Guild Wars 2
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It’s been around a while now, but Guild Wars 2 still has a lot left to give. Time has not dulled what were, and still are, its plethora of great ideas.
Guild Wars 2is one of a select few MMOs from the first last 19 years to have gone up againstWorld of Warcraftand walked away in one piece. Not many MMOs manage to stay relevant for more than a few years, but Guild Wars 2 recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary with new content and anofficial Steam release.
Is it still the game it once was though? Guild Wars goes out of its way to do a lot of things differently, and that worked back in 2012, but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed since then. While the wrinkles are starting to show, Guild Wars 2 still has a lot to offer, even to newcomers. There’s ahugeamount of content on offer (even if you play for free and don’t bother with the expansions), and all the systems still feel remarkably fresh. The lack of NPC quest givers means questing never breaks flow, skills are tied to weapons, which streamlines things nicely without sacrificing depth, and the PvP still feels truly epic.
Despite a number of unique elements, a lot of players will find key aspects of Guild Wars 2 comfortingly familiar. You pick one of five races and nine classes - each with their own weapons and abilities - for your custom character, and are let loose on a vast fantasy landscape to massacre mobs, grind for XP, and track down all the best loot. As you progress you’ll gain access to higher-level game modes like dungeons, PVP, and raids. The basic structure is all fairly typical stuff, but that’s not a bad thing by any means and the world of Guild Wars has a definite charm to it. The Charr, for instance, a race of hulking feline warriors, make for a nice change of pace from the typical Elves and Dwarves in most fantasy games.
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I said the world was vast, and I wasn’t joking. It will be a long time before you get to see everything. Fortunately, Tyria is a joy to explore, from the arid deserts in the east to the frozen tundras in the north, to the sulfurous wastelands in the south. The sights may not be as jaw-dropping as they were a decade ago, but thanks to some excellent art direction and a vibrant colour scheme, I still found myself stopping to take in the view more often than I do in most modern games. It may not have the sheer graphical horsepower of a game likeFinal Fantasy XIV, but it holds up remarkably well.
Sure, the textures and lighting are a little outdated, but Guild Wars 2 is still a beautiful game. It makes the most of it too, with one of the many collectibles being “vistas” - points on the map that offer interesting or beautiful views of the nearby landscape. There’s usually a little jumping puzzle involved, and they make for a nice diversion and a unique way of rewarding the player.
One of the first things Guild Wars 2 does differently from most MMOs is how most combat abilities are tied to weapons, not to your character. Half of your skill bar in fact (which is not-overwhelming 10 skills in all), is filled with abilities determined by your currently equipped weapon. I wasn’t sure about this at first, but over time, and as I got to experiment with the weapons I started to appreciate how the game manages to streamline the usual bloat of an MMO skill system without sacrificing depth. You can mix and match the skills tied to your profession to your heart’s content, and having a set of predetermined skills to build around made that a lot easier.
You can also switch your weapon out to another one with a single button, which allows for huge tactical flexibility. A new weapon brings a whole new skill set with it, so it’s like being able to switch to a different subclass on the fly. The Warrior class, for instance, can go from up close and personal with a sword and shield, to backing away from the fray and offering long-range support with a rifle or bow. Fine-tuning your build is a huge part of the fun in an MMO and Guild Wars 2 manages to make the whole process less of a headache.
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The ability to do a quick dodge-roll helps keep the combat feeling less rote than in other MMOs. There’s still a lot of standing in place, rattling off the same chain of abilities over and over again, but most enemies clearly telegraph their attacks, and dodging at the right time can give you the upper hand in combat. You can even take on mobs solo a couple of levels above you if you have the patience and the reflexes.
Combat is only one part of an MMO though, and while Guild Wars 2’s is very well executed, it’s the game’s overall structure that still feels fresh today. Take the quest system, for instance: rather than having to find an NPC who asks you to gather a certain number of items, or kill a particular monster, complete the task, and then come all the way back to the same NPC for your reward, Guild Wars 2 cuts out the middle man. Quests (outside the main story) in Guild Wars 2 are thing you stumble upon or encounter organically. Once you get close enough you’ll be notified of what it is you need to do, without having to interact with an NPC or accept the quest.
I love this system because it never breaks flow: you pick up quests as you explore the world without having to go back and forth to whichever NPC currently needs you to do their bidding. It’s also a great way to get players working together. All the quests can be played with friends or with randoms. Some of the bigger events, like the spectacular world invasions, call players from across the map together to take on some titanic beast out to destroy the world. It’s all totally seamless and serves as a great way to get new players used to the more social side of the MMO experience.
Guild Wars 2 also features an extremely robust set of PvP game modes. These range from intimate, team deathmatches or more lighthearted keg brawls and crab tossing, all the way up to the flagship, “World vs World” mode. World vs World is central to the endgame, and it more than lives up to the billing. Dozens of players are placed on the PvE overworld and must compete with the enemy team for control of resource camps, and lay siege to keeps and towers, using equipment like the ballista and the trebuchet. If you’ve ever played Planetside 2, it’s a little bit like that in terms of overall structure.
It can be daunting when you first start out since there’s a hell of a lot to learn, but World vs World is definitely worth a go. Your character will be scaled up to the maximum level, so you don’t necessarily need to have maxed out before you give it a try. It’s genuinely spectacular and remarkably well-balanced, with no classes that are obviously at a disadvantage. That’s a tricky thing to pull off in an MMO. Guild Wars 2 puts a lot of eggs in the PvP basket, and it’s a gamble that pays off. The excellent PvE combat translates nicely to PvP and the vast battlefields of World vs World make the endgame come alive.
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My one major criticism, which has become more and more pertinent as the game has evolved, is the currency and exchange system. There are now far too many different merchants and far too many different currencies. I can barely get my head around it all, so I dread to think what it must be like for a completely new player. Where can I spend karma points? Should I be exchanging my coins for gems? How does the Black Lion Trading Company work? It’s a lot to take in, and the game doesn’t do very much to clarify matters. It’s a shame because having to slog your way through a load of tabs and windows trying to buy new gear or items can really take you out of the overall experience.
Fortunately, the microtransaction aspect, while still a little confusing, is largely fair, and more importantly, not pay-to-win. Everything you can buy with real money is either purely cosmetic or for the sake of convenience (more inventory space for instance). You can exchange in-game currencies for the premium currency too, so in theory, everything is available for free if you’re prepared to grind for it. For a game that doesn’t cost anything upfront, Guild Wars 2 exercises admirable restraint in its monetization structure.
The other area where Guild Wars 2 lets itself down is in the writing. The main story is suitably sweeping and epic, concerning an invasion by the Elder Dragon Zhaitan, but the characters are largely shallow archetypes and the dialogue lacks personality. There’s a hell of a lot of lore, and some spectacular set-piece moments, but I never found myself getting emotionally invested in anything that was happening. That’s par for the course with a lot of MMOs, and a lot of players won’t care, seeing the story as little more than a springboard into endgame content, but if you’re looking for compelling storytelling then you won’t find it here, especially considering the writing hasn’t really improved in either of the three major expansions.
But as far as MMOs go these are minor quibbles. Both the core gameplay, and the overall structure are still rock solid. Guild Wars 2 is still overflowing with content, interesting things to see and do, and all manner of novel and interesting mechanics. Anyone looking for a new game to sink hundreds of hours into need look no further. There’s life in the old dog yet.
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