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

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2138 Ratings

User score distribution:

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  1. Aug 28, 2012
    9
    If you've played just about any MMO in the last 10 years, you are intimately familiar with floating exclamation points, dungeon grinding, and gear treadmills. Guild Wars 2 turns much of what we know, and have unquestioningly accepted about MMOs, on its head. The most obvious difference is in the questing. The vast majority of "quests" in GW2 are spontaneous and dynamic. You don't bump into someone who tells you their life story right before they ask you to kill 10 rats. Rather, you might come upon a farm under attack by bandits - if you or your companions manage to drive them off, it may lead to another stage where you go on the attack, and raid the bandits lair. If you fail, however, a different quest starts, where you may have to repair the damage the bandits caused. People passing through the area are free to join in or leave at any time, and the difficulty scales to however many are participating. Combat itself is vastly different from the usual 'stand still and mash buttons' you see everywhere else. Movement is key, and with no specific tank or healer class, players must be aware at all times and be ready to dodge whenever the boss winds ups for a special attack. It's refreshing, and, at times, difficult - there is a definite learning curve. Additionally, combat skills depend on your weapon type. A mage might throw a fireball while wielding a staff, but if he equips a dagger, it turns into a a completely different, aoe type attack. Various other quality-of-life improvements have been made. You never directly compete with other players for quest objectives or resource nodes. Fast travel works from any point on the map. The graphics are some of the best I've seen in an MMO, and the solo storyline is actually pretty good, varying wildly depending on what race/background choices you made during character creation. Max level pvp is accessible as soon as you create your character, and is easily the best system I've seen in an MMO yet. Exploration is fun, and there are rewards for doing it. Crafting has a unique experimentation aspect to it. And, of course, the biggest selling point - there is no subscription fee! Now, all this isn't to say GW2 doesn't have any flaws. There are still a lot of launch bugs floating around, ranging from minor (trouble grouping with players) to major (the auction house has been down for days). It's still up in the air how "end game" will be received, bearing in mind there is no traditional gear treadmill. The cash/gem shop is a little sketchy, and the game has many subtle and not-so-subtle ways of nudging you toward it. Anyway, I've been playing the game since beta and I can honestly say I've been having a lot of fun. The burning questions on everyone's minds (whether or not this will kill WoW, or if they should drop WoW for this game) are largely irrelevant, they are different games with different mentalities and approaches to MMO gaming. Expand
  2. Sep 20, 2012
    9
    Not perfect, but you finally dont need to pay monthly fees to enjoy the full content!!! This makes WoW both worse and better than GW2. GW2 would be great even if you had to pay monthly fees. Which is what makes it worth your money so much. The graphics are amazing and when the world merges to complete one world event, its epic without any need to create a party. And there are jumping puzzles which were missed so much in other MMOs. If I would have to pick some cons it would be that there are no fractions and the tutorial was a bit too short (how do i craft????). Expand
  3. Sep 21, 2012
    9
    I felt it was necessary to rewrite this since I have put another 100 hours in and many of the current reviews are extremely inaccurate and idiotic. Please take serious consideration to the fact that almost EVERY user who gave this game a negative rating (0-4) created their account within the past few days/weeks just to give it a bad mark and haven't reviewed any other games. Pretty much they are jealous nerds spamming accounts and ruining the review. Let it be known that I am NOT some prepubescent anti-WoW fanboy, this review is my honest assessment. I will start by saying that I think Guild Wars 2 is an awesome experience that I would recommend to pretty much anyone. One of the best qualities is how user-friendly it is compared to other MMO's, all the while remaining challenging and rewarding. I have 300+ hours invested, and folks this game is so massive that I haven't even scratched the surface, completing only 37% of the world map. The launch had a few technical issues like every other MMO, but they were fixed a few days after the release. I lost interest in WoW due to subscription fees, overall lack of attention towards PvP or WvW, and Blizzard's originality was diminished with its purchase by Activison. All of this is corrected with GW2, no fees, PvP and WvW that is worth participating, and good support from the legit AreaNet. - Story (8): Each race and class is unique having their own strengths and weaknesses, all the while being extremely balanced. I chose a human warrior because they can use a wide variety of weapons, and the initial skill system in GW2 is centered around your weapon. The story mode helps in exploration by giving you an idea of what level you should be and what area you should be in, but at times the interactions with characters are a bit lacking. It is amazing how many choices you are given with each class during the story, it is almost impossible for 2 people to have the same experience. - Graphics (10): Don't listen to people who don't have the tools necessary to run Guild Wars 2 on FULL appearance settings. With my Geforce 670 FTW the graphics are undeniably amazing. The artistic sense presented here is superbly done, the worlds are beautiful and diverse, and you can tell the creators gave extreme attention to detail. What is nice as well are the effects, for example getting attacked causes a certain colored border to appear (green for poison), or jumping out of the water causes droplets to cover the screen. These little details make you feel engrossed in the action. They are not the best graphics available, but IMO they are better than any other MMO to date. - Sound (9): Whether I am using surround sound or my Plantronics headset, the sound is great. The background music was done by an artist that worked on Elder Scrolls, sounding like a mix of Skyrim and Final Fantasy. Overall I feel the music matches very well with the atmosphere and the sound effects from battles, using your weapons, and spells are crisp and detailed. - Gameplay (9): One of the best things about GW2 is the fact that you can load it up at anytime and jump right in, you don't ever feel pressured to play. You learn your weapon skills fast because you need them right away. Other skills are class specific and are learned by leveling up and finding skill challenges. As you level up you also gain trait points for attributes and you are able to master 2 trades such as a weaponsmith and armorsmith. I will admit that the 5 basic weapon skills will get repetitive with time, but this is where creating other characters becomes worthwhile. Exploring the world is a blast, there are so many waypoints for fast travel, vendors for buying and selling, and you don't have to search for quests, they are events triggered by your location. The controls are nice, you can jump and dodge in all directions and in battles skills are pretty responsive. - Endgame (10): Heart quests, dynamic events, story mode, skill points, points of interest, cooking, crafting, trading, exploring, dungeons, bosses, PvP, WvW, need I say more? Almost everything you do is rewarded with experience points, so it is all fun and worth your time, and this is where Guild Wars 2 really shines. PvP and WvW is not based on real money you've spent on items, its about using tactics and teamwork to complete a common goal. This is why all characters are bumped up and mastering your weapon and class skills are essential. WvW also grants your server bonuses, and the overall mechanics behind PvP and WvW are astonishing. I could literally go on for hours explaining the content, there is just so much here. In closing, I cannot stress enough how important it is to look past jaded user reviews provided by people who probably haven't even played GW2, because honestly it is one of the best experiences I've had in a long time, and IMO the best MMORPG to date. - Overall: (9) Collapse
  4. Oct 2, 2012
    10
    Fans of fantasy RPG have had to wait a long time for a game where they can imagine themselves as heroes in 'another world' without paying by the month for it. This game fills a gap that Witcher 2 and Dragon Age 2 both sorely failed to fill. Guild Wars 2 scratches the itch of Fantasy RPG fans with an expansive, beautifully presented world. There is exploration, crafting, swords and sorcery. There are guilds and social elements if you need them, or you can solo if you prefer. If you want PVP. There are plenty of different builds to play around with, and five races to delve into. The developers appear to be doing their best to offer a gamer-friendly experience and have certainly worked very hard to make this game big enough and flexible enough for everyone except the most head-up-the-arse hard core-nutters. The elements of killing mobs and bosses, and grinding levels are all familiar, and not really better than youve already seen elsewhere. But the art IS better. Many small details of presentation ARE improved. And the pay-once play-forever model is a SUPERB challange for Blizzard to start trying to earn money with better games rather than milking and exploiting their customer base all the way. If you are an RPG fan, you can't go wrong with this game. If you haven't tried an MMO before THIS is the place to start. If you play WOW and are curious, play some of a friends account and choose whichever game you prefer. Thanks Arenanet for expanding our choices, and thanks for Trying to upgrade and evolve the model. If this game gets Blizzard to try harder we all win. For that reason alone... for daring to compete we should all appreciate and applaud what this game represents. The trolls giving this game 0s and 1s should understand just how this game might end up helping them enjoy better games at better prices and repost with scores that reflect an understanding of how Arenanet efforts will finally IMPROVE their gaming experience. 8/10 for the game. 10/10 due to its entirely positive influence on game design for those games to come which will be better and cheaper because of Guild Wars 2. Expand
  5. Sep 17, 2012
    9
    Having put countless hours into Guild Wars, I can now say with confidence that this is the MMORPG that stands the best chance of dethroning World of Warcraft. It's also one that I've thoroughly enjoyed. Guild Wars 2 is the modern MMORPG that offers a more streamlined and comfortable experience in open-world exploring and PvP for players of all skills/experience. And instead of ignoring players who want to be crafty or explorative, GW2 rewards them. I've really enjoyed some of the elements Guild Wars 2 has borrowed from other excellent action/adventure games (like Skyrim or Assassin's Creed). Those elements help give you drive to do certain things to completion, which often nets you achievements and bonus gear, XP, and an assortment of treasures. The game isn't a radical departure from MMORPG's, but it offers enough of a refresh to earn your $60 investment (without forcing you to buy into a subscription). There is a small learning curve to parts of this game, but nothing is unlearnable or un-masterable. If you've been waiting for a game to come along to pull you away from WoW's stale-ish experience or you just gave up on MMORPGs because of their lack of innovation, Guild Wars 2's world is one you need to experience. Expand
  6. Nov 7, 2012
    10
    This is a title that has something for everyone...well everyone except grief players. For the grief player, you are not invited. The game is more like an artists canvas that you manipulate. The graphics are simply beautiful, the races are very well done complete with histories, and the classes are perfect. When I say perfect, I truly mean that. You can play whatever you choose and not have to worry about waiting forever to find a pick up group that will let you in. If you want to group you can, or you can just adventure and help out where ever your ADD takes you. No monthly subscription nonsense, no grief players, and you have the freedom to play whomever you want and can still bring value to any group you happen to meet. There are so many more positives about the game it would be impossible to name them all. Suffice to say, If I could score this game higher than a 10, I would. Expand
  7. Aug 28, 2012
    9
    Super early review time! After only a few days of being released, it isn't really appropriate to review an MMO, but I'm going to give it a shot. Let's start with the good news. Guild Wars 2, for me, basically grabbed a lot of the best ideas from other MMOs, and threw them all together, while adding a couple new things of it's own. You have dynamic events like Rifts, you have a quality personal story like you get in SWTOR, and you get "builds" and considerable class freedom like in the Secret World (although Guild Wars 2 does still have distinct classes). The biggest innovation is the "exploration" style gameplay. GW2 does not have quest hubs at all. You just run around the map exploring, tasks pop up on your screen, you do them if you feel like it, and then you run over to the next part of unexplored map, joining in dynamic events along the way (when they appear and if you feel like doing them). Even crafting has an explorer feel, as you mostly just make stuff and discover recipes through the "making stuff" process. In terms of running around wasting time, GW2 has mostly eliminated this. There's no flying around on a gryphon for 5 minutes in this game. If you want to go to a waypoint, you just click the icon on your map, and you go there. This is fantastic, and the game goes out of its way to not waste your time in most areas. This is probably linked to the wonderful lack of a subscription fee. Big points for that. Now for the bad news. Like the Hangover movies, in GW2, it's all just the same thing. Gameplay is very, very repetitive. In each zone, the scenery changes, but you're basically doing whatever you did in the previous zone. Your character also feels powerful at level 1, and doesn't really feel much more powerful as you level up and gain abilities. The feeling of "progression" seems a bit absent from this game. Also, in the "kind of bad" category, this game is addictive. It's really, really addictive, more so than other MMOs. This stems from the lack of natural breaks in the game (things like ok, I just cleared this quest hub, lets stop for today; GW2 lacks break points like this, it's just go go go). Even the standard pvp matches continually re-load new zones when your previous match finishes, and you have to actively quit to stop playing. This is great for not wasting your time, but bad for limiting the amount of time you spend in this game. You've been warned! On the whole, though, this is one of the best games of the year, and a must play for anyone that likes MMO style gameplay. Expand
  8. Sep 20, 2012
    10
    This is the best MMORPG I have ever played so far. It doesn't suck your money like a hungry vacuum. Leveling is at ease. Full voice acting in main story. Exploring is also fun and actually rewarding. Very soothing music. Please, try the game, it doesn't even need monthly subscription to play.
  9. Oct 1, 2012
    9
    A terrific blend of social questing, incredibly flexible game mechanics that engage rather than bore, and a deep, beautiful, and magical world to explore is something we've seen from many games in years past. But take that and apply it to an MMO...and do it incredible well...that is truly a remarkable accomplishment. It's fun, It's huge, and it's abounding with far too much content for a single human being to comprehend. The grind is there, but is masked by the ingenious social events and fun and varied quests that you accomplish. It's the art style that is truly wonderful, ranging from massive snow topped peaks to the depths of Tyria and everywhere in between. Jeremy Soule's score is, yet again, magic. I love it, and I hate MMO's. Consider me a believer; ArenaNet has produced a remarkable package, and if you pass for any reason you'll be missing out on an incredible adventure. Expand
  10. Nov 21, 2012
    10
    edit 70 hours of gameplay one warrior lvl 48 and map completed to 25%; after the first two weeks of intense play I found myself playing GW2 really casual and even if i stop tomorrow, the price of the game is money well spent. Advice do not expect to find a WoW clone because the two games are very different in everything from PvE to PvP.
  11. Aug 28, 2012
    9
    This game was worth the wait. Granted, many people expected everything to work 100% but as the top 90% comment said, you gotta roll with the punches. The materials scattered on the map, as well as loot, are individually available to all players. No more competing for metals n crap with strangers, you can all have a piece. That's just one of the many ways this game breaks down all the barriers that traditional MMOs like perfect world and wow have built over the years. Give it a chance, you'll love the differences, and the similarities, well, Guild Wars 2 does those better than the competition too. I was laughing that the same 5 people vote 'yes helpful' to all the anti-gw2 red reviews, like they have some personal mission to bury this game. Good luck! My "low" population server has 50,000 players on it at 2am. Expand
  12. Sep 21, 2012
    9
    I like Guild Wars 2 a lot, but feel the MMO genre as a whole is losing touch with the world. There will always be a fan base and this is clear by the number of reviews. However, having played through the MMO's of years gone by I'm finding it a struggle to get through GW2. Maybe I'm just getting older and the patience reqired to climb the level ladder eludes me. It's a beautiful game and I applaud the creators. The combat is solid, graphics are very good, the score top draw and gameplay as near to perfection (in an MMO) as I've experienced. It is missing some basic tutorials (crafting in particular). There's logic to it but for the novice MMO player some hand holding would have been nice. GW2 is a stellar release and if MMO's are your thing it's worth you money. Having now monthly sub fees alone makes this an essential buy. Enjoy. Expand
  13. Aug 29, 2012
    10
    Great game. Only problem at launch is the lag, they got more players than they expected obviously. And I've encountered a few bugs. But given that the game is just out, I'll let that pass. The design is excellent, love the atmosphere of the game. It's better than WoW in my opinion as a leveling game, but I've yet to experience the end-game content so this rating may change in the future.
  14. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    9
    GW2 is a buy only MMO with no subscription .Pros: Graphics and animations-by far the best, sound, interesting classes, pvp- both the tournament and the world vs world, good crafting, discrete store for fluff and not pay to win, attention to small details that make you feel like the world is "real". Minus: since they dont use the classic tank-healer-dps system, group combat becomes confusing, especially with pick up groups. I like the soloability of GW2 classes and their pvp performance but in dungeons, group pve is not fun-for me at least. It doesnt have raids but i m not so fond of them anyway. Some people love to grind for the uber weapon/armor. Not so here and i personally like it. Also it has frequent events, improvements etc. Overal: best MMO today. Expand
  15. Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Now this is how an RPG should be made. No subscriptions but with everything and then some that the leading MMORPGs have. I can't wait to spend more time in Tyria.
  16. Aug 30, 2012
    10
    From the ashes of the long burned-out MMO genre emerges Guild Wars 2. The original Guild Wars, which I still say is better tham WoW, should have set the standard for MMOs, but instead was marketed into obscurity; not this time. This time around the differences are noticeable and long-overdue for the genre. It's not just the gameplay, it's the choice. For once in an MMO, the illusion of choice is no longer an illusion. Tank, DPS, and Healer are no longer specializations, just positions. To say that all professions (as the game's classes are called) can do all three is abit of a misnomer. ArenaNet has officially ended the need and use for Tanks, DPS, and Healers altogether! All classes have self-heal, tank, and damage skills built right in, and when downed, can still fight and revive themselves, so wipes are almost completely eliminated. Each class also has access to a wide variety of skills that are almost completely dependent on what kind of weapon you're using (utility skills, as they're called, can only be unlocked by skill points). What's more: The pregame character custimozation actually does have an effect on character progression--by influencing the entire story! Quests? Sorry, the WoW,TOR, and TSW reviews are two pages away. In Guild Wars 2, action finds you. True, there are still some static quests, but the vast majority happen in real time and are completely indiscriminate of one another (you can be doing a quest to deliver a message only to be caught in the middle of a massive undead invasion), and if you fail one of these massive public events (numbers are no guarantee of success, as I found out the hard way), the game shows the results of failure and opens the door to more events that would be unavailable otherwise. To top all of this off, the game is subscription free! THANK YOU ARENANET, you're the smart ones in this industry; keep up the good work. Expand
  17. Sep 17, 2012
    10
    There is something fishy about the ratings, I aggregated the critic scores and it was a 97, I think someone fiddled with the review, or was poorly aggregated. Mistake or not, this needs to be fixed. Also, don't consider loisho's review, he/she seems to hate everything, giving Dead Space 2 a 0/10, Skyrim a 0/10, GW2 a 4/10 (his/her highest score!) and DD (not D&D) a 1/10.
  18. Aug 30, 2012
    9
    This game is beauty incarnate. When discussions involving games being works of art occur, this game will be up there with Shadows of the Colossus and ICO.

    Gameplay is brilliant. A mix between the old and the new really gives the combat its own unique flare. The leveling curve has you level up every 60-90 mins regardless of how close you are to the cap. In addition, you can level up in s
    o may different ways, if you're ever bored of doing something, you can try something else.

    This game is, imo, the best MMO on the market right now. I am giving it a 9 because even after all the stress tests, it still has a buggy trading post and mailing system. However, should those get fixed in the first week post launch, I'll change my score.

    In short: buy it now, or buy it later; just make sure you make this one part of your PC library.
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  19. Sep 8, 2012
    9
    I am enjoying this game a lot. I like the beautful world, the bright and gorgeous graphics, the clothes, armours are so lovely and I like being able to colour them howver I like. I would like a barbershop to change my hairstyle tho and also more costumes to be able to buy. I also think the trading house needs a preview button.
    Oh but this game will amuse me for many more weeks to come. Ho
    oray to get a great new game to play! :D

    Oh the main story seems to be fairly standard formula but Im easy pleased. Its easy to follow and I like I dont have millions of minor quests.

    Wish there was a little more character friendships/relationships/romance. So shallow emtional response to this game but still fun. Do try it most of you will like many aspects of this game!
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  20. Sep 11, 2012
    10
    This MMO is amazing. It does ape so many of the mechanics that make MMOs great (and, yes, if you're sole intention is to level up you will certainly be grinding), but it's ambitious in so many ways. Events are dynamic, so in just roaming the country side you'll find yourself joining in on dynamic world events, harvesting resources to craft weapons, armor, and jewelery or even just traveling to all sites marked on world map for the completionist players. I must say, however, that the greatest thing about it is the Black Lion Trading company, GW2's online market. Ever get tired of storing stuff in your inventory just to sell them back in town? Right click on your inventory objects and sell them right away on Black Lion - you'll get money for them later when people buy what you posted. So awesome. Tired of grinding for gold to buy armor on Black Lion? If you're like me, paypaling ten dollars is definitely the way to go - the gold I got in return was more than enough to amp up my character and still have plenty left over for my character bank account. I'm on level 45 so far and GW2 remains one of my favorite games this year. GW2 is a triumph of the genre and you're missing out if you don't pick it up. Expand
  21. Dec 12, 2012
    9
    I've been playing Guild Wars 2 almost everyday since release, and I love it. I don't think I've enjoyed playing a game this much, especially exploring and completing dungeons with friends. I would have to consider this my favourite game. The reason I'm not giving it 10/10 is because it still has its problems.. It was incomplete on release, several bugs which still exist now, crappy loot, the progression has left everything empty except fractal dungeons and I don't believe the classes are evenly balanced (Warrior). I haven't had much experience with MMO's to compare GW2 with anything else (quitting through the beta of SWTOR is about it). There is definitely a grind aspect to the game, however they do a decent job of covering it up and give players options and experience towards that goal. Despite its issues, Guild wars 2 is beautiful and enjoyable with unique classes and races with a variety of areas to explore. There are a number of dungeons to participate in which can challenge and frustrate players. This game is definitely worth its money for casual and experienced players giving them flexibility of how they want to play. Expand
  22. Sep 1, 2012
    10
    So, I've been looking for a good MMO for awhile, and I think I found it. GW2 is no doubt a great MMO. The character creation seems to provide players with enough to make their character unique, in terms of looks and even play style. The combat I find to be really interesting. Each weapon type has its own skill associated with them and the more you use these weapons, the more you use the weapon type, the better skills you unlock for the weapon. Fights are pretty strategic at times, especially when fighting higher level enemies and using your various abilities, including the new dodge mechanic. Crafting is pretty much the same as other MMOs, useless, but in GW2, Crafting gives you tons of XP. The in-game world is pretty huge and with a way point system, discover way points and teleport to them later for a small fee. Now, the really reason to play an MMO is to play with your friends and tons of people, which GW2 doesn't disappoint in their new PvP game type, World v World v World. Its really exactly what it sounds like, 3 servers fight each other on 1 map, for 3 days. each server has their own area to defend from the other 2 servers but theirs also an unclaimed section of the map where the servers fight for constantly and which ever server holds this area, pretty much wins the match. But this game type is some much fun, in a flock easily 20 to 40 people heading to an enemy controlled base, clashing with their group of 20 to 40 people, and its all out war and so satisfying when you are slowly gaining ground. I would tell you to get the game just to play WvWvW, but honestly, every aspect of the game makes this a good buy, and hey, you pay the flat 60 bucks and no subscriptions, if you want to put more money into it you can, to get things like XP boosts or vanity items. I wouldnt be surprised if we start to see WoW fade out because of this game. Expand
  23. Oct 15, 2012
    9
    A revolution in MMORPG design. Guild Wars 2 presents an amazing amount of positive disruptive changes to the status quo that it corrects so many of the problems the MMO industry has with existing game templates. Artfully designed and wisely thought game mechanics make this game a must-have for MMORPG fans the world over.
  24. Sep 21, 2012
    9
    Having played almost every MMO since the dawn of the genre (right back to MUDs) I've been jaded for a very long time and was almost hesitant to try yet another - the fact it was Subs-Free helped me overcome that reticence.
    I love it. While I've yet to reach the "Endgame" I can certainly say that so far it appears to be the best MMO ever - to the point that I've got 7 characters already an
    d regularly playing 5 of them without feeling bored or feel like I'm wasting time I should be spending on my "Main" (the fact that a lot of the game is Account-shared helps). Dynamic Events are fun without being annoying like Rift's Rifts, the Hearts revolutionize questing and deliver on the promises WAR made about questing but absolutely failed to deliver.
    It's almost a no-brainer this one: once you've bought the box it's free forever. You'll probably find you do spend money on increasing the stingy Bank space and you might want more than 5 characters but otherwise the rest of the opportunities to spend money look easy to ignore/resist.
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  25. Oct 28, 2012
    10
    This is a shockingly good game, fully enjoyable either as a massive RPG campaign across a sprawling world, or as a highly challenging MMO with enough content and almost unachievable endgame goals (getting legendary gear or 100% dungeon completion is a worthy challenge). PvP offers an absolutely unforgiving environment to E-sport geeks, while World v World offers environment to fight enemy players that is easily accessible to everyone including newcomers. The world is rich, graphics amazing, engine flawless, character development has a distinctly fresh touch to it. If you have ever at all enjoyed the MMORPG genre, you absolutely owe it to yourself to try this one. There are people everywhere, whether to group up for PvE, or to compete with in PvP. No lag, no waiting time. Oh, and, you know... no subscription. Amazing. After a 100 hours, this game remains a source of ever-fresh enjoyment, and a lasting credit to its creators. Expand
  26. Nov 19, 2012
    9
    This game has EVERYTHING for be, in 1 year, in the MMORPG most played in the world. More played than World of Warcraft also. You only have to pay the two discs, and then you can forget the money and enjoy this huge world of Tyria. A world bigger than Azeroth, I think. So much hours of playing, but not as "drug" as is World of Warcraft I think. I don´t play this game a lot, because of the class, because of the new PS3 games... But when I get bored, I know I have an amazing game in my computer which enjoys me for hours!
    The best in this game, in my opinion, are the graphics ( Best visual desings in the MMORPG history), an amazing Soundtrack, the huge PvP *World vs World, thousands of players against thousands of players), and the different localitations of Tyria, like beaches, forrests or freezing mountains.
    The worst for me is the small characters you can have, only 5. Sometimes, the dungeons gets too long and too difficult. The level decreasing in some areas is absurd.
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  27. Sep 3, 2012
    10
    As users like Chaiwallah and others don't understand with their supremely entitled natures, is that a launch of a huge game, such as Guild Wars 2, is not without it's hiccups. Games have gone from being a platform completely forgotten by a developer after release (so the finished product needed to be 100 percent out the gate) to living environments that need to be upkept and maintained. Nobody cares one little bit that you spent extra money to make a machine to play this (graphically intensive game?) That is a red herring, it has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Likely, your account was hacked and you need to visit Reddit to confirm that. The game is great for a non-subscription game, which is exactly why I tend not to play games like WoW, I can't justify playing a grind game that I pay extra for each month. Anyway, the game deserves a 10 just for treading in a new area in a different way. Also, to counter dumb arguments for jaded, entitled consumers that think the world revolves around them. Expand
  28. Aug 28, 2012
    10
    Guild Wars 2 isn't a huge revolutionary entry into the genre but it does take a lot of good steps in the right direction when trying to correct what people often see as faults in traditional MMOs. As far as visuals, the game is often stunning. Technically speaking, the visuals aren't top of the line but the art style and aesthetic make it a pleasure to look at. The best element they've added to this game in my opinion that most every traditional MMO lacks is the urge to explore world. With dynamic events, mini dungeons, and puzzles, and more, traveling and exploring is actually a pleasure instead of a bore and the main element that drives PvE. The dynamic events aren't as amazing as they were made out to be, however they're still much more fun and engaging than your typical MMO "Kill 5 boars" quests. Because of all these things grind, for once, is extremely minimal and the leveling process doesn't have to be an annoying chore but rather the appeal of the game. Bad news is, that for now, a lot of things aren't up and running as they should be. Guild, trading posts, and more are either screwy or don't function at all. However, I expect these things to be corrected fairly soon after launch. Expand
  29. Sep 25, 2012
    9
    hmm worth to spend buck for this game..
    altough i aint play the first sequel but when im play GW 2 i fall in love with this game..

    best graphic and story make a player enjoy play this game..
  30. Sep 6, 2012
    10
    This is first MMO since Wow that has all the potential to be a hit for many years to come. ArenaNet have taken a lot of risks with going away from the traditional MMO style, but most of them have been received quite well. The game attracts all of types of players and provides a great amount of content fit for any player, whether casual or hardcore.
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 69 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 69
  2. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. 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. 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.
  3. 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.