Reviews for the Road: Guild Wars 2 Beta

Sunday, May 27, 2012  Unknown  

I have been a fan of Guild Wars for quite some time, and have played through all 4 campaigns with multiple characters. Because of that, it may not come as a surprise that I am very excited for the release of Guild Wars 2. When I had the opportunity to pre-order the game to get access to all future beta weekends, I immediately jumped at the chance. Guild Wars 2 is very different from almost every other MMORPG I've ever played, so this review will try to explain just how different it is.

To begin creating a character you can choose from 5 different races: Asura, Charr, Human, Norn, and Sylvari. Next, choose male or female. Then you can choose your profession: from Guardian, Warrior, Engineer, Ranger, Thief, Elementalist, Mesmer, or Necromancer. After customizing your character's looks you will answer 5 questions that describe your character and will customize your personal story. Finally, enter your name and watch the opening cinematic. Then you will be right away thrust into the middle of a battle to start your personal story!


Guild Wars 2 does not have "quests" like a traditional MMO and instead has "tasks" (also called Renown Hearts). Right now there are 232 tasks in the game. Tasks are automatically acquired upon entering an area, but you can also talk to the related NPCs for more information or to turn in certain items. Many of the tasks are old-fashioned, kill/gather quests, but they still seem to keep me more entertained than quests that start with walls of text. In the case of Guild Wars 2 you quickly figure out the problem and work to solve it.

Aside from the quests, around the massive world of Tyria there are 183 skill challenges, 781 points of interest, and tons of dynamic events. Skill challenges are achieved several ways: visiting special locations guarded by monsters, dueling strong NPCs, fighting a horde of specific monsters, finding a special item, or receiving these items from NPCs. Skill points can be used to buy a vast amount of skills, each at different prices in points. These challenges will all help you in exploring the world, and while doing so you will come across many dynamic events. These range from defending an outpost from enemies (usually centaurs), to guarding an important person as they travel from place to place. These events were created to increase co-operation among players - and they do. During almost every event a group of players will be gathered to work together.


Other features of the game include dungeons, crafting and gathering, and PvP. So far I have not been able to experience dungeons during the beta. They are said to be instances each with their own specific story. There will be 8 dungeons at launch, and will be available starting at level 30. Players can have two crafting professions at a time, but can change for a fee whenever they like. Some of these include chefs, weaponsmiths, and jewelers. Gathering involves the collecting of ores, logging wood, or harvesting plants as a means of getting materials for those professions. The combat is also unique, but not as much so as previously reviewed TERA. You attack, like most MMOs, with number keys or by clicking on skills. But as with TERA there is also a dodging mechanic used by double-tapping the arrow keys. This may not be used at first but can be useful dodging some attacks. As for PvP, it is not something that interests me very much, but from people I know who are playing they greatly enjoy the new World vs. World mode.

Overall my experince in Guild Wars 2 so far has been amazing. I have already put in too many hours to count (I know, /age works too), and have barely left the first area of the game. A major part of the game is the personal story, and with my level 15 character I have hardly scratched the surface. What I do know is that the stories are greatly based off your choices creating your character but will become intertwined later on. My previous experience playing on the first beta weekend and the first stress test, have always left me wanting more. I've currently completed more than 17/232 tasks, 6/183 skill challenges, and visited 29/781 points of interest - and the developers will surely add more content as time passes.

I give this game an 85/100. It is truly unique, more than any other MMO I have ever seen or played. While it's combat may not be as action-oriented as TERA, it does practically re-invent MMORPGs with its completely different presentations of quests, managing skills, and a great over-arching story. I could only hope that somehow the beginning parts of the story could be a bit more exciting, but that may only be specific to my choice of a human warrior along with the answers of my biography questions at the start. Still, I totally recommend checking this game out as it is probably the best MMORPG around. If you want to play as soon as possible you can pre-purchase the game now to be able to play in all upcoming beta weekend events, just follow them on twitter for all the latest news!

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