Guild Wars 2 review (2012)

The early 2010s were a time of MMO fatigue, as World of Warcraft spawned many imitators that failed to displace it. Guild Wars 2 never really felt like it was trying to kill WoW; ArenaNet quietly reconsidered every assumption in MMO design. There is no subscription, no holy trinity, and the game offers endless reasons to cooperate with fellow players instead of competing over quest resources and loot.

Personal stories anchor the world: Destiny's Edge members such as Eir Stegalkin and Rytlock appear in the Ascalonian catacombs, serving as mentors as you try to stop them from killing each other. Players gather in towns and dungeons—an asura warrior in red and gold armour explains his build and boasts a very high critical hit chance—one of many possible builds across eight professions and dozens of weapon combinations.

Those design choices change how the game feels.

guild wars, mmo, world of, arenanet, no subscription, holy trinity, destiny's edge, eir stegalkin, rytlock, professions