I Finally Understood How to Enjoy Guild Wars 2...

Bounced from Guild Wars 2 in the past? Feeling confused and overwhelmed by the amount of options in the game?
I've been there, too. Let me help you get your mindset and expectations right so that you can have fun playing Guild Wars 2.
This video is especially for Guild Wars 2 new players, fresh max levels and returning players in 2024.
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My other videos about Guild Wars 2:
What Makes Guild Wars 2 So Special? - • What Makes Guild Wars ...
Should You Play GW2 or SWTOR - • Guild Wars 2 vs Star W...
Guild Wars 2 Reshade Preset - • Guild Wars 2 Visuals E...
#guildwars2 #gw2 #gw2soto #mmorpg #mmorpg2024 #gaming
Video Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:53 Get Lost In the World of Guild Wars 2
03:31 Get Into a Guild
04:26 Don't Fear Instanced Group Content
05:38 Try Things Out
06:54 Set Long-term Goals
08:34 Don't Rush
09:36 Summary

[@machetegaming]

What tip would you give to help new or returning players enjoy Guild Wars 2?

[@DawidSoltysik]

Join guild and participate in their events. If you need help with anything ask guild mates or just map chat, you should find some kind soul in seconds.

[@drfreeman1721]

Well, since I play this game from September 2013., a lot of things changed since, we didnt have mounts and gliders ( Imagine doing JP or Vistas without it ), we did have Berz build and Tank build, which cant compare with todays build mechanics, we didnt have fractals, we didnt have ascendend gear, we had champ train which was roaming from Frostgorge, Cursed shore and so, that was our farming spots. In 2014., If I remember correctly Anet introduced new map called Silverwaste and was a HUGE farming spot even today ( Then we competed who collected more bandit purses, first time I hoarded about 20k and my last was about 80k and then I leaved SW for good ). Then came HoT which was mindblast at the time and so on... My tip for new comers and returning Veterans is "Make your own goal", wheater it would be making legy, achieving some wvw Achievment, or title Fractal god.. etc.., If you dont have goal you will be lost and bored and eventualy leave the game... Find some friendly guild, active guild and do all kind of interesting stuffs, wvw, pvp, raids, fotm etc...There is plenty of activity, the game is HUGE!!! Cheers from Veteran! :)

[@MisterNo1111]

Great tips, they work❤🎉❤

[@TheAnimeSounds]

I think what was said in video "dont get overdone with the game, you already "late" by 12 years" sums it up kinda. You play guild wars for the sake of playing, not for check off your things "to do". There are 12 years veterans and they still play (aand still dont have things done xD because they didnt feel doing them for now). Best thing about gw is that journey TO goal is fun, unlike some other games whenever they show you fun bits when you are at the end and ommiting that getting there is a pure shit, like for example in Path of Exile (i know completely different game) but its always like this "LOOK! so much fun, content, builds whoooa", ok cool, but to get there you have to play 2 months (out of 3 months season), grinding like crazy, trading like crazy and buying expensive things (because you WONT drop/craft them, forget it).

[@FlowerBot]

@@TheAnimeSoundsI don't play POE any more, but one way to play which worked for me, because I didn't like their trading scene, was to just play with found items. Its a challenge in itself, and used to be fun, but as I said, I dropped it when it only had Act 3 :D More because for some reason it was really tough on my posture and neck - constant stress to not die. The thing about GW2 and probably all MMOs to some extent is, yes sometimes you have to wait, and the waiting is a rest for your mind and neck. In GW2 PVE it can also be very fun to wait with everyone for a meta event or boss to spawn.

[@aquapendulum]

Was in Domain of Vabbi one day for something (I don't remember). Saw a commander tag running Serpents' Ire - one of the harder meta events. Got completely distracted and joined in. Turns out the group was running a Path of Fire meta train followed by a legendary bounty train finishing off with a big Buried Treasure hunt in Desert Highlands. By the end of the train, I completely forgot what I came to Domain of Vabbi for. As I said so in the squad chat, one of the replies was "the authentic gw2 experience". Yep.

[@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777]

Back when I first started playing, I ran into a Triple Trouble group half way towards level 80. From that point onward, I can never understand why some people call it a "dead game" Ive experienced more random open world group content with GW2 in 30 hours than I ever did with Black Desert in 30 months 😂

[@Cross_111]

@@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777that one is very much true! Truth be told…older maps that are not core tyria experience lesser player activity That is true so it can be a bit harder to get group events done there solo Thats the reason why dedicated open world builds exist - lord hizen specifically- that allow you to handle that content too And if its still impossible…just ask in lions arch in map,chat and people will come to assist you 😊

[@donosborn9899]

It took me months to find a random group that wanted to run Serpent's Ire in my quest for one of the leggy accessories. It got finished by completely falling into a group that was doing it. Just a few of us started the event, but by the end, we had a whole mess of people that joined in. I've been around GW2 since the early beginning (beta) and enjoyed my time. The trick is to step away from it if you're feeling burned out, but that pull to come back will be very strong.

[@gailbrookhart1777]

This hits home and at a good time. One of my big obstacles to the game is that I am constantly comparing myself to other players. If someone has better gear, if someone is able to complete content more easily, etc. It's a struggle to not feel like I'm doing something wrong.

[@christophersmith8316]

well, everybody does wrong stuff, I am famous for hitting V on a vista and rolling right off the cliff (the hotkey is F). But in most content being perfect isn't really needed you have help and rezzing is easy. I can't play as long on a day as most and I spread time among many alts, but that's how I want to play/.

[@NaoyaYami]

It's hard to not have best gear (and even still. 2nd best is just like 5% difference in stats). Getting that drip though - that can be grindy and costly xD

[@Psoewish]

My philosophy in gaming is that it's ok to compare yourself to others, I almost feel like that's inevitable even just because of human nature. But the important part is what you actually do with that information. Better gear isn't even relevant, but sometimes I encounter players that are just clearly WAY better than me, but I tend to try and figure out why, what are they doing differently than me, and can I learn something from what they're doing? I think that approach has helped me improve a lot. We all make mistakes or misinterpret a tooltip or a mechanic or whatever else, and that's ok as long as you're willing to learn from these things and improve over the long term.

[@xander9460]

DO DAILY FRACTALS TIER 1! I was so anxious about joining them. Turns out the T1 ones are SUPER DUPER easy. No skill or gear needed at all. And generally, they have 1 simple mechanic to learn. But usually only 1 player has to do that. So, you can just let someone else do it. But people will gladly explain it to you. It's so incredibly simple it hurts. Just use the LFG system and hop in!

[@MrBwright72]

This is a brilliant video - it sets out perfectly the only hurdle to Guild Wars 2 - the vast amount of content, with no direction on what to do next.... and the key point is, it doesn't matter.... do what is fun next. repeat what you have enjoyed. And I think the other message - try everything before you judge it. I never thought I would like WvW, but now I am addicted but to keep it fresh I only play it about 1 week in 4.... And the other thing that was mentioned - about a helpful player base, never underestimate this. I frequently help people who just shout out something in map chat.... just say you are new, looking for help on something, and unless there is a bigger event happening on the map soon, you will get help

[@marcosfranco1815]

I remember leveling a looooong time ago and, suddenly, a commander pops up with a biiiig squad all mounted up in dark and shinny mounts. If this was like a cartoon or anime I would be like a big eyed child going "WOHAAA" looking at all those brave knights rushing to battle. That is one of my special memories about this game.

[@josephs883]

I never understood why this game is so hard to get into for some people. Literally just play around and have fun, stop thinking about end game and what you "should" be doing. The meta is there, but it can really wait. No rush. Just read the stuff and go around and have fun. And unlike some games it can be co-op from level 1ish, so the more the merrier.

[@christophersmith8316]

The video really put it as what if probably is for most of them. They are so used to the gear grind and zone grind that they expect the game to tell them were to go for the next step of dozens for gear. But there is only 2 steps and they are pretty easy.

[@josephs883]

Yeah, probably. But you wouldn't approach a Zelda game like that. You wouldn't approach a Dark Souls like that. And it's always the jaded WoW players playing it like a new job. It makes my soul sad.

[@HelheimUnbound]

I think in part because there are a lot of subsystems, especially as you hit 80. Once you get a handle on the basics it’s pretty easy but then takes a fair bit to master.

[@jurionov5358]

Its really overwhelming for someone coming from something like wow, everything takes weeks or months to finish, and especially on a new account, the lack of any real “gear drops” seems like you arent getting any rewards. That was my POV atleast

[@kirasternenfeuer6198]

@@jurionov5358 because you were teached not to explore as it was pointless for your progression while in GW2 exploration opens up to all sorts of rewards in the progress, finding joy in the small storys told in each map through events and renown hearts, jumping puzzles and even points of interest builds up to a connecting world rather a space between questing for better gear and higher levels. Only 3 mmorpgs have that amount of exploration and story deepness so far which are GW2, Elderscrolls online and Star Wars The old Republic of which SW: Tor is main story driven while GW2 and Eso connect the world all together and nothing is there just to be there but because iti s part of the world and story.

[@ieatyoulol]

I went through a very similar experience myself, playing gw2 casually on and off, deleting and reinstalling for many years until a few years ago when it finally really clicked for me and since then I have deeply fallen in love and it became my most played game by far. I have been thinking for a while on how to put it into words for a video and I think you have done it very well! I get the feeling that there are actually a lot of players like us, feeling the click over the past few years as well. I hear many returning players stories, and the general hype for the game seems to be going up and up again. the devs have been doing some fantastic work too, improving old systems and adding new ones, improving the new player experience. I genuinely think there has never been a better time to jump into this game as a new player or a returning one. see y'all in Tyria!

[@ch.k.3377]

From my own experience I can confirm how difficult it is to get rid of old ways of thinking after X years of WoW... it takes some time but it works. The biggest obstacle in my opinion is “thinking about a task/goal in the game”. This is where most people fail.

[@Jay-el9iz]

Tip I would give new or returning players: We're all different kinds of players. We don't all & always want to grind & farm to collect the next drop ASAP, or have all collections and achievements completed, or write a fanfiction on a character whose wardrobe changes every Wedsneday. So just do your thing, & you might be surprised by what you encounter to get to your destination.

[@jessm.2779]

Guild Wars 2 really shines in the fact that it's horizontal progression, not linear, and I think that's what messes a lot of people up. Because the typical MMO is just grinding for the next level or next tier gear set. Since that doesn't necessarily exists in GW2, it means you can basically do whatever you want. That's the beauty of it. I'd say the best way to enjoy the game is figure out what you want to go for early if you can (legendary, raiding, fractals, ect) and also always participate in PvE zergs. As a veteran player of 10 years, I can honestly say I've enjoyed the journey crafting my legendary. I'm ALMOST done, and I was just thinking the other day about how I don't know what I'm doing to do when I'm done.

[@machetegaming]

Totally agree on the part that the lack of vertical progression and clear path messes people up. It's the type of freedom that sounds really good on paper for people, at least in theory. But when you are actually dropped in a game with so many options, you can feel lost and discouraged. Not everyone is interested and willing to take time and put effort to get over that. Re. finishing legendary armor. Isn't there a new legendary set dropping soon?

[@jessm.2779]

@@machetegaming Yes, my best advice is to try everything and then focus on what you do like. Not sure about the legendary armor, gonna check that out, thanks!

[@lashonawaldmeister1111]

In Gw2, it's often about the journey more than the destination tbh^^

[@JV-cz7db]

I have always liked the horizontal progression in gw2. But after almost 13yrs since beta, everything exists in leg tier. And more and more people are getting full sets or are close to it. I suggest that they introduce a new tier, but very slowly like, bring items one by one over the years. Some kind of cosmic or divine tier maybe.

[@Balaboshka]

I think another thing that helps with the idea of relaxing and playing at your own pace is that in other games you want to progress as fast as possible so that you can play with max level players. in GW2 you don't need to be max level to do that, they will come to you. the fact that almost none of the maps are obsolete means you will find veteran players in lowest level maps doing something you didn't realize even existed, giving you hints to future Achievements you might want to complete and also might reveal secret/hidden ones. there's always something to discover in GW2 so keep looking!

[@killerkram1337]

Treat guild wars 2 like a sandbox game. There is a lot of stuff you can do but nothing you HAVE to do aside from get to level 80 and perhaps get a mount or two. Every day I have a routine since I am trying to get legendary gear on all of my equipment slots for my main character. But then once the routine is over I generally check the achievement panel for something I have not done then go do it. I tend to get distracted in the middle of getting whatever goal I am working on to go on some random adventure when I see people doing stuff. The game shines with the way random epic adventures just kind of show up

[@traviscue2099]

I had no goals until I started raiding. I learned how to play/gear and then legendary items to work towards.. from that I learned to make my own goals, and it works with ANYTHING in gw2. You just gotta know what you want.. talk to other players, best way to understand what you want out of gw2.

[@NaoyaYami]

To give example of how diverse build options are for GW2 - classes that can wield big heavy two handed swords that match Machete's nickname: Warriors (duh) Guardians (warrior + faith, so basically paladins) Revenants (edgy warriors, leap around) Rangers (remember Strider/Aragorn?) Necromancers (when they can't wait for their enemies to become corpses from other causes) Mesmers (illusions, pink and purple, butterflies; they don't seem to know how to use greatswords properly though, instead they use them to shoot lasers). That's 6 out of 9 classes in game.for a typically warrior weapon.

[@Sylphina1]

It should be noted that when GW2 was released, it was said that the leveling/story was the endgame - it's designed in that way and later built upon

[@cattysplat]

The biggest roadblock I see for new players is the mastery system. Needing to unlock core parts of functionality through experience points grind I've seen put off large numbers of new players. The secret to fast tracking it is map metas and event groups, rewarding large consistent amounts of experience. Trying to solo your way up to full mastery takes forever and in some cases not possible due to the sheer amount of xp needed. However once the masteries are unlocked, the game itself really opens up, with mobility, quality of life and mounts, letting you keep up with everyone fully unlocked.

[@jaroslav3905]

The thing that put me off while I got serious about the game was that everyone around me seemed to have all the masteries and all the mounts while I was stuck there with basic glider. I was small and just watching from afar as everyone else skipped and zoomed around the map, hunting the meta event of the moment. Don't get me wrong, it felt awesome to get all of those things eventually and I had tons of fun, especially in the HoT and PoF, but if I hadn't decided to basically invest one whole summer into the game I would've probably quit the game before getting to taste the "engame" stuff that's often locked (seemingly most of the time) behind spending hours upon hours in certain places grinding experience. So yeah, good point you brought up there. One gets better at getting the experience quickly but damn is it still painful at times.

[@gecko10252]

A lot of this applies to even the other MMOs. You're already 12 years late what's a few days here and there. Play the game to have fun playing games. It's so easy to forget the spark that set us on whatever journey...

[@samsoulee]

10+ years playing this game on and off, I love how you don't have to play 24/7 to have a Lot of fun. there is so much things to do ❤❤ I play exactly like you.

[@bion-geek-le1109]

Was in lions arch one day, about to craft a ascended weapon i was grinding hard for, then something caught my eye, an asura orchestra just standing there, literally spent ten minutes just listening to their music, enjoying this peak MMO moment

[@gildal3569]

You make really good points ! Perfectly describes why I love GW2 and all the fun we can have

[@sunblade704]

I really liked your video, it's pretty much what we tell new players over in the GW2 discord server (also hell yeah, GWU mentioned!). Especially with people coming over from WoW I feel like they have the most issues getting used to playing for fun and experimenting around and getting lost in the world (not to say that WoW isn't fun, but it's structured very differently).

[@phantomgaming9771]

Honestly you hit the nail on the head. I tried to rush through the main story and expansions of GW2 and regretted it. Luckily I only got up to POF, so I can always take my time in the future cause I've noticed that I actually miss HOT. I will be going back on an alt and I really want to take the time to enjoy the scenery, the hero challenges (can't wait to be kirb stomped...again) and just interacting with people. This game is best played at a slower pace.

[@MichaelKerr71]

I played the first Guild Wars and loved it. So that's part of the reason why I loved Guild Wars 2. But you have some valid criticisms. I like the puzzle parts of the game, but it can get very heavy handed. Especially whole zones that are a confusing puzzle to get around. I do not enjoy the heavy handedness of that. That's why I always liked it when you have those large groups running people through the zone to get what you need from the zone.

[@DredZach]

GW2 is different than other MMOs. You are rewarded for completing objectives - not for grinding mobs. For vertical progression, the bar is never raised. You keep everything you earned and it is still just as relevant after 10 years. Your "reward" is the enjoyment of playing the game. Your goals are whatever you want -- there are so many options to choose from. Your style of gameplay can be competitive or open world pvp, instanced or open world pve, going after upgrading your equipment, piling up gold, cosmetics/fashion wars, achievements, map completion, random exploration, story content, making random friends, socialization/guild, "farming" pve content ("metas"), open world bosses, fractals, dungeons, raids, strikes, bounties, living world content, seasonal festivals... There is so so much to do. You can never do it all and you shouldn't. The game is there to enjoy. Enjoy what you enjoy, but the journey is the point of it, not the destination.

[@amrmnegm]

This video really clicked with me, you are absolutly right. I always hop back into the game and feel lost and feel i am not doing the right thing, googling meta, how to farm gold, how to get legendaries then i am overwhelmed and just stop playing later delete the game and after a few years hop back in. After watching this video i think i will just do what i really enjoy, unlock the mounts, do daily sPVP, WvW and maybe try Tier 1 fractals and see how it goes.

[@bigdanny2442]

i had exactly the same :) i discovered that if i actually give this game a time i will learn how to play it. i had game since launch.. started playing late 2023 properly

[@HideXseeksWontpeek]

My advice would be don’t judge the game if your a free to play player the game is great at its base but your experience in the game changes 100% when you buy the first few dlc’s having access to mounts and gliding and way more lands to explore makes the game much more enjoyable

[@uogiusj]

Indeed very good tips. That's my mind mentality since I started this game 12 years ago at launch, but I was also reluctant to do PvP and WvW for YEARS. Because I do not like PvP in other games, I thought this will be the same, but boy was I wrong... The game's story is incredibly rich with lore, huge and beautiful with amazing voice actors and characters you just fall in love with. My one tip to add - when you're done with the game's story and want to start doing those achievements and masteries and whatnot, Get "Blish HUD" and it'll improve your grind experience a lot.

[@sashavonb2570]

Thanks for this video, usefeul even for a veteran player easily overwhelmed by all game content.

[@shinokami007]

[@robertgidoiu]

Great video man , keep up the good work , you definitely deserve more subs

[@efeayanoglu4281]

I was trying to find a way to enjoy gw2 for the last 2 weeks. I've been playing it on and off for years now and this video is a God sent. Just what I was looking for. Thanks

[@niccolomachiavelli7836]

Good 10min input for that huge game. Good job

[@glowdonk]

When I started GW2, I waited till I had all 3 expansions (at the time, it was just POF, HOT, and EOD), and when I played, I enjoyed every bit of it, but now I have SOTO and have been enjoying it after nearly a whole YEAR of not playing it in favor of games like No Man's Sky and Splitgate

[@tastyfruitz]

How to enjoy gw2 while simultaneously hating life in three words, player versus player

[@tiagolourinho2638]

That's the vibe I'm playing

[@Flatebo31]

There's a group of players that run dry top every day for hours hrs just talking back and forth in map chat. Once i realized this, i stopped chasing whatever late game thing and just enjoyed the game.

[@sammi3944]

Very nice insight on what GW2 offers! still to this day the most underrated MMO imo

[@KindredPhoenyx]

I've been a vet for some nine years now and I have my love/hate relationship with this game, but its always the one I come back to when I remember how overburdening some other MMOs in the market actually are and how much they don't respect my time. I've yet to find anything else like GW2 to even consider leaving.

[@richardkim3652]

The problem I have is that I got nothing to do after finishing the story and doing my world progression things. Dungeons, fractals and raid are never open to me because no one does them according the the party finder and I'm not really a pvper but I'll still do pvp once a while. So I just go back to play FF14 and OSRS.

[@gocicostea2825]

Well said!

[@FATMANJACKK]

I started a few days ago, im level 36 and im grinding to get level 80 so i can get mounts

[@casualcasual1234]

For me it's the timezone, the peak hours for the EU server overlap exactly to my sleeping time :( I love playing group PvE but every time I open LFG there's little to none recruiting

[@jurionov5358]

Ive been grinding gw daily for the past year, and even tho i achieved a lot of stuff in this kinda “short” timeframe for gw2 😅 i burned out. This really helped me jump back into the game again

[@machetegaming]

Glad to hear 🙃

[@AntonMochalin]

I remember resisting the urge to try GW2 for several years since it went F2P knowing I will like it and having several other games ATM which already took too much of my time. Then I finally tried it and liked it very much and somehow never had any problems enjoying it. I wonder what happens to people who try other MMOs after playing GW2 as their first MMO.

[@jessm.2779]

They go back to GW2. GW2 was my first MMO and it's still the only one I play. Tried WoW and I hated it. :)

[@AntonMochalin]

@@jessm.2779 Interesting, but I actually understand it, I played many MMOs before GW2 but after GW2 don't feel any wish to try other MMOs. I just once tried New World when it was hype and on free weekend and after playing maybe for 1.5 hours I concluded that it's good but still not very interesting for me compared to GW2, didn't feel much attraction to play more.

[@TheStarspire]

I think you bounce off them like a lot of players migrating from them bounce off GW2. I now after several false starts play FFXIV and dabble in WoW (more classic than retail though). The only other MMO I got immediately was EVE Online, because it offered something so different as a far futuristic Randian Hellscape, which made it super interesting. Played it for years but the time commitment is huge. Maybe if/when I retire. Edit: I also think our possible to drink your fill of an MMO, or enough where you no longer want the other MMOs to deliver “that but better.” I can appreciate the slow resource management and preparation heavy , not crazy hard but quick to collapse aspects of WoW classic after playing FFXIV and GW2.

[@AntonMochalin]

@@TheStarspire I think such "bouncing off" isn't necessarily a bad thing - if moment to moment gameplay doesn't attract one right away this is just not the MMO one needs. I for example value fluidity of combat and movement and that's why I spent so much time in Warframe, Smite and GW2. I want my games to feel responsive. So when I bounced off New World because it felt a bit clunky I think it was a good idea for me.

[@mhedbary]

Great video thanks. Also curious about your graphics settings. Your game looks different.

[@machetegaming]

I'm using Reshade with my preset. Just posted a vid with it on my channel so you can check it out 🙂

[@select20]

I've tried getting into GW2 since release, probably a dozen times. It never clicks with me and I can't ever figure out why.

[@saiter6010]

I like gw2 played it a lot but after a while, i got bored from achiev hunting and raids started to get stressfull(because of toxic people) then i started logging and doing only fractals and strikes, came back to play the new expansion and them dropped again, until today i can't play it anymore, i feel happy for who still have fun with the game but i think i reached my limit. A side note, i know we receive a lot of good content, but i think the gap bettwen expasions it lacks some content.

[@CMI1988]

Im mostly a WoW player, been playing GW2 sometimes in the last 2 years mostly for the personnal story of my mesmer. I think GW2 is really an underated game. I regret i didnt play it before.

[@CharrREDR]

You give very usefull tips! I am a guildmaster veteran since beta and I always tell to my new guildmates the same things that you said. I dont take very serious the game and enjoy the little things that make me back. My favorite thing is share my knowledge with my guildmates.

[@brodixful]

I think something interesting to say is, daily rutine, character parking, passive ways of getting money.

[@andresrojascastillo541]

So, I’ve been playing gw2 for the last few days and I cannot find my groove, I tried almost all classes but every time I see a guide it says “dps is low, not good for instances” and I don’t wanna play something that I’m forced to, I was also thinking on buying 1 the expansions to see how good they are.

[@machetegaming]

Imo, I wouldn't worry too much about what guides say about classes, especially when you're just starting. I'd take playing the class you like, enjoy and are thus likely to be good at over "meta" choice every day of the week.

[@Ragnar452]

Any of you run this on geforce now? It looks cool and runs mostly well but I get some freezes on 5ghz wifi. Is this a router issue or do I really need to use a cable?

[@Wellshem]

It's funny how GW2 slow becoming everyone relaxation game

[@MysticMike8462]

I wonder if this experience is different for OG players and more “recent” players. (After HoT) When the game first came out it was widely criticized for not having a traditional end game. Like raiding and fractals weren’t even a thing. Dungeons and large scale events were it. But those events scale with your level so you never felt bad joining in even at low level. But the game for me was defined by community and events, unlike other games which were more dps log focused and end-game leaderboards etc. When the original Lions Arch was literally destroyed by Scarlet and left in ruins for months, and then the community voted on the design of the new lions arch in real time- I’ve never been a part of an MMO community that has such an investment in the world….it wasn’t about end game- it was about being a part of a community and a part of a fantasy world…..idk I’m just extra nostalgic bc I recently returned to the game after a 5+ year hiatus and it’s all coming back to me :)

[@BluuSkyz]

I've played on and off for years and never got into end game content... it just feels like theres no direction on what to do.. I recently bought the first two expansions at discount and should have bought age of dragons as well.. I guess I'll wait for another discount and pick it up.

[@peleo301]

Gw2 is about to have fun, all the way. The reward is the actual fun u have doing stuff.

[@unlawfulspoon6808]

Im still stuck on what class to play i want something edgy but i dont like the color green

[@florintapu6377]

last night i opened my FIRST ascended armour box and instead of medium i chose HEAVY! PRO MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! :\

[@henseltbrumbleburg3752]

yeah yeah my man you get it

[@thearkanist6196]

like angry joe said "play a game that doesnt feel like a fuckin chore" or something along those lines i cant remember haha

[@nemanjanacke]

How do you have such good graphics? I have a decent PC and this is an older game but my graphics are nowhere near this...

[@machetegaming]

I use Reshade preset. You can check my other video for Guild Wars 2 with preset info :)

[@_XR40_]

In short, relax. Don't be eager and determined to get to "the end". Think of it as a life - You aren't in a hurry to get to the end of that, are you?

[@straigh1tkush]

Are you using a shader, and if so what shader are yah using ?

[@machetegaming]

Yes, I am using Reshade preset. Check out video's description for link to video with my preset.

[@jgsource552]

Why does ur game look 10x better than my game does on highest settings. Is that some reshade?

[@machetegaming]

Yes, I am using a reshade preset that I've made for myself. Check out next video on my channel (posted right after this one) which includes reshade preset link and info on how to tinker with it :)

[@everythingsfine1395]

Active community.

[@zsedrfvbhujm]

whats your computer setup. your games runs great

[@machetegaming]

You can find my full PC specs in video's description. In short: I am using RTX 3070 & Ryzen 7 5800x

[@a1a1g1m1]

Interesting that the way to enjoy this game is basically "learn to have fun" hahaha. I'm gonna try the game.

[@machetegaming]

It kinda boils down to it 😅 But not everyone will enjoy the core gameplay and I think that's probably unfixable - the game is just not for them, I guess. I hope you'll like Guild Wars 2, enjoy!

[@Nyclx]

Nice point on the dopamine system. We're definitely programmed to want instant gratification and that's only going to get worse as years go on.

[@nielsjensen4185]

I find that it gets less severe with time as we get better at coping. When I was younger GW2 was rather meh, and I went back to WoW after trying it. About ten years later I left WoW because of all the scandals. When I returned to GW2 just to do something I found that my original character which had laid dormant for 7+ years they were still up to scratch and I could jump right into the game again. It was an instant cold turkey on the vertical progression system, I never want to go back to vertical progression if I can help it.

[@cattysplat]

@@nielsjensen4185 Vertical progression is fun from a power gaming perspective. Feeling your character get stronger over time is really nice. The downside is how much the developers abused this, making loot become worthless and need updating every single content patch and expansion. You either kept grinding for the new gear or you fell behind and couldn't group with anyone. This became even worse with borrowed power systems requiring constant grinding. Daily quest grinds are also a road to burnout, working a game like a job until it is no longer fun.

[@nielsjensen4185]

@@cattysplat It has nothing to do with abuse of anything, it's how the system works. When there's vertical progression everything has to always become better from expansion to expansion and from patch to patch else the system will die, and the increase has to be noticeable as well or people will flip. The issue with this approach is that it's purely emotional. When we have emotions hormones are released in our brains and that will result in dopamine being released as either a primary or collateral result. Over time we'll build a tolerance to the dopamine we're always getting and will require ever greater amounts to get the same effect. This will result in people in vertical progression will feel an urge to have more and more progress the only way they can with "number goes up" and once they feel that the number goes up in an insufficient amount they'll take notice of the system. Vertical progression will always defeat itself, it just takes time as people will get bored with it since they get less of a rush if things retain a constant level of growth or the system will become so ridiculous that it becomes a parody of itself, and unlike eternal growth capitalism, it's unable to cannibalise itself for apparent progress. What I find cynically funny is that a lot of these companies will employ people with knowledge of psychology (and thus also neurology) to optimise predatory behaviour and never uses them to examine the long-term viability of their business model.

[@machetegaming]

@nielsjensen4185 "never uses them to examine the long-term viability of their business model." Hmm maybe they do check that too? I would just guess that long-term viability goes mostly against short-term growth and gains. And I would imagine execs prioritize their decisions' based on impact on yearly numbers for the next shareholders financial meetings, and not how the game will do in 5 years.

[@nielsjensen4185]

@@machetegaming No, because "eternal growth" capitalism is only focused on the short-term. If the CEO is paid in performance bonuses even more so. The longevity of the system means less than the immediate profit. While you would like to think the reality with incentivised profit is, unfortunately, the opposite, sadly. If the system is either publicly owned or part of a greater publicly owned system then destruction due to unviable economics is a matter of "when" rather than "if." A 5-year plan is when it comes to economic viability short-term as it's unable to account for slow market saturation and long-term trends. Long-term when it comes to an institution, like a business, is 10+ years. While 5-years is long-term for personal economics for business economics it's short-term. That's the reason you often see companies chasing trends rather than trying to make them.

[@starseed28]

As someone who played GW2 on and off I still believe GW2 players have a form of stockholm syndrome because the main points of they enjoy it are always the same and true for most mmos. Join a guild to make it better, which is true for all mmos. It's more fun to take your time and don't rush to endgame and when you get there do a variety to keep it from getting stale, also true for most mmos. Don't be scared of instanced content after you learn your class and tell ppl you are new and they will usually be real nice, also true for most mmos. Try out new things to keep it fresh, also true for most mmos. Set long term goals to keep yourself having fun, again also true in most mmos. You can do all content in whatever order you want. Also true for most mmos. You can go back and do old expac stories in WoW or old raids in FFXIV at any point in your playthrough. You will get the mounts and glams from them and you can do it at your own pace just like in GW2. There is no grinds! Ah but there is, or there wouldn't be a need for all the currency you are slowly collecting for legendaries, mounts, etc. The big difference is you only *think* you need them *now* in other mmos. But...do you? As an ex GW2 player, the only reason ppl feel it's different for other mmos is because they think it is. Mostly imo do to the drip fed rewards and lack of gear grind. But you are still doing the same tasks and the same grinds, just for titles and mounts instead of swords and spears and with larger gaps in between being able to claim those rewards. You are also basically raiding, but in open world trains instead of instanced dungeons, unless of course you are in a GW2 instanced dungeon, then its mostly the same. I play WoW and FFXIV with the same sort of casual way I played GW2, without chasing endgame, just enjoying the world, getting to know other players and the lore, collecting mounts, glams, gear and what not here and there and it's just as good of an exprience, but at the same time more rewarding. The only reason this game feels so different is because ppl approach it differently. Which is due, imo to mounts and glams as rewards instead of gear as rewards. Like you said, there are still the hard raiders who talk about meta and dps. Ppl can just ignore them here because they feel they can, but you can do that in any mmo without reducing your enjoyment. Esp if, like you said, you join a guild. When push comes to shove it's really no different than any other mmo out there. It just has a different coat of paint.

[@mitchburtoway2862]

The only people who hated this game are the ones who wanted it to be like the one they came from

[@whocares6692]

So I've read the comments and I have to say that people complain a lot for nothing. He created a legendary dagger " and now is useless cause he doesnt play thief" that is wrong on many levels, but the main one is that the legendary dagger will be forever there for any class that uses a dagger, you wont ever need to craft or buy a single dagger in your entire Gw2 life ( unless the classes uses 2 daggers, then you might need another one) some people complain about the maps , ( which I agree some are annoying as fk, but mount traversal made even the hardest maps to travers trivial) As a new player if you invest your time and gold into skyscale ( you would probably wont ever use another mount ). Finding guild is not even that hard as some people say. I recommend you to go in any major City or Lion's Arch, that where usually people post recruitment messages. Unless you are a PvP player in other MMO's I recommend you to stay far away from PvP, WvW is more chill. Setting a goal will help you improve as a player if you tought of it or not. I recommend people to set reach able goals and not . ( my goal is to have Envoy Herald Title, that is a title given to the players that have 3 sets of legendary armor from Raids. For example: I will farm the mount Skyscale and then I will try to get full ascended gear so I can do Fractals, you reach tier 4 fractals then you can decide ( I want to be Fractal God ) BTW that title takes around 230 days of daily Challenge Mode fractals + Tier 4 + Recommended. I recommend new players to work on legendary Armory and trinkets 1st and leave the weapons for last. The value of a full set of a legendary armor that gives is not even funny ( for example if you have a heavy set, you can build any build you want for Guardian/Warrior and Revenant. When I was a new player I didn't even knew that there were multiple instances of the same Map. But at the moment I have 5000 hours on Guardian ( IS the BEST CLASS BTW ) and I've arrived at all the goals That I've set One of my very 1st goals was to get ( Envoy's Herald) so I had to make a Druid( healer) and begged my way into Raids Until I had enough Kill Proff to not beg anymore. So I had to learn the encounter and how to play. Now it's way easier since there are so many more healers and easier to play. I hope this helps. See you on the other side Commander.

[@christophersmith8316]

They keep adding weapon use to more classes now, so many classes use dagger.

[@cattysplat]

Really is hard to find a reliable raiding, fractal and PvP group. Not enough players in GW2 want to do organised groups.

[@whocares6692]

@@cattysplat for raiding you will have to thank Anet for that. they are the ones that announced that they never add another raid wing in gw2. PvP died the moment they took away the daily potions ( same with WvW). Plus they gave a legendary amulet for free from PVE so that killed PvP even more. soo yea.

[@shinokami007]

join a LFG train and don't be afraid to talk :)

[@patrickedler5658]

no one showing up for events like chaak and corrupted shatterer makes it hard to enjoy the game.

[@Dark_Wizard_of_Mu]

Don't set your expectations too high on it and have fun. Stop being too serious about it.

[@206Zelda]

Steps to enjoy GW2 for those that were there at the start: 1) Convince yourself they will never fix or improve underwater combat, nor listen to feedback. 2) Exclusively enjoy the game for the combat, boss battles, and achievement hunting. 3) Stop thinking about the story post-LWS4. Enjoy!

[@cattysplat]

Underwater combat was always a broken unbalanced meme. Never say never though, developers are on a fixing path.

[@Veritas.0]

This video is a nice sentiment, but doing things like Chalice of Tears, and Killing the High Sage proves that there is more than enough tryhard, sweaty content, and it doesn't even have proper schedules or a auto-group system.

[@Artis312]

I just dont like any of the classes so far besides rev cuz its locked behind the dlc. I've tried all of them doing the lvl 2 and go to pvp lobby to test the classes out and none them piques my interest. Im trying to give the game a serious go as im lvl 57 right now with a warrior, but man its hard to play more than an hour or so because the class simply isnt clicking with me. Also the voice acting is a little meh.

[@machetegaming]

That's a pity. I've had that with a few games too (ESO as an example) where I just couldn't get into any class. Skills were not satisfying. The flow of the combat didn't excite me. And as a result, I was forcing myself to play. It Never worked for me in the long run 🫤 Though classes imo get a different feel when you unlock specializations. I.e. The engineer never appealed to me but the mechanist scratches an itch. Reaper is so satisfying while core Necro was ok-ish only. But it may be different for you 🤷

[@Artis312]

@@machetegaming yea i want to try the elite specs but im not willing to pay for the dlcs when im not confident that im going to still play it. The elite specs are the things im actually interested in, like bladesworn, thats why i chose warrior.

[@orkman198]

I've started to play gw2 already 5 times but what kills me everytime is that the core game/world is soooo boring. It takes an eternity to get max lvl and you get a story quest only every 10 lvls... so everytime i was about to reach max lvl i quit because at the end i got so bored... i loved gw1 and it was the best... but gw2, the core world is empty. You see noone in the world, so you think you play a single player game instead of an mmo. Then the slow lvling, and lack of story with 1 main story quest every 10 lvls... i heard that the addons are better but the core game needs an update to bring more story quests... every 5 lvls or so or to give you more xp so that you make 10 lvls with 1 story quest so you can do the next story quest. So you skip core game faster and can enter with the addon story/world which apparently is better... yeah i know you can instantly start with the addons but whats the point in starting with an addon when you dont know the basic story ...

[@goku98x]

pls turn off camera shake.

[@330DKNY]

While you may call it a free form game, I call it a lack of progress. All the mobs in the game don't drop gear so why even play.

[@Yashu333]

They don't drop major gear but they drop materials to be able to make the gear.

[@thesilence850]

dont play WvW or PvP. thats how you just simply enjoy the game (Q__Q)

[@johnnymartinjohansen]

Post on looking for group? The group finder is DEAD since no one is using it, at least on the EU side. Personally, I would advice to actually rush through the stories asap (main + expansions + lw) as they become available, both since the stories are boring as hell, but also to unlock all zones and some mounts. And rushing to lvl 80 is a good thing, imo, since everything opens up and you can do whatever you want. It's a fantastic game. The only part I absolutely hate about it, is that you have to repeat all the long story quest lines for every single alt you make. I wish there was an option to skip all of them after doing them once. Btw, new players: You NEED most expansions and LWs (preferably all of them) to fully enjoy this game, there's no way around that. That can be quite pricey, best current option on their web site that includes everything, will cost €125 (The Elder Dragon Saga: Complete Collection + Secrets of the Obscure). So make sure you actually like this game by playing the free base game before deciding.

[@donr123]

Guildwars 2 is really hard to get into, cause progression makes a game fun. GW2 has no more progression after unlocking the traits and getting to max lvl. Everybody can act like that is such a good thing, but it’s really not. An MMORPG without progression just gets stale really fast.

[@satangw2]

sounds like alot of procrastination and wasting time. rather step away and try again when you're bored. i guarantee you vast majority don't play guild wars 2 as their main game

[@Seb7an]

😂😂😂 If I need a guide to enjoy the game it is a bad game.

[@justabreeze1234]

ADHD simulator

[@RavenCroftLoft]

If you have to tell people how to enjoy your product you’ve failed as its creator. That should be organic.

[@anon3118]

I don't think so for this. Gaming culture has shifted recently. Gw2 hasnt changed

[@Jinny-Wa]

@@anon3118 This. We live in a so called tiktok culture where young people expect to get rewarded immediately so they can move on to other things. Gone are the times for pushing trough mud and spikes to obtain that one nice reward

[@promethiumfire6009]

Not possible, classes you'll love get nerfed or changed every couple weeks... Grinding the same crap a million times to get some rewards

[@balditohashshashin2058]

If you need to understand how to enjoy a videgame, you need a new life and see more world

[@sir_justinius]

I fucking hate this game. The more I play it, the more angry I get, from the map designs, to some of the enemies, and the horrible and banal fucking story. I don't know where you get "nicest and most helpful community" from, because you're just straight up wrong if its in anything BUT PvE. PvP and WvW is some of the most toxic shit I've ever experienced. All the LFG's are mostly empty whenever I fee like doing a dungeon, so now I'm bottlenecked into making a solo build which aggravates me to no end, not just because I hate making builds in general, but they're so boring to play. I can't set personal goals because everything feels so out of reach, or will just take a stupidly long time for such meagre fucking rewards. Come to think, that's how I describe this game: Takes a stupidly long time to get very underwhelming trash.

[@nautilaz]

I somewhat agree here as an on and off casual player since launch (under 1000 hours). The Heart of Thorns maps are just ridiculous. How they ever green lighted those maze designs is beyond me. That's what originally turned me off in the 2nd pass of playing. The content can be punishing to solo players. they say "get a good guild, they'll help you!" But that's easier said than done. POF was easier for a solo, but still kind of annoying. Most of the time there are enough rando pugs to do the content but I've never clicked with a rando to further group up. WVW, where are the hardcore endgamers are, can be fun, but only if you put a shit ton of effort into learning how to group battle, which is kinda just listening to a bid auctioneer yell commands. Or just get ganked by some thief to build your anger. So in the end, I do have fun, but yeah I get frustrated and somewhat bored which is what ultimately takes me off it.

[@jesseliddelow6409]

"All the LFG's are mostly empty whenever I fee like doing a dungeon" All the LFGs are dead in dungeons because the group limit is 5 and those groups fill quite quickly. I run dungeons daily and never have a issue finding a group. Just post your own LFG and it will fill. You just need to be conscious of when your creating the group, if you create on reset everyone will be doing dailies or at Tequatl so the group will take longer to fill as most people run dungeons after they have finished their dailies. GW2 now has extremely easy hot swapping of builds with build templates and gear templates. Its generally recommended that you have a solo open world build and group content builds. You can use the solo build until the party fills then hot swap to the group content build. "I can't set personal goals because everything feels so out of reach" "Takes a stupidly long time to get very underwhelming trash."

[@sir_justinius]

@@jesseliddelow6409 I don't even aim for achievements and cosmetics, I attempt to get actually usable things like mounts and ascended gear, but when I actually get them I either feel no change to my build/dmg/vitality, OR the mount is useless except for very situational circumstances, like the Jackal, or the majority of it's skills/usefulness is locked behind several mastery points, like the Griffon.

[@Iam_Umiii]

Lfg is not really dead, like the dude said before groups get filled real quick cuz everyone is camping the lfg instead of creating there own groups, so u better off creating ur own. I would recommend fractals over dungeons however since it is huge in terms of making daily gold later on. HOT maps are annoying, never really played or liked them so thats a point for u, i cant imagine traversing these maps without the skyscale, once u get the skyscale the open world gets so much easier so that would be my first investment if i would be u.

[@FlowerBot]

I find people for dungeons often stand outside the dungeon they want to do (there's not that many) and find a group that way. If you mean fractals, which are the 'new' dungeons, there's usually something in lfg for those. Sounds to me like you need some friends - you should be able to find a guild of like minded people, there are all kinds, including people like you.

[@NicholasBrakespear]

Biggest tip for enjoying GW2 - don't play End of Dragons or Secrets of The Obscure. They're awful. Awful visuals, awful performance, awful writing. Played through Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2 with the wife... we loved everything, played it relentlessly, until End of Dragons. We powered through it, hoping that Secrets would be a change of pace... it was; framerate lower than any previous content, despite not looking better, and writing that was so relentlessly full of self-obsessed whiny characters... it was like a gut punch. We went from playing the game every weekend, to immediately abandoning it and moving on to other things. I don't know who they hired or who they fired, but they need to undo it.

[@machetegaming]

Are you playing now something else with your wife? Or have you moved away from gaming together?

[@NicholasBrakespear]

@@machetegaming Pssh, we'll never move away from gaming. We have a long list of things now - she never played Borderlands 2, so we're playing through that. Then we have the original Diablo 2, Torchlight 2, Grim Dawn, No Man's Sky, Core Keeper, Abiotic Factor... we routinely play Deep Rock Galactic at the weekends, and sometimes even a bit of the original Unreal Tournament. Oh, then there are the Divinity games - those have been on our list for a while...

[@Jinny-Wa]

Change can be immediately seen in comparing the rest to EoD and SotO. It can also been seen in the player armour from the expansions which is more plain and unisex than it ever was before.

[@xXMapcoXx]

If you got to make a video telling people "how to play a game" then the product failed.

[@milandjukic4583]

nah i gave up on gw2,too much grinding for unworthy rewards.Ive spent months to get legendary dagger then got bored from playing thief and guess what that legy dagger is usless,now imagine getting whole armor set that takes year of grind just to not be able to use it on other classes.Skyscale grind is pure cancer aswell

[@shinokami007]

a dagger could be used by lots of classes and even more now than before since weapon proficiency expended.

[@FerDeLira]

there is sooooo much wrong in your reply that is laughable.

[@anders8461]

​​@@FerDeLira What I catch from their comment is they don't even want to try othe classes and builds. Or worse, they didn't even want to grind at all and want everything to be instant 😂 There are a lot of thief build that uses dagger. Condi daredevil, condi spectre, power deadeye and after the new weapon proficiency, axe+dagger condi thief. And tbh I enjoy skyscale grinds back when it was released. It takes me 3 weeks but I enjoy the pain lol. Now I'm working for a full set of pvp legendary armor 😅

[@shinokami007]

@@FerDeLira but instead of laughing at them for not knowing, maybe you can educate them :)

[@MrCarlWax]

That's fair. If you don't feel that it's worth it, then you shouldn't do it.

[@The_Vegan_Punk]

Enjoy GW2 by not playing it! It’s a terrible game. Go play the first GW. It’s 1000X better!

[@86Corvus]

Its crazy how most casuals who play mmorpgs dont like rpgs and are insecure and because of that insecurity obsess over gear numbers and superfluous shit like that. They look at maps as a list to do, instead of places to explore. Gear is a "number to proove you arent a looser" for them because deep down they feel they are a looser. Fkin get over yourself.

[@Matts130]

i hate this game! It is taking all my money 🥲