Guild Wars 2

First let me say that I absolutely loved the original GW2. One could get lost exploring the map and by crafting, doing area quests, or events. I still think it’s amazing.

In HoT, I find myself running circles around a very empty Verdant Brink looking for events to do. Where are all the people? I just want to try and finish mastery tracks so I can ultimately gain access to other parts of the map. I feel like I have to keep grinding VB over and over and I can’t even do that when there’s nobody around. I even popped an XP booster the other day and it mostly went to waste.

Super frustrating and unfortunate. I am on Yak’s Bend, which is supposed to be a high-population server.

At least in the old game I could do area quests or go to other zones if nobody was around. But in HoT the content is gated . And the constant “invasions” that happen at the waypoints feel very timed and artificial like the ones in Tabula Rasa (if anyone remembers that game). You don’t stand a chance alone.

I love the work that the devs put into this expansion and it’s a gorgeous surrounding, but I wish it allowed me to explore, at the very least.