WTF! I Did NOT Expect Guild Wars 2 To Get THIS Good…

I've hit finally hit level 80 in Guild Wars 2, and completed the entire personal story. It's a shame so few people know about this games's strengths!
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00:00 Intro
00:56 It Gets Better
01:50 The Story Develops…
05:15 An Immense World
08:03 Now THIS Is Scale!
09:45 The Story Gets STRONGER
11:17 The Journey To Orr!
13:14 Combat: Getting Gud
15:34 The END Of Core Tyria
17:05: My Final Impressions

[@MuklukYoutube]

Aw this is so good to hear. I'm so glad Bellular is enjoying his time in this wonderful world. "And I can't wait to try Weaver...." Oh nO

[@wolfer5486]

Tempest in HoT is a good transition from core d/d ele at least

[@waltwhite8126]

@@wolfer5486 Elementalist PepeLaugh

[@Artur-ps3gd]

weaver main here, can confirm xD

[@KeithEngel]

LOL Muk hates the weavers in the PVP.

[@Master10k2]

"And I can't wait to try Weaver...." The moment I heard that I couldn't help but remember the vid of Alninio trying to learn the Weaver rotation.

[@HakaishinCat]

GW2 to this day is the only MMO that got me to log in and sit around waiting for world bosses to spawn lol. I wasn't doing it for gear or drops either it was just awesome to see the bosses

[@Clariselol]

ye same i got that item from the shop that shows me wich bosses are up and you can teleport to them easely. ^^

[@Dani-fey]

the EoD final meta is amazing i hope they do more in that direction even though a lot of people complained about the difficulty.

[@bodhum]

How old are you?

[@Aereton]

@@Dani-fey hope so too, I already loved the HoT final meta but EoD blew it out of the park having an entire map being a single, hour long boss fight is really epic

[@DanilloMagalhaes]

i became one of those wvw commanders that also did fractals cms daily and raids sometimes, but never i got rid of that itch to go back, check the timers and experience the massive world bosses events and how immersive they are.

[@whoabuddy6809]

I’ve played WoW since vanilla, but recently switched to GW2 and I couldn’t be happier. One thing I noticed immediately is that the community is extremely welcoming and helpful, which is something I’m not use to being from WoW. What an incredible game!

[@sanield2782]

My friend who has played since launch got me into GW2 this past month. I haven't been this hooked on a game in YEARS. It's so much fun and the veteran community has been so helpful and welcoming. Also yes the world bosses rule.

[@Chicccco]

that's something that we GW2 Vets are proud of. Our community is the best out there in an MMORPG genre.

[@RedDevil9408]

~2-3 years back world bosses felt more powerful, it took more effort to kill them, now you mostly need to stand in Stack. Perhaps they nerfed them, or there's a lot more people doing meta.

[@ZiiiZero]

@@RedDevil9408 I think they got easier because of specializations.

[@LoliLikesPedobear]

@@ZiiiZero quick/alac and commited healers/buffers make meta events easier, true. Claw of Jormag used to be about actually following mechanics, not stacking up.

[@PaRTwasTaken]

I love how he's enjoying what is some of the oldest/least polished content the game has to offer. Can't wait to see his mind get blown by the expansions :D

[@Sabre912]

@L. A. I left in bfa cause raiding ng became a second job… glad I swapped back to gw2. Should have never left…

[@arious1644]

He going to be giddy with excitement

[@lenkaahmad2054]

Well he uses mounts so at least POF expansion is not new to him

[@PlasticTounu]

Raptor is given directly if you have the expension, you do not longer need to begin the quest

[@Kleowi]

Adding Living Story Season 1 back to the game nearly 8 years after the FOMOed it is up there on the list of things this game is now doing right.

[@Phenomatron]

Maybe someday we can run in old LA again :o

[@Tigerbro6]

what the heck they removed it?? I played it on release back in the day so its weird to hear something like this lol

[@uwes4787]

@@Tigerbro6 They didnt "remove it", its been destroyed among the Story arc :)

[@Phenomatron]

@@uwes4787 Yea but now we have Chronomancers so time can't conquer all anymore x)

[@JochoVoled]

@@Tigerbro6 Old LA is there in the character missions, but only then. Deem my surprise (played a few weeks at base game's release, returned briefly some months ago) having run around the new one, entering a character story mission, to end up in a completely different town. It was bewildering! o.O

[@SinfulShotz]

It is nice to see someone with an absolute fresh set of eyes on Guild Wars 2. A lot of us veteran players I feel lose that perspective after a while, and it is refreshing to hear it from people coming in and trying it.

[@LisaSummers1988]

Whenever i feel like experiencing a fresh start i just go back to basic. Beginner zone plus new character plus no mount. Just running around like i did in the very beginning. Or just actively helping out new players.

[@1dozmos]

I played GW2 on release and absolutely loved getting my first character to level 80… I was young at the time and had no friends to play the game with. I quit playing because there was to much to do and I didn’t know where to start lol… I returned a month ago after not playing for 8+ years and boy oh boy, I have felt in love again - the game is fantastic and am so disappointed that I stopped playing, I’ve missed out on so much good gameplay!!! I’m currently working on unlocking the skyscale :)

[@medivh1035]

l started playing half a year ago. the game is great except l feel character customization doesn't have good options

[@LaughingBat]

I think this is very true. I ended up somehow really enjoying EoD when I played it, only to grow extremely sour on it at the end because of the lack of deeper lore connections to Factions. I've taken a long break from the franchise for the first time in a really long time (longest I've gone without some kind of gw content since 2006) and I'm realizing how much little details kept me from savouring everything I loved about the game. It's really nice seeing new people getting into Guild Wars. Makes me want to make a new character and start fresh.

[@sealboy1211]

You like refreshment? I’m 20 some hours into my first character and I have no idea how I allowed myself to sleep on this masterpiece for….10 years. This has ruined my other mmos.(not complaining)

[@KarateNinja13]

GW2 does open world better than any other MMO. It feels alive from how good the meta events are and how they are almost always populated with people doing them. My favorite is definitely Dragonfall. Doing a boss fight with the dragon who is currently also the ground is pretty sick ngl. It made the grind to getting my skyscale much more bearable knowing that all the events I was doing were actually fun and interesting.

[@bladerunner2006]

This is the gamechanger for me. I don't want to click on a button to go to a dungeon. That is literally the opposite of immersion. In GW2 you can just run around in the open world, explore, and sooner rather than later you'll run into fun, challenging, voice acted content. Comparatively, other MMO "open worlds" are dead.

[@arthurxbr]

Can't wait to see Bellular try Heart of Thorns metas

[@Dras7]

If he is blown away from core map design.... oh boy

[@aburii123]

HoT gonna blow his mind

[@hubbabubba5177]

I joined late, but made it a point to 100% HoT without mounts, as intended. Besides raiding with friends, it was the best time I ever had in an MMO

[@Dras7]

@@hubbabubba5177 I did the same, even tho I already had the raptor so I cheated on some mini jumps lol. I'm so glad I got to have the intended exploration experience, but also think the mounts add a lot of fun elements to replayability after having completed the maps. Truly great design!

[@GottoGure]

i got Tangled depth map layout nightmare when i go that map first time so much lost and confusion.

[@errorschronik5123]

As a Guild wars Veteran since Launch, it is always nice to hear the stories of different people having a great time with a game i have spend so much time on. Glad you enjoyed your journey so far.

[@neontenebrae1918]

Hearing you talk about the spectacle of GW2's events and meta events in just Core Tyria makes me so excited to see and hear your thoughts and opinions on the content in the expansions and later Living World seasons. If you think Tequatl was a spectacle, (obligatory) YOU ARE NOT PREPARED for the bosses of Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire and End of Dragons!

[@barbitaa]

Haha right poor ol teq always pulling the weight for new players, can't wait for him to see dragon's stand meta

[@donmarelio]

He gon have his mind blown by the final fight in EoD. No spoilers, though. Hope he gets there someday. :D

[@SAGERUNE]

Its really unfair to look at world bosses in guildwars and expect a complex fight, I think they only ever served as a focal point for group content to get people in different zones at different times of day to keep the events alive. So he is correct but he's not seeing it from an engagement point of view. It's like 5 man non heroic dungeons In wow...not difficult fights but it gets you together and keeps the social flow.

[@_M....]

@@barbitaa yep. and drizzlewood coast is gonna blow his mind.

[@OldManAdey]

The Tequatl fight always reminds me of what the WoW Deathwing fight should have been. Missed opportunity Blizzard!

[@mini-paintingpapa]

I hopped back in a few weeks ago. I stopped playing about 5 years ago. I’m super excited for all the things they’ve added for QOL , and yes, they completely NAILED the epic cinematic feel.

[@mangoman93]

If you're already impressed by core Tyria's zone design, boy oh boy, do you have things to look foreward to. Events that flow into one another and culminate in huge boss fights? You haven't seen anything yet. Once you get to the first expansion Heart of Thorns you'll really see what huge open world events and intricate map design look like.

[@angrypancake4358]

For better framerate at big events you wanna go to your graphics options and lower down Character model limit and Character model quality. This will reduce the CPU load heavily.

[@pjducos]

Also make sure you are using the DX11, which is out of beta but still you need to opt in.

[@silouhette99]

removing names reduces it a lot as well

[@zlynnt5373]

turning reflections off is one of the big ones, it will render reflections on all water even if you can't see it and every map has a large body of water underneath it reflecting everything unless you turn it off hitting fps just as hard as character model limit/quality.

[@TSLlol]

It's mindboggling that after this many years the game still isn't optimized and struggles on any PC. Cmon Anet...

[@ridespirals]

@@zlynnt5373 reflections and shadows are both pretty taxing, they are always the first things I turn off even if my PC can handle them

[@RngLovesMeLOL]

I still remember seeing Tequatl for the first time. I was totally blown away. (And so was my character in the first few seconds XD).

[@christophersmith8316]

I was super underleveled when I went there the first time, but I got on one of the cannons and finished the whole thing, so I'd take my alts there too for the same experience.

[@NazzyDragon]

I'll never forget having to join a teamspeak for Tequatl way back in the day when it first came out. When people thought it was genuinely impossible. To the Commander that told the rangers in the event what to do while playing the Power Rangers theme... I haven't forgot ya! Excellent experience, very memorable.

[@GdGuitarist]

"I've finally learned how to play the game!" - Cuts to clips of going downstate as an Elementalist. It's like he knows the meme!

[@vinapocalypse]

Better get used to it now 😭

[@fenrirwolf7238]

Go for a condi build, and you’ll get better chances not to get downed 😅

[@ErgoProxy12345]

getting down os part of my rotation…

[@okasama6848]

He knows those 4 extra skills are part of his mega min maxed benchmarked DPS rotation

[@christophersmith8316]

My deaths per hour on the elementalist is about 4 times worse than all my other alts lol. I even did spying on the enemy in wvw by sneaking to the rear, getting killed by a bunch of them and reporting via chat to the others.

[@Merusdraconis]

I think Dry Top and the Silverwastes are technically part of Core Tyria, even though they were added for Living Story updates; you can see ArenaNet really start to stretch, and both have really interesting layering of events to build unique zone-specific mechanics.

[@DanilloMagalhaes]

both maps are related to living story season 1, he will most probably go throught there next.

[@TheRodentMastermind]

@@DanilloMagalhaes Living Story 2

[@DanilloMagalhaes]

@@TheRodentMastermind oh yrah, right. season 1 is about scarlet, s2 is when the new characters comes with the aftermath of scralet in dry top and silverwastes.

[@Hekat1988]

OOOOoooW Boy if you're enjoying base line gw2 this much just wait until you get to the expansions and living world chapters...they blow the base game out of the park the quality starts to really ramp up, very much like it does in ff14, enjoy xD

[@nian60]

Yes, agree.

[@sallee132]

True, GW2 core game sux comparing to expansions, just as FF XIV.

[@shugimi]

The epic battle between the main character and zaithan is one that will always be forgotten. All jokes aside I really wish they would go back and do that fight Justice

[@casperm513]

Oh yes agree. Like the core game feels so dated once you know PoF 😂😂

[@torreyrg42]

Agreed, right now the mechanics and cinematic combination in dragons stand (HoT) is imo the highest open world quality I can think of, even including the newer jade sea boss. From a story fight perspective the ending of PoF and the bosses in EOD are far better than anything the core game or HoT offered in story quests.

[@Explanicide]

I'm new to Guild Wars 2, after 5 years of Elder Scrolls Online guild wars has hit places I've never felt in an MMO. After overcoming daunting achievements , I just unlocked my skyscale yesterday I feel that progression and sense of accomplishment. Now I dare try getting my first Legendary next...

[@alphasierrabravo5905]

How long it take u to get mount? I recently just got up to the jackal

[@mebrandonb]

I hope you keep making gw2 videos as you continue playing! I can't wait to see what you think of Living World Season 4. So good!

[@MrMcGibblets04]

Praise Joko!

[@corpsestarch8869]

lws4 has the best story beats in any mmorpg. its a real treat

[@fenrirwolf7238]

EoD also has a fenomenal story 😅

[@fichoposao8159]

@@fenrirwolf7238 Agreed. Great story. Too bad the writing in EoD is abysmal. Still love it to bits, though.

[@ryltair]

Season 4 was really the height in story telling and presentation for me. Not to say I didn't like the other content, but season 4 is on a different level entirely.

[@KROOF]

World bosses continue to shine in the form of Meta Events for each map. The core game technically has these Metas, but the expansions put so much more time and care into them. Pro-tip: turn Character Model limit lower during these events. Not only good for FPS, but also clarity. ✨👏

[@SiopeR]

and choose DirectX 11if it's not baseline yet, massive fps increase.

[@MEneifal]

Kroof

[@frankthedsigner558]

@@SiopeR DX 11 is now officially in the main client and performance settings are tuned accordingly automatically so you get the best FPS. but yeah you will still need to turn the character models lower, just too many effects on everyone's characters.

[@AndwariTV]

As many mentioned before: He only played 2012 content. The EoD content is so awesome that he will be amazed out of his socks!

[@6BlackYoshi9]

After he got his expectations lowered by IBS:Champions :x

[@Deathmeter]

GW2 probably has the most fleshed out open world pve features. The events are always a fun little thing to do and watching the video really makes me want to jump back in and play my characters again.

[@sunblade704]

As a GW2 veteran, I'm glad you're enjoying the game so much. And if you like the core came, you will LOVE the expansions :)

Just in case you had missed it, dx11 came out of beta some time ago and is enabled by default for new players. Old players have to enable it manually from options

[@lillithsummers8817]

Ooo didn’t know that thanks! Will take a look later today.

[@kduv889]

As a gw1 vet (beta event player) and gw2 player from the start, this review is so incredibly wholesome, relaxing, inspiring and educational that I’m encouraged to start ANOTHER char (my 20th) just based on your excitement and i haven’t even finished watching! Thank you for taking us on this journey with you and for an open heart of willingness to our loving community of players here in GW2.

[@Frostdraga]

as someone who has been playing gw2 for just over 7 years now, I'm really glad to see new players enjoying the older content. I will always miss the feeling I got when exploring new areas or coming across a world boss in progress

[@DemethVLK]

Exciting to see this game finally getting the praise it deserves Also your character limit setting is way too high hence the performance drop Put it on low or medium max, displaying 40 players at once gonna tank your performances no matter what

[@TheFiresDragon]

If you like the story content of 2012, you gonna get blown away by the more modern expansion and Living Story stories XD

[@Jarvice]

Can't wait to see you reach Heart of Thorns! I remember having such a good time exploring the verticality of those maps and the fun ways they gave you to do so. Jumping off cliffs, gliding into drafts of air to reach higher, onto a bouncy mushroom to see where it lead me. So much fun by just exploring the zones. Not to mention the beautiful, lush, deep jungle with fireflies and sunrays reaching through the canopy.

[@Aereton]

back when HoT was released, I didn't really "get it" if that makes sense I just kinda expected more Core Tyria like content I was so lost and everything was moving around me so quickly, going to Dragons Stand wasn't even thinkable, then Season 3 came and I lost interest in the story glad I came back to the game last year

[@raulfiorito]

Some HoT maps are a masterpiece of design, a haven to explorers, a nightmare to travel trough. You truly feel the danger and the sensation of discovery there. Was a fantastic surprise when it was release, we are so used to fight Orr's enemies just ignoring them, HoT was savage, I loved it, was to good in the right direction of difficulty.

[@RodneyG669]

I really started to enjoy Heart of Thorns after I got my mounts from Path of Fire.

[@99LitOs]

Been playing MMOs since 2005 and GW2 is definitely one of the most underrated for sure. If you liked the zones and story of core Tyria , you'll have a blast on the metroidvania HoT maps and the vast expanses of PoF and EoD. Every time i come back to GW2 its two months straight of playing every single day.

[@Wayclarke]

Wow, two months in a single day? That's commitment!

[@greyed]

13:10 - Not only did GW2 show what you could do with a zone in an MMO, it showed what you could do with many of the systems that are taken for granted. GW2 is one of the few, maybe even the only, MMO where you *want* other players around you. * GW2 does not do mob tagging. * GW2 does not have exclusive resource nodes. Thing about that for a second. In other MMOs when I see a resource node with a mob next to it I am hoping that there aren't other people around. Because if I tag the mob to get to the node, they'll tap the node and run off. In GW2 if there is a mob next to a node, I don't care if another player is near. Because if they are, more often than not they will fight the mob with me, we'll both tap the node, and then go on our separate ways. GW2 allows players to group up simply by being next to one another. There is 0 competition for resources. I have had more time playing with other people in GW2 than every other MMO I have ever played since I started in the genre back in '99 save for one. Asheron's Call. And Asheron's Call had similar laissez-faire inter-player mechanics. On top of that, GW2 does not try to be exclusive about it's larger player structures and is very alt friendly. * GW2 allows you to be a part of multiple guilds. You only need pick which one you are representing at any given time. * When you join a guild in GW2, your account joins. All alts are a part of that guild from day 1. * Your account has progress on most things, only levels, map/story progress and crafting are character specific. Going form GW2 to another MMO is frustrating at times. For example, I started up in SWTOR again. I had to bother a guild officer to invite several toons into the guild. GW2, 1 invite, all 9 characters are now in the guild. I also have a personal guild that only has 2 members, me and my wife. Any time I decide to swap alts, I don't have to regrind my mounts for the upteenth time. GW2 is the gold standard of quality of life when it comes to MMOs. Other MMOs have incorporated some of its mechanics, but none have gone all in to give the players the freedom and capability to play with others like GW2 has.

[@Clariselol]

Check out Fractal dungeons. you'd be surprised how fun those are and the progression system is also very nice in there. (was already in base gw2)

[@grayfarron5077]

Fractal Dungeons are the original Mythic+ dungeons

[@wiziek]

@@grayfarron5077 While dungeons aren't really supported fractals have been added verly earley to game, with more maps and progression over years.

[@grayfarron5077]

@@wiziek I know... i said "Fractal Dungeons"... its what they are. Fractals are literally dungeons, theyre not story pathed dungeons that fell out of support. Been playing since 2012 homie.

[@nian60]

GW2 gets even better as you leave the Personal Story and enter the expansions and Living Worlds. You also don't have to play the Personal Story in order to level up to 80. You can level out in the open world instead.

[@mikfhan]

Yep! IF you play the GW2 personal story, it is recommended you finish chapter 4 first quest "setting the stage" before running your first dungeon, even though "the herald" mails you about the dungeons way before level 40. From then on you can just play the dungeons roughly as they unlock - their story arc eventually weaves into the personal story halfway into chapter 7. After GW2 story you can do fractals and living world season 1 as its chapters rerelease this year. There will be a bunch of waiting for season 1 rerelease here, which you could spend in the other races' starting zones and central Tyria, completing the maps/crafting. Then do Scarlet's War in December for a recap of season 1 before first expansion + season 2, etc.

[@nian60]

@@mikfhan Yes. Or you can skip the dungeons and fractals if you don't like that stuff. There is lots of choice.

[@fojler]

If I were to start play, with no experience at all of GW2, what is the most fun way to level up? I don't know what Personal Story is for instance.

[@jcm2606]

@@fojler *"If I were to start play, with no experience at all of GW2, what is the most fun way to level up?"* Depends on what you find fun. Basically everything will give you XP one way or another, so whatever you find fun will let you level up, whether it be map completion/exploration, events, the personal story, dungeons, PvP, WvW (at level 60), etc. Generally, map completion/exploration, events and personal story will be the quickest way to level, but PvP and WvW will both give you level-up tomes that can be used to skip an entire level, and dungeons are fun in their own right, if you can find a group to do them with. *"I don't know what Personal Story is for instance"* The personal story is the part of the game's story that takes place during leveling. It's largely split up into three acts, with the first act coming in chunks at levels 10/20/30 and involving choices made during character creation, the second act coming in chunks at levels 40/50/60 and involving a particular choice made at the end of the level 30 chunk of the first act, and the third act coming in chunks at levels 70/80 and having the same storyline for everybody, regardless of choices made earlier. Once you hit level 80, you move from the personal story into Living World Season 1 (currently being rereleased, expected to be fully released at the end of this year), then into Living World Season 2, then into Heart of Thorns, and so on.

[@mikfhan]

Yeah personal story is kinda like the Main Scenario Quest from Final Fantasy XIV (but much shorter/fewer cutscenes/scope) inbetween the chapters you can do whatever you want - I just kept on completing the maps the personal story would lead me into :) crafting can also give you experience points to level up but not everyone is interested in that - see gw2crafts.net/ for normal/fast guides what materials to buy on the trading post. kzbin.info/aero/PLNIrrxKmHofwVUz0QQkRHh-eKgCTOF9dB + kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWSYpppobK6taZY + kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWXGYWWuZc1li5Y are good videos for lore nerds before starting your personal story.

[@wyldenfyre784]

I absolutely love your enthusiasm and have to say i have had exactly the same experience with this game. POSITIVELY BRILLIANT. And the community are so good and friendly and helpful. I hope you stay and keep the dream alive with us! GW2 is IMO THE best MMO out there !

[@DanilloMagalhaes]

its rly rly wholesome to watch a content creator that is versed and experienced in content creating and on mmorpg genre, that is also not already a gw2 geek (since most of those already came from gw1), to finally experience, appreciate and showcase how fulfilling the gw2 player experience is once you let go of all the vices the grind fest p2w mmorpg games engraved on us. Great work Bellular Gaming, rly looking forward to watch you going through the living stories and expantions.

[@lokiemkcuf1341]

The great thing about GW2 to me are all the classes and the elite specs. I constantly switch characters and swap elite specs because they are all so damn fun.

[@Bobskater1000]

I just started playing this game about a week or so ago and I’m loving it! Definitely one of the better mmos I’ve played. I’ve even done a few dungeons and everyone’s been super helpful and nice! I did a flashpoint in swtor for the first time and almost got kicked from the group for not skipping the cutscenes

[@warrior_lainey]

My friend who played GW2 ever since beta had gotten me the original Guild Wars game back in December 2020, I enjoyed it and we played through the Factions campaign. Fast forward to May 2021, he has streamed him doing casual stuff in GW2 for awhile, and I decide, that right before his birthday, I'm going to join the game. It's safe to say that a year later and with Trahearne in my profile picture that I've continued to enjoy and love this game. Through this game I've actually met some wonderful friends and joined a guild! The story has inspired me to explore my passion for writing and world building, and even as a super casual player that doesn't really enjoy grinding or raiding much, I have a lot of fun running around with my main character, making her look pretty, and making sure all her pets have names. I'll admit, having someone who had played the first game and then the second ever since it was in beta was definitely a HUGE plus for me. As someone that finds it very hard to enjoy games without someone playing with me, having him around and telling me some random lore fact while also guiding me through what sort of stats may work best for my character helped so much. GW2 is such a diverse game with such a fun range of professions and races, and your characters are so customizable, as well as if you're like me, and you add a bit of extra spice and lore to them.

[@TFalconwing]

Watching your Tequatl footage had me internally screaming "please turn your model limit down oh no" Glad you're having fun!

[@skywolf7717]

8:56 Thank you for this. That statement exactly describes wow bosses and why I just can't really get into it.

[@JenDeyan]

I've only started watching Bellular's content since he started FFXIV and I have to say, it is good to see all the WoW creators flexing their wings and trying different MMOs. It seems to have done the whole lot of them some good. They seem to be enjoying gaming more. Having seen Bellular's videos on GW2, I'm motivated to pick it back up. I played when it first came out but my group moved on to other content and I moved with them. The same thing happened with FFXIV. We played for a while and everyone moved on but I jumped back into FFXIV on my own right before Heavensward came out and I've had a happy home there ever since. But that doesn't mean I haven't been interested in other MMOs. Since I'm heavily invested in story, it's good to know that GW2 is doing a good job there. I think I"m going to give GW2 a try.

[@christabelle__]

As a long-time player who left for about 4 years and came back to it recently? The story is good until it gets rocky in Heart of Thorns - the pacing of it, at the time, was atrocious as well. Luckily, players coming in now won't ever know the suffering we did waiting and waiting for a mere morsel of story...that wasn't even really that good. Being able to consume it all in one go will make it much more palatable, I think! The story isn't perfect, but I'll give it a HUGE thumbs up - it's endearing, and the characters are mostly all believable in who they are (everyone has their favorites, but watching Taimi grow up is like...I'm so attached to this virtual child? Alisaie has nothing on her!) - and best of all? The characters grow, as people, as the story goes on. I'll never like Braham, or feel he matures all that much, but that might just be me - personally? I think people should go in with a higher bar than they might with WoW, let's say. And people say they hate the Icebrood saga, but I came back and did it all at once (rather than when it was current)...and I thought it was pretty okay? Not terrible, not outstanding, but still fun. So don't let opinions color your outlook TOO much - we all feel strongly about different things! Enjoy the ride!

[@JenDeyan]

@@christabelle__ Thanks. I'll remember that.

[@guiltycross]

@@christabelle__ but i love HoT it has my fave maps and meta events!

[@guiltycross]

@@JenDeyan the heart of thorns metas are story pieces that you must do to get a full picture of the expansion's story. The metas narate the pact's movement through the maps as you do your personal story on the side. Very interesting take at story telling to be honest. I for one enjoy it very much. Tons of people still group up to this day and fill 2 or more maps to do the heart of thorns meta every 2 hours!

[@Rob-147]

Just started playing about a month ago, was surprised how good this game felt. I started not caring at all about the story, but ended up getting engaged. The mounts are fun, the progression feels good overall. I have a lot of progress to look forward to. The combat is really fun too. Also, it's not just on easy mode. I get my butt kicked a lot!

[@raquetdude]

they just added their hardest boss too in the latest strike

[@BadCuzDad]

Another great GW2 video. I think this game just needed some time to marinate before people could fully enjoy everything GW2 was trying to do. Now the game is at the perfect crossroads of innovative content and player needs.

[@seekittycat]

The joy when GW2 finally get the shine it deserves

[@streusel7933]

You pretty much summed up what me and my friends were experiencing 10 years ago and what hooked us to still play this game until today. Your video really brought back some fond memories of mine from back then

[@davidmorris2234]

Glad to see that you’re still enjoying GW2 and looking forward to seeing more videos from you as you do more end game content and the Living World story

[@rojifox1386]

So glad you’re really immersing yourself but it gets better the farther you go- especially as you finally start into Cantha again

[@BlackthorneChronicles]

Dude, the grin on my face is so big right now watching this. I've been playing GW2 since early April, and it's so so good. Just finished Flame and Frost. Excited to hear about what you thought of the last boss in that. Because I thought it was absolutely nuts! It was like a M+15 boss fight in just the story part. And there's a fractal based off of it as well. Can't imagine how cool it will be. The challenge you feel is real, and the content delivers every step of the way. Excited to read all these HoT expansion comments below, because I haven't even gotten to HoT yet. So looking forward to your next GW2 video man. I think we're here before the big wave of disgruntled WoW players that feel cheated from Blizzard. Arenanet is going to give them something fun and a place to park themselves for years to come. Cheers!

[@MInorek5]

Cya in lion's arch

[@okasama6848]

Really thrilled you enjoy the content, as a Veteran, I've redone my personal quest for core tyria and i can tell you that what's to come is better by far, you enjoyed Zhaitan, you will be amazed of Klarkatorrik. As for Combat, i do agree with what you mentioned, but what I think is that you have not mentioned the combo system, which was unique at it's time, skills combine to give you buffs or auras, very important for your Tempest elite Spec. And even with base ele, combining Fire Dagger 4 with Earth Dagger 4 and 5 will provide you with damage buffs, via the way the skills interact with themselves. Hope you'll continue to enjoy and take your time, because the game allows you to take your time.

[@Buran01]

Nice to see you're enjoying it. The best is still to come.

[@darkwulf2k]

I love "Fear Not This Night". It honestly could fit into FFXIV as a song. I am still many years later still crying over Tybalt....thanks for the memories. GW2 is a very good story. IMHO just falls short of FFXIV's, but not by much. It is one of my favorite side games to return to.

[@Ozraevun]

Tybalt and Forgal made me cry. Seiran not so much xD

[@darkwulf2k]

@@Ozraevun tybal and Sieran made me cry, not forgal lol. I loved doing the smart people quest(name eludes me atm)

[@sweetfry]

The whole "infinite leveling" thing is very similar to the Alternate Advancement system in EQ, which was one of the absolute best max level progression systems in any MMO ever.

[@tumbler9025]

Ah yeah the AA system fun times I remember when it was introduced , It was when the Plaines of Power Exp came out if I'm not mistaken been a few years lol

[@spacechannelfiver]

@@tumbler9025 Luclin

[@tumbler9025]

@@spacechannelfiver haha thanx been so long wasn't sure .

[@sweetfry]

@@tumbler9025 Came out with Luclin. EDIT: didnt see someone else responded already. I just played an EQ1 TLP last year for quite a while. Played up until the end of Planes of Power, was a lot of fun. They just released 2 more TLPs too...tempted to play them as well NGL.

[@tumbler9025]

@@sweetfry haha All good )

[@lokiwolfwood7942]

Dude I am so stoked to here you say this. This is an amazing game I've played off and on since launch and hearing how excited you get makes me want to go back and play the main story again. Looking forward to seeing you explore the expansions

[@Dankflamio]

I can’t wait for you to keep going and enjoying the content. There is SO MUCH to do. And I loved it.

[@feidamack2006]

Another thing that GW2 does better than every other MMO: the servers never go down

[@egxfreze5521]

Depends on what u mean with '' server goes down''. If u mean for updates or crashes. Not have any problems with crashes in ff unless some kid sitting in a basement trying to ddoss.

[@feidamack2006]

@@egxfreze5521 Don't know if the servers are built to handled ddoss attacks, but they've never had to go down for maintenance or updates. EDIT: Small correction, maintenance does occur, in fact as I'm writing this the NA servers are undergoing maintenance, but the only thing you cant do is delete characters, still playable.

[@aburii123]

True almost zero downtime even for big updates

[@jcm2606]

This is something that not many people talk about. I came into GW2 from ESO, where 6+ hour downtimes for weekly maintenances and 12+ hour downtimes for content update patches are the norm, and extensions are common (especially on the PC EU megaserver), so this was a *major* breath of fresh air for me, coming into GW2. Not only is there *zero* downtime for *any* form of maintenances/patches, but the patching system they have is so incredibly smooth that you can basically finish what you're doing, log off, update and jump right back in, without missing a beat, even if they release multiple patches back-to-back (as they did once or twice, in my time playing the game).

[@jeremywininger694]

Cap

[@Marrimero]

Gw2 is my favorite mmo, some times take a break but always come back.

[@CayugaSwift]

So glad you're enjoying GW2 so far, and am excited to see any future videos you release on it!

[@soli6026]

I started playing this game 3 weeks ago, it’s very good. It’s so fun and enjoyable I’m having a blast. I’m only on LW 2 but wow the story for LW 1 blows the base story out the water and it only gets better

[@codydelozier8132]

The Path of fire had me engrossed the whole time. Even shed a tear towards the end. Cant wait for you too take on the next expansions!

[@VekksGW2]

shed A tear? just one? I was messed up for days during LWS4. the end of the penultimate chapter...... traumatized me.

[@Skyshadow1]

Its been 10 years and now people finally seem to realize that GW2 has been doing right what most have been doing wrong since 2012. It has its flaws but its miles ahead everything else i have tried. The game feels organic, its the ONLY MMO i have ever played that i have a second max level alt and eventually i want to try every single class in the game, they are all great, no other game brought this feeling to me ever. And its not pay to win. IT-IS-NOT-PAY-TO-WIN. Do you understand the significance of that in this day and age? Best of luck o your adventures in Tyria.

[@lorranell]

8:02 Hahahaha! I had to smuntzle there ;P Awesome Video!

[@ElloBoppit]

This was fun to watch, thanks for sharing. That worldboss looked intense!

[@starfallscythe]

I did this content back in 2014 or 2015 and haven't really played since. I'm in awe that they still make this content relevant!

[@uniquename111]

You seen nothing of the game if you stopped in 2015. There is like 25 something new maps, 3 expansions and 4 seasons and a endless amount of content such at new fractals, raids, strikemissions, large instance bosses, meta map events, gliding, mounts that actually are usefull, fishing, skiffs and so much more.

[@lilphoenix]

They unfortunately had other plans for the Zhaitan fight and had to scrap them. He was supposed to be shot down then you'd finish him off on the ground, there's concept art of Arah with his corpse in the map. The "Zhaitan's Rest" point of interest is a remnant of that, now it doesn't mark anything in particular. A similar thing happened with one of the big map metas in the first expansion, and it's a shame in both cases. Glad to hear you're otherwise enjoying it, I hope you also do the living world seasons between the expansions! They're vital to the story and really interesting, it's a bit annoying that they don't already come bundled with their related expansion but they're absolutely worth it. Edit: I'm just thinking how old those base Tyria areas are and there's still so many people running around doing stuff! I love how they've continued to keep older areas relevant.

[@vonezerq]

I thoroughly enjoyed this update video and I hope you continue to have fun with the game.

[@harlowisla]

I came back to gw2 last week love your vids covering it

[@nian60]

I'm so happy you like GW2. It gets easier to level up as you play since you get Tomes of Knowledge. 1 tome = level up 1 level. I have 2 stacks of those tomes after playing for a while (ca. 350 tomes) so I can level several chars from 1 to 80 only using tomes if I want.

[@sanield2782]

I just started and I already have like 25 of them. The game feels super alt friendly and as an altoholic I super appreciate it

[@nian60]

@@sanield2782 Cool. Yes it's easy to get those tomes, and it makes the game very alt friendly.

[@jcm2606]

WvW also has testimonies of heroics that allow you to automatically complete random hero challenges, to speed up obtaining hero points without having to actually do the challenges.

[@SpellboundTutor]

I largely concur with a lot of your assessment, the good and the bad. Especially the fight with Zhaitan. It really took the wind out of my proverbial sails. But I will say, as someone who has done everything up until the final mission of End of Dragons, the final battle with Zhaitan is by far the worst part of the game and it only improves from there.

[@BigBrocolli9]

I'm so happy to see so many creators get into GW2 and praise it for it's high quality content and story just at the beginning. Because boy does every aspect of the game just get better and better the further you play

[@Fishdevil]

Hoping you'll continue this one day! Expansions bring so much more to the table in every way

[@Sealreth]

super happy you been enjoying what I consider my favorite game :D

[@Nebuli2]

I cannot wait for you to see the spectacle that is the final world boss of End of Dragons. It's truly incredible, and it's a hard fight too.

[@kevinvdb6]

Hey Bellular, love how you are enjoying the game i went through this exact same progress about a year ago and i'm still in love with the game. For world bosses and WvW zergs you generally want to drop down character model limit and character model quality to low and your fps should be alot better! Hope that helps a bit have fun on the journey!

[@maeeveart7557]

I'm so happy to see people enjoying the game the same way I did when I started back in 2012. Thank you! My biggest impact was surely The Shatterer (literally, because it landed on my head)! I'm a main ele and I can tell you that you certaintly didn't pick the easiest class to play, but both Tempest in HoT and Weaver in PoF are so fun! I know not everyone like it, and it's a sort of dissed game mode but I hope you'll try some World vs World too some day, if you find a good group you'll see how fun it is to teamwork with your squad in a total war. TC and wish you all the best out in Tyria! :D

[@aburii123]

Can't wait for you see see the massive maps and zone wide meta events in the first expansion. Some of the best map designs feels like a Nintendo game.

[@Daege2001]

this video conivinced me to give it a try. i just wait till the download is done. thank you :)

[@Bengis_Kahn]

I love that you choose "casual" route here by playing and enjoy the experience of the story in this game. I can feel more relate to this video that others. Can't wait to see more of your content about Guild Wars!

[@arious1644]

everything you said about the random events chaining together, is one of my favorite aspects of GW overworld content! and some of those are SO important to do, like the metas, and some even give certain items you need in order to finish collections, or get achievements and that keeps those events viable and replayable. The metas and collection events keep players coming back to do them so you'll almost always have people there to help, which it isn't hard to get help anyway.

[@camerynmaru]

Glad you're enjoying GW2, it's a great game. All three expansions have very rich and sumptuous zones to explore (both the main expansion zones and all the ones between expansions, too - there are something like 25 different endgame zones to fully explore, all with full story content) But the best thing is this: you'll be told by many people that nobody plays GW2, and that's complete nonsense. You still have to plan ahead to get into one of the many FULL maps to kill Tequatl, especially in the evenings, because so many people in the player base love the open world dynamic content. Enjoy. :) (P.S. the expansion stories in Path of Fire are my absolute favorite in the game.)

[@refreshazure]

When he get deep into the elite specializations he be hook on the innovation it brings.

[@dacco9414]

Thank you for bringing guild wars 2 to light! And I'm glad you're enjoying it! Happy journey 💪🙏💙

[@aries4378]

Your videos inspired me to try finally try GW2. Glad I did. I'm having so much fun with all the free, that I've decided to buy all the expansions. Looking forward to exploring all the new areas!

[@wrighty1216]

Looking forward for you to make your way into Heart of Thorns and onward. The expansions and living world take GW2 to a whole new level over the base game.

[@hypnotika]

Fun Fact: Fractals were the inspiration for M+

[@coolboialex]

You should definitely look into your inventory management. Things in there you can bin, use, put in the bank etc. Looking at your Material Storage, do you use the third button on the left at the top right of the inventory to deposit them all there (cube with a down arrow)? I know it was a function I didn't clock for a long time.

[@Bissemandk]

This video made me appreciate the personal story a lot more. I was too busy being absorped in playing the overworld without paying much attention to the story because i was looking forward to trying Holosmith so much after testing it in PvP lobby.

[@garydose129]

The core game is super fun. Definitely worth giving it a try as a free to play player. Its cool that you can actually choose your story.

[@Lithesphinx]

Bro, you were so positive to this, and it was only the core game. You have to give us your thoughts on the expansions aswell. It just gets better and better. And it gets sooo good!

[@DreamskyDance]

Yeah, i want to see how he liked adventures in GW2 in HoT and PoF... I recently completed Season 4 after a long time ( i am slow in doing the story, i like to savor it XD ).. and its beyond awesome storyline.

[@Shagrath06]

Killed Zhaitan yesterday and now I'm starting with Living World Season 1 episode 1!

[@VintageNarwhal]

Just started playing. I’m pumped. Having a blast so far.

[@Dontgankmeplx]

It makes me smile hearing how much you are joining the core game, there is sooooo much more to explore in the expansions and beyond. I played on and off since released but mostly PvP. Have had a blast in other areas of the game that I hadnt really touched; the expansion maps, living world, unlocking mounts, legendary crafting, WvW. There is so much to do just sometimes it does take some searching (both in game and on google!).

[@juscallmeehx]

Can't wait to see his video after Verdant Brink and Tangled Depths lol.

[@LokiTheAnsuz]

Someone will need to get him into an organised Mordi fight too!

[@kalamari8243]

or after the dragon's stand meta

[@arkanaloth2617]

the final fight of the core game is a mechanical disappointment... they heard us, they learned. Get to Heart of Thorns, that's all I'm going to say, get to HoT. As for Elementalist, Unlock Tempest.. you're still running a core build, Fresh Air tempest is stellar, if you're one for HIGH APM, Weaver or Catalyst.

[@ShadowkeeperTei]

Oh yeah, the [redacted] fight at the end of HoT is far better than Zhaitan. Feels like an actually boss fight. Living World Season 2 has some pretty decent bosses too.

[@arkanaloth2617]

@@ShadowkeeperTei I'll add the fight at the end of PoF.. chef's frikkin kiss.. fantastic.

[@Alran109]

I really am hoping they plan to rework the final boss fight in some way before steam release. Having a stronger finish to the core game story will be better for new players. Every ending boss since has been great.

[@arkanaloth2617]

@@Alran109 honestly I wish they would but I can't say I'd be surprised if they didn't. :\

[@wisniamw]

@@ShadowkeeperTei fight at the end of HoT is too long IMO. It is fine, but he just have soooo much HP

[@SAGERUNE]

The storytelling evolves... intensely. I'm very happy to see you taking it seriously. It's going to blow your mind. The complexity of story and encounters just ramps up and up, and also finds moments of calm to ease you in. My only worry is that heart of Thorns will filter you, because it's such a reaction to the criticisms you have at this moment, you will get whiplash by the hostility of the maguma jungle.

[@zyrin8203]

I really love looking at new players perspective on the game. It reminds you of the parts of the game that you've taken for granted because you have played for so long.

[@-iZLA-]

i tried the game after your last video. now i obsess in getting that f-in dragon mount everyone has but me T_T

[@LokiTheAnsuz]

Be patient and you'll get it with no trouble 😊 For me, the process of getting the Griffon was waaaay more painful because of the gold cost 😅

[@Bariel76]

@@LokiTheAnsuz I don't think it's the gold cost that's the issue, the issue for most new players is that they don't realise most of their potential gold is locked up in material storage, karma, map currencies each requiring an approach to turn into gold. Once a helpful player pointed me at GW2Efficiency to look at what I could sell I found I already had 300 gold sat in material storage even though I was only 60-70 gold in my wallet.

[@LokiTheAnsuz]

@@Bariel76 I still think spending 250 gold on the Griffon inflicts way more emotional damage than working on the Skyscale 😅 Your 250 vanishes instantly and all you get in exchange is a kinda useless mount (Griffon kinda sucks without its masteries)...

[@Tytus01UNIT]

I always liked GW2 UI and art style - very unique and artistic. Public events are cool and it feels that there is always something to do.

[@stefanoandrianopoulos9071]

Super happy to hear you loving it. I have been hooked since day one. It’s such a god damn good game.

[@Tonino_O]

Really glad to hear you are enjoying the game, extremely underrated