvp in this game is also amazing. The sPvP is really putting an emphasis on skill rather than gear as everyone has equivalent gear. World vs. World vs. World pvp is HUUUUUUUUUUUGE think of like 4 or 5 Tol' Borads put together. Although you can only zone into one of the four areas it is still pretty big area. Combat and more specifically PvP are an important part for me playing an MMO and this game has great combat and great PvP. If you're like me and enjoy these aspects of the game I really do recommend this game. I mean even Arena Net are hosting their own tournaments for this game and have high hopes of it becoming an eSport.… Expand
  42. eboko
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    First MMORPG I've truly enjoyed since oldschool Star Wars Galaxies. Tyria is utterly gorgeous, and yet it's not the kind of resource hog you find in games like Age of Conan - the setpieces are absolute art, and everything is very efficiently rendered. The gameplay itself is a breath of fresh air. Everything feels fluid and natural - for once I can explore areas at my leisure, go follow my friends around and just enjoy the game world without worrying about quest "chore" lists. I'm just getting into pvp, but so far it seems like it'll be fun and challenging, and not entirely dependant on gear. Another amazing aspect of this game is that it's free to play after purchasing the box. You're probably thinking, "Oh, well that means it'll be full of flashy, obnoxious cash shop buttons and pay-to-win gear." I'm extremely pleased to inform you of the contrary. The in-game gem store is not only subtle and polite, but it is filled with legitimately interesting cosmetic and convenience-providing items that in no-way harm the balance of the game.

    The only downsides I can think of so far are related to the growing pains that any newly-released MMORPG is guaranteed to experience, but even those aren't that bad compared to other launches in my recent memory. Almost every "issue" GW2 is currently facing is related to the extreme burden placed on their network by the million + people enjoying the game. Over the week, secondary game features such as the trade post and mail system have been sporadically unavailable, but it's clear that they are making great progress in getting those services back up. If you're burnt out from the tedium and grind of linear themepark MMOs, take it from me: you should definitely check out Guild Wars 2.    … Expand
  43. LVCritic
    Sep 3, 2012
    9
    This Is The Best MMO So Far ! I usually never write reviews but this game deserves it. I played WOW from the beginning and this game actually made me stop playing WOW. SWTOR failed to do that and I thought I would never see a MMO that would change that, but it did. I know it has some problems but I'm sure they will get them fixed in the coming updates. The one thing I really don't like is the ingame store and the biggest grip I have with that is the extra bag slots you have to purchase and crafting bag slots for every new character I'm really against that or they should change it so karma points will buy bag slots. As for the rest of the items in the store there no big deal since leveling in this game is best so far it doesn't feel like it drags so you don't feel the need to purchase store XP boosts. And I like how it slows down gold farmers since you can use your gems to buy gold. I Like that idea. That would be my biggest grip with the game. But the this game has awesome gameplay you really have to try it to see how it puts to shame all the other MMOs. And one guy who reviewed this game said that he doesn't like the way you have to unlock skills. He is wrong WOW does that this too once you get to a certain level you have to buy more skills with gold. But this game uses skill points to buy more skills and it seems you can buy more skills even after you level capped but don't worry there is a limit to the skills you can get. But once you get them all it's like getting more ways to play the game. I Have to say this even with the store flaw this game. This is the Best MMO to date ! The reason I didn't give it a 10 is because nothing is perfect. Sorry for the spelling mistakes and grammar issues But I'm Limited on time I have to leave Town on a trip. All the users reviews that are low are most likely WOW fan boys and you tell by they way they compare this game to WOW.… Expand
  44. zolias
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    This game has been the most fun I have had in any game period, thats all its about is fun not about lame elitist and gear grind garbage its all about pure fun if you dont like it simply stay away.
  45. Tlmader
    Dec 6, 2012
    10
    This game just suits me perfectly, being an MMO with a beautiful, hand-crafted world containing enjoyable PvE for smaller groups and the lack of a gear treadmill. SPvP is easy to jump into having all the necessary equipment at one's disposal, and WvWvW always interests me.
  46. dinhjk
    Sep 3, 2012
    10
    I think we already know a lot about GW2 so I'm only going to focus on somethings that might be confusing for people. [--A--] Game launches are unusually the peak performance you expect for a game (Take this into account for many negative reviews). [--B--] The combat system is neither stale nor overly hard. You can't expect to play this like other MMOs (I know some have said it's overly complicated, and others have said it's a re-hash of other games, but in all honesty I have not seen this kind of flexibility in other MMOs. You can kite and hide and sliver your opponent down. Or you can play smart and blind your opponent, interrupt major attacks and not even move. I've done it both ways. People just aren't giving this game a unique opportunity like they should.) [--C--] ANet is awesome. Somehow I think too many people have left out the love and care that this company has for their game. At one point during the launch week, they shut down their store. Now before you consider this a flaw, think about it this way: They said it was to stop current customers from experiencing lag. This store is also their (so to speak) business model. They don't have a subscription, they try to make money off the initial purchase but also from their in-game store. And they shut it down. For customers to experience less lag from the few customers who were buying too much from them. And the content isn't hard for them to add. In one Beta Weekend Event they created something solely for that weekend that took up many players the whole weekend and it only took ANet 3 hours to install it. From "idea" to "working game copy". It just can't be stressed that ANet wants you to play a game and enjoy the art that they've worked very hard on. I find it hard to critique them when what they aimed to do.... they did very well.… Expand
  47. Shadows_Of_Fall
    Sep 4, 2012
    10
    I have to say, it's been a very long time since I've found so much enjoyment in a game. A long time since I got so much for my money. A long time since I can say I've truly enjoyed almost every aspect of a game. And that game is GW2. The game does have its flaws, but they're nothing major.

    The combat is a little less 'actiony' than TERA but I welcome the change as I felt TERA was a litt    le too 'all over the place' and chaotic. GW2 finds a nice balance between TERAs combat and WoWs combat. All classes heal themselves, can survive if you play them well and can be good at dealing damage. I have yet to see a situation where I went 'damn, I need an _____'. If I die, it's cause I failed to dodge, stood in AoE or ignored my heal.

    Questing is a combination of Dynamic Events (events which happen in the world around you and often tell the story of a zone (centaur attacks, portals to the netherworld, ongoing struggle against dragon minions etc)) and Renown Hearts ('standard quests' marked by large hearts where you have several ways to help out locals, Renown Hearts generally tell the story of the people who live in their zone/their daily lives). Together, these make the game unique and interesting. I also have to say that it really rewards exploration and getting lost in the world.

    Each race feels truly unique (and in 4/5 cases, unique to the genre itself) and classes all feel different (I love how a Warrior uses a Longbow differently than a Ranger). Some people are complaining that your first 5 skills are determined by your weapon, but I rather enjoy the concept of having a certain fighting style with a weapon versus it simply being a stat stick. I do however wish there were slightly more options within a weapon, just incase I didn;t like 1 out of 5 greatsword skills or wanted to change things up.

    Perhaps the biggest current complaint is the supposed 'lack of endgame' but that's, in truth, almost a non-issue. If you take your time enjoying the game as you go, taking time to explore and craft and perhaps even jump into some World vs World vs World or structured PvP, you won't have to worry about any sort of grind and the game will feel plenty full. Pair that with 12 dungeons JUST for level 80 and a total of 32 dungeons in the game AS WELL AS continuing support from ANet in the way of added Dynamic Events and possibly even more dungeons or regions ASIDE from planned Expansions, and the game has a ton of stuff to do now, with more on the way.    … Expand
  48. Rok
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    Others have already said it, even officially on reviewing websites, and I was one of the first to say it: yes, the long-awaited "WoW killer" is here! This doesn't mean that Blizzard will pack up and leave, but it means that WoW's near-monopoly, after 8 long years, is long gone now, thanks to Guild Wars 2.

    This does [not] come from a Guild Wars or ArenaNet fanboy; on the contrary, I'm a     WoW veteran who played WoW from day 1 EU release, and fell in love with WoW about 7 or 8 years ago, almost as much as I fell in love with Guild Wars 2 today! Believe me...if anyone can remember their excitement and love for WoW during the first week of release, hold that feeling and thought, and do know that GW2 can give you the same feeling [today]! If you let it.

    Guild Wars 2 puts all the sins of WoW through the years in the trash can of gaming history: all the fighting, spite, ill-will, frustration, anger and hatred among players, fighting over the most trivial of things, like a metal ore node, or an epic drop...all that greed and spiteful competition that Blizzard bred in our hearts, turing WoW's community into one of the worst gaming communities around, with so many jerks and anti-social people moving around...even Blizzard's guild leadership policies today breed the worst feelings and can take away years of hard work and effort from a guild master if something happens in real life and they need to spend a prolonged period of time away from the game...that guild master can return to the game to find their guild simply gone! That's how far Blizzard has gone in creating a game that just literally breeds hatred, frustration, elitism, spiteful competition, and distrust in the hearts of its community. And frankly, I've been waiting for years now for a "WoW killer", at least personal one that can help get my social fun away from all this negativity. And that personal WoW killer is here, thanks to ArenaNet with their Guild Wars 2.

    And let me tell you, I bought Guild Wars 1 at a bargain price, just to try it, and didn't like it at all. I bought Age of Conan, and it very quickly disappointed me. I never bought Rift because, although it was definitely a solid, polished, and fun game, it just felt like I'll be back to another WoW somehow. Never tried TERA because it was obviously a grind fest. Never bought The Secret World, even though I had hope in it in the very beginning; brilliant idea and nice creative new ideas, but unfortunately all gone to waste in bad graphics and uninspired or lackluster combat mechanics and feel...it's kind of like shooting a plastic gun compared to shooting the real thing at a shooting range, you know? SWTOR was lovely in many ways; I absolutely loved that each & every quest was spoken, loved the dialogue options in it, loved the romantic and partnership story twists that you can unearth while questing, but unfortunately, the graphics were uninspired and the combat, again, felt like shooting a plastic gun. After all those tries and years, finally Guild Wars 2 came along, with beautiful, awe-inspiring graphics (at least at the high settings with a gaming PC); lovely variety of world and personal quests (although they can certainly learn more from BioWare in this department and perfect the writing and storytelling further in GW2); soothing or motivating music; impressive sound effects, some of which have even already become iconic, like "Refreshing!", which is used by GuildHead as the punchline after the website name nowadays; and the icing of the cake, absolutely awesome combat mechanics [and] visuals...I'm telling you, just walking around killing stuff, without any NPC asking me, is sooo much fun in GW2! Combat is just inspiring and awesome in Guild War 2, literally! Whatever it is you choose to be, or whichever Profession (GW2's term for "class") you choose, combat just feels solid, awesome, and good, and [looks] good. If you are a Warrior wielding a two-handed hammer, it feels the whole freakin' ground is shaking once you land that final slam on the enemy; if you are a Ranger wielding a bow, everyone around you can see and hear your rain of arrows falling on groups of enemies; if you are an Engineer or Thief, dual-wielding pistols, you feel like a cowboy from the wild west just bam-bamming enemies; if you are an Elemental, you can see and hear your enemies wailing & see them flailing madly from your fire spells as they breath their last and roll on the ground then stop forever and ...all that, in any Profession, you are dodging attacks and strafing right & left (if you want) whichever spell or attack you're pulling. Combat in GW2...is...just...awesome!

    Hey, see you in Tyria!    … Expand
  49. g10stpd
    Sep 5, 2012
    9
    First off, I haven't played every MMO out there, but I have been playing MMOs since 1999 starting with UO. The next game I spent a ton of time on was WoW since launch. I have tried many other 'next big things' that turned out to be failures within the first couple months. They either faltered due to poor launch, inexperience, or just lack of content. With Guild Wars 2, those are not concerns. ArenaNet is experienced and has plenty of content here at launch. I firmly believe this is 'the next big thing' since the juggernaut known as WoW has been around, I shall explain why. This list is in no particular order...

    1- This game is polished for release. There may be minor bugs here and there, but the game as a whole just works. I'm sure there will be more polish put on this with time. It can't compare to WoW here, but then again WoW has like an 8 year head start. Give it time. 2 - Depth of character: Open race and profession combinations. Anybody can be anything. The depth of how you can pick your utility skills and traits and have a real good chance of not running into anyone else with a cookie cutter build is very nice, especially since Blizzard killed off hybrids with Cataclysm and more so with Pandaria. 3 - Combat! Skills are determined by what you have in your hand more so than your profession. All buffs (boons) and debuffs (conditions) are of simple design. There is no dedicated Tank-Healer-DPS although there are some classes that excel at certain things more than others. Combat animations are done well and it seems to flow very smoothly. I am very critical on this as this is the exact thing that put me off of wanting in on The Secret World. There haven't been many MMOs to give you such an active mode of combat. Age of Conan tried and was very unbalanced between ranged and melee. Guild Wars 2 gets it right. You are able to fully Line of Sight some ones attacks or even actively dodge them!

    4- PvP at launch! This is a direct stab at Blizzard. They still haven't added it to Diablo 3 (still wouldn't make me want to play it again, heh) and WoW was going for months before it got it's first battleground. I give major props for Dynamic Level Adjustments up to level 80. There are no such things as lowbie twinks or leveling zone camping and gankfests. Racial abilities can't be used in Structured PvP also (no Human double trinket domination!)

    5- Robust crafting. This game has one of the most interesting crafting setups I've ever seen. It could use a bit more polish such as maybe showing you what you could make based upon components that you could make based upon your materials. I think there should be an option to consider your bank materials as well. I have only scratched the tip of this and am anxious to get more materials to craft more. Also, experience is gained for crafting and gathering!

    6- Dynamic questing system. You do have a main story line that gives you a clear direction on how to progress through the game, but a big chunk of your leveling will be done through dynamic quests kind of similar to Rift's rift system and Instant Adventures, but more dynamic. No forced grouping during leveling as the content adjusts to how many players are active and you automatically get heals or assists off whoever is killing the same target as you. The Dynamic Level Adjustment works opposite in PvE than PvP, if you go into a lower level zone, you get reduced to an appropriate level and rewarded as if you were higher level. It is impossible to out level the content and you also can't get a high level guy to just run you through something! Also, no looking for yellow ?s or !s on the map!!!

    7- The graphics are 2nd to none in MMOs. This is not a factor for many, but after spending thousands on PC hardware over the years, I appreciate being able to fully use it. This is the first game in years to have me taking screenshots because I am in awe of the design. A lot of MMOs don't put as much thought into design of the whole game as ArenaNet has done with just a single zone.

    8- I don't know what else to keep on about... You can join multiple guilds. You get nice rewards for 100% exploration of zones. You can 'fight for your life' instead of dying when you get downed. You can transmute gear for different looks. You can freely dye armor different colors. .... and quite a bit more than I have space or time to describe.

    Bottom line: Go get the game if you haven't already!!    … Expand
  50. Andore
    Sep 5, 2012
    9
    This game restored my faith in MMOs. It's the best thing since Ultima Online.
    Not only the best theme park ever made, but one of the greatest games ever.
  51. zaurus
    Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This game is simply amazing and deserves all the praise that it gets. It's not perfect, as I'll explain in my review, but the fact that it does everything so much better than any other MMO out there earns it a 10 in my opinion. Bugs and server issues are to be expected with a game like this, and those will get fixed. People who like to bash this game are usually people who only play MMO's like WoW and aren't capable of adapting to anything different.

    A problem I see a lot of people make is they go into low level zones and do the easy events there and just button mash or try to do "rotations" and assume the combat is dull and easy because they are able to get away with that. Try some higher level dungeons or PvP against skilled players and you will see that there are no "rotations" in this game. You have to adapt to what is going on in the fight and use your abilities wisely so you don't waste them at times when they aren't as helpful. And I saw someone mention dodging doesn't work and they still get hit? This person obviously doesn't know what they are doing because dodging works 100% of the time.

    The dynamic events DO make a difference in the world. Not all of them do, and even the ones that do make a difference don't always do it in a huge way. But the fact that some can and do make a big difference in the world easily makes this system better than the standard quest system found in most MMOs. Something to keep in mind too is that these events often trigger new events when they complete. Stick around a while and pay attention to what the NPC's are saying and doing after an event, it adds a lot of immersion to the game.

    The weakest part of Guild Wars 2 is the personal storyline. I definitely has some cheesiness to it. But again, most MMO's don't even have anything like this (except for SWTOR of course). So it's better than not having it at all.

    I see a problem with people complaining about security too, and for the most part they are right. It would have been nice if ArenaNet had implemented some type of authentication system BEFORE release. However, myself and many others have been playing without these issues. Just don't be an idiot and use the same password for every game/website you go to.    … Expand
  52. mmomaster
    Sep 16, 2012
    10
    Before I write my review, I just want to get something out there. It is really frustrating for me to see all these bad reviews based solely on account hackings, launch hiccups, or poor customer service due to the unexpected influx of new players. These issues have nothing to do with the overall quality of the game, and will have no impact on prospective buyers in a few months time. This creates a severe imbalance in terms of user reviews, as those who encounter problems such as those I mentioned above come here to rage, while those who have a had a great customer service experience or no hackings just expect that from such a well polished, fantastic game and don't bother coming here to review. And don't get me started on people just flat-out lying on here. Yes, you can play with friends. Yes, you have more than 5 skills. I honestly think most of the people on here rating less than 6 are either being bought out by rival companies, or played the game for 30 minutes during the initial launch. Anyways, now that that's off my chest. This is the without a doubt the best MMO out there. The visuals are picturesque, and the stories are entertaining and even humorous. But when it comes to an MMO, the most important things (at least in my opinion) are combat and questing system. These areas in MMOS have sat relatively stagnant since basically forever. Gear based combat with little focus on player skill, and quest-hub based fetch/kill quests. Guildwars 2 takes huge steps towards remedying these awful aspects of MMOs. The questing system is incredible, with a great balance of the random dynamic events, exploration and renown hearts. And the combat is extremely skill based, with gear mostly being used to compliment your build. (I'm not going to go into a bunch of detail here, hopefully any potential players are interested enough to read some detailed reviews on these systems by people who can actually write)

    One of my favorite non gameplay related features is the complete lack of subscription fees. Becasue of this, Arenanet is not incentivized to make boring, grindy content to keep players busy while they drain 15$ a month out of them. This means that (no matter how sad this sounds) I'm actually excited to play this game because its fun, not because I'm being dragged through it by a carrot-on-a-stick leveling/gear treadmill.    … Expand
  53. Justice_Friend
    Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This is exactly what I've been waiting for. After 7 years, I can finally say goodbye to Azeroth. If you're on the fence about this one, all I can say is go buy it now!
  54. Zockling
    Sep 9, 2012
    9
    The general consensus is that GW2 gets ridiculously many things right, so I won't reiterate its great aspects. Instead, I will put into perspective some of the most common criticisms a few people seem to think justify sub-5 scores (hint: they don't). Complaint: The removal of the trinity makes the game a zerg fest. Translation: I prefer a different genre of MMO. The removal of the trinity is a tradeoff. ANet sacrificed group structure and scalability for the ability to play with anyone, anywhere, without hassle. This is a vital point of distinction from the WoW-type games, without which the game would be doomed just like SWTOR, Rift, Aion, etc. The outcome is totally a matter of taste and people who prefer the more structured ways of the trinity should play the other excellent MMO, WoW, instead. I don't like beat 'em ups but I wouldn't give one a 0 score just because it's not my cup of tea.

    Complaint: Hearts/dynamic events are just "gather 10 boar butts" questing in disguise.
    Translation: I dislike world PvE in MMOs.

    You see, there's only so many ways a character can interact with the world that scale to a persistent MMO environment. A big chunk of that is just killing and gathering. GW2's weapon-based skill bar improves this a bit by allowing a broader range of interaction with world items in hearts/events. But at the end of the day, MMOs will always be more repetitive than single player games. Which makes GW2's achievement of making world PvE fun again for the vast majority of players even more impressive.

    Complaint: The graphics suck.
    Translation: I didn't bother cranking up the graphics from the very conservative defaults.

    There's not much to say about this one. GW2's graphics are extremely scalable. On the lowest settings the game looks like vanilla WoW, on the highest it's one of the best-looking games out there. That's not to say there shouldn't be improvements to performance on the higher quality levels so more people can enjoy the game at its shiniest.

    Complaint: The voice acting sucks.
    Translation: I am not playing the English client.

    Unless you haven't noticed, game developers stopped making quality foreign localizations some 15 years ago. While this is certainly a deficiency of the product, I'd rather ANet concentrate on improving the game as a whole than make sure the clients in the lesser languages are on par with the English one. This comes from someone who isn't a native English speaker.

    Complaint: I was suspended or banned.
    Translation A: I am a notoriously unpleasant individual and should stick to single player games.

    The more guilty they are the louder they whine when a developer exercises their zero tolerance harassment policy. Feel free to check out ANet's infamous Reddit thread "Suspensions for offensive names and inappropriate behavior" for the hilarious details.

    Translation B: I (re-)use weak passwords and/or don't know how to secure my computer.

    The issue that accounts could be hijacked without the email password is inexcusable, but that doesn't change the fact that the account would have had to be hacked in the first place. Which in most cases would have resulted in a ban even without the attacker hijacking the account. It's important to understand that whoever gets his or her account hacked is not the only one suffering the consequences, but the game as a whole. That's why ANet have to be adamant with banning compromised accounts. Hey, it's the internet. Be careful out there.    … Expand
  55. Inmysights
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    I have been a gamer all my life and I still remember the feeling I had the first time I picked up and played WoW, the first time I went to warsong gulch and ran screaming with a flag chased by those damnable horde, walked across the bridge in stranglethorn vale...... but as games do, it got old. Vanilla wow is a dream we all had that has long since faded from memory leaving behind the beastly cash cow that is wow nowadays. This brings me to GW 2. I was skeptical to say the least. Up until a week before the head start I was not even going to buy it. But I did...... and damn it I am having a blast. I have not enjoyed a game this much in years. I can't put into words everything that makes GW2 worth ppls hard earned money and time but I can guarantee no one will buy it and feel like they didn't get their moneys worth, and 9 out of 10 will feel as I do. Arena.net have brought the magic back to mmo's. This is a must buy. And free to play? Get in there my son. Today I found a hidden doorway in the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere, made my way through a booby trapped cave with pressure plates and the ground crumbling beneath my feet only to emerge in an underground cavern to find a ghost ship and a wicked jumping puzzle that took me 15 minutes to beat.....to finally earn an achievement and a splendid chest. In WoW if u tried to go off the beaten track like that the best you can hope for is falling through the ground to your death.... And I have not even mentioned the dungeons which are hella hard but rewarding or the World vs world vs world pvp that ate up 3 hours of my life last night as I lead my server to domination..... I could go on but I think by this stage if u are still reading u are either a fan or are going to buy the game so stop wasting your time and get playing!… Expand
  56. thathugeguy
    Sep 7, 2012
    9
    What makes Guild Wars 2 superior to the other MMO's past years?
    I'ts really hard to point out just one thing which makes it superior to World of Warcraft, RIFT, Secret World and all the other MMO's out there. Yes, it's generic high-fantasy world, but it feels like there's more actual interaction with the world than in other generic-high-fantasy MMO's, the world feels like it's alive, it's     more immerse than we've seen before in any MMO.
    The leveling system is quite neat as well. Where as other MMO's aim for individualism Guild Wars 2 puts much emphasis on word TEAMWORK. There's on individual experience from mobs, they're all shared with all the other player participating in killing, sharing is caring right? The tasks are completed by a few different ways, so you feel like you can finish a quest like you want to, you don't always have to kill trillions of mobs, you can for example pick up trash or something like that, isn't quite revolutionary, but brings a great feel of freedom to it.
    The combat mechanics is actually great, not your basic-button-smashing-and-standing-still-style of combat, you actually have to move and dodge actively and use your snares and stuns in order to survive. This is very rewarding that your individual skill might help you bring down a more powerful enemy rather than your statistics.
    The PVP has that same skill mechanic implemented, since you have to dodge and move around corners to avoid damage and do that really challenging skill requiring dance that you do on PvE as well. The World vs. World vs. World is a great thing, you fight for your own realms benefits, which is quite neat and it seems balanced enough, realms who run over other realms get moved up and those who cannot cope will be placed with weaker opponents to guarantee at least some bonuses for your realm.

    Why aren't I giving a 10 to a game that is great?
    Several technical issues I might say. A-net still has to work on stability and WvW lag-issues and trading post issues of course. In pre-launch everything worked at least good but then came the launch and the lags and everything went to full **** but now a few weeks after the launch everything seems good, minor lags and bugs still exist, but nothing too bad anymore.

    In conclusion Guild Wars 2 renews the MMO-genre enough to fight against the big mighty World of Warcraft but still keeps some basics untouched which is a must if you want to attract people to play. Watch out World of Warcraft, you got a challenger....And it's gonna kick your Panda-ass all the way through Tyria.    … Expand
  57. sircerx
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    Absolutely astounding. There's something for everyone, even the ex-WoW veterans. PvP is truly skill-based, not about who has the better gear. World vs. Word (read: server vs. server) is a perfectly chaotic clusterf*ck, PvE is never boring with events around and dungeons on top, plus there's lots of uncharted exploration. At $60 and no monthly fee, it is a much better deal than ToR for $60 and $15 a month. Also unlike ToR it is not a bleak, repetitive game that rewards time investment over skill.

    A piece of advice for reading reviews - if they say they quit after an hour, their review simply doesn't count. You can NOT see this game in an hour. It is most akin, like it's predecessor, to Magic: the Gathering. It is a complex, nuanced, combinatorial, tactical experience that leverages your "deck building" (read: skill selecting) skills as much as your reaction time (there's collision detection and realistic, live-action dodge-rolling) and time management skills (to rez, or not to rez?).

    No need to try before you buy - it's some grade-A stuff.    … Expand
  58. howdydoody
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    This is a very enjoyable game. I have been playing MMO's for several years and i would say this is my favourite. Nice look, sound and gameplay is very active. Some hiccups to the launch but everything seems to be settling down and from my Arenanet experience gamer support is awesome. Security was a concern but new email verification has kept me from getting hacked. Come join the fun don't miss out on a new style MMO.… Expand
  59. Zefis
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is a revolution. The way how it all works together is amazing. You gain experience almost from everything you do, so you no longer need to play it for 20 000 hours to reach the best equip and to enjoy high level instances. I am playing a norn ranger and it is so much fun, with all the pets you can tame and all the skillsets you can use. Another thing is the enviroment, it is stunning. Despite the problems with the trading post I must say it is a game that really deserves the 10/10… Expand
  60. Labenthal
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    For the hardcore raiders, I wouldn't suggest buying this game. At least not buying it yet. For the casual gamer who normally doesn't have time for MMO's, this game is worth every penny and then some. You won't feel the need to play everyday to keep up, and you won't feel like your getting screwed for doing so. It is a very fun game to just play and enjoy, so far (2 weeks of play), it has yet to give off the "This is becoming work" feel to me. To sum it up, when I log on to guild wars 2, I don't feel like I'm playing another mainstream MMO. This game gives off a very unique feel. I have been playing games as a hardcore gamer for over 4 years now with a friend of mine. We both bought this game being super excited about the PvP, and turned around to love just about everything there was to love about this game. Upon our first two days of playing together we kept talking to each other and asking, "Dude, what should I do?" But it wasn't a negative what should I do. This game is so overwhelming with choices when you first start off, its simply astonishing. With that in mind, me and my friend have always been in a rush to hit max level and be the first to do everything, which meant no exploring the world, and no stopping every 3 seconds to grab a crafting node. Last night we hopped on looking to progress some more and continue leveling, instead we found over selves quick traveling around the world and collecting tons of crafting nodes for xp, all the vistas, points of interest, skill challenges, and way points.

    This game has a very appealing feel to it, I highly suggest trying it out. *Note* I'd really like to give this game a 9.5 instead of a 10 since i feel it leans closer to 10. However, I choose 10 over 9,because a 9 just doesn't do this game justice.    … Expand
  61. drakomel777
    Sep 8, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing, beautiful and so alive, compared to other MMORPGs out in the market right now. I've played World of Warcraft for 3 years now and it was fun, for those 3 whole years. But let me just say that when I played Guild Wars 2, it felt like I had more fun than in those 3 years of playing World of Warcraft. Some people might ask, what can this game offer that other games cannot? Well, my answer to that is "life". What ArenaNet did to the game was not only to make a game enjoyable by everyone, but also make a game with a world that feels so immersible and alive. Just yesterday, before I wrote this review, I was playing GW2 with my brother, finding and mining ores until suddenly an NPC just came up to us and asked us to help his village. And we just followed the NPC. And by the time we arrived at his village, it as overrun by centaurs. So me and my brother fought and won and it was a really satisfying experience. Another example was when the NPCs just go about their lives, talking about their past adventures and making moves no other NPCs from MMORPGs can do. But this is just a fraction of detail as to how the world is alive. You will find out more when you play the game itself.

    Another feature is the personal story. This is a very big rpg element which was introduced to GW2 and I have to say, ArenaNet did an amazing job. The personal story lets you choose from plenty of choices which will affect how your character interacts with other NPCs and how his story will be laid out. The personal story is not like SWTOR's character story. In SWTOR, it just like letting your character play a big script and the only choices you make will affect only how you interact with your companions but it is different in GW2 since the choices you make will actually affect your character, your home instance, your NPC friends and your story. For example, you are given two choices to either save your friend or the city, when you choose your friend, there be more branches added to the story, but if you choose the city, different branches will also be added. So in short, everything you choose in your Personal Story will affect everything about your story.

    The features that I gave above are only a tiny bit of the features Guild Wars 2 has to offer. IF you want to find out more. Buy the game and see for yourself :D I guarantee you will like it.

    For me, I feel that Guild Wars 2 really deserves the GOTY award, although I am not sure if MMORPGs can win GOTY awards at all.

    So to anyone who reads this. I gave Guild Wars 2 a perfect 10 because of my experience with the game and not how the game is presented, so our opinions may vary.

    So once again, buy the game and if you like it, then have fun :D    … Expand
  62. KeksReloaded
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is a milestone in MMORPG history. With its dynamic quest content, it's giant world, it's wonderful artdesign, it's interesting classes and it's epic bossfights Guild Wars 2 is nothing like everything you have played before. Get ready to be blown away from this masterpiece. Five interesting and very different races, eight classes with multiple different approaches and a giant battleground with 3 whole servers fighting against each other seal the deal.… Expand
  63. MasterDiwa
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    I always wanted to get distracted in an MMO. To get lost in its world. In Guild Wars 2, I am so lost and always distracted by everyday surprises. It has everything I ever wanted in a modern MMO.
  64. Jokica
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    Well I need to say that this is the MMO of the year, if I compare it to WoW there is almost no grinding, you can play your own story, which is great btw. When you level, you are just "falling" in to the events/quest, so no need to go to NPC take a Q and then go to location A, and so on... Not mentioning you can complete almost all events by killing mobs or you can collect something or do various things, just brilliant.
    Jesus, you can even level by collecting materials for crafting and by crafting, I was cooking a sue and I gain level, WTF???
    PvP je great, pure action you need to take cover, jump, doge... it is totally different than the one in WoW.
    And so on, for now I just couldn't find a really bad thing in it, that's why I am giving it 10.    … Expand
  65. Nariax
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    This game is fantastic, beautiful graphics, tons of content, and a huge, immersive world. The quality of this subscription-free game shows up how laughable the subscription model is.
  66. Ridd21
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    Guild wars 2 is a amazing game is it perfect? no but its close enough, yes it has bugs that need to be fixed and they are as quick as possible but coming from a former WOW player of 4 years this game feels modern it feels up to date unlike other MMO's ive played including SWTOR and rift. people worried about PVE because no raids well I can tell you take 5 people in the dungeons in EM and you will encounter many deaths. This game isn't easy as say WOW everything isn't handed to you on a silver platter. The basic mob in GW2 can kill you its a skill game and if you can't learn when to dodge your going to struggle. its no longer looking at a rotation like crazy or waiting for Deadly boss mods to call stuff out for you to move in GW2 its a team effort in dungeons 3 people cant carry the other 2 players if they just don't cut it like you can it most MMO's. people have been wanting a game with a challenge and is fun well here it is. and if you don't cut it like probably half of the 139 negative reviews don't go fussing on site sayings it a crap game because its far from it. GW2 is a beautiful game both in art and graphics with the talk of maybe allowing Direct X 11 in the future as a option will only make it more beautiful of a game. The combat is fun the traits and skills are fun and as a person with a lvl 80 Thief I can tell you their is plenty of endgame its actually almost overwhelming all the things to do at 80. Dungeons for awesome looking gear. WVWvW is a blast (and I'm not a big pvp person) and farming to get ready for the Legendary's. just to name a few but the list could go way on. Overall if your tired of outdated MMO's or new to MMO's I think you will engoy it.… Expand
  67. GreenSleeves
    Dec 22, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is incredible. I was a huge fan of the first Guild Wars and this game definitely lived up to the hype for me. The world is vast, beautiful, and extremely detailed. The graphics are rich and vibrant. The quests, events, and puzzles are fantastic and very unique. The branching personal story lines are all very engaging, and the PvP is addicting as crack. I love these people that are saying that this is "just an average Rift clone." How is it in any way a Rift clone? Because it has public events? Guild Wars 2 took a successful concept and refined it, fleshed it out more, and made it their own. It's called innovation. They are not copying Rift, they are simply taking a page out of Rift's book and expanding upon it. That's how things make progress. I would also like to mention that several of the issues that people were complaining about and thus gave this game a "0" are all fixed. Guild Wars 2 is the most preeminent MMO to be released in a long time. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.… Expand
  68. Dhurk
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    GW2 is an amazing game. I think it have features for lots of kind of players. Casual players can walk over an astonishing world carefully created, play structured PvP (with exactly the same character as a hardcore player), etc. Hardcore players can play Dungeons (story and explorable mode), play World vs World, re-roll PvE with different Personal Stories, collect weapons and armors skins, get some titles... One nice thing is that you get xp on almost everything you do (crafting, killing, quests, world exploration). Of course GW2 doesn't have years of polishing, but it had a truly amazing start. If that's not enough: it has zero fee!!!… Expand
  69. Renegadexf
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    I'm in Love with this game, specially using my eyefinity setup also its pay to play n such amazing graphics at every zone,what else can i ask for ? :]
  70. untoten123
    Sep 12, 2012
    9
    Overall a great game! I made a YouTube video on it's gameplay and what's so great about it. Make sure to check it out.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT8HAYUz74g
  71. Qwald
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    It's the first time in many years I had that much fun playing a video game! It's not that new, but it's so refreshing! With all the dynamic events, the view points that requires some jumping here and there, points of interests, crafting and gathering. Everything is fun and worth doing in any zones! You always get xp and challenge! It's always different.
    Best game for me in the 5 years
  72. 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
  73. 3lfk1ng
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    First of all, my playstyle is hardcore and I have a lot of MMO experience.

    I have been playing MMO's for almost 10 years starting with the release of Shadowbane. I have subscribed to roughly 8 different MMO's during that time-frame, BETA tested another 10 or so, and I am not afraid to admit that World of Warcraft was my previous favorite MMO.

    but now...Guild Wars 2 has easily taken t    he throne as my #1 favorite MMO of all time. Despite minor issues at launch which in no way affected my ability to login, level up and actually play the game, this game is nothing short of amazing. There is just so much detail and depth, all while offering players the ability to play hardcore or casual... with no monthly fee. You can login for an hour or two and walk away feeling accomplished.

    The crafting system is a blast. The learning curve for playing classes can be steep, but only if you want it to be. There is no longer a need to grind for gear or farm for reputation. If you have a steady job, you can be just as good in game as your jobless friends. There is no need to set aside two nights a week for raiding or collecting the materials beforehand. No need to avoid playing with other players that might take your loot. No longer do players have to ask for a gear score or look you up on armory before doing a dungeon. They have almost completely eliminated the whole standing around for 30minutes looking for a healer or a tank fiasco. Finally, this game is based on skill. It's not about who has no life and the ability to invest the most time. It's a game where you can login, hit level 2, and go straight into PVP and be on almost even grounds, only skill will determine how well you do.

    ALL of the things that were (mostly) dreadful in previous MMOs, have been made (mostly) enjoyable in Guild Wars 2. Huge thanks go out to ArenaNet. I disliked Guild Wars 1 but this game is totally different and phenomenal. There is absolutely no reason that anyone should even consider continuing to pay and play World of Warcraft or any other MMO for that matter unless you dislike the fantasy genre all together... in which case, the fact that you're reading this would suggest otherwise.

    I give it a 96/100
    There is always room for improvement.    … Expand
  74. Kashinoga
    Sep 12, 2012
    9
    This is the first game ever, in which I genuinely have had a great, fun time playing. I am not forced to grind or to do anything that makes the game feel like a chore. Playing with friends who've just got the game is not a burden (content scales!) and best of all, there's no subscription fee.
  75. deusemx
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    Awesome, in a single word best describes my experience thus far with Guild Wars 2. After sinking over 100 hours in the game, achieving level 60, rank 5 in structured PvP, and battling it out in World vs World (where I spend the majority of my time) I still cannot find enough time to play this game. I write you this review only because I am stuck at work and cannot log in from here ;)

    I     wanted this game to be my PvP game as the first Guild Wars had a reputation for it. I wanted something to replace WoW's PvP for me. I played WoW for both 3v3 arena and rated battlegrounds which I achieved 2750 an 2450 ratings respectively. I wanted a game that rewards skill and strategy and not time spent playing and I believe GW2 does just that. This is a game about positioning and coordinated execution. There exists "Combo Fields" and "Combo Finishers" in which any Combo Finisher that interacts with a Combo Field gains additional power. This system of synergy allows coordination to rein king. Structured PvP is interesting because the moment you step into the structured PvP zone your character reaches maximum power equal with all others. If you think you see an overpowered combination you can quickly and easily copy their setup to see for yourself. The competitive mode is 5v5 on a 3 node king of the hill map, a standard configuration. I haven't quite figured out all of the mechanics of all the classes so I cannot really comment on balance but it feels good so far. Each class is very customizable almost to the point of being overly complex. Of your 10 abilities half of your abilities depend on the weapon(s) you are wielding while the other 5 are selected from a pool of skills depending on your class and then there are additional traits that affect you in various ways. However, World vs World PvP is where you'll most likely find me. Defending and laying siege to towers, forts, and even castles. Huge battles with over 100 strong on both sides. Your entire server is your team and you are against 2 other servers in a battle to control the most territory--to get the biggest slice of the pie. Periodically the servers get mixed up and paired based on your servers performance. Right now things are a little dicey in WvW due to all the mixing currently. Sometimes one server greatly overpowers another but with the mixing and match-rating it will inevitably create a better experience as time goes on. But now for the bad news! As much as I love this game it does have some technical problems. I have a Crossfire video card configuration but I am not able to make any use of my 2nd card. Some areas in the game drop my FPS while others are brilliantly smooth. The queue times for World vs World were initially exceeding 2 hours! The queues have come down since then. This game definitely has some growing pains but Arenanet seems dedicated to fixing it. They patch the game every single night. I remain hopeful that they will iron out these issues but I am still having a blast regardless.… Expand
  76. Megurine
    Sep 23, 2012
    10
    The game is amazing in my own opinion. The graphics are spot on and the visual schemes are amazing. I am still playing and i feel so immersed. Besides the PvE which i can go meh at sometimes (compared to many other mmo's where the pve is just BLAH), it rescues itself in PVP. It is legendary in that aspect. I'll admit although that the story lines somewhat branch off to random places but the new story lines that they introduce are so immersible that I didn't really give a care. The branching story lines was great and the crafting system is truly a new change in the mmo concept and will mark the beginning of evolution of mmo's. Sometimes the bosses are so hard and make you so irritated but they motivate you to keep trying! The game is A BIG ASS PARTY. Not one party, a huge ass one lol. You can also frequently change weapons so, you get 5 skills per weapon set which makes 10 skills but this requires revolutional which weapon to choose at an certain time unlike those people who complain. This brings about a whole new system of balance. For instance, i can go Dagger and Dagger mage to do single target DPS or i can go staff to provide aoe cover and viable support to my team. All classes are balanced in their own unique ways! To be honest i didn't know what class to choose at first since i loved them all so much and that none of them were op, all of them had their own pros and cons and were all perfectly balanced. This one mmo actually had you think and plot plans instead of going in to the middle and blasting everything away with a huge aoe skill or with op items. This is why when u go to a low level place on the map, they scale you down in order to provide a challenge and make so many things so entertaining!… Expand
  77. Gonko
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game, closest mmo to "perfect" I've seen since wow, Plus, with no sub fee, you don't feel pressured to play to get your moneys-worth out of it, staggeringly good PvE exploration and WvW is fantastic.
  78. victor2012
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    I played WOW starting BC
    I feel that WOW was like a job - login at raid time, try boss, try again...ever, to make a raid progress.
    spend time and money for nothing. Also no content updates since 2011, but anyway each patch was just new boss skins. GW2 became as a fresh air! Really great game! Beautiful, big and deep. I just relax and enjoy playing
    Really GW2 feels like a MMO. In GW2 fin    ally you see other people in the world who help you to make dynamic events for example, in wow (during leveling) you play almost solo.… Expand
  79. orange56738
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    This is a great MMO and it is getting better. Forget WoW. This is it! I love the fact that the holy trinity of tank/healer/dps does not exist nor is it necessary. The game is not about gear or grinding. All those other annoying things in other MMOs have been gracefully dealt with in GW2.
  80. Dear
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    I followed the creation and production of Guild Wars 2 for the past three years, and I have to say it has lived up to and even surpassed my greatest expectations. I love this game, from the gorgeous artistry in every detail, to the way gameplay is so seamless you progress without meaning to, to the masterfully executed storytelling that truly makes you feel important, a direct force in an actually, really, truly epic fight to save the world. Arenanet has been brilliant the whole time, by the way. They've done a most commendable job in communicating with and paying attention to their fans/playerbase on a refreshingly personal level. 10/10, 5 stars, two thumbs up, and a standing ovation.… Expand
  81. BrinZalazar
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    I'm very happy with GW2, I have enjoyed every second I have played the game and look forward to being able to spend more time with it. There is so much depth, but it's easy for me to pick up and play and learn new things. If you are on the fence I'd say now is a great time to start playing. :)
  82. HashuePoe
    Sep 14, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 is the most original MMO in an over saturated market. This game continues to entertain and deliver new thrills. Arena Net has designed a game that encourages exploration and makes the world feel vast and alive. Guild Wars 2 has also created the most dynamic and interesting combat system. If you try to just button mash or spam an attack you will not succeed. The end game content is vast and very challenging. This creates an environment where everyone wants to compete and play since the dungeons are designed for 5 players only. Each one of the 5 players are required to play and if they have a weakness it will be exposed. The crafting system is a breath of fresh air and never feels tedious or awkward. I highly suggest this game to any type of gamer. Guild Wars 2 offers something for any game type.… Expand
  83. geohams
    Sep 16, 2012
    10
    Like WoW in its time, Guild Wars 2 borrows the finer aspects of its predecessors, but also blends in enough variety and freshness to give it the edge we always craved from the "WoW killer" MMORPG. Stylistically, it feels like what a Final Fantasy MMO should've been, but with the technical crispness of WoW's best moments, strong world PvP like Dark Age of Camelot, and world group events such as those found in Rift.

    Incredibly, the PvE aspects are as good as any game I've played, which I felt was a huge shortcoming of the original Guild Wars. Granted, I'm only a short way through the plotline, but the way it's going I don't think I'll be bored with any aspect of the game any time soon: whether multiplayer or solo, against players or monsters, questing or crafting or simply exploring the rich game world, everything in GW2 scintillates.

    This game rules. Buy it, play it, love it, tell your friends, and don't forget to go outside once in a while...    … Expand
  84. Fritz91
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    I am thoroughly enjoying GW2. I can jump in and play for an hour or so, or I can play for 6, it's all easy and fun. I never feel the grind, and the world is stunning. Overall, it's just a really good game.
  85. Mysticmonarch
    Sep 21, 2012
    10
    Must have!!!! Change my view of MMO's
    Must have!!!! Change my view of MMO's
    Must have!!!! Change my view of MMO's
    Must have!!!! Change my view of MMO's
  86. Tabbycat
    Sep 26, 2012
    9
    I am really enjoying Guild Wars 2. I gave the game a 9 because there are some areas that the game still needs improvement. Overall though, the game is well worth the $60 price tag. Plenty of character customization, interesting races, beautiful landscapes and a surprisingly fun leveling process. For a buy to play game, this game definitely has plenty of content to keep you busy. One word of advice, do not rush your way through to 80 but take your time going through the zones. No need to worry about out leveling the area you are in because you will be down leveled so the game is challenging regardless of where you are playing. The Dynamic Events are fun and they do scale depending on how many others are participating them. The reason I didn't give the game a perfect score is because there are some problems with rewards and a little thing called Diminishing Returns. Some of personal stories could use some work as well. But for a brand new game that has just come out, these flaws can be mostly overlooked. ArenaNet is constantly working on improving the game and communicate with players on their forums.

    I am greatly looking forward to seeing how this game develops in the future.    … Expand
  87. snook
    Sep 29, 2012
    10
    So I just read some red reviews like "I hated it before I played it" and I notice that people are not satisfied because the game is more for casual players with no intention to play a year to achieve a fully playable character. I noticed more than once that the problem is mostly that the game does not support the I'm being better than you style, but you guys forget something - that is not the targeted player base. It is a pay once game, so why the heck they should bind players for long term like monthly fee mmos? As also I will clear something up - not everyone is interested in graphics - and for a mmo this is awesome... I started playing with Anarchy Online - yeah there where games before WoW (I never understand why someone play that game) and to all those crying - calm down and play a game not 10 years old and then we talk again about gameplay and graphics. It is like with everything - human are never satisfied for long term, but this game is just better than everything else out there if you consider you just pay the price for a normal AAA game with 6-10 hours playtime and NO monthly fee. You dont get it right? There is absolutely nothing you can say against this game if you keep that in mind.… Expand
  88. Ozriel
    Oct 1, 2012
    10
    I've personally been waiting for a game like this for a long time. The freedom to level how you wish is phenomenal. Being an artist though, the art direction is what pulls me in the most. This game is beautiful. I'm not saying that the graphics have to be "uber current" with today's technology, but just that it has a focused consistent appeal with it's design and personality. The races are really refreshing too, all of them, (less so with the humans) bring something new to the stereotypical races seen today in MMORPGs. The story may not pull me in quite as powerfully as say SWTOR, but WAY more than WOW. Don't get me wrong I actually play and enjoy all three, it's just that I still find myself attracted to GW2 the most even though MOP is fun. But I can only compare these three MMO's as they are the only ones I've ever played. Coming from a background of Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege, Age of Mythology, Unreal Tournament, Borderlands, Fable, Titan Quest, Warcraft III, and some other A+ titles, I have high standards for a games lore, and that is why WoW pulled me right in. But since I tend to swing back and forth between gaming moods for the slower pace of RPGs and the frenetic action of FPSs, I've been waiting for a game that has a good balance of both. That's where GW2's pulled me in. It's PvP has all I have been waiting for as the mechanics and level of freedom flow with the fluid controls and animations of your character. While in WoW I could never shake the feeling of controlling an agile paper doll, in SWOTOR I felt like I was trying to manipulate a stiff action figure. In GW2 my character actually controls much closer to the living being that I want as my character in an MMO or any game for that matter. It's simply refreshing to have that feeling while playing. My other biggest draw to this game was the limited number of skills to use, yes "limited". Having so many buttons to push and keep track of for skills always hindered my ability to stay immersed in whatever I was doing in-game. So maybe I'm not hardcore, but when I play a "game" I want it to be a game and not a "job". So having fewer abilities actually creates a nice balance for me, while it did not dumb down all the theory crafting I enjoy too. So in short this MMO offers something different and different in a very good way for gamers today. As a veteran gamer GW2 has firmly planted itself alongside WoW and all the other AAA games that have been my favorite franchises and IP's.… Expand
  89. dthrevan
    Oct 3, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game. If you sick and tired of boring copied wow clones then this game is for you. Excellent graphics, gameplay and best of all its B2P. This game is definitely gonna give **** Mop a run for its money.
  90. DemigodChewtoy
    Oct 2, 2012
    10
    This is as good as any MMO has ever been. If you're still playing WoW and the Mists of Panderia daily grind, it's because you underestimated and/or misjudged GW2. This is the game to be playing, and any fan of WoW, Rift, or DAoC owes it to themselves to call GW2 their home for the foreseeable future. This is not another incremental evolution, this is an MMO revolution.

    The only thing yo    u might miss are instanced raids at end-game. End-game now consists of open-world raids, 3-faction world vs. world PvP, character appearance and gear customization via dyes and dungeon systems, and legendary weapon grinds. In addition, there are still tons of places to explore, quests and events to complete, secret treasure chests to find, jumping puzzles to solve, scenario PvP, and plenty more surprises.

    The game might feel a lot like WoW at first, but that just means you're playing it wrong -- seriously. Don't worry, much like anything new, you will begin to understand it with time and effort invested.

    Ultimately, GW2 is a wholly unique experience that captures some of the magic that your favorite MMO used to have. Guild Wars 2 is as good as the genre has ever been.    … Expand
  91. brianlimmy
    Oct 5, 2012
    9
    Guild Wars 2 is a wonderful game as it incorporates an innovative and completely new style to MMORPGs. The game has beautifully crafted environments and characters, an easy to pick up insanely hard to master combat style, fascinating lore with an intriguing storyline and an immersive, constantly changing world, there is never a time when you have nothing to do in Tyria. The community also feels generally friendly, there aren't as many trolls and flamers compared to many other MMORPGs, although the massive number of gold sellers spamming chat is quite irritating. That being said Arenanet has taken a rather anti-gold-seller approach to Guild Wars 2 by making it so that in-game currency can be traded for paid currency. In Guild Wars 2 finding groups for dungeons is fairly quick even without a feature similar to WoW's dungeon finder because there is no 'holy trinity' in the game, most combinations of any 5 professions will work, I've even once run a hard mode dungeon as 5 necromancers. There have been a lot of worries about the lack of an endgame in Guild Wars 2 but many of these worries are unfounded, there is PLENTY of endgame content and it's pretty fun as well. In every boss fight it's never the lack of gear that kills you, it's the incredibly difficult mechanics or lack of a player's skill that kills you. Guild Wars 2 PvE endgame consists mostly of explorable mode or hard mode dungeons. The bosses in the dungeons themselves tend to drop pretty crappy gear, but when a player finishes a dungeon they are rewarded with tokens which are specific to that dungeon, these tokens are used to buy better gear that has looks that are based on the dungeon which the tokens were acquired from. Most explorable mode dungeons have 1 very challenging boss and the rest aren't too bad, but the challenging boss has the tendency to be REALLY DAMN CHALLENGING. That being said, all of these bosses can be overcome without too much difficulty as long as everyone in the team contributes and covers each others mistakes. It's not about being perfect so much as it is about minimizing the number of mistakes you make and helping teammates out when they screw up. Getting enough tokens to complete a full set of gear is quite a grind as each piece of gear requires quite a lot of tokens, some may argue that it's a bit too much of a grind, I'm inclined to agree especially since it can take up to 2 hours to complete an explorable mode dungeon on a PUG and you don't get an awful lot of tokens per run. Overall Guild Wars 2 may not be a perfect game but it is certainly an amazing game and it is the next step in the evolution of MMORPGs.… Expand
  92. Ro5hamBo
    Oct 5, 2012
    9
    Apart from a few niggly details mentioned by many others before me and none of which are showstoppers, the game is almost perfect. The combat system is actually quite a bit deeper than the amount of abilities, and some of the game's detractors suggest due to the dynamic weapon set swapping. As a thief sporting a sword/pistol and pistol/pistol I can shadowstep to my target, apply a venom and a high damage pistol whip attack, shadowstep back to my starting location, swap to dual pistols and strafe around the target to finish it off at range. The possible variations coupled with actively dodging incoming attacks are more than enough to keep things interesting.

    The dynamic events system is fun too although the numbers of people joining in can make things seem a bit 'zergy'. The 'heart' quests aren't that much different from MMO quests you've seen before with the main difference being that you usually get a selection of activities to do in order to complete the quest of which you can do any combination you like. I haven't yet made it in to my first instanced dungeon yet but I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out with no dedicated tank or healer classes.

    PVP and WvWvW is a hoot! Especially if you are running with a group of friends in WvWvW. No gear grinding in order to be competitive in the Battlegrounds either, everyone is given the same quality gear so it's down to individual skill and even more so team play and tactics.

    Visually and aesthetically the game is unmatched in this genre. It just looks fantastic and the soundtrack is suitably epic, written by Jeremy Soule of Elder Scrolls fame.

    There is so much more I could discuss about other aspects of the game such as crafting, personal story line quests, character customisation options etc. etc. but in all honesty I don't want to spend any more time writing about the game when I could be playing it.

    Cya ;)    … Expand
  93. drobik
    Oct 5, 2012
    10
    In my life i've played a lot og MMO's, and i thought than Guild Wars 2 would be an average MMO. But when I saw some trailers and read a bit more about this game, i found it very interesting and i was right. After playing on the closed beta test i understood that it was the most amazing game I've ever played. There is a lot of features and describing all of them can take a lot of time. Usually, as it often happens with games which are having too many "cool things", these games looks like cut piece of cake and when you begin playing for the first time you will say:"Yes, it's amazing, but after some hours you will understand that this game can't provide you everything it was told about in the beginning. But not in Guild Wars 2, each elements of the game looks like the hole piece of one cake.
    In my opinion it is the best MMO game of last five years    … Expand
  94. ZeftheWicked
    Nov 28, 2012
    10
    10/10 for me. Reason: - this is one of those few games where you don't rush to max level so you can finally have some fun, but are having fun from level one. There's no point to fit it all in one short review, so rather then doing that i'll outline the end result of all they did:

    A game where whole world is a playing field, where even starter maps can pose a challenge to max level playe    r, where there's ton of stuff to do everywhere you go. All that packaged with innovative, skill-not-gear based combat wrapped around if some of the finest sceneries mmorpg has to offer. This world lives, this world breathes, this world kicks ass! And finally a world where you don't dread the appearance of another player on the horizon but are encouraged to team up with him and double the fun in a party, as there are no penalties or losses of any kind for either of you when you hunt same monster and do same quest.

    This game plays like some best singleplayer titles with mmo aspect not being subpar in the least!

    And the cherry on top - no hidden money drainage inside. Unlike certain "game with horns and tail v3", you don't need to pump $ to get the best out of this game. Cash shop is present here but it's very fair and not p2w one. Mostly aesthetics and some usable items that drop also from monsters, or aren't critical for your progression.

    Only people i would not recommend this game are the 1337 damage hoes that want 30x the damage of normal joe after months of grinds in highest level maps. This is not a game for you, gear counts, but skill>gear in here and GW2 is not about being the most elite on the server - it's about plain good uninhibited fun:)

    As it is now it's honest 10/10 from me and i hope arena.net will keep it that way in the future;)    … Expand
  95. Peaveywolf
    Nov 24, 2012
    10
    I am a casual gamer, and I love this game. I can play at whatever speed I choose with no sub. There a certain amount of gamers trying to sabotage this games ratings by saying that they have introduced grind with the new armour. While this is true, the armour is not essential to progressing in the game. It is a choice. So take no heed from the people who are rating it below 5. Unless they have a truly valid point for not liking it.… Expand
  96. noname206
    Nov 26, 2012
    9
    this is a great game the world events are great , the world vs world pvp is amazing and the crafting is probably the best in any mmo right now. But the questing is essentially the same thing as any other mmo whether its collecting things or killing things to complete a quest.
  97. pyxxel
    Dec 11, 2012
    9
    I've been playing this MMO with my GF now for well over 3 months. We've been taking things quite slowly, and only yesterday hit 80 on our main characters! And while it's not without some minor flaws, it scores a solid 9/10 from me.

    First off, I love eye candy in a game, and this is where GW2 shines. Its views, landscapes, details, are astounding. And even though we reached lvl 80 with o    ur mains, and up to 35 with our alts, we still haven't seen vast swathes of content. It's truly MASSIVE. Gameplay is certainly entertaining, and while you don't need to be a 25-fingered alien to use all your skills, your weapon-switching and moving about certainly matter a lot. It's by no means easy!

    Add to that the detailed crafting system, the multitude of dungeons, the structured PvP gameplay, the WvW madness, the dialog humour, and so much more, and you have a very slick, stylish, polished and well-rounded gaming experience. Obviously being an MMO it gets much better when playing with a guild or friends, and there I can think of one or two improvements, but on the whole, I know I will play this for a long time. there's just so much more content I am really curious about!

    I understand some people don't like certain details, and that's fine, some of my friends have stopped playing for various reasons. I agree this game isn't perfect for everyone, that's OK, there are plenty of games that don't suit me either even though I agree they are very cool. But to be fair, I do think this game has lasting appeal, especially with all the special events being added all the time. Well done ArenaNet!    … Expand
  98. Etheldir
    Dec 15, 2012
    10
    This game is absolute gold! The storyline is very well done and it allows you to make countless decisions as you play which will change your storyline and whilst at the end of it all you will get the same ending if you decide to play through the story with a different character you will experience huge variety from your first playthrough as the decisions you make enable you to play completely different missions. The eight classes offer up countless different strategies and dungeoneering is even more fun as you can jump in with any other people instead of having to wait for the other members of the holy trinity. The PvP is great fun but with only one game mode as of yet but with many different maps. There are whole new events out each month such as halloween christmas etc. each updte being about 1/2gb to 1gb each as so much is added… Expand
  99. Logy
    Jan 6, 2013
    9
    Being a long time mmo player i knew i needed to try Guild Wars 2 has they add promised to deliver a dynamic world where questing didin't felt like a shore and your actions changed the world, but did they achieve it?
    Well after playing it for hours i can safely say yes, yes they did.

    Gameplay:
    This is not you typical mmo combat system, in Guild Wars 2 you get a new set of 5 skills in e    ach different type of weapon and an additional 5 skills (one of which is an elite skill) which you can customize depending on you class.
    The combat itself is a mix between action oriented(Tera Online/Raiderz) and a typical mmo (WoW/SWTOR). If you use an ability that swings your sword and you have more then one enemy around the game will recognize and you will damage all the enemies, however you dont have to aim the abilities like in Tera.
    The problem i have with most mmo's gameplay is the combat not feeling fluid and the animations of said abilities lagging behind, this however doesn't effect Guild Wars 2, all the abilities have different animation and they all sync perfectly.

    Graphics:
    The graphics of Guild Wars 2 didin't impress me all that much but they have to take into account that the game must perform well with hundreds of players on screen like WvWvW. While the graphics aren't the strongest point the game compensates with a beautiful artstyle across all zones.

    What to do?
    Like the ordinary MMO you have PvP and PvE. As for PvP there are two types, WvWvW(World vs World vs World) and sPvP (Structured PvP). You can do both of this at level 1, WvWvW is a massive battle between 3 servers with points to capture across a huge map divided into 3 zones and sPvP is the typical Battlegrounds that we are used too from others MMO which can be played competitively.
    The PvE of Guild Wars 2 consists of 5 Man Dungeons, Dynamic Events and the personal storyline.    … Expand
  100. Mei
    Jan 23, 2013
    10
    In terms of value, Guild Wars 2 is the best 55$ I spent in all of 2012. I believe despite it's flaws, GW2 has pushed the genre forward: jumping puzzles, restructured skill bar, shared loot, and dynamic events in one game is a lot. I know we've seen these mechanics in other games, but not in one game. ArenaNet is pulling in ideas from other genres to make GW2 more appealing to a wider audience. I think they done that very well and deserve the praise they get for it.… Expand
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.
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  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
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