Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Oct 23, 2015
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 981 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 670 out of 981
  2. Mixed: 72 out of 981
  3. Negative: 239 out of 981
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  1. Tatsu-Kan
    Nov 17, 2015
    10
    First, I would like to point that, yes, there are bugs, but all of them are going to be fixed.
    This expansion add a new way to explore content. I'm honestly in love with the news maps.
    And the gliding :] My only wish is that one day I can use the glider everywhere. This expansion does not add new levels to the character progression, which is perfect, it does not make our old stuff    First, I would like to point that, yes, there are bugs, but all of them are going to be fixed.
    This expansion add a new way to explore content. I'm honestly in love with the news maps.
    And the gliding :]
    My only wish is that one day I can use the glider everywhere.

    This expansion does not add new levels to the character progression, which is perfect, it does not make our old stuff obsolete. Arenanet found the perfect way, the new progression is based on masteries which is an account wide progression of ALL your characters.
    The first mastery you unlock is the glider, once done, you can use it on all your characters, even if they're not lvl 80. Ok, it does not matter, since the map where you can use the glider are for lvl 80 characters.

    Story : 10/10
    Open World : 10/10
    Music : 20/10 (They are fabulous)
    Fractals Dungeons : 8/10 (Need to be polished and the reward reevaluted)
    Raids : 9/10 (This is the hardest content of the game, added today)
    WvW : 8/10 (The new map is available for everyone, it's _too_ huge & beautiful)

    And the story continue, I'm expecting a pursue of the living story for a third season. I'm really impatient to see what they're planning for us :)    … Expand
  2. andchat
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Breath-taking work! Surely it has things that need to be tuned but the new zone design is amazing and the mob animations are mind blowing. Excellent class specializations and tons of new content to explore.
  3. nice_aim
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Im a veteran of the game with over 11k ap and been playing since day one. The xpac definitely makes the game more enjoyable with lots of goals to work towards. It extends the game in a way where you don't lose any of the work you put in during the last few years. Endgame is here and it's not grindy, everything can be earned by just playing the game.

    For all the new players, take your    Im a veteran of the game with over 11k ap and been playing since day one. The xpac definitely makes the game more enjoyable with lots of goals to work towards. It extends the game in a way where you don't lose any of the work you put in during the last few years. Endgame is here and it's not grindy, everything can be earned by just playing the game.

    For all the new players, take your time and explore the game, it's a great looking game which the developers are proud of. If you ever get bored, try pvp or wvw which are always fun.

    Finally, don't trust all these overly negative reviews. While the game is not perfect, it is a masterpiece to me and easily deserves 10/10.    … Expand
  4. PatagoniaTheMan
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    I really enjoy the expansion, since it offers lots of new content and challenges. I think the most difficult thing to overcome in an expansion for an MMO, is to create content that can't be beaten in one or two weeks. Most classic expansions I know (from the ones for Dark age of Camelot to the ones for World of Warcraft or Everquest) just raised the lvl-caps, so that it necessarily tookI really enjoy the expansion, since it offers lots of new content and challenges. I think the most difficult thing to overcome in an expansion for an MMO, is to create content that can't be beaten in one or two weeks. Most classic expansions I know (from the ones for Dark age of Camelot to the ones for World of Warcraft or Everquest) just raised the lvl-caps, so that it necessarily took loads of time for people to get all new equipment and reach the new maximum level.
    Since Arenanet wanted to choose another path (which I am really grateful for), they had to think of a new way to make the expansion enjoyable for a rather long period of time. And in my opinion, that worked fabulously.

    The new PVE maps have interesting event chains with high replay-value due to map-wide meta-event contributions and the class specializations take some time fo finish and are therefore more valuable when achieved. There are really loads of changes, which I may not all account here, but among my favourites are the redesigned Fractals, the new map rewards and of course the new masteries.

    For me the expansion is a must-buy, which adds a lot of new goals and achievements to keep me motivated for quite a while to come.    … Expand
  5. BaconyInfusion
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    So far I've loved Heart of Thorns. The maps are beautifully designed, and a very complex. You can spend a lot of time just exploring each corner of each maps. The story so far is fantastic, its very emotional and i felt caught by the story! It makes me want to read the Guild Wars books again! The mastery progression is a very wise way to progress characters past level 80. They give you aSo far I've loved Heart of Thorns. The maps are beautifully designed, and a very complex. You can spend a lot of time just exploring each corner of each maps. The story so far is fantastic, its very emotional and i felt caught by the story! It makes me want to read the Guild Wars books again! The mastery progression is a very wise way to progress characters past level 80. They give you a good feeling of progress and it really feels like you are accomplishing something, when you level up. Not is this system very good to give you the progression-feel, it also doesn't leave a wasteland of content behind.

    So far I'm having a blast in this expansion! If you like core Guild Wars 2 you wil love Heart of Thorns!
    Buy, buy, buy!    … Expand
  6. Splatypus
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    10/10 in almost everything. Well worth the money, it provides hours of gameplay. The story is awesome, and the new zones have amazing replay value. New classes and specs are amazingly balanced and the new PvP maps and gamemodes are the most fun I've ever had in an MMO PvP.
  7. DeviousDVS
    Oct 27, 2015
    8
    Every aspect of the game has been refreshed, rebuilt, or updated in the Heart of Thorns expansion, without diminishing the already great content in Guild Wars 2. While I was nowhere near reaching any sort of saturation point with this game, the expansion has given me a lot to think about and provided some new goals to aim for.

    Probably the standout change for me is the increase in    Every aspect of the game has been refreshed, rebuilt, or updated in the Heart of Thorns expansion, without diminishing the already great content in Guild Wars 2. While I was nowhere near reaching any sort of saturation point with this game, the expansion has given me a lot to think about and provided some new goals to aim for.

    Probably the standout change for me is the increase in viable build variety. So many fun and interesting ways to surprise your opponents, or creative ways in which to deal with mobs. Really good fun.    … Expand
  8. blinddemon
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    The Expansion is amazing %_% so many things to do and explore, then have to unlock masteries which unlock more things to do in areas you have already been to. beautiful lands, astonishing music definitely 10/10 no questions asked.
  9. StacyX
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Heart of Thorns expansion for Guild Wars 2 has brought in some much needed changes to the game and added a great way to progress your characters - the Mastery System. That coupled with the nine new specializations, maps, new class, guild halls, etc is coming together to be a wonderful expansion to a great game.

    ArenaNet has thrown out the idea that an expansion means raising the level    Heart of Thorns expansion for Guild Wars 2 has brought in some much needed changes to the game and added a great way to progress your characters - the Mastery System. That coupled with the nine new specializations, maps, new class, guild halls, etc is coming together to be a wonderful expansion to a great game.

    ArenaNet has thrown out the idea that an expansion means raising the level cap that traditional MMOs offer that keep people chasing after ever higher levels and ever more gear grind. The gear grind is finally over! Once you achieve the highest teir gear in the game that's it, they will never raise the gear level or level cap - which means all your hard work is never invalidated by future expansions and updates.

    The new maps are beautiful, the Mastery System is a fun way to give your character meaningful progression without creating power creep and without creating an environment in which new people first coming into the game are left at a huge disadvantage. The new maps and events are a lot of fun, and everything has been given a level of detail and beauty that has to be seen to believed.    … Expand
  10. Sephard
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    The smoothest launch of an expansion I've seen so far.
    ArenaNet have stepped up their story telling game a LOT, with the HoT story being superior to the old Personal Story. The new maps are beautiful and intricate, filled with little nooks and crannies you just HAVE to see. Elite Specialisations are balanced and SO much fun to play with - the new class /Revenant/ has become a well    The smoothest launch of an expansion I've seen so far.
    ArenaNet have stepped up their story telling game a LOT, with the HoT story being superior to the old Personal Story. The new maps are beautiful and intricate, filled with little nooks and crannies you just HAVE to see. Elite Specialisations are balanced and SO much fun to play with - the new class /Revenant/ has become a well polished and (in a good way) complicated part of the game. Can't give them anything less than a 10!    … Expand
  11. PanicGiraffe
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    It is as a vanilla WoW vet that I say, this is the single greatest expansion I have ever experienced the launch of. The complexity of the new areas, the improvements made to the game's mechanics and the compelling story make this expansion truly peerless.
  12. Belmagus2
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Heart of Thorns is a 10/10, A+, extra-credit affair of an expansion pack, adding a tonne of extra features, quality of life improvements and explorable locations. This is enough to sell me on the expansion, and truly proclaims Guild Wars 2 as king of MMORPGS in this new era of immersive combat, mutable worldstate and sideways progression.

    What makes this a perfect expansion is the    Heart of Thorns is a 10/10, A+, extra-credit affair of an expansion pack, adding a tonne of extra features, quality of life improvements and explorable locations. This is enough to sell me on the expansion, and truly proclaims Guild Wars 2 as king of MMORPGS in this new era of immersive combat, mutable worldstate and sideways progression.

    What makes this a perfect expansion is the story. By god, the story. The game pushes out pathos and catharsis by the truckload, story beats flowing naturally (and in stark contrast to the first barely-passable attempt at a personal story...) giving a real sense of power, structure and growth in your character's emotions, personality and RESPONSIBILITY.

    If ArenaNet can keep the same design philosophies as before, keep nurturing a MMORPG environment where you're never unhappy to see another player and show responsiveness to the playerbase's wishes (See recent changes regarding Elite Specializations.) then GW2 will only ever be superseded by GW3.    … Expand
  13. Sinreth
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    This expansion only contains improvements to the base game, and is well worth the cost. Expansions should always improve and expand on the base game, and this one does that. If you didn't like Guild Wars 2, you might still not like this expansion.
  14. KaciFox
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    I have been a player for a couple years and have gained so many achievements to the point that I was finding it harder to find something to do. There was still content that I could do and content that I wanted to do but it was no doubt that to get achievements that I wanted, it was getting more of a grind then it was initially. With the release of HoT, I have found new things to lookI have been a player for a couple years and have gained so many achievements to the point that I was finding it harder to find something to do. There was still content that I could do and content that I wanted to do but it was no doubt that to get achievements that I wanted, it was getting more of a grind then it was initially. With the release of HoT, I have found new things to look forward to. Now with new content I have been finding to get to what I want is less of a grind and I can relax and also have more to explore. I find things more challenging but achievable. I have had the most fun in HoT then I have had when I started out on the game.… Expand
  15. humor4fun
    Oct 28, 2015
    8
    HoT is expansive. lots to do, lots to learn, lots to grind, lots to collect. and its all rated at level 85-90 from what I’ve judged. I found the Elementalist Elite spec is pretty amazing. I can spread might and auras around in seconds and nuke for 15-20k dmg while spec’d for Divinity (all stats) gear, which is absurd. Even that isn’t enough to easily take down some mobs though. That’s whyHoT is expansive. lots to do, lots to learn, lots to grind, lots to collect. and its all rated at level 85-90 from what I’ve judged. I found the Elementalist Elite spec is pretty amazing. I can spread might and auras around in seconds and nuke for 15-20k dmg while spec’d for Divinity (all stats) gear, which is absurd. Even that isn’t enough to easily take down some mobs though. That’s why I’d estimate most content at 85-90 in HoT, even though the max is still 80. The extra weapon that Eles got (warhorn) is super lame in terms of skills, but the shouts are fantastic to play with: Lets me switch-hit my staff build between quick/slow cast skills.

    The game has been plagued with a slightly larger than expected amount of game breaking (event blocks, client crashes, npc bugs) bugs but Anet has been hard at work around the clock to fix these as quickly as they can. Initially, Elite Specs cost 400 points which essentially meant that unless your character had stockpiled hundreds of skill points years ago before they were removed, you would need to complete most if not all of the HoT content in order to utilize the full Elite Specialization. This seemed outrageous to me, but didn't stop me from working on it. I was happy to see the cost reduced to 265 points.

    I think that releasing the Mad King events (Halloween) at the same time as the WvW and HoT content was a completely terrible decision. I would have separated them because the WvW changes BEG for gliders to be used, but they are not enabled, so essentially the WvW community has just been disrupted by all this new PvE content to play in HoT. Meanwhile the HoT content is disrupted by the Halloween content which is limited time only stuff. You should have done WvW for 1-2 weeks, then drop Halloween, then at least a week later drop the HoT content. No I didn't forget the PvP Stronghold update, but that seems tightly coupled with HoT so I am bunching those together. I don't think PvP draws people out of Halloween, WvW and PvE content.

    The HoT story is intriguing and presents an epic journey through an incredibly dangerous jungle. Gliding is fantastic and the Mastery system is.... immense. I love the idea of needing to "train" a passive skill track. That said, I'm not convinced there is enough HoT content to make it not feel like a grind to unlock the Mastery skills. I've found myself staying in a single map for hours on end repeating the same sets of events over and over to grind for XP to build my Mastery track simply so that I can progress my story to unlock the next mission (some of which require tier 1 mastery skills from multiple tracks, which equates to millions of XP.) The T1 mastery skills cost roughly 500-600kXP which would have meant 2-3 levels (in the previous 80+ terminology).

    The scenery in the jungle is incredible, Anet did a fantastic job with the art. Also, the Guild Hall claiming mission (my guild, Attuned[att], did the Precipice one). The map is huge and required a ton of coordination. Lots of fun there. I'm looking forward to getting in deeper with my guild and playing the new maps.

    The mindset of map-meta events works quite well, though map activity coordination has not proven to be workable really. I'm sure that will come with time.    … Expand
  16. gamer99
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    This is a really great game for people who want to have fun in mmorpg and an expansion that tries to lvl up the efforts the first game were put in. The Guild halls are great, once again people are logging on and talking in guild chat and donating goods to the guild. The maps are great with fun events such as the funny Lord Faren event. The story is alright, nice twits or one of the racesThis is a really great game for people who want to have fun in mmorpg and an expansion that tries to lvl up the efforts the first game were put in. The Guild halls are great, once again people are logging on and talking in guild chat and donating goods to the guild. The maps are great with fun events such as the funny Lord Faren event. The story is alright, nice twits or one of the races and the hero challenges are well challenging which themselves fell like a mini game that sucks you in for hours.… Expand
  17. BeardRex
    Oct 28, 2015
    9
    Probably THE smoothest launch of an online game I've ever played. Heart of Thorns is the culmination of all the experiments with content Arenanet has been doing over the last 3 years.

    The world events are the most engaging yet. And the story is wonderful. The level design, which focuses on vertical and exploration makes every zone 3 times as big as it looks on the map. The mastery    Probably THE smoothest launch of an online game I've ever played. Heart of Thorns is the culmination of all the experiments with content Arenanet has been doing over the last 3 years.

    The world events are the most engaging yet. And the story is wonderful.

    The level design, which focuses on vertical and exploration makes every zone 3 times as big as it looks on the map.

    The mastery system accomplishes its task very well. As you venture through the jungle you really feel like you're mastering it. Traversing it becomes easier and easier as you learn the secrets of the jungle.

    There's a real sense of progression in Heart of Thorns that I haven't felt since launch.    … Expand
  18. Excelliate
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    Amazing expansion. Beautiful map design, improved story, amazing soundtrack. Adds much needed endgame progression, and adds in-depth systems for guilds and groups. The expansion brings challenging and engaging content to a game that was already innovative and fun.
  19. jamesday5
    Oct 31, 2015
    10
    My god - this expansion is addictive. It took the innovative vent system (an answer to boring questions) and made it 100x more epic. Crazy events with lots of other people. The music is STUNNING, the visuals and environment design, breathtaking - i'm hooked.
  20. PlasmaPunch
    Oct 31, 2015
    9
    Heart of Thorns is easily one of the best expansions I've played for an MMO, perhaps the best. Even as a pretty tough critic it's hard to find problems in Guild Wars 2's first expansion. The joy of: gliding around, completing fun events, exploring a wonderfully crafted world or being apart of an organized meta event. I've not even experienced all of the content available to me yet, there'sHeart of Thorns is easily one of the best expansions I've played for an MMO, perhaps the best. Even as a pretty tough critic it's hard to find problems in Guild Wars 2's first expansion. The joy of: gliding around, completing fun events, exploring a wonderfully crafted world or being apart of an organized meta event. I've not even experienced all of the content available to me yet, there's simply too much to have experienced it so early after release. I've thoroughly enjoyed the story this time around as well, a lot less poorly crafted dialogue and what felt like generic questing for tidbits of story this time around, instead the story focuses more on exploring the jungle for the first time, looking for your potentially dead friends in the wilderness as the army you built up from the first game slowly catches up behind you. Fractals, a revamped high-level dungeon alternative was also made much better this expansion, for those looking for that experience - it's very difficult, requires some solid play and is overall very fun.

    That said on release this expansion was unstable, the only bad part about the expansion in my opinion. The game is crashing after about 2-3 hours of gameplay, which obviously is a problem when the setup time for a meta event usually crosses over into that time, and you lose all of your progress. I've wasted at least 8-10 hours of gameplay due to this and it's a huge influence on my rating.

    Though the crashing has been frustrating, and it's confirmed to be a widespread problem - I'd still suggest this expansion to anybody who's played the original Guild Wars 2 and enjoyed it, and anyone that's been interested into Guild Wars 2 should try out the F2P and think about buying this later. It's been a mostly great experience so far, and honestly the best MMO experience I've had.    … Expand
  21. Kheadley
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    great expansion.
    Story is great, new maps are large and fun. plus lot to do.

    new PvP and WvW are spot on.

    The Elite professions are epic. And i'm ok with the cost to unlock them- but i playing ranger, necro, and revenant. So i will admit some people will be pissed at the cost if u on a thief who can't get his dodges or a engi who can't get his drones.
  22. LovecraftianIde
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    HoT gives veteran players what they've been asking for for a long time. Challenging content, an interesting world to explore. Tons of bugs, but that's to be expected with any brand new game. It's fantastic, fun, and the only downside is the number of new armor skins they've released. I was hoping for more, but we'll see what the rest of the Living Story has to offer!
  23. JulianSullivan
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    The new specializations removed a lot of the stealth meta from PvP, which made it a lot more fun. The story of the living world is a lot more dramatic and Game of Throne-y. The open world is a legitimate challenge instead of everything dying in a single hit. The missions are tuned a bit low right now, but that might change. Everything about this game is absolutely beautiful, even at theThe new specializations removed a lot of the stealth meta from PvP, which made it a lot more fun. The story of the living world is a lot more dramatic and Game of Throne-y. The open world is a legitimate challenge instead of everything dying in a single hit. The missions are tuned a bit low right now, but that might change. Everything about this game is absolutely beautiful, even at the lowest settings (which I have to use because I run it on a potato). There's a tiny bit of grind to get mastery points, but you really don't need that many and the "grind" is doing distinctive missions and quests in the open world. That's hardly a grind. It's slightly annoying that you have to move away from the story, but honestly it's making me take it in small chunks so the game is lasting a bit longer.… Expand
  24. Kheft
    Oct 26, 2015
    8
    Pros: -New Zones are beautiful and well designed.
    -Story is a vast improvement on the vanilla personal story.
    -Masteries add a nice measurable goal in place of increasing the level cap. -The elite specialization adds a needed variety to the classes(From what I've seen) -The new zones have more challenging content. Cons: -Masteries feel like they could become too grindy especially for    Pros: -New Zones are beautiful and well designed.
    -Story is a vast improvement on the vanilla personal story.
    -Masteries add a nice measurable goal in place of increasing the level cap.
    -The elite specialization adds a needed variety to the classes(From what I've seen)
    -The new zones have more challenging content.
    Cons: -Masteries feel like they could become too grindy especially for people who will get the expansion later and might find zones are less populated.
    -The new zones may have too much content that requires a bigger group, blocking out people who play alone or find their zone is empty.
    - The elite spec is a grind to max out. It forces you to map complete more, which is harder in the new zones.

    From what I've played so far the expansion is great. If you aren't having problems getting into populated zones you won't have to much trouble playing most of the content. The masteries can get a bit grindy but I haven't been blocked much trying to progress in the story, and I feel they are supposed to be unlocked over time, it's only be 4 days since release I don't expect to have everything unlocked. I'll probably update this when I've played more of the expansion.    … Expand
  25. AlwaysLost
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    GW2: HoT has been everything I could have ever asked for an expansion and it was released in one of the smoothest launches I've had the privilege of being apart of. HoT delivers on the harder content that a good majority of veteran players had been asking for. Teamwork is essential for making it through the jungle in one piece and grouping is encouraged for those hard to get Hero points.GW2: HoT has been everything I could have ever asked for an expansion and it was released in one of the smoothest launches I've had the privilege of being apart of. HoT delivers on the harder content that a good majority of veteran players had been asking for. Teamwork is essential for making it through the jungle in one piece and grouping is encouraged for those hard to get Hero points.

    The maps are truly stunning and have a depth I've not seen in a game in quite a while and the music is top notch, bringing an ambience that fits the jungle motif and lets players truly immerse themselves in the adventure. The story itself has improved greatly and well worth diving into! As you progress the story you will naturally gain mastery points to help unlock those much needed masteries.

    The elite specs, while I find 400 pts to be a bit of a grind, are paced reasonably well and are not to terrible to get. A good chunk of Hero points can be done soloable, there are a fair amount that do require a large group (looking at you frogs!). A majority of the negative criticism I find around the Elite specs relates more to not having the unlocked right away. Not sure if people just assumed you'd get them as soon as you logged in, or if it is just an entitlement thing where everyone wants everything on a silver platter without having to put in any work. I personally don't mind having to do the work. To me it adds a sense of accomplishment to the task at hand and a feel of real progression, which was ANets stated goal. And lets be honest, most vets had enough skill points to unlock more than half the spec.

    WvW got a wicked new map as well that will shake up the meta and hopefully get people out there fighting for their servers honor! PvP gained a new mode called Stronghold, Fractals has been revamped into the new dungeons, Guilds got the biggest overhaul ever and guild halls are now totally a thing! Even the base classes got a much needed balance pass.

    I can't wait to put many more hours into unlocking all of the jungle's secrets and hope others are as excited. New players or returning vets, I encourage you to check out reddit and the GW2 forums for a more accurate representation of all the goodies HoT has brought to the world of Tyria.    … Expand
  26. Paulaberry
    Oct 28, 2015
    8
    Heart of Thorns had a very smooth launch, which is remarkable for an MMO. I experienced minor lag for about 30 minutes after launch, and then no problems whatsoever. The new maps are amazing, guild halls are FANTASTIC (and bring group-utility to the game that will greatly affect people who like guild-based MMOing) and the new profession mechanics are very fun to play with.

    This    Heart of Thorns had a very smooth launch, which is remarkable for an MMO. I experienced minor lag for about 30 minutes after launch, and then no problems whatsoever. The new maps are amazing, guild halls are FANTASTIC (and bring group-utility to the game that will greatly affect people who like guild-based MMOing) and the new profession mechanics are very fun to play with.

    This expansion adds some useful general features to the entire game. The excellent new action camera change has done a lot to make combat feel faster and more immersive. I would highly recommend it! There are so many little features that have been added that I really can’t list them here, but let me just say a huge thank you for the achievement hints. People who play will know what I mean. It’s awesome.

    I haven’t had time to check out PvP yet. There are new maps but I don’t know anything about them. What I do know is that if you like PvE and you’re level 80 and wondering what to do with yourself, Heart of Thorns answers that question in a meaningful way.

    Heart of Thorns introduces a much-needed progression system to Guild Wars 2. The fact that Arenanet chose to take on the challenge of working on an alternative progression system not based on the tried and tested method of raising level cap, is commendable. The new systems are looking to introduce region-based progression that will not invalidate all previous content, achievements and gear. Now, this was a risky and ambitious move and their new systems aren’t perfect. They need tuning and polishing. The developers have already heard the initial complaints from players and made several adjustments (only 5 days in). I am positive that they will continue to improve the system until it is fluent and works to its fullest.

    Some complaints I have is that I don’t feel the fractal system is rewarding enough, and that there have been issues with the megaserver. Arenanet has confirmed that the megaserver’s been unnecessarily putting players in empty instances, which is a major problem due to the importance of group-play in the meta-events on the Heart of Thorns maps. I also believe that events in Maguuma should award more experience points upon completion. There have been bugs, but I haven’t encountered many. I have also heard from a few players who have been experiencing crashes. This is the exception though and I myself haven’t had a single crash since launch. These issues don’t worry me because I’m confident that the above problems will be addressed to the best of the developers’ abilities. In the meantime, members of the community are doing their best to provide useful feedback that helps the developers to see which areas they need to focus on.

    Heart of Thorns is important because it lays the foundation for future content, and that foundation is looking pretty solid. Guild Wars 2’s potential has now been massively increased and I can’t wait to see where it all goes. Meanwhile I have more than enough new content between bouncing and gliding along the new maps discovering everything, adventures, and earning new skills to last me for quite a while. I give Heart of Thorns a solid 8/10 for execution. If the problems are fixed and the systems are tweaked, I’d even call it a 9. But not quite yet! ;)    … Expand
  27. badtzor
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    ArenaNet's expansion to Guild Wars 2 is amazing! They've listened to the community and gave us what we had asked for. Progress in the expansion is smooth, you're not actually making your character "stronger" but making them more capable. The masteries are account wide so you only need to invest time into them once. Almost one week into the expansion and I haven't even completed the firstArenaNet's expansion to Guild Wars 2 is amazing! They've listened to the community and gave us what we had asked for. Progress in the expansion is smooth, you're not actually making your character "stronger" but making them more capable. The masteries are account wide so you only need to invest time into them once. Almost one week into the expansion and I haven't even completed the first zone yet! I've invested $50 into the original Guild Wars 2 and got over 8000+ hours of gameplay. What a deal!

    The expansion is worth well the cost of about $60. I wouldn't pay over $150 for it though, even if it did mean getting a lot of hours out of the game.    … Expand
  28. Wensy
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Best & smoothest release of ex. pack I have ever experienced.
    Beautiful maps and music.
    Maps mechanisms are more interesting and fun than in older maps.
    So many nice details to find every day.
  29. djbrooker99
    Oct 28, 2015
    8
    This game is truly innovative in the worlds of MMOs. New mechanics interesting bosses and TONS of new stuff to explore along with a moving story make this well worth the buy.
  30. imjax
    Oct 28, 2015
    8
    HoT is a really great expansion. The story is much more engaging and interesting than the vanilla personal story and so far am enjoying it a lot. A lot of the events and meta events on the new maps are unique and bring in some interesting new mechanics to game. The maps are beautiful and i am always finding new secrets to explore. The gliding and new action camera are also really fun.HoT is a really great expansion. The story is much more engaging and interesting than the vanilla personal story and so far am enjoying it a lot. A lot of the events and meta events on the new maps are unique and bring in some interesting new mechanics to game. The maps are beautiful and i am always finding new secrets to explore. The gliding and new action camera are also really fun.
    Unfortunately there was a lot of QQ in the community on release since people were complaining that they could not unlock everything on day one, which is ridiculous. A lot of the 1 and 0 star reviews are a result of a forum post brigading everyone to write negative reviews to get the devs to respond. This was a real low point for the usually great community. Sadly the devs have actually reduced the amount of hero points needed and have nerfed some of the hero point challenges to make them easier. I am hoping that the devs do not continue to nerf the content due to the vocal minority as i have enjoyed having to form small groups to clear content as it is an mmorpg after all.    … Expand
  31. Okasama3
    Nov 1, 2015
    8
    It's a nice touch to the original, they surley refined what did wrong in the past but thgere ar estill some issues, at least ANet looks forward to solving them and with our help this might be yet another MMO of the Year for Guild Wars 2
  32. maximillian1
    Nov 1, 2015
    10
    A perfect expansion for one of the best mmo atm, if not the best.
    The jungle is full of life and dangers, mastery are long term achievements to complete that help to have always something to do in game.
    Graphics and sound are beautifull and immersive. elite specs are nice addition to help player play in a different role. I would give 9 ,but since most haters, and other mmo players (who    A perfect expansion for one of the best mmo atm, if not the best.
    The jungle is full of life and dangers, mastery are long term achievements to complete that help to have always something to do in game.
    Graphics and sound are beautifull and immersive.
    elite specs are nice addition to help player play in a different role.
    I would give 9 ,but since most haters, and other mmo players (who rosik) gave 0 ...
    I'll give it 10 !    … Expand
  33. Giusyone
    Nov 2, 2015
    10
    No subcripiton fee, great graphic, animation and sound, WvsW, awesome story improved even more in this expansion.. make this game and expansion a real jewe !
  34. lostinstereo
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    I've played Guild Wars 2 since release and the game has never failed to keep me captivated and immersed. The story, the characters, the combat system, the crafting system, everything. HoT only expands on all of these and enhances many of the core games strengths while introducing new systems like the mastery system. Mastery is in my opinion one of the best post level cap progressionI've played Guild Wars 2 since release and the game has never failed to keep me captivated and immersed. The story, the characters, the combat system, the crafting system, everything. HoT only expands on all of these and enhances many of the core games strengths while introducing new systems like the mastery system. Mastery is in my opinion one of the best post level cap progression systems in an MMO to date and it can be expanded indefinitely. The Revenant is an extremely interesting class and as far as balance issues go, it is to be expected but is otherwise minimal compared to other MMO expansion launches. I think GW2 can only go up from here, HoT has captured my heart like Guild Wars Prophecies did in 2005 and GW2 in 2012.… Expand
  35. Levira
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Need some time to get into, but the jungle is a simply awesome place to discover and where to play, full of life and tons of dangers.
    Sometimes i forget i'm in GW2 and looks like a Tomb Rider place.
    Maxed Graphic and sound are very well made , use Sweetfx to improve even more. I really don't know how is possible to give 0/10 to this game. Maybe they're others mmo fanboy who rosik...    Need some time to get into, but the jungle is a simply awesome place to discover and where to play, full of life and tons of dangers.
    Sometimes i forget i'm in GW2 and looks like a Tomb Rider place.
    Maxed Graphic and sound are very well made , use Sweetfx to improve even more.
    I really don't know how is possible to give 0/10 to this game.
    Maybe they're others mmo fanboy who rosik... but it's not a GW2 fault if your MMOs are dying.    … Expand
  36. rinealdo
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Forget all about GW2 core game, this jungle is hard to master, ma very very beautifull place to level.
    This is not the classic (crap wow) expansion where you cap all in 1 day, you'll need to play and to play right to unlock all the elite spec.
    This is what most of the player base wanted: a game where you need to use your brain and smart tactics to fight the enemy. This is war, this is    Forget all about GW2 core game, this jungle is hard to master, ma very very beautifull place to level.
    This is not the classic (crap wow) expansion where you cap all in 1 day, you'll need to play and to play right to unlock all the elite spec.
    This is what most of the player base wanted: a game where you need to use your brain and smart tactics to fight the enemy.
    This is war, this is Heart of Thorns !    … Expand
  37. Korruna
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    I have had a lot of fun with Heart of Thorns. Most players complaining simply don't understand that ArenaNet is trying to simulate the feeling of progression that is in many other MMOs, but they are delivered through vertical progression. (Leveling up) Since the level cap is not being raids, they are using a two-fold horizontal approach:

    Masteries provide the feeling of progressing    I have had a lot of fun with Heart of Thorns. Most players complaining simply don't understand that ArenaNet is trying to simulate the feeling of progression that is in many other MMOs, but they are delivered through vertical progression. (Leveling up) Since the level cap is not being raids, they are using a two-fold horizontal approach:

    Masteries provide the feeling of progressing through zones without the need to make enemies level up. Instead, you traverse terrain more efficiently or gain access to new areas. You can't just rush to the final zone because traversing it would be a nightmare without the unlocking things like Gliding.

    Elite Specializations give the feeling of unlocking new power, just like how leveling up in other MMOs will grant new skills. Players who are complaining about these systems simply don't understand what they were trying to accomplish, and I like the groundwork that's been laid out. Where were all these riots when players logged on a level 1 Mage in World of Warcraft and did not instantly have access to all 30 of their abilities they would have at maximum level?

    It's not perfect, but it's a great addition to Guild Wars 2.    … Expand
  38. tormentor19191
    Oct 26, 2015
    8
    Story 10/10 Amazing - Specially the final boss fight. Little buggy now but if those are fixed , amazing fight
    open world 9/10 - Challenging mobs, amazing beautiful map design , feels like a maze sometimes
    Content 9/10 - Amazing meta events - challenging and fun
    Elite spec - 7/10 Requires a lot of work to unlock the complete elite spec but the specs itself are amazing.
  39. cioppete
    Nov 18, 2015
    10
    Awesome expansion, for one of the best, if not the best MMO today.
    Great graphics, immersive sound, strong gameplay with a pve quite difficult.
    Sorry Wow, but GW2 is my new home.
  40. maximay
    Nov 23, 2015
    10
    Really great expansion full of stuff to do.
    Since Wow is dying, and it's dying pretty bad, GW2 is the new king of MMO...these is why so many 0 (zero).
    Please rosik more, can't stop laughing.
  41. mathisveryfun
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    This is an amazing expansion. I feel like a new player all over again with the excitement and confusion. The people crying now just wanted to unlock everything the instant the expansion went live.
  42. maiker
    Nov 3, 2015
    10
    I created an account just to give this expansion a score of 10. I'm a staunch supporter of this game and this expansion for a long time, and it's become abundantly clear that this expansion (and the update to the base game that came with it) is well coded, and the developers don't need to fix it. The game is incredibly stable and never crashes often enough to make getting anythingI created an account just to give this expansion a score of 10. I'm a staunch supporter of this game and this expansion for a long time, and it's become abundantly clear that this expansion (and the update to the base game that came with it) is well coded, and the developers don't need to fix it. The game is incredibly stable and never crashes often enough to make getting anything meaningful done impossible. The entire mid-to-end game revolves around competing map-wide events and long instances, both of which you will never lose all progress within when you never crash. This. Game. Will. Not. Never. Crash. It is widespread and is not a hardware issue; I'm running with an i7 4790k, 16GB RAM and GTX 970 SLI. It is a user issue and the user is broken. It's been almost a month now, and progress has been made or hinted towards with this massive game. This game can be played. It deserves a ten.… Expand
  43. chalks
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Really loving the story and the new maps are fantastic, guild halls are a really cool concept and the masteries system actually offers some useful skills which kinda surprised me.

    My biggest problem with the game was the mastery gating in the personal story, but Anet recently announced that they're removing this so you can complete the story with only a very basic set of mastery skills    Really loving the story and the new maps are fantastic, guild halls are a really cool concept and the masteries system actually offers some useful skills which kinda surprised me.

    My biggest problem with the game was the mastery gating in the personal story, but Anet recently announced that they're removing this so you can complete the story with only a very basic set of mastery skills so that settles it for me, it's a really great game.

    I'd recommend this to anyone who's enjoyed the original game and wants some more, or anyone who's looking for a fun MMO that they can dip in and out of without feeling they're being left behind. Really good fun.    … Expand
  44. Xzean
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Simply masterful. Every aspect of the game improved while keeping the importance of the rest of their content. Each class made to feel fresh and new with specializations, making them hard to get to feel like a true reward.
  45. Rocinantus
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Many of these reviews completely astound me by saying things like how there's "no content" or that ArenaNet advertised falsely. ArenaNet was very transparent about what would be released with their expansion, and there's plenty of content to consider this a large expansion. I think what most of these reviews are complaining about is the time investment required to get to the new eliteMany of these reviews completely astound me by saying things like how there's "no content" or that ArenaNet advertised falsely. ArenaNet was very transparent about what would be released with their expansion, and there's plenty of content to consider this a large expansion. I think what most of these reviews are complaining about is the time investment required to get to the new elite specializations. This is confusing to me, because when playing an MMO I think it's understood that there will be a time investment.

    The new areas are massive (once you unlock enough masteries) and the content is challenging but not too much so. I sunk many hours into it over the weekend and I'm very pleased with it.    … Expand
  46. Rits
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    Story: 10/10 (This is what should have been in the core game! A reason to love characters and a can't wait to do the next chapter feeling)

    Music: 10/10 (Absolutely Phenomenal!) Environment: 10/10 (Soo much to explore, the maps are super non linear and just when you think you explored it all, you find a hidden mastery point to acquire) Replay: 10/10 (Mastery Points are account    Story: 10/10 (This is what should have been in the core game! A reason to love characters and a can't wait to do the next chapter feeling)

    Music: 10/10 (Absolutely Phenomenal!)

    Environment: 10/10 (Soo much to explore, the maps are super non linear and just when you think you explored it all, you find a hidden mastery point to acquire)

    Replay: 10/10 (Mastery Points are account bound but hero challenges that you need for Elite Spec are not, each hero challenge is unique in strategy that it does not feel boring like world completion in core)

    Other Content: 9/10 (Fractals mob rewards being removed and moved into RNG boxes which you have to pay for leaves a bad taste in my mouth...due to this, I'm avoiding them in the hopes that they will be tweaked. Raids not being ready even though they are listed as a reason to buy the expansion too leaves a bad taste. HOWEVER, there is PLENTY to do that it does not bother me as much as it did initially, there still is the fact its there and happened though.)

    To the players: You don't hop into a game expecting a max level off the bat, why should we expect the same for an ELITE spec. It should show that you took the time and challenge to get that spec completed. The name is ELITE for a reason.

    These aren’t just new builds to try out. They are completely different play styles added onto your class…practically a new class! There are new icons to represent this for Pete’s sake!
    I think if people would slow down and think about it this way they would realize how much it makes sense that you shouldn’t expect instant gratification for something coming out of an expansion designed purely for lvl 80s. It is going to be challenging and it is going to require time.

    TY Anet for giving me something to do other than logging on, doing my dailies and dungeon run or two with my guildies then signing off. This brought back tons of goals and challenges for me to aim for and it brought back a huge social experience for me and many of my guildies! The fact that a lot of the maps are aimed for group experiences has been enjoyable. Its so fun to see/meet others that are willing to lend a helping hand.    … Expand
  47. Egocentricion
    Nov 15, 2015
    10
    Guild Wars 2 continues to innovate after all these years.
    It is truly the only MMO on the market who actively seeks to please it's playerbase not by spoonfeeding them and hand holding them but with true innovation and challenge.
    Heart of Thorns is the striking proof that an expansion doesn't have to be half assed and dumb down a game.

    I recommend this expansion, it's all worth the money!
  48. Vayne127
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    As an avid Guild Wars 2 player, I had mixed feelings about the direction they company was taking HoT. Mostly I was concerned about the grind factor and the difficulty of the new zone. I started playing as a skeptic, but HoT has won me over.

    The zone design is brilliant, the zones are beautiful and I finally feel like I have to fight my way through a war zone. I haven't felt like that    As an avid Guild Wars 2 player, I had mixed feelings about the direction they company was taking HoT. Mostly I was concerned about the grind factor and the difficulty of the new zone. I started playing as a skeptic, but HoT has won me over.

    The zone design is brilliant, the zones are beautiful and I finally feel like I have to fight my way through a war zone. I haven't felt like that since they nerfed Orr, another end game zone.

    Admittedly there are plenty of things to work (grind for), but I'm having so much fun just playing I don't really notice it. I love the dynamic event chains at different outposts. I love the story. And I love the idea that if I'm not paying attention, I'm likely going to end up dead.

    And I really love the gliding. This is very very well done. I'm having a blast. The only real downside I can see to the expansion is it's not very large...but what it misses on in size it makes up for in detail and quality. Well worth the price.    … Expand
  49. please
    Nov 2, 2015
    10
    Finally a good excuse to return. Story started off strong but ended kinda weak but not enough to take away from all the improvements made. Having a blast and have put in around 30+ hours so far,
  50. Gothic90
    Nov 4, 2015
    8
    It's a good expansion. The world stays relevant, people who do not buy it can still play (they arguably get a somewhat short end of the stick due to dungeon reward nerf, but definitely not hit as hard as players of many other MMOs, who can only play irrelevant content after an expansion hits). Mastery may be a bit grindy but opens up layer by layer and I kinda like this design. I neverIt's a good expansion. The world stays relevant, people who do not buy it can still play (they arguably get a somewhat short end of the stick due to dungeon reward nerf, but definitely not hit as hard as players of many other MMOs, who can only play irrelevant content after an expansion hits). Mastery may be a bit grindy but opens up layer by layer and I kinda like this design. I never expected much story from MMOs, but HoT's story is not a bad one, certainly much better than Kormir or Trahearne's story.

    Overall, a lot of good content and good designs. It's not perfect but still a good one.

    Still, a bit unhappy that WvW gets a pretty short end of the stick.    … Expand
  51. Apolyon
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Totally blown away. Not only has this been the smoothest go-live I've seen, but the amount and quality of content in the expansion is brutal.

    Comparing this to the base game, one of the key things you will see is that the new areas don't have renown hearts, instead they have outpost which trigger some pretty awesome dynamic events. These events can even branch in different stories and    Totally blown away. Not only has this been the smoothest go-live I've seen, but the amount and quality of content in the expansion is brutal.

    Comparing this to the base game, one of the key things you will see is that the new areas don't have renown hearts, instead they have outpost which trigger some pretty awesome dynamic events. These events can even branch in different stories and they tell you specific stories of some of the survivors (not going to do any spoilers here). Just stop for a second, and stand there listening to the NPC's.

    The main story, which I have not finished yet, is really intense. Way better than what we had so far. I don't want to spoil this either, so I'll simply say that what I've seen so far is on par with some single player rpg's.

    Content wise, there are "only" 4 new areas, but they are huge, not only horizontally but also vertically, you really have to experience it to feel the size of the jungle. It also has a metric ton of events, collections, achievements, adventures (a type of repeatable activities with world rankings in the type of GW1 challenges), the new specializations, masteries, pre-cursor scavenger hunts, new legendaries (not only weapons, but also backpacks and armor), a new wvw map.

    And the best of all... there is still more to come, namely the so awaited Raids, pvp leagues, and the new living world seasons.

    I may update this review later, since I haven't stopped in World vs World or pvp yet    … Expand
  52. Arean
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    Heart of Thornes falls just short of a perfect expansion and launch. There actually only three things that bothered people, and those three combined probably account for 80% of the negative reviews that the expansion received so far. And there are also three things that players really love about the expansion. Both aspects are strongly linked actually.

    1) The expansion brings elite    Heart of Thornes falls just short of a perfect expansion and launch. There actually only three things that bothered people, and those three combined probably account for 80% of the negative reviews that the expansion received so far. And there are also three things that players really love about the expansion. Both aspects are strongly linked actually.

    1) The expansion brings elite specialization. Instead of a new gear tier or level cap, Arenanet provided us with horizontal progression. The elite specialization doesn't make use stronger, it gives more options. A new weapon you can use, new skills, new traits. The design philosophy was that this had to be unlocked/earned by playing through the expansion map. Meaning that players only got their full elite specialization after they had played trough most parts of the expansion maps. However, a lot of players wanted to play through the expansion with a new build. This will be changed so player can access the elite specialization a lot sooner. The technical detail is that the number of hero points required to unlock the elite specialization is going to be reduced from 400 to 250.

    2) The expansion maps are vastly different then most game maps. There are at least three different layers. Just like in a real jungle, you have the ground, the undergrowth and the canopy. So getting around on the maps is a lot harder at first. This is until you unlock masteries. These account bound extra 'skills' allow you for example to use a glider, jump on certain mushrooms, take short cut tunnels. When the expansion launched a lot of people didn't understand that you only need the early masteries to get around quickly in the maps. Those early masteriesare actually easy to unlock.

    3) Bugs. There was a bug that spread out the player base over to many instances of the megaserver. This resulted in a lot of half (or worse) empty maps, who then couldn't do the meta events. This is getting addressed today, with the same build as the changes to the elite specialization. There were also several progress blocking bugs in the personal story missions. Most are already addressed.

    And there are also three things that players really like in the game:

    1) The story is amazing. Both the stories being told on the maps through the events, and the personal story are the best the game has ever had. There's comedy and tragedy, decisions to be made, and even slight variations between certain races. At one point you have to make a choice on how to compose your party for the end fight. Like what you see in Mass Effect and Dragon Age. It was the hardest decision for me in any game, ever. This expansion actually feels like 1/3 of Dragon Age Inquisition.

    2) The mobs and the combat is very good. A lot of new mobs came with the new maps and they each have distinct mechanics that you have to adapt your tactics to. AFk attacking, just pressing one skill, ignoring mobs, that isn't possible hear. A lot of players asked for a higher difficulty, and Arenanet delivered. And it's not difficulty trough stats on the mobs but through mechanics. This again overwhelmed a lot of players at launch date who then cut down the content before actually learning it.

    3) The maps. As overpowering they are when you first try to move through them, they are awesome once you get used to them. As I said before, you need masteries to get around. And the more you have, the easier the maps become to transverse. The players also had to get used to the fact that the entire maps change a lot. There's a day and night cycle and both have several stages . The events and objectives change according to the stage the map is in. And this is off course also influence by on what level of the map you are playing. If you count everything together the new maps have three times the amount of content then the older maps, in what's now called 'Core Tyria'.

    Conclusion: a lot of players were really negative in the first two to three days because they didn't expect the how the expansion would challenge them. From the legitimate criticism of the expansion, most things have already been addressed. So the expansion deserves a 9, it really does.    … Expand
  53. Revenanter
    Nov 23, 2015
    10
    I've bought this game after 3 year, for only 49.90 i got 2 games for the price of one.
    And what a game!
    Never thought it may be so beautifull !!!
    Finally i've found my definite MMO to play for months to go.
    Really happy !
  54. Poisty
    Oct 28, 2015
    8
    Honestly the best expansion of a mmo I've experienced. I personally love it, but I do enjoy base gw2 so take that into consideration. It was also a really smooth launch, and pretty much all the bugs that did exist (and there were a few quite annoying ones for some people) have now been dealt to (which has been pretty damn fast).

    Good story updates, good content and general updates for    Honestly the best expansion of a mmo I've experienced. I personally love it, but I do enjoy base gw2 so take that into consideration. It was also a really smooth launch, and pretty much all the bugs that did exist (and there were a few quite annoying ones for some people) have now been dealt to (which has been pretty damn fast).

    Good story updates, good content and general updates for both pve in general, pvp and wvw, new specializations for each existing class and a new class. New content is satisfyingly more difficult, and raids are on there way very soon (we had a taste in the beta's).

    Basically if you enjoyed GW2 (you can try it for free now if you haven't) and can afford to spend a little money (non subscription - just a upfront cost) its totally worth it. If you hate mmo's, or GW2 I wouldn't recommend it though.

    Don't see a reason not to get it if you are already enjoying GW2 and the asking price isn't outside of your budget.

    PS the so called grindy unlocks people have been complaining about have also been reduced in a way that you could barely justify calling them grindy now.    … Expand
  55. TerminalMontage
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    The expansion improves upon everything that was already great in this action packed, fast paced MMO. Gliding, pretty environments, engaging content, I'm having such a blast.
  56. Cildar
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Perhaps the most enjoyable MMO expansion I've played and well worth the price. There is a large amount of new content as well as many great game improvements.
  57. Theron13
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    I am really surprised to see all this complain about grind. There is a lot of factually incorrect or misinterpreted information floating around.

    First, you do not need 400 challenges to get 400 hero points. They have increased the number of point granted by each challenge 10 folds in the expansion so you only need 40 challenges in worst case scenario. Veteran player will need only 19    I am really surprised to see all this complain about grind. There is a lot of factually incorrect or misinterpreted information floating around.

    First, you do not need 400 challenges to get 400 hero points. They have increased the number of point granted by each challenge 10 folds in the expansion so you only need 40 challenges in worst case scenario. Veteran player will need only 19 challenges to max out everything.

    Second, Hero Challenges by design cannot be grinded as you have to do a unique one. Hero challenges involve either pressing 'F', killing a mod, or doing an event chain.

    Third, most veteran player that are creating a new character are using account bound rewards to instantly get a level 80 character and get all skills for the base class. For most veteran player 5 minutes after character creation they will have a level 80 character with all base skills maxed out.

    Finally only a few hero points are locked behind high level masteries, for example, in first 2 zones there are 22 hero points from which only 2 require high level masteries.

    You can argue that Hero points are too challenging, but I don;t get the argument that they are too grindy.    … Expand
  58. Kalevala
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    Open World: 12/10(Yes, 12) - The new maps are absolutly awesome. I could be hours doing photos of the environment.

    Dynamic events: 9/10 - The dinamic events are so cool. There are a lot of fun histories on these maps and I love the new metaevents(specially Tarir defense :3). Masteries: 9/10 - I love how they were designed. I love to glide and move by the jungle with all the    Open World: 12/10(Yes, 12) - The new maps are absolutly awesome. I could be hours doing photos of the environment.

    Dynamic events: 9/10 - The dinamic events are so cool. There are a lot of fun histories on these maps and I love the new metaevents(specially Tarir defense :3).

    Masteries: 9/10 - I love how they were designed. I love to glide and move by the jungle with all the posibilities that they grant me.

    Personal History: 7/10 - I love how it is exposed to me and the history itself, but I hate to grind my marteries to continue in some parts of it.

    Elite specializations: 9/10 - I only can talk about the reaper because is my main and the only I tried for now, but I LOVE IT    … Expand
  59. jdross00
    Nov 14, 2015
    9
    Changing my initial review due to the addition of the 64bit client.

    Besides a few harsh setbacks at launch, HoT has given us enough new content and changes to make the game feel fresh again. Gliding is more enjoyable than anticipated. The specializations bring a welcome change to the core classes. The story no longer disrupts the immersion of the game with unnecessary 2D dialog. And    Changing my initial review due to the addition of the 64bit client.

    Besides a few harsh setbacks at launch, HoT has given us enough new content and changes to make the game feel fresh again. Gliding is more enjoyable than anticipated. The specializations bring a welcome change to the core classes. The story no longer disrupts the immersion of the game with unnecessary 2D dialog. And the environments continue their artistic flair which is unmatched by any other MMO.    … Expand
  60. Ozimandeus
    Nov 6, 2015
    10
    The best MMORPG created, has just got a whole lot bigger and a whole lot better!! The elegant mastery system provides a new outlet for experience in PVE. The introduction of Guild Halls gives a focal point for guilds to work together on. PvP has been overhauled and made into an eSport. WvWvW is still unparalleled in this genre. Very simply put, this is as good as MMORPGs get.
  61. Nebular
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    The user score is NOT ACCURATE. People who were disappointed about having to actually play the game to unlock things bombed metacritic with 0/10 reviews. ArenaNet has since made it easier to unlock things and most people have not changed their reviews anyway. The expansion definitely deserves more than a 0/10, no matter what your issues are with it.

    This expansion might have had the    The user score is NOT ACCURATE. People who were disappointed about having to actually play the game to unlock things bombed metacritic with 0/10 reviews. ArenaNet has since made it easier to unlock things and most people have not changed their reviews anyway. The expansion definitely deserves more than a 0/10, no matter what your issues are with it.

    This expansion might have had the smoothest release in MMO history. Within hours everyone was able to log in and play. I have not heard of any game breaking bugs. ArenaNet has been very quick with bug fixes and other improvements based on player feedback. Despite many people complaining, the majority of players who are actually taking the time to give it a chance are having tons of fun with it.    … Expand
  62. Sabawoyomu
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Straight up the best online-based game I've ever played. The personal story was straight AWSOME. The maps are so fun to just run around in, the events are long and interesting, the designs for armors and weapons are as usual top notch.
  63. KyrgyzManas
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    I was already playing GW2 (the base game) for quite some time. The biggest gripe I had with it was the difficulty level. Most content was too easy, although the game was really, really good in all other ways. But Heart of Thorn set the bar really high (didn't expect too much). But man...that jungle is immense! It's so dense and atmospheric, I can't believe it. The difficulty of gettingI was already playing GW2 (the base game) for quite some time. The biggest gripe I had with it was the difficulty level. Most content was too easy, although the game was really, really good in all other ways. But Heart of Thorn set the bar really high (didn't expect too much). But man...that jungle is immense! It's so dense and atmospheric, I can't believe it. The difficulty of getting around is partly nuts (rolling raptors *gaze*). But honestly, the greatest addition to the addon was gliding. I didn't know how much I love it until I had it - hoooooly **** is this awesome exploring those multi- layered maps by gliding! So much looking forward to the Raid :D… Expand
  64. Lozzypops
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    A beautifully-crafted expansion to a beautifully-crafted game. The story tugs at your heartstrings, and the characters involved show that ArenaNet can write a variety of rapidly changing, yet very human personalities. The new areas themselves are absolutely beautiful, filled to the brim with infuriatingly tough enemies that you can't swing a charr without hitting. The lack of a raisedA beautifully-crafted expansion to a beautifully-crafted game. The story tugs at your heartstrings, and the characters involved show that ArenaNet can write a variety of rapidly changing, yet very human personalities. The new areas themselves are absolutely beautiful, filled to the brim with infuriatingly tough enemies that you can't swing a charr without hitting. The lack of a raised level-cap was, surprisingly, another brilliant move, as new content and old content mesh perfectly together.… Expand
  65. Elfhorys
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Excellent expansion, one of my favorite expansion for an MMO since a while. Great maps, new gameplay and gears, and this story ... my my !

    Don't look at thos who downvote, they rage because they don't have all in a silver plate.
  66. daman558
    Oct 30, 2015
    10
    Arena net's first crack at an expansion for gw2 is well worth the time. Let's make this short and sweet. If you enjoyed gw2 then this automatically for you. I've read most of these negative reviews and though there are a couple valid points, most of them are drivel. They are expecting gw2 hot to deliver in areas that are impractical. Repetitive content and grinding is apart of every mmo.Arena net's first crack at an expansion for gw2 is well worth the time. Let's make this short and sweet. If you enjoyed gw2 then this automatically for you. I've read most of these negative reviews and though there are a couple valid points, most of them are drivel. They are expecting gw2 hot to deliver in areas that are impractical. Repetitive content and grinding is apart of every mmo. The new mastery system works as an account wide horizontal leveling system quite well. The new story is definitely the best yet ( coming from someone who avoided most story missions up til this point for various reasons, but has been following along intently with the new missions). Changes to guilds, new maps and meta events are on point and then some. My only two gripes are A) the expansion took so long to come out B) Professions as of now seem a bit broken to straight up lopsided in spvp, which will be fixed in the upcoming balance releases i'm sure. Other than that, you can expect a bigger and badder gw2 in pretty much every way. We still have yet to experience raiding, but ive heard good things and also that they announced they will be adding 2 more raids in the near future. This will be raiding gw2 style however, not some pre-conceived way that some other mmo's do it. All in all, though I don't think its a "perfect game" or earth shattering even, i'm giving this review a 10 to balance out the stale and biased reviews of people giving 0-2 for no reason.… Expand
  67. jaymayxd
    Oct 30, 2015
    8
    Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is by far an improvement on the "end game" of the original release. Focusing solely on the post-80 experience a lot of the systems added cater for those looking to further progress their characters (and accounts). The game also offers those alt-aholics a new class to play with, adding a 3rd heavy armour profession to the game and completing the round up of 9Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is by far an improvement on the "end game" of the original release. Focusing solely on the post-80 experience a lot of the systems added cater for those looking to further progress their characters (and accounts). The game also offers those alt-aholics a new class to play with, adding a 3rd heavy armour profession to the game and completing the round up of 9 professions.

    The game is great and the systems add that deeper level of progressions. There are even a lot of quality of life improvements for those veteren players, and those just coming into the game will find a more streamlined version of GW2.

    Masteries are great, they offer goal for post level 80 and meaningful upgrades that allow you to traverse the jungle better, harvest new materials and glide. Although there is some element of a vertical clime in the experience required to level each mastery as well as additional points, the upgrades do feeling meaningful (most of them anyway.) Gliding in the game is smooth and fun. You will find it hard to go back to the core game world and not jump to your death, assuming your glider is going to save you.

    The new elite specializations for all of the professions have sparked a lot of debate. Some people love the new skills and weapons their professions have acquired. However, there are those that are a little disappointed, but hey, you really can't please everyone. ANet have done a great job in making each elite feel somewhat different from the base capabilities of a profession and have reinvigorated some of the more underused professions.

    The game, however, is not without fault. The four maps added are vast and multi-level and full of dynamic events. Having said that, finding some of these dynamic events can be a little difficult just coming into the maps. There is little explanation or guidance and the in game world map does little to fully explain what level the events are taking place on or the routes to get to the events. T

    The story of Heart of Thorns is the most well told story GW2 has so far offered its player base. But, very short. Only prolonged by the need for certain mastery levels of the jungle. Having said that, ArenaNet should be providing the players with the free living world stories.

    Overall, a great first expansion for an already great game. Now, for the dust to settle and the updates to roll in.    … Expand
  68. gugliam1
    Nov 19, 2015
    10
    Simpy an awesome addition to an already great mmo !!!

    If you wonder why so many 0 (zero) ,here the answer. : read one of the many reviews from wow fanboys who rosik cause their mmo is dyning while GW2 is rising. diaper Nov 12, 2015 terrible game WoW is so much better. this game has terrible graphics and takes no skill and the community is garbage. nobody even plays it because    Simpy an awesome addition to an already great mmo !!!

    If you wonder why so many 0 (zero) ,here the answer. : read one of the many reviews from wow fanboys who rosik cause their mmo is dyning while GW2 is rising.

    diaper
    Nov 12, 2015

    terrible game WoW is so much better. this game has terrible graphics and takes no skill and the community is garbage. nobody even plays
    it because most people agree that it is terrible. I hate this game soo much!!    … Expand
  69. shirogatsu
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    I've found this expansion is very fun to play. It literally just a child of Spyro The Dragon & Castlevania: Symphony of the Night that decide to become a MMORPG when grow up.

    Add to this combo beautiful level design: you don't traverse linearly on flat maps, you basically start your journey by running around in jungle, then you could fly to new heights or crawl through tunnels to the    I've found this expansion is very fun to play. It literally just a child of Spyro The Dragon & Castlevania: Symphony of the Night that decide to become a MMORPG when grow up.

    Add to this combo beautiful level design: you don't traverse linearly on flat maps, you basically start your journey by running around in jungle, then you could fly to new heights or crawl through tunnels to the deepest caverns of the jungle. And even this movement has sort of progression, because with improving your flying techniques you're able to ride the energy waves and different updrafts that may help stay afloat or fight several bosses(Yay for bombing dragons from the sky!)

    Music and ambient sound is just extraordinary - give some feels of Final Fantasy, if you ask me.

    As for "the controversy" - I tried to stay away from reddit and web due to spoilers and was surprised when I finally opened it - I just never hit any of this mentioned problems, probably because I love exploration and I just got enough experience for my masteries from events during my average gameplay sessions. As for elite specialization - yeah, high amount of hero points actually stopped me from using it right away because low level of elite spec basically makes you weaker than 3 full core specializations and there is no excuse to running bad unfinished builds during endgame content. I'm glad it lowered now so you can get full elite after a couple of hours in the jungle.

    After first iteration of balancing pass I've no complaints and can fully enjoy the content which is top quality so 10/10 from me.    … Expand
  70. Savoy2012
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    The open world events are great and highly replayable. Elite specialzations are fun and add more build variety to the game. Zones are beautiful and intricate. I have so much to do that I havnt even gone into my favorite game mode WvW yet. This game was money well spent
  71. waffleninja
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Beautiful new content all around. Lots to do right off the bat and plenty to look forward to. I highly recommend this to anybody wishing for a genuine challenge in the traditional MMO genre.
  72. snokey
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    This expansion blew my mind! It is gorgeous! Maps are so beautiful and very fun to traverse, especially when you learn gliding, mushroom jumping etc I haven't had that much fun to just explore in ages :) Story is amazing and absolutely shocking, filled with fun challenges. I love the new difficulty of mobs, while they don't have huge amount of HP, they do hit hard! and new mechanics isThis expansion blew my mind! It is gorgeous! Maps are so beautiful and very fun to traverse, especially when you learn gliding, mushroom jumping etc I haven't had that much fun to just explore in ages :) Story is amazing and absolutely shocking, filled with fun challenges. I love the new difficulty of mobs, while they don't have huge amount of HP, they do hit hard! and new mechanics is very nice! Camera action mode proved to be th one thing i wished they added from the start, can't play without it!

    New specializations are so much fun as well, great animations, great feel to them. Some people expected to get them straight at the start, but it is unreasonable to expect to unlock elite spec on day one, however that was still possible for some vets. If you just play the game, then unlocking masteries and getting Hero Points comes naturally without feeling any repetition as there are a lot of different ways to get those.    … Expand
  73. Ludus90
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    With HoT Guild wars 2 became, without any doubts, the best MMORPG I ever played. I'd need to write a book to describe and review all the things Arena Net did perfectly with this expansion.
  74. Jarvice
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Simple review: It's almost like they doubled the original content of the game. If you like Gw2 you'll love HoT!

    Why? Because they added exactly what Gw2 needed, new maps, abilities and a totally new class to play! The new content is also very challenging which encourages players to play together (you can do it alone if you're skilled enough!). The new story they added is also a lot of    Simple review: It's almost like they doubled the original content of the game. If you like Gw2 you'll love HoT!

    Why? Because they added exactly what Gw2 needed, new maps, abilities and a totally new class to play! The new content is also very challenging which encourages players to play together (you can do it alone if you're skilled enough!). The new story they added is also a lot of fun to play. It takes you on a journey through the amazing maps and you get to battle awesome bosses!

    The only negative part is that there are some bugs (which is expected of course). But Anet is working hard and they are rolling out patches to fix as much as they can. I expect most of the bugs fixed in a couple weeks.

    Anet did a great job and this is a well deserved 10.    … Expand
  75. Secr3tt
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    This is how you do a EXP, don't make you feel that you need to grind for new gear or level, just have fun with the game, and the EXP didn't had any issue on release. 10 out of 10
  76. Kalameloth
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    An Xpac with no grinding but only new content, a meta-event system per map like in silverwaste, andDELTAPLANE !
    A good story with good charactère, Arena make what they are good for, make an mmorpg that is not like every one else, and the new TERA-like combat system is pretty good.
    Love it.
  77. munki314
    Oct 28, 2015
    8
    Upon the announcement of HoT, I must admit I was skeptical based on the price. I wasn't sure what the $50 was paying for and Anet tends to trickle their information. Being a fan of the game and a consistent player, I paid very close attention to the reveals and, for the first time, pre-purchased a game. This was just before the second beta weekend event. I was extremely impressed by theUpon the announcement of HoT, I must admit I was skeptical based on the price. I wasn't sure what the $50 was paying for and Anet tends to trickle their information. Being a fan of the game and a consistent player, I paid very close attention to the reveals and, for the first time, pre-purchased a game. This was just before the second beta weekend event. I was extremely impressed by the classes, the parts of the map we were able to play, and the difficulty of the new AI. Release only solidified my opinion. The launch was ridiculously smooth. The maps are deep, intense, and gorgeous. Gliding is fantastic. The progression systems provide a real feeling of success. The fights are intense and I have found myself cheering aloud upon successful completion. Heart of Thorns has delivered basically everything Anet promoted. There are some bugs and some issues with the mega-server, which leave some maps shards too dead to successfully complete meta-events, and that is why I have given an eight and not a nine. Barring that issue (which is being addressed), this game is utterly amazing and worth every cent. Anet also, just yesterday, implemented new iterations and lowered the Hero Point requirement for Elite Specializations in response to player feedback just 5 Days after release. Anet listens to their customers and they response, which makes me an utterly devoted customer. And now, back to the jungle.… Expand
  78. Yahseenme
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Brought me back to playing the VERY enjoyable PVE experience after years of playing exclusively PVP. Elite specs are the bees knees and the difficulty I felt was better before the October 27 patch, but still amazing nonetheless. Nothing I would change about this expansion, it was executed flawlessly.
  79. JeRune
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Great expansion, smooth launch, quick iterations on consumer feedback. Very nicely done by ArenaNet; completely changes the game from what it was. Story is great, masteries are great, specializations are wonderful and there's a lot of content.
  80. HighestHand
    Nov 19, 2015
    10
    Love the new zones, and the quests that bring the community closer to each other.

    You have a day and night cycle and both cycles are extremely fun. You have raids that came out, personally I haven't tried, but I am a big fan of raids and challenging content. My philosophy is to git gud or die trying.
  81. Maelzrael
    Dec 4, 2015
    9
    New review update, changing score from 10 to 9, which is still a point higher than I want but I have to offset all the 0 scores somehow..
    So new skills/elite specs are really great, worth the price of the expansion.
    The new maps are really great visually but they lack the casual accessibility and hearts that made the core maps so fun. Basically they are tuned to high, they should scale    New review update, changing score from 10 to 9, which is still a point higher than I want but I have to offset all the 0 scores somehow..
    So new skills/elite specs are really great, worth the price of the expansion.
    The new maps are really great visually but they lack the casual accessibility and hearts that made the core maps so fun. Basically they are tuned to high, they should scale down to just one single player if that is all that is available. They don't. You'll need at the very least one friend to accompany you anywhere you travel in the new maps if you want to survive, more like a full party if you want to do everything. This might be good for an mmorpg but it is bad for a casual player with little time to commit to others in-game.
    Raiding is awesome and I'm so happy they've added it into the game. HOWEVER, they really **** up because the rewards are hardly better than anything else in the world, the bosses do not drop special raid only gear save a few pets and the promise of legendary armor in the years to come. Rewards have always been mediocre in this game but the Raids should drop **** unique and badass armor and weapons right from the first boss. It doesn't have to be statistically better than other gear, but it should look cool and NEW. This is raiding basics 101.. raids should drop the best rewards in pve.. simple.
    Fractals has never been my thing but as someone who is still under level 20 frac difficulty there is nothing new to see in the expansion save a new (awesome) back piece if you grind the **** out of it. Or so I hear.
    Dungeon nerfs was a bad idea. Really stupid to tie collections and gear for raid into old dungeons (monk runes) and then nerf them so most people don't want to do them anymore. Head up ass on that one.
    New Legendary masteries progression didn't really make legendaries all that much easier to get, save the RNG drop requirement.. which you can now craft for roughly the same cost you could buy it for. For a casual player this is hardly an improvement, they still feel impossible to get.
    Guild Halls, this is a big deal here, this was supposed to be an awesome new custom housing for your whole guild.. however the new scribe crafting for items takes a whole guilds effort to create.. it's a little insane. They can do better here.. an individual should be able to create housing items for the whole guild by themselves in my opinion.. I haven't even been able to touch the creative side of this feature because you have to be in a large guild AND high ranked enough that people want YOU to be the builder/decorator. It's a great idea but flawed in execution.
    New WvW maps are so empty, I'm on a t3 server, Crystal Desert, and WvW has been a barren wasteland sing Hot came out. This is unacceptable. Screw server vs server, you guys have to go megaservers and really get this revamp for WvW out soon.. also for the love of god please don't screw this one up with poorly thought out design decisions on good original ideas like we've seen with some of HoT.

    So what do I think they should do to fix this stuff? Well make the new maps scale to less players better for one. Maybe add hearts to new zones when they come out. Raids an meta bosses should be tough, but traveling the new maps should be scaled to match the solo player if needed. Fix dungeon rewards. Add new fractal maps and make the progression and reason for progressing more enticing. Make legendary crafting slightly easier to achieve than buying one outright. We are not chinese people with infinite time to grind out the required stuff. Take a look at the core Gw2 philosophies and clean up your mess here. HoT is great and I love Anet but you guys cannot rest until this game is perfect! That's it for now, will resubmit and adjust as the expansion and living story develope.
    Also STOP ADDING ALL THE COOL NEW **** IN THE GEM STORE.. You guys are **** in this regard, you need to hire double the artists and programmers and have thing switch back an forth.. one new set for the gem store, one new set for normal play/progression.. I have no problem with the gem store but when you launch an expansion with minimal new visual items sets an then release TONS of gem store updates afterwards it really feels like a money grab instead of a thought out badass expansion. Fix this **** please.    … Expand
  82. MrKurteous
    Nov 24, 2015
    10
    I've had an absolute blast with this game, the maps are beutiful and filled with captivating and just-enough-challenging events to entertain for hours and hours. The gameplay is absolutely amazing and the progression is incredibly rewarding. The changes to PvP are darn juicy too. That being said, it's not everyone's cup of tea. There is a fair amount of challenge and most of the moreI've had an absolute blast with this game, the maps are beutiful and filled with captivating and just-enough-challenging events to entertain for hours and hours. The gameplay is absolutely amazing and the progression is incredibly rewarding. The changes to PvP are darn juicy too. That being said, it's not everyone's cup of tea. There is a fair amount of challenge and most of the more attractive rewards require a decent amount of work. If you're not too fond of the new gameplay it might feel annoying to get them, but in general both hardcore players and more casuals can have a great time.… Expand
  83. ohsnapitskelz
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    GW2: Heart of Thorns is everything an expansion should be. It builds on the formula of the original game and shows just how much ArenaNet have developed their design formula since the base game's launch.

    The new mastery and elite specialization systems add so much horizontal progression to the game without removing too much from the base game itself. Instead, these systems let you    GW2: Heart of Thorns is everything an expansion should be. It builds on the formula of the original game and shows just how much ArenaNet have developed their design formula since the base game's launch.

    The new mastery and elite specialization systems add so much horizontal progression to the game without removing too much from the base game itself. Instead, these systems let you continue to power up your characters with new abilities like gliding and jungle languages that let you trade with merchants from the new maps. Alongside these features, the elite specializations allow players to transform their classes into completely different versions of the vanilla ones, and introduces countless new mechanics to the game.

    But, ArenaNet doesn't stop there! There are plenty of new maps to explore, including one for the new PvP game mode Stronghold, one for World vs. World, and two for the new guild hall feature introduced with the expansion. The PvE content itself takes place over four beautifully crafted maps that expand vertically from the roots below the ground to the tips of the trees to create a play area much larger than any maps seen in the base game.

    Amazingly, nearly nothing went wrong with this launch. It's common to see games having server issues and countless bugs at launch, but Heart of Thorns seemed to avoid this entirely. What bugs there were rarely (if ever) hindered progress, and were typically patched within 24 hours of being reported.

    On top of all of that, the quality of the expansion is mind blowing. The wonderful voice acting and new version of pre-rendered cutscenes used for the story instances makes for an incredibly immersive experience, and the beautiful music only adds to that. The environments and textures themselves are truly works of art, bringing the simultaneously beautiful and brutal Maguuma Jungle to life.

    A few of the systems required a bit of polish after launch, but they were addressed within days of the launch. Some systems are getting a small re-balance to account for player feedback, while a few small bugs are being patched out.

    All in all, Heart of Thorns has proven to be an incredible expansion. No expansion comes without a few flaws, but don't let those distract you from the amazing experience that the game provides. Plus, ArenaNet has proven they will do anything to improve the experience due to player feedback.

    I can't wait to see what the Living Story system and the launch of raids brings in the next month!!    … Expand
  84. Guyius
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Amazing story, amazing world and amazing mechanics.

    ArenaNet's Heart of Thorns expansion provides endless hours of enjoyment with four new massive layered maps each with their own mechanics and multiple meta events. They have gone on to create the greatest story arch of their franchise rivalling SWTOR and Final Fantasy blowing their previous Personal Story and Living World content    Amazing story, amazing world and amazing mechanics.

    ArenaNet's Heart of Thorns expansion provides endless hours of enjoyment with four new massive layered maps each with their own mechanics and multiple meta events.

    They have gone on to create the greatest story arch of their franchise rivalling SWTOR and Final Fantasy blowing their previous Personal Story and Living World content out the water.

    They've added new maps and mechanics to WvW changing the whole experience, better rewarding defending.

    Overall an amazing experience and I can't wait for the next one.    … Expand
  85. My_accountatwor
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    (Shamelessly copying user Huddi's format)

    Story: 9/10 - The story and instanced events follow in the steps of Living Story Season 2. Plot-wise, the introduction of new lore is excellent, and the progression of the story from the teaser we were left with from the end of season 2 paces quite well. Those that enjoyed the Living Story will enjoy this as well. Expect some nice tie ins with    (Shamelessly copying user Huddi's format)

    Story: 9/10 - The story and instanced events follow in the steps of Living Story Season 2. Plot-wise, the introduction of new lore is excellent, and the progression of the story from the teaser we were left with from the end of season 2 paces quite well. Those that enjoyed the Living Story will enjoy this as well. Expect some nice tie ins with the original story, too. The story is gated by the occasional mastery requirement (one such requirement has been removed as of a few days ago). Personally, I'd like to see more depth to the lore, and would have enjoyed more story (current one had 16 chapters).

    Open World: 9/10 - The jungle is filled with depth, and there is a lot to do within the new zones. The mobs and events are a leg up in difficulty, which should get rid of a the old mentality that mobs are worth ignoring and running past. Skill is put to the test, and many old habits may not cut it (time to really appreciate that dodge skill.). Fortunately, with the exception of changing your stats, your gear should work just fine, as no new level cap means your current gear remains relevant. Lots of replay ability, and the challenging group events that mirror the Triple Wurm and Tequatl battles are to be expected in these new maps. The "grind" is alive and well, as mastery requirements are set for story, and portions of new maps are not accessible until certain masteries are made. HOWEVER, many people seem to have forgotten the nature of MMOs; but true to GW2's nature, grinding for these requirements contains benefits for other portions of the game (loot, achievements), so as to not be a chore. Mix this with the difficulty and options, the idea of this becomes far less tedious.

    sPvP: ??/10 - Limited exposure so far. Seems like there's a lot of excitement about the specializations. Currently chaos in the learning curve of builds and how to adjust to them that I expect to tapper off in a month, once the hyped new PvP season rolls in. Stronghold is a lovely change of pace from Conquest mode, but I'm disappointed that we're limited to a single map at the moment. Nothing seems too out of wack, but can't offer a number for this from my limited play times.

    WvW: ??/10 - Similar to sPvP, can't offer much introspection here. New desert borderland maps should add fresh air using EoTM (The free for fall WvW map that does not count in server scoring) mechanics, and rotating maps in the future should keeps things fresh.

    Bugs, Game Stability: 10/10 - What are server maintenance days, anyway? Some bugs do exist, but work-arounds make them trivial, assuming they aren't patched out on a daily basis.

    Other: 9/10 - New guild functionalities and revamps to old processes vastly improve the experience of being in a guild. A lot is being offered to work toward. Quality of life changes are prevalent, but many more could be added. Fractals, now being the designated go to for instanced content, has been improved to support long term replay ability. Raids are to be expected in the coming weeks. Precursor crafting for legendary gear ought to be a sigh of relief for those purple color font item seekers.

    Overall: 9/10 - Come for the new challenges, enjoy the new story, explore and get lost, or get to fighting others with new specializations, there's a little something for everyone. Note: The jungle is not for the feint of heart, so be wary.    … Expand
  86. Dahkeus
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Ok, so you'll see the word "grind" tossed around by a lot of negative reviewers, but the only reason you see that is because players want all the shiny new stuff at once without any wait. You don't need to do anything repetitively to unlock the new stuff, but it will take some time. Take a step back from looking at the stuff not available at the start and you'll find that there's a tonOk, so you'll see the word "grind" tossed around by a lot of negative reviewers, but the only reason you see that is because players want all the shiny new stuff at once without any wait. You don't need to do anything repetitively to unlock the new stuff, but it will take some time. Take a step back from looking at the stuff not available at the start and you'll find that there's a ton to do, which requires no unlocking. The new zones are diverse and have great events, the new PvP map is great and tends to lead to a lot of close, epic outcomes, and the polish of content overall is well above most MMOs.… Expand
  87. Shadeofdoom
    Oct 28, 2015
    9
    Alright, READ THIS before scrolling further. There are a few reasons why HoT deserves a 8.5+, but also a few reasons as to why a 10 shouldn't be given. To start off, lets say this; Heart of Thorns is gorgeous from all perspectives. The storyline is rich with action and intensity, the maps are delightfully created as to give the user a taste of the maze-like complexity of a 3-tiered jungle,Alright, READ THIS before scrolling further. There are a few reasons why HoT deserves a 8.5+, but also a few reasons as to why a 10 shouldn't be given. To start off, lets say this; Heart of Thorns is gorgeous from all perspectives. The storyline is rich with action and intensity, the maps are delightfully created as to give the user a taste of the maze-like complexity of a 3-tiered jungle, and the mobs bring on a whole new challenge, causing you to have to use the full set of your abilities and knowledge of the game to defeat them.

    Where does it go wrong? Gates.
    If we look at the original Guild Wars 2 content, from level 1, you could enter a level 80 zone if you so wished (and if you could make it without dying). In this, both map exploration and your personal story is gated by the mastery system. Without researching new gliding techniques, or how to bounce on a mushroom, you literally cannot advance, and since each of these gates are hundreds of thousands of XP that can only be attained in the jungle, it adds up very quickly.

    Why does map exploration matter? Because the only way to 'finalize' the trait you have been training with XP is with mastery points, and if you cannot reach these mastery points then... you're stuck! Its a vicious cycle that you cannot surmount unless you spend a lot of time gliding around for points that you can actually reach (or the help of a guide through reddit, youtube, etc).

    That being said, what is being added to the game is so extensive it could probably sell as its own "guild wars 3". Raids, Adventures, new world bosses, new content in general such as the jungle maps, the mushrooms, the itzel, mordrem creatures, a new personal story, stronghold, guild halls, guild wars, new legendary weapons and armor, and new WvW borderlands maps that are now part of the permanent rotation (for both players who did and did not buy the expansion, might I add).

    Since the pros so heavily outweigh the cons, Heart of Thorns as it currently stands (10/28/15) deserves a rating above 8.5, and should the gating be reduced, even higher.    … Expand
  88. Heteroscedastic
    Oct 27, 2015
    10
    Story: 10/10: Amazing improvement compared to the original games story. A much more focussed and impactful narrative assisted my improved storytelling tools.

    Open world 10/10: Four complex maps with varied layered content catering for multiple player types. Plus new metroidvania style movement/ exploration abilities! I'm yet to try out WvW and SPvP since the expansion launched so    Story: 10/10: Amazing improvement compared to the original games story. A much more focussed and impactful narrative assisted my improved storytelling tools.

    Open world 10/10: Four complex maps with varied layered content catering for multiple player types. Plus new metroidvania style movement/ exploration abilities!

    I'm yet to try out WvW and SPvP since the expansion launched so may update my review once I get round to those!

    Features: 10/10 Great new social/ customisation features in the form of Guild Halls. Really interesting horizontal progression systems in the form of masteries and elite specialisations.

    Raids are yet to be released so hold on to your cash if you are only interested in those!

    Many of the negative reviews here are part of an organised campaign by players who wanted a change to the games progression system. Personally I had no issues with this system. In any case Anet have now responded to these criticisms, hopefully some of these users will reconsider their opinion of the game.    … Expand
  89. Knoxty
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Anet has truly outdone themselves, I am extremely content to see where all my money is going to. Excellent story, great content, smooth launch. Can't wait what to see in the future.
  90. grasping_edge
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    This was exactly what Guild Wars 2 needed! Great expansion and well worth the money.

    -Elite specs add a whole new dynamic to each class -story missions are great and a huge improvement from the personal story -content in the new zones is DIFFICULT and requires some coordinations -new maps are the new best maps in the game, full of fine detail and quality craftsmanship -revenant    This was exactly what Guild Wars 2 needed! Great expansion and well worth the money.

    -Elite specs add a whole new dynamic to each class
    -story missions are great and a huge improvement from the personal story
    -content in the new zones is DIFFICULT and requires some coordinations
    -new maps are the new best maps in the game, full of fine detail and quality craftsmanship
    -revenant profession feels like it fills in the gap of what was missing with preexisting classes, lots of fun
    -New Stronghold game type is EXTREMELY addicting
    -end game progression through masteries and elite specs, lots of fun to work on and earn
    - much, much more    … Expand
  91. nilak
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Game has expanded in a way that feels like an extra 30 levels on top of original content without having to grind through new gear. New maps are absolutely amazing and complex and the specialisations add variety to each class perfectly. Absolutely loving new PVP and excited to get back into raids after trying in the beta events. New Guild system and masteries are incredible. especially theGame has expanded in a way that feels like an extra 30 levels on top of original content without having to grind through new gear. New maps are absolutely amazing and complex and the specialisations add variety to each class perfectly. Absolutely loving new PVP and excited to get back into raids after trying in the beta events. New Guild system and masteries are incredible. especially the new legendary crafting system!… Expand
  92. nightfyre
    Nov 20, 2015
    9
    Was wanting to try the game again, and glad I did. It's become my time sink. The new areas can be confusing to travel, but you get use to them and have fun figuring out how to get to new areas. They still need to work on some of the 'balancing' but the game is fun. Don't follow the red reviews, they are just mad and are not thinking the whole thing through. Children... sheesh.
  93. kkay
    Oct 30, 2015
    9
    Guys. I want to reply to everyone saying that the content of Heart of Stone is a grindfest: Its not. Its just not for people wanting to reach everything in 2 hours. ( Blinkin to the WoW ). Well. Im off to playing some more. Team up, learn the jungle, stop crying, the plot is great, the exp curve is great, and the necessity of teaming up with others is straight up lovable. :)
  94. sylint19
    Oct 28, 2015
    9
    This expansion is exceptional. It offers a wide range of content that'll keep me engaged for months, maybe even years, to come. While upon release, there were some issues with some of the game's features, the developers have been all ears, working to make the expansion more enjoyable for its players. Certain aspects were moderately grind-intensive, but have been reduced since launch due toThis expansion is exceptional. It offers a wide range of content that'll keep me engaged for months, maybe even years, to come. While upon release, there were some issues with some of the game's features, the developers have been all ears, working to make the expansion more enjoyable for its players. Certain aspects were moderately grind-intensive, but have been reduced since launch due to player feedback. Arenanet has done an exceptional job tweaking the base game, as well as this expansion.… Expand
  95. Zephyria
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Beautiful art, meaty expansion that can't be sped through. Vertical maps are very reminiscent of Zelda, meaning that they open up and become easier to traverse as you gain new skillsets. This has been frustrating for some unfamiliar with that playstyle, but if you're expecting to revisit the map for better explorability, it cuts out that frustration. These areas are ENORMOUS, andBeautiful art, meaty expansion that can't be sped through. Vertical maps are very reminiscent of Zelda, meaning that they open up and become easier to traverse as you gain new skillsets. This has been frustrating for some unfamiliar with that playstyle, but if you're expecting to revisit the map for better explorability, it cuts out that frustration. These areas are ENORMOUS, and make you feel quite small in the game, which is a wonderful thing...the landscape is a part of the challenge, in a good way.… Expand
  96. peppercosmo
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    People who complains are so lazy about the grind fest. I unlocked mine on the first day, it is not hard. If you are new yes it is hard but those who played the game for a while nope it is not.

    ARE you kidding me? Most games when expansion comes they make you grind. WOW you mean you have to work to get the points? It is called ELITE specialization for a reason. YOU HAVE TO WORK. The game    People who complains are so lazy about the grind fest. I unlocked mine on the first day, it is not hard. If you are new yes it is hard but those who played the game for a while nope it is not.

    ARE you kidding me? Most games when expansion comes they make you grind. WOW you mean you have to work to get the points? It is called ELITE specialization for a reason. YOU HAVE TO WORK. The game is amazing, I didn't even have time to post review until now. Most people in game loves it and didn't have time to post reviews or didn't bother. Until someone posted that HOT expansion is rated very low by people who are too busy posting reviews instead of playing games. Then people who actually played and tried out all the content started reviewing. The people who didn't want to work goes on to every site and complains about the grind. For years they complain there are no grind now that there are, oh i have to work. How horrible. There are so much to do not just bunch of living stories. They are trying to improve the ways we can play this game.    … Expand
  97. PeskyJNixon
    Oct 29, 2015
    10
    Something uniquely wonderful happened when my favorite game released an expansion: I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't let down. There has been no invalidation of all of the equipment and items I have spent the past three years acquiring; instead I was just plain given a great new addition to the environment I have loved playing in and a couple of horizontal progression systems that allow meSomething uniquely wonderful happened when my favorite game released an expansion: I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't let down. There has been no invalidation of all of the equipment and items I have spent the past three years acquiring; instead I was just plain given a great new addition to the environment I have loved playing in and a couple of horizontal progression systems that allow me to set long term goals for the next couple years.

    GW2 Heart of Thorns opens a significant amount of new content - from a base mechanics level they have opened a new engaging profession called the Revenant that relies on legendary characters from Guild Wars past to provide core mechanics to your character - this makes the profession remarkably versatile: supporting your group of glass cannon compatriots? Channel the spirit of the pacifist centaur and notable father of the game's most unique class - the plant humanoid Sylvari. Are you all about spreading disease and dissent wherever you go? Call the spirit of a demonic gorilla and watch your enemies shrivel and die. With six different heroic options each with their own set of corresponding skills this profession is wonderfully unique but unlike new professions often added in other MMO's - not overcharged. And if that’s not your thing there are eight new specializations for all the existing professions out there.

    Horizontal Progression means everything you've earned prior to this game is still as useful as it was before. Sure if the only equipment that you chose to use was heavy damage without anything else you may end up running into a problem as some of the new enemies only take damage from conditions, but you can hack away at everything just like you used to do. The introduction of a mastery system means new experiences through unlocking skills that help you traverse the new world using gliders trampoline mushrooms and air gusts.

    This is a delivery for old fans of the game and an opportunity for new people to discover a game that still looks fresher than anything else in the MMO market today.

    NOTE: I’ve found that many disgruntled folks have decided to downvote this game based on not being given all of the new mechanics right out of the gate to such a degree that Arena.Net actually simplified the unlock process. I’m kind of shocked at the level of childishness but I guess perhaps these will be the same people that downvote the game afterwards because there’s nothing else to do. I suggest you ignore them and just enjoy the remarkable game that’s in front of you.    … Expand
  98. Sabbatum
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Finally ArenaNet has found the true essence of progressing and challenging content.

    I feel so sorry about the people that is whining because of the total length expansion gave to game (which is a very very long path to be done) and for personal and selfless purposes gave the game rates like "0/10". This expansions adds to the game a more variety to features to enjoy and a lot of real    Finally ArenaNet has found the true essence of progressing and challenging content.

    I feel so sorry about the people that is whining because of the total length expansion gave to game (which is a very very long path to be done) and for personal and selfless purposes gave the game rates like "0/10". This expansions adds to the game a more variety to features to enjoy and a lot of real challenging content to make you feel you are somewhere between GW and Dark/Demon Souls, where death is just your mentor.

    On the other side, I feel happy that ANet is listening to the community feedback and patching the game as community feedback flows over the web, but i just expect they stop the nerfing the challenges and don't ruin the great work they did with this expansion that is a whole new game to explore (i play this game since core pre-launch) and this just because children that don't know they real meaning of PLAY a GAME and just think like "GIMME WHAT I WANT NOW, ASAP".

    My 10 is for the overall of this expansion which had a completely smooth launch and all the time surprises me with something i can enjoy in a long term of fun.

    Thanks ArenaNet, keep up with your great work.    … Expand
  99. crypticturtle
    Mar 8, 2016
    9
    This adds some much needed end-game content to GW2. The new zones and their meta-events are well designed, although traversing is difficult until you get the necessary masteries to use the environment to move around. The new glider is fun to use all around the world, especially at vistas. My only issue is that the new mastery system is very grind-y.
  100. Clopon
    Jan 1, 2016
    10
    Great expansion pack, even better than i expected. New maps are fun, mastery system is interesting and not too much grinding.
    And the raid is great, finally a challenging content for pve.
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Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Best PC Game of 2015
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
15
#15 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2016
    85
    Heart of Thorns is so good I forgot the flaws that made me lose interest in the original game after my initial delight with it. [13/2015, p.64]
  2. Games Master UK
    Jan 3, 2016
    85
    Not the biggest expansion, but it enhances the best parts of an already magnificent MMO. [Christmas 2015, p.75]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Jan 3, 2016
    80
    In spite of the odd stumble, it's a wonderful journey. [Jan 2016, p.120]
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