Why Even Play This MMO? - Guild Wars 2 in 2024

Guild Wars 2 is one of the most underrated MMORPGs because of the way it tries to do things differently from every other game. Its horizontal progression and undefined class roles can be confusing to players who want more direction, especially since the game has had three expansions so far in 2023. But once you understand the systems you can enjoy the freedom to do whatever you want.
If you are getting into Guild Wars 2, check out guildjen.com/ for guides about anything.
0:00 - Intro
1:54 - Combat
4:32 - Role Trinity
6:30 - Horizontal Progression
11:44 - PvP and WvW
#gw2 #guildwars2 #mmo #mmorpg
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[@Malibrana]

i love gw 2 despite some out of date things. its just every time u see commander tag on a map you wanna go to some adventure even if u was doing other stuff.its just great

[@procerator]

Outdated like what?

[@Oryyyt]

​@@proceratorThe graphics,hitboxes, UI customizagion I play on action mode and it's weird a lot of times. Timeless artstyle but the actual assets, textures and lighting could use some updating. Still love it nonetheless.

[@winterhearted6780]

And these "new" jump to region arrow buttons in the world map... Come on ANet, these buttons are 25 years old, add some gradient and anti-aliasing to these arrows, it's 2023, not 1998!

[@szilagyimiklos4757]

I played wow way more but gw2 is the only mmo I can come back to from time to time, no punishment for leaving, no fomo and other bs. Absolutely love this game

[@Esfero92]

2100+ hours in GW2, and there are still tons of content that I haven't touched yet Love this game, love this world

[@siiNke]

How the hell is that even possible? How many players does GW2 have now?

[@PewNinja13]

@@siiNkeit’s a top 5 most populated mmo

[@programmingwithchatti4063]

@@siiNke why is it impossible xD i have 9k hours and still didnt explore alot of the content

[@peterleblanc661]

Thing I'm loving about GW2, after bouncing around to several other mmos, is that the incentive to play is because it's fun to play not because of fomo of getting behind on gear. So I play when I want and the content I want. If I miss a day I don't make progress but I'm not getting behind at all either. The other awesome part is the community generally actually want to help each other and are staggeringly nice. And it'd infectious you find yourself wanting to help people more and more as you play in this world. Everytime I find myself going way outa my way to help someone out I joke, with the friend that came over with me from lostark, that this game has corrupted me with niceness. Love GW2.

[@kesamek8537]

Great game, easier to get into now than ever. However many other games I play, it's always a relief/joy to return to GW2 for its events and combat.

[@aka-stavy3926]

I appreciate the convenience honestly, I like having multiple characters but not having to go through the progression on all of them makes me happy.

[@agentnukaz1715]

Yeah I hate that. That's why I don't make new characters in eso

[@aka-stavy3926]

@@agentnukaz1715 I wish I could say the same I have like 5 toons in eso too lol. I really love convenience since I don’t get to play much anymore

[@agentnukaz1715]

@@aka-stavy3926 the worst part is having to get skill shards or books. A bunch of skill lines to lvl. Nvm 0 champ points on a new acc. I had 2 nightblades lol.

[@ionrazvan126]

But hero points? You still need to get them on your new heroes

[@bigbigu8671]

The fact that you dont have to continually keep up in gear and choose how you want to live your journey is why i like and still play gw2 today.

[@RyeTheWanderer]

This is the single reason why I play this game. I quit 7 years ago and came back early 2023 - equipment still good. lol.

[@tsukimilo]

And instead they introduce new stat combinations to spice up the playstyles, where some classes can get new entire playstyles because of them and how easy it is to swap your stats, even without legendary equipment.

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

can't be wronger. "builds" change and break systematically and purposely.

[@Rizzbulla]

​@@miljororforsprakpartiet290 Wrong

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

@@Rizzbullaok ignorant, gl joining a raid with your 2012 setup

[@donscozzari7361]

Just booted this back up in the past week. I’ve had it since launch and bounced in and out of it. Just now got into WvW and heavy into PvP and I’m hooked again. The community is awesome and has been so helpful. 🤘🏼

[@Celith]

Generally agree with most of what you've said. I'm a day 1 player who has taken several long breaks over the last decade. Pretty sure I wouldn't have kept coming back if they had a subscription model. The lack of a sub also made it easier for me to mentally justify buying gems for some cash shop QoL stuff. Two disagreements though. One, I think you make the game population sound far worse than it is, especially with the "no one hears you" meme. Second, I strongly disagree with the idea that masteries should be character specific. I've played other MMOs that make everything per-character and I've quit all of them after it became far too tedious. Keep up the good content

[@Vallun]

It's definitely populated during peak hours, and I couldv'e given a counterpoint to that representation. I think they could allow you to unlock masteries on another character more easily by using spirit shards (level tomes) once they're already unlocked rather than automatically so you have the option to play it again or not

[@paulgabrielcallaman9964]

@@Vallun completely disagree with you. You may have never played a game in which having alts is a time waster. GW2 iis unique in which having alts doesn't make you go through the same old boring stuff again. Imagine having to unlock the skyscale again on another character? What a time waster. GW2 makes player's time worth it and that's whyy i stick to it rather than other MMO's. I know my time spent is valued and would not be wasted.

[@Insig385]

all accurate down to the inventory management 😂 I played around 2k hrs 6 years ago n then randomly stopped (well not randomly, believe it or not I was trying to avoid the ppl in my guild back then lol), picked it back up april 2023 and man, I seriously love that you can just pick up where you left off, and nothing you earned or learned before becomes obsolete. I discovered I still know more about the game than true n00bs and can help answer their questions, and realized that 6 years ago I was 75% done with my pvp legendary back piece - and now I can just continue. nothing was wasted! even my legendary insights from raiding a ton before - I discovered I dont have to redo/refarm anything, I'm already halfway to getting them. it was such an amazing feeling to realize that I dont have to replay another 2k hrs of the game just to get to the same progression equivalent. I did create a new throwaway alt just to replay the story so I can remember (and I loved the core tyria story! it's a bit cheesy cuz it old but I really love the old-school charm lol) but the lw and expansions allowing u to replay them let me continue on my highly decked out main, which is awesome. and I didnt have to think about havibg to play specific number of hrs a day to make a subscription worth it, or decide if I should buy next month sub. I can play just a few min if I want to (not that I would lol) and not feel like im wasting money. and I still don't have to spend money, I've just been converting ingame gold to gems. I normally hate cash shops but I adore how gw2 does it. looking forward to playing another couple thousand hrs!

[@tonyR2D]

I used to play GW1, when GW2 was announced I was so excited. I started during the beta, amazing stuff. Then at the beginning, I started exploring as a Ranger (which I main to this day). I finished the personal story and got into the PVP aspect. Fun unbalanced stuff then. Running around with my spirits owning people. Then I quit a bit after Heart of Thorns released, due to work and such. Some time after Path of Fire released I came back. To my surprise I didn't feel as lost or as behind vs other players. After finishing HoT and PoF I took another break and came back around a year prior of End of Dragons release. Again, didn't feel like I was behind and got motivated into trying WvW to start building my Legendary set. But I loved the game mode, and I've been trying to log in every day since then (I've fought you and Jen a couple of times). Now I got my full Legendary medium armor set with no effort, as I was just playing, I have a legendary Amulet just by replaying PvE stuff and recently got my legendary back item, also from WvW. It is a game the respects your time, you can be an adult, have your family, play every so often and you still make progression, at your pace. You can take some time off, come back and you won't feel left behind and demotivated.

[@Replect]

I'm not buying that! "Now I got my full Legendary medium armor set with no effort, as I was just playing,..." I'm also in with 2,100 hours, and I'm not remotely close to any Legendary really, even though I've started one of those via the Mastery/Achievement tracks, but damn, you still need hundreds of gold after all... or really focus your playing time on doing what is necessary for all the materials and such. "Just playing" will not seal the deal... at least it didn't for me yet.

[@tonyR2D]

I enjoy WvW, so I mostly do some dailies and the rest WvW. The WvW legendary armor you just get it by spending time there. Obviously you need to craft some stuff but some rewards tracks also provide gold if you need for the trophies.@@Replect

[@jhmi7877]

@@Replect The armors from WvW might be easier because a lot of the things you need are purchased via the currencies you passively get through playing in that mode. However, I will also say that as someone who has played WvW a lot since launch, I don't have enough of those materials and currencies to get myself a full set. It may be that they've buffed the heck out of the rewards you get from WvW (I have taken a break for a few years and have come back a few months ago so I'm sure I've missed some big changes). Perhaps this person has been playing a ton after those changes have been made.

[@akvyr]

What I always liked about GW2 is how much it respects your time. You can always login after skipping a few months, and basically get up to speed in half an hour because of the horizontal progression. Endgame competitive content is also enough to keep 90% of players busy for many many many months.

[@RP-dy5mu]

Yeah but once you receive Legendary weapons there is nothing to do. I had fun (sort of) grinding for it. But now there's no point to playing it. All I want is some dungeons with amazing loot.

[@Sagedurk]

@@RP-dy5mu But there is If an MMO only draws you in because of the gear grind, why are you even playing? What's the reason you began going for legendaries?

[@tsukimilo]

​@@RP-dy5muThere's still tons of skins, Legendaries only provide the commodity of stat swapping and being available for all your alts, but Fashion Wars 2 is still the true endgame where most of the skins require participation and not just throwing money at the game.

[@CrzBonKerz21]

@@Sagedurksome people like chasing the gear and unlocks

[@joshbarr118]

​@@CrzBonKerz21yeah, but that creates power creep and shrinks a player base

[@mariasxhmh]

8000+ hours in the game since first expansion. What kept me going is that I could be doing so many different things at any given time (map exploration, massive open world metas, world bosses, challenging instance content, achievement hunting, wvw, pvp, fashion, collections, skin unlocking, mount racing, and sooooooo many others) and I got to choose the thing i was in the mood of, without ever feeling I was missing out on something, or that I would be falling behind if I tok a break from the game. The gear I got in 2015 is still relevant today! Aposhi.5027

[@Oryyyt]

wow. I hope I won't get sick of it. I'm just 1,200hrs in since 2018. I mostly just do open-world, events, meta-events, WBs and fashion. Sometimes a bit of WvW but that's it. Barely scratched the surface but I'm having a blast. I'm sure if they upgrade the graphics like the rumors say about the UE5 hires I'll turn from mildly-addicted to unhealthily obsessed. Not really hoping for Gw3 cause they're still putting out expacs and are about to be consistent with it but I could be wrong(Oh god I wish I'm sooo wrong). Do you think there's a chance for and upgrade or a sequel? *fingers and toes crossed

[@mariasxhmh]

@@Oryyyt there is always a non-zero chance for a sequel. But considering their new expansion model, I can't say how close we are to it or how that would be needed.

[@Ses5226]

As an older guy who's time is not necessarily his own the ability to play my own game but drop into meta's / pvp / strikes when I want more group play is great. Been playing for a year now and looking forward all I can do. Working on first legendaries now at my own pace.

[@zapboytv]

Just started playing again and I wish I played sooner. Working on getting the jackal mount finally :)

[@Xander9608]

I started playing again because of the new expansion. Stayed because of legendary crafting, finished my fractals legendary backpack, started the aurene sword :D. It's a painful but rewarding experience. Also what helped is the community i found in the game.

[@Naterzful]

Hello, I'm obsessed with gw2 right now but different topic. I noticed at 0:04 you have the same stuttering issue I have when I go into things like thermal tubes, does anyone know how to fix that?

[@aquapendulum]

It shouldn't go under-emphasized that persistent realm vs realm gamemode is the one thing Guild Wars 2 has a definitive leg up over the other 2 big boys in the genre. I'm talking about old-school Dark Age of Camelot stuff, not just the 30 minute sessions of 48v48 in Lost Ark.

[@EvolutionIX219]

Is it similar to Cyrodiil in ESO?

[@cdubyaxvi3614]

I picked it up several times over the years, but never stuck with it. I think I was to easily swayed by the next hyped game. I'm finally leveling some toons and can't wait to play through the expansions. WvW is the goal for me, but I am happy to take my time learn the classes and enjoy the ride knowing I'm not falling further behind. great video.

[@nislaav6712]

I feel like the best way to describe GW2, especially since I started playing just a few weeks ago is: easy and veeery fun to get into, but hard to master. The game offers a butt load of content, it's up to you what you want to focus on and master that thing, whether it be pvp, crafting, raids and so on. Honestly I love GW2 a lot more than any other MMO, despite it's slightly dated vibe I take it as a charm of the game instead ahah

[@jhmi7877]

That's a really good way of describing it. I remember running around in an old map and doing an event that got me an achievement for the first time. I've been in the game since launch, have 10(?) characters, almost 4k hours sunk into the game. And I'm still finding new things to do, not even from the new expansion maps, but from the original ones lol Just wanted to share that 'cause I feel it coincides with what you're saying - it's easy to get into, but mastering things or even touching every aspect of the game takes a lot of time. And you're given a lot of ways to play and achieve goals, so though it does take time, it's less likely to feel dull.

[@Ilikebeatzzz]

The end pretty much describes me. I always return to GW2. I might have a phase when I feel like grinding for that piece of slightly better gear, but when I get bored of the grind and I just want to have fun. GW2 is always there. The fact that the servers are never down also helps.

[@Oatmeal-Savage]

Also, regarding tangible end goals in pvp, you can get your legendary armour set. Plus the rewards from the pvp reward tracks.

[@EvertonRicardo]

Thanks for reminding me that after two years and a few months ( i know that im a newbie still xD ), I'm still active in a unique and amazing game! As well said, doing whatever I want, learning, exploring for achievements or just enjoying the expansions and stories as well as the soundtracks. Congratulations! Your videos do not disappoint. As usual.

[@pond4301]

8:20, what class is this? I literally have been playing for a few days and am playing a necro rn, but I feel like it's a bit stiff and I'd prefer a more dynamic melee class, so I'm wondering if i might opt for warrior or something.

[@luckydony6375]

Hey Vallun, love your pvp videos, any chance to see a guide on 2v2 / 3v3 ? since the gameplay is pretty different than conquest ?

[@JayRazon]

Just started GW2 and I just got to PoF story. I have all expansions and LW episodes as well. I wanna get that skyscale mount lol

[@herbaceousboredom9584]

I'll offer a different perspective to your observation about re-doing masteries per character - obviously based on a study of one person who really doesn't like grind :) One of several reasons I have stuck with GW2 (to the exclusion of other MMOs for the last several years) is that a lot of meaningful progression (e.g. masteries, achievements, ascended / legendary items) is account-wide - one and done, then I can get on with just enjoying the game, the environment and all the different play styles each class and elite spec offers, in whatever content grabs my attention at the time. I have essentially stopped playing other MMOs I had accounts for precisely because I needed to repeat the same grind for each character - fine if you only have one, increasingly annoying for each additional character thereafter. I also like the fact that grind is incidental to enjoyable gameplay in GW2, but you can solely grind if you want to. I much prefer the horizontal progression structure as it is more convenient and makes much more sense (to me). And I love the heart 'quests' way more than boilerplate "kill of and return to me for the next boilerplate quest".

[@Vallun]

I agree, that's probably the niche that GW2 should stick to, but for some who want that feeling of progression, there should be more "optional" grinds

[@bdhdr4226]

@@Vallun Well there's legendaries and achievements. I have 4.7k hours in the game and I'm working on legendaries (have 3/6 med armor, 3/6 trinkets, and 3 weapons). Finishing that will take awhile, and I also still have masteries to work on. If I had to grind masteries on my alts I'd probably never play them.

[@matthewmendez3632]

agreed, who wants to grind out thing they've already completed? sounds like a chore. if ANET wants to incentivize replaying old content, they can add rewards for doing it again (i.e., the 'return to' achievements)

[@relentlessnights4211]

Excellent video dude!!! Loved it, timing, music, edits, everything :)

[@eldrevo]

To me, some of the biggest things in GW2 are the open world, the story bits and the build flexibility. Open world is something I don't think anyone does better than this game. The locations are gorgeous and full of life both thanks to horizontal progression keeping them valuable for players and dynamic events that keep everything in motion. World bosses and meta events are the pinnacle of MMO experience, gathering dozens of players that must work together towards, sometimes across the whole map, towards the common goal. Story bits are everywhere from little bits of narrative and worldbuilding scattered across the world to the story missions that are more strictly focused on your character. And while the core story is... somewhat questionable, I'm happy that it only gets better from there. And better, and better and better, unlike some other MMORPGs out there. And some parts of it are perhaps the best storytelling I saw in videogames, aligning lore, visuals, gameplay, voiceover, music and sound design in perfect emotional scenes (you'll never guess what exactly I mean here, try me :P) Build flexibility is something Vallun had already mentioned, but I can't help but stress it again. The freedom you have here is crazy. You can have the same class built as a mace&shield tank (sort of), greatsword-wielding powerhouse, a caster support with a staff, a hunter with bow and traps, or an agile dual sword assassin. And all that while still keeping the core class fantasy strong! It's really mind blowing. Anytime you feel bored with the game, you can simply get another class or spec and it'll be a huge breath of fresh air -- and easy too because of how alt-friendly the game is. I played the game in and out since release, not even hitting the level cap until around 2020, just admiring the open world and indulging a life of a filthy casual. But then it clicked and now I have thousands of hours and I still have a lot of stuff to do. Guild Wars 2 absolutely deserves more attention, and even if you tried it some time before, it's well worth giving a second try now. Thanks for coming to my ted talk, I guess :D P. S. My man getting stronger in the way of memes, oh my! eldrevo.1746

[@바보Queen]

open world in gw2 is unbeaten.. when i try other mmos i expect it to be like gw2 and it never is

[@sorchatheraven]

Quite a good video to define how we players feel about the game and why we love it. I think it's better than WoW. Also coming from playing GW1, which I also loved and was a part of my childhood. Great general storyline, fluid combat, beautiful world, fun events and festivals... Only 2 MMOs that have actually trapped me. Morcath.5981 PS: Great usage of GW1 Factions songs. I think it's such a pity that they didn't add as many GW1 tracks to EoD as they did with the base game or PoF. Jeremy Soule is a genius

[@Ragtter]

Last year I got back into GW2 for the first time since launch. I was in some of the test betas, and my pals and I were so excited to have a new MMO to play, after we felt like we outgrew WoW. Well, they all quit before cap, and with no one to play with, I stopped too. Now that I'm back, what I've loved the most is finding that GW2 supports playing however I want. I've been slowly chugging through the main story, dabbling in PvP, and just going where the wind takes me. Working on my Skyscale now and so excited to see what comes next! I'm Ragtter.1265 and I'm happy to be here :]

[@Tixsi11]

Just started two days ago and so far I am having a blast. Really hooked me, which I haven't experienced in a long time.

[@Aedrion-]

I came back to GW2 after playing the game a LOT before HoT came out. I used to be pretty good at PvP because it was slower but... do you recon I could compete in 2023 even if I don't run the meta, don't have the reflexes anymore that I used to and can't really be bothered learning to spot animations? I also played guardian back when and decided to play Elementalist now because it looked - and thus far has been - more fun. So... advice for starting ele PvP'ers?

[@Vallun]

most people dont care about the meta in gold/silver they just play for fun and even use their pve builds, its not very competitive until you reach platinum rating so that's going to depend on how much you care, my advice for ele is go to guildjen.com and read class build guides

[@Aedrion-]

@@Vallun Oh thanks! Looks like it'll be a fire weaver then, since I don't have EoD and have no idea how to play Catalyst, yet. :) It's just that I was in WvW the other day and everybody I fought clearly had years of experience on me, I felt like an NPC :P

[@blitz_berlin7230]

I still like and play the game after nearly 11 years because of the dynamic combat, the versatility of the classes and the huge amount of free content included. So many things still to do.

[@Mel-ut2om]

The line "It's never to late" is really applicable in gw2.

[@amadeusaiden8737]

Awesome Video as always, Vallun. May i know which OST is playing in the start of the video?

[@Vallun]

thats the original soundtrack for GW2 , the last great city of men

[@amadeusaiden8737]

@@Vallun Thank you so much!

[@Lanzetsu]

I don't really like MMO as a genre honestly BUT what happened with GW2 is that it hooked me with the Personal Story start off the bat and it was awesome, interesting, I was not some great hero, I was a guy surviving with some of the last humans or a new born who know nothing about the world (I always play Human and Sylvari). Then everyhing was amazing, the first thing I remember that got me hyped were the dynamic events, so simple but so full of life on each map on par with the world story going on there... the characters! I knew nothing of GW1 and still loved Destiny's Edge more than later our own guild... the NPC, so lively everywhere, still I think it is someone else when I read the dialogues or some random npc come running to ask for help... the world feels alive. And the battles OMFG the mechanics, it wasn't a hit while heal with potions, it is a really engaging combat system and I still sux at it sometimes lol. That is the reason I played the first weeks, but then with the time I was driven away because other games and personal stuff, but... when I came back my characters were still there, my gear was still useful, all I did was worth my time! The game was respecting my own pace and time (but only needed to tweak some builds) and each patch improved a lot the gameplay and the player experience. The horizontal progression was amazing, I could do anything I want in any order basically, but I always went for the story first and yet I was able to do it with only one character and I could play the world with my other characters, it never felt like a grind, just doing anything felt right and the game promotes a lot the cooperative play even with people you don't know and is not in party with you (specially my since I am more of a lone wolf). I am 8 years already in GW2 and hooked other people, it is really nice to be able to take a break from time to time, come back and replay anything I want from the story, events, maps, dungeons, etc, so GW2 feels like a dream that I can enjoy while being awake when I have the time for it

[@NefariousTV]

Great video vallun! Really really good recap of everything I love about this game.

[@--ACCEPT--]

I've recentyl dinged my first lvl 80 and what really impressed me after being a wow altoholic for 15+ years, is that even the low level content seems to be relevant for veteran players. It happened to me multiple times, that I got croaked by some jungle spider deep in a cave ready to revive at the next waypoint, when suddenly a 280 mastery point player in full ascended armor of shader-preprocessing skips by and revives me. In wow, after a few weeks even the starting zones of the current expansion are more or less abandoned. There are some systems that are out of date, true. But GW2 definitely has a character that no other mmo has. If you click with it, like I do, you'll click hard. Plus, the community is really astonishingly friendly and active.

[@ywnywnywn]

that wvw willbender clip at the end KEKW

[@squaternutbosch74]

Excellent content as always Vallun. Thanks!

[@ThaWolfX]

Good Video m8 , love the Game mainly for WvW/PvP and Story, im just a few months in, no fomo in this Game, its so refreshing!

[@Rusty_Hill]

Top notch review bro!

[@ates423]

Hey man thanks for this review. After leaving elden ring, vermintide 2, warhammer 3, and darktide. I wanted a game that I can sink my teeth into that requires a bit more time investment without it feeling too much like a grindy monotonous job. It’s like I had this itch in my brain that I needed to scratch. I wanted that wondrous adventurous feeling of booting up an open world rpg game while also still requiring the player to engage in some level of complexity/depth of combat and movement engagement. To top it off I didn’t want a game to stress me out and make me feel like I “need” to invest my time into. The last game that did that for me to some degree was fallout new vegas. Judging by what you said this game will perfectly fit the bill for me. A truly consumer/user friendly rpg game that is also online. Another good bonus is that it is Alt friendly, I tend to do that a lot in mmos and rpgs. Especially in elder scrolls online, and it was a pain in the ass to constantly recycle out gear and respec/revamp all 13 of my characters every month due to the developers “rehashing the balance of the game to keep player retention.” This is exactly what I need, and I will be booting this game up tomorrow. Thank you

[@boredgirl6752]

Little correction: there is more than titles to pvp; you can work on legendaries and get other useful rewards, partially its even faster to get items for your legendary collection through pvp

[@lydyepydlgdlydlydussuuddi]

Lol, love the intro. Thanks for everything Vallun.

[@nyhh__]

Great video as always, mister

[@sasaivanovic5126]

I played WoW and other MMOs. What I love about the GW2 is the fact that it's FUN. It doesn't feel like a grind, nothing is forcing me to chase the best gear, hyperoptimizing my skill rotation etc. I log in, I do random things, and I am having a blast

[@Okay_mate]

I've not long hit lvl 80 and started on the Living World content. So far, I love the world environments, the cities, story is alright so far and the combat is alright? Playing necro, it feels a little disjointed at times, but I need to try some other professions. But there are a lot of really confusing systems in the game and some of the older content is really hard to get done and honestly googling or asking in game for advice only leads to more confusion half the time. I wish the UI was more customizable too. Buuut all in all, I am really enjoying it. I imagine much more once I gain a little more experience and start understanding the game a bit better.

[@alyasVictorio]

Oh hell yeah! I'll play GW2 soon, if only my low-end laptop is repaired tho-, but besides, this game is truly the king of MMOs (alongside Old School Runescape) due to its everything the rests (Albion Online, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14, Black Desert Online, Elden Scrolls Online, etc) hadn't

[@Wolfian]

"its so convenient you dont need to play it" ENTIRELY sums up my gw2 experience honestly its either a grand quest for my incinerator or logging in having no direction and logging out 0 inbetween

[@ChaosRevealsOrder]

Been playing GW2 for 2500 hours. The reason why I left and probably never coming back is the lack of updates for PvP, no new maps, no new gamemodes, it takes them 3 years to come up with new specializations, they tried to do smth with WvW which looked interesting, but it didn't seem to work that great.

[@LiNapster]

"You're not sitting there getting stunlocked by every ability" Yeah....that's exactly what happens to me in PVP

[@Vallun]

but the point is you have control over that because of movement and stun breaks. Moral of the story, skill matters

[@endrancealcor156]

Just started a week ago and been having lots of fun. Trying out different classes and races. After coming from FFXIV and ESO it's true what you said. "A breath of fresh air".

[@Ilikebeatzzz]

Would be nice to have an opton when you create an alt to either start masteries from scratch or for your alt to inherit the mastery level of your main. Would be great for veterans especially and it would improve renention.

[@Draconicrose]

Agreed. To see if I would enjoy playing on EU more, I started a new F2P account and omg the game is so much fun when you have to slow down and re-experience it! If only switching accounts was more convenient or we had the option to isolate characters from the account progression :(

[@duploh]

I played it many years ago, got to max lvl, and all that, but felt lost sometimes without real tasks. I came back a few times, but i should've gone for bis gear, cause i hate inventory management when coming back to a game or starting a new one. I remember being on a story 'quest' and failing and gave up. Just started lvling alts. I'm an altoholic, and loved it, just explore all combos,spells, weapons and lvl by exploring casually. It's been many years now, maybe i should check it out again 🤔.

[@xecor4450]

after story you can start with fractals and raids. if you like pvpimg maybe try out wvw and maybe join a guild.

[@TruePermafrost]

i have like 15 lvl 80s, and watching this makes me want to start over again

[@vidya2144]

Great video Vallun.

[@Mintzyxoxo]

great vid and good memes, Vallun. As someone who started playing the game REAL regularly like ... a year and a half ago? i've become addicted af to WvW, and the uniqueness of the classes, i'm not great at any of em, but I have too much fun. Even crafted a full light legendary set before I even have any leg weapons, full world completion/story completion, or even set foot in a fractal or strike lmao, because i've been enjoing ele so much. Wish I stuck with this game when it came out instead of WoW 😭Mintzy.5936

[@laurencook6062]

I have kids, I have to adult, the way progression and gear works in gw2 is the only mmo I can be able to drop in and out as life happens and know I’m not going to play catch up whenever I come back. Combat is fun, MOVEMENT in this game makes all others feel sluggish. Also, asura, asura is 💜 JUNE.1598

[@hide904]

I just came back after 2 years. I finally want to purchase some expansions after I finish my character's personal story and I also want to get into WvW. Also, does anyone know the outfit @ 7:23? I want to get this for my Mesmer.

[@jumbodump]

i still LOVE sloppin in wvw with a pugmander. Ten years later, the zergs are tighter and spikier but smashin zergs hasn't gotten old. Also, Barbie Wars 2 only gets better with time. Hydrangea.6014

[@Wemfs]

Great vid

[@tatspatsoor6096]

Great video! I was not convinced when I started playing this game tbh... yea well I'm still playing as good as daily after 4 years :)

[@leftjedi]

Great video, I love this game!

[@HiSpeedOxygen]

I played this game when it first came out, really fun. But it didnt stick, years later I see they have mounts and I was hooked. BUT the account I have, was bought from someone else and I didnt want to spend money on something volatile like that. Years later again, I succumb and try to buy the first two expansions on a new, fresh account of my own. It still didnt really.. stick. All I needed to do was spend a little more money for a few mount skins.. and the rest was history. 6 months later, 9k achievement points later, one of the best games ever. Definitely has its flaws, but for me, one of the best

[@Shadow19573]

I’ve managed to get younger family members to play the game! So that’s why after my character’s 2nd birthday yesterday, I’m still on and playing!

[@gabvsd5934]

GW2 has this real feeling of role playing game! Like I really feel that Im a cleric type of a guardian and ready to protect people.

[@ebay.8302]

Was never really able to get into GW2 endgame always felt so lost on what to go after

[@Daebwyn]

I don't know if they changed or will change how Living Seasons work but i think that is one of the biggest limitations if you didn't play during those seasons. Having to unlock them with gems is a chore and some big masteries, mounts and ascended stat gears are behind those. Correct me please if i am wrong

[@programmingwithchatti4063]

they did events like twice when they gave them for free + getting gold while max lvl is ez and you can select buy expansions lws3 you need the berry map alone to get the ascended gear for the beetle i think you need to buy just one episode only of the lws4

[@phisobinbdo8064]

I just started about a week ago and wanted a challenge so I picked an elementalist. Since I bought the complete collection I can do the whole story including living worlds. I have thousands of hours of content

[@HerrTikTok]

Just quit New World for the third and absolute last time, and I still have one other MMOs I log into to claim my 'daily reward' as my sub runs out but I've now returned to GW2 and I love it. Love it so much I've added a lot of QoL items from the gem store, oh no, real money being spent. Hell, I owe this game for keeping itself going all these years compared to all the sub fees, dlc costs and necessary cash shop QoLs of the all other MMOs I've tried to get into and enjoy for any extended period of time while GW2 sat uninstalled in my Steam Library. Is GW2 perfect, hell no, seriously no, but it respects my time like no other and its playable, and its fun, actually fun and it has a time tested track record. I truly hope this game garners more player support and increases it population across the board as I'm tired of volunteering to switch maps . . . So, why would anyone, myself included, play an "old" MMO like this, eazzzy peezzy, the community is amazing, sometimes almost too helpful lol . . . yes, definitely a game very worthwhile playing for anyone.

[@DocOverlord]

Nice summary video. It is quite accurate to say that GW2 is friendly to casual players, and you have a point that people who expect an MMO to be a second job will find much less of that in the game. I don't want a second job that I have to pay to do, and that's why I've been playing GW2 for years :)

[@Replect]

11:05 That's obviously about each invidiual, but damn... I'm glad this is the way it is! Having to unlock all these for each character I got? No, thank you! It's enough time investment to max each mastery once already, including getting all the necessary mastery points (especially in the latest expansion it seems like you have to rely on Achievements as well, to find enough mastery points to unlock everything related to it).

[@zephyrs4850]

Convenience > Power progression. Makes it so you can calculate stats and test it easier than on a spreadsheet, that are optimized for your specific role or proffession.

[@RarestAce]

This is one of the best games going right now. We started playing at the beginning of 2020 and haven't stopped it's just super engrossing with what feels like endless amounts of content. One of the best parts is just how friendly and helpful the GW2 community help is literally a map chat away.

[@holysaintknight343]

Nice video

[@JosephSaintClair]

I got nearly 3000 hours and all I’ve done is standing around in lions arch trying to decide what colour of black dye to wear!!!! Note: your other characters don’t share map completion. So if you into explore, then alting will still require exploration to unlock maps again!

[@AHinde]

I still play GW2 for building legendary gear, trying new builds, playing with guildmates, and WvW. Tygr.9402

[@ballinhamster3170]

Why don't I play GW2? Well, I'm not playing right now because I'm focusing on finishing my degree, but GW2 content is still a large part of what I watch on KZbin, and I'm around 5k hours into the game, playing intermittently since launch. The reason I keep coming back is the combat, first and foremost. I've been a pvp player for most of my time with the game, although I got into strikes after EoD. The skill expression and feel of the combat is something I know I can't get anywhere else. Watching pvp players on twitch always gets me itching to come back and grind my way to a shiny platinum badge, and potentially another top 100 title. However I often lack the drive to keep it up for a full pvp season. I was a hotjoin hero back when that was still a thing, and leaping around as a glass warrior in a more casual mode might be where my heart is at. Then again, maybe I say "heck with it" and go for Voidwalker next time I get back into the game. Thanks for the video, I think you did a great job here. Drakhar.1389

[@BoardWalkToke]

I love GW2 because the moment I got exotic gear (which is very easy to get) I was pretty much good to go. This means I can go for Ascended/Legendary gear when I feel like it and get to focus on other fun stuff like unlocking mounts/cosmetics. Everytime I play other MMOs I feel punished for not grinding to improve my gear or I fall behind whereas GW2 just lets you enjoy the game. Also, the content is actually fun lol. Other MMOs you have most content feeling like a chore which makes me question why I am gearing up to begin with. You could quit at anytime in GW2 and come back without ever feeling your account lost value. The community is also fantastic and the maps always feel active due to the meta events and older content kept relevant.

[@HardcoreCasualGW2]

Thank you, Vallun, for referring to GW2 as "buy to play" and not "free to play". Also, good job explaining the pros and cons of the game.

[@inspire1739]

Playing GW2 for the first time is like doing it for the first time. It's amazing. These games in 2023 can't even match it.

[@Minerx0076]

Yeah! Its Amazing❤️🏁

[@Koopatroopa006]

Inventory management bit made me laugh out loud.

[@Daiska_Plays]

replayability in GW2.. hmm, well.. I think if a person is a completionist, playing 8 hours a day for 25 years, they -might- finish it. Needing to grind masteries for each character is busywork that the game doesn't need to make into content. But that being said, I've made a new account 4 times just because I like starting from scratch. That's always an option. Yes, I bought the expansions more than once, but the HoT/PoF bundle is only $15 on sale, and those are all I care about. They could add an option to turn off account share, but it's hard to resist not using what has been earned.

[@doughnads8732]

1:50 That was FOUL and (totally necessary) LOL

[@gavelkynde4837]

Well said, Sir :) I Like GW2, I just always feel like I am crap at it (I am sooooo bad at thief)! Still... everything is so pretty in this game. Love the desert maps... (yeah I'm probably soming back - I miss my characters)

[@bretwalton5756]

imma say something ive played this game for a while now.. and just like the first game i CANT keep track of the story somewhere it falls through and i dont kno what happend before and nothing is memorable the story sucks it cant keep your attention of tell you in a way that you remember anything

[@Dreamonology]

still better than the dog shit story that is world of warcraft and their unlimited time travel bs

[@StrongzGamez]

vallun the legend for sure!

[@Action_Sloth]

the main reason to play gw2 is to get a sloth mini, being able to raid in the same gear I got like 8 years ago is also pretty nice

[@havalinachiel7694]

Simply for one reason : It has a bumping heart , wonderful music , it is well designed , well balanced , the immersion ! , that playerbase ( always saves your ass , I love y ´all ^^ ) different weapons , the cities ... the bands (!) and so very much more . The dragons - OMG These dragons. . .

[@chudbo8751]

"how does managing your inventory sound?" im fucking ded lmao

[@Identificador757]

6:08 lmao TBOI

[@lloydgreenhill9515]

I’m new to gw2 but played years of hardcore gw1. It’s hard to get into some content purely because there’s so much to do

[@ekkophantom]

Started back in 2020 Jan on my birthday and till this day i play and have lot of stuffs to do i got into fractal then raids and in 2021 i took a short break and then came back after 2-3month since then i started enjoying wvw zerg fights and after watching your stream and videos i started doing roaming aswell and its fun too so basically it's always never ending and timeless mmo. sometimes when im busy irl i just log for dailies and since game don't have subscription fees i don't have to worry about forcing myself play the game cause i payed sub fee. This is one of best why you wanna play gw2 video tbh, Thanks for making contents ❤ ~ Phantom.5624

[@TheMrApotamkin]

what about online in this game steams says 3-4 online, not that much tbh

[@Oatmeal-Savage]

I'd have to disagree on your idea of grinding masteries again for each alt. I think something like that would detract more than add. There's little point to grinding xp and collecting mastery points again per character. And if you do that for this, then you might as well take away everything else that's account bound for the same reason. And if you do that, then you just have what WoW has. A very, very, VERY grindy experience. In other games, grind is the goal. In GW2, it isn't. Yes they have grind. But there's grind, and then there's GRIND. I like that GW2 doesn't force you to play on a never-ending grind hamster wheel. They focus more on game play, which is why I've stuck with them for over 10 years, having left other MMOs like WoW and SWTOR. Though I did enjoy SWTOR.

[@finalfan321]

25k hours and it just keeps getting better

[@fistandantilos]

25k hours? that is alot

[@finalfan321]

@@fistandantilos i know people with 40k so

[@TheDetrox93]

maybe you forgot to talk about the wiki. because i as a new player did not enjoy it at all to need to opent the wiki for a lot of items to know if i need to keep them or not, or for collections. also i don't like that there isn't a automatic progression towards a legendary. you can only progress on a lot of things after starting a collection. But the game definitly does a lot of things right because it's my main game since like 2 years.

[@Kalzaks]

Probably the game with the most variable age gap between players that i've played in my whole life

[@Vallun]

thats a good thing right?

[@Kalzaks]

@@Vallun i think it is fascinating. You can talk with a 16 years old and then get the opinion of a 60yo retired asura couple