Guild Wars 2

Hi,

I’ve been away from the game a LONNNG time. Way back near launch, life got in the way with a move to NYC, jobs left and right, enjoying the city, etc. However now my life is slowing back down and frankly I’ve missed RPGs and the stuff that companies are cranking out (looking at you Andromeda) just looks like garbage.

That being said I was wondering if someone could answer a few Qs I have.

1.) What is the population like, is the game still very active or has it gone the way of most MMOs and the population is only in the hundreds at most times?
2.) What is the current state of the classes? I meddled with all of them at launch but just want to know if there are anything that are a bit broken now.
3.) Will I need the expansion right away, or would people recommend I play through the original content til I get there?

I plan on starting a brand new character, not level boosting as well, and getting my feet back into the game. I have 4 lower ranged characters, but those are birthday gifts right there! So I don’t think I will delete anyone yet.

Thank you for the help everyone can’t wait to see you out there!

1) The megaserver system fills PvE maps with players from all servers, this keeps maps busy. More so if there is an event going on that map. Right now with SAB festival is back, players are over in Rata Sum doing that content.

2) Same old same old. What ever your favorite profession has been nerfed to oblivion while all other professions have been buffed to godhood. You know, standard MMO drama.

3) If you don’t have a level 80 character yet, then you don’t need HoT yet. If you have an 80, then even outside of the HoT story and areas it unlocks the “elite specialization” for each professions, lets you unlock the post 80 mastery system which lets you earn account wide abilities like gliding, and of course access to Living World Season 3 areas.

1) The population on the game is still fairly high. You won’t go onto any map without running into someone at some point. When I came back, I was shocked how the racial cities like the Black Citadel (which used to be empty) are now full of players all the time. Meta events always have a large crowd of players doing them.

2) Balance depends on what you’re playing. In PvE, pretty much everything is viable. But in PvP, WvW and raids – there are balance issues that players on these forums have been discussing.

3) You don’t need the expansion right away unless you want to be a Revenant. Most of HoT’s benefits take place after you get to Level 80. But once you get there, I highly suggest the expansion – if only for the gliding. OMG – being able to glide anywhere in the game makes travelling through Tyria a hundred times better!

azureai.9764:

3) You don’t need the expansion right away unless you want to be a Revenant. Most of HoT’s benefits take place after you get to Level 80. But once you get there, I highly suggest the expansion – if only for the gliding. OMG – being able to glide anywhere in the game makes travelling through Tyria a hundred times better!

The “login rewards” do start accumulating instantly. Gliding actually requires doing the first HoT story mission and training the mastery, which requires being level 80, so that’s not much of a reason to get it for “right now”. That said, it’s not a huge grind to 80 or whatever, so … I thought it was worth it.

I’d also echo the others: the game has good population, and while there are balance complaints, they are mostly the player generated “X is theoretically better” that doesn’t hold up in practice.