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. Itsausername
    Apr 8, 2023
    7
    Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. I will keep this review short and to the point.
    I would like to rate this higher than I am, Guild Wars 2 overall is a fantastic game with lots of dungeon systems, however I have to put this from my first experience of the expansion. And that is that... It felt somewhat lacking. Maybe, had I played it at release, I would feel differently. But when comparing    Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. I will keep this review short and to the point.
    I would like to rate this higher than I am, Guild Wars 2 overall is a fantastic game with lots of dungeon systems, however I have to put this from my first experience of the expansion. And that is that... It felt somewhat lacking. Maybe, had I played it at release, I would feel differently. But when comparing it to what came before and what came after, there is a lack of unique feeling gameplay or systems here outside of the glider.
    There are also issues in the difficulty jump between the base game and this expansion and even compared to the newer expansions. And while I enjoyed the increase in challenge after a time, I will admit it was frustrating at the start. And I have had multiple friends quit over this difficulty ramping.
    This expansion is just not friendly for people trying to get into the game.    … Expand
  2. Thaksin
    Apr 12, 2022
    8
    Great MMO game, one of the best and the place is deserved! The content that is added in the new addition clearly belongs to the hardcore, but nevertheless, did not stop being interesting :)
  3. Raizsthorm
    Mar 17, 2022
    8
    Globally the expansion is fun and brings new stuff such as :
    - The glider is a nice addition and drastically change how you approach certain things even on core maps.
    - The new elite specialization can be a pain to get because some Hero points are hard to solo and it's hard to follow people without the flying mounts but it's worth it and bring a new dimension to your class. - The story    Globally the expansion is fun and brings new stuff such as :
    - The glider is a nice addition and drastically change how you approach certain things even on core maps.
    - The new elite specialization can be a pain to get because some Hero points are hard to solo and it's hard to follow people without the flying mounts but it's worth it and bring a new dimension to your class.
    - The story was more engaging that what I expected even if slow at the beginning.
    - The new maps bring new events that are fun but require a few people to successfully complete them and you can easily get lost in their multi-level floors.

    The only thing I did like is how they handle the mastery system. You arrives in these new maps and see could stuff such a vents that brings you up when gliding, speed boost, jumping pad, but too bad you can use them you need to unlock them by farming experience. Some of these mastery are required for the story. So between this and if you want to get a specific mastery such as the infinite gliding you won't unlock many of these "bonus" by the time you're done with the story.

    However seeing how guild wars 2 works you'll probably be back in these maps either with alt or to get new shiny stuff later on so in the long run it may be better than when you first experience the maps and story.    … Expand
  4. TerterBG
    Mar 14, 2022
    10
    Great soundtrack.
    Awesome maps. Lots of verticality.
    Metas are super cool mega events.
    The mastery system that they've added is a great vertical progression.
    The revenant feels very polished.
    The new elite specializations make you play you character like a brand new class.
    Raids are very hard and I love it!
  5. Miyammoto
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    Guild Wars 2 could be the best game in the world, but there is no Russian localization. Arena net is the most greedy company in the world. They sell the game, they sell skins in the game, but they can't find 3 cents for Russian localization. This is discrimination against the ru-community.
  6. Tenarus
    Apr 22, 2021
    2
    The phrase "never play on patch.-day" never fitted any game better then guild wars 2. Well and from patch-day I went to patch-week to patch-month, because not only are patches released incredibly buggy - they stay bugged for SEVERAL months if not years.
    Overall the storytelling is ok-ish. I've seen better, I've seen worse.
    The quality of the patches got worse and worse with every    The phrase "never play on patch.-day" never fitted any game better then guild wars 2. Well and from patch-day I went to patch-week to patch-month, because not only are patches released incredibly buggy - they stay bugged for SEVERAL months if not years.
    Overall the storytelling is ok-ish. I've seen better, I've seen worse.
    The quality of the patches got worse and worse with every release. The content feels like the same thing over and over again. Most things you do ingame are not rewarding at all. For players that spend a longer time ingame there is simply not enough to do. What do I mean by that? Let me tell you what my playtime looks like: Mondays I jump in the game, just to do the weekly raid reclears in like 2 hours (raids, that have been in the game for years. The release of the last raidwing is more than a year ago...) Some evenings I do a quick fractal run which cant keep my group entertained for more than 30 minutes. Farming at this point is pointless - you cant progress gear and I dont want to build duplicate legendaries. But Arenanet stated - against what players want - that there will be no more dungeons and as far as I know no more raids. Content draught which gets me to stop playing.

    And lastly the cashshop: What started off as some nice cosmetic rewards got a dump of putting new stuff in every other week just to earn more and more money. This isnt bad in itself, but selling CHAIRS? The shop got quite ridicculous...

    TL;DR So all in all: A game that started off good a while ago, but cant deliver any content that keeps you playing. To top all of this off the content that is currently in the game is severely bugged. Content in the game keeps you doing stuff for max ~4h/week if you clear all of it.    … Expand
  7. Torgall
    Dec 12, 2020
    8
    The most complex and often annoying maps in the game. The step up in difficulty is very noticeable. Gliders where nice change, but after POF are mostly obsolete. BEVARE the tiny raports.
  8. kimi1775
    Nov 9, 2020
    9
    ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎
  9. LiveSpartan235
    Oct 21, 2020
    7
    Nice expansion pack after some updates and the devs committing to finding it footing
  10. Angenix
    Sep 7, 2020
    10
    Loved map design. Meta events are the best of entire game. Cool elite specs.
  11. FennecFeathers
    Sep 1, 2020
    9
    Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns innovates on everything you might think of when you hear MMORPG. The core game was innovative for the time, but HoT takes it to an entirely new level. Despite a few growing pains in the first month or two of launch regarding balance and community reaction to the time investment in gaining new elite specs (something I never thought was egregious or over theGuild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns innovates on everything you might think of when you hear MMORPG. The core game was innovative for the time, but HoT takes it to an entirely new level. Despite a few growing pains in the first month or two of launch regarding balance and community reaction to the time investment in gaining new elite specs (something I never thought was egregious or over the top anyway) - it adds many new features that enhance your gameplay experience and a unique horizontal progression curve for your character, so you're never in the traditional MMO rat race of constantly power creeping.

    First; the Mastery System. This is the primary feature of the MMO and introduces a form of horizontal progression - focusing less on power creep and more on simply offering a plethora of options to enhance gameplay, which really suits the feel of mastering the Maguuma Jungle. While at the start of the expansion you have to slowly push your way through a threatening and hostile jungle environment, by the end of its story you're already gliding through the air and utilising the tunnels of the new Nuhoch NPCs to cross it in no time with an adeptness that would make anyone feel badass.

    Secondly, Elite Specialisations; These are trainable specialisations for your character class that add a new weapon, a new trait line and a handful of more utility skills. The difference between a core thief and a daredevil in terms of how they feel to play is night and day, and broaden the amount of builds any class could go for. With some very slick new animations and some creative new ideas, the feeling of choosing a new elite spec is almost like changing class entirely but managing to do it without a steep learning curve.

    The Maps in HoT are incredibly detailed and diverse, and extremely vertical - making those masteries a necessity to traverse them safely. A handful of new, huge, cinematic meta events go a long way to making these maps endlessly replayable.

    Raids; A bit of a tough subject for a lot of the more casual players, who may see raids as a gate to some of the best, coolest rewards and some of the most interesting storytelling of the series. The wings added with Heart of thorns are tough as nails and require perfect group communication and synchronisation. Without the power creep of some other MMOs thrown into the mix, they'll never stop being as tough as they are unless you simply learn them inside and out - the way raiding should be!

    Overall, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is a fantastic first expansion that had a very smooth launch compared to other MMOs' expansion launches (in EU, where I am situated. I cannot speak for NA). It innovates in new, unseen ways for the MMORPG genre and adds a great deal of content and rewards for everyone - especially the masteries which can be used anywhere in the core game or other expansions, greatly changing the way you see and move around old maps.    … Expand
  12. Chababa
    Jul 1, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. New environment and well...if my memory serves me right, beloved character(s) die. I still cared for the characters and the story.… Expand
  13. nemoo
    Feb 13, 2020
    0
    Dont play this game if you want a support team that cares for you, got 20000 gold taken away and when i showed them how i got the gold they just stopped responding to my emails really lazy support
  14. brightwish
    May 8, 2019
    3
    The gliders were a nice addition, but the multi height levels made the maps too difficult to navigate.
  15. TIZ
    May 30, 2018
    7
    HoT at release was an infuriating and agonizing experience. It takes some getting use to as it is very different from the base game, which I had gotten use to by the time the expansion came out. Once HoT came out I wasn't a big fan of the new maps (even if they did look amazing and much prettier than the base game). I struggled, like many veteran and new players to really get stuck intoHoT at release was an infuriating and agonizing experience. It takes some getting use to as it is very different from the base game, which I had gotten use to by the time the expansion came out. Once HoT came out I wasn't a big fan of the new maps (even if they did look amazing and much prettier than the base game). I struggled, like many veteran and new players to really get stuck into HoT content. Eventually I managed to 'learn' to like it and even love it. My god I loved gliding!!!
    It is important to note that I only started loving it after I had almost all the masteries unlocked for HoT. I'm not sure this is what the devs wanted when they made HoT...
    I would rate this expansion a 7/10. If I had to be biased I would give it an 8/10 but I'm trying to be realistic.    … Expand
  16. em4o0
    Mar 5, 2018
    5
    A, Heart of Thorns, so aptly named. It has quite become a thorn in my sight and a genuine heartache.

    I became a fan of the franchise way back when 1 came out and since then I have played all expansions (with Nightfall being my favourite). Alas, HoT cannot claim such greatness. The game introduces 4 new maps to a rather large plethora of pre-existing territories, however, the new    A, Heart of Thorns, so aptly named. It has quite become a thorn in my sight and a genuine heartache.

    I became a fan of the franchise way back when 1 came out and since then I have played all expansions (with Nightfall being my favourite). Alas, HoT cannot claim such greatness.

    The game introduces 4 new maps to a rather large plethora of pre-existing territories, however, the new additions are noticeably larger in scale. Even better, there is now comprehensive exploration to be had on the vertical axis and, unlike some other games, it is not limited to flying mounts, but is instead full-fledged exploration. The map is no help as it does a poor job of denoting heights, yet, I found this pretty exciting and the explorer in me actually got some (admittedly, masochistic) pleasure. I would also be remiss not to compliment the design of the maps, as they are visually stunning.

    Populating the new maps are a set of new creatures, which are noticeably more challenging to deal with that the ones in core-game territories. Sadly their difficulty stems from buffed health and damage (in fact, some can oneshot characters). There are no enemies with interesting or unique mechanics, not even bosses. The overall creature design is thematic - from raptors to pumas to various cretins covered in tendrils, if predictable and uninspired. The elite enemies are, once again, just larger versions of regular ones, which is a bit disappointing (especially considering the overall low number of introduced monsters).

    Main centrepiece of the remains the typical "saviour" trope - you are the one and only hero (which glaringly contrast with the almost exclusively group content of the maps). Of course, this does nothing for immersion... or suspension of disbelief. Admittedly this is a problem that trickles down from the original game. Although clichés are abound, it is in general better that the core game. Voice acting is decent enough, but it is a MMO - don't expect miracles.

    The core gameplay mechanic in the new expansion are the so-called metaevents - essentially a tier type event comprised several smaller events that must be completed in order to reach an end boss. These are not only map-wide, but are spread out around the entire mar, and require the cooperation of a large number of players to be successfully completed... in a game with no effective or efficient method of communication between random players. It is fair to say these require all the stars to align perfectly. That is if you have enough players to begin with. Admittedly there does seem to be a level of adjustment for the number of characters currently on the map, but anything under 11-12 is simply not feasible (and even that's a stretch). Additionally, if certain conditions are met new smaller events will become available. They are nothing new though, being similiar in nature to the events from the core game maps.

    But that is, if you can even get to these in the first place... That's right the new "horizontal progression system," aka masteries. In essence those function in a similar way to regular levelling - collect (a lot of) XP to unlock skills. These skills are unique to each separate area (HoT and Central Tyria, the core territories). These are quite important as they literally limit your ability to explore the maps and participate in events, making it all the more annoying that they are "locked" behind a grind wall. And if that's not enough, they are required for story progression and raids. And remember - the only way to get HoT relevant XP is through the endlessly repeatable metaevents. Which leads to the next required skill, which costs even more XP. Which leads to playing even more metaevents. A magic circle, or rather - trap. Who thought this is a good idea?

    And last, but certainly not least - the new elite specialisations. Right of the bat, they are also safely put away behind a rather considerable hero point barrier. Hero points are now obtained in chunks of 10 (mostly) by beating an elite mob, which always requires a group of players (or a talented pro, I suppose). In reality, this is likely to be a long and arduous process, probably not completed before you have already finished the vast majority of the story. The new specialisations are a lot of fun though and definitely worth it. They also add more variety to class playstyles, granted that was not terribly necessary, as plenty options were already available. Still, as Dolly Parton said - "...more is more." and I do so find it to be wise remark.

    Overall, the expansion takes a very sharp turn from an (in my opinion) already winning formula... and fails. The new areas are beautiful and big, but ironically devoid of content - you will be stuck repeating the same chain of events ad nauseum. Allowing the developers to pad the content by introducing, what amounts to, "time gates" is a dangerous precedent (and has honestly shaken what belief I had in ArenaNet).    … Expand
  17. Foxtina
    Jan 8, 2018
    7
    Fun expansion but I have found news maps to be very confusing and messy. Other than that it's great.
  18. ShinGlacier
    Dec 1, 2017
    0
    The game has a lot of potential, but ANet doesn't care about the players, they are more interested in their money instead.

    The game evolved since launch, that's true, but at quite a slow pace. The expansion stories were a lot shorter than the main one and a lot more convoluted. The new classes that were added with the expansions are a bit of a fresh air, but ANet doesn't know how    The game has a lot of potential, but ANet doesn't care about the players, they are more interested in their money instead.

    The game evolved since launch, that's true, but at quite a slow pace.

    The expansion stories were a lot shorter than the main one and a lot more convoluted.

    The new classes that were added with the expansions are a bit of a fresh air, but ANet doesn't know how to make them fit in the different aspects of the game (PVP, PVE, Raids).

    Spellbreaker from the last expansion doens't have a place in Raids, as an example. Scourge was so nerfed that it lost it's place in any raid for more than 3 months.

    ANet doesn't seem to test what they do and then it takes 2+ months for them to fix it.

    Classes are absurdly unbalanced in PVP, you can take an overpowered one and simply cheese you way to the top tiers.

    End game content (I include making new Legendary items, high level Fractals and Raid Wings in this category) are slow, very slow to come out. We had to wait 6 months for a new raid wing (had 4 before that), and ONE YEAR for 01 new fractal level. That is RIDICULOUS.
    The new legendary items are lackluster. As an example the new rifle and shield are simply garbage when compared to the previous ones. The medium legendary armor look absurdly crap, when compared with it's heavy and light counterparts.

    Now they decided and go heavy with the lootbox system. It was ALREADY present in the game, with Black Lion Chests, but now they decided to introduce Random Mounts for a price. When they are not random, which are 2 atm, they are extremely overpriced.

    Oh, and I forgot to mention that they slyly changed most of their servers to Amazon ones, giving most of their player base worse pings, while a minority ended up getting better pings, and they don't even acknowledge that.

    So yeah, that's it I guess. A game with potential, but huddled together with a greedy, lazy management.    … Expand
  19. bthomas
    Oct 8, 2017
    6
    The only significantly positive change brought by HoT is the specialization system for each class, which can make your playstyle vary drastically.

    The masteries systems are good on principle, but tying them to what I believe to be an exaggerated amount of experience can lead to a frustratingly tiresome grind-fest. Although the meta event chains can be entertaining, maps like Tangled    The only significantly positive change brought by HoT is the specialization system for each class, which can make your playstyle vary drastically.

    The masteries systems are good on principle, but tying them to what I believe to be an exaggerated amount of experience can lead to a frustratingly tiresome grind-fest.

    Although the meta event chains can be entertaining, maps like Tangled Depths are a a plain nightmare to navigate. Get in and get out.    … Expand
  20. TicTacTaco
    Sep 24, 2017
    7
    When I first heard that Heart of Thorns would only have four maps, I was pretty skeptical of how much content there would be. Having played a good amount of each map, I can honestly say that there's a ton to do. These maps are huge, beautiful, and probably the most fun to travel in the entire game. People will say that you need to grin to unlock certain things, but this is simply notWhen I first heard that Heart of Thorns would only have four maps, I was pretty skeptical of how much content there would be. Having played a good amount of each map, I can honestly say that there's a ton to do. These maps are huge, beautiful, and probably the most fun to travel in the entire game. People will say that you need to grin to unlock certain things, but this is simply not accurate. Sure, you CAN grind the same events over and over, but that's on you. There's so much to do that you really only have yourself to blame if you're just sticking to on area.

    I will say, I can understand people's frustration with not being able to play their Elite Specialization for quite some time. However, this is part of the endgame progression. It's just a shame that some of the specs are much worse without their traits than others.

    The story is a vast improvement over the base game's though still pretty bad.    … Expand
  21. Blanel
    Aug 11, 2017
    7
    A Meh expansion to a solid game.

    The new zones are very big and artistically beautiful. The story is good, not great, but good. The new monsters and challenges you face will actually put up a fight sometimes, but at other times its the same old steam roll. Gliding is pretty cool.

    If you like Guild Wars 2 (which is Free to Play, so just check it out), you might want to buy this expansion.
  22. alceste007
    Jul 30, 2017
    3
    I used to love GW2 until HoT came out. The maps are horrible for casual players. The maps feel like they were designed for players in ascended / legendary gear. Bottle necks that artificially restrict movement through the maps based on mastery while giving daily objectives that you cannot even reach out. For casual players I just recommend moving to different game.
  23. furyunleashed
    Jun 22, 2017
    2
    Be aware. Depending on what you look for in a mmorpg, this game does not have a lot to offer. It is also arguable NOT an P2W-mmo, but I would beg to differ. EVERYTHING remotely advantegous for your character/account, you have to pay. More space? Pay. Rent armor. Rent weapons. Rent, rent, rent. There are even passes for areas in the cities which has all the necessary vendors combined, andBe aware. Depending on what you look for in a mmorpg, this game does not have a lot to offer. It is also arguable NOT an P2W-mmo, but I would beg to differ. EVERYTHING remotely advantegous for your character/account, you have to pay. More space? Pay. Rent armor. Rent weapons. Rent, rent, rent. There are even passes for areas in the cities which has all the necessary vendors combined, and guess what? You have to RENT that space too. And if you are looking for a PvP-experience, this is not the game for you. You have 6 attacks/skills to play with, rest are buffs/self-healing. For 10 attacks, you can swap with secondary weapon.

    The only thing which has some entertainment-value is the world-events. Bosses spawn, and many player gather around to kill it, though it's mostly just dpsing, dying, getting ressed, rince and repeat.

    Gw2 has few 'moments', and is much less than it gives itself out for.
    97 hours of playtime (with lvl 80).    … Expand
  24. Bulmarth
    Apr 24, 2017
    1
    First $50 for an "expansion", to me it's something that could be added on a patch but not in an EXPANSION. Elite specialization now beat core specs, and you need them in order to compete in PvP or WvW. They added viper gear wich is mandatory for condition build and you only get the mats in HoT zones, so if you are F2P or had the core game only you are on a huge disadvantage.

    The other    First $50 for an "expansion", to me it's something that could be added on a patch but not in an EXPANSION. Elite specialization now beat core specs, and you need them in order to compete in PvP or WvW. They added viper gear wich is mandatory for condition build and you only get the mats in HoT zones, so if you are F2P or had the core game only you are on a huge disadvantage.

    The other thing is that ANet promised a lot of things and didn't deliver nothing of it, like new legendaries or even more they told that elite spec would be a "side grade" or an alternative way to play each class, but it ended up been a "power creep" and being a upgrade of the classes, just look reaper and chronomancer.    … Expand
  25. Cell1e
    Apr 4, 2017
    7
    Much improved since I last reviewed this expansion, there are a lot more players in the four new maps, all except for Dragons stand, which is pretty ridiculous in how it works.

    I am now enjoying my visits to the new maps. So well done to GW2 team for the great improvements,
  26. buranya
    Mar 24, 2017
    7
    HoT is in some ways a rebuild of Guild Wars 2. It adds a lot of content to the main game, new areas, new bosses and dungeons. It contains all that we expect from an expansion. But, and there's always one but, it is too expensive for what it gives. If you had already bought Guild Wars 2, HoT will cost you exactly the same as a completely new player, as it gives you the main game with theHoT is in some ways a rebuild of Guild Wars 2. It adds a lot of content to the main game, new areas, new bosses and dungeons. It contains all that we expect from an expansion. But, and there's always one but, it is too expensive for what it gives. If you had already bought Guild Wars 2, HoT will cost you exactly the same as a completely new player, as it gives you the main game with the buy.

    But, trying to focus on the expansion itself, it adds a lot of hours of fun. Also improves the living world, and the new dungeons can be a big deal to treat with. Graphically it keeps the same aspect as the original game. The new areas are full of quests, every area contains it's own coin, that lets you buy some materials, armors and weapons. The new dungeons gives you the chance to face probably some of the hardest bosses in the game.

    And, ANet kept the expansion going further on the storyline. It doesn't finish with the fight against Mordremoth, but there are new living world quests. There are also new Legendary weapons coming out.

    One of the bad aspects of it is that it doesn't keep the community playing commonly. GW2 had that issue: you can play it during 4 months but, given the time, you stop playing it, because you lost the intention to obtain things, you already got all you wished, etc. And HoT has exactly the same problem.

    Given those aspects this is why i decide to score it with a 7. HoT adds content, new story, dungeons, weapons and maps. It also adds some classes making the game more open to customization of characters. But, it isn't worth 50€ if you aren't a new player or you intent to give it a lot of hours (old player). If you know that you will, don't doubt buying it; it is made for you. But, if you're closer to a casual gamer, forget about this buy.    … Expand
  27. zaftgun
    Jan 23, 2017
    0
    if this game is worth a 10 in some eyes, then it is definitely a 0 in some eyes too and all those with bs marketing like language that's not worth the paper its printed on.

    1. Everything including the main story locked behind exp grind with almost no new content to back it up. You play the old content to grind exp. The new maps are small, very very few events repeat themselves at very    if this game is worth a 10 in some eyes, then it is definitely a 0 in some eyes too and all those with bs marketing like language that's not worth the paper its printed on.

    1. Everything including the main story locked behind exp grind with almost no new content to back it up. You play the old content to grind exp. The new maps are small, very very few events repeat themselves at very short intervals over and over. Merchants in each area require tokens from that specific map available only through grinding those few events.

    2. Expansion skills adds a huge damage spike and are way more effective than almost all pre-expansion skills. If you dont have the expansion then you are no where near as effective as you can be. There are also almost no non-expansion players. Essentially, if you dont have the expansion you might as well not play.

    3. The story is terrible, and very poorly made. I dont think I can recall anything worse.

    4. There are so many garbage items that serves almost no purpose or require so much grind and additional resource to make use of its just not worth the trouble unless you've got absolutely nothing to do. To top it off they make them and so many other things account bound. There's so much garbage that a 5 20 slot bags arent enough.

    5. After 5 years of guild wars 2 build template still not done. For some reason they thought they can send me an email before heart of the thorns release saying build templates is coming. As it stands its still not there. There's no weapon and armor sets switch option, so many redundant clicks to open bags, click through confirmations and so many more that is just so much pain.

    No where near any of the quality of guild wars 1 expansions. Utter garbage that is infuriating to experience. I want a refund.    … Expand
  28. whatever523
    Dec 19, 2016
    8
    + New maps with a fantastic map design and good event chains.
    + Great vertical gameplay with gliders that really adds a lot to the maps.
    + Good sub classes. + The new masteries are good, with a few very bad exceptions. See below. = The story is more grown up, characters act less childish. It starts off good, but the ending is a bit uninspired and boring. It doesn't feel like a story    + New maps with a fantastic map design and good event chains.
    + Great vertical gameplay with gliders that really adds a lot to the maps.
    + Good sub classes.
    + The new masteries are good, with a few very bad exceptions. See below.

    = The story is more grown up, characters act less childish. It starts off good, but the ending is a bit uninspired and boring. It doesn't feel like a story that was crafted from great ideas, but from a writer who gets paid for it. The living world season 3 story seems to get better again so far.

    - Missions and achievements are still bugged a year after release. Companies that don't fix bugs suck.
    - The central Tyria mastery points are a pain in the ass to get. I'm not complaining about the time it takes, but it becomes boring and annoying (jumping puzzles, waiting for WEEKS for monsters to spawn, buying items with gold [how is that a mastery?], farming the same area for days/weeks).
    - Still no guild wars in Guild Wars 2.
    - Too many items in the gem store that should be available through normal gameplay.
    - Gold to gem conversion prices are out of control.
    - Too many trash drops and no good way to deal with them (Bloodstone Dust etc.). After every run you need to destroy all unsellable items manually.    … Expand
  29. Alistairas
    Dec 5, 2016
    10
    Ok so first off for those that enjoy WoW and other grind fests please find another game. For those that enjoy a game where one can mindlessly kill mobs for an hour and feel like they did something you will not enjoy this. GW2 is in my opinion one of the most different mmos I have come across. First off leveling is in no way tedious I have made 6 characters for GW2 and never have I thoughtOk so first off for those that enjoy WoW and other grind fests please find another game. For those that enjoy a game where one can mindlessly kill mobs for an hour and feel like they did something you will not enjoy this. GW2 is in my opinion one of the most different mmos I have come across. First off leveling is in no way tedious I have made 6 characters for GW2 and never have I thought what I was doing could be considered boring. GW2 is a game that in my opinion most anyone should try at the very least just so they can see a different style of mmo, however that being said I am aware that there are those poor souls who will claim the game is bad. I looked through many of the negative comments for both GW2 and HoT I cannot agree with any of them in any way. Every class feels very different once you truly start playing abilities have very different animations and effects. What other games can say that they have a spell-caster who shoots laser beams out of a great-sword. I'll grant it that many of the skills seem "simple" howver that is because GW2 is not a game that wants players to spend hours trying to figure out what each and every skill does, when to chain it to another and why this one iss better than another. GW2 is a game that gives you a small selection of skills and says make your own style sure it will be somewhat similar on paper to another person's but how you play is up to you and HoT is a great example of that I main a daredevil running around dodging like crazy and murdering every enemy i find in 80% dps gear with a bit of extra health because i'm a filthy casual and occasionally sit in an aoe i shouldn't and would rather not die/ So for those that claim you can't live in HoT without being a tank i call BS. You think Open World HoT is dangerous try doing a raid those things are scary. GW2 is not a game that says hey you played for 2 hours today have a cookie, its a game where you say i want 250 elder wood planks for my legendary collection not because i need it but rather because chuka and chumpawaut looks amazing on my character. Being lv 80 in gw2 is nothing impressive. What you do afterwards is what matters whether that means map completing the world and learning every piece of lore or becoming a salty scrub in PvP because people are idiots that don't know how to capture a point or building a great sword that paints the sky and leaves galaxies in your footprints your time is your own the devs don't tell you how to use it and if you find yourself bored with the game thats fine go search for your hidden gem elsewhere GW2 will be here when you realize that there are not all that many games that have a solid world with an interesting story that so often seems to have some random tidbit missing waiting to be discovered and a reliable combat system that keeps you on your toes. Sure you could play WoW or Tera but if your looking for a new game to play try something new don't look for something you already have and aren't satisfied with. I would give this game a 9/10 simply because while i believe it is one of the best games out there when it comes to MMOs I will admit i find myself looking at other games sometimes however i have yet to find another mmo that i have devoted even half as much time to. Also for those who may try to claim this game is p2w I again call BS the closest thing to p2w is pay for convenience. I have some ascended armor on my thief acquired purely through crafting. Was it a pain sure but there was no reason to spend money to buy the gold i needed to craft the armor especially since i have perfectly usable exotic armor that was pathetically easy to get when i first got to lv 80 and while i am trying to get a legendary short-bow its not going to increase my dps or survivabilty one bit. I just want it for the simple fact that it looks awesome. the most expensive items on the trading post are legendary weapons and color dyes if you can somehow find a way to "win" gw2 congrats your a try hard in a game of casuals. The vast majority of people in gw2 are chill and more often than not will help someone because they feel like it and they might get some decent loot from the whole ordeal maybe karma will say they deserve an ascended armor box or a cool skin they hadn't found yet. I think i have rambled enough today and will leave with a simple request. When trying out gw2 forget the customs of other MMOs do things because its fun not because its the fastest way to your goal. The fun is in the shenanigans along the way. Make a Necromancer that looks like a butler or try to make a charr look fashionable be a fire tornado or run round as a rat thing dropping turrets because your character makes interesting remarks. Have fun with the game and ignore the people who can't get past the traditional MMO garbage that we in GW2 have left behind.… Expand
  30. ltmiroku
    Nov 13, 2016
    4
    the add on does in fact plenty of nice features. but my biggest turn off to this add on has got to be how you are playing the Exact same style of boss monster. when you start the game the first was about a Dragon that rises the dead and controls an army, the next story is about a dragon that raises plant characters that he controls. the dead were once living but controlled, thethe add on does in fact plenty of nice features. but my biggest turn off to this add on has got to be how you are playing the Exact same style of boss monster. when you start the game the first was about a Dragon that rises the dead and controls an army, the next story is about a dragon that raises plant characters that he controls. the dead were once living but controlled, the plants can be of created or a controlled race. The creativity here is Terrible to say the least!!

    Lets not forget the new zones will kill you, i just don't mean you picked a paper class death. i mean dear god you can have high defense and feel as if you are a paper class character. the damage is just to high! and the monsters use plenty of pulls, knockdowns and anything to kill you as often as they can its not creative!

    the maps themselves are very hard and is very confusing at times that you might get lost or frustrated that these high damaging monsters are making it hard to figure out where your at!

    Cash Shops seem to been on the rise with the add on as well, seems if you want another character slot it is 10$ per slot! sound fair to you? i felt ripped off! personally!

    I'm uncertain what Anet was thinking with this add on, but they certainly have created a mess :(    … 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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