Guild wars 2: The best MMORPG yet

I know I’ve been slacking on the blogging especially when it comes to gaming articles. So, with open beta just around the corner I want to talk about the most anticipated MMORPG of 2012, Guild Wars 2.

If you’ve been paying attention, you already know that I’m a die-hard GW fan and have been waiting for this sequel to drop for 4 agonizing years. But, I’ll tell you this, it’s well worth the wait.

Last weekend, ArenaNet launched its first closed beta event which was designed specifically for media. Unfortunately, GEEKPR0N wasn’t a part of it but luckily, the media that was invited did some pretty extensive reporting complete with screen shots, lots of videos, and phenomenal reviews. I’ve said it before many many times and, I’ll say it again this is the Warcraft killer we’ve all been waiting for.

Bold statement, I know. And if you don’t believe me, hit the jump.

Guild Wars 2 takes place 250 years after the original game and simply saying that Tyria has changed is an understatement. Every inch of the game has been updated with insane attention to detail. The beautifully stylized and intricate environments make the player feel 100% immersed in the world of Tyria and the game mechanics are unlike anything you’ve ever played in past or current MMO’s.

The game changer.

Guild Wars 2 is centered around the player and puts the “game” back in RPG. ArenaNet felt that the current MMO model for games like Warcraft, SWTOR, and Everquest are more like work than gaming. So, when they set out to create the sequel to their own game, which was also very different from the standard MMO, they wanted to make sure it didn’t fall into the same trap. Instead of slapping a Guild Wars skin on the existing MMO model and calling it a new game, *cough* SWTOR *cough* they smashed the mold with their revolutionary game engine that makes Warcraft look like baby town frolics.

No longer will you have to run here, kill 120 of that, and then run back for a reward. That’s boring. Instead of quests, Guild wars 2 has something called, Dynamic Events. What does that mean? Well, have a look.

When a dynamic event presents itself, there are several ways it can play out. For example, you might come across an NPC who needs you to defend their village from an onslaught of monsters. If you succeed, the story line will move forward triggering the next event chain. If you fail, you activate a completely different event chain. Since you failed to defend the town, now you must take it back. The decisions you make will effect your personal story line, the story lines of other players involved, and the world around you.

Guild Wars 2 is different from every other MMORPGs for many reasons other than the dynamic event system.

NO HEALERS. Nothing is more irritating than wasting hours party searching for a healer or any profession for that matter. Gone are the days of “LFG Tank and healer.” Any profession can fill any role and you can switch on the fly as needed. A Necromancer is typically a support class but, with the new mechanics, the Necro can jump to front lines and tank/damage or fall back and control as the situation calls for it. This means everyone gets to play the class they wanna play no matter what professions make up your party.

NO MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION FEES. Guild Wars 2 is free to play and the only micro transactions that are available are for things like social clothing. Real world cash can never be used to give players items that provide an unfair advantage which means no tweaked out n00bs and no obligation to play.

NO GRINDING. EVER. Everyone hates grinding. ArenaNet hates it too. That’s why they’ve changed the way you level up. Traditionally, the amount of experience needed to advance increases as you level. If the level cap is high, it can take weeks to get to the next level especially if you’re getting close to maxing out. ArenaNet solved this problem by keeping the experience curve between levels even across the board. The experience cap remains the same whether your leveling from 15 to 16 or from 79 to 80. And yes, the new level cap is 80. A far cry from 20 in the original game.

PERSONALIZED STORY. As the player, you begin your personal story line in character creation. Not only do you chose your characters appearance, you also set them on a custom created path based on how you respond to a Fallout-style questionnaire. These answers begin shape your world and as a result, provide a completely different experience from other players. As you play through the game your decisions will trigger different paths which tie into the dynamic event chains.

Professions.

Guild Wars 2 has 8 professions split into 3 categories. Soldiers, Adventurers, and Scholars. You can click on the links for in depth detail and videos of each profession of the official Guild Wars 2 site.

Soldiers wear heavy armor and include the Warrior and Guardian professions.

Adventurers wear medium armor and include the Ranger, Thief, and Engineer professions.

Scholars wear light armor and include the Mesmer, Necromancer, and Elementalist professions.

Races of Tyria.

Out of everything I’ve seen so far, Races are what I’m the most excited about. While not new to the MMO world, the ability to play different races is something the original Guild Wars lacked.

This time around, ArenaNet gives us 5 playable races that can be any profession. Charr, Norn, Sylvari, Asura, and Humans have stopped fighting each other and banded together to fight the new evils that threaten Tyria.

These are just some of the new features ArenaNet has introduced to Guild Wars 2. Crafting, world vs world vs world, side-kicking, underwater combat, and updated dungeons are other things you can look forward to.