With Janthir Wilds, the new expansion of Guild Wars 2 was released on August 20, 2024, and many fans are expressing very positive feedback about the new content and features.
What does the community like about Janthir Wilds? After the last expansion Secrets of the Obscure was only moderately well received by many fans of Guild Wars 2, there was hope that ArenaNet could find its former strength again with Janthir Wilds.
Shortly after the launch, it can be noted that at least the first impression is positive for many players. Assic writes, for example, on Reddit: “Janthir Wilds plays in a league above Secrets of the Obscure.” As evidence for this thesis, the GW2 fan names four reasons:
- The very first feature you unlock in Janthir Wilds is the new Warclaw mount. You don’t borrow it until you have completed a collection; you own it from the start and have access to a fantastic skin with four color slots.
- The new weapon type spear is learned through a mastery as part of the personal story.
- The new regions contain numerous new models and assets, making them feel truly new and fresh.
- Due to the setting, the music, the Depthland Kodan, and other factors, the new region feels wonderfully immersive.
The launch trailer of Guild Wars 2 – Janthir Wilds for the first impression:
More Opinions on Janthir Wilds
Other players agree with Assic or mention other strengths of Janthir Wilds. Specifically, the first region of the Depthland Kodan, which according to the developers is supposed to radiate a peaceful, chill atmosphere, receives much praise:
- Mr_Gamesmith writes (via Reddit): “I don’t know what it is, but after the cold of Nyos and Kryptis, arriving in Janthir felt so… warm? […] ArenaNet hit a home run with the aesthetics. Beautiful place.”
- vaikunth1991 confirms this (via Reddit): “After several expansions where a major threat loomed right at the start, it’s nice to have a slow, peaceful start.”
- For Caeldotthedot, the music of Janthir Wilds rocks (via Reddit): “I just wanted to note that the soundtrack to JW is incredible so far. I have trouble getting it out of my head. […] I’ll be listening to it for months!”
- A big overall praise is given by Nani_ on Reddit: “We get 4 maps, the spears are better than the SoTo weapons, we get 3 instanced bosses instead of 2 strikes, the Warclaw is much more fun than the Sky Shard and is better utilized, and on top of that, the quality of the meta bosses and the maps is much higher.”
EventualCyborg is particularly excited about a small detail (via Reddit), namely a box in front of their podium spot so that the little Asura of the GW2 fan can look over the edge of the table. There is no box for larger races.
Is anything being critiqued about Janthir Wilds? Some players remind that the previous expansion was also well received at first. Jambullllll writes on Reddit: “People loved SotO at launch; only the subsequent releases were poorly received. So my advice is: let’s wait and see how JW develops.”
However, there are also concrete criticisms. Vingdoloras writes on Reddit that it is again too cumbersome for alternate characters to reach the new regions of Janthir Wilds, even though the story content has already been played with the main character.
fictitiousacct points out on Reddit a screenshot showing numerous colorful, harmful area effects, making it difficult to keep track of the battle. Other players use the image to highlight how melee-unfriendly many encounters once again turn out to be.
These criticisms highlight the high standard at which the community is currently expressing criticism. The launch of Janthir Wilds is going very well with the fans of Guild Wars 2 so far. If you are looking for further information about the expansion, you are in the right place: All important information about release, housing, Warclaw mount, spear, versions, Legendary items of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds.
