I am so happy I have been playing so much Guild Wars 2. I am having a blast and the expansion hasn't even arrived yet. I just can't seem to stop having fun. I am still hopping on ESO each day, but only for an hour or so. The rest of my game time is all devoted to GW2 at this point. I finished my cloth legendary armor set, am making HOPE, and doing the Return to Dragons event/achievements. Finishing up the Icebrood Saga story that I never did, and just having such a good time.
Plus, doing all this has put me back doing metas and map events that I used to love and hadn't done in so long. I have been running all the world bosses and HoT metas and the Blitz Confetti event in Crystal Desert and the new metas in Icebrood saga as well.
This mix of massive group content just reminds me what other games really lack a lot of the time. MMOS that are out there just too little of the time have content geared toward 20 to 50 or more players all going at a thing together. Massively Multiplayer actually feels true in GW2, where I can solo play, and still constantly encounter other players and other events. And yes, there is the normal 5 man content and raids and strikes (mini raids) and so on. I have done some fractals since coming back too and that is nice, but it is the big bosses taken down by a full map that feels the most impactful and like other games fail to pursue that kind of gameplay as much as they should.
Which is crazy to me, because GW2 still has a lot of 'older' technology behind it, although they are about to update to directX 11, but still, like, more modern games could easily make map wide metas and such that are hundreds of players at a time doing it, while also being a mmorpg, and yet they prefer to keep those events/things limited some. I have played almost every mmorpg ever, and just have seen a lax in the development of the massively mulitplayer side of mmorpgs, and more of a focus on the rpg side of it. And there is absolutely something to be said for a good story and collections and personal achievements. But GW2 just blended all of that together so well with the actually encountering other players and doing stuff with them part of gaming.
GW2 will always be one of my top games and have a special place in my heart, forever. I have my real life loves because of GW2 and meeting them there. I was part of the prelaunch and will never forget the giant pax party. I still have never encountered gameplay like Mesmers or their mount system done so well. They took the in game event system and perfected it, and the balance between traditional mmo tab targeting and action play is spot on.
But also, even besides all that bias, GW2 keeps adding content and building up and making new things that are engaging and exciting and make you feel good when you play. And if you take a break, even a year or 2 or few long break, everything is still there when you get back, your gear is still viable, the world is still ready to explore, and the content/collections all exist to pursue. It all builds onward, expanding into a bigger and bigger experience, rather than taking things away or being temporary. I am grateful for that. I wish more games did it.
I can't wait for End of Dragons to come out and to go to Cantha, but also, I am not the least bit bored or feeling lacking for things to enjoy in the meantime.
