Guild Wars 2 is one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market, but it has never been a real competitor for the market leaders WoW and FFXIV. MeinMMO author Alexander Leitsch knows the reason. Because what makes Guild Wars 2 so good also prevents it from achieving true massive success.
If someone asks me which MMORPG is the best to get to know the genre in 2021, I would immediately recommend Guild Wars 2 to that person. I have already caused a stir with the tier list, because I placed Guild Wars 2 in the S-tier. Not everyone could understand that.
However, the MMORPG simply does a lot of things right and better than its competitors in the genre. Furthermore, I have not yet encountered a player who really disliked Guild Wars 2. That should actually lead to Guild Wars 2 generating the best player numbers and receiving the most attention in the genre.
But that is not the case. And the reason is exactly the things that make Guild Wars 2 so good.
No item spiral and therefore no motivation
What is the special feature? One of the biggest features of Guild Wars 2 is that the highest equipment level has not changed since November 2012. If you own Ascended gear, you automatically have the maximum stats you can have in the game.
To ensure that there is still something to do, new stat combinations are occasionally introduced into the game. However, you can either farm these or simply transmute the old gear. Both are usually quick and inexpensive. Additionally, the Berserker armor, which has been available since the launch of the game, is still one of the best combos for damage dealers.
Guild Wars 2 also focuses on the fashion aspect. There are hundreds of skins, and through a simple wardrobe system, you can apply any skin to your existing gear. For this reason, many also like to call the game “Fashion Wars 2”.
By the way, above the Ascended gear is the Legendary gear, but it does not provide additional stats; instead, it only allows you to switch stats at any time, making your gear more flexible. Additionally, the Legendary weapons also have unique skins and animations. Here, comfort and fashion are the main focus.
What is the problem? Once you have acquired the best gear for your respective build, you basically never have to farm again. Therefore, typical grind tasks that are the main content in other MMORPGs simply disappear.
New fractals (5-player instances) and raids (for 10 players) are certainly interesting as challenges, but no one has to visit them to improve their equipment.
Less grind, however, also means fewer incentives to log back in. Even twinks level up very quickly and equip themselves almost automatically. I have 12 characters with suitable Ascended gear and several sets for my 3 main characters.
This low grind overall reduces the required playtime and thus also the player count.
No fixed quest corset, but players get lost
What is the special feature? In quests, Guild Wars 2 does not rely on classic quest hubs and NPCs that provide you with a task and that you must visit again to hand in that task.
Instead, there are so-called heart quests. These are located at fixed places and usually have several options for completion. You then receive the reward automatically. Such tasks include supporting an apple orchard, which can be done in various ways:
- You can collect apples and bring them to the heart NPC
- You can fight spiders
- You can stomp on spider egg sacs
- At night, bats appear that you can also kill
The best experience points overall are not necessarily obtained through hearts, but through a mix of hearts, dynamic events in the open world, and story missions.
What is the problem? During the leveling process in Guild Wars 2, it happens that some players simply lose sight of the carrot before their noses. Without a fixed quest that leads from place to place, they feel somewhat lost.
The missing quests, however, become much more noticeable in the endgame. While other MMORPGs rely on daily or weekly quests that provide equipment and good rewards, Guild Wars 2 only offers daily achievements, which rotate and only yield a little gold.
If you want to equip yourself for the endgame, the game does not guide you. You have to find your own way, for example, through crafting, specific achievements, or certain currencies. However, that is unfamiliar and almost irritating for the classic theme park player.
Ideal for solo players, but few reasons to join a guild
What is the special feature? No MMORPG works as well for solo players as Guild Wars 2. Exploring the open world, completing instanced story missions, and achieving many achievements can easily be done without interacting with another player.
Larger challenges such as world bosses or huge meta events also have timers, so players automatically gather there, and you don’t have to coordinate much. The only thing missing is a classic dungeon finder; here, you actually have to communicate with other players using the LFG tool.
Moreover, each episode of the living world brings new story content that is primarily aimed at solo players. Occasionally, there may be new fractals or PvP content, but solo players can be assured that there are new tasks just for them.
What is the problem? Since you can do almost everything alone, you don’t have to join a guild in Guild Wars 2. However, this ultimately leads to players feeling less connected to the game.
My best memories in Guild Wars 1 are associated with other players, such as my first victory in the Hall of Heroes, a chaotic run in Urgoz’s Warren, or playing hide-and-seek in the guild hall.
However, those without a guild miss exactly such experiences. Although Guild Wars 2 is particularly fair and solo-friendly, that means that many players do not engage deeply and for a long time with the MMORPG.
Much to discover, but only once
What is the special feature? Guild Wars 2 offers an immense number of secrets in the open world, including hidden treasure chests, many achievements, and of course the jumping puzzles, which are a unique feature in itself.
Moreover, it is worth uncovering the entire map, with all waypoints, hearts, vistas, points of interest, and hero points. No other MMORPG rewards players who simply go out and explore the map so extensively.
What is the problem? The appeal lies mainly in making these discoveries for the first time. After that, you can revisit the chests, but the rewards are very meager.
There is actually a real incentive to repeat the content only for the overall world exploration. Because you can also do this with twinks and indeed must if you want to have multiple legendary weapons.
Regular updates, but time-limited and lacking in content
What is the special feature? No other MMORPG brings such consistent updates after an expansion as Guild Wars 2.
After the release of Path of Fire, it took only 2 months for a complete new area, new story content, new achievements, and rewards to be added to the game. A raid was even included back then. The living world season 4 brought such an update every 2-3 months.
With the Icebrood Saga, the developers also achieved an even more impressive rhythm: a new episode came out every 2 months, and between them, there was always a special event like Halloween, Christmas, the New Year’s event, Dragon’s Bash, or the Festival of Four Winds. For active players, there was always something to do.
What is the problem? The updates of Guild Wars 2 are relatively small and uninspired. The structure is always identical, and the story content is usually completed within two to three hours. There are also two problems:
- On the one hand, the updates are generally aimed only at PvE players. Those who enjoy PvP or WvW have been left out in recent years.
- On the other hand, the content is only available for free for two months. If you log in after that, you have to pay for the old episode, either with gold or €2.50.
Completely crazy is also the fact that all updates published between January 2013 and May 2014 are no longer playable. For nobody. Because back then the developers wanted to be innovative and created a “real living world”. Old areas were suddenly changed and overrun by enemies. Then again, we pushed the enemies back and they disappeared from the area.
In the process, the capital Lion’s Arch was completely destroyed and later rebuilt. However, new players cannot enter old Lion’s Arch at all.
No scandals, but also no headlines
What is the special feature? Guild Wars 2 has no server downtimes. Every update is released, and a second later, you can download it and log in directly. Even with major updates, you are usually back in the game within 10 to 15 minutes. I can count real server outages, where you couldn’t log into the game for several hours, on one hand after almost 10 years.
This aspect is one of many reasons why the development of Guild Wars 2 runs incredibly smoothly.
What is the problem? You hear little about Guild Wars 2 in general. The updates mentioned above are rarely large enough to report to potential new players. At the same time, there are no negative headlines that could put the MMORPG in focus, as was the case recently with New World.
Basically, everyone in gaming knew about the problems of New World, but who knows that Guild Wars 2 has never had maintenance work as the only MMORPG?
I often sit here wanting to write more about Guild Wars 2, but there is simply very little to report because the new content is not spectacular but also not a disaster.
Guild Wars 2 remains the uncrowned king
Guild Wars 2 has had a strong influence on the MMORPG genre:
- It was the first game with dynamic scaling, even before ESO. The developers managed to ensure that players are always found in every area.
- The resources were shared from the beginning, which was later adopted by games like WoW.
- With dynamic events and heart quests, they also influenced the quest system in WoW.
- The PvP has always been fair, relying only on skill rather than equipment and was closest to becoming a real e-sport title (which ultimately failed due to wrong prioritization).
- The mounts of Guild Wars 2 are so good and so unique that they also take on a pioneering role, against which other games must measure themselves.
- The mentioned patch system without downtime is also completely unique
In my years as an MMORPG player and author, I have never met a player who said: “Guild Wars 2 is really bad.” However, I have met many who have said that about WoW, ESO, or FFXIV.
But I have met many who say: “I think it’s good, but there was too little of XY” or “I log in regularly, but mainly play MMORPG XY.”
In fact, Guild Wars 2 could have had the potential to become the best MMORPG on the market. But precisely because of many of these special features, the game has shot itself in the foot. Because they are different, because they need less grind, because everything is easier.
It is the best casual MMORPG on the market, it is the best “second MMORPG”, it is the fairest regarding your playtime. That’s not just what I think, but also my colleague Sascha Penzhorn at GameStar thinks. He says:
Guild Wars 2 is too good in 2022 to ignore it any longer.
What do you think about Guild Wars 2? What makes you come back again and again or what caused you to stop? Feel free to write it in the comments!
