Is this game still good in 2020?

[DrDivine.5378]

I used to play this game so much and met so many great people, I loved the PVP especially but played the game on an old PC so I couldn't play WvW or open world stuff without it chugging. You could call it burn out as I did play EXCESSIVELY, but I remember at around the time a little before (and during) HoT, I felt like things took a step backwards.

Esports bombed with PVP's worst meta ever at the time, dungeons became irrelevant, stronghold got no support, WvW was unplayable for months, the trait system got reworked so there was less build diversity, people were leaving the company etc. It was a mess.

My schedule changed a lot too as I didn't have time for games as much anymore, but I still think about GW2 sometimes. I'm re downloading it right now, haven't played in years. I have a lot of good memories with this game and want it to succeed. I was curious on what current players thoughts are. Hows PVE? WvW? PVP? Has the community grown/declined? I got a gaming PC so for the first time, I'd be able to handle this game in all aspects.

[AgentMoore.9453]

Well, I mostly do PvE, so I can only really comment with detail on that.

The story has gotten weird over the years and there are a number of new (or redundant) mechanics that have been added to the game with mixed reviews. For example, there are map-locked masteries in some areas of the game, special action skills that overlap and replace each other (as is the case with essence mastery skills, waystation skills, and occasionally bounty-style retaliation skills which take turns dancing across your special action key in Drizzlewood Coast) or mobility options that were later made obsolete by the mounts added in the second expansion which can completely change how the story chapters feel as you play them.

The maps themselves have been hit or miss. Some are really quite pretty and well put together - others feel empty. Core Tyria remains largely the same, so if you liked those, you can keep on liking them. Dungeons still get done, fractals still get done (there's a new one on the way on the 15th, I think?), hero point trains and achievement squads and world boss groups still regularly populate both core and expansion areas of the game. Population seems to be at a decent level with the early morning hours of course being less so (NA servers).

As far as PvP, WvW, Raids, and Strike Missions (shorter, somewhat raidy content, I guess?), I've been hearing about insular behavior and botting problems being particularly bad this year. Additionally, uncommon lag has been reported across all game modes.

Some of what you missed has been good, some has been bad, and some has been shrugworthy. Welcome back, have a look around, and see if you can find some fun.

[SoulSin.5682]

@DrDivine.5378 said:My schedule changed a lot too as I didn't have time for games as much anymore,

GW2 is still one of the best MMos under that requisite.That or you are free to play catch up to level cap and gear progression on every other MMo ad eternal .

[Malsheem.1794]

GW2 i still really good as long as you stay away from pvp/wvw cause no resources are being put into those gamemodes.

[JekthAvid.1408]

----yes----

[Dante.1508]

Its hasn't changed, if you played it a year ago its pretty much exactly the same, Weapon and Armor build tabs, a few more living stories and a lot more paid cosmetics, but its exactly as its always been.

[Ashantara.8731]

@DrDivine.5378 said:Esports bombed with PVP's worst meta ever at the time, dungeons became irrelevant, stronghold got no support, WvW was unplayable for months, the trait system got reworked so there was less build diversity, people were leaving the company etc. It was a mess.

Those particular things have not changed a bit, sadly.

[Paradoxoglanis.1904]

The only major thing that has changed in pvp is the power crept elite specs. wvw has warclaw now which most people consider to be either ok or really dumb. Both have very low populations and stale metas that arent really that fun to play.

[Asturias.1064]

I'm having a blast and I am new or you can call me a returning player. The lore is rich and interesting, its not your typical fantasy theme and is relatively a new take on a lot of things. PvP is interesting and different from most MMOs out there but its fun.

[DrDivine.5378]

@Ashantara.8731 said:

@DrDivine.5378 said:Esports bombed with PVP's worst meta ever at the time, dungeons became irrelevant, stronghold got no support, WvW was unplayable for months, the trait system got reworked so there was less build diversity, people were leaving the company etc. It was a mess.

Those

particular things have not changed a bit, sadly.

Thats disappointing, as I really loved the PVP in this game. It was simple, but fun.

[Zzik.5873]

@DrDivine.5378 said:

@Ashantara.8731 said:

@DrDivine.5378 said:Esports bombed with PVP's worst meta ever at the time, dungeons became irrelevant, stronghold got no support, WvW was unplayable for months, the trait system got reworked so there was less build diversity, people were leaving the company etc. It was a mess.

Those

particular things have not changed a bit, sadly.

Thats disappointing, as I really loved the PVP in this game. It was simple, but fun.

Pvp is far from simple now day. Its layer of mechanic over layer of mechanic, with counter to counter, to counter the counter, oh and condi... condi till the eyes can see.

[Downstate.4697]

The pvp meta now, while not perfect, is far better than HoT. They nerfed powercreep from most elite specs. No more insane bunker builds. Support for the gamemode is about the same though. Build diversity is better (though meta is not diverse at all with 3 overperforming builds)

[Niteraven.1372]

I believe that the season before (and during) HOT was probably a bit of a low point for me. I still love the game but I never really replay those seasons. POF added a lot back into the game including the flying mounts which really open a whole new world and make it almost a brand new game in some areas. My personal belief is it has improved a lot since HOT, although HOT is still popular with some folks too.

[Randulf.7614]

GW2 is extremely good for pick up and play bursts. It's accessibility is what wins it over most games and that content rarely - if ever - becomes redundant.

I'm sure many of us can all find issues either with current content, story direction, some eyebrow raising map designs, grind, competitive or something with the game, but the general consensus with those who play it is that enough good exists for thousands to make it worthy of their time.

I'd say it is long past its peak, but there's still a vast amount of content and a lot of fun to be had

[Goettel.4389]

I can't speak for PvP, but otherwise the game is doing great and is well populated.

[Khalisto.5780]

You gotta see for yourself

In my experience gw2 still the beat mmo out there

The game still has the issues you mentioned to some extent

Now you gotta play it and see if those issues still annoy you

[Domino.1359]

Just as good in 2020. For PvE, I can open up the LFG and see squads or groups for almost any map, with fairly good population levels throughout. I normally do fracts and strikes, and it's easy to get a group going. Lots of new things that have come out to put some spin on your usual builds.

PvP... well... that can be knocked off the board. That just hasn't gotten any reliable changes that hasn't made it worse.

[Day Trooper.3605]

@Domino.1359 said:Just as good in 2020. For PvE, I can open up the LFG and see squads or groups for almost any map, with fairly good population levels throughout. I normally do fracts and strikes, and it's easy to get a group going. Lots of new things that have come out to put some spin on your usual builds.

I also took a long break (~2 1/2 years) and recently started playing again due to the announcement of next year’s expansion and the return to Cantha.

When I last played, I had gotten through the first chapter of LW Season 4 which I believe is called ‘Daybreak’. I feared I’d have a hard time completing achievements in those Season 4 maps as they’d almost certainly be dead by now, right? Nothing could be further from the truth! So far I’ve been able to complete everything in LW4 chapters 2 and 3 and am well on my way to completing chapter 4. I even was able to put together a group to complete the infamous Serpent’s Ire meta (which allowed me to complete a lengthy collection and get a cool Asura-themed ascended back item).

So I’m happy to confirm/report that the game is definitely alive and well - and should see an influx of new and returning players like me once the next expansion is released :)

[Kylden Ar.3724]

For casual PvE, it's fantastic. Likely the best deal out there, hands down.

If you like competitive modes, well... not so much.

If a looking for a PvE/PvP mix, still worth it as the PvE side is good (if Living Story is repetitive and predictable) and the combat is really fun in WvW/PvP, even with their balance being both bad and infrequent.

[Chichimec.9364]

This December I'll have been playing GW2 for three years and I'm still having great fun. My game time is generally devoted to open world roaming and to WvW. Both modes seem alive and well to me. Was running a key farmer through Queensdale earlier today and that map was bustling with people. Ran another alt through the Cursed Shore doing some resource gathering and that map was busy as well. Just now I finished three solid hours of WvW. The fighting was intense, fast moving, and fun. At times I was running with a zerg, other times I was solo roaming or was running in small pugs. The map was roiling with fights, big and small. Oh, and I love the WvW rewards. Right now I'm working on my first set of legendary armor there. So yeah, the game has problems here and there which you can read about ad nauseum here on this forum, but overall GW2 is still well worth playing for me. :)

[Psycoprophet.8107]

@Kylden Ar.3724 said:For casual PvE, it's fantastic. Likely the best deal out there, hands down.

If you like competitive modes, well... not so much.

If a looking for a PvE/PvP mix, still worth it as the PvE side is good (if Living Story is repetitive and predictable) and the combat is really fun in WvW/PvP, even with their balance being both bad and infrequent.

This is accurate ^

[Excursion.9752]

PvE - Heaps of money thrown at it and new xpac announced so no shortage thereDungeons - Nothing new here no changes for yearsFractals - Rarely updated but you will see a new one every now and then but don't hold your breath (New one comes out tomorrow I believe)Raids - 7 Wings available with multiple bosses each wing but no additions planned for this game mode.PvP - Just recently got into it. Not much new here but can be enjoyable as long as you don't take it to serious.
WvW - My game mode of choice currently. If you find a server / guild that runs during your typical play time it can be a lot of fun. Hardest part is just finding a home that fits you.

Is it fun - Yes, I've been playing pretty steady for 8 years and counting.

[Timbersword.9014]

I catch myself playing for about a month then putting it back on hiatus ever few months to years. It's good enough to kill some time, but it doesn't feel too different from release day. The core of it is still fill hearts, see the sights, run group content for cosmetic armor bits...Just now there's a lot more living story to go through. And mounts. They're pretty nifty.

[Rex.3602]

PvE is generally pretty good, although there are some annoying issues sometimes like lag. I don't think much has changed for the better in WvW or PvP, just more of the same. I think the population in WvW has declined, or at least it seems this way now from my experience. So if you are just looking for more of the same in PvE, WvW and PvP the game is probably still quite good.

[Sifu.9745]

PvP is too hard: you can get downed within 3 seconds if not maximum concentrated. Mistakes are not allowed. If Anet would buff health pools in PvP for about 200% for each profession it would be playable. I can only play PvP with condi Mesmer/Mirage (staff/scepter) and burn or bunker Guardian: these two classes are super easy.

WvW: i have no idea when it's the right time to join wvw, i am completely lost there. And you need to farm for WvW mount which takes ... I don't know how long: days? Weeks?

Pve: i would like to do some Fractals or Raids, but i don't like being one shotted by bosses and i don't have time to learn mechanicc of all bosses, so i don't yet have enough courage to enter even easiest fractals. I am sure they are not easy at all. One mistake and you are dead, i guess. Not for my taste. Raids are probably even harder. Also a majority of builds are not acceptable in fractals. Wanna play a Hammer Guardian or Scepter Mesmer? Forget about it.

I think this game is for hardcore players only, certainly not for casuals with exception of open world. Dmg is just way to high, some bosses can one shot you etc. You can't play it on more relaxing way, like WoW . I am tired, i can't keep max concentration for every single aspect of this game.