Guild Wars 2

Improving the new player experience to make it easier for new players to learn how to play GW2, enter the game world, and more quickly learn the game without being overwhelmed.

I was glad to read this among the many new features coming to GW2 in 2013. I was a brand new player not long ago, not having any MMORPG experience, and if my friend hadn’t been right there watching me play and giving me pointers on what to do, I would have been completely lost. Ultimately, if he hadn’t have been there, I’m betting I would have just given up on the game as not my style.

Though GW2 gets many things right and was certainly attractive enough to make me want to play, in game explanations of how to play are virtually non-existent. Right down to the controls and keybindings, GW2 seems to assume players have knowledge they very well may not have. The forums here are full of fantastic resources and players who are willing to share knowledge, the game itself links to its fantastic wiki with detailed information and strategy…the in-game explains none of that right now.

I’m glad to see Anet taking the initiative on this so new players have a better experience. I, for one, will certainly be more inclined to show my non-MMORPG friends the game if I know I won’t have to explain every little thing to them because the structure is there to teach them in-game.