A decade after...

[robintan.4068]

On September 7, 2012, famous YouTube personality and game reviewer Joe Vargas, a.k.a. Angry Joe, released a video that would unknowingly become the deciding factor for me to dip my toes into the vast world of Guild Wars 2. It has been a very long time since I even played an MMORPG, and the last one I played looked nothing like it. I was so used to the cartoony and anime aesthetics of ye olde Ragnarok and RAN Online that going to this game was a massive deal for me. I had stopped playing MMOs to focus on my studies and once college was done, I could finally go back to playing that genre. At that time, my girlfriend was trying to get me to play the game with her, but I was very reluctant. I felt I was too far gone to understand MMOs, and to think that it was a sequel to another famous MMO? I didn't have the guts to take the leap and play.

Not yet at least. Not until I saw his review of Guild Wars 2... 

The tl;dr version of the review was that he absolutely adored the game and his enthusiasm for it made me want to play the game daily. I could have gone off to World of Warcraft, but as someone who struggled to pay the bills (and still sort of does to this day because work is slow), I couldn't afford to tack onto my funds a subscription-based game. I also couldn't play like hardcore players who would be able to grab essential gear they needed for events, World versus World, dungeons, fractals, etc., because I was too busy (still am, but finding time for it nowadays). It also didn't help that my computer at that time had difficulty playing graphics-heavy games (two laptops, a desktop, and a work laptop later, it finally runs on Medium lol). All my questions were answered in his review and upon checking the system requirements, my old potato laptop could handle the game. 

A week after I saw the review, I met with my girlfriend to buy the physical copy of Guild Wars 2 at one of our local stores and she rushed home so she could show me the ropes. I remember making a Sylvari Warrior who became my main after many pain-staking and grueling adventures and powerleveling to 80 (he would then be deleted and become his second and final iteration, a Sylvari Revenant once Heart of Thorns arrived, and made his warrior part of his lore). She enthusiastically taught me everything she knew, from how to get around from town to town, to using the various repair anvils and NPCs to repair all your broken gear, which at that time cost money. She would take me with her Shortbow Thief to her favorite spot, the jumping puzzle Craze's Folly in Blazeridge Steppes with the ruins near the cave at the end. We often logged in and just listened to the music whenever we didn't feel like playing but wanted to hear the beautiful compositions. Nowadays, we tend to meetup at the baby quaggan jumping puzzle instead because, we just love quaggans. ❤️

After many months of playing and getting the hang of the game, the guild we were in dabbled in WvW and we soon got a taste of the competitive scene. We were true casuals who didn't really know what to do and just stuck near the commander and did whatever was being told on chat and hoped to our makers that they knew what to do. It was an exhilarating time back then before the mass exodus that took place in our server and before the time where WvW politics wasn't too prominent. No one really cared about Guild and WvW Politics too much and just played the game mode with friends and guildmates as they obliterated other blobs. Some of us tried PvP as well and had tons of fun, although we didn't really focus too much stock on it as we were mainly focused on PvE and exploration.

All was good until we started feeling a bit hungry for more content but couldn't find more and the Living World wasn't really cutting it...

Years later, it was announced that Guild Wars 2 would see its first expansion, Heart of Thorns, and it rejuvenated our love and interest for the game. While many others have moved on from the game and went to similar MMORPGs, a large portion would often come back. Elite specializations that granted the base professions with new access to weapons like the staff, longbow, and daggers, and a boat load of gameplay mechanics. New maps based on the new regions were added with a huge chunk of challenges that kept the game fresh, gave players more meta events to play around in, and a story that can be engaging for those interested in it. While players would return and interest would spark up, after awhile, it would settle down again until another expansion is introduced, and then another. It is not just the dragon cycle that was thought to be never ending... They would add raids, strike missions, even more fractals to the number of content and even mounts to the list, but somewhere along the way, I felt like I had to take a step back.

Truth be told, I got burnt out from playing. I felt that I didn't feel any challenge anymore but was too much of a wuss to try raiding or go competitive and be serious in PvP.

I know from a previous post I mentioned that I just recently came back from a long hiatus from the game. The funny thing about it is, when I recently got back and logged in, everything felt like it was that fateful day nearly 12 years ago where everything felt brand new again. I was older, wiser, still broke on gold and mats (lol) but I missed playing the game. My girlfriend hasn't been playing as much nowadays sadly due to work commitments and my old guild has long since disbanded. Apparently they weren't playing as much anymore and couldn't compete with others with fancier Guild Houses. 

Just as I thought that I would have no one to play with, a thought entered my mind upon the realization that there have been an influx of new players lately. As my beloved Sylvari Revenant and alt characters roam the starting areas of Queensdale, Metrica Province, Caledon Forest, Wayfarer Foothills, and Plains of Ashford, I take great enjoyment in helping new players experience the game with their fresh eyes and even mentor some of them the same exact way my gf taught me. The amount of times I see newbies shoot themselves in the foot by rushing content while being so unprepared for the next map is astounding sometimes. You also have to hammer in the thought into them that they need to take their time to get to know their chosen profession in and out, what their perks and traits do, how to use their skills and whatnot. They also need to learn about core mechanics like when to use their CC skills and how to dodge so when they want to learn how to raid, they don't learn those foundational skills while in the middle of the fight against Slothasor...

If you stuck with me long enough in this huge ramble, thank you for listening to my TED talk. The short version is plain and simple: Veteran muses about how Guild Wars 2 is just as beautiful since the day he lost her, stopped playing, and wants to share all that he knows with new players. He may not be some content creator or a famous Twitch streamer, but as long as he has time and gets to log into the game, he will gladly mentor the younglings. The game is much too beautiful to put down and the community has always remained wholesome. I'm just one among many veteran players....

The question shall now be passed onto you guys...

What are some of your fondest memories from pre-Living World and pre-expansion days? How did you guys start out? Did you also make the unfortunate mistake of thinking you could change your display name? I'd love to hear your stories of the past. 😄

[Noah Salazar.5430]

i started after pof, but my most welcome memories was when i still got my quickness on pvp/wvw scrapper 😪

it's not even personal quickness now, thay replaced it for  might and fury insted

and now thay will joink take it from me as well by moving it to blasting finishers😓

at last thay not made gyros stationary, like omg

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Noah Salazar.5430

[SidewayS.3789]

I am one of those who saw Joe's video and hype about GW2 and I bought it because of him. No regrets so far, but sadly a lot of  disappointments. 

[robintan.4068]

24 minutes ago, Noah Salazar.5430 said:

i started after pof, but my most welcome memories was when i still got my quickness on pvp/wvw scrapper 😪

it's not even personal quickness now, thay replaced it for  might and fury insted

and now thay will joink take it from me as well by moving it to blasting finishers😓

at last thay not made gyros stationary, like omg

 

I loved the Scrapper when it first came out and thought the idea of tiny gyros following you around like necromancer minions would be something it would do. While what we got was something different, I guess it was a bit too early for what would be the Mechanist. Wholeheartedly agree with the gyros being stationary though lol. 

5 minutes ago, SidewayS.3789 said:

I am one of those who saw Joe's video and hype about GW2 and I bought it because of him. No regrets so far, but sadly a lot of  disappointments. 

We are on the same boat my friend. For the disappointments though, I guess it would be World versus World and how it sometimes feels like the abandoned step child. PvE and PvP get better things than WvW. I just want it to get some love from the devs and really focus on the problems many players have mentioned in the past.
That, and where is my playable quaggan race, ArenaNet??? 🤣

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

FYI:  You can easily change your Display Name. https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000728148-I-Want-to-Change-My-Display-Name

We are only coming up on the 11-year Anniversary. 

[robintan.4068]

1 minute ago, Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:

FYI:  You can easily change your Display Name. https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000728148-I-Want-to-Change-My-Display-Name

We are only coming up on the 11-year Anniversary. 

OMG when was this a thing? Now I know I'm getting old and forgetting details lol. Thank you for this! 😄

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Some time back.   🤷‍♂️

[robintan.4068]

Oh lol. At least now I and those who may hop in here know of it. Thank you so much! 😄

[Linken.6345]

28 minutes ago, robintan.4068 said:

Oh lol. At least now I and those who may hop in here know of it. Thank you so much! 😄

Do note that it can break your account

[Nitram.7836]

I don't remember what it was that got me and my wife to look into this game. I think we had heard people talk good things about the first Guild Wars but it felt too late to get in. We were playing WoW but were bored or it. GW2 came and we got hooked so fast. The movement, the exploration was unbelievable for mmos of the time. We played almost at launch, then for about a year or 2. Before living world was starting we stopped. Life goes on, we have 2 kids now and a routine life. We got back into GW2 and wow, so much content to play! 

 

I love it, still going through LW3, but Dragon Bashing right now. Though, I felt like the endgame is time consuming and intense (I track event times and try to optimise my game time). So, I made a free account. Just to have a fresh character with no masteries, no items. I vendor/tp everything. I take my time without a mount. Feels just like when the game launched. 

 

What a phenomenal game to have lived and grown through 10 year. Here's to 10 more!

[LadyMari.7920]

Back in the beginning? There were a lot of great things. I still have my first toon, a norn ranger and she was always my main. My favourite map, to this day, is still Wayfarer Foothills. I love the events there. I remember laughing SO HARD at the norn in the hotsprings trying to hit on the very disinterested lady and her responses. I remember soloing The Frozen Maw and Svanir Dome chains and bosses every time they came up just because it was fun. My first jumping puzzle and finally getting to the chest. Helping poor Gareth try to protect and feed his kids. Discovering events as I explored because you COULD NOT see them unless you were nearby...

In 2020 I built a gaming rig and it's like playing the game for the first time all over again. I was playing on a potato laptop on low settings- now everything is on high and it's so beautiful!!!

I saw something somewhere one day when GW2 was still being developed and read about the game and said, "This is the kind of game I want to play. This game is for me." I was thrilled by a game that didn't hold my hand and force me to play a certain way. GW2 was exactly what I wanted- a place to explore. I bought and played GW1 while I waited for GW2 to come out. XD

Edited June 18, 2023 by LadyMari.7920

[Jukhy.2431]

What a great read that was - thank you! 

I remember being "blown away" by the art style and beauty of the maps when playing my first character after the release, a charr warrior because of Rytlock and the epic voice acting from Steve Blum. I also vividly remember dying over and over again in Orr, the end game OW areas before asc gear. 
I stopped after playing HoT for a while but came back after PoF release and fell in love again. Just behind the paramount beauty of the game the combat mechanics and mount implementation are the next best thing imo. From the maps Tangled Depths deserves a special mention, the design is so amazingly complex as the name fits it perfectly.

[Endaris.1452]

7 hours ago, robintan.4068 said:

OMG when was this a thing? Now I know I'm getting old and forgetting details lol. Thank you for this! 😄

This is pretty new actually.

They added the ability to do this yourself around a year ago I think although you could already request a displayname change via support for 3-4 years before that.

7 hours ago, Linken.6345 said:

Do note that it can break your account

It doesn't break your account. What can happen is that if you used API keys for any third party apps (like gw2efficiency), the app might be unable to connect data from your old display name with your new display name and you may have to create a new API key to replace the old one you entered into the app. And possibly contact the app creator (in the case of gw2efficiency) to manually merge the data.

For other "breaking" things, check here.

https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000728148-I-Want-to-Change-My-Display-Name

From personal experience, the only thing that commonly happens is that you still show with your old displayname for people that already had you friended prior.

Edited June 18, 2023 by Endaris.1452

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

For those experiencing these issues, they may find their account 'broken':

• Guild Lists
• Guild Rosters
• Inability to chat
• Broken friend/block/social lists
• The old and new name showing intermittently

[Endaris.1452]

9 minutes ago, Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:

For those experiencing these issues, they may find their account 'broken':

Help article says:

Quote

Although not common, there may be some brief side effects.

Brief is the important word here

Edited June 18, 2023 by Endaris.1452

[robintan.4068]

6 hours ago, Nitram.7836 said:

I don't remember what it was that got me and my wife to look into this game. I think we had heard people talk good things about the first Guild Wars but it felt too late to get in. We were playing WoW but were bored or it. GW2 came and we got hooked so fast. The movement, the exploration was unbelievable for mmos of the time. We played almost at launch, then for about a year or 2. Before living world was starting we stopped. Life goes on, we have 2 kids now and a routine life. We got back into GW2 and wow, so much content to play! 

 

I love it, still going through LW3, but Dragon Bashing right now. Though, I felt like the endgame is time consuming and intense (I track event times and try to optimise my game time). So, I made a free account. Just to have a fresh character with no masteries, no items. I vendor/tp everything. I take my time without a mount. Feels just like when the game launched. 

 

What a phenomenal game to have lived and grown through 10 year. Here's to 10 more!

Awwww. Wishing for more memories in-game for you and your wife together. There are surely lots of activities that you two can enjoy in game. Might I suggest a romantic skiff ride? 😊

[robintan.4068]

6 hours ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

Back in the beginning? There were a lot of great things. I still have my first toon, a norn ranger and she was always my main. My favourite map, to this day, is still Wayfarer Foothills. I love the events there. I remember laughing SO HARD at the norn in the hotsprings trying to hit on the very disinterested lady and her responses. I remember soloing The Frozen Maw and Svanir Dome chains and bosses every time they came up just because it was fun. My first jumping puzzle and finally getting to the chest. Helping poor Gareth try to protect and feed his kids. Discovering events as I explored because you COULD NOT see them unless you were nearby...

In 2020 I built a gaming rig and it's like playing the game for the first time all over again. I was playing on a potato laptop on low settings- now everything is on high and it's so beautiful!!!

I saw something somewhere one day when GW2 was still being developed and read about the game and said, "This is the kind of game I want to play. This game is for me." I was thrilled by a game that didn't hold my hand and force me to play a certain way. GW2 was exactly what I wanted- a place to explore. I bought and played GW1 while I waited for GW2 to come out. XD

Wayfarer Foothills, a..k.a. Snowball fight everyone with kids taller than you... My asuran thief is traumatized from getting wrecked by them. 🤣

It is wonderful that you finally got a gaming rig that lets you enjoy the game even more. Now I'm wondering what was the first place you revisited with high graphics that blew your mind...

[robintan.4068]

3 hours ago, Jukhy.2431 said:

What a great read that was - thank you! 

I remember being "blown away" by the art style and beauty of the maps when playing my first character after the release, a charr warrior because of Rytlock and the epic voice acting from Steve Blum. I also vividly remember dying over and over again in Orr, the end game OW areas before asc gear. 
I stopped after playing HoT for a while but came back after PoF release and fell in love again. Just behind the paramount beauty of the game the combat mechanics and mount implementation are the next best thing imo. From the maps Tangled Depths deserves a special mention, the design is so amazingly complex as the name fits it perfectly.

Speaking of art style, have you seen those parts in the GW2 livestreams where they do really cool artworks? I just love seeing how the artist makes the backgrounds. As someone who dabbles in graphic arts (but sucks at it), I love watching to see their process. The voice acting in the older parts of the game still hold up and sound alive, although the less said about outrunning centaurs the better. 😋
Oh lord Tangled Depths. I remember hating that map with a passion when it first came out because it was so easy to get lost if you were new. Nowadays though, I have a much better appreciation of the map and realized it is easy to navigate if you explore little by little and get the waypoint where all the paths converge with the wall that needs to be destroyed in the meta.

[robintan.4068]

After reading both of Endaris' and Inculpatus cedo's replies about the display names, I guess for those who are willing to undergo that change (me included) need to be wary of those things then. Luckily when I changed my name it got through and had no issues in-game, although I guess in forums its still displaying the old one lol... I'll just call it a feature, not a bug. 😆

[ugrakarma.9416]

before expansions i was very isolated,, i just immersed too much in the world completion.

[robintan.4068]

1 hour ago, ugrakarma.9416 said:

before expansions i was very isolated,, i just immersed too much in the world completion.

Nothing wrong with being immersed in the game. Some just like exploring and completing the map for the heck of it. What maps do you feel were the hardest to complete pre-expansions?

[ugrakarma.9416]

1 hour ago, robintan.4068 said:

Nothing wrong with being immersed in the game. Some just like exploring and completing the map for the heck of it. What maps do you feel were the hardest to complete pre-expansions?

i can't say about that, because was really very slow paced, and i avoided push above my height(my level).

anyway i will open a post about unique experience of focusing in map completion.

[LadyMari.7920]

On 6/18/2023 at 8:16 PM, robintan.4068 said:

Now I'm wondering what was the first place you revisited with high graphics that blew your mind...

I was raiding at the time. So, Cairn. THERE IS A PATTERN ON THE FLOOR! XDDD And then everything. I had thought the Charr lands were kinda ugly with all those dead brown trees but on the new comp I found out that it was freaking Autumn LOL! I could finally see the colour. Also someone had to have seen me running back and forth through some grass because it moved!! I had so many moments. My first time running across the snow and through water seeing the textures... so pretty.

[Solomon Darkfury.3729]

Definitely the first time I saw The Strawberry Patch... one of the little hidden areas... that was the moment I truly fell in love with the game...