I Finally Understood How to Enjoy Guild Wars 2...

Bounced from Guild Wars 2 in the past? Feeling confused and overwhelmed by the amount of options in the game?
I've been there, too. Let me help you get your mindset and expectations right so that you can have fun playing Guild Wars 2.
This video is especially for Guild Wars 2 new players, fresh max levels and returning players in 2024.

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My PC Setup:

My other videos about Guild Wars 2:

#guildwars2 #gw2 #gw2soto #mmorpg #mmorpg2024 #gaming

Video Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:53 Get Lost In the World of Guild Wars 2
03:31 Get Into a Guild
04:26 Don't Fear Instanced Group Content
05:38 Try Things Out
06:54 Set Long-term Goals
08:34 Don't Rush
09:36 Summary

[machetegaming]

What tip would you give to help new or returning players enjoy Guild Wars 2?

[aquapendulum]

Was in Domain of Vabbi one day for something (I don't remember).
Saw a commander tag running Serpents' Ire - one of the harder meta events.
Got completely distracted and joined in.
Turns out the group was running a Path of Fire meta train followed by a legendary bounty train finishing off with a big Buried Treasure hunt in Desert Highlands.
By the end of the train, I completely forgot what I came to Domain of Vabbi for.
As I said so in the squad chat, one of the replies was "the authentic gw2 experience".
Yep.

[gailbrookhart]

This hits home and at a good time.

One of my big obstacles to the game is that I am constantly comparing myself to other players. If someone has better gear, if someone is able to complete content more easily, etc. It's a struggle to not feel like I'm doing something wrong.

[MrBwright]

This is a brilliant video - it sets out perfectly the only hurdle to Guild Wars 2 - the vast amount of content, with no direction on what to do next.... and the key point is, it doesn't matter.... do what is fun next. repeat what you have enjoyed. And I think the other message - try everything before you judge it. I never thought I would like WvW, but now I am addicted but to keep it fresh I only play it about 1 week in 4....

And the other thing that was mentioned - about a helpful player base, never underestimate this. I frequently help people who just shout out something in map chat.... just say you are new, looking for help on something, and unless there is a bigger event happening on the map soon, you will get help

[josephs]

I never understood why this game is so hard to get into for some people. Literally just play around and have fun, stop thinking about end game and what you "should" be doing. The meta is there, but it can really wait. No rush. Just read the stuff and go around and have fun. And unlike some games it can be co-op from level 1ish, so the more the merrier.

[xander]

DO DAILY FRACTALS TIER 1!
I was so anxious about joining them. Turns out the T1 ones are SUPER DUPER easy. No skill or gear needed at all. And generally, they have 1 simple mechanic to learn. But usually only 1 player has to do that. So, you can just let someone else do it. But people will gladly explain it to you. It's so incredibly simple it hurts. Just use the LFG system and hop in!

[EldenFiend]

The thing about GW2 vs my time with GW1 is that I really enjoyed the story bits of GW1, and the mission style trying to achieve the best rating on each one within a group. The story part is what it seems to break it a bit for me in GW2, but not because of quality. More like the way it's exposed to you.

[jessm.]

Guild Wars 2 really shines in the fact that it's horizontal progression, not linear, and I think that's what messes a lot of people up. Because the typical MMO is just grinding for the next level or next tier gear set. Since that doesn't necessarily exists in GW2, it means you can basically do whatever you want. That's the beauty of it. I'd say the best way to enjoy the game is figure out what you want to go for early if you can (legendary, raiding, fractals, ect) and also always participate in PvE zergs. As a veteran player of 10 years, I can honestly say I've enjoyed the journey crafting my legendary. I'm ALMOST done, and I was just thinking the other day about how I don't know what I'm doing to do when I'm done.

[MichaelKerr]

I played the first Guild Wars and loved it. So that's part of the reason why I loved Guild Wars 2. But you have some valid criticisms. I like the puzzle parts of the game, but it can get very heavy handed. Especially whole zones that are a confusing puzzle to get around. I do not enjoy the heavy handedness of that. That's why I always liked it when you have those large groups running people through the zone to get what you need from the zone.

[killerkram]

Treat guild wars 2 like a sandbox game. There is a lot of stuff you can do but nothing you HAVE to do aside from get to level 80 and perhaps get a mount or two. Every day I have a routine since I am trying to get legendary gear on all of my equipment slots for my main character. But then once the routine is over I generally check the achievement panel for something I have not done then go do it. I tend to get distracted in the middle of getting whatever goal I am working on to go on some random adventure when I see people doing stuff. The game shines with the way random epic adventures just kind of show up

[NaoyaYami]

To give example of how diverse build options are for GW2 - classes that can wield big heavy two handed swords that match Machete's nickname:
Warriors (duh)
Guardians (warrior + faith, so basically paladins)
Revenants (edgy warriors, leap around)
Rangers (remember Strider/Aragorn?)
Necromancers (when they can't wait for their enemies to become corpses from other causes)
Mesmers (illusions, pink and purple, butterflies; they don't seem to know how to use greatswords properly though, instead they use them to shoot lasers).

That's 6 out of 9 classes in game.for a typically warrior weapon.

[DredZach]

GW2 is different than other MMOs. You are rewarded for completing objectives - not for grinding mobs. For vertical progression, the bar is never raised. You keep everything you earned and it is still just as relevant after 10 years. Your "reward" is the enjoyment of playing the game. Your goals are whatever you want -- there are so many options to choose from. Your style of gameplay can be competitive or open world pvp, instanced or open world pve, going after upgrading your equipment, piling up gold, cosmetics/fashion wars, achievements, map completion, random exploration, story content, making random friends, socialization/guild, "farming" pve content ("metas"), open world bosses, fractals, dungeons, raids, strikes, bounties, living world content, seasonal festivals... There is so so much to do. You can never do it all and you shouldn't. The game is there to enjoy. Enjoy what you enjoy, but the journey is the point of it, not the destination.

[Markye_Takamoto]

I remember leveling a time ago and, suddenly, a commander pops up with a biiiig squad all mounted up in dark and shinny mounts. If this was like a cartoon or anime I would be like a big eyed child going "WOHAAA" looking at all those brave knights rushing to battle. That is one of my special memories about this game.

[Balaboshka]

I think another thing that helps with the idea of relaxing and playing at your own pace is that in other games you want to progress as fast as possible so that you can play with max level players. in GW2 you don't need to be max level to do that, they will come to you. the fact that almost none of the maps are obsolete means you will find veteran players in lowest level maps doing something you didn't realize even existed, giving you hints to future Achievements you might want to complete and also might reveal secret/hidden ones. there's always something to discover in GW2 so keep looking!

[KVAR]

Ty Sir! This is of great help to me. Have been feeling lost and frustrated with my class, which leads into the game.
I really want to love GW2, I'll try your suggestions! All the best!

[ch.k.]

From my own experience I can confirm how difficult it is to get rid of old ways of thinking after X years of WoW... it takes some time but it works. The biggest obstacle in my opinion is “thinking about a task/goal in the game”. This is where most people fail.

[Jay-eliz]

Tip I would give new or returning players: We're all different kinds of players. We don't all & always want to grind & farm to collect the next drop ASAP, or have all collections and achievements completed, or write a fanfiction on a character whose wardrobe changes every Wedsneday. So just do your thing, & you might be surprised by what you encounter to get to your destination.

[sunblade]

I really liked your video, it's pretty much what we tell new players over in the GW2 discord server (also hell yeah, GWU mentioned!). Especially with people coming over from WoW I feel like they have the most issues getting used to playing for fun and experimenting around and getting lost in the world (not to say that WoW isn't fun, but it's structured very differently).

[phantomgaming]

Honestly you hit the nail on the head. I tried to rush through the main story and expansions of GW2 and regretted it. Luckily I only got up to POF, so I can always take my time in the future cause I've noticed that I actually miss HOT. I will be going back on an alt and I really want to take the time to enjoy the scenery, the hero challenges (can't wait to be kirb stomped...again) and just interacting with people. This game is best played at a slower pace.

[cattysplat]

The biggest roadblock I see for new players is the mastery system. Needing to unlock core parts of functionality through experience points grind I've seen put off large numbers of new players. The secret to fast tracking it is map metas and event groups, rewarding large consistent amounts of experience. Trying to solo your way up to full mastery takes forever and in some cases not possible due to the sheer amount of xp needed. However once the masteries are unlocked, the game itself really opens up, with mobility, quality of life and mounts, letting you keep up with everyone fully unlocked.