If you’re one of the three people on the face of the planet that is still skeptical about whether Guild Wars 2 is worth investing in then this post should clear up any last reservations.
Reason #5: Spectacular Vistas
Good graphics does not make a good game. But great graphics in a game with great gameplay can take depth and immersion to the next level. Guild Wars 2 has the most impressive scale and environments I’ve seen in ANY game. The game truly gives you the sense that you are in a LARGE and living world. The zones are crafted so that you never really feel artificial boundaries closing you in(the worst example of this is Tera, where you’re basically forced to move along roads).
The best example I can give to really illustrate this point is to compare the environment to Skyrim. You truly do feel like you’re in a massive world. The scale is immense.
Reason #4: Convenience
It’s clear that the creators of GW2 are seasoned MMO players. Previous generations of MMOs have all had little quirks and mechanics that were tedious and annoying without really adding anything to the game. For example in Everquest you had to sit and stare at your spell book for seriously upwards of 15 minutes to regain a full mana bar! That was the epitome of tedium and annoyance.
Here’s a small list of convenient changes the designers have made to the game to improve upon the traditional MMO experience:
- You can gather whatever you like without having to choose just one gathering skill
- You can send all of the crafting materials in your backpack directly to your bank with just one click of a button
- Your crafting materials are AUTOMATICALLY organized in their own tab in the bank. Each item has its own slot, and will never clutter your main bank!
- Waypoints make traveling simple – No more waiting 15 minutes for a damn boat (Think Skyrim fast travel)
- You can access your bank and crafting materials tab from any crafting station in the game(no more running back and forth between the bank and the crafting station!)
- After combat ends you’ll regenerate full health almost instantly. Did anyone really enjoy eating after every fight?
Reason #3: World Vs World
Do I really need to explain why epic battles that pit hundreds of people against each other is reason enough to play any game?
Did I mention that you can build catapults and other siege weapons?
And rain down hell on players with those siege weapons?
And pour burning oil ontop of people trying to assuault your gate?
And infiltrate enemy lines and kill their defenders as they try to reach the front lines?
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/World_versus_World
Reason #2: Structured PvP
In GW2 you have essentially two games. One game uses your “PvE” character which is the character you level up. He is used in world vs world battles and anything you do in the “main world”. Structured PvP(or SPvP) on the other hand will give you a fully fleshed out level 80 character(you reach SPvP through a simple menu system in game).
In SPvP your gear is never upgraded. TERRIBLE DESIGN, right? Here’s why I think it’s actually great design. This means that you can leave the game for weeks at a time or play a few hours a week without the fear that you’ll get out-geared and thus be outclassed forever in PvP.
I loved vanilla PvP in World of Warcraft but could never get back into it after all the expansions because the thought of grinding out gear for months just to be competitive was well… tedious.
SPvP truly does come down to skill and how well you can control your character, and not how many hours you were able to pour into the game grinding out gear.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Structured_PvP
Reason #1: Choices!
The game lets you do whatever you want, and rewards you for it! Gathering, crafting, WvW, questing, dynamic events. They ALL give you fantastic experience and rewards. There is not one path that feels anymore “efficient” or “better” than others. What this means is that you get to choose what you feel like doing, and no matter what you decide to do, you’ll always feel like you’re making good progress!
To illustrate this point let me tell you about my leveling experience last night. I went out to go do a story quest, but along the way as I was running there I noticed some gathering nodes so I stopped to gather. Then a little girl ran up to me and asked for my help. After clicking on her she showed me on my map a dynamic event that was happening, where her farm was being attacked. I ran over to her farm to find about fifteen other players already defending it. We fought off the hordes of monsters and I was rewarded with experience, gold, and karma for this event. All of this when my original intent was to go finish a story quest. Leveling in Guild Wars 2 has been the most enjoyable experience out of any MMO I’ve ever played, because it is full of choices. If you’re tired of going from one quest hub to another grinding out gathering and collection quests, then this game is for you.