As an altoholic I always tend to level slower than most in any MMO I play, as I tend to dabble in all classes until I find the one (or two) that suits me best. Kudos to ANET on their design of Guild Wars 2. For the first time in an MMO , players like myself are rewarded for being curious about what might lie in the upper corner of an area instead of being concerned with how fast they can get to cap. I pre-purchased so I could play in the head start and my main has crossed into the 40’s. These are my impressions to this point based on what I have done as an exclusive (to this point) PvE player.
My main is a warrior and by about level 6 had unlocked all weapon skills. I had a blast just grabbing the basic version of each weapon and finding out what could be done. I settled on a rifle/dual axe warrior. Rifle butt to the face……. so satisfying
As these were my first few days playing, all the dynamic events alnog with the personal storyline,map exploration and the overall graphical beauty of the areas were a sensory overload of the best kind. I was confused at times but I didn’t care because I was having too much fun. At first I tried to keep my personal storyline up to date, but since have let it slide because I was more involved with exploration and dynamic events. Plus the scale down still lets me enjoy a relatively good experience in lower areas with just the benefit that my weapons, skills and traits provide. In short my journey to the point I am at now has been quite good with a variety of things to do and many more ways to level up than I have ever had in any other MMO.
The list of things I enjoy is almost endless. Dynamic events top the list. The Swamp Behemoth was my first big one. Being involved with around 50 players taking down that creature was just amazing. Finding another one in my 40’s in a line of centaur events was a surprise, and if I hadn’t been busy looting bodies I might have even missed out, so make sure you don’t rush out of an area too soon. The heart quests, points of interest, and vistas keep you moving around and gaining experience. This works great for me since, as stated, I am not a fan of power leveling. There are many more positives in this game than I can list, but those are my highpoints.
There are a few things I do feel need some attention. Mobs that go invulnerable are currently my most annoying feature. I feel once you engage and inflict damage, unless invulnerable is a skill of that mob, the fight should count all damage inflicted to its conclusion. Blowing your best attacks to an invulnerable response puts you in a bad position. This occurs more underwater than above, but I had to leave a cave due to an invulnerable veteran ice imp who spawned minions.
One event, Blood Witch, has problems to the point of frustration. Barracudas spawn quickly in droves and if you do manage to get into the cave Vet Krait join in the spawnfest with the ‘cudas. I basically had to get in for my POI and then I just left. I hope if this isn’t already fixed, that it will be soon.
There are a few more minor things that could be adjusted, such as more recipe drops from humanoid mobs and more variety in beast drops. Leather and meat drops but I personally havent come up with much, if any wool or other textile basics for crafting. These are very very minor though and don’t affect my overall enjoyment.
I hope everyone else has found their way to enjoy this game. I know I have and I am planning on enjoying all Tyria has to offer for a very long time.