Guild Wars 2 is ELITE in 2023 | Should You Play It? | First Impressions | Raw Reviews

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[@Vizzient]

Come Share Your Tips and Tricks Over On Twitch! Streaming GW2 Regularly and Love Chatting With Y'all. www.twitch.tv/vizzient_tv

[@GuruChaz]

You need to get past the main personal story and go straight into Secrets of the Obscure (SOTO).

[@Vizzient]

@@GuruChaz slowly but surely grinding this personal story out 😆

[@GuruChaz]

@@Vizzient Go buy SOTO and free boost up to 80. No wonder you quit like I did.

[@GuruChaz]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rofRi5eVerRpjbssi=4ke4OkpC4C13f2LF

[@RedceLL1978]

Not sure if it's changed now but controller support kept me from getting into it. And steam controller config just doesn't cut it. I'm 46, after many attempts, sorry but my hands and wrists refuse to comply with learning M&K. And it would seem the devs are anti controller support because they would've gotten that done by now if it mattered to them. So guild wars and their devs can suck a D and miss out on all us controller players.

[@xyfurion]

In my opinion the best thing about the guild wars 2 is the focus on horizontal progress in the endgame. As soon as you hit max level (80) that's when the game _really_ starts and the focus shifts from levelling and getting gear with better stats to gathering masteries that unlock new abilities and QoL features, playing raids, fractals, strikes, map-wide meta events, etc. The game truly starts after level 80.

[@Vizzient]

I hear that a lot actually. People saying up till 80 is a bit of a tutorial which I understand the sentiment. However if that's the case this is the most fun I've ever had in a tutorial and I'm psyched it's considered even better later on 😆 always appreciate some veteran insight on the game though! Thanks for watching!!

[@cadenballentine4713]

yeah thats great!

[@TottWriter]

@@Vizzient I think one of the mai reasons people say it about GW2 so much is that in other games, once you hit max level you're kinda done bar the gear. In GW2 though, hitting that level 80 isn't the end of your growth at all, it's more like where you start to take active control of how you grow instead of just getting straight power increases

[@denissavchuk1376]

Later on you can lvl any new character to 80 almost instantly. Lvl doesn't matter later.

[@TuttifruttiNinja]

When you're level 80 you still earn exp but they are used to gain mastery levels, giving your mounts new skills, being able to interact with different things in the expansion maps etc. And a very big part of GW2 is getting the weapon/armor skins you want. Also! Check out pvp! You don't need perfect gear, as everyone just picks a build that is independent on your gear in the PvE world.

[@daze4135]

6:50 veterans are in the newbie zones because a lot of endgame activities need you to go back, it's actually pretty brilliant how they spread out things to do in the game. For example, in the latest expansion, a collection requires you to hit chickens in ebonhawk (which is a 40-50 zone) and that's just one example I can think off the top of my head. Even crafting makes the low-level materials still relevant when crafting end-game stuff, making sure old low level mats dont go irrelevant like in ither MMOs. Its one of the cool things that goes overlooked in gw2

[@daze4135]

7:00 it will not taper off. If you are easily distracted, you will get lost in the sauce all the time and won't notice you're already on the other side of the map, leagues away from where you originally intended to go. Good times, though.

[@Vizzient]

Love that! Biggest MMO pet peeve is the invalidation of old and usually very loved content and the fact that this game actively works against that happening is so awesome! Thanks for watching :)

[@natel7151]

@@Vizzient Even for long-term level 80s, people come back to the 1-15 zones on a constant basis... it's still fun to do. At minimum... There's a "World Boss" event timer page that people will follow, going from one boss to another. Shadow Behemoth is one of those events (in the Human starting zone, Queensdale). The thermonuclear Fire Elemental in the 1-15 Asura zone is another. We might get downleveled to match the zone, but the rewards are still worthwhile (and appropriate for your actual character level). Heck, even as you're leveling up, it's probably worth chasing down all of these starting zone World Boss events. Add the fact that a level 14,15 new player can participate in a World Boss that long-term players keep coming back to? That's just plain fun game design. It's a fun way to get the community all together. (Some of these old world bosses need a redesign, though. Fire Elemental needs an update, IMO... but Claw of Jormag is really dumb these days. Maybe she'll get a Tequatl-like update if we're lucky. Tequatl the Sunless went from brainless DPS sprint to "OMFG how do we do this" in a single update. Right now, Claw of Jormag barely lasts a single rotation due to DPS creep.)

[@Ashenwolf888]

Gw2 is the best MMO RPG ever made for me. The fact that the game has horizontal gear progression is amazing. The abscene of the unending gear threadmill is just nice. There is definitly value for money here.I have over 4k hours now in the game and did not regret anything. Every mmo RPG fan should atleast try GW2.

[@Vizzient]

Yeah the content value for a game with no monthly sub is really wild! Thanks for watching :)

[@alyasVictorio]

Not only that, its hybrid combat system is what stands up for both casual and veteran mmo players

[@ThiagoSilva-dv3ri]

A tip: most maps have its little secrets and it’s so rewarding to stumble upon them. It might be a jumping puzzle, a special NPC interaction, a whole cave opening from a small spot. And some vistas are just amazing. I remember playing the norn campaign and you spend most of your time in snow maps. Until you come to hinterland falls, and you have a springlike map with waterfalls. It got me literally crying

[@xRevTheoryx]

One of the things that is often dismissed about GW2 is its leveling process. I remember it took me over a month to get to level 80 back in 2012, not because I was slow or didn't play enough time, but because wandering around exploring was so immersive and rewarding that it didn't feel like a tedious task like most mmorgps. The characters and the maps feels alive and every activity from completing events, to exploring secret places to gathering resources gives you xp

[@Vizzient]

Yeah this game really feeds into my easily distracted brain. Only negative is there's so much to do while out and about I usually get so side tracked 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@Ailasor]

yeah.. the exploring was the best.. finding jp's and stuff in hidden spots etc.. think giving mounts to new players rob them of this experience..

[@jgkitarel]

The fact that the game rewards you going "oh, what's over there?" is a major plus.

[@Elienguitar]

I'm glad a lot of players as of late have been experiencing GW2 for the first time. IMO its the best game in terms of content, variety, and community. There so much to accomplish you should never be bored. It's great for hard-core and casual players alike.

[@Vizzient]

The amount of content is pretty wild and I'm not even far in! Thanks for watching :)

[@CorpLifePhylosophy]

GW2 is for sure BEST MMO out there. Welcome on board!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching :)

[@kiratastic7048]

Welcome to Tyria! We’re very happy to have you! You touched on hero points, but there’s a lot more to it! The build system in this game is incredibly unique, there are so many options! I can be a bit overwhelming, but really helps you find a unique style to your gameplay!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the support :) Legit just getting deeper into this system and the diversity and customizability is wildddd. Definitely didn't appreciate it till I started unlocking builds and such but wow! Thanks for watching!

[@alyasVictorio]

Although I don't had any laptop to play this game yet, what makes GW2 so great is its hybrid combat system which is way more engaging plus has shorter skill gap between both casual and veteran players in terms of fighting against each other, which stands up from traditional tab targetting mmo combat

[@Anonymous-vw8ei]

It feels so good to see you praising the game. here are some tips: 1 - Use the command "/wiki something" as in "/wiki necromancer" for everything that you don't understand very much, it'll help you. 2 - When you see a Commander Tag around the map, click on it and click "Join squad" (to know what is a Commander Tag, use the "/wiki" command XD) 3 - Learn about the achievement system,hope you'll like it. hope you will keep playing and enjoying Tyria. Good luck!

[@Vizzient]

Much appreciated! Love insight from those who have been around the game a while. Best way to learn IMO 😄 thanks for watching!!

[@handheadman]

Welcome to Tyria. Hope to see you share your future adventures and impressions as you progress through the game. There's sooo much fun ahead of you!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the support friend! I'm having a blast and can't wait to see what is waiting for me. Thanks for watching :)

[@ZianaSue]

Not sure if I should call these "tips" or just things to know about the game and whats to come. Of course this isn't everything, but I think I touched on the basics. There's a lot you can do in the game, and I'm excited to witness your journey. This list includes things you may or may not already know. WIKI - Become best friends with the wiki - you can type /wiki item_name, /wiki npc_name, or /wiki location_name in chat and it will take you to the wiki page for that item, npc, or location - /et to see the world event time schedule (on the wiki) FASHION - the amount of dyes in this game are crazy (most can be obtained through just playing the game, crafting, the trading post, and some are from the cash shop (cosmetics and quality of life only items). - you can get some cool items for achievements (but they're max level items, like the achievement that give an ascended weapon (best in sploms ites) from the HoT storyline) - gear skins, weapon skins, and mount skins are a must for optimal fashion flexing. STORAGE - as you already know the deposit material button is a great feature - you bank has a special section just for crafting materials and it has a slot for every material in the game, and by default holds 250 of each material (you can buy additional space from the cash shop (in batches of 250, buy space and you'll be able to store 500, 750, etc. of each material)- this is one of those quality of life items I mentioned earlier) - you also have space in the bank (i use it for things i want account-wide access to, such as legendary collection items, special keys, and boost items (exp, karma, etc.)) - make sure you pick up some recyclers (breaks items you don't want or need down into crafting materials (there are some exceptions)) COMBAT - as you level and get more hero points you can unlock elite specializations, that will change your combat style - you'll be able to build craft as you gain my traits (both traits and builds are accessed via the hero panel (H by default)). I think build crafting is one of the best parts of GW2. MOUNTS - as you already know the raptor has a combat engage skill, however, what you probably don't know is that every mount has a combat engage skill and they are all different - you'll unlock these when you get to Path of Fire (PoF) content, the story will guide you to them, or you can hunt them down on your own once you have access to the various PoF maps. EXPLORATION - you'll quickly notice that everything you do in the game gives you experiences, and exploration is where most of it comes from, - you have a waypoint automatically unlocked for the starting zone for each race, so you can go to them and play with other new players of different races. - I'm excited to see how you handle jumping puzzles (both the supposedly easy ones and the difficult one)

[@Vizzient]

Damn this is very thorough and very informative thank you! As mentioned I have gone into the game without looking anything up and most all of this is new to me😆 help from viewers is really all I want so this is big. Legit going to screenshot this to reference it later on... Definitely will be doing updates along the way and see myself getting very invested into this game. Feels good to be excited about an MMO! Thanks for watching and the support :)

[@natel7151]

Those of us who play GW2, we could tell you hadn't discovered the Dye tab :) That mismatched armor definitely stood out. (They call it Fashion Wars for a reason, I guess. First thing I do when I get new armor is to make sure it color-matches the rest of the outfit.) There is a LOT buried under the Hero button, as you've noticed, including all the Equipment, all the Build crafting, all the Crafting skills, all the Achievements (which will often net you a lot of xp for level ups as well). Dyes are under the Hero button, in the same section as "Equipment". You get a good selection of dyes as a new character, and unlocking more dyes is pretty rapid (not to mention there's a lot of inexpensive dyes in the Trading Post (err, AH for your WoW players). (Unlocking Miniatures for the Fashion Wars also is easy through the Ttrading Post because people do dump a lot of the commons in there for cheap.) Your Equipment tab might be locked into the main Equipment screen through normal use, so just hit the Back button in the top left to expand it & see the Dyes. Then you can start with the Fashion Wars LOL. (And the Dye process is "free". You unlock a Dye, and you can use it on anything that can be dyed, without limits. Once you unlock a dye, it's yours to use.)

[@Vizzient]

😂 I hope you enjoyed my noob ignorance put on display in this video. That all actually answers a lot of questions I was having so much appreciated!! Thanks for watching :)

[@natel7151]

@@Vizzient Glad it helped. Plus, it means one less mismatched character running around Divinity's Reach :) And, yes, it is an oddly nice community. Other parts might be more bitter/jaded, and some parts require good coordination... but even those, there's groups who like to take new players through things like Fractals, Strikes, and Raids just to teach the mechanics. One more tip if you stick with Necromancer. Start new characters with the other Masks & just delete them after you log in/out with those new Necromancers. The point of this is that you'll unlock those masks in your Wardrobe even if you delete those characters. (You don't get all the masks by default... that's how it worked at launch, anyway. You have to actually have them in the game, on a character, and then it unlocks. At that point, the wardrobe item is linked to your Account. You can delete the character, and the wardrobe unlock is still tied to your entire account. You might not WANT those masks later, but it's good to have the Wardrobe option in case you feel like them in the future. Dyes are also account-bound, not character-bound, which is super cool.)

[@darko1295]

This is me being pedantic, but in an effort to get you potentially interested, calling the Elementalist 'just a mage' is vastly underselling it. Late game elementalist is incredibly complex to play, especially with GW's combat system and if you're used to more traditional mmo combat, and can basically make you feel like you're playing as the mmo equivalent of the Avatar or Dota's Invoker. While I wouldn't recommend it as a first character, I would definitely urge you to give ele a spin in the late game sometime if you end up enjoying the game long term :)

[@Arrow333]

Adding to that: Calling elementalist the "profession designed for pianist" is a common meme among us GW2 players. You can just look up a weaver (elementalist elite spec) build and its rotation.

[@Vizzient]

Honestly I didn't understand how deep any of these professions went until I recently unlocked builds and saw elite specs 😳crazy variety! I'm a bit of an MMO altoholic so I'm sure I'll be there soon enough. Appreciate the insight though and thank you for watching :)

[@connerchambers1713]

It excites me to see you reviewing this game and having such a great experience. I love this game and have sunk so many hours into it. Even when I need a break from playing it, and I switch to a new game, I can always come back to it anytime whenever I want because the character progression is all horizontal once you reach level 80. I don’t have to deal with crazy FOMO just cause I wanna play a different game for a little while.

[@Vizzient]

It's so nice being in an MMO that just has a player base that's so helpful and positive about the game they play. Honestly its very refreshing coming from other games 😅. Very excited to see what horizontal progression is really all about because I've never dabbled in a game that focuses on it. Thanks for watching and your support :)

[@embreis2257]

ANet respects the time players have put in and wants you welcome back knowing you can pick up where you left without feeling 'left behind'

[@arkanaloth2617]

I've been in Tyria since the Guildwars 1 beta so when GW2 came out I was there day one (of the headstart, LOL). It's really cool that so many people are discovering how good the game is, it's been quite the road since launch and a lot has changed but I'll say 90% of it is good to me. just some suggestions: Get the seasons - You're just starting out so it's not a bad idea to wait and see if they go on sale but definitely pick them up, they provide so much story continuity and open up so much of the world. Explore everything, I've played a lot of MMO's (WoW, FF14, etc, etc..) and GW2 has the best open world of them all. there are slight dialog changes depending no race / choices made during creation. In Heart of Thorns there's entire side bits of dialog you don't get at all unless you made the right selection to trigger it (no hints, hints are spoilers in this case :P) the **ENTIRE** storyline can be played in a party, and if everyone is on the same step they can all progress together (I'm looking at you FF14 and your solo story instances)

[@Vizzient]

Wow great advice much appreciated! Really cool you can party up for story progress. FF14 fan but yeah that process is a slog 😬 are the seasons additional story and content or what does it encompass?? Thanks for watching! :)

[@Danielka8]

I think seasons are on sale now actually 😉

[@natsudragneel3431]

@@Vizzient The seasons are filling story holes between the big expansions. They are totally worth it. It comes(mostly) with new maps, currency, events, masteries and so on. LS4 for example unlocks new mounts for you. Definitely check it out. LS1 was added relatively recently and I believe it's free for everyone now - wasn't playable after it was released, you could only watch cinematic that said what has happened. Now you can experience it :D

[@Woryen]

Welcome to Tyria ^.^ I want to highlight to you Gw2's Expansions. The base game (lvl 1-80) is 11 years old, and has not been updated since. The story is not so impressive, and the exploration may get repetitive there. If you feel bored, please consider trying an expansion. It is magnitudes more awesome. The story is much better, the combat is much cooler because of the Elite Specs, the enemies are actually challanging, the exploration gets a metroidvania-like element (with mounts and gliding), the progression system feels awesome (the Masteries). And for Necro, everyone seems to like Reaper elite specialization, i think its much more satisfying than a core necromancer. :)

[@Woryen]

Currently GW2 has 4 expansions: - Heart of Thorns: You explore a deep jungle. You learn gliding and utilizing the nature for your advantage. (However, this expansion is very very difficult, maybe too much so) - Path of Fire: You explore a vast desert, with awesome architecture and palm beaches. It introduces the Mount-system. Many players say this is the Best expansion ever in an mmo. - End of Dragons: You explore Cantha, an eastern-themed continent. It introduces fishing, skiffs, the jade bot. - Secrets of the Obscure: You explore islands and castles in the skies with wizards. It teaches you quickly the Skyscale mount. However, you do not learn Elite Specializations here, so the combat does not change so much as with the expacs. I myself was struggling with Gw2 around lvl70... was kindof bored, it was repetitive. I quit there too. Then I came back after a few years, I jumped into Path of Fire, and was hooked instantly :)

[@kevlap017]

actually some elements of base game have been changed. For example some world bosses have been revamped not too long ago.

[@Woryen]

@@kevlap017 Well, they did update visually 5 bosses (while they left the other thousands of models untouched). Technically, what you said, is of course is true, but I believe when the MMO community is saying "Maintaining the base game", often they think of what WoW does (they revamped the whole world in Cataclysm, or they revamped the beginner-experience in Shadowlands). I'm 100% on the side of Arenanet, and I'm not saying they should update the base game! I just don't want outsiders to have unrealistic expectations from the core experience. It's not what the game really offers, it's not what keeps the fanbase here; they need to realize it. Expacs and Living World maps are the real deal :) Over the years, I have been following many many many streamers and new players; and they cannot make this distinction... and around lvl30-70, many give up, not knowing what wonders lie ahead.

[@Vizzient]

Really appreciate all the veteran insight! Getting into a long standing game can feel a bit overwhelming (especially when going in unguided like myself) but GW2 seems to keep you so distracted and engaged you forget how little you know 😆 do you need to be 80 for the xpac content? A bit of confusion on that element myself. Thanks for watching!!

[@taigawafuuu190]

​@@WoryenI like this game even it's overwhelming for new mmo players like me, the vast open world and stories and community are good. The thing that makes me stop playing the game is because I keep disconnecting from the server coz I'm from SEA and the connection is very low. Although I able to get level 80 few weeks ago but I stop playing for a meantime.

[@arianekunzli9903]

This game is amazing from level 1 Don’t be discouraged by the comments here that befor level 80 there is nothing to do Emerging yourself in Tyria as a kind of metaverse going back to the original Guild Wars 1 series is one of the best experience see here but it takes time and patience to build this relationship with the world

[@Vizzient]

I'm really loving just vibin out in the world exploring and stuff rn it's a good time! Feels good to be enjoying a leveling experience. Thanks for watching :)

[@Woryen]

For most seasoned MMO players, the base game is just not challanging or unique. - For combat, BDO/ESO/LA, I believe, is more attractive. - For challanging content, I believe Wow/NW/ESO/BDO leveling is better tuned. It's nearly impossible to die in gw2 in the core-game. - For graphics, many modern mmos are more attractive. NW/BDO/Wayfinder/Soulframe or even Neverwinter. - Storywise singleplayer games are more attractive. And other MMOs are not so heavy with the mandatory mediocre story elements. (I know it's not mandatory in gw2, but it often feels like it to a new player, since the main story is always on the screen). - Progression-wise I don't think gw2 kicks good dopamines (compared to other mmos, or what kick as the Mastery system does). - For "sandbox" elements, survival RPGs, and sandbox MMO-s give better adrenaline rush than gw2 does imho. - And there is one other important element: Branding and name-recognition and marketing. SWTOR, Neverwinter, Sea of Thieves, LOTRO by default, all the people around the world give a better chance to them; and they do not expect anything from GW2, and they are not so patient either. I'm 100% on the side of GW2. But I've seen too many experienced MMO players quitting, not knowing the wonders of the expansions. I know, that in all of these elements, gw2 outperforms the competition when it comes to Expansions...The challange, the combat, the exporation, the account-wide progression, the graphics, the level-design, the story, fashion, mounts, build-crafting....

[@EliJadeG]

GW2 is my favorite MMO of all time, you can just... wander around and do whatever you want whenever you want and still be rewarded for it, most of the materials you get through the game are super useful when you get into crafting or buying/selling and once you're 80 the fun of getting all you want little by little is pretty rewarding. And yes, the community is excellent, there are some bad eggs just like in any game but NEVER have I ever been treated as well as I did during my GW2 experience whether it be the Fractals (Mythic+ of this game), PvP, WvW and such game modes that I never enjoyed in other games, hope to see you around Tyria! Also, every expansion you buy gives you a lvl80 boost so I highly recommend you play the game as intended once and then you can go crazy with alts! The second expansion (Path of Fire) gives you access to most of the mounts in the game and I'm sure you'll find the upgrades/"leveling" system of these mounts pretty fun and unique. Cheers!

[@Vizzient]

Yeah I noticed I got 2 boosts with them but planning to hit 80 organically at least once before using. Gotta get that full new player experience. Hope to see ya in Tyria! Thanks for watching :)

[@nawnomadnan9874]

Awesome vid! And welcome to Tyria! The true end game is Fashion Wars, and it's truly incredible.

[@Vizzient]

Thanks for watching :) super glad to be joining the GW2 life!!

[@mmendes]

Nice video, welcome to Tyria!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the kinda words I'm excited to join the fun! Thanks for watching :)

[@Stefo717]

Nice video man! Can't wait for you to get further in. And also the expacs. Subbed 👍

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the support friend! More to come for sure. Thanks for watching :)

[@njorun1829]

"Lost in the sauce" - I love that expression!

[@Vizzient]

Only way to describe how it feels 😂 Thanks for watching!!

[@thomasexoexelby500]

Great content ! Look forward to more 😊

[@Vizzient]

Very much appreciated. More to come and thanks for watching :)

[@cr4zyj4ck]

The core game, encompassing the main story up until Heart of Thorns, can easily now be considered the tutorial for the game. If you keep playing you're bound to end up loving it even more. I like playing Guild Wars 2 so much now, there is no other game that I would personally rather play. As far as the skills and hero points go - unlocking them slowly is Guild Wars way of trying to teach you how the skills work and what they do. At level 80, you will have every single skill unlocked, every specialization unlocked, with hero points to spare.

[@Vizzient]

Rad I love that you end up with enough for everything and that there's no fomo from choosing one and not the other. Excited to see what the game has in store people really say it just gets better! Thanks for watching :)

[@rabbit4400]

Loved the video, welcome to guild wars 2 and hope you stick around :)

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate your support! Think I'll be in Tyria for a longgg time. Thanks for watching :)

[@sinchill5424]

Just re-watched this and realized there was something I forgot to mention: hero points. The hero points aren’t actually like the talent points from WoW. Think of them more like the old class trainers, the hero points are skill/specialization acquisition. There’s no worry about making a wrong choice here, as you will have enough hero points to unlock everything. The part of the game that is similar to WoW’s talent system is the Specializations for each class. Under your build tab, you will see 3 “slots” for specializations, and you can mix and match any 3 of the 5 base class specializations together to make your build. Or, when you unlock elite specs, mix and match and 2 base class specs with 1 elite spec. Build switching on the fly is extremely easy and free, so build craft is big in this game. It can seem complicated, but it’s actually really fun and (if you don’t think about meta) easy to come up with unique builds for your play style. As an example, my Reaper (elite specs for a Necro) is a minion master reaper. I got all the minions on top of my big 2 handed sword. May not be meta, but I love that play style.

[@Vizzient]

Ya know I really did think of them as talent points prior but definitely see them more as a trainer as you mentioned especially once I hit 80. Appreciate all the input and thanks for watching :)

[@hirdy932]

Very cool seeing the game from a new players pov again. I'm glad you're enjoying your time in Tyria! I hope for an early endgame update video in the future. Also we take it for granted but your video quality here is amazing with editing and whatnot, was very surprised with how many subs you have. I hope you blow up soon!

[@DevourD3]

i personally started playing this game a few days ago, and quickly learned i was able to move the map, so dragging it to the top right made the game feel even better. Felt odd trying to look at the map when it was at the bottom right.. currently only level 57 but not once have i felt bored of leveling, and hearing about how good the expansions are.. cant wait to get to that point

[@Vizzient]

Right?! Same feeling I'm like well I love the leveling but people say its the boring part so I'm excited. Thanks for watching :)

[@jgkitarel]

I recommend that you complete the map for the base game, if only to have a bank of hero points to do for one elite specialization, but that's me. At the same time, I will warn you, Heart of Thorns is a MAJOR difficulty spike. There is a reason why it is considered the most difficult of the expansions, as ANet was still fine tuning things. PoF and EoD are easier in a way, though more challenging than the base game. SOTO is challenging as well. Current opinion on difficulty, from easiest to hardest. Base Game, Secrets of the Obscure, Path of Fire, End of Dragons, Heart of Thorns. Of course, this is from someone who has played the game off and on since it launched, has done all the Living World content, and has the benefit of that. Doesn't change the difficulty of Heart of Thorns, which still routinely wrecks even my most played characters. I have had more character deaths in that expansion than all the other expansions and the base game, COMBINED.

[@jgkitarel]

@@Vizzient One thing about leveling in GW2 is that it's not boring. Not as exciting as the max level content or the expansions, but not boring.

[@HelasHandProductions]

Glad you enjoyed your first impressions! Hopefully you keep playing, the game really opens up at max level!

[@Vizzient]

At max and loving it!! Thanks for watching :)

[@HelasHandProductions]

@@Vizzient glad to hear it? have you gotten your ass handed to you as you stepped into Heart of Thorns yet? xDD

[@Vizzient]

Definitely a noticeable step up in difficulty lets say that lmao

[@talzumon101]

AYEEE YOU SAW THE PINK CHARR GUY!!!! He is always in divinitys reach... always standing there with his weapon drawn haha. I see him all the time.

[@Vizzient]

HAHA I was loving it I can only hope to be a fraction as cool as that guy some day tbh... Thanks for watching :)

[@frankmills1917]

That guy has always been there since I started playing about a year ago!

[@Vizzient]

@@frankmills1917 had to get a shot of him such a wild look xD

[@darrenj3485]

Welcome to the game! I love the community. Like you said, people are really helpful and friendly. the game is designed in away that alone is not they best way to play. it encourages group play but you don't HAVE to and can break away to play solo and explore. and the rewards are for everyone after a boss or world event. no need to rush in and grab stuff before the other guy. the playability allows for random others to say "sure! ill help!" and its no big deal because that is just how the game goes.

[@Vizzient]

Definitely feel that. Good community vibes for sure. Thanks for watching! :)

[@hjvdb6829]

Nice vid it only gets better

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the support! Excited to see where it goes from here 😄 thanks for watching!

[@FlyLoriens]

Yeah, it's super great game between other MMOs, I recently rediscovered it and so happy about this. Also the last expansion SotO is masterpiece.

[@Vizzient]

Everyone saying it just gets better has me hyped!! Thanks for watching :)

[@Arrow333]

4:40 The dynamic events are indeed such an integral part of the game that - even dungeons and raids guide you though their content by using them - map wide chains of dynamic events (so called meta events) are part of the open world endgame activities - in earlier beta versions the hearts didn't exist and the whole questing basically relied upon them. Hearts were added, because it takes some time for new players to adjust to the dynamic events, so some endgame zones actually abandon hearts again - especially meta event maps. So don't worry, you will have a lot of them. Welcome to Tyria.

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the warm welcome and helpful advice! Excited to get deeper into this game. Thanks for watching :)

[@jgkitarel]

@@Vizzient If a zone lacks renown hearts, it's for a reason. And that reason is that your character and everyone else on that map have to take and retake territory for the meta for that map. And those meta events can get wild.

[@forgeur1709]

The Hell yeah Necro all day baby, killed me xDDDDD

[@Vizzient]

NECRO GANG RISE 😂 appreciate the warm welcome and thanks for watching!!

[@TuttifruttiNinja]

Definitely check PvP, everyone has the same level of gear and stuff like that. You also "unlock" all of your skills while in pvp so you can just start playing and if you're good, you'll win :) Played alot of gw2 pvp back in the day.

[@Vizzient]

Wait that's awesome I didn't know that! Thanks for the tip and thanks for watching :)

[@El_Carlangas]

Great video!!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate your support :) Thanks for watching!!

[@IssaGladiator]

Great review 🎉

[@Vizzient]

I appreciate it!! Thanks for watching :)

[@Rogue_Trooper970]

My favourite thing about this game is that things happen without you, you can rock up on an event and the npc's are already fighting and will complete the event without you whether the fail or not I guess is rng but it really brings the world to life.Things don't revolve around you, you just kind of join in, it's billiant.

[@bulletsandbracelets4140]

Someone else might have said this, but just in case - other players' effect rings are called "fields", and then you have "finishers" that can interact with those! For example, if I do a finisher within a water field on my ranger (like a rain of arrows) it will set off a heal that will restore HP to anyone standing in that field. This game's combat system is wildly complicated between combo stacks like that, boons, and the different builds possible. I've barely gotten into it despite playing a few years, lol! (granted I'm a super casual player, tend to pop in and out every few months)

[@Vizzient]

Yeah the finishers and combo's are something I'm like just beginning to explore but seems like a crazy amount of variety there! Thanks for watching:)

[@rojifox1386]

One extra tip is to make sure you work on “magic find” which will increase your ability to find better loot to sell or breakdown into components

[@Vizzient]

Yeah don't really have the greatest understanding of this system yet tbh... Probably should though! Thanks for watching :)

[@chady77077]

You GW2 IS OFF THE CHARTS FUN. Nice to see it's huge come back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nicest community too. Best music in gaming No cap.

[@Vizzient]

The community is really stellar! Thanks for watching :)

[@WilFenrir]

As someone who’s been playing since 2013, if you like the build diversity now, once you hit 80 and get to the expansions it gets even larger, so if you make it there you’ll love it. It can get confusing when your new but people will generally help :)

[@Vizzient]

I'm 80 and overwhelmed now xD but enjoying figuring out all the new content for sure! Thanks for watching :)

[@TheVRL95]

funfact about nowadays necromancer for non players, it can be healer, and works just like you'd expect from a necromancer, resurrecting dead allies and giving them tons of barrier You have minions, who are you're allies, and as healer you depend to keep them alive kinda unique and funny imho

[@Vizzient]

I was kind of playing around with something like this last night trying out new builds. There's so much variety in it I figure I gotta switch it up every so often! Thanks for watching :)

[@sinchill5424]

Loved this video. It’s great to see new people come and experience my favorite MMORPG. I hope you stick around and explore the world! PS: World bosses are awesome and totally worth it. They put WoW world bosses to shame. And yeah, true end game of GW2 is fashion and build crafting. It is so much fun to make new and interesting builds. You should try and jump into PvP. Totally worth it

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the support!! Looking forward to that endgame but right now just enjoying the ride for sure. Thanks for watching :)

[@skehall8139]

@@Vizzient World Bosses can be played even at early levels, most (if not all) the starting zones have a World Boss that under level 20 can participate in. Quick hint on dye. You can dye your armor for free, always. If you find a look you like? New gear? No problem. From the Inventory Screen (not Hero Panel), equip the new gear, re-equip the old gear, then re-equip the new gear and your dyes will transfer. Another little known tip. If you'd rather not see the Heart Quest pop-ups when you finish the Quest, right click instead of left click and the pop-up won't come up. This does not apply to Level Up pop-ups or certain chests. Enjoy your journey and welcome to Tyria.

[@Vizzient]

@@skehall8139 ooh great tips the right click thing will be really nice to know. Thanks for watching :)

[@TheToxicFlow]

Best mmo for real just bought all dlcs i love it

[@Vizzient]

Same after a few hours I was like yeah might as well just buy everything 😆 thanks for watching!!

[@ThiagoSilva-dv3ri]

As a gw2 veteran for some reason I always watch this kind of video. Yours is one of the most accurate. Congrats

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate it just tryna keep it real!! Thanks for watching:)

[@ThiagoSilva-dv3ri]

@@Vizzient You encapsulated most of what I felt playing the game for the first time. You made me remember it. I was giggling while watching it🤭

[@Vizzient]

@@ThiagoSilva-dv3ri glad you enjoyed it brother! That's why I do it!

[@Sir_Scuttles]

You gotta check out the action camera, it's hidden in the keybinds. It's not for everyone but it makes the game feel even more like a action combat game, and those that want it will love it.

[@Vizzient]

Ya know someone in chat mentioned that the other day and I totally forgot to do it! Thanks for reminding me and thanks for watching :)

[@joshuahng1]

Yea. I play all in action camera.

[@Oryyyt]

Couldn't go back to the default system ever since i discovered it. It's sooo fun like you said it's like a proper action game now with 2 active dodges to boot! Dunno if it works for competitive content though. I'm just a casual pve guy. lol

[@rgikki]

​@@Oryyytit works for everything imo tho I do use both depending on the situation and I can switch on the fly if I need to switch targets or if I need to attack someone following me

[@iNeedScissors67]

Agreed, the action camera makes it a much better experience, I can never go back.

[@DarkTheDoc]

I wanna also add for any fella gamer who doesn't enjoy Tap targeting that there is an option to turn Action Camera on, and the combat will become full Action expect for some skills that require aiming to put the fields on, that was genuinely what got me to play the Guild wars 2 after starving for an MMO experience, and Ohh boy was It the right choice to too choose this game, no Subscription so no Fomo, early game is great, leveling is great, endgame ls great, best implementation of horizontal progression, this is the only game that gave me the options of wielding elements while using swords and daggers, while being a dragon Master, not to mention the community which I'm still grateful for to help me learn and progress. From someone coming from Warframe with a great community Itself, I felt like home here, I 100% recommend Gw2

[@Vizzient]

Love to hear it friend! Action camera is definitely getting used today. Everyone seems to love it! Thanks for watching :)

[@ElderNewt]

Fashion wars 2 is a thing 🤣 We just need a costume wardrobe thing to save looks.

[@Vizzient]

Hah I better start making my character look better for next video 😂 thanks for watching!!

[@Neocharm]

I have been playing this game for 12 years now and still i have not found any other MMO that comes close to the actual level of Game-play. As a former WoW player i saw the value of the horizontal progression and cant imagine anything else anymore. Like Angry Joe said in his review (old one but still fun to watch), a 10/10 score.

[@shtroizn]

Love the World of Warcraft musical score for a GW2 review, lol!

[@Vizzient]

Okay but you gotta admit the WoW score goes HARD 😂 once I learn the GW2 tunes they can be swapped in! Thanks for watching :)

[@shtroizn]

@@VizzientAs an avid WoW player - I admit!

[@Jannah_2k]

Welcome to GW2! =) It really is amazing game. I also started to play earlier this year the first time, wish i had already tried it long time ago. Such a good game, now addicted to it. 🥰

[@Vizzient]

Getting pretty addicted myself! World just feels good to be in honestly. Thanks for watching :)

[@johnsonrojo3]

After trying it 2 yrs ago and got overwhelmed and decided to stop playing without giving it more time, understanding the game and asking questions. I started playing again for 3 weeks now and I am having so much fun! I am so happy to say that I finally found the mmo for me as my 2nd world. See you all in game ❤

[@Vizzient]

Love to hear it! Hope to see ya out there. Thanks for watching:)

[@quintongpereira]

Play the world events and metas!

[@Vizzient]

World events are AWESOME keep'm coming! Thanks for watching :)

[@mceye0815]

You can adjust the partical density.

[@LexLoofah]

just jumped back on my og account that i never really played and been loving this game. wish they could somehow update the graphics a bit but still addictive af.

[@Vizzient]

Honestly once I turned down the "post-processing" option to off I thought the game looked 100% better maybe give that a try. Glad to hear it though! Thanks for watching :)

[@LexLoofah]

@@Vizzient Thanks mate will def give it a try. I know there are reshade mods too so might be worth a look. Great vid and look forward to seeing more of your gw 2 content.

[@Vizzient]

@@LexLoofah appreciate the support friend!!

[@StatesideBeast]

Welcome! Hope you stay

[@Vizzient]

Thank you! Think I'll be in Tyria for a VERY long time moving forward 😎 appreciate your support!

[@dox1048]

"I get blind into it"...mounts the Raptor in Starter Zone :D Just kidding. Im glad u like my favorite game for the last decade!

[@Vizzient]

It's a great game! Thanks for watching :)

[@brandondeakins564]

The thing that finally made gw2 playable for me was the tip to turn off post processing in graphics options. Omg the graphics improve 10x after turning that off

[@Vizzient]

Yeah I don't understand why people want that on ever it helps so much turning it off

[@brandondeakins564]

@Vizzient yes, for YEARS I played on and off just thinking that general blurriness was how the game was, and EVERYTIME it was the leading reason that I faded off playing the game, since realizing it was an option causing that look I've switched to gw2 as my main game and I love playing it

[@Jinny-Wa]

It's even better now. You can select the post processing effects. i turned of the horrible bloom and player outlines but kept the rest

[@tomia89]

played since release almost everyday, over 5,6k hours. Still have lots things to do and collect, the game is just unbelieable good in so many ways, Best game ever for me and will play till i die

[@Vizzient]

Glad to hear it and glad to be a part of it! GW2 is definitely a special game. Thanks for watching!

[@sinittha8123]

My only recommendation will be "Do not rush anything." Do it at your own pace. Enjoy being distracted.

[@Vizzient]

Staying distracted and loving it! Thanks for watching :)

[@weezer91101]

Games great. Spvp has been a pleasant surprise. Very rewarding both in gameplay and actual rewards.

[@zumasa9991]

Hey in case you don't know, you don't have to level up far to test your class.go to pvp lobby and you can test out what your level 80 character would be. you just need to hit level 2

[@freakygoblin3068]

For me, no subscription and horizontal progression are real advantages. Get a great weapon or armor, it will not outdated if an expansion comes out or you leave for 6 months.

[@Vizzient]

I'm close to level cap and I'm super excited to see what horizontal progression is all about. Never experienced it before but people seem to love it! Thanks for watching:)

[@coyotej4895]

I cut my teeth on a game that isn't even around anymore, Battle Of Briton Online. From there I was off to Star Wars Galaxies. Iv played about 25ish most with a core group of friends who have been together for about 20 years now in different MMOs since then. For all of us however, this one will always have a place on my PC and in my heart. First and foremost, for me is the Open World Dedicated to PvE having PvP separated and in some Eunique formats. Having an Open world where players are encouraged to play cooperatively by incentivizing it with Group rewards, no resource competition or event lockouts has created such a fun and kind community. One of the reasons I quit other games was the growing nasty and hate mongering trolls their open world PvP was breading. Welcome to GW2, Hope to see you out there. Wait till you experience Dragon stand, An entire Map dedicated to One Massive Open World Meta event. Enjoy, Bless and be well.

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate hearing your story and experiences as well as the kind words friend. I'm really loving getting lost in GW2 and I'm very excited to see what lies ahead. Maybe I'll see ya out there! Thanks for watching :)

[@ryanvergara3603]

You chose to play a GREAT game! Welcome to the amazing world of GW2!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate the warm welcome! Having a blast out here so far and looking forward to what's ahead. Thanks for watching :)

[@caitsiph1]

The graphics on the base game aren't the best as it's old now but the graphics on the dlc as you progress further into the game and need it the graphics and map designs are stunning. Hero points aren't that confusing either rheyvare just skill points for learning g certain abilities or specialisations ar end game and hitting level 80. And level restrictions aren't a big issue when you go back tonlower areas it drips your level xp syats etc to a level thats similar to where you are and grinding mobs with yellow names gives bonus xp for quickly levelling on instead of mobs that are slower amd this helps in party as a lvl 80 can help a lvl 10 with no loss of xp for helping them.

[@dribbledbyronaldinho1539]

The worst thing about gw is that every mmo you play afterwards you will hate bc it can't be compared to anything

[@Vizzient]

Hey we finally found a negative ;) Thanks for watching!!

[@simex909]

putting hero points in whatever you think is cool is the way to do it. Eventually you will have enough to unlock everything, so you can't ruin your build or anything like that.

[@Vizzient]

Love that. Going in blind has been really great with things like hero points 😆 oh this is cool? Yup I'll use that! Thanks for watching :)

[@Maebbie]

most friendly, most helpful, except for the gatekeep raiders. At least raiding is finally dead.

[@saloom7438]

Right now what ur experiencing is the equivalent to vanilla wow, u should try getting into the expantions

[@Vizzient]

Currently what im getting into now that I beat the personal story 😬 thanks for watching!

[@BishieBishie]

11k hours, its ok I guess, welcome and I hope you enjoy progressing

[@Vizzient]

11k hours? Yeah you might like it a little... Appreciate it and thanks for watching :)

[@MagixxDOPE]

I am rather impressed by how good NW actually is... coming from WoW and similar games, as well as GW2... and I love it ^.^

[@joshuahng1]

👍👏❤️

[@Vizzient]

😄😄 thanks for watching friend!

[@MRatzka75]

Guild Wars 2 is ELITE SINCE 2013 !!!

[@Vizzient]

Great game!!

[@GuruChaz]

You need to get past the main personal story and go straight into Secrets of the Obscure (SOTO).

[@godofm3tal1]

New player experience is key to any MMO. First few hours of the game make or break a new player. I spent about 6-8 hours or so attempting to enjoy it. I really wish I could have found that. The graphics are too dated, the voice acting and story scripting was generic and cliche, combat felt clunky but I'm also not the biggest fan of tab target mmos though in general I just enjoyed wows early combat a tad more and felt more fluid, the world felt large and expansive but also kind of empty. Nothing I fought felt incredibly interesting to fight and much of it was very repetitive and offered no challenge so was mostly just a slog with no meaning. The only true credit I can give it is the unique interaction of mounts, of which I only experienced one, and the weapon/skill relationship. Which is truly unique and an interesting way to handle it. The game may get amazing later on but after almost 10 hours of trying to find something interesting, I'm just not interested enough to want to see what 60 hours looks like.

[@user-jf6xn8xx2h]

The fact that you don't have to farm new gear all the time is a blessing in itself 😂

[@nooptions101]

In my opinion GW2 has the best open world and the best gear progression (horizontal). However, FF14 has a better story and end game content with the dungeons and raids/trials. WoW has a more fun pvp experience, but GW2 has a better system with not needing to gear up. I've been on and off with the game since launch only because one of my best friends is a die hard fan of the game.

[@Vizzient]

I wanted to like FF14 so badly! But the IMMENSE rigid and linear story requirement really dragged me down unfortunately... By the time I was done with ARR I was so shot 😅 might need to revisit soon though! Thanks for watching :)

[@nooptions101]

@@Vizzient You have probably heard this already lol but ARR story is just so slow to get through, It gets better in HW

[@RavenRecoil]

I play gw2 on steam deck with action camera 100% of the time.

[@Vizzient]

People seem to love action camera I'm going to have to try it out! Thanks for watching :)

[@Eroll-dw8ex]

It needs an HD reskin IMO

[@Vizzient]

I do think the older content could use a bit of an overhaul graphically. But it's definitely not bad as is! Thanks for watching :)

[@skykitchen867]

Great game, tons of content. There are worlds outside warcraft.

[@Vizzient]

Finding myself very hooked to it which is weird being a WoW sweat. But this just offers something so different and I love it for it. Also a great community I notice both while just playing but especially streaming! Thanks for watching :)

[@elenahaibel3672]

If u ever got questions rell me ^^ i would love to help out

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate that! Thanks for watching :)

[@DemethVLK]

I'm glad people notice the game is great but come on you can't give it credits WHERE credit is due if you don't pass lvl 20 :/

[@Vizzient]

Just a first impressions vid more to come!

[@fuckugplus]

i bet the flying mount was a rainbow ?

[@Vizzient]

Your guess is as good as mine 😂 thanks for watching!!

[@Folfca]

Praise Joko

[@Vizzient]

Bless

[@Ailasor]

the particle stuff from other players is actually just turned off for you... if you change it, you will be greeted by the best flurry of of shit ever.. i alway play with it on.. who needs to see?

[@Vizzient]

Now I need to turn it on just to see how chaotic it gets 😂 thanks for watching!!

[@whocares5338]

HAHAHA YEAH i also got baited by the charr when i started like 2 weeks ago, shit looks so sick and then u click it and yeah... XD

[@Vizzient]

HAH yeah wasn't for me...

[@bigmike9486]

As a Sylvari I kinda hate the Char... they tend to be racist af

[@evemaniac]

Asura = masterrace

[@Vizzient]

But so SHMOL!!

[@evemaniac]

@@Vizzient yeah, but fierce! espeacialy in pvp an advantage,. when the most focus is the biggest targets ... I am unable uocount the times how often I laughted out loud when listening to random npc conversations while running around.. hillarious and sometime darkest humor.

[@ryuzakikazeshini4012]

GW2 shits on ESO all day everyday.

[@Vizzient]

If you say so! Never played ESO lol

[@stevnated]

IMO the story portion of the game (that you can play) is horrible. You don't have to do it -- with the exception of a couple of chapters that unlock zones. But you can do only those chapters, iirc, and ignore the rest. (I love the rest of the game.)

[@blaktorne6447]

Too much pay for convenience. This game can dry you THOUSANDS not even including cosmetics. Most expansive MMO ever!!!! But nice vid BTW!!

[@Vizzient]

Appreciate that friend! Definitely an expansive cash shop you aren't wrong...

[@blaktorne6447]

its all good you just got a new subscriber 8-)@@Vizzient

[@Aliessil]

You're in luck - the endgame maps are ALL ABOUT events and meta-events!

[@Vizzient]

AWESOME I love them! Thanks for watching :)

[@CharrREDR]

You miss the power of charr supremacy. You can change the look of your character later, and the charr are the most looking badass race.

[@Vizzient]

I usually default to human anyways just had to make fun of horned cat a bit ;) thanks for watching!!

[@sorri8869]

ball buster

[@Podokodo23]

Learn blast finishers. You will thank me later :]

[@Vizzient]

Was just learning about this on stream earlier 😂 Thanks for watching!!