Guild Wars 2 Gameplay Review

I couldn’t go on creating gameplay impressions without doing one for my all time favorite game Guild Wars 2.

Released by NC Soft, Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG addition to the Guild Wars series played by thousands of gamers all over the world.

Find out what this game is all about and what to expect in GW2.

Guild Wars 2 is a subscription-free online game where anyone can download the game without having to spend money to play the game.

GW2 is mostly played by teenagers and adults; parents should find out more information about the game before allowing children to play.

The game contains violence, fighting, and alcohol consumption that might not be appropriate for children.

Guild Wars 2 Gameplay

Everything in this game reminds me of a painter’s masterpiece – the edges of spells that are being created are reminiscent of brush strokes, and the overall graphics are a unique mix of 3D characters on 2D backgrounds.

The meadows and forests look especially attractive with gorgeous inky strips on the sides of the screen.

All this adds up to a very real, magic feel of the world you are playing.

Although the human races and the Norn do lack in expressiveness, the dialogues pay up for that.

The music is also impressive, using an orchestra and a great variety of instruments.

Gearing up for War

The objective of the game is to kill enemies that oppose you so that you can advance in rank.

Every- time you kill an enemy, you gain experience and become stronger.

The stronger you become, the stronger enemies you can kill.

In order level up your character, you can complete quests through the world called “questing.”

If you feel more experienced and confident about your character’s abilities, you can participate in dungeon quests.

New Features in Guild Wars 2

The new GW2 iteration combines everything that we loved so much in the first Guild Wars game with a more sophisticated new open world filled with various nooks, hidden corners and niches to explore.

The game has four different maps to discover, and a mode that allows world vs. world gameplay with up to 3 servers competing at the same time.

Players also have access to 5 races and eight various classes with different abilities.

You must Crawl before you Walk

As a new player in GW2, expect to learn about the world of Guild Wars 2 through in-game cut-scenes and special places throughout the world.

Your first task will be to create your character using GW2’s unique character creator.

The character creator will allow you to design a unique character tailored just for you.

First, you must pick a race that grabs your attention. There are five races to choose from:

5 Races

Norn are the tall and proud people of the North. These natural hunters have been trained to survive in harsh cold environments.

Charr is a race of warriors ready to fight at a moments notice. They were raised in battle, and all they know is war.

Humans are vigorous and high-spirited, they will defend Kryta at all costs.

Asura the Asuran race is the shortest race in all Tyria. So you think because they are short they can’t fight?

Think again! The Asuran are the smartest people of all races, and they use intellect and magic to punish their enemies.

Sylvari is mysterious yet a beautiful race made out of plants and nature.

They are a curious and noble race ready to defend its homeland if threatened.

Once you picked one of Tyria’s races, you must choose a class that fits your game-style.

A character class determines how you will play the game.

For example, let’s say you pick the Warrior Class; a warrior is built to fight with hand-held weapons but with few magic spells.

The Elementalists Class can also fight with weapons, but its primary method of damage is with magic spells.

Other options to consider when choosing your class is to know if you enjoy close combat or long-range combat.

There are eight types to choose from:

8 Classes

Engineers are a class that is all about technology and the right tools to use.

They also have a cool weapon-kit with powerful and nifty things like flamethrowers and grenades.

Elementalists get to have all the fun with all the elements and spells that are based on them.

They can entirely change their skill set as they wish, switching from one part to the other.

Mesmers are great tricksters who use illusions, teleportation and greatly rely on tricks.

Guardians are juggernauts who use a variety of group-oriented spells and skills; they can even shout to scare their enemy.

Rangers rely on different pets from land and sea, but they need to be captured first.

Necromancers are all about pet control and can create their small army.

Warriors are weapon masters that like to engage in close combat.

They have a unique adrenaline ability that changes depending on the weapon they use.

Thieves are fast and furious; they can do some severe damage leaping in and out of stealth.

Revenants are a new class introduced in Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns expansion.

They wear heavy armor and can cause lots of damage.

Once you picked your GW2 character class, you begin crafting your very own unique personal story.

The personal storyline is your character’s biography of what he or she wants to achieve in GW2.

Your storyline will be recorded throughout your adventures in Tyria, and you will be able to participate in your private story-line quests.

A Brand New World to Explore

After you’re done creating your character, you will begin your adventures in one of the seven regions of Tyria.

7 Regions

Kryta is the starting place for the Human race.

Kryta is filled with extensive farmlands, hills, valleys and open fields.

The Tarnished Coast is home to the Asura and the Sylvari race.

The land is filled with jungles, forests, marshes, and tropical climate.

Shiverpeak Mountains are the home for the tall and proud Norn.

Mostly under snow, these mountains are harsh and unforgivable.

Steamspur Mountains are filled with beautiful vegetation and magnificent vistas.

Ascalon is the home of the Charr, a desert-like place where only the strong survive.

Orr was once an underwater city, but now it has emerged, and trouble followed it.

The Orrian undead has raised and has taken command of this land.

Lion’s Arch is a huge city dedicated to trading, exploring, crafting and yes, showing off your character in social events.

(Note: Lion’s Arch is not a character starting city)

The Guild Wars 2 Gameplay Experience

The combat in Guild Wars 2 for the PC is full of action; you will be timing your strikes, dodging your opponent’s blows and blocking incoming attacks.

As your character progresses in-game, he or she will unlock weapon skills from each particular weapon you wield.

For example, let’s say you own a pistol; using this weapon will unlock its special abilities like Explosive Shot, Static Shot or Poison Dart Volley.

While adventuring in Tyria, you may team up with other players in combat and use combo attacks to further damage your enemies.

Combo attacks are high damage attacks that are created during combat when two or more players combine their individual abilities to create one huge damage attack.

For you to gain better gear and earn some coin, many players participate in story quests that are spread throughout the world.

GW2 Story Quests are Fun

These story quests are typical quests that you will find in your starting city and as you become stronger in other distant lands.

When your character reaches certain levels throughout its career, he or she will be able to continue the personal story-line quests.

These personal quests are tailored just for you and they tell your character’s story based on the choices you make.

Personal story quests are optional are not required to play the game, you can also invite your friends to help complete these personal quests.

Some exciting quests come from the Dynamic Events that happen throughout the world of Tyria.

I wouldn’t call them dynamic events or quests, but more like an action scene in a movie where a powerful villain rises and destroys everyone and everything around it.

Dynamic Events are unique events that happen throughout the world depending on locations and player activities.

For example, let’s say you and a group of players are working on a general quest, the area in which you are completing this quest may trigger a dynamic event based on the number of players and their actions.

These particular events are very challenging, but if you manage to stay alive, you will receive great treasures for your efforts.

Guild Wars 2 Dungeon Gameplay

Dungeon quests are much more challenging than regular world quests because Dungeon enemies are harder to defeat.

The dungeons in GW2 are very tough, and you will need the help of your teammates to be successful.

Players that are successful in dungeons will be rewarded with various types of treasure that will make you even stronger.

Your ultimate goal is to progress your character to the highest level and be able to defeat the most powerful characters in GW2.

Beating the strongest characters in GW2 is not the only objective, you will be able to team up with a group of players to fight against another group of players called player versus player (PVP) for rewards and rank.

Players can fight other players in the world versus world battles (WvW) for massive combat engagements.

In Guild Wars 2 for the PC you will be fighting all types of villains, monsters and real active players in PvP.

These villains may include thieves, bandits, corrupted cultists and other evil humans.

There are different types of monsters to fight in Tyria ranging from ghosts, sea creatures, animals, all the way to abominations and the undead.

During player versus player battles, you will encounter different character classes and monsters appearing in the battlefield.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t played GW2 you should give it a try, after all you can download it for free and start playing right away.

For a more detailed game guide, read the following post: The Guild Wars 2 Beginners Guide.

Once I started playing Guild Wars 2 I got hooked on it and until this day I still play it.

Don’t expect to see everything this game has to offer in one play-through.

The only thing I guarantee is that you will have fun doing quests, assisting other players and fighting big boss battles.

External Resources

IGN.com, GUILD WARS 2 REVIEW. Retrieved on 5/18/2018.

Wiki.GuildWars2.com, Guild Wars 2 Wiki. Retrieved on 5/18/2018.

GuildWars2.com, Guild Wars 2 Homepage. Retrieved on 5/18/2018.