Guild Wars 2 still awesome

I’ve been digging back into GW2 lately to try to catch up to the Living World story which just dropped the finale. The game is still tons of fun but can be a bit overwhelming for new players. The scope of the game is just enormous.

That’s my main, Gareth Starke, a guardian, pictured above sporting a full set of ascended gear that took me quite a while to build.

I’m what you would call an extremely casual player. I only get online about an hour a week, if that. I’m still two full seasons behind in the Living World story, but looking to catch up just to see what happens. I generally don’t go online for spoilers so I can be amazed as the story progresses by playing blind. It makes the game much harder if you have to discover the puzzles and tactics used by the enemies.

One of my favorite features of this game is the way the developers have avoided the power creep for the most part. You can start a new character and level them up to 80 in a few weeks without much struggle. Once you hit the level cap, all of the progression is horizontal. You get to decide what you want to pursue without being forced to go in any particular path. Usually, there is not too much grinding (and you’ll never have to kill 1000 pigs), although some of the really good rewards require a lot of attention.

Over the years, as more features have been added, some of the early content is a little broken or rediculously easy. Oh well, it’s still fun even if there is little change that you will fail. As you make your way to the newer maps, though, you’ll find it difficult just to move around.

I don’t do pvp, mainly because I’m not great at min/maxing my build and because I play with a track-pad instead of a mouse. That can definitley be a bit of a handicap especially in some of the jumping puzzles. Some of the mounts are pretty difficult to control with the track pad as well.

I’m always open to grouping up for a dungeon, a trip to the mists, or just working through someone’s personal story. Shoot me an in-game message @ Arion Starke.5208 if you want to hang out sometime.

You can always try the game out for free, although some content will not be available to you. You won’t notice it for a really long time. There is no monthly fee and the cash store is cosmetic and convenience only, so no pay-to-win, although early gameplay is hard to loose anyway.

Guild Wars 2

See you online!