First Impressions from Guild Wars 2

I've been playing Guild Wars 2, well, a lot, lately. Got my Guardian above level 30, granting me access to all 10 of my skills now. I also made a Sylvari Mesmer as well to see what the game was like from a different perspective. I can honestly say that the game is very well polished, and the best part of Guild Wars 2 to me so far is the great sense of exploration. The world of Guild Wars has always been huge, but Guild Wars 2 takes it to a new level; hopping across gaps to reach higher footholds for scenic Vistas, fighting through a cave full of enemies to get Skill Points, completing the map to get major rewards, etc.



Aside from just getting places, the world in Guild Wars 2 is simply amazing through how "alive" it is. There's usually a lot of things going on where it isn't just idle NPCs standing around, but walking around and doing things. A villager can come and warn the town of an incoming invasion, followed by a group of centaurs that will start attacking the guards. These events are designed for a group of players to work together to meet the objective, and these events are usually very rewarding with EXP, Karma, and a few coins.

These activities from exploration and events seem to be my current guide for what to do in the game, and so far it is pretty great. These two things easily have me playing the game the way it was intended to instead of farming items and EXP through killing a bunch of enemies.

I have yet to get too deep into the social aspects of the game, aside from when random players get together to do the events I previously mentioned. Unlike Guild Wars 1, there doesn't seem to be any henchmen that you can hire to include in your party, so any additional help would have to be from other players. However, I haven't really had any real need for additional help, at least as a Guardian so far. Can't say the same about my squishy Mesmer, but she's still level 10 at the moment. I am currently in a guild, but they're fairly quiet at the moment. If I ever need help, I might consider asking there if anyone wants to give me a hand with a quest.

I'll talk some more about the game, I'm sure. Just wanted to drop by with some pictures and my initial thoughts about Guild Wars 2. Now I'm off to go play some more. Need to get my daily achievement rewards.