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. Flash_Over
    Feb 20, 2013
    6
    Guild Wars 2... I have such mixed feelings about his game. I will start with the PROs I will say it is a good game. It is high quality and it very detailed and adventurous. I love the world, the artwork and most of all the character creator. The character creator is possibly one of the best I have used and I had a lot of fun (In the beginning) playing this game. I waited a good long fewGuild Wars 2... I have such mixed feelings about his game. I will start with the PROs I will say it is a good game. It is high quality and it very detailed and adventurous. I love the world, the artwork and most of all the character creator. The character creator is possibly one of the best I have used and I had a lot of fun (In the beginning) playing this game. I waited a good long few months so i soak up what this game is all about from the gameplay and 'is it fun?' perspective. But, after the things I have encountered... though high quality, the game seems to be unfinished. I will explain. CONs First thing that annoyed me unlike other MMOs, is there are certain things that must come as standard in every MMO. By these I mean, trading with other players, mounts and a well designed and easy to use Auction House. This game lacks all of those. No trading option still puzzles me, but the auction house feels unpolished since it was first created, the text is choppy and the filters are terrible, ontop of that, the way the auction house is set up makes is EASY for other players and gold farmers/seller to exploit and drive up the currency market. Mounts, I understand Arenanets solution to no mount is to create instant teleport points. Yea, that is convenient, but personally I like buying/earning mounts in a game. I also love galloping through the environments. But, (I may be speculating) That taking the mounts out of the game frees up time and money creating the animations, skins, programming ect, making this a cooperate decision and not a game one. Next is the combat system and skill system. No trainers, no weapon learning, no nothing. Around level 30 you will unlock all you skill slots and spell you will use for the rest of the game exspereince. You will only have 5 weapon spells (5 more for underwater) and 6 buffs/cooldowns. That is it. i personally could not bare with using the same 5 or so spells over and over till lvl 80. The combat is just not fun. The weapon skills and spells are so limited. I feel brain dead though right now. This maybe the worst review I have written, but I feel I touched on the things that greatly disappointed me about this game. So to sum things up. PROS: No monthly fee, Excellent Character creator, Amazing world and environments, refreshing questing and story concept, good graphics and animations, and finally fun exploration and puzzle mechanics. CONS: NO mounts, NO player to player trading, Poor (But tolerable) Auction House and currency system, Limited spells and abilities, no tank/dps/healer concept (Which makes boss fights nothing but freelancing spell spamming chaos with no team work.), and a boring and repetitive combat system.… Expand
  2. Nathonas
    Feb 19, 2013
    6
    As a long time disillusioned WoW player I was looking forward to Guild Wars 2 as a new MMO to play. I prepurchased the game and began playing immediately in August. I enjoyed the game at first and liked that it tried to do a lot of things differently, although my friends didn't share my opinion. However I quickly became bored and within a month I was no longer logging on at all. The gameAs a long time disillusioned WoW player I was looking forward to Guild Wars 2 as a new MMO to play. I prepurchased the game and began playing immediately in August. I enjoyed the game at first and liked that it tried to do a lot of things differently, although my friends didn't share my opinion. However I quickly became bored and within a month I was no longer logging on at all. The game is not terrible by any means, but I can now safely say it is a rather lackluster MMO:

    Successful Mechanics:

    - Everything is rewarded with experience really simple and great idea to reduce the grind and give people motivation to try everything

    - Very nice sense of exploration with beautiful Zones and vistas

    - A social approach to quests dynamic events leveling in GW2 is not nearly as boring as standard MMOs and it can be fun to group up with other people constantly Skills being tied to weapons is an interesting and innovative idea

    - Gorgeous Graphics Poor Mechanics:

    - PvP is a horribly-designed, horribly balanced zerg fast. This is by far my biggest gripe with the game, as I was a hardcore PvP/arena player in WoW. WvW is just a huge zerg fest with little to no strategy, and the "battlegrounds" are boring and stale.

    - The combat and controls in the game just don't feel smooth. WoW players will know what I mean.

    - The "downed" mechanic is silly in PvP and adds a tedious element to killing enemies.

    - Every class has basically the same set of skills with slight differences (for example, damage, heal, escape, CC, etc). At first the classes look different but really the differences are quite small as everyone can do a little bit of everything and you can see how similar a 99% of the skills are. The story side of the game is very cheesy and boring    … Expand
  3. Rajal
    Feb 17, 2013
    7
    Overall, its not a bad game... However it does feel like it was rushed. The biggest issue may be that people feel a little confused with where to go. In a way I like the heart system, but then you don't have to talk to anyone and that alone can make the world feel kind of hollow. This can be solved by just going up to the Heart giver and asking him whats up, but you don't have to toOverall, its not a bad game... However it does feel like it was rushed. The biggest issue may be that people feel a little confused with where to go. In a way I like the heart system, but then you don't have to talk to anyone and that alone can make the world feel kind of hollow. This can be solved by just going up to the Heart giver and asking him whats up, but you don't have to to activate the tasks and what not. Some people really hate the new weapon skill system, but I'm fine with it. I understand that balancing all those skills in GW1 must of been a nightmare but one part of me still misses all those build possibilities... ESPECIALLY with Mesmers. I feel the game kind of favors soloing a bit too much, but its not entirely a bad thing either.

    My main concern is with NCSoft however. I feel like its been rushed out by them, and apparently they have been involved in nearly eradicating all Asian related things (Tengus not included... kinda). Rumors about how they wanted Anet to remove the Canthan District and a possibility of never having a return trip to Cantha is... odd. I really hope NCSoft does not block Anet from doing this as a possible expansion set, and that Anet can start pumping more life into this game. It's not bad really, but it feels... Well, incomplete. My hope is that this goes the way of the old GW and that an expansion will breathe more life into it.    … Expand
  4. amyvelder
    Feb 16, 2013
    10
    I really liked the quest system of this game. It's something totally new and I haven't seen anything like that before. I don't feel tired even playing GW2 for hours.
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. krnology
    Feb 14, 2013
    9
    Simply put, I like Guild Wars 2. I think GW2's graphics are impressive, the sound and music top notch, the environments are interesting, monster variety plentiful, crafting is useful, and the combat is fluid. At first I failed to make it past level 15 and quit for a bit (my initial excitement faded fast). I then decided to come back around Christmas and did the themed quest and various PvESimply put, I like Guild Wars 2. I think GW2's graphics are impressive, the sound and music top notch, the environments are interesting, monster variety plentiful, crafting is useful, and the combat is fluid. At first I failed to make it past level 15 and quit for a bit (my initial excitement faded fast). I then decided to come back around Christmas and did the themed quest and various PvE content. After a few days I became more interested in playing, but I could feel the old complaints creeping back in (lack of desire to invest time). Then I was invited into a active PvP World vs World based guild and that has made all the difference for me. I'm amazed at how being a member in an active and friendly guild can make normally mundane things fun. We've done class quest, fractals, normal content, and world vs world on a regular basis. Of course, there are flaws and some of the reviews express them well. However, I have come to appreciate GW2 regardless of my initially disinterest (perhaps more for the community rather than for the game itself).… Expand
  8. grimreaper10294
    Feb 14, 2013
    8
    I have played this game for approximately 3 months, and I first joined when my friends persuaded me to spend the $60 I put aside for CODbo2 for this. I was led here with the idea of a massive world with endless interesting things to do, and never-ending fun without the grinding so commonly found in everyday MMOs. However, to the newcomer who doesn't have much experience with this kind ofI have played this game for approximately 3 months, and I first joined when my friends persuaded me to spend the $60 I put aside for CODbo2 for this. I was led here with the idea of a massive world with endless interesting things to do, and never-ending fun without the grinding so commonly found in everyday MMOs. However, to the newcomer who doesn't have much experience with this kind of MMO, there seems to be way too many things to be done everyday. I have not played many MMOs lately, so I was a little daunted by the prospect of doing all the things needed to be done. Once you get used to the tasks, it is quite fun to wander around in a huge land. However, I think if you don't really have any close friends IRL who play it, there isn't too much to be done. It's a lot more fun to play the game with people you know well.… Expand
  9. Folstar
    Feb 14, 2013
    1
    This is a tacky review, sorry.
    THE GOOD: The aesthetics of this game are amazing. If you like looking at pretty pictures and running around a finely crafted world listening to good voice acting telling a better than average story then you are in luck. THE BAD: GW2 plays like a bunch of people who really liked playing pvp as dps classes on WoW got together and made a game. The laundry list    This is a tacky review, sorry.
    THE GOOD: The aesthetics of this game are amazing. If you like looking at pretty pictures and running around a finely crafted world listening to good voice acting telling a better than average story then you are in luck. THE BAD: GW2 plays like a bunch of people who really liked playing pvp as dps classes on WoW got together and made a game. The laundry list of boons/conditions that all last half a milisecond quickly becomes meaningless spam that does not lend itself well to a game you play for hours on end (pve that is, it is great for pvp). Though overall most things about the gameplay are frantic and after a short time get filtered out. Along the same lines the constant battles when you travel anywhere get tiresome. Sorry, I liked being able to run freely through newb zones in other games without constant harassment. Hey devs, if you wanted people to play together why did you put in 80 levels? Because WoW has 80 levels? Exactly. The leveling down is a cool feature, but is forced on you like so much else in GW2. Speaking of which, not being able to assign your own weapon ability hotkeys! This throwback to when games sucked for technical limitations is inexcusable in 2012/3.
    THE UGLY: Abandoning the mmo trinity makes for a chaotic cluster#### in groups. Dungeons feel like 5 individuals who happen to be doing the same thing instead of a group working together. Along those same lines the zone/group chat on GW2 is the quietest and lamest of any mmo I have played, though maybe that was just my server. Lastly, butter. This vendor will sell me milk, cheese, sour cream, and BUTTERmilk, but if I want butter I have to go kill monsters? The asari can build portals all around the world but haven't figured out butter? Why is a cave dwelling monster man able to make butter (into perfect bars that they carry in cloth bags) but nobody at the huge crafts/artisan market in the sprawling city can? What crap.
    VERDICT: A very pretty package for a game that makes huge advances for MMOs while still managing to be a WoW clone that utterly fails at finding good solutions to MMO problems. Maybe worth a playthrough for the story in a purely solo run, but overall a bad online game.    … Expand
  10. Unnamed_Newbie
    Feb 5, 2013
    10
    I've been waiting for this game for 3 years. Guild Wars occupied me extensively in PvE and PvP. Upon release, I maxed out within 4 days, certainly over playing. Recently going back to Guild Wars 2, I realize why I anticipated it for so long. When I was younger, I played Runescape, Shaiya, then Guild Wars. The difference between the 'classic MMORPG' and Guild Wars 2 is tantalizing. OneI've been waiting for this game for 3 years. Guild Wars occupied me extensively in PvE and PvP. Upon release, I maxed out within 4 days, certainly over playing. Recently going back to Guild Wars 2, I realize why I anticipated it for so long. When I was younger, I played Runescape, Shaiya, then Guild Wars. The difference between the 'classic MMORPG' and Guild Wars 2 is tantalizing. One could argue, "Oh, too bad the story line only took me days". However, MMORPG's are never finished. In Guild Wars 2, you're introduced to Dynamic Events which spice up the simplest exploration. The journey from "A to "B changed to "A to C to F to G to Y and finally to B". Without knowing, you are sucked into these events, immersed by the worldly effects the cause. Unlike classic MMORPG's, you would rather party up then have someone 50 levels higher than you storm into your boss battle, hit him once, and wait the 20 minutes for the respawn. In Guild Wars 2, levels are decreased or increased, depending where you are, so that no matter who you are playing with, you both have an equal opportunity to get the same great loot and XP. Like Guild Wars there are holiday events. However, ArenaNet has expanded upon this idea, constantly adding new content every month. From killing Karkas to following an Airship, to recovering lost memories. There is also the dungeons to keep you occupied once you've peaked at 80. There are constantly new challenges after you complete your story line. Overall, Guild Wars 2 has all the aspects of one hell of a great game.… Expand
  11. MRGamer
    Feb 3, 2013
    7
    I bought the game during the holiday sales and leveled a warrior to level 80. I completed the personal story, and did a bit of everything else- sPvP, Fractals, WvW. There are many casual/ solo friendly features of the game that make it a great "B2P" game to pick up and play through. The production value is high, and the game looks good and runs well. However, as I continued to log in andI bought the game during the holiday sales and leveled a warrior to level 80. I completed the personal story, and did a bit of everything else- sPvP, Fractals, WvW. There are many casual/ solo friendly features of the game that make it a great "B2P" game to pick up and play through. The production value is high, and the game looks good and runs well. However, as I continued to log in and play with my level 80 character, I started to feel the impact of the design decisions Anet continues to make that are aimed at herding players toward the TP/ Gem Store. In spite of the famous "no grind" manifesto policy, each of the areas of the game presented me with some sort of time/ gold sink, including the infamous "DR" that prompts so much conspiracy discussion. For every inconvenience the game presents, there is a solution that can be purchased in the gem store. It is a delicate balancing act, and GW2 will continue to run the risk of losing players when the obvious F2P greed drives away customers- like myself. I decided I got my money's worth out of my one play through. The fun of playing the game was not worth the time and effort for me, and I personally will not start buying gems/ gold in order to enjoy the game. I would rather pay a sub or full price for expansions than get continually nickel and dimed to ride all the rides. Still a good game, but I am not going to keep throwing money at it.… Expand
  12. Zeriel
    Feb 2, 2013
    2
    This game keeps being praised as the best thing since sliced bread and is not even up to par with current MMORPGs; you could say is only an online game and not an RPG. Over a decade ago, games like Ever Quest were able to create a sense of immersion and atmosphere, you could role play your character and every role had it's own play style and strategy. You where invaluable to your team andThis game keeps being praised as the best thing since sliced bread and is not even up to par with current MMORPGs; you could say is only an online game and not an RPG. Over a decade ago, games like Ever Quest were able to create a sense of immersion and atmosphere, you could role play your character and every role had it's own play style and strategy. You where invaluable to your team and it felt rewarding. Now, almost 15 years later, this game is just a common button smasher, every character is the same but with a different paint coat. No "trinity" means that there is no strategy and everyone is a DPS class. Everyone looks the same, feels the same and you can reach the maximum level in 2-4 weeks. After that, all the exotic gear is the same thing for everyone. If you like exploration and discovering the maps then this game will have some temporary appeal to you, but the combat is horrible, dungeons are unrewarding and brutal, PVP is a Zerg fest and crafting is the worst I've seen. I am disappointed that this game can't compare to games 15 years old and is just some pretty graphics with no substance.… Expand
  13. iozay
    Feb 2, 2013
    7
    Guildwars 2 is a decent game, is supported well but the game is pretty overhyped. The game is also arguable "pay2win"(Even though people might disagree with it).
  14. Setsudo
    Feb 2, 2013
    9
    Im a fan of this title. After 5 years, they ve done an amazing work. The world is wonderfull and artistic. The gameplay is regular but still dynamic. You will take more than a month to do everything around. A great title so don't hesitate on it
  15. Midnightmare
    Feb 1, 2013
    4
    So i used to played guild wars 1 a LOT!!!!
    And i missed it and loved it........so i bought this and was hoping for more of the same.
    A game that didten focus on grinding but skill instead! A game were skill would matter more than time! But unfortunately guild wars 2 seems a bit the oppersite, only really skill based feature left fro me seems to be the dodging.......and thats only    So i used to played guild wars 1 a LOT!!!!
    And i missed it and loved it........so i bought this and was hoping for more of the same.

    A game that didten focus on grinding but skill instead!
    A game were skill would matter more than time!

    But unfortunately guild wars 2 seems a bit the oppersite, only really skill based feature left fro me seems to be the dodging.......and thats only really good vs range attacks.
    The PvE seems pointless easy, click and wait more or less.

    used to be fun and challenging, picking the right skill and weapon for the right mob.
    Sure it used to suck when you got a bad team for an instance....but it also gave a rewarding feeling when you made it.
    Now i get the feeling of "what happened? Did i win? Apprently so?"
    And again the grinding...."sigh"
    In guild wars 1 a "grinder" was a noob in a fancy armor that didten do anything.

    I dont even like what they done about the grafics.......seems you get a lightshow for just for swining a sword.
    I guess thats a personal opinion but I like magic and badass creatures in a world to feel magic. and not something that comes out of my belt buckel for no particular reason.

    Didten really like the skill system in guild wars 1 but now i miss it :P

    Once this was a skill based game.
    Now its just a standard MMORPG like all the others.    … Expand
  16. Tyron_87
    Feb 1, 2013
    4
    This game requires skill, the story is fairly flat (little people who make the engineers but that something new in short, you want to spend your money do not take well GW2.
  17. JeremyJo
    Jan 31, 2013
    0
    Absoluty,insanely bad, boring, repetitive, pointless game. Glad I could sell my account to another poor soul. Bleh. Arenanet is a horrible company and the whole game concept is full of fail. The cutscenes are as ugly and boring as the game.
  18. Macero
    Jan 26, 2013
    0
    If you want in-game money you have to convert the store gems into gold. They put diminishing returns on loot so you get literally nothing. This is not a game for casuals, this is a game for children just like diablo 3.
    All the class abilities are the same except with different animations. War's that can oneshot people "Bob deserves a promotion for that" Game is a joke, a very well executed scam.
  19. DivinityItself
    Jan 23, 2013
    5
    ArenaNet's Core Dev team thought up a wonderful change for the MMO genre. But the game was so big to develop, that they had to bring in more employees. And as with any big company, leadership needs to be strong en directive. This is not a cosy and warm enthusiast project. This is a real gargantuan challenge. And sorry to say: it fails for me. It is judged by the criterium that all gamesArenaNet's Core Dev team thought up a wonderful change for the MMO genre. But the game was so big to develop, that they had to bring in more employees. And as with any big company, leadership needs to be strong en directive. This is not a cosy and warm enthusiast project. This is a real gargantuan challenge. And sorry to say: it fails for me. It is judged by the criterium that all games are judged by: engagement. Remember the 8-bit games? Visually prehistoric, but by times excellent to keep you interested due to the mechanics of the game-design. Fast-forward to GW2. It does not commit you to your character development, role or affairs in the GW2 world. The player does not matter to the world, and the game mechanics autonomously does its thing. This is not a MMORPG, it's a MMO. I know that over time it will enhance on its features and get more polished. But will not change in its core design that sins on the first rule of successful gaming: engagement.… Expand
  20. Mei
    Jan 23, 2013
    10
    In terms of value, Guild Wars 2 is the best 55$ I spent in all of 2012. I believe despite it's flaws, GW2 has pushed the genre forward: jumping puzzles, restructured skill bar, shared loot, and dynamic events in one game is a lot. I know we've seen these mechanics in other games, but not in one game. ArenaNet is pulling in ideas from other genres to make GW2 more appealing to a widerIn terms of value, Guild Wars 2 is the best 55$ I spent in all of 2012. I believe despite it's flaws, GW2 has pushed the genre forward: jumping puzzles, restructured skill bar, shared loot, and dynamic events in one game is a lot. I know we've seen these mechanics in other games, but not in one game. ArenaNet is pulling in ideas from other genres to make GW2 more appealing to a wider audience. I think they done that very well and deserve the praise they get for it.… Expand
  21. cc742
    Jan 21, 2013
    7
    I find it hard to review GW2 since the only other mmo's i've played are aq worlds(aka the worst mmo there is) and runescape which has graphic worse than an n64. That being said, i coudnt find a ton of enjoyment in guild wars 2. The classes were interesting and alot of the game is simply beautiful, but rip it down to its core its still an MMo. I found the system of just telling youI find it hard to review GW2 since the only other mmo's i've played are aq worlds(aka the worst mmo there is) and runescape which has graphic worse than an n64. That being said, i coudnt find a ton of enjoyment in guild wars 2. The classes were interesting and alot of the game is simply beautiful, but rip it down to its core its still an MMo. I found the system of just telling you everything u need to do at the beggining of the area nice, but still i've never like fetch quests as doing the same thing 200000 times has never interested me. I cant recomend the PVP though. Dear god i played it for 10 mins where we wated and decided to breach a walll. we finaly do and what happens? ANOTHER WALL. Ugh it got so boring i just decided to stay on the PVE and work with that. After a week i was about to log on and i ask myself am i have fun? the answer was no. No, this is not fun and there are better games to play, even if there off line. In conclusion if u like mmo's you will enjoy this, but if not it most likly wont be the big converter or "wow killer" people thought it could be… Expand
  22. Fuub
    Jan 21, 2013
    5
    Guild wars 2, good graphics, nice maps, fun dynamic events, and... that's about it!

    Classes feel weird, too few skills to choose from and don't feel solid whatsoever, Spammable PvP is not really fun, WvWvW its just repetitive pug battles, and the worst of all, it has reduced camera Field Of View that reminds me all the bad quality games out there, which completely breaks the game experience.
  23. Malificus
    Jan 20, 2013
    10
    Best MMO of our times. Seriously, you start the game and...relax. No repetitive content, no grind. If somebody does something like it - that's just because he likes it, not because he has to do it to get super-uber-gear-sword-pants. Tons of good brand new ideas. No subscription - unlimited fun.
  24. ChoicestGames
    Jan 18, 2013
    8
    While ArenaNet has definitely succeeded in making Guild Wars 2 different to anything else out there, it has taken away some of the endearing qualities of the original Guild Wars such as a greater variety of skills and placing a greater focus on storyline missions. For newcomers, the game will keep you entertained for awhile but long-term enjoyment boils down to PvP, WvW and popular dungeons.
  25. Xen-Masta
    Jan 15, 2013
    8
    GW2 is great for casual players. It does feel like WoW at times... a lot of the time imo. Nothing new here, and really low difficulty. I would never pay a subscription for this game, but fortunately there isn't one. This is the key imo. Since it's a one time purchase, this game is well worth it. It's a huge rpg. That's the way i think of it. leveling is a solo-fest, and theGW2 is great for casual players. It does feel like WoW at times... a lot of the time imo. Nothing new here, and really low difficulty. I would never pay a subscription for this game, but fortunately there isn't one. This is the key imo. Since it's a one time purchase, this game is well worth it. It's a huge rpg. That's the way i think of it. leveling is a solo-fest, and the community is so-so. But for a one time purchase fee, you will get far more content than any single player rpg out there, so you can't really complain. It seems real tactical teamwork, and cohesive communities (FFXI and EQ for example) are a thing of the past in the MMO world, which begs the question, why are we playing these games online. Sometimes i think games like this (GW2, WoW, SWTOR etc) could be easily be single player games with instanced co-op, like Demon's/Dark Souls. Like i said, at least this one is free. I give it an 8/10… Expand
  26. Xelion
    Jan 15, 2013
    9
    Perfect game for casual players. That doesn't mean hardcore players can't play it. But it's fun, it's not hard to lv up (everything u do, EVERYTHING gives you exp), many people complain it's hard to lv up yet they haven't played the game for more than a couple of days. You'll reach 80 even before you know it, and you'll feel like there's still so much left to do.
    Yes, some people may not    Perfect game for casual players. That doesn't mean hardcore players can't play it. But it's fun, it's not hard to lv up (everything u do, EVERYTHING gives you exp), many people complain it's hard to lv up yet they haven't played the game for more than a couple of days. You'll reach 80 even before you know it, and you'll feel like there's still so much left to do.
    Yes, some people may not agree or like the game, but people that give this game a 0 are just haters... Only thing that I feel it's missing is a normal pvp or duel mode on the pve environment, or even a pk mode, as the pve world is just too nice and peaceful, sometimes you feel like you need some "bad guys" that are not just npcs. But even then, the WvWvW is really fun, you don't even need to join the zergs... sometimes you can just wander around the maps and you may even find a chance to 1 on 1 or at least fight with smaller groups of people.    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. DaChunK
    Jan 11, 2013
    6
    I cant get into it. I really have tried and like the first Guild wars I've only got a character to around lvl 25 and have completely lost interest. I find it a very unsocial game, still to much of a rush to get to the end game or lvl 80. Which is my first big gripe - it takes to damn long to finish the game or reach maximum level. True it's not about the end game, it's the journey. yet II cant get into it. I really have tried and like the first Guild wars I've only got a character to around lvl 25 and have completely lost interest. I find it a very unsocial game, still to much of a rush to get to the end game or lvl 80. Which is my first big gripe - it takes to damn long to finish the game or reach maximum level. True it's not about the end game, it's the journey. yet I should not have to spend 100 hours or so to bloody well get there, it's ridiculous! Around 30 or so hours is more than enough time to dedicate to one character and a player should be rewarded more appropriately for their time invested.

    As for being in a guild - it's a sense of belonging to something, yet it aside from that, the game does indeed feel like a single player game with other people jumping in and out of it at times. As an older gamer (37) I play for perhaps different reasons than others. One of my main reason for playing while I'm distanced from more interesting things to do (my girlfriend for one), is the social aspect of a multiplayer game. And for me this game has very little meaningful interaction. People jump in, kill, jump out of your area. For all it was promised to be, guild wars is STILL and end level game. That for me makes it rather disappointing as I'll most likely never get there.

    Another BIG mistake they did was make the level's to high - to big of a spread. 40 levels would have been more than sufficient and make it take longer to achieve them. That way more people could have played together, with there being more characters of a similar level. Instead you have a situation where you are pretty well ALWAYS playing without your fellow guild members and by yourself to level. Hence little reason to be a part of a guild until you reach end game... my opinion. :-)

    It was fresh in many ways and combat is fun. Looks pretty and great with no monthly subscription, yet it's far from enough to get me to give in any more of my time until MAJOR changes take place... which they shall not.    … Expand
  29. WhiteTalpa
    Jan 10, 2013
    6
    Guild Wars 2 does a lot of things right and is an enjoyable game However, there are already other big games like RuneScape which has got it 99% right, so in conclusion forget Guild Wars 2 and play RuneScape.
  30. FexZ
    Jan 10, 2013
    9
    The game doesn't have that good graphics. But I'm not playing games because of graphics. When I first tried the game in it's beta state I was like a "donut" simply, is this real? Am I playing this MMO? Simply the best MMO to date. Age of Conan still has better graphics, but hey. They just took normal quests were you read paragraphs of paragraphs of text and just go over there talk to thatThe game doesn't have that good graphics. But I'm not playing games because of graphics. When I first tried the game in it's beta state I was like a "donut" simply, is this real? Am I playing this MMO? Simply the best MMO to date. Age of Conan still has better graphics, but hey. They just took normal quests were you read paragraphs of paragraphs of text and just go over there talk to that guy and go all the way back by putting in hearts where you put out fires, kill monsters, gather this and that. It's variety! And not to forget the event system, event chains like something happens, and you fail to stop it and now you have to take it back.
    The personal story is also amazing except the last quest. You simply spam one button. You have so many different choices which means you can play it again and have a different experience. And with this personal story you can actually tell your friends and people you met online who your character is and what they've done in order to "save" the world. The gear system is just amazing. Every peace of gear in heavy-, light- and medium armor is equally good. Nothing is better than other gear just different stats. And the fact that you can change the looks of gear to what you like it to be is great. Now let's move over to the dungeon system. first of all it's ONLY 5-man. because the classes do everything like tank, heal and dps. The class is not what you are and what you do but how you do it. If it's mor than 5-man you need a specific tank class etc. More about classes later. But the dungeons consist of one story mode and explorable one. Story mode: Well it's story based, and actually not a bad one either! It's a extra story for your personal story. It's hard if no one in the group knows the tactics but when you learn them they are fairly easy, and you get good exp if you're leveling (lvling) up. Before I start on explorable I'm just telling you that they said they will remake everything we know of the dungeons to this day :) Explorable: Consists of 3 or more paths, much harder but still not that hard, more teamwork, more skill ofc. When you finish you get emblems to use for gear/legendary(ies). Classes/Races: 5 races and 10 classes. Each race can be every class, each races has they're own story. The customization is slick and has much to it. The fact that you can get dyes and color your armor the way you want is amuses me every day and every time I do it. I've tried every race and the only races I don't like that much is Azura just because they don't have as much detail to the armor as the others. But the classes. 2 soldier classes (heavy armor) which is Warrior and Guardian. 3 adventure classes (medium armor, which is ranger, thief and egnineer. 3 scholar classes (light armor) which is elementalist, necromancer and mesmer. Read more about the classes on http://www.guildwars2.com Fun stuff to do: Jumping puzzles. I've got to say, these are fantastic! It's ridicolus how much fun it's to see how much people can fail at these. Do them with your guild or friends. It's fun!

    One shout out to ArenaNet for this amazing MMORPG. They have invented the best MMORPG to date.    … Expand
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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.
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