Guild Wars 2 – Worth the Wait?

Guild Wars 2 was officially launched on August 28, 2012. I was part of the three day head start since I pre-purchased it, so I’ve been playing since August 25. I haven’t been posting much mostly due to this highly fun and addictive game.

After waiting for five years for this video game to be available to play, was it really worth the wait?

YES!

This game is so much fun. Sure, the original Guild Wars game was tons of fun, too. However, this one takes it to the top tier of the next level of gaming. The graphics are stunning, the storyline is customizable and so creative (the writers at ArenaNet are amazing), the audio is fabulous, and it is fully explorable with large groups throughout the world.

As always, I started my first character out as an Elementalist. I’m almost level 60 after a little over a week of dedicated playing. The max is level 80, but the game doesn’t stop once you reach that level. There are tons of areas to explore, dungeons to conquer, and dragons to slay. The crafting system is also something I’m taking some time to work on as well.

The armor in the game is designed beautifully, and as a female gamer, that is a huge bonus for me. I love finding cool new things to wear on my characters. The dye system is also different in this game. You have to find or craft an “Unidentified Dye” to unlock a random dye for your character. Once it is unlocked on that character, you can use it on any items of clothing your character wears. I was lucky enough to get one of the black shades titled “Abyss” as one of my first dyes.

Unlike every other MMO I’ve ever played, Guild Wars 2 doesn’t make us fight over monsters to slay out in the world. We can help one another kill something (even if not in the same party) and everyone who helped out gets credit (and drops) for the kill. People are also rewarded with experience points for helping raise people who were killed in battle. Mining, logging, and harvesting spots are also available to everyone and only disappear for you after you’ve gotten them. They eventually respawn for you, but this way of gathering items is so much better than other games I’ve played such as Final Fantasy XI.

All new games have some issues, and this one is no exception. There have been some bugs, account issues, and other things that have happened since the release. I’ve even been affected by some of these. However, it is not enough for me to not want to play the game.

Guild Wars 2 is the best new MMO of the year, and quite possibly for many years to come. If you consider yourself a “gamer” this is one video game you must play right away. It is too fun to miss out on!