Guild Wars 2

So with the 5th living world season 3 patch coming today, I was wondering if it was worth buying into the game at this point vs playing free and just waiting for the next expansion. I have a lot of friends who stopped playing gw2 before heart of thorns came out and I’m not sure if I should push them into buying heart of thorns if the new one is going to be announced soon. With the last expansion, we were told that purchasing any new expansions would unlock the previous expansions too, so if we’re coming up to a new one, would it be worth it to recommend people to buy the game now when they’d just have to pay again in a short while?

Up to you. Are you ok without HoT features (and unlocks) for (at least) another 6 months? Do you want to be playing catch up when you first acquire the next expansion?

For me, if I’m really enjoying the free game, it would be worth $US25 to start today. I can forgo a couple of fancy coffee-flavored beverages/month, if I’m short of the funds.

We have not been told when the next expansion is coming. So waiting is all up to the individual.

If you’re already enjoying the free version, it’s a matter if you’re ok with spending the extra or not. You’re not gonna “lose” your time or anything, because as you probably already noticed whatever you get in GW2 is cumulative. You won’t lose skins by switching weapons and you won’t lose out on content if you don’t play it because equipment stats are hard capped by ascended. On the contrary, whatever titles, items, etc. you get will only accumulate towards your collections.

Consider also that if you stop playing right now and pick up whenever the next expansion arrives you’ll be “good to go” and will not be required to go through all of the previous content to access it. So buy it now only if you want to enjoy the content available right now, as it is not really a requirement for the next content (and, they will most likely include HoT within the package for the next expansion).

Looming is relative. It’ll likely be out within a year, six months unrealistically the earliest. Currently the price has been cut to $30 for HoT but will likely rise for the next expansion which would also include HoT (assuming the clarification back before HoT that every expansion will include the whole game still stands).

PyrateSilly.4710:

We have not been told when the next expansion is coming. So waiting is all up to the individual.

Actually, we have been told…in the latest AMA:

Episode 5 – today
Episode 6 – 2 to 3 months from today
Expansion 2 – 2 to 3 months from Episode 6 (with a bit of wiggle room)
Living World Season 4 Episode 1 – 2 to 3 months from Expansion 2 launch (again with some wiggle room)

Good luck.

The HoT maps scale for large groups and meta-events only, there is almost zero soloable content, you can’t even unlock the majority of the skill points solo let alone the achievements and events.

And as soon as that expansion hits, the population on the HoT maps is going to plummet to practically zero, even now they’re dead except during primetime hours and runs with specific guilds. So either complete them now or make peace with the fact that you will never complete them ever.

But, in my opinion, missing out on HoT (the open world at least), isn’t missing much at all. Just catch up with the story on youtube and call it good for the next expansion.

EDIT: Of course this is all assuming that they aren’t going to mess with the scaling on the HoT maps once players start to shy away from them.

There is the possibility that 2nd expansion will have its own separate mastery system so if you miss out on HoT you will miss out on HoT Mastery to be used for 2nd Expansion zones which may make traveling a bit more difficult but should be easy as long oyu unlock 2nd expansion mastery.

Still the loss of Gliding will affect your ability to explore to be lower than players who have HoT.

i’ll wait for the new xpac’s price drop. i can really feel the hurt that the HoT failure has put Anet in. Aurene reveal feels meh, with all the cool dragon concept art Anet has shown us they settle on Toothless from How to train your dragon. Caudecus battle is just as a mess as the dungeon of the first elder dragon. Did’nt Eir say she wanted to get the sister sword to Sohathin in the stroy of the Catacombs dungeon? Now it’ll never happen. Ritlock has been shelved again!!! without any story as to how he got his new powers. Asuran girl and Logan get soaked in dragon juice and Logan is just fine??? by the way what about the Asuran girl? The best story, boss designs, and legendary armor is now locked behind raids which I would have been cool with if they had not made the dedicated healer Druid, you know the role that no one wants to play, that makes raids exclusive to pre-mades? One of the biggest problems MMOs as an industry that Anet wanted to do away with?

Looming is hardly the correct word. 6 months sounds about right for when the expansion could come out (at the earliest). There is a pretty big chance GW2 will see a cheaper HoT cost before then I suppose but its impossoble to tell for sure.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

PyrateSilly.4710:

We have not been told when the next expansion is coming. So waiting is all up to the individual.

Actually, we have been told…in the latest AMA:

Episode 5 – today
Episode 6 – 2 to 3 months from today
Expansion 2 – 2 to 3 months from Episode 6 (with a bit of wiggle room)
Living World Season 4 Episode 1 – 2 to 3 months from Expansion 2 launch (again with some wiggle room)

Good luck.

Sorry, did not get to watch it as I was dealing with a car that got tore off a hitch and kissed the back of the RV. 2 claims and still have to wait another 1 1/2 days till we can get an estimate on damages. No one was hurt but still … talking to the insurance company and telling them at least 3 times in detail what happened is annoying.