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. zyndr0m
    Oct 26, 2015
    1
    HOWEVER. Everything is gated. Hard. ArenaNet is falling back on their pre-expansion ways of making everything a confusing chore, which is something I was hoping they would NOT do seeing as the expansion is already PAID.
    I can't play my elite spec properly until I've already completed 50-100% of the jungle including all masteries that gate those hero challenges, and some of them absolutely    HOWEVER. Everything is gated. Hard. ArenaNet is falling back on their pre-expansion ways of making everything a confusing chore, which is something I was hoping they would NOT do seeing as the expansion is already PAID.
    I can't play my elite spec properly until I've already completed 50-100% of the jungle including all masteries that gate those hero challenges, and some of them absolutely require groups. To make matters worse, some elite specs require pretty radical stat shifts from the previous meta, which are made more expensive by how ascended gear was changed to require more materials. Time-gated materials. I don't think I'm ever going to use Scrapper in any serious capacity because I simply don't have time to invest in the gear.
    I have to grind mindlessly for masteries. In the case of language masteries I'm grinding to have the opportunity to grind to purchase items, as if this is supposed to make me feel accomplished.    … Expand
  2. VeyVey
    Oct 26, 2015
    5
    Positive:
    The new zones are beautiful. We are getting raids. Guild halls are already in the game as of right now. PvP will be expanded with more competitive leagues and prestige items that are PvP exclusive. Action combat mode is great.
    Negative: ANET officially abandonded dungeons a while ago, but now they finished them off completely, by nerfing rewards into the ground. No new    Positive:
    The new zones are beautiful. We are getting raids. Guild halls are already in the game as of right now. PvP will be expanded with more competitive leagues and prestige items that are PvP exclusive. Action combat mode is great.

    Negative:
    ANET officially abandonded dungeons a while ago, but now they finished them off completely, by nerfing rewards into the ground. No new fractals, just a couple of new instabilities for 51-100. Fractal rewards are even worse than before. Golden fractal skins (again) rely on RNG one way or the other. Ascended gear is more expensive, even though raids are adjusted to this gear tier, which makes playing different classes in high-end PvE a lot harder. Especially since gold income was nerfed across the board for anything except farming SW/DT and "playing the TP". Elite specializations require a siginificant amount of time to unlock and the journey is (subjective opinion) very tedious and underwhelming. It is just open world PvE, with the usual mindless zerging. Parts of the personal story are also locked behind certain mastery levels. For players like me, who hate anything that's not challenging and revolves around zerging, this makes both elite specializations and the personal story line very frustrating.

    Neutral:
    Story. It's an MMO so there's only so much you can expect in terms of storytelling. Legendary precursor quest lines are only marignally cheaper than buying the pre (at least right now).

    Bottom line:
    For players who usually avoid open world PvE and would like to spend most of their time in either dungeons/fractals or personal story instances and who enjoy playing several characters in high-end PvE this expansion is a slap in the face.    … Expand
  3. mon34480
    Oct 26, 2015
    3
    I shall try to be unbiased as possible in this review:
    Pros:
    - Essentially newer game modes (raids), dungeons, maps, WvW, pvp...etc in an already good game who can complain? - New "classes" - New game mechanics such as gliders which bring new ways for those who enjoy jump puzzles. Cons: - One of the main selling points of the game (druid) which was marketed to bring in new play    I shall try to be unbiased as possible in this review:
    Pros:
    - Essentially newer game modes (raids), dungeons, maps, WvW, pvp...etc in an already good game who can complain?
    - New "classes"
    - New game mechanics such as gliders which bring new ways for those who enjoy jump puzzles.

    Cons:
    - One of the main selling points of the game (druid) which was marketed to bring in new play styles which place emphasis on more organisation, support and team based runs is entirely non-existent. After the beta week end the class was completely guttered making it a long drag which is virtually unplayable which takes out alot of the promised new play styles promised.
    - Everything is now a grind. Everything is time gated which turns what was a fun game into an endless grind.
    - There are many issues with the new classes, notably over power and/or severely over nerfed classes which bring along many issues where classes are deemed "unplayable" or classes which clearly need to be changed.
    - Dev response. There has been many beta weekends which occurred prior to the release of the game for the sole purpose of community feed back and testing. From the implementation of the new expansion it seems that very little of the feedback was actually reviewed which unfortunately resulted in the overnerfing of one of the key selling points of the game.
    - The game currently lacks any end game content and the new expansion does not improve upon this.

    For 50$ your hard earned cash is better off elsewhere for such little addition to the game. If you are a gw2 player you're planning on buying the expansion I would hold off until many of the glaring mechanics are fixed and addressed.
    The expansion isnt bad as it does expand on a great game however for the price you're paying you would expect a much more well rounded game and much more legitimate content.    … Expand
  4. Simbob
    Oct 26, 2015
    3
    The expansion in the current state is terrible. It basically wants you to eat soup with a fork, to gain access to the spoon. Everything is gated and grindy. It is a long way from the original GW2 philosophy of play your way.

    Anet have committed the cardinal sin in gaming of alienating their casual player. The casuals are the ones that keep a game ticking over, pay for the newest skin,    The expansion in the current state is terrible. It basically wants you to eat soup with a fork, to gain access to the spoon. Everything is gated and grindy. It is a long way from the original GW2 philosophy of play your way.

    Anet have committed the cardinal sin in gaming of alienating their casual player. The casuals are the ones that keep a game ticking over, pay for the newest skin, like to change their character design and pay for it. They have scrapped dungeons in favor for fractals, however, they do not give you any new fractals, so you are playing the same stuff over again.

    What have Anet been doing for the last 3 years? if this is their output of 3 years of work, they might as well call it a day now!    … Expand
  5. Gaaroth
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    *CONTENT*
    This expansion introduces a LOT of new stuff both in content and systems.
    Masteries - new horizontal way to unlock powers and capacities to improve you gameplay, like gliding and further improvements, lore masteries to unlock merchants, challenges or allow furter exploration in the new region, or bonuses and better rewards in core game dungeons. This allows progression with    *CONTENT*
    This expansion introduces a LOT of new stuff both in content and systems.

    Masteries - new horizontal way to unlock powers and capacities to improve you gameplay, like gliding and further improvements, lore masteries to unlock merchants, challenges or allow furter exploration in the new region, or bonuses and better rewards in core game dungeons. This allows progression with invalidation of previous progression both in gear and levels acquired.

    Elite specialization - a new traitline for each class with new gameplay possibilities.

    New Class - Revenant, tha cover the last heavy armor slot allowing for even more combination in the group setups.

    New story - that keeps where the last chapter of living story left us, moving us to fight against the elder dragon Mordremoth

    All those new systems blends togheter perfectly and despite people opinion they are not grindy to get. You are expected to play the content to unlock that and if you let that flow naturally is very enjoyable and fun. Masteries are even account bound so you have them ready for your alts.
    The new story is glorious and a huge step up from the previous content

    Art & Music
    I want to make this mention of honor because the new maps' design and the soundtrack are both astonishing. I can stare for hours at the beautiful sights and be thrilled everytime by the amazing musics.

    This expansion is what the community asked for and Arenanet delivered with flying (pun intended) colors.    … Expand
  6. Keridos
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    The expansion is awesome, a lot of new content, old content was balanced. The new maps are gorgeous, hard enough to be a challenge and still feel rewarding and are a lot of fun to play for me. The new Mastery system also is pretty well designed except for a few minor things like the mentor badge.
    Gliding is super awesome in the new maps!
    Did not check out the elite specs yet but they    The expansion is awesome, a lot of new content, old content was balanced. The new maps are gorgeous, hard enough to be a challenge and still feel rewarding and are a lot of fun to play for me. The new Mastery system also is pretty well designed except for a few minor things like the mentor badge.
    Gliding is super awesome in the new maps!
    Did not check out the elite specs yet but they were pretty cool in the BWE. Cost quite much Hero Points to unlock them, but it feels good to not rush through the content as is was before the expansion. Most of the stuff does not really feel that grindy for me, at least compared to other MMO's, if you think GW2 is grindy, go play Ragnarok Online (on Vanilla EXP rates) for a few months and then come back. Some of the new content is rather hard to get, but it was pretty much the same in the original GW2 and GW1. Fancy Armor/Weapons often means farming materials for a prolonged time. The new "grindy" content however is very versatile in what you have to do, so in my opinion it does not really feel that much like a grind.

    The launch was one of the smoothest launches for Expansions/MMO's I have ever seen. Almost no lag, just a few minor bugs, almost no crashes and none other inconveniences.

    They have pretty much delivered what the promised us, so the pure negative reviews of HoT are mostly extremely one sided and ignore the fact that they did a damn good job on at least 90% of the content.
    Honestly, it was mentioned that Legendaries will still be not that easy to get, it also was mentioned that the new system was not fast to play through and that the high end content would need skill and good equip to get through. What do you think that means? People WANTED a more end game focused expansion and they exactly delivered that. Endgame focused means: Hard to master, you have to learn the content before you actually can do something effectively in there and it should provide fun and new things to see for the next year or longer. Now people are downvoting this after 3 DAYS(!) and complaining about how you have to grind for some of the new stuff. Just my 2 cents to the (kiddies giving) bad reviews here with no logical structure behind them and no real arguments.    … Expand
  7. DiscoJacen
    Oct 26, 2015
    4
    Some really cool features, but way too many shortcuts taken...
    The mastery system is just a simple xp grind and just serves has a way to hinder your progression in the main story.
    Special masteries that were presented like "unique" (I'm looking at you Pact Mentor) are nothing more than just "get xp in the regular game". The story is cheap and would pass if it didn"'t try to shove in as    Some really cool features, but way too many shortcuts taken...
    The mastery system is just a simple xp grind and just serves has a way to hinder your progression in the main story.
    Special masteries that were presented like "unique" (I'm looking at you Pact Mentor) are nothing more than just "get xp in the regular game".
    The story is cheap and would pass if it didn"'t try to shove in as much social acceptance as possible.

    The elite specializations are cool but once again hidden behind a grindwall if you want to unlock them with hero points (unlike spvp who has them unlocked because #esportz...).
    Which is funny because WvW players STILL have to do the pve grind to get the elite specs....

    Some redeemable features like guild halls.
    Fighting in the jungle is satisfying and can be a real challenge.
    Once you unlock the glider it's a real pleasure to glide around.

    In the end had it been a 20 dollar expansion I'd have said "no problem". But for the price of a full game (even more for ppl who paid for the bigger packs) you just CAN'T release something with so many lazy shortcuts to avoid having to make intermediary missions or quests.    … Expand
  8. ToodleNoodles
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Huge amount of content added, things that will keep me busy for years to come. Anet has kept its vision of the game pure while being as transparent as possible in the design process giving the player base huge amounts of power over the state and direction it goes. They deal with problems as they come up and while some decisions are not always popular, they make them for good reasons thatHuge amount of content added, things that will keep me busy for years to come. Anet has kept its vision of the game pure while being as transparent as possible in the design process giving the player base huge amounts of power over the state and direction it goes. They deal with problems as they come up and while some decisions are not always popular, they make them for good reasons that can be plainly seen if one steps back and looks at it.

    The game itself is gorgeous, maps have a huge amount of love put into each one. The collections and achievements added will keep me engaged for long after the release hype has died down, and the elite specializations make me interested in trying out professions i don't usually play.    … Expand
  9. thedarkess
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    People asked for end game content and they got expansion that focuses primarily on end game. We've got challenging content and no-faceroll PvE, character progression beyond max level, increadible story telling and most stunning zones I've ever seen. And yet people complain they can't get everything 1st day of expansion! Hypocrites.
  10. Boterkoekje
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    This expansion is the smoothest to launch, and extremely high in content. It's got a bit of grind yes.. BUT THATS FOR 1 CHARACTER. After that it's on all your characters. If you spread it there is nothing wrong with it. The map is huge, and a tad confusing. But that makes it new and not the same lineair maps we are used to.

    Hero Points are hard to get IF you make a total new char, but    This expansion is the smoothest to launch, and extremely high in content. It's got a bit of grind yes.. BUT THATS FOR 1 CHARACTER. After that it's on all your characters. If you spread it there is nothing wrong with it. The map is huge, and a tad confusing. But that makes it new and not the same lineair maps we are used to.

    Hero Points are hard to get IF you make a total new char, but should you have it all on day 1? If you just play this game for 24 hours you will most likely have unlocked 80%+ of your character and enough masteries to keep you happy.

    ooh and did I mention, YOU CAN GLIDE. But not in Tyria sadly :(

    Finally this game is a bit more difficult, No more brainless zombies who attack but stay still.    … Expand
  11. RainbowSix
    Oct 26, 2015
    1
    I was extremely excited for H.O.T., I was looking forward to playing through the new maps using the new elite specs, turns out that they are locked behind a huge mind-numbing grind. In fact, just about everything in H.O.T. is locked behind a grind. Moving around in the new maps are extremely frustrating because of confusing map designs and brutal mobs that just one-shot you. Hero pointsI was extremely excited for H.O.T., I was looking forward to playing through the new maps using the new elite specs, turns out that they are locked behind a huge mind-numbing grind. In fact, just about everything in H.O.T. is locked behind a grind. Moving around in the new maps are extremely frustrating because of confusing map designs and brutal mobs that just one-shot you. Hero points cannot be soloed because most are champs with massive amounts of HP that are on a timer...good luck trying to get a group to help you out, with most zones being empty. Heart of Thorns turned out to be a huge let down, stay away from this poorly designed expac until ANET fixes this disaster.… Expand
  12. harveyaddams
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    This is quite possibly the best MMO expansion I have played. The game encounters can get quite difficult, getting mobbed by monsters is as devastating as it should be, and the progression feels earned for once. The storyline and cinematics are magnificent, dwarfed only by the amazing soundtrack. I am normally very anti-grind, but this feels far more productive than simply smashing "X" mobsThis is quite possibly the best MMO expansion I have played. The game encounters can get quite difficult, getting mobbed by monsters is as devastating as it should be, and the progression feels earned for once. The storyline and cinematics are magnificent, dwarfed only by the amazing soundtrack. I am normally very anti-grind, but this feels far more productive than simply smashing "X" mobs for gold. The difficulty is reminiscent of classic EverQuest, with the mastery system feeling earned, rather than just given. I have been thrilled so far, and expect the thrills to continue as the living story unfolds in the future.… Expand
  13. AnonyLol
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Its a great expansion. Very very fun to play, and the most important part, it fully integrates into the existing world (so not like wow where everyone moves on to a new area and the existing areas get completly empty). All the people who are giving bad reviews are just crying because of some problems which will be fixed by arenanet soon.
  14. MarkAttica
    Oct 26, 2015
    0
    The expansion is so limited and shallow that it begs the tough questions. What exactly has anet been doing for the past year and a half? And more importantly how could they just take my 50 bucks and deliver nothing in return?

    I feel robbed by a company that promised an expansion with specializations, essentially new versions of the old classes that you could play from day one. As it    The expansion is so limited and shallow that it begs the tough questions. What exactly has anet been doing for the past year and a half? And more importantly how could they just take my 50 bucks and deliver nothing in return?

    I feel robbed by a company that promised an expansion with specializations, essentially new versions of the old classes that you could play from day one. As it turns out they are playable but only after a 60 hour grind through the hellish jumping puzzles anet calls a map. An utter ripoff and a damn shame thats all this expansion is. Do not buy this.    … Expand
  15. lordklod
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    great exp with good content. Not done in a day and a lot of fun things to do. The story is amazing and the music in the game is lovely. The mastery system is good.
  16. Nuri
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    The first expansion for the massive Guild Wars 2 world brings plenty of new things to the table. There is a bit of controversy about the new mechanics, specifically the need to train Elite specializations and Masteries, both of which take a bit of time. Now for a casual player like me, there is no problem in that - Guild Wars 2 is still the casual player's heaven, where it does not matterThe first expansion for the massive Guild Wars 2 world brings plenty of new things to the table. There is a bit of controversy about the new mechanics, specifically the need to train Elite specializations and Masteries, both of which take a bit of time. Now for a casual player like me, there is no problem in that - Guild Wars 2 is still the casual player's heaven, where it does not matter if you play 25 arenas or just 3, as you still have fun and get enough rewards for doing just that.

    Pros:
    Beautiful landscapes
    Immersive questline for HoT
    Interesting concept of daytime/night-time quests
    Elite professions
    Gliding (although it does get a bit infuriating when you miss that one ledge and fall to your death)
    New Guild Missions
    Guild Halls

    Cons:
    Slightly grindy (but you can prevent that by playing with friends/guildies)
    New Prof = everyone is revenant (Think of WotLK amounts of DKs)

    i am enjoying my time in Maguuma so far and I am very happy about how this expansion turned out.    … Expand
  17. Thaelan
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    The Heart of Thorns expansion is an expansion that adds alot of new and exciting features to Guild Wars 2, giving it a new endgame and a bunch of new activities. The game also adds to one of Guild Wars 2 "problems", namely the unclear definition of what people can / want to do after they hit lvl 80.

    These extra features include working towards Mastery's , which allow your account to    The Heart of Thorns expansion is an expansion that adds alot of new and exciting features to Guild Wars 2, giving it a new endgame and a bunch of new activities. The game also adds to one of Guild Wars 2 "problems", namely the unclear definition of what people can / want to do after they hit lvl 80.

    These extra features include working towards Mastery's , which allow your account to reach new areas or get new bonuses, Guild Halls, a place to build your own safe spot with your Guild Mates and Raids, a more difficult challenge then current dungeons and more. I don't know what else to write here, but needless to say, I feel that if you enjoyed Guild Wars 2, you can only enjoy it more with the expansion seeing as it gives you new goals, new activities, new opportunities for fun!    … Expand
  18. Blanc0
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Heart of thorns, the very first expansion for an amazing game that has been going strong for years now. Anet tried to do things differently then most mmo's and not raise the lvl cap or add better gear, cause who wants to grind for more gear cause their old max gear has become useless?

    Now Anet did add a way to further ''lvl'' your character, in the form of masteries and elite    Heart of thorns, the very first expansion for an amazing game that has been going strong for years now. Anet tried to do things differently then most mmo's and not raise the lvl cap or add better gear, cause who wants to grind for more gear cause their old max gear has become useless?

    Now Anet did add a way to further ''lvl'' your character, in the form of masteries and elite specialisations. Masteries are unique abilities like Gliding, Bouncing mushrooms or even learning new languages of new civilisations. These masteries are gained by gaining xp and are account wide, they add a new and exciting way to improve your account and are sure to keep you busy for a while. They require a fair amount of xp, but so did levelling a new character all the way to lvl 80 in the core, so its a far amount in my opinion. There are some masteries required to progress the story, but after Anet removed 1 mastery requirement they really don't slow you down a lot. (They even show you what masteries you will need for which story chapters, so you can prepare for that). Within masteries there are 2 major lines, the Heart of Thorns masteries and the Central Tyrian masteries. The lather being designed for older content, they add small bonusses.

    The other way to lvl your characters, are elite specialisations. Elite specialisations add new abilities to existing classes and they all get 1 new weapon. The initial unlocking cost of the trait line could be considered a bit steep, but compared to the old levelling in the core game it is pretty fast and rewarding. The new elite specs feel fresh and unique, have great visuals and really make a change.

    Next to the new ways to lvl your character there are 4 new maps, which are absolutely stunning. Lots of verticality makes gliding useful and fun, bouncing mushrooms also give a whole new way of exploring the jungle. The new foes have great movement, like a giant dinosaur rolling over its side or giant flying wyverns with major fire attacks. The maps are great to explore and as you progress your masteries you can reach new places and find even more hidden spaces. The maps house lots of event chains and there are large scale meta events that require the map to work together. Newly added are adventures, mini games that offer a great xp boost! The jungle maps, like Auric Basin, become even more gorgeous at night!

    There are many changes to the guilds as well, the major change being Guild Halls. A feature long requested by the community and now Anet delivered. With as few as 3 guild members you can claim one of 2 halls. These halls offer upgrades in the form of buildings and bonuses. The customisation of these halls is pretty endless once you have a scribe (new crafting profession) to build you all the decorations. The initial price to start building a tavern/mine/workshop is high at the moment for the smaller guilds, but this is mostly due to everyone wanting to unlock the building and larger guilds having a bigger budget, this will need some time for the market to settle. All in all as time goes by everyone will be able to build the upgrades and make the guild hall a personal home for their guild. The guild hall also adds a new treasury system where all members can donate the required materials for future upgrades.

    There are lots of changes in Heart of Thorns and the way it is set up it will require some time to unlock every new addition to the core game Guild Wars 2. Just like it took time to lvl from 1 to 80 in the core game, masteries and elite specs are just a new and fresh way of levelling without raising the lvl cap or adding a new gear tier. It will keep you busy and it will keep you exploring every nook and cranny of the new amazing jungle maps. Those who love Guild Wars 2, will love Heart of Thorns.    … Expand
  19. Moinaldo
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Expansion is great. Lots of stuff added with new zones, class, specializations, items, raids, etc... Almost no bugs compared to any other mmo expansion release.

    People whining here and there are the ones that wanted to finish all the content in one week, so they could cry next week about not having any new content. Time gated stuff is needed and gives the sense of progression.    Expansion is great. Lots of stuff added with new zones, class, specializations, items, raids, etc... Almost no bugs compared to any other mmo expansion release.

    People whining here and there are the ones that wanted to finish all the content in one week, so they could cry next week about not having any new content.

    Time gated stuff is needed and gives the sense of progression. Definitely a great expasion with superb quality.    … Expand
  20. Rayzer
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Love this expansion the story is definitely way better than the old one and the new maps and the music that accompanies these maps are just superb the composers and map designers did an freaking amazing job especially with the meta events. The mastery system is really good been especially the gilding that one is really fun to use.I still progressing through my elite spec at a steady paceLove this expansion the story is definitely way better than the old one and the new maps and the music that accompanies these maps are just superb the composers and map designers did an freaking amazing job especially with the meta events. The mastery system is really good been especially the gilding that one is really fun to use.I still progressing through my elite spec at a steady pace so far its been fun playing my druid. I don't get what people are saying about being grind I mean you gotta do it once then the masteries are your for all your characters I didn't expect them to be handed to me in the first few days same goes for the elites specs they may not be account unlocked but getting the masteries the first really brings down the amount time for you spend unlocking them. I can pretty much assure you that the people complaining about grinding would be the same people who would have complained if they were to easy to get and then leave the game saying that it was to easy and "lol no endgame"

    I strongly recommend getting expac if your level 80 atleast if not try the game out using the Play 4 Free option    … Expand
  21. wapsky
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    The new zone are really beautiful and despite what everyone is saying the game has a good progression. The game itself is well optimized and have yet to see a major bug or non functionality of game mechanic.

    over all a good expansion and much needed content to an ever impressive game.
  22. Joejones
    Oct 26, 2015
    0
    The Heart of Thrones expansion is a major let down. I sat and watched and waited before purchasing it, and then bought one for myself and a friend. Now I feel like I got ripped off. Arenanet went on and on about how he new specializations were no better or stronger than any other classes, but threw the hero points needed to open them behind gated content and are charging a ridiculous amtThe Heart of Thrones expansion is a major let down. I sat and watched and waited before purchasing it, and then bought one for myself and a friend. Now I feel like I got ripped off. Arenanet went on and on about how he new specializations were no better or stronger than any other classes, but threw the hero points needed to open them behind gated content and are charging a ridiculous amt of points to fully open these specs. You can't go grab them, you can't do most alone, and the main story line is bugged and still hasn't been fixed. Please don't waste your time or money on this product.… Expand
  23. nanananana
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    While there's some things to work out for Anet, the game is literally the most fun I've had with an mmo in so many years. In a game with no subscription fee. That I got for 33 euro. I mean, come on man. What is up with these negative reviews. Sure, whenever there's a problem you need time to work it out. It's like that with all expansions and game releases. The expansion is tons of fun.While there's some things to work out for Anet, the game is literally the most fun I've had with an mmo in so many years. In a game with no subscription fee. That I got for 33 euro. I mean, come on man. What is up with these negative reviews. Sure, whenever there's a problem you need time to work it out. It's like that with all expansions and game releases. The expansion is tons of fun. Can't emphasize enough on that.… Expand
  24. FayEverdunes
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    As a veteran player, I've been thoroughly enjoying the new more challenging approach, the maps are fantastic, and I love the variety of events. It's a breath of fresh air and exactly what GW2 needed.

    As for anyone reading the negative reviews, I would strongly suggest taking them with a grain of salt because they focus on one or two issues, ignoring the other 98% of content which has    As a veteran player, I've been thoroughly enjoying the new more challenging approach, the maps are fantastic, and I love the variety of events. It's a breath of fresh air and exactly what GW2 needed.

    As for anyone reading the negative reviews, I would strongly suggest taking them with a grain of salt because they focus on one or two issues, ignoring the other 98% of content which has honestly been really great. Everyone knows there are bugs and balance issues when expansions or games launch and Anet has largely always done a lot to improve those over time. The people voting so negatively are largely just hoping it will force Anet to do what they want rather than appreciate all the amazing work they have accomplished with HoT.

    For a better mix of viewpoints on how HoT is being received, check Reddit and the Official Forums. Then wait a few weeks and see how people feel after they are more familiar with the content.    … Expand
  25. Gamermama
    Oct 26, 2015
    3
    The new WvW - cool with it's new challenges and change of maps. Guild Halls - just long over due (should have been a part of GW2 upon release). The new map - a basic waste of 74.99. I spent the whole weekend (even took a vacation day) to get level one in gliding LOL. This map is impossible for a gamer like me. Will not waste any more of my fun time in there. I'll gather my Hero PointsThe new WvW - cool with it's new challenges and change of maps. Guild Halls - just long over due (should have been a part of GW2 upon release). The new map - a basic waste of 74.99. I spent the whole weekend (even took a vacation day) to get level one in gliding LOL. This map is impossible for a gamer like me. Will not waste any more of my fun time in there. I'll gather my Hero Points other ways for specializations - even though it will take a year. Mostly disappointed it isn't soloable - which is what I prefer in my PvE time. Not the "play as you want" game I paid for.… Expand
  26. kennyljs
    Oct 26, 2015
    4
    Mediocre. I wonder if the reviewers that gave it 10/10 even played the game at all. They gated off the expansion pack so that you need to grind for mastery so that you can progress through the map. In the core game, you could get to whatever area you want to go without any restrictions. The only problem is that the level 80 mobs will one hit KO your level 2 character in a level 80 area.Mediocre. I wonder if the reviewers that gave it 10/10 even played the game at all. They gated off the expansion pack so that you need to grind for mastery so that you can progress through the map. In the core game, you could get to whatever area you want to go without any restrictions. The only problem is that the level 80 mobs will one hit KO your level 2 character in a level 80 area. But that is how open the core game is. This expansion build huge walls around the map that you need to break down before you can progress. Yes, the graphics are stunning. The game play is smooth. Some bugs here and there, but not game breaking. The only thing standing in your way if you want to open the maps is that huge wall. A wall too huge for many players. The elites can go kitten off!… Expand
  27. Graith
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    The fact that this expansion is getting even a single negative review is appalling to me. This expansion is everything that Guild Wars 2 was in desperate need of. Most of these negative reviews are people complaining about having to play content in order to get mastery points. You’re actually complaining about having new content to play? Is this even a real complaint? Mastery Points areThe fact that this expansion is getting even a single negative review is appalling to me. This expansion is everything that Guild Wars 2 was in desperate need of. Most of these negative reviews are people complaining about having to play content in order to get mastery points. You’re actually complaining about having new content to play? Is this even a real complaint? Mastery Points are something you earn from doing that thing in games we all love to do which is have fun in new content. The fact that people are complaining about it is disgusting. Go back to WoW you can buy yourself a character there and do nothing, it will be more fun for you scrubs.
    Next let’s talk about elite specs. People are complaining that they need hero points to get them. Once again.. play the content. More importantly what have you been doing over the last 3 years? I was able to get my elite spec on two of my characters day one upon log in.. because I play the content. The elite specs are all extremely fun and it’s clear that a good amount of time and balance effort has been put into making them feel right. They are a joy to play and I am looking forward to leveling my 3rd.
    This expansion is fantastic… so much new content to explore and new things to work towards in the coming years. I hope Anet does not even waste time reading these negative unfounded reviews. There is nothing but awesome things to explore and discover in this expansion. Each new event is met with new challenges that take tactics to bring down instead of zerging a boss to death. Sorry kids this means again you will have to play the content, which seems like a challenging notion.
    There is no pay gate to fractals or any other content in the game. There does seem to be a competence gate, based on players who want to actually work for things and those that just want them handed to them. Keep up the fantastic work Anet, I’m not someone that has endless hours to play and I can’t wait to spend even more time in your new world.    … Expand
  28. plexon21
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    I am already loving this addon. Great story,ine and some very amazing maps with a huge variety and a lot of verticality. Totally worth checking out.
    ArenaNet did a great job with this expansion. The only problem I have with it are all the people whining about not being able to finish all of it in the first weekend.
  29. MordinAshe
    Oct 26, 2015
    1
    Long time GW2 player here. TL;DR version> Avoid this for now, some poor game design decisions have serious impact right now.

    More elaborate version: GW2 were always about non-grinding and going directly for the fun stuff. This expansion is the antithesis of this, as was already mentioned. Core mechanics are either character-exclusive or require tens of hours of grinding. Who says    Long time GW2 player here. TL;DR version> Avoid this for now, some poor game design decisions have serious impact right now.

    More elaborate version: GW2 were always about non-grinding and going directly for the fun stuff. This expansion is the antithesis of this, as was already mentioned. Core mechanics are either character-exclusive or require tens of hours of grinding. Who says otherwise is lying, the only thing account bound in this expansion are masteries and you need 80+ hours of making a dent here.

    New locations are terrible by design. Too difficult for almost every solo player. That wouldn't be that bad if there were people around, but there aren't. You barely make any money on the map so when you finish it you move forward. As it is now most diehards already completed the map and it is now terribly empty, which means that almost no one can get those champion hero points you need for elite specialization that would make you stronger, which you need to be able to survive on this map. A loop of failed attempts of various kind is sure to follow.

    Another downside is that some game mechanics are still not as they should be. Anet tried to banish the holy trinity (DPS, tank, healer) but only achieved moderate success. DPS has its place, tanks have place too but healing characters are still ridiculously not worth the investment. It mattered little in original game but now when champions kill 30-40 people in a fight you really could use some healing. Sadly healing is as discouraged as ever, effectively shrinking the holy trinity to holy duo (tank, DPS).

    This expansion pack is difficult to assess right now because when there are hundreds of players on the new map it somehow works. When they leave for the rest of eternity it will be an empty, desolate place where no one will go because they won't have a chance at surviving. Diehards won't come back because there are no rewards and all of this will be for nothing.

    Many bad game design choices, and choices that go completely against the original intent of GW2. What made GW2 great is no more true in HoT.
    Also, I hope that Anet didn't spend too much money on paid meta critic reviews because this game moved from 3.8 to 6 in only a few hours. Coincidence?    … Expand
  30. matchsticks
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    Fantastic game, awesome story and account-wide progression. People just want things handed to them on a shiny plate without any gameplay now. Yes, things are probably tuned a little bit too high, but there's plenty of content to make up for it. People just need to sit back and enjoy the content - don't rush it, explore and try to understand what they're complaining about before they getFantastic game, awesome story and account-wide progression. People just want things handed to them on a shiny plate without any gameplay now. Yes, things are probably tuned a little bit too high, but there's plenty of content to make up for it. People just need to sit back and enjoy the content - don't rush it, explore and try to understand what they're complaining about before they get all up in arms about it.… Expand
  31. Syngig
    Oct 26, 2015
    9
    Had the best launch out of any MMO on the current market, no stingy crashes no weird errors while logging in, just boot up the client and log in after installation. The xpac introduces new mechanics for late game progression. The new maps are very well done, layered with so much to explore. Guilds can now claim guild halls where they can hangout and chat and eventually upgrade their guildHad the best launch out of any MMO on the current market, no stingy crashes no weird errors while logging in, just boot up the client and log in after installation. The xpac introduces new mechanics for late game progression. The new maps are very well done, layered with so much to explore. Guilds can now claim guild halls where they can hangout and chat and eventually upgrade their guild halls to have scribes and decorations. Gliding is a blast, and although the mastery system will take time to get used to and having to unlock your elite specilization, it shouldnt take more than a few days or even less if you're committed. New map for pvp, updated fractals, a new action camera that makes the combat feel a lot like tera in someways. Within a few weeks the first raid will be released and as Anet always does will be pumping out more awesome content with the months to come as they did with the core game.

    A con I would like to point out is that you immediately feel lost, which can be taken as either good or bad. Im somewhere in the middle, and although I enjoyed getting lost in the jungle it can be hard to tell what to do next regarding mastery leveling.
    Im fine with the hero point requirements for the elite specs, I only have 3 characters that I usually play on and I took advantage of the weekend launch to get 2 of them maxed out in the elite spec. While its fine for me, I can see why a lot of people arent okay with it.

    Another issue thats come up is there seems to be something wrong with the mega servers, I found myself in the new maps with no idea where everyone was, only to hear the same problem in the forums. This is an issue because a lot of the content being introduced in Heart Of Thorns is very challenging within the context of PvE, monsters are usually in groups and dish out a lot of damage which requires you to be well aware of your surroundings and cooldowns. Also to achieve Hero Points there are alot of elite monsters, somewhat like mini bosses scattered around the map that can't be soloed so having a group is crucial to moving along.

    I suggest partying up with your guildmates or using the LFG tool and join a group of people trying to progress through the content like you.
    Im looking forward to everything else this xpac has to offer and I hope to see the GW2 team excel even further at what they do best, I wish them luck!    … Expand
  32. Keorl
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    Engaging story and veyr well designed story missions. Lots of beautiful landscapes. 4 huge nd very different map-wide meta events. Tons of features, including a few details that were asked for a long time. Lots of progression added for your characters and account. Good amounts of new stuff to do, from story to exploration to events to progression to fractals to lots of nice journeysEngaging story and veyr well designed story missions. Lots of beautiful landscapes. 4 huge nd very different map-wide meta events. Tons of features, including a few details that were asked for a long time. Lots of progression added for your characters and account. Good amounts of new stuff to do, from story to exploration to events to progression to fractals to lots of nice journeys (collections) ...

    This expansion is really great.

    Ignore the amount of negative reviews : they are the result of a call for bombing, from a few people who dislike a detail, didn't understand the non-linear for of exploration in HoT (can't do something in 1st map ? Come back later when you have naturally learned the mastery, you don't have to grind for it) and/or want everything served to them immediately (insta-unlock of masteries and elite specs, which in fact build the mid term progression for the game ... it's an MMO; you have to work a bit to progress, you can't have all that on DAY1. There is no grind needed for those things unless you decide to make them a grind by yourself)    … Expand
  33. Luckygecko
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    I love the expansion, the jungle is challenging, but it's doable solo. the new specialisation are great, the jungle maps feels epic. The new guild system look great. the musics are good. I am enjoying it a lot and so does all my guild members
  34. Columba
    Oct 26, 2015
    1
    This is a horrible expansion. Ranger pets require 6+ hours sitting and waiting for spawns. The zones are nearly impossible to cross. They wrecked wvw with tons of pve gimmicks. If you hate pve, you are forced to endure hours of buggy pve to compete in pvp or wvw. Horrible expansion.
  35. staticx27
    Oct 26, 2015
    8
    Freaking awesome expac. Few issues with crashes on launch, but those are pretty par for the course with a new expac launch. Masteries are definitely not a grind (most people use the term incorrectly), as there is lots of content to complete the masteries with. Revenant had a lot of work put into it, made many things easier (fractals for example are now easier to get into for newerFreaking awesome expac. Few issues with crashes on launch, but those are pretty par for the course with a new expac launch. Masteries are definitely not a grind (most people use the term incorrectly), as there is lots of content to complete the masteries with. Revenant had a lot of work put into it, made many things easier (fractals for example are now easier to get into for newer players!), the new maps are really dynamic and add a whole new level of movement through the map.

    The elite specs requiring 400 hero points to unlock is a little excessive, but given that each hero point in HoT gives 10 points, its not terrible. All in all, awesome happiness. Only gave it an 8 because the community is really killing the experience for me (its non-stop complaining over some pretty menial things). Hopefully the community will improve their attitude a little more.    … Expand
  36. Morbidlight
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    It is amazing how fickle people can be. One of the biggest 'gripes' about Guild Wars 2 was the lack of end game content. Heart of Thorns makes that statement even more of a fallacy as it is loaded with so much content. I have played the Guild Wars franchise since Prophecies and all I can say is this expansion is another welcome addition, in terms of challenging content. I want a game thatIt is amazing how fickle people can be. One of the biggest 'gripes' about Guild Wars 2 was the lack of end game content. Heart of Thorns makes that statement even more of a fallacy as it is loaded with so much content. I have played the Guild Wars franchise since Prophecies and all I can say is this expansion is another welcome addition, in terms of challenging content. I want a game that can reward me for my the amount of time and energy I put into it, all the while having an enjoyable and memorable experience. So far this is exactly what I am getting and am loving every minute of it. Immersive new environments, compelling story, believable characters and long term character progression are just a few of the things that stand out and I have only just scratched the surface and I cannot wait to get home today to continue this epic journey.

    The people writing negative reviews are just casualties of a society where instant gratification has become the norm. What they don't even realize is that Guild Wars 2 had plenty grinding, it is just that Anet were smart enough to reinvent the wheel per se and implement it slightly differently and market it correctly. Heart of Thorns works off the same formula, except it is slightly more obvious now that to achieve, you need to put in the effort. Its a give and take relationship, but a loving and rewarding one at that.    … Expand
  37. CheriWonderland
    Oct 26, 2015
    10
    This game is fantastic, and what you see here is the trend of entitlement that people figure they should get everything instantly, with no effort. When ArenaNET handed out free episodes every 2 weeks, people complained that there wasn't enough and it was forcing them to keep coming back. So, ArenaNET bows to the angry unwashed and creates an expansion, designed so that people don't finishThis game is fantastic, and what you see here is the trend of entitlement that people figure they should get everything instantly, with no effort. When ArenaNET handed out free episodes every 2 weeks, people complained that there wasn't enough and it was forcing them to keep coming back. So, ArenaNET bows to the angry unwashed and creates an expansion, designed so that people don't finish it in one weekend.

    Sure enough, rage ensues with cheap shots of "gates" and "paywalls," when any adventure game player should know that the point is to progress over time and get better. Otherwise, what's the point?

    I have over 7,000 hours into the original game, and even people whom I played with previously and left the game have returned and are extremely enthusiastic about the new content.

    The maps are beautiful. The events scale to work with a few people or a hundred, better than ever - and many of the old boss mechanics have been updated to keep things fresh and challenging.

    Finally, ArenaNET outdid themselves by released not only the expansion, but the Halloween temporary games for the Play for Free people to get something new.

    Play for free, stay for the best community .. these idiots aren't a fair example of what's in game.    … Expand
  38. Blucky87
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    I recently restarted playing after about 2 years and the exp pack areas provide a lot of fun but I wish the way you get hero points and mastery levels in the new expansion were reversed,
  39. shaitanbek
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    I just don't like new WvW map, everything else is just fine. I'm laughing at people who whine that they cannot complete new content in one day. There's no grind unless you choose to grind.
  40. Daraku9
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Heart of Thorns adds to GW2 by improving the combat, adding better late game content, improving the story and tons of other things that you can find out more about on GW2's website. At the moment the only problems that people have found is that a couple of the quests are bugged so you might have to restart your client or the instance to fix them. Considering that the bugs can be fixedHeart of Thorns adds to GW2 by improving the combat, adding better late game content, improving the story and tons of other things that you can find out more about on GW2's website. At the moment the only problems that people have found is that a couple of the quests are bugged so you might have to restart your client or the instance to fix them. Considering that the bugs can be fixed and none of the bugged content was in the beta weekend so none of it was thoroughly playtested it isn't much of a problem. Some people claim that the expansion is grindy but I'm honestly not sure what they were expecting as content that can be played over and over again will eventually become grindy and since im 36 hours into the expansion and I haven't even explored all the maps yet it's going to take a long while to reach that point.… Expand
  41. Ivaren
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    Game Review:

    My overall experience has been great, there is so much to do and explore in the new areas. Gliding is amazing, and there has been a lot of quality of life changes that I have enjoyed. And this has been the smoothest MMO expansion or MMO launch I have ever experienced. Very few bugs and the few that I have seen were fixed fast. Going offline for a few hours and coming back    Game Review:

    My overall experience has been great, there is so much to do and explore in the new areas. Gliding is amazing, and there has been a lot of quality of life changes that I have enjoyed. And this has been the smoothest MMO expansion or MMO launch I have ever experienced. Very few bugs and the few that I have seen were fixed fast. Going offline for a few hours and coming back there seems to always be a small bug fix patch to download. If you had played GW2 in the past and left or if you are brand new to the game, now is a great time to hop in.

    Negative reviews Review:

    It is very sad to see all of the low reviews on here for what has been an awesome expansion release to an already awesome game. As of writing this the first weekend is not even over yet and there are so many 1/10 reviews from people complaining about the grind "added to the game."

    First I would not call playing through brand new content that is as diverse as it has been, grindy, and the people complaining about having to look for a group for certain challenges? Why play an MMO if you don't want to play with other people from time to time. I know everyone is excited to play their class's new hotness, and use it through the new content, but I would assume that most people have played their main class for over a year, so what is a another week at most on top of that.

    Think of it this way, if this was any other MMO there would have been a level bump. But there wasn't. So to give that sense of progression ANet added the specializations and masteries. Specializations are a character based progression that really don't take too long to mostly unlock. But, some of the points you need may have been gated by masteries though. And from my experience only the lower tiers of masteries. However those are an account unlock meaning after getting them while working on your first character that gate is gone for every other character.

    In my opinion, think most of the low reviews on here have been blown out of proportion, especially for it still being the 3rd day the expansion has even been out. Remember we are playing a game. Were experiencing new content. This is not an Asian grindfest MMO where you have to grind mobs for 3 months to unlock your spec. Just play the game.    … Expand
  42. Sagath
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Don't believe all the haters about this game. Getting an elite spec is time taking but worth it, it's like a training sequence for your character. Jungle is tough place to be but Anet wants to bring players together to fight Mordremoth, just find nearby friends to play with. Be social.

    This expansion is what core game should have been all about.
  43. Thunderwitch
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    Developers deceived everyone. They promised one thing and actually do the opposite. "in our game will never have to grind," but a more appropriate name for the game is now "Grind Wars 2: Heart of Grind". My score of 0, I expected more. It is no longer my favorite game. I'm from little friend guild. I paid 100$, but i cant see Guild Hall, becouse need 3 or more people in guild. All event isDevelopers deceived everyone. They promised one thing and actually do the opposite. "in our game will never have to grind," but a more appropriate name for the game is now "Grind Wars 2: Heart of Grind". My score of 0, I expected more. It is no longer my favorite game. I'm from little friend guild. I paid 100$, but i cant see Guild Hall, becouse need 3 or more people in guild. All event is unnecessarily complicated in new location, and on these very hard "group" events extremely small number of people… Expand
  44. thenoobiniser
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    The new expansion is a treat to all of us. Every map has a metaevent that makes it much more involving than the normal maps (these also has more backstory to them then the silverwastes). The many reviews stating that it is grindy haven't realised they wouldn't be pleased if they finished the expansion in these 2 days. The story is really nice, and a great step up from even living story 2.The new expansion is a treat to all of us. Every map has a metaevent that makes it much more involving than the normal maps (these also has more backstory to them then the silverwastes). The many reviews stating that it is grindy haven't realised they wouldn't be pleased if they finished the expansion in these 2 days. The story is really nice, and a great step up from even living story 2. Yes, that story is gated behind the masteries. But that is just the more reason to do those masteries. Let the haters play for 2 more weeks, they'll be all the more happy doing masteries took just a little longer… Expand
  45. Mortum1
    Oct 25, 2015
    2
    Why so low? Welli played this game for about 1,000 hours, i got my money worth back many many times, but the HoTs expansion is a very grindy type of content, tehre is some fun here and there with fantastic visuals and music, but its core design is around grinding XP for masteries, something that sounded good in theory but the way it is implemented ended feeling nothing more than justWhy so low? Welli played this game for about 1,000 hours, i got my money worth back many many times, but the HoTs expansion is a very grindy type of content, tehre is some fun here and there with fantastic visuals and music, but its core design is around grinding XP for masteries, something that sounded good in theory but the way it is implemented ended feeling nothing more than just another MMO expac that you have to grind endless levels to get to the good stuff. Its not fun and its not , as always with Anet, rewarding!… Expand
  46. Derrian
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Example of expansion done right. Level cap wasn't increased and youc an easily level up ALL your masteries while exploring. Play this if you don't have the classic millenial "must have ALL the shinies now" complex
  47. szspagna
    Oct 25, 2015
    2
    If you like dynamic events, the expansion is for you.

    If you hate this braindead open world pve activity, the expansion has nothing for you. They nerfed dungeon and fractal rewards to hell. They gated fractal rewards behind keys that you have to buy with gold to get RNG returns. You cannot level masteries with instanced PvE content, so you must farm "dynamic" (oh, the irony)    If you like dynamic events, the expansion is for you.

    If you hate this braindead open world pve activity, the expansion has nothing for you.

    They nerfed dungeon and fractal rewards to hell. They gated fractal rewards behind keys that you have to buy with gold to get RNG returns.

    You cannot level masteries with instanced PvE content, so you must farm "dynamic" (oh, the irony) events for countless hours to progress in masteries.

    The elite specs are locked behind 400 points, which means your world completion in the game meant nothing. You'll only unlock up to adept traits IF you did world completion. If you didn't, get ready to play a handicapped elite spec for a while.

    For those very 20-40 hero challenges you need to do in the jungle, many of them are gated behind mastery level requirements to access (so gotta grind those dynamic events for hours).

    On top of that, they had the retarded idea of placing champions that can one shot anything that isn't a necro/warrior.

    You will not be able to solo most hero challenges in heart of thorns. Some hero challenges don't involve a ridiculously broken champion, instead they involve a point surrounded by several veteran level HP sponge ranged mobs who attack from range for a third to half your health, stun you to death in melee, and if you try to range them to not get stunned to death in melee, they also randomly evade ranged attacks.

    Needless to say, this expansion is a complete departure from Guild Wars 1 philosophy of no grind.

    Massive goldsinks were also created. To salvage all those ascended rings you got from fractals, each salvage costs 1 gold. A salvage kit costs 20 gold in a game with no meaningful liquid gold gain since they nerfed dungeon rewards to hell (and even then a complete dungeon tour WAS 20 gold).

    They also made ascended armor even more expensive to make, by not only making it require bolts of damask, but elonian leather too.

    Basically, they increased all goldsinks to ridiculous levels, nerfed gold gain in the game, so you are pressured to buy gems with real money to convert to gold, or face farming unholy hours.

    The only good thing about this expansion is the story missions and maybe the raids.    … Expand
  48. Grahaka47
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    awesome expansion,Anet is really daring to take a different approach considering the current generic MMO market.

    awesome maps,tons to explore, secrets and amazing events this expansion is pretty awesome. best expansion i hve played in years in any game. all talks about grind is by casual players who lack skill level and still need all tasty loot and masteries lol. the expansion    awesome expansion,Anet is really daring to take a different approach considering the current generic MMO market.

    awesome maps,tons to explore, secrets and amazing events this expansion is pretty awesome.

    best expansion i hve played in years in any game.

    all talks about grind is by casual players who lack skill level and still need all tasty loot and masteries lol.

    the expansion encourages to group together and not ravel alone and hero pints need minimum 4 man group equipped with loads of CC.

    the jungle maps are riddled with content and all sorts of mechanics, but players whose sole aim is to grind events and get all mastery on day one will never find these and will soon leave and I am happy t see that.

    this expansion is not aimed at players who have experienced linear progression its for explorers, adventures, lore searchers and hard core people not filthy casuals who want instant gratification and then yell for more content and complaint the game lacks end game.    … Expand
  49. Loku
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    0

    What we got with this expansion not only is fun, but also varied. The new personal story is a success, the new maps are awesome and the new ways to explore are simply fun as hell. Most of the progression is account bound and pretty easy to level through standard gameplay. Everyone wants everything immediately it seems. The only issue right now is the gating behind one of the storyline    0

    What we got with this expansion not only is fun, but also varied. The new personal story is a success, the new maps are awesome and the new ways to explore are simply fun as hell. Most of the progression is account bound and pretty easy to level through standard gameplay. Everyone wants everything immediately it seems. The only issue right now is the gating behind one of the storyline missions, which is already being addressed. Adventures are really fun, and the new open world is much more challenging than before. It will take still a while to test and understand every new profession, every new guild upgrade, wvw and pvp builds and tactics, etc... but the expansion is already worth its price. And it's only the beginning: people seem to forget that what they bought entitles them to months (years?) of updates. Raids are around the corner, and soon after them the new living story will start for the HoT owners. We are in for a ride.    … Expand
  50. Volphy
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Despite the brigade that is plaguing this page with negative reviews, Heart of Thorns is a wonderful expansion designed by Anet. Despite the few issues that we have at launch concerning the amount of XP it takes to level up masteries, and the issues that Druid has since the changes from beta, Heart of Thorns is a huge, lovely, and downright masterful expansion. On release day it's serversDespite the brigade that is plaguing this page with negative reviews, Heart of Thorns is a wonderful expansion designed by Anet. Despite the few issues that we have at launch concerning the amount of XP it takes to level up masteries, and the issues that Druid has since the changes from beta, Heart of Thorns is a huge, lovely, and downright masterful expansion. On release day it's servers remained rock-solid too, something I have not seen in MMOs to this very day.

    I give Heart of Thorns an outstanding review of 9/10. The extra point is there because of all of the low-score brigading that is happening. Two days after release.    … Expand
  51. RedBaron2015
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    ANet decided to hide all the new skills behind a huge wall of grinding just to make this expansion to last. Instead of focusing in the playability of the game, ANet decided to make everything hard in order to force the players to invest hundreds of hours just to get the new skills (while using the premium shop boosters to increase their revenues).

    HoT expansion is toxic. Do not waste    ANet decided to hide all the new skills behind a huge wall of grinding just to make this expansion to last. Instead of focusing in the playability of the game, ANet decided to make everything hard in order to force the players to invest hundreds of hours just to get the new skills (while using the premium shop boosters to increase their revenues).

    HoT expansion is toxic. Do not waste your money. You will be paying to suffer and get frustrated. A complete waste of money and time.    … Expand
  52. Sir_Appleby
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    Lots of hype, but everything promised is not there. No content, just gated waypoints/traits really. And locked Fractals behind a paywall. It's a mssive grind in order to reach a level where you get to grind for masteries to grind for more... etc
  53. azerty247
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    Unfortunately, the systems in this expansion are tedious enough to make me feel like this is a free-to-play expansion, even though that's not the case.
  54. XYLUM
    Oct 25, 2015
    3
    I give this a 3 out of 10 because, more then add to the existing Guildwars 2 game, they castrated it.

    The nerfed dungeons, they nerfed fractals and locked the loot in box that you have to BUY keys in order to open. They simply took Living Story Season 3 and added some mechanics, and a game update and hard gated the progression through insane amounts of grind, left out all of the    I give this a 3 out of 10 because, more then add to the existing Guildwars 2 game, they castrated it.

    The nerfed dungeons, they nerfed fractals and locked the loot in box that you have to BUY keys in order to open.

    They simply took Living Story Season 3 and added some mechanics, and a game update and hard gated the progression through insane amounts of grind, left out all of the major selling points the promised like raids, new legendaries and new squad system and charged us 50 bucks for it.

    I regret the purchase, and am hoping another polished MMO hits the market so I can give Arenanet back what they gave me with Heart of Thorns ...the middle finger.    … Expand
  55. enaspe
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    A great expansion of a great game. It'll take quite a lot of time to get through all the content they've added. The map designs are amazing with events sprawling across and effecting the whole area. It's so much fun stumbling across large groups of players fighting bosses and defending camps as you explore. The elite specializations add a lot to the existing classes and offer moreA great expansion of a great game. It'll take quite a lot of time to get through all the content they've added. The map designs are amazing with events sprawling across and effecting the whole area. It's so much fun stumbling across large groups of players fighting bosses and defending camps as you explore. The elite specializations add a lot to the existing classes and offer more interesting progression than a level cap raise and a few new skills. Gliding is great and the way the mastery system expands zones you've already passed through as you progress is really interesting. Overall it has been a lot of fun so far and after the first weekend I still feel like there is so much left to get into.

    gg anet    … Expand
  56. writetyper
    Oct 25, 2015
    4
    Anet bringing the bittersweet changes as usual - amazingly fleshed out and beautiful zones filled with iffy stories and incredibly questionable design decisions.

    The negative: Heart of Thorns completely backflips on the "we don't want people to grind in Guild Wars 2" manifesto which has already had more backflips than Nitro Circus. HoT's PvE is a lot of grind. Grind to complete the    Anet bringing the bittersweet changes as usual - amazingly fleshed out and beautiful zones filled with iffy stories and incredibly questionable design decisions.

    The negative: Heart of Thorns completely backflips on the "we don't want people to grind in Guild Wars 2" manifesto which has already had more backflips than Nitro Circus. HoT's PvE is a lot of grind. Grind to complete the story, grind to get masteries, grind to unlock specs, etc etc etc. It's not really content, it's just pretending to be because grind is easy to make for a developer and stretches out the gameplay. We could all do without it being compulsary to continue in the game I paid full new release game to play.

    Another thing: HoT brings GW2 firmly into the P2W zone. Core game owners and F2P'ers need to buy HoT to keep up with the new elite specs as well as obtaining benefits from masteries like a free revive in fractals and the ability to actually open fractal reward chests, among other things. Nerfs to dungeons (a revenue source for F2P players)? I thought NCSoft split from Nexon? Apparently not...

    As always with GW2 though, the world design team is absolutely on point and the maguuma jungle and it's denizens are beautifully designed and it's nice that open world PvE is actually approaching something akin to difficulty.

    Stronghold is quite bad. More PvE than PvP. Also P2W elements due to the masteries and HoT required to unlock heroes which are pretty plainly stronger than the default.

    Hopefully raids are entertaining. If so, this review might be updated to be higher.    … Expand
  57. popgoblin
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    After being a loyal customer for 8 years this is the breaking point. $50 for 4 new zones, a raid that isn't released yet, nerfed content rewards in non-expansion areas, and arbitrary grind walls. The core game philosophy was that you could reach endgame however you like, this was first altered with the release of the new player experience forcing new players to grind levels in PvE beforeAfter being a loyal customer for 8 years this is the breaking point. $50 for 4 new zones, a raid that isn't released yet, nerfed content rewards in non-expansion areas, and arbitrary grind walls. The core game philosophy was that you could reach endgame however you like, this was first altered with the release of the new player experience forcing new players to grind levels in PvE before being able to play PvP or WvW, craft, or do other basic things. Now the only way to get the new specializations is either grind them out in the Maguuma or do an even longer grind in WvW. They've changed so much from their old positive values I don't think I can financially support this company anymore, unless the next expansion goes back to the old ways.… Expand
  58. CannibalShinobi
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Took me less than 3 days to unlock the new sub class fully for my Scrapper. Wasn't hard at all, didn't have to even complete all the challenges in the first 3 zones to do it. There is no grind, unlike most MMOs. Great casual fun.
  59. Coryisthebomb
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    This review is addressing the fact that Guild Wars2: Heart of Thorns is not and should never be referred to as an expansion...... this title was the marketing method which the game's creator, Arenanet, used to trick players into buying their way past a paywall.

    Purchasing this title enables you to play the core game at the level of everyone else who paid to play the game, while choosing    This review is addressing the fact that Guild Wars2: Heart of Thorns is not and should never be referred to as an expansion...... this title was the marketing method which the game's creator, Arenanet, used to trick players into buying their way past a paywall.

    Purchasing this title enables you to play the core game at the level of everyone else who paid to play the game, while choosing not to purchase severely cripples your abilities as a player, whether or not you bought the game at launch, or picked up the game completely for free.

    There is minimal content in this title that is not found in the core/free to play version of the game, and its most boasted features are a glorified list of chores that require hundreds of hours of grinding to complete, (complete with gating) in order to achieve an "expansion sized" number of gameplay hours.

    Players who purchased Heart of Thorns will find themselves laboriously grinding in order to complete chores in new as well as areas of the game that have been stale for over two years in order to achieve any sense of progression.

    This title is the definition of horrible business ethics.
    Arenanet blatantly lied about what players would be purchasing in order to suck as much money as possible from their loyal fans who supported Guild Wars 2 since launch before catering to their new free to play churn and burn playerbase.

    The entire thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I am honestly and truly insulted.
    I have been a loyal fan of Arenanet since Guild Wars 1, and I would not recommend picking up this title unless you have never played the core game, because you will not get much more than the core game if you are looking for an expansion.    … Expand
  60. purple_llama
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    I've been a long time fan of the Guild Wars series, and Heart of Thorns is an excellent continuation of the series. It provides new things to do in both old and new maps, with the new maps being a crazy 3D experience that feels like you'll never actually run out of nooks and crannies to discover.

    There's some long term progression added in here as well, you can work towards masteries to    I've been a long time fan of the Guild Wars series, and Heart of Thorns is an excellent continuation of the series. It provides new things to do in both old and new maps, with the new maps being a crazy 3D experience that feels like you'll never actually run out of nooks and crannies to discover.

    There's some long term progression added in here as well, you can work towards masteries to improve your abilities - gliding, bouncing, even some in the old maps for working on creating legendary items and other things. All of that is account bound so you only have to earn it once. You also don't need it to get to the new content, I've walked all the way to the last map with only two of them just begun, and I think I didn't even need them - but gliding is just too much fun to not do it!

    There's also character progression - instead of a slew of new classes or an increased level & gear cap they've added a way to have your character specialize in a line that changes their role a bit. It does take a bit of working towards but I've been working on other stuff for the few days since launch and I've almost fully unlocked mine already anyways.

    Looking forward to what comes next!    … Expand
  61. phrost
    Oct 25, 2015
    3
    One of the greatest things about the original GW2 was the freedom to play the way you want to play.
    Want to level all of your characters to max potential doing nothing but playing sPvP or WvW?
    Totally works. That was until HoT and the infinite series of time / experience / gold gates stepped in. The biggest selling point of HoT was unlocking elite specs ("class-within-a-class") for    One of the greatest things about the original GW2 was the freedom to play the way you want to play.
    Want to level all of your characters to max potential doing nothing but playing sPvP or WvW?
    Totally works.
    That was until HoT and the infinite series of time / experience / gold gates stepped in.

    The biggest selling point of HoT was unlocking elite specs ("class-within-a-class") for all characters.
    If you leveled up via WvW/sPvP before and don't have 100% map completion- you're in for a world of hurt.
    ~36 hours of EoTM grinding in (with 100% wxp birthday booster + 50% wxp converted boosters) I've only managed to unlock 40% of the tempest elite spec for a single max level character.
    That's just less than an hour of WvW per percentage point unlock.
    ~100 hours per level 80 to fully unlock an elite spec line via EoTM thanks to a massive EoTM nerf that was released as part of HoT.

    Of course you could try PvE and grind masteries/hero points there- all of the PvE sympathizers will tell you that this content is challenging and challenging content good for the game overall.
    I ask how is a time gate challenging? Just because it takes a significant amount of time that makes it a worthy reward?

    Doing PvE you'll simply run around, find hero points, and spend 15-20 minutes clearing veteran mobs to a hero point.
    Only then will the hero challenge mob yell "You are not worthy, I will not fight you" for you have not yet spent time grinding up masteries to unlock the required language / culture level.
    Challenging content for sure- it just requires randomly facerolling enough events to grind a metric ton of XP.
    Rewarding? Not really.
    I guess the time sink spent cleaning my apartment must be epic content by the same definition.

    Then PvP- there are a ton of new runes / sigils / mist champion reward tracks added- but they all cost 15g a pop.
    Sure PvP can be open, instantly unlocked, and competitive, if you convert enough gems in to gold first.
    Since when did everything become gold locked in PvP? New strategy?
    Maybe if we're lucky in a few weeks we can buy hero points with gems.

    All in all the expansion isn't horrible except for the points above- the graphics are amazing, the level design would be awesome if it wasn't for the broken mechanics and the fact it's almost impossible to navigate successfully.
    The events / open world boss fights are epic and actually challenging (note for PvE guys: really challenging as in actual mechanics here- not just time gate challenging that you all seem to idolize).

    For me the expansion just lacks... something.. what's it called... fun.
    Pretty bad when you'd rather do almost anything else than login on launch weekend for a new title.    … Expand
  62. Opt1mysyq
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Arenanet have knocked the ball out of the park again really fun Expansion. New zones have been added that really change how exploration works and new skills to assist in your exploration like gliding and mushroom jumping are hella fun. Have not finished the main story line yet but i have a feeling it will be great going on what i have played so far (first chapter). If you enjoyed the baseArenanet have knocked the ball out of the park again really fun Expansion. New zones have been added that really change how exploration works and new skills to assist in your exploration like gliding and mushroom jumping are hella fun. Have not finished the main story line yet but i have a feeling it will be great going on what i have played so far (first chapter). If you enjoyed the base game at launch you'll love this new addition and don't hesitate to recommend to anyone.… Expand
  63. Evaara
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Unique events, expansive maps, a GREAT new story, HoT is well worth the $50 spent. All these complaints regarding grind are superfluous and extremely entitled. People who have been playing GW2 are taking for granted that core content was easily maxed out because they've had years put into it and can level an alt to max using previously acquired Tomes of Knowledge. The mastery system itselfUnique events, expansive maps, a GREAT new story, HoT is well worth the $50 spent. All these complaints regarding grind are superfluous and extremely entitled. People who have been playing GW2 are taking for granted that core content was easily maxed out because they've had years put into it and can level an alt to max using previously acquired Tomes of Knowledge. The mastery system itself is ACCOUNT WIDE and once you finish the initial acquisition of necessary masteries it's extremely alt-a-holic friendly.

    People expect to get everything from day 1 and a lot of these ungrateful reviews stem from the entitlement not realizing that they are already playing a MAX LEVEL character and are just unlocking stuff (e.g. explorable areas, alternate job classes [calles elite specializations], story, etc.] BY PLAYING THE GAME. It's not even gated behind a paywall (aside from buying the expansion of course) and the exp required to unlock the minimum requirement of masteries to complete the story mode and a lot of the areas isn't even that high.

    I'm not a "hardcore" gamer that can waste 12-16 hours of my time in a game, I work and have a life. At max I can play 2 hours on weekdays and 8 hours on weekends and EVERYTHING is attainable even at my snail's pace. The people who complain about "grind" and leave extremely negative reviews are uninformed, entitled, and spoiled players who've never actually experienced a true grind like those who have played other MMOs such as World of Warcraft, Ragnarok Online, TERA, etc.

    For a first expansion Heart of Thorns offers three important things:

    1. Extremely creative and challenging new content.
    2. Very good replayability.
    3. Beautiful gameplay which encompasses all the new mechanics, story, areas, and experience.

    Heart of Thorns is a beautiful, well thought out, and extremely passionate expansion with a lot of HEART and SOUL put into it. Everything provided was beyond expectations and the people who complain about a SINGLE aspect of the game that are LARGELY BASED ON ENTITLED OPINION (thinking that HoT content is gated behind grind oriented mechanics) and give unfair review scores like 1 or lower are extremely biased and obviously lacks credibility. Game content exists to be COMPLETED after all. If everything is provided at the get go then there is no point to a game at all.

    TL;DR: - PROS: Great and a LARGE amount of content, great story, great gameplay, great delivery, by far the SMOOTHEST first day of expansion launch for ANY game that I've ever played, extremely well balanced challenging content, beautiful maps and areas, creative alternate job classes.

    CONS: Shattering the expectations of ENTITLED and SPOILED PROFESSIONAL CASUALS (a derogatory term for people who expect to get everything from day 1 without actually playing the game) due to being put into a state of laziness due to the nature of core content alternate character leveling (Tomes of Knowlege) and the easiness of acquiring content in the base game due to cumulative and collective wisdom and knowledge of the community from playing the base game for 3 years.    … Expand
  64. Oxide07
    Oct 25, 2015
    2
    With a highly polarized approach too additional content via its use of living story, this expansion is an official clear cut world building and game design attempt to reinvigorate the fans and bring back the old and bring in the new.

    In a lot of ways Anets work has payed off, but there is a reason why I cannot advice the game passing the half way barrier. Anet's design philosophy has    With a highly polarized approach too additional content via its use of living story, this expansion is an official clear cut world building and game design attempt to reinvigorate the fans and bring back the old and bring in the new.

    In a lot of ways Anets work has payed off, but there is a reason why I cannot advice the game passing the half way barrier.
    Anet's design philosophy has always catered around systems that help more casual time players enjoy a fulfilling experience. Unfortunately they have progressively turned towards grinding systems that still feature lack luster rewards as the original launch title suffered.

    Lacking in variety of end game stats, you would think Anet would cater on expanding further with armor set variety, especially with the introduction of new specializations. Unfortunately it is only another measly teaser, and once again the strengths of an mmorpg of it's type seems to be restricted on the player.

    It's unnerving the lore butchering GW2 has taken, the new plot is a better attempt yet still suffers from uninspiring events and awful pacing. If the characters didn't win you over the first time, there will be nothing of offer in this installment.

    While GW1 expansions progressively extended the features at each expansion, their timing and content was superb.. yet despite the work put into GW2, it feels lackluster and too late, especially with the current effort required to enjoy the new content.
    And that is where the game has crumbled, it's effort, not an adventure or experience. The direction the franchise has taken appears to be an irredeemable mess. A great patch, but not deserving of the time for people to come back.    … Expand
  65. bearbowbaggins
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Do I think that the jungle region is challenging? Yes.
    Do I think that the jungle region is impossible? Heck, no.
    What I love most about the expansion is that it offers you a compelling new region that encourages you to push your limits to become a better player, and rewards you for doing so. Sure, it might seem daunting at first, but when you modify your builds and strategies, develop    Do I think that the jungle region is challenging? Yes.
    Do I think that the jungle region is impossible? Heck, no.

    What I love most about the expansion is that it offers you a compelling new region that encourages you to push your limits to become a better player, and rewards you for doing so. Sure, it might seem daunting at first, but when you modify your builds and strategies, develop more masteries, and learn more about each region it becomes a truly exciting experience. Add to this a wonderful soundtrack, personal story arc, rich characters, exciting events and lore, raids, adventures, world bosses and you have a wonderful experience. Honestly, it's just nice to be able to see and explore things for the first time and feel so amazed again. This expansion reminded me why I decided to call guild wars 2 my home in the first place.    … Expand
  66. manumotate
    Oct 25, 2015
    8
    - The history is amazing.
    - The mastery system is pretty good.
    - I like the events and the maps are HUGE.
    - Love the elite specializations ( I feel they should reduce the hero points needed to ~200, instead of 400 for my alts ).
    - GUILD HALLS!!!!!!!!!!
  67. scottmjones
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Having read other reviews on here i thought i would correct alot of the negative reviews, first of all i will start by stating that i wasnt a fan of the pve during the first 3 years of gw2 i played the game solely for wvw, my opinion has changed massively during HOT the pve doesnt require "grinding" there are numerous HUGE multi layered maps that you can explore with gliders, by jumping onHaving read other reviews on here i thought i would correct alot of the negative reviews, first of all i will start by stating that i wasnt a fan of the pve during the first 3 years of gw2 i played the game solely for wvw, my opinion has changed massively during HOT the pve doesnt require "grinding" there are numerous HUGE multi layered maps that you can explore with gliders, by jumping on mushrooms or by using portals, there are hundereds of events that take place on these maps that easily give you enough different content to get your characters the traits needed and also to provide tens of hours of entertainment alone. WvW has had a massive overhaul with new desert borderlands and new systems to adress issues with ganking of dolyaks that are being defended. It seems to me that the people moaning expansion just want a game with no challenge, i urge you to ignore such negative and moronic reviews and to try the game yourself, I for one am extremely surprised by the depth and large amount of content that came with the expansion. I'd also like to commend anet on the launch, unlike other mmorpg launches and expansion releases I had no lag, no huge grouping of players causing issues and have found no bugs up to this point… Expand
  68. jhippocratic42
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    The overwhelmingly negative user reviews represent an entitled mass of gamers who think that destroying those who have worked so hard to put out this masterpiece (and trust me, it is nothing short of that) will somehow "force their hand" and make them change the game to give them whatever they want the instant they want it. Progression was noted and to be expected, and yet still playersThe overwhelmingly negative user reviews represent an entitled mass of gamers who think that destroying those who have worked so hard to put out this masterpiece (and trust me, it is nothing short of that) will somehow "force their hand" and make them change the game to give them whatever they want the instant they want it. Progression was noted and to be expected, and yet still players will resort to stooping so low as to give dishonest reviews of an otherwise fantastic game over their own pettiness. Trust and believe that if the bulk of those who played this were representative of these reviews, this game's ratings would look far better than they do now. Such a shame.… Expand
  69. phaedrux
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Gorgeous world design, enormous amounts of new content, engaging 'elite' extensions to each class. Narrative aspects improve immensely on what the core game offers- the story is great, well voiced, well written, interesting.

    The new mastery system will take time to, well, master. So far nothing has felt unfairly time consuming, from my perspective as a moderate/casual player. The new    Gorgeous world design, enormous amounts of new content, engaging 'elite' extensions to each class. Narrative aspects improve immensely on what the core game offers- the story is great, well voiced, well written, interesting.

    The new mastery system will take time to, well, master. So far nothing has felt unfairly time consuming, from my perspective as a moderate/casual player. The new zones are fun, the events and enemies can be difficult. Sometimes forcing players to rethink their approach and change the way they've been playing in order to progress.

    The expansion doesn't offer itself up politely on a silver platter, but instead rewards the curious, the intrepid, and the adventurous. The jungle is a dangerous place and it might kick your ass a few times- but wow is it fun.

    Highly recommended, most fun I've had in a game in years.    … Expand
  70. sng
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    same thing as all other reviews. Grindfest. I have to run the same circuit of events over and over to gain masteries to progress the story. Hero points required to progress your elite specialization mostly can't be soloable, you have to be lucky and end up in a map that isn't empty and with people who are willing to help you kill the champion elite mobs.
  71. SlipperySnake
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    So depressing and dull one loses interest in the new 'content' after say 20 mins of trying to figure out which mushroom to jump on to reach the champion you cannot fight. Soulless game that forces players to play the new 'areas'. Problem is no one wants to play there.
  72. MasterCyria
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Great game. Ignore the people who think that actually playing the game is grind. I don't even. So you have to go to the maps and do events to earn ACCOUNT WIDE experience. Then you need to go get hero points for your skills as your elite specialization? That's playing the game. Seriously people.

    The only justified concern is the WvW people.
  73. Sonoris
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    I'm sorry most of the other reviews here seem to think "playing the game" is "grinding", but really. In any other expansion, would you expect to be handed over a maxed out character for nothing? No. You have to work to get things. I, personally, enjoy it very much. The new maps are amazing, the specs great... I'm not sure what everyone else wanted - immediate gratification? End gameI'm sorry most of the other reviews here seem to think "playing the game" is "grinding", but really. In any other expansion, would you expect to be handed over a maxed out character for nothing? No. You have to work to get things. I, personally, enjoy it very much. The new maps are amazing, the specs great... I'm not sure what everyone else wanted - immediate gratification? End game content on a golden platter?… Expand
  74. emomartian
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Lots of new content, thrilling story - this is exactly what I was waiting for. I don't know why people are complaining about the gated content - all of the most important content is immediately available, and progression is account-wide.
  75. quip7
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    This expansion addresses so many issues that the game. The story is much improved over vanilla and the mobs in the open world actually have a pulse(ie they have a decent amount of challenge) which is a really good thing. The world is beautifully designed and the platforming elements are top notch and some of the best I've ever seen in video games.
  76. kittening
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    Anet replaced the grind for gear (common in the mmorpg world) with the grind for masteries.
    Both absolve to the same function, gating content.
    If the endgame was just a cosmetic race in the past, this is no longer true.
    Plus they nerfed most of the old content (dungeons/fractals) in order to sell this smoking cow pie they call expansion. Shame on them. Loved Anet since GW1 launch. This is BS.
  77. djz3r08
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    Worst exp I have ever played since GW1 released. Grinding like some kind of Asian games. Farmed the same event for 5 times to unlock the next step in the main story quest. I cannot play for more than 20 minutes - so boring, and frustrated
  78. halycon
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    Huge amounts of content added to every aspect of the game, the maps are huge and gliding around them just feels right. The new map metas have been tons of fun so far, this expansion has definitely breathed life into GW2.
  79. xcenic
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    this game is no more for casual player, the grindfest its over 9000. Spended whole weekend and i dont feel like completing anything more than. every step i do i found myself blocked by a need to grind point.
  80. Phoenix4th
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    GW2 right now is in its grindiest form. However it isn't always about how much you have to grind - farm but how do they force you/shape you to do it.

    The Masteries/Specializations on its current form is a complete failure. The expansion is on its prime and logically it should have many people on the new maps but it doesn't , the 4 new maps are either semi-empty or they have people but    GW2 right now is in its grindiest form. However it isn't always about how much you have to grind - farm but how do they force you/shape you to do it.

    The Masteries/Specializations on its current form is a complete failure. The expansion is on its prime and logically it should have many people on the new maps but it doesn't , the 4 new maps are either semi-empty or they have people but half of the events fail for various reasons

    -Bad scaling
    -Many events at the same time
    -Lack of people
    -No motivation
    -Forced grinding

    You are given a rich map in terms of level design and art but it has so many interactive objects with which... you can't interact. Unless you have the X/Y unknown mastery which you were never told about it nor you will need it elsewhere

    You need a Mastery which takes super long to exp it to something basic such as gather a plant.

    Like , this game was a pioneer in terms of freedom and with HoT they went the Korean way and put artificial barriers between progress and fun.

    To be honest there are many negatives aspects i could mention but i would surpass the 5.000 characters limit and i'm trying to contain myself.

    Then you are on the 3rd day of the expansion and the new map has 3 people on the main chain event you know that something is up. When Guilds on WvWvW which are enemies make deals to KTrain to farm the Specialization (to avoid PvE) you know that something is up.

    When people avoid the new content and just spam CoF P1 only to farm their Kryta Masteries... its just wrong.

    Also for the first time in GW2 there are Hero Points , aspects of the game in open world which you can't solo and they don't scale. You are alone ? Its a champion with 4 adds. You are with 5 people ? Its a champion with similar stats and 4 adds.

    Meanwhile in old GW2 the boss would change rank depending on how many people it has nearby (would go from Veteran to Champion)

    Personally i barely found people to duo some Hero Points , i can imagine that will happen in about a month in which most people will have done those and newcomers won't , and they won't be able to solo them.

    Begging for assistance for such basic stuff ? Going the Korea way.    … Expand
  81. Vissarion
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Really thrilling story, much content, best expansion best mmorpg ever played.

    Don't listen to the guys saying its a grind, they want to complete whole content in a day, thats not possible for mmos.

    If you haven't played gw2:HoT really try it, and then you will see for yourself, this game deserves a try for everyone that claims to be a gamer.
  82. KYH
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    Masteries are fun once you have them, New area is pretty big and has a good-deal to do though it takes a lot of getting-used-to to navigate since its more vertical.
    New enemy design and AI pumps a lot of life back into PvE and the general mechanical changes make gameplay a little more varied and involved in different roles.
    PvP is fun as per usual (question of 'good' falls to people with    Masteries are fun once you have them, New area is pretty big and has a good-deal to do though it takes a lot of getting-used-to to navigate since its more vertical.
    New enemy design and AI pumps a lot of life back into PvE and the general mechanical changes make gameplay a little more varied and involved in different roles.
    PvP is fun as per usual (question of 'good' falls to people with a more varied experience with MMO PvP than mine).
    As far as expanding the base game in a meaningful way, this expansion gets the job done    … Expand
  83. BlazzBolt
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    This expansion is amazing! There's so much to do, and it feels like I'll be able to keep enjoying the content for quite a while. The new zones feel great and have very interesting stories. The new masteries are fun to level up and it's really nice to see myself become more powerful over time as I complete the masteries.
  84. k005
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Take this from someone who has played this game since closed beta, and has seen many popular MMOs go through their first expansions. (WoW, TERA, FFXIV, ect.) The launch for the expansion itself has been incredibly smooth. There has been absolutely NO server downtime whatsoever. The developers have listened to player feedback and have made changes to certain requirements to the game as soonTake this from someone who has played this game since closed beta, and has seen many popular MMOs go through their first expansions. (WoW, TERA, FFXIV, ect.) The launch for the expansion itself has been incredibly smooth. There has been absolutely NO server downtime whatsoever. The developers have listened to player feedback and have made changes to certain requirements to the game as soon as 2 days post-launch. They didn't introduce a new level cap, or a higher tier of gear, so if you're thinking about coming back to the game from a long sabbatical you don't have to worry about having to "catch up."

    Now for the polarizing element - the "grind." You obviously won't have to dig deep to see complaints of a fabled "grind" that is supposedly plaguing the new content. This is due to a progression mechanic put in place to emulate a post-level-80 progression in the form of a mastery system. Please take the words of those who whine about this with a grain of salt. Heart of Thorns released with the promise of more challenging and progression-oriented content, and that was delivered. Unfortunately, the previous game's state didn't cater to such casual play, leading to many entitled feelings about what people "deserve" to have unlocked just by buying the expansion.

    It's currently two days post launch and I am at Mastery "level" 8. I've seen people as high as level 70. Two days in. Level 70 Mastery Points. Let that sink in. To put this in perspective, a Mastery level of 6 is all that is required to traverse the new multi-layered maps efficiently. And a Mastery level of 142 will bless you with ALL of the masteries. Yes, all of them. Two days in and people are about halfway done. Yet the "Grind" is too much.

    Hence, why I am imploring you to PLEASE take the comments you see here with a grain of salt. (Yes, even mine.) If you're actually interested in figuring out what Heart of Thorns is REALLY like.: Go to Twitch and watch some streams, or download GW2 (the base game is free now) and ask around for honest opinions.    … Expand
  85. DanCan
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Im quite worried about what people consider to be grindy actually is.

    I play PvP in GW2, the PVE content so far Ive enjoyed, I have to work to get my specialisation and I feel rewarded in doing so. The mentality here is based on a hope that down voting with a real small minority will change things, which I find pretty sad. Theres free thinking and then theirs scare tactics. Be    Im quite worried about what people consider to be grindy actually is.

    I play PvP in GW2, the PVE content so far Ive enjoyed, I have to work to get my specialisation and I feel rewarded in doing so. The mentality here is based on a hope that down voting with a real small minority will change things, which I find pretty sad. Theres free thinking and then theirs scare tactics. Be constructive in feedback rather than down voting an expac that clearly doesn't deserve it. My reasons it doesnt? The elite specs are amazing thus far and balance patches to come thick and fast. The new class is great fun and viable already in the pvp scene. The pve maps are well designed and offer a lot for different players, the guild hall system is pretty dam awesome as well. Thanks. Jeb    … Expand
  86. tirithi
    Oct 25, 2015
    10
    Smooth launch. lots to do, and gives players an endgame to work for, like they have been asking for. New areas are gorgeous and nothing has been taken away from the core game. Specializations are super fun and effects are top notch, honestly in love with the game again! (P.s. precursor crafting is awesome, honestly surprised by the quality that they put into it!)
  87. saniok
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    This isn't a joke guys. Think critically like consumers.

    I used to love this game and was very excited about it on the day of release. Now two days have passed and I feel like I’ve done nothing but waste my time. The new content is unengaging, grindy and gated. Instead of having the players get their elites through fun quests, treasure hunting and story, Arenanet thought grinding    This isn't a joke guys. Think critically like consumers.

    I used to love this game and was very excited about it on the day of release. Now two days have passed and I feel like I’ve done nothing but waste my time. The new content is unengaging, grindy and gated. Instead of having the players get their elites through fun quests, treasure hunting and story, Arenanet thought grinding masteries was a better way

    Things like this make people learn to avoid pre-purcheases. If you keep letting Developers do what they want with poor choises that affect players and still get our money they will keep doing it, the only way that player has to raise voices is with our wallets. Think for the sake of yourself using the product and leaving with a pleased sense of interest.

    One of the people I've met tried to go through support attempting a refund. ArenaNet will tell you that they will disable your account access in general if you do; your entire account will now held behind that $50 paywall.

    I hope you can make the best choices for yourself and make sure the marketers know what YOU want before diving in with wallets and enthusiasm blazing.    … Expand
  88. theGinch
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    Everything is gated behind mastery points and other artificial buzzkills to disguise the very limited amount of content in this 'expansion'. Only the grim or truly desperate can muster the will to grind 400 hero points to actually play one of the elite specializations. For the rest of us the expansion is incredibly empty.

    Not sure if i have ever seen a bigger bait and switch than heart    Everything is gated behind mastery points and other artificial buzzkills to disguise the very limited amount of content in this 'expansion'. Only the grim or truly desperate can muster the will to grind 400 hero points to actually play one of the elite specializations. For the rest of us the expansion is incredibly empty.

    Not sure if i have ever seen a bigger bait and switch than heart of thorns.    … Expand
  89. Dougie99
    Oct 25, 2015
    2
    This expac should have been called Grind Wars. It is ridiculously bad. I would heartily recommend people DO NOT waste your money of this unless you wish to grind grind grind until your fingers bleed, become infected and fall off - Note this may actually be preferably to playing the game
  90. topcheffer
    Oct 25, 2015
    9
    I'm really surprised at all the negative reviews so far. They seem to focus around the game feeling like a grind and the content being gated. I would describe the content as challenging and offering progression. The pace is definitely slower than levels 1-50 in the core game, but that's not a bad thing. You may need coordinate groups to achieve the best rewards in some areas, but that'sI'm really surprised at all the negative reviews so far. They seem to focus around the game feeling like a grind and the content being gated. I would describe the content as challenging and offering progression. The pace is definitely slower than levels 1-50 in the core game, but that's not a bad thing. You may need coordinate groups to achieve the best rewards in some areas, but that's not a bad thing either. You will die, and you will have to learn from your mistakes. Great!
    I've been having a great time with the PvE content, the new WvW map, the new class, and the reworking of some of the core experience. The new maps are massive with their verticality (hang gliding is lots of fun), and I for one like the requirement of certain skills to access new areas (Zelda-esque, with hints to "come back with some bombs!").
    I'm happy they introduced some challenging and different experiences to the game and not more of the same that other reviews seemed to want. If you are a fan of endless dungeon running (skipping difficult content in favor of the quick and easy) and zerging world bosses as your end game PvE, then this expansion is not for you. If you want something new and rewarding, something with room for the game to grow on top of, buy this expansion right now. I look forward to many more years in this direction.    … Expand
  91. MrSeagull
    Oct 25, 2015
    2
    They took the idea of 'play your own way' and decided that they didn't want you to do that for this expansion. For example the mastery system they introduced to gate progression through the new maps and story line, requires multiple hours of grinding exclusively in the new maps. The new specializations that were used to hype and promote the expansion... require hours upon hours to unlock,They took the idea of 'play your own way' and decided that they didn't want you to do that for this expansion. For example the mastery system they introduced to gate progression through the new maps and story line, requires multiple hours of grinding exclusively in the new maps. The new specializations that were used to hype and promote the expansion... require hours upon hours to unlock, the real biter though is that the quickest way to unlock these new class functionalities is to complete the entire expansion. At which point you're back to grinding pre-expansion content to 'enjoy' these new class functions.

    Simply put, a flawed, deeply deeply flawed, expansion pack.    … Expand
  92. Savoyah
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    Such a bad expansion, fun's on a scale of 0.5 to none. Really grindy new content and ArenaNet doesn't listen to player feedback. The new rewards are junk and a really big pile of mess. It’s very frustrating, boring, grindy and gated, money you gotta pay. Also if they call undodgeable and unblockable attacks "challenging content" then I won't be back for a while.

    I should have gone with    Such a bad expansion, fun's on a scale of 0.5 to none. Really grindy new content and ArenaNet doesn't listen to player feedback. The new rewards are junk and a really big pile of mess. It’s very frustrating, boring, grindy and gated, money you gotta pay. Also if they call undodgeable and unblockable attacks "challenging content" then I won't be back for a while.

    I should have gone with my gut and ignored the hype. Since I bought the game 1.5 years ago, now it became free to play. Tells you something about the company after it disregards your investments. Weekend after launch, their staff was on forums silencing negative, most of the times constructively helpful feedback.Be warned, if you order the expansion and apply to support for a refund, your account gets erased.    … Expand
  93. syreenorder
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    As someone who has played GW2 since shortly after it's release, I'm sad to say how disappointed I am with the Heart of Thorns expansion. I always loved this game as it felt so open towards the casual player and made everything about the experience and not some boring grind. With this new expansion, that has all completely changed. Anet advertised the expansion that you would have allAs someone who has played GW2 since shortly after it's release, I'm sad to say how disappointed I am with the Heart of Thorns expansion. I always loved this game as it felt so open towards the casual player and made everything about the experience and not some boring grind. With this new expansion, that has all completely changed. Anet advertised the expansion that you would have all these new skills to use for your character but in truth, you have to do a terribly long grind in order to access them. To me, this expansion has killed the game and completely gone away from what it once was.… Expand
  94. Fairchild
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    horrible. they spent a year and half to make jumping puzzles and super tough trash mobs (that drop no loot). i suppose this makes sense...because there isn't any new loot in the expac. 2 new armor sets...original game launched with 30 or more. zero content and none on the horizon.
  95. Aerixa
    Oct 25, 2015
    3
    Incredibly tedious and not rewarding. You're grinding the same events, in massive, empty zones, to try to unlock the next tier of some odd skill to reach that spot on the map you need to be one step closer to that cool specialized class they showed. I've been playing since the game launched, and it's a complete 180 on the fun, solo, play at your own pace gameplay that this game started outIncredibly tedious and not rewarding. You're grinding the same events, in massive, empty zones, to try to unlock the next tier of some odd skill to reach that spot on the map you need to be one step closer to that cool specialized class they showed. I've been playing since the game launched, and it's a complete 180 on the fun, solo, play at your own pace gameplay that this game started out as. I'm going to shelve it for a bit, as it's just grinding to grind. I really wanted to love and support this, but I can't enjoy it in the current state.… Expand
  96. Psychocadillac
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    HoT's selling point was added maps, extended content and new specializations. Would not have purchased this product if I knew Anet would turn GW2 into a "grind" oriented game with story gating. The expansion had potential and the developers dropped the ball.
  97. blorfman
    Oct 25, 2015
    1
    Terrible expansion, seriously. ANet has managed to replace "fun" with "grindy and frustrating". Before HoT launched, they promised "challenging content." The biggest challenge is staying logged on long enough to play the game for a few minutes. It's that bad. Buyer beware...
  98. KoalaMeatPie
    Oct 25, 2015
    4
    The following is my own personal experience with the Expansion soo far - I find the expansion to be just a mess of a chore.

    Everything from the level design, story progression, timed events and mastery system has been made to slow you down and hold you back. Let me start with the lesser annoyance, the level design. You can not go from one point to another directly, like in every    The following is my own personal experience with the Expansion soo far - I find the expansion to be just a mess of a chore.

    Everything from the level design, story progression, timed events and mastery system has been made to slow you down and hold you back.

    Let me start with the lesser annoyance, the level design. You can not go from one point to another directly, like in every other map of the game, you must wind and weave, and travel a maze of verticals, up and down, which without a glider is a huge pain because nearly everything are Elites or Vets which knock you down or cripple you. Why oh god, must everything cripple you?

    Story progression: Remember how they added a whole punch of level caps to the story missions in GW2 awhile ago? It's the same thing but with the mastery system. You must always be a level over next in masteries to continue with the "Very Urgent Chase", which is an issue because masteries take a long time to level up, how? Because

    Mastery progression places up huge walls which you need to go around and grind little rewarding events - which are interrupted in Auric basin, at least, by the Gates event - which are literally walls in front of walls. There is a 15 minute period where you can’t go into the city, walls are blocking the doors - then a 45? Minute event where you need to to coordinate with other players on the map to chisel down vines which are trying to get into the heart of the city. And you can forget trying to do this with 15 people.

    This, for the very least, interrupted our Guild hall claiming last night by ONE and a HALF hours because all Waypoints where contested, no way to teleport into the city, no Mesmer, no NOTHING, can’t run and glide because of the bubble at the heart, not even a Waypoint INSIDE the hole inside the heart of the city to act as a rallying waypoint. Those that were in, were stuck in, those that were out were SOL until the event failed or disappeared.

    Now, about the Hero points, it’s very nice and all that they say you get “ten points” each event, but the events are seriously over grindy. Whoever designed them, made it so you can not solo them like in the old world, you need half a raid to to get even one champ down. Their health and toughness is through the roof, not to mention all the conditions they throw at you. You can’t do any one of them with less than 4 people. Try finding 4 people, depending on your Time Zome and IRL commitments, it can be next to impossible.

    Add to that the constant crashes (I pressed Print Screen - I crashed, I was talking to an NPC, double clicked to talk to another - I crashed. I changed maps - I crashed, I FINALLY lvled to Mastery 3 - I crashed, I spawned my glidder - crashed) When you do find a populated event, the chances of you crashing are N times more, and when you log back in - over flow, if you’re lucky. If not, event over.

    TL;DR; : Everything about HoT is made to slow you down, hold you back and pad out the game and you should care.

    I want to raid. I LIKE being in a huge group and taking down challenges - the guild hall claiming was LOADS of fun. I've been doing the same Fractals for two years, it's FUN. "Lack of content" is not an issue - the quality is.

    They purposefully broke up the pace of the game to make it feel bigger. I don’t care about leveling, at all. They way they made it is just soo convoluted. I want to get my masteries up, have my druid healing skills, and raid with my guild.

    Lastly you want to know how to do a well paced story without holding you back and padding things out? Guild Wars 1 (Prophecies and Nightfalls). Somehow - they lost sight of how to do it properly.    … Expand
  99. Dallyoop
    Oct 25, 2015
    0
    This expansion has added a massive grind for content that was suppose to be available on release. I wouldn't pick this up until it's corrected. Not only will you be required to grind a massive amount of a elite specialization, but you will have to do it over and over and over again for EVERY character class you want to play. It's insane.
  100. Cameirus
    Oct 25, 2015
    3
    HOTs has its good points, nice map design, gliding! and things like guild halls are all nice, however its crippled by the bizzare approach taken by Anet in putting excessive gating and grinds into the game, and locking key expansion features behind walls.

    The big selling point of the expansion is elite specialisations, which change how a class is played, these have been hyped and    HOTs has its good points, nice map design, gliding! and things like guild halls are all nice, however its crippled by the bizzare approach taken by Anet in putting excessive gating and grinds into the game, and locking key expansion features behind walls.

    The big selling point of the expansion is elite specialisations, which change how a class is played, these have been hyped and rightly so they are really fun. I know that from beta weekends. Not from the live game, as in the live game they are locked behind a stupidly high amount of hero points needed to unlock them. A normal trait line takes 65 points to unlock, an elite one takes 60 points just to start, and 400 to unlock, no thats not a typo. Its absurd.
    Yes hero challenges in the new zones grant 10 points, but these generally require groups and are locked behind another gate in requiring specific masteries to access....so that fails as well.

    All in all, very disappointing for Anet to take this path, so contrary to what GW2 was.    … Expand
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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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