Guild Wars 2
Developer: ArenaNet | Platform: PC | Release Date: August 28, 2012 | Model: Free2Play/Buy2Play | Combat System: Mix of action and tab-targeting
What kind of game is this? Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG that has focused heavily on casual players. When creating your character, you can choose from 9 different classes and 5 races, with no restrictions. You level them up to level 80 while being able to use the old areas since you scale down dynamically.
Instead of classic quests, you are presented with hearts. While these usually consist of typical tasks such as killing monsters or gathering resources, you generally have multiple ways to complete the task and it feels more integrated into the world.
The combat system relies on a combination of tab-targeting and action. While you select a target, you must place AoE areas yourself and evade incoming attacks with a dodge roll. There is also an action camera that optionally requires you to aim at enemies for each ability.
The unique aspect of Guild Wars 2 is that since its release, the equipment level and the maximum level have not been raised. Once you earn the maximum equipment, you can use it forever, which is especially nice for casual players.
What does it do well in PvP? Guild Wars 2 is an extremely fair PvP game. There are no battles in the open world, and in the 5v5 arenas, your equipment and character level do not matter. Everyone is elevated to the same level and receives special stats.
These arenas are also linked to an automatic season system with rankings and daily and monthly tournaments. Additionally, there are special rewards through which you can obtain a legendary armor set that becomes really powerful in PvE. So, being a good PvPer doesn’t put you at a disadvantage.
The second major PvP mode is World vs. World, where three servers compete against each other. Here, battles take place across 4 different maps featuring towers, fortresses, and even the massive castle of Stone Mist. While levels and equipment matter here, strategy in the large raid is more important. About 120 players from each faction face off on each map, resulting in massive carnage.
What does it do poorly in PvP? World vs. World suffers from significant population issues. ArenaNet is currently working on a major overhaul, but this has been ongoing since 2018.
In arena PvP, there is sometimes a lack of a basic player base due to a lack of innovations. Nonetheless, there are still enough players to not wait more than a few minutes for a match – even in the middle of the night.
Can I have fun as a PvE player too? Yes, indeed. Essentially, Guild Wars 2 is a PvE MMORPG where you follow a story, experience massive world events, and engage in instances against powerful bosses.
The story in the game is fully voiced, and there are dozens of areas in the game world. Recently, there was even an expansion with new content:
