Guild Wars 2

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Aug 28, 2012
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3192 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,380 out of 3192
  2. Mixed: 386 out of 3192
  3. Negative: 426 out of 3192
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  1. ZeroGama
    Feb 15, 2013
    4
    Let me start off saying that I played the original Guild Wars for 7 years, and loved every moment of it. I even bought the two books that were released to fill the lore in between GW1 and GW2 while pre ordering my collectors edition for the day it came out. I thought GW2 would have more of the same as GW1, but sadly it doesn't. First off, Instances are gone Poof.... No longer can youLet me start off saying that I played the original Guild Wars for 7 years, and loved every moment of it. I even bought the two books that were released to fill the lore in between GW1 and GW2 while pre ordering my collectors edition for the day it came out. I thought GW2 would have more of the same as GW1, but sadly it doesn't. First off, Instances are gone Poof.... No longer can you explore an area with you and a couple of ur closest friends. Now there's just a pile of people that you all manage to amalgamate, collectively attacking random things chaotically. There are no strategies anymore, just annoying-ass mindless spamming of 2 or 3 skills. Second off, the skill system and combat system is dead. Gone are the days when you could hunt down specific skills stretched across the world of Tyria to collect. Now, your skills are linked with your weapon. Which you then only have 5 per weapon, and are very limited in their diversity. Honestly, every weapon and skill feel almost identical per class. It's a shame really; I remember spending hours upon hours trying to build the perfect build for PvE. And then when that build didn't cut it anymore for a new quest or mission, I'd sit around and devise a new build for specific situations. Just as Diablo III had to dumb down it's game for the masses, so did GW2.

    Next, the new and innovative event system is a clever way of deceiving players of something new. In actuality, the even system is just another grind-fest to kill X number of enemies or collect Y number of items to complete it. Like I said earlier, it's a very clever system, because thousands of people have been duped to believe they're not playing the usual MMO that requires you to grind out the same exact quests/actions over and over again, the individuals at Arena Net just covered it with a different set of clothes and a wig to make it seem new. It isn't. And it's god damned awful and disgusting that not many people realize this.

    If you're a fan of WOW and MMO's similar to it's play style, then go on ahead an check out this game, it'll probably be the "change" you've been looking for in a game. Meanwhile, if you were a fan of the first installment, stay away from this game, stay far far away.If you're looking for instanced games to play check out Path of Exile or Phantasy Star Online 2, those games you'll surely enjoy.

    -Disheartened Fan    … Expand
  2. rebelyankee
    Aug 29, 2012
    1
    This is a dang fun game. The graphics are great (don't listen to the naysayers who compare MMO graphics to single-player games; these games are made for a wider audience, online at the same time).
    There's plenty to see, plenty to do, the mechanics are engaging but not impossible to figure out. Almost all aspects of this game are fun, starting with a very in-depth character and story    This is a dang fun game. The graphics are great (don't listen to the naysayers who compare MMO graphics to single-player games; these games are made for a wider audience, online at the same time).
    There's plenty to see, plenty to do, the mechanics are engaging but not impossible to figure out. Almost all aspects of this game are fun, starting with a very in-depth character and story creator. I feel as if I'm rambling, but this game really does have a little bit of everything, tossing out some of the junk of "classic MMOs" in a "why does an MMO have to have that" philosophy.
    My only complaint is that some things ARE more complex than they need to be, or are broken (the auction house - known as the Black Lion Trading Company). PVP is kind of messy to figure out. In many games, you hit a hot button, bring up the pvp panel, and click to join either a random event, a specific pvp map, and always with the option to join up your entire group.
    That quibble aside, this is a game I'm going to enjoy playing for some time (provided the content gets udpated in a reasonably timely fashion).
    And did I mention there's no sub fee? Once you buy the box, you don't need to buy anything else to play Guild Wars 2.    … Expand
  3. solarbear88
    Nov 19, 2012
    0
    This game was originally a 9 or a 10, you could play as you liked and be rewarded for it. But with the addition of the new Ascended Gear, the game has suddenly become very limited: grind the new dungeon 1000 times or be left behind. This transition is a betrayal of the "no gear treadmill" philosophy and makes the game more like a lame version World of Warcraft.

    After playing for a    This game was originally a 9 or a 10, you could play as you liked and be rewarded for it. But with the addition of the new Ascended Gear, the game has suddenly become very limited: grind the new dungeon 1000 times or be left behind. This transition is a betrayal of the "no gear treadmill" philosophy and makes the game more like a lame version World of Warcraft.

    After playing for a while you start to find the classes pretty limited and kind of dull. Only a few tactics are worth taking, leaving you with like 1 or 2 builds instead of the diversity promised.

    After playing them, the dungeons are generally poorly constructed and not a lot of fun.    … Expand
  4. tazzon22
    Jan 14, 2013
    3
    GW2...really? its not even close to gw1. The story is lame, the dungons are easy pvp is dying on the vine, wvw3 and des are a zerg fest , with the additional bonus of lagging out . The classes dont even feel diffrent from one another, and its entire no-trinity system hase made it a dps fest with no skill involved. Grats anet you took a great games title and @##$ all over it. Oh yea getGW2...really? its not even close to gw1. The story is lame, the dungons are easy pvp is dying on the vine, wvw3 and des are a zerg fest , with the additional bonus of lagging out . The classes dont even feel diffrent from one another, and its entire no-trinity system hase made it a dps fest with no skill involved. Grats anet you took a great games title and @##$ all over it. Oh yea get ready to get dinged into the cash grab trading post, pfft ..and no farming, free to play is still to expensive, it feels like SWTOR all over again with all the problems they fail to adress.… Expand
  5. Leguma
    Nov 21, 2012
    0
    All the promises that were made before release and all the selling points of this game have been thrown out the window with the latest patch.

    There was supposed to be no grind, no gear treadmills, no gated content. Before 15 Nov 2012 this game was 9/10, now it's a clear case of bait and switch. Don't be fooled by all the old reviews, and read up some current information about the    All the promises that were made before release and all the selling points of this game have been thrown out the window with the latest patch.

    There was supposed to be no grind, no gear treadmills, no gated content. Before 15 Nov 2012 this game was 9/10, now it's a clear case of bait and switch. Don't be fooled by all the old reviews, and read up some current information about the direction the game has taken.    … Expand
  6. Corvin
    Nov 20, 2012
    3
    While I can't quite bring myself to rate this game as a zero even now, and while it is still enjoyable in many aspects, refugees from the hamster treadmill can no longer expect to find a home in Guild Wars 2. If you're a casual player or someone who enjoys large scale PvP but does not enjoy a dungeon gear grind, stay far away from this otherwise beautiful MMO.
  7. suneater
    Dec 13, 2012
    3
    Had a great start and tons of potential but the devs have squandered it. Storyline starts out great with your choices having impact but around halfway through it gets hijacked by a Mary Sue who saves the world for you. Graphics are marginally better than the originals and most of the music is recycled from GW. Gameplay is dull with each weapon having a locked set of skills leaving you withHad a great start and tons of potential but the devs have squandered it. Storyline starts out great with your choices having impact but around halfway through it gets hijacked by a Mary Sue who saves the world for you. Graphics are marginally better than the originals and most of the music is recycled from GW. Gameplay is dull with each weapon having a locked set of skills leaving you with 1 healing skill, 3 "utility" slots, and an elite skill. Most skills are bland because the devs have killed the "trinity" (aka an actual class system) leaving everyone being tanky DPS for dungeons and glass cannons for pvp. 4 months after launch and there are still tons of gameplay bugs, elite skills are almost all garbage (so bad that you forget to use them), CC & debuffs are unbalanced and boring (stuns last 1-2 seconds but cripple can stack to over a minute easily), and class customization is non-existent with barebone traits. The world is beautiful and at first fun to explore, but if you go for map completion the hearts are very tedious and all the starting zones feel the same. Endgame consists of unevenly difficult & boring dungeons, chaotic & pointless server vs. server PvP, KOTH PvP with cosmetics-only rewards, and grinding for hundreds of hours for "legendary" weapons. Overall, this is a terrible sequel and has nothing to do with the original Guild War series apart from races and some skill names. The devs are clearly building the game for the "WoW audience" and have not only abandoned their original fans but are actively alienating them.… Expand
  8. Mandrax
    Nov 19, 2012
    0
    So now we are 3 months into the game and after I gave a very favourable review I'm going to have to take it all back. It seems Arenanet are now turning this game into WoW 2.0 insofar as there will now be a gear treadmill which goes completely against their manifesto which they set out whilst developing the game.

    This was a good game until Arenanet started lying to it's customers.    So now we are 3 months into the game and after I gave a very favourable review I'm going to have to take it all back. It seems Arenanet are now turning this game into WoW 2.0 insofar as there will now be a gear treadmill which goes completely against their manifesto which they set out whilst developing the game.

    This was a good game until Arenanet started lying to it's customers. Shame on you Anet, I thought better of you.    … Expand
  9. Fuz
    Mar 6, 2014
    2
    It was a good game, lot of potential. The premises (and prOmises) were amazing: No grinding, no gating...
    Sure, it would have needed some bit of changes and fixes here and there (the greatest being the lacking of a proper LFG tool), but it was overall pretty great for a new MMO.
    But with the Lost Shores patch they trashed it all. They broke ALL their promises, they went against their own    It was a good game, lot of potential. The premises (and prOmises) were amazing: No grinding, no gating...
    Sure, it would have needed some bit of changes and fixes here and there (the greatest being the lacking of a proper LFG tool), but it was overall pretty great for a new MMO.
    But with the Lost Shores patch they trashed it all. They broke ALL their promises, they went against their own manifesto. They went for an HEAVY grind style, a terrible gear treadmill. On top of that, the economy is ruined and prices are a real problem, especially for new players. So, if you want to buy or craft something now you pretty much have to buy money from their shop, making this a Pay to Win game.
    Really disappointed, it had potential, but now it's just another WoW clone, and WoW still does those things better.    … Expand
  10. MuthSera
    Sep 12, 2012
    0
    Pros> The game is so damn beautiful it's astonishing. The voice acting and pacing are pretty nice, for sure. Probably the best WoW-like MMO that I've ever played in every single aspect.. But this game only excels when compared to WoW.. which is like comparing yourself to a chimpanzee with down syndrome.
    Cons> Guild wars 2 does not even began to compare to Guild wars 1 when it comes to    Pros> The game is so damn beautiful it's astonishing. The voice acting and pacing are pretty nice, for sure. Probably the best WoW-like MMO that I've ever played in every single aspect.. But this game only excels when compared to WoW.. which is like comparing yourself to a chimpanzee with down syndrome.
    Cons> Guild wars 2 does not even began to compare to Guild wars 1 when it comes to PVP. PVP was all I did, really. We had the previous capability customize all our skills and come up with unique combinations, and we had the ability to select 2 classes. We had structured PVP, 4v4, GVG, HA, Hero Arenas, Codex Arena, Kurzicks vs Luxons in capture point battles, fort aspenwood, and even 2 team colaberative missions. We had hundreds of hexes with unique effects, now reduced to causing some condition or another. All of that was lost. I mean, I really think the game is AMAZINGLY polished, but what made guild wars 1 so damn good, what brought all us fans to it, was that it was very unlike WoW.. and BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THIS: In the ways that guild wars 2 is like WoW, it's better than WoW, but if it had been able to keep it's own unique strengths in the process instead of ditching them to be like WoW, we'd have really, actually, had the perfect game. :x I still have high hopes, however, as Arena net is nothing if not made up of brilliant members capable of correcting design mistakes.    … Expand
  11. vahn
    Feb 15, 2013
    0
    This is going to be my last attempt on trying to be serious on this game...since everytime I boot it up, it gets worse and worse everytime and I'm myself impressed by how bad this game gets the more I play. I have leveled over 50 and played a lot by exploring and doing all sort of quests, all sorts of actions, and again I tried the crafting after months of its release (since I bought it onThis is going to be my last attempt on trying to be serious on this game...since everytime I boot it up, it gets worse and worse everytime and I'm myself impressed by how bad this game gets the more I play. I have leveled over 50 and played a lot by exploring and doing all sort of quests, all sorts of actions, and again I tried the crafting after months of its release (since I bought it on launch). I initially said it was a great game due to the classes being well detailed, which ended up to be sort of a fake statement since all classes are basically "jack of all trades" class: you only get a different set of skills and while I appreciated the fact that they tried to remove the "holy trinity" (tank, dps, healer), this lack of feature makes every class basically a boredom due to the fact that you'll never feel unique: you're one of the crowd, and I don't see that point in a mmo where you'd wish to stand up among the crowd: it's that what makes an mmo worthwhile. I also mentioned how the game gives you different ways to quest. and events that are varied and different...but after a while you'll just discover that it's still the same quests just disguised as a "different" event, without mentioning that they can be boring too since you are, again, one of the crowd and I saw myself just spamming the same skills. About the skills, I initially mentioned that I liked it, but eventually I opened my eyes and I saw just how limited it was, since you'll just be spamming 5 skills in total, plus 5 more that can be set by yourself later on...but it is just not enough to keep the game fresh and I remember being bored just after few weeks of gameplay after release. Also the combat states that they hoped to be dynamic and always on the move, by giving you also the possibility to dodge and to fight while moving...and again you'll see just as a disguise for the same old routine; the dodge works sporadically and unless you're EXTREMELY precise, you can still be hit and make your dodge completely useless. Also, you have only 2 dodges, and once you're over you can easily stand still: even if you run their hit range is bigger than yours, and unfortunely this leads into some very overpowered enemies that can take basically 1/10 of your health in one hit (worst example: as a warrior, I received a critical hit of 990 from a NON-veteran/elite enemy...and I was level 11-12, and had only 890+ hp). It is engaging at times...and at first, but then you'll see the truth in a second: it's not fun and it is repetitive. I also mentioned how the shared resources is good...and is still good! But on the other hand the crafting system, while a little improved by lowering some items (I "think"...) it still remains hard to improve and I honestly never tried to improve it due to the fact that it requires so much material grinding that it would turn off any will of trying. And while some may say "get a guild" or "use a guide" to me, I say instead if I'm forced to ask for help, what's to enjoy about the professions?". The graphics are still great and I haven't got much to say: it still remains the best graphics I've seen so far. Although, the dubbing can be mediocre at times. The story, while I liked that you could create a story for your avatar, it's the same as the rest of the game: it's just a disguise that after some quests completely disappears and reveals nothing more than a simple questline with choices to make (which changes only few things by the way). While interesting, AGAIN, the freshness disappears rapidly and becomes a boring campaign that shows nothing more, and nothing less. I also mentioned that while there are 5 races, this is the game where I basically played one, since most of the races are...ugly. This is still personal and while I enjoy that they added more races than the first game, to me the human is still the only good race to play with (or the charr: they're awesome!). And for last, the community. I play in one of the most crowded server (Aurora Glade) and everytime I play...I hardly see anybody around! What happened? Even when I started a new character the places had barely few people around: I was playing alone all the time! Nobody even talked in the general chat (except cities) and while I'm not at cap level yet I've seen more players in the starting zones in many other MMORPGs, and this game supposed to encourage team work! That alone is why I quit, and why everyone should be aware of this game: I wouldn't bother if it wasn't of it's welcoming appearence but it soon shows how fake all the premise was and how basically it has nothing fresh into it. Not the worst MMORPG, but it's very close to it. You have been warned.… Expand
  12. otinanai
    Sep 12, 2012
    3
    GW2 starts off very strong in the first 20 levels but most players quickly realize how poor the quest(dynamic event/heart) variety is. I can't even count how many times I had to defend a camp from X waves of enemies, or collect objects on the ground for an NPC. Entering a new zone doesn't feel new at all. Dynamic events become trivial when the players make a zerg, and most are impossibleGW2 starts off very strong in the first 20 levels but most players quickly realize how poor the quest(dynamic event/heart) variety is. I can't even count how many times I had to defend a camp from X waves of enemies, or collect objects on the ground for an NPC. Entering a new zone doesn't feel new at all. Dynamic events become trivial when the players make a zerg, and most are impossible when solo/duo.

    The game makes it difficult and not fun to group with friends. If you get 20 meters away from someone in your group, they disappear both on the screen and on the map. Doing hearts pretty much forces group members to solo, and ignoring hearts doesn't feel right as you are skipping a lot of content.

    The PvE endgame is mediocre at best. The level 80 zone requires absolutely no skill, only a big enough zerg, time and patience.

    PvP combat is plagued by poor class balance and unnecessary new features like the downed state, which creates frustration whether you kill or die. sPvP is completely cut off from the rest of the game, and its progression is only cosmetic, which only a small minority of players will find interesting.

    WvW has poor performance on most computers (for example my PC gets 60+ fps in PvE but only 15 in large battles in WvW), lacks any progression which will turn off most PvPers, and only allows one and only one playstyle if you want to be effective: Zerging. Arena.net tried to imitate DAoC's brilliant RvR, but they decided not to copy important features like realm ranks/realm points, long duration crowd control and 8-man groups (to allow more playstyles like group vs group, small group, soloing) and a huge PvP dungeon like the amazing Darkness Falls.

    The positives are that the game is buy to play and doesn't require a subscription, and that the developers seem to have ambition, which gives me hope that the game might improve over the next years.    … Expand
  13. Coeco
    Dec 3, 2012
    4
    Ah, Guild Wars 2. How the Internet have been waiting for you so long. What are they greeted with? A polished wow-clone. Channeling spells, lag, outdated graphics for it's time and an insane amount of bribes going to the critiques to cough out "Unique combat system" quotes whenever possible. As much as I like one-time fees, like with single-player games, it will only do harm to MMORPG'sAh, Guild Wars 2. How the Internet have been waiting for you so long. What are they greeted with? A polished wow-clone. Channeling spells, lag, outdated graphics for it's time and an insane amount of bribes going to the critiques to cough out "Unique combat system" quotes whenever possible. As much as I like one-time fees, like with single-player games, it will only do harm to MMORPG's because they will need a steady stream of income to offer a continuous service. Otherwise, bankruptcy or P2W is inevitable. This fate can already be hinted towards on how they locked out the ability to purchase the game, being too cheap to have an adequate amount of availability on the servers while banning more users than Origin, clever NCsoft. In It's core, the game isn't by any means bad but it's just very, very, very average.… Expand
  14. ZteamOverlord
    Sep 3, 2012
    3
    So when I started the game, I was impressed by the voice acting and the polish of the graphics. I was also impressed with the amount of character classes i could choose between. I was also impressed with the idea of being able to customize my character's story line by choices made before the game began. Once the first 5 hours of game play was completed I was then let down by a tediousSo when I started the game, I was impressed by the voice acting and the polish of the graphics. I was also impressed with the amount of character classes i could choose between. I was also impressed with the idea of being able to customize my character's story line by choices made before the game began. Once the first 5 hours of game play was completed I was then let down by a tedious quest sytem, repetitive random events and ptiful PVP system. Im just going to get this out of the way right away, I come from the old school of everquest, Asheron's call, Ultima online ect... and am really only interested in pvp but i can apreciate a deep story driven PVE system like The Old Republic Online. In the old days you had an active choice to make at the beginning. Do I join a PVP server or a PVE server, This game gives you no option witch worried me right away. As I am going through playing multiple classes and multiple levels feeling real lonely because the quest system does not encourage teaming up, instead if you happen to be in the same area as another player,guess what, you are a team, and once the event is over you all disperse, never exchanging names or talking at all because well, what the point? Ok so I kept on going, deciding to join the pvp system at lvl 20 just so I knew what I was doing with the character before I joined. I expected a dynamic PVP experience. Instead all i got was a chaotic combat system and yet another linear experience. Go here to defend this, Run here to defend that, with no clear and defined rolls to play in the battle.The PVP was just like the rest of the game, Linear and lonely. Overall i cannot give the game the lowest score because it has pretty looking skills and spells with clean graphics that cover up a hollow role playing experience. in short, good graphics, linear and repetitive PVE experience, and pathetic and totaly seperate from the game PVP sytem. Not exactly what i was expecting, but when its free to play, how good can it be? as a side note, what the hell happened to open world PVP servers where anything goes? I miss those days.… Expand
  15. heech
    Aug 28, 2012
    2
    I haven't gamed much over the past decade, so I'm not "tired" of WoW-type style games like others might be. I started playing SWTOR earlier this year, and fell in love with much of it.. but with so many people checking out GW2 (and also a lot of questions about TOR's future), I decided to try it as well. But... it's just not working for me. I don't understand those who insist GW2'sI haven't gamed much over the past decade, so I'm not "tired" of WoW-type style games like others might be. I started playing SWTOR earlier this year, and fell in love with much of it.. but with so many people checking out GW2 (and also a lot of questions about TOR's future), I decided to try it as well. But... it's just not working for me. I don't understand those who insist GW2's graphics are superior to TOR. I heartily disagree. Looking at the animations of my toon, looking at how he + other players appear.. to my eyes, it's just decades apart.. with what I see in GW2, it's literally something I might have seen 10+ years ago. The scenary on GW2 is certainly well done if you go for that artistic style, but not good enough that I really care about "vistas".

    I'm also just not that impressed with the gameplay. Someone compared to the SW:TOR style of combat to "playing a piano" (in a dismissive/critical sense). Well, I actually liked that... a lot. I have 2 quick bars = 24 keys I use in literally every single warzone on TOR. I'm constantly watching CDs + my opponents cast bar, working with LOS, and rotating through actions as appropriate. In contrast, I think the 5 + a few buttons in GW2 makes combat extremely boring. I auto-attack, occasionally evade, and hit whatever is off CD. I really found it extremely boring to play, and quit after about an hour. (Maybe console players used to smashing 1-2 keys will find it just fine?)

    I love GW2's WvWvW layout though. If there was a way to combine that with the SW:TOR's combat interface, I would be in heaven.    … Expand
  16. HelloWTF22
    Aug 29, 2012
    0
    We'll start with the dated graphics. once again an MMO designer makes a game to run in the lowest systems making a mediocre graphics experience for everyone. Then we continue with the character controls. Floaty and disconnected. You start an attack and your character takes over - you don't have real control over it.. Just like a dog you tell "attack" and "stop" and lead by a leash.We'll start with the dated graphics. once again an MMO designer makes a game to run in the lowest systems making a mediocre graphics experience for everyone. Then we continue with the character controls. Floaty and disconnected. You start an attack and your character takes over - you don't have real control over it.. Just like a dog you tell "attack" and "stop" and lead by a leash. Auto-attacks and tab target, once more. Not even SWTOR relied on auto-attacks and they criticized its combat as WoW clone. This is far more clonish to WoW than anything else I've played in the genre. In fact, Ranger plays the exact same as Hunter. Their in game Cash Store is ever present like any F2P title, hounding you to conveniently purchase with cash things that will take you more work to get online. People already simply purchase advantages in PvP and save themselves the time. Finally its players are very much like a cult - they'll hound anyone not sharing a perfect opinion of GW like a pariah. Death threats have been lobbed on personal emails, that's how fanatical they get. Between the mediocre gameplay, dated graphics, and mindless- aggressive cult core of players it's something to stay away from.… Expand
  17. Katabug
    Aug 29, 2012
    3
    Try this game before you buy it! Borrow a friends account or wait for a free trial or something, but don't spend money on it until you actually know what you're buying into. There's not much more I can say that the other negative reviewers haven't already covered. But this game is simply not worth $60 ($20 maybe). Don't fall for the hype!
  18. AdamM88
    Mar 2, 2021
    0
    GW2 is one of those buy once, play whenever MMOs. Which would be nice, except, if you only buy the base game you are terribly limited, but at least you can figure out whether you want to spend more money on this garbage. If you want all the classes, the minimum amount of character slots, all the playable territories at least a small amount of Quality of Life features, then you'll need toGW2 is one of those buy once, play whenever MMOs. Which would be nice, except, if you only buy the base game you are terribly limited, but at least you can figure out whether you want to spend more money on this garbage. If you want all the classes, the minimum amount of character slots, all the playable territories at least a small amount of Quality of Life features, then you'll need to spend over 200 EUR on the game, and then you didn't spend any of lootboxes, cosmetics, gold, or other items. That's just the bare minimum you should spend, if you want to play this game "seriously".

    Yes, you can buy gold. You can choose to grind days for a legendary item, or... You can deliver pizzas IRL for a few hours and spend some EUR to buy said legendary item. You can spend money in the game, so you have to play the game less!

    And you should. As the economy is, and always was, and will be, in complete shambles. Meaning, that 99.9% of all items are sold for vendor price on the auction house.

    Professions are really boring, and besides their forced and stale "legendary and ascended item crafting" "feature" there is nothing interesting about them.

    Items in general are ridiculously bland and dumb. There is almost no gear progression. Once you hit lvl80 (and you should not grind 1-80, just pay around 30 EUR for a lvl80 boost!) you can buy the second best gear for only a few gold. After that you may get a legendary or ascended gear, which is only a few percent stronger than the starting gear. In other words: LOOT IS MEANINGLESS in this game, as you'll never ever find equipment that is an upgrade for you.

    The world might seem big, but - and I am NOT exaggerating - they are pretty much the same area copy pasted on each other with the same textures and layout. Almost all areas contain the exact same mobs, doing the exact same thing (mostly nothing, really). The developers have less creativity than a 3 year old.

    The game is ugly, even for a 9 year old MMO. If you spend some money on the cash shop you can look alright, and some boss monsters look nice, but generally the whole world and the enemies your fight and the loot you wear is U-G-L-Y.

    The game is not new player friendly AT ALL. If you start to play this game then for the first hundred or so hours will be spent googling and reading wikis, as the game doesn't teach you anything at all.

    Classes are really boring and badly designed except for a small handful of specs. Abilities are pathetic and you only have a tiny few of them. There is no balance either.

    Everyone, even PvPers agree that PvP is one of the worst in all MMOs. The game mode is pretty much abandoned by the devs and also by the players - population is really, really stow. There are bots, afkers, win traders in almost all games. The meta is stale, and the class imbalance is nowhere close this big in other MMOs. The matchmaker mixes together everyone from all rank brackets.

    PvP has a big brother called Realm vs Realm. Think Alterac Valley just bigger and dumber and abandoned by the devs.

    The reward loops are super awful in the game. If you are looking for some of the MMORPG looops, GW2 has almost none of them.

    The game incentivises one player having multiple accounts.

    The community is quite anti-social and autistic.

    The developers don't care, they never did, and never had any talent to make MMORPGs.

    Two things are nice in this game:
    Fractals (a sort of PvE dungeons)
    Music -> The composer, Jeremy Soule was metood from the company, so you will not hear from him again.    … Expand
  19. abotogar
    Oct 29, 2021
    4
    the skyscale collection is the most frustrating quest i face in a videogame, it is almost impossible to do this quest without a group in cetain point, to make the matter worse it is not good for the business since guild wars if filed with cosmetics in game purchases.
  20. BeatHour
    May 29, 2022
    4
    Just reviewing the story missions of the base game here. This is one of the worst story experiences I've ever had. Mediocre voice acting; a lot of the minor actors sound like they just wandered into the studio. Very strange mechanics, like turret sections where you have to press the number keys to move and shoot the turret, or escort missions where you have to stand right next to but alsoJust reviewing the story missions of the base game here. This is one of the worst story experiences I've ever had. Mediocre voice acting; a lot of the minor actors sound like they just wandered into the studio. Very strange mechanics, like turret sections where you have to press the number keys to move and shoot the turret, or escort missions where you have to stand right next to but also slightly ahead of the NPC at all times to get them to move. TERRIBLE story progression. All that happens is you meet a few new characters, they die or betray you, and the other characters (most of whom have no personality beyond their fantasy race) are surprised. Then you beat the main boss by hopping on a turret and spamming 1 for 5 minutes straight.

    After peaking ahead at some story content for the "Path of Fire" expansion, it does seem like their writing ability and use of mechanics gets better over time. But the base game is so atrocious and skippable, please do yourself a favor and just skip all the cutscenes. You don't need to know anything besides the Jolly Green Giant guy is the main hero for apparently no reason. That's it.    … Expand
  21. Constipator
    Mar 16, 2021
    0
    First off just let me say that for the era this game came out in, the visuals were second to none. It had breathtaking and imaginative landscapes. This was further expanded on with vistas on the map being interactable showing what was probably the art team's vision of certain maps. The in game soundtrack also has songs I've actually looked for and listened to as background music when I wasFirst off just let me say that for the era this game came out in, the visuals were second to none. It had breathtaking and imaginative landscapes. This was further expanded on with vistas on the map being interactable showing what was probably the art team's vision of certain maps. The in game soundtrack also has songs I've actually looked for and listened to as background music when I was studying or doing other hobby work. The characters and voice acting does a stellar job of immersing yourself in the world(albeit the main VA's do a lot of background characters so sometimes it can break immersion). The B2P model in this game seems fair although I wish there was incentive to buy larger quantities of credits as there is no bonus for buying larger credit bundles.. that's just my take on it though, the dye does seem TOO pricey though. I also really like the story and got invested into it more than most MMO's. I personally really liked having Rytlock, Canach, and Taimi around. PoF was a breath of fresh air from this game. I tried it out on a whim and it really sold me on the game when the initial release was so underwhelming.. and HoT(Heart of Thorns) didn't garner any interest whatsoever. Honestly it's a stroke of genius the way they handle leveling and expansions. You have a max level and afterwards there are masteries for the content, think of them as additional benefits that give you utility and survivability in the expansions. The way they handled mounts is also great, I really love this system. There's also dynamic map events that are really cool, I've participated in the ones in the HoT area and would recommend people check out.

    So after all this I imagine most people are wondering "Well, why the low score?" and to that the answer is simple. At the end of the day this game is an MMORPG and it should play like one. I've always HATED the combat. A lot of people defend it saying it's the best of the genre. Imagine doing world quests in WoW, killing the mobs you need, then afterwards when you go to loot the mobs your character decides to auto attack another pack when you're at low hp and then you die. Idk why your character queues up auto attacks when your current target is dead, this is a huge oversight. Also unlike WoW where your character can auto target nearby hostile or only auto attacks mobs that are targeted, this one will just auto target mobs like 80 yds away. It seems like these people and myself are playing 2 entirely different games. There are monsters that fall into normal, bronze, silver, gold, and then boss quality. Some of the mobs in the game are normal(looking at you LWS2&3 and HoT mobs) that are as difficult as silver quality mobs. Silver quality mobs are like impossible for the normal person to solo. I feel like this game has a lot of BS moments where there was nothing I could do in the fight to guarantee my survival.. and I mean vs regular mobs, not even special boss mobs. Unlike in WoW where you fight a group of mobs, and it's uncommon for a group to chain CC you.. in this game you pull a group, every one of them is going to CC you and YOU WILL DIE. I know it makes the game "more challenging" but it also amounts to having a very poor player experience. The combat in the game is very janky overall, very akin to the trash combat in ESO.    … Expand
  22. WOWisthebest
    Nov 25, 2020
    0
    Very, very trash game only low iq players like it. Even TESO is better. I recommend you World of Warcraft the Greatest game what ever made.
  23. 32Threads-
    Jan 1, 2021
    0
    Absolutely horrific customer service. 5,000 hours into the game and forgot my password. I have 10 or 12 characters fully leveled and spent a couple thousand dollars on the game over the years. I'm trying to reset my password and the customer service is no help at all. It's almost like they enjoy it. I told them two character names on my account and then they wanted more. I tried reallyAbsolutely horrific customer service. 5,000 hours into the game and forgot my password. I have 10 or 12 characters fully leveled and spent a couple thousand dollars on the game over the years. I'm trying to reset my password and the customer service is no help at all. It's almost like they enjoy it. I told them two character names on my account and then they wanted more. I tried really hard all day long to remember and came up with two more character names. I described their class, race, sex and dye colors. I told them how many hours I had in playtime, the last time I played. They just keep saying "Nope. We need the information on file." So vague about it. I couldn't remember my address from 8 and a half years ago. Then I remembered it and told them. "Nope." It's very simple why they won't give me a password reset. They want me (like so many others they've forced) to repurchase the game and DLC's. I wouldn't buy an ANET game if it was 90% off and I was using someone else's money. The EA Games of MMOS… Expand
  24. Norfarell
    Feb 4, 2021
    0
    Whoever thought of making the underwater quest maps should be FIRED ON THE SPOT. I really try to like the game. I even have 600h hours played in it. Byt playing ONE OF THE **** WATER QUESTS makes me want to commit suicide, or at least delete the game. Thing that should take 15 minutes and be a Ipeace of cake tool 90 minutes because of **** up level design. I kept going back to the sameWhoever thought of making the underwater quest maps should be FIRED ON THE SPOT. I really try to like the game. I even have 600h hours played in it. Byt playing ONE OF THE **** WATER QUESTS makes me want to commit suicide, or at least delete the game. Thing that should take 15 minutes and be a Ipeace of cake tool 90 minutes because of **** up level design. I kept going back to the same spot time after time again.
    I really want to love GW2, but being forced to play those mentally retarded quests makes me want to puke, and throw the laptop into the wall...
    This "quest" was made 8 years ago. They had 8 years to make it reasonable. They could not be bothered to fix it... That is why I have to give it low score.
    Shame, but it has to be done. For the future of the game itself. If they can't fix one thing for years, then you cant trust them with anything.    … Expand
  25. kouradas
    Nov 24, 2021
    0
    zero for this trash.

    1.You buy the game yet are subtly forced ingame to buy more bags, storage, convenience items etc etc through the most imaginative ways. 2. game engine is obsolete. You would think they would do something with all the money they get. NOPE 3. zero QoL updates. Absolutely zero for a game that is out 11 years now. Finished a quest? you need to go back to deliver    zero for this trash.

    1.You buy the game yet are subtly forced ingame to buy more bags, storage, convenience items etc etc through the most imaginative ways.

    2. game engine is obsolete. You would think they would do something with all the money they get. NOPE

    3. zero QoL updates. Absolutely zero for a game that is out 11 years now. Finished a quest? you need to go back to deliver it. In other mmos you get your reward and continue playing, not here. here you must go back to deliver your quest and go back to wherever you were. nice

    4. Mounts are the worst i ever seen. So heavy and cumbersome

    5. said mounts are in steps. The first mount runs, the second jumps a bit higher, the third hovers on water, the fourth glides, and the fifth flies a bit better :D see what they did here?

    6. No option to hide other peoples magic effects-cosmetics etc. obviously this game was not done for raiding, the term wow rejects has some basis here

    7.Progress is horizontal, this means that if you play 3 years and go back to starter areas you are still weak. This has led to expansion areas being empty. Good luck finding help to kill x-y-z boss or anyone to help you qith quests. Everyone is at tyria, no one at expansions

    8.The game is structured in such a way that you make zero gold to be forced to pay to buy gold.

    9. If you want to raid you must play specidif builds. No matter what they tell you. If you dont do enough dps you dont raid. simple as that

    10. Classes are boring and weird. Rogue with staff? mage with sword? ranger with double daggers?

    And a ton of other fails i could mention here but dont take my word, go play the free version and make up your mind. Imma head back to wow, the true king. Other mmos should copy what wow does if they want money    … Expand
  26. Montel
    Jun 23, 2022
    0
    The game WAS fun until i went in WvW. Theres lots of cheaters. Using the report tool ingame do nothing because they are still there after months, reporting in the forum end in a ban but not of the cheater, you get a ban for something called "name and shame". Asking why you get a ban and the cheater not end in a ban because "you cant talk about anet decisions". Any post with proof ofThe game WAS fun until i went in WvW. Theres lots of cheaters. Using the report tool ingame do nothing because they are still there after months, reporting in the forum end in a ban but not of the cheater, you get a ban for something called "name and shame". Asking why you get a ban and the cheater not end in a ban because "you cant talk about anet decisions". Any post with proof of cheating and expoiting get deleted (videos and screenshots). I did bit of search in google and ive found that the same cheats are there from 10 years ago. rofl.… Expand
  27. Vald44
    Aug 25, 2022
    0
    what kind of racism against Russian players? why did you block access, and even my account, which I didn’t log in for 2 years? you guys are nasty nazi clowns, i spit on you and laugh out loud
  28. Kylonas
    Oct 9, 2020
    3
    The game is unplayable rn because of lags. Everyday, all day. I love this game but it has such bad performance :/
  29. rubs23454
    Aug 23, 2022
    0
    Probably one of the best MMOs on the market right now and i wish that it changed the industry to be more like it. unfortunately the ability to convert in-game currency into premium currency made players that have reached endgame irrelevant to the microtransaction based monetization system and caused the game to have no good endgame content releases for over half a decade and a balanceProbably one of the best MMOs on the market right now and i wish that it changed the industry to be more like it. unfortunately the ability to convert in-game currency into premium currency made players that have reached endgame irrelevant to the microtransaction based monetization system and caused the game to have no good endgame content releases for over half a decade and a balance patch timeline of 9 months that usually make the meta worse… Expand
  30. DUBB01
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    dirty fascists fight against players for the sake of the west, spanish shame
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2012
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    90
    GW2 has made a powerful impact on the MMO scene, confirming years of expectations. Stunning presentation and revolutionary design guarantee a thoroughly enjoyable experience. However, it’s not flawless, nor complete. The beautiful vistas, the massive PvP element, the rich leveling experience- those can offer hours of gameplay, but the endgame is desperately seeking for enrichment. [November 2012]
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Jan 2, 2013
    95
    Guild Wars 2 surpasses the original in every aspect, from its massive and atmospheric world to its addictive and engrossing gameplay.
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  3. RPG Fan
    Nov 28, 2012
    80
    After spending fifty hours with GW2, I have a lot of praise for ArenaNet's work and the way it changes up some of the typical trappings of the MMO. And yet, I find myself thinking less and less about it each day. It's not a declaration against the product, mind you, but simply a fact that this game still is very much an MMO, and your enjoyment will directly relate to how much you enjoy the genre. For many who were hoping for a clean break from MMO design philosophy, Guild Wars 2 will probably come across as a slight disappointment. It pushes the genre slightly forward, however, and could lead to even further development in the future.
    Read full review
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