Guild Wars 2

NCSoft is no stranger to the MMORPG market. In a market dominated by World of Warcraft, the Korean developer has made a name for themselves creating immersive online games that cover a full variety of genres. With Guild Wars 2, they seek to blend the immersion of a traditional single-player roleplaying game with the systems and sense of cooperation that online players have come to love. Unlike most forays into the genre, Guild Wars 2 replaces the grind of traditional questing with a dynamic event system. This serves as the gameplay's main hook, in which the actions of other players can fundamentally change the world and alter the methods for pursuing individual quests. This allows them to subvert the static nature of most persistent worlds and create the impression that every player has an impact on the environment around them. Following the events of the original Guild Wars, this game throws players into a fantasy world at the brink of disaster. High fantasy elements mix with Asian flair, creating a setting that's both familiar and unique. While fantasy settings may be a dime a dozen in modern gaming, Guild Wars 2 breaks from the pack through the use of regular patches and updates. Made once every two weeks, these updates include everything from new environments and pieces of equipment to bug patches and quality of life improvements. But NCSoft's commitment to creating a living world in which their players can immerse themselves into perpetuity extends beyond small changes. A system they dub "The Living World" ensures that players will always have fresh activities to engage in. This pushes the narrative forward by introducing new story components and creates incentive for competitive players through the use of online leaderboards and fierce clan competitions. These large changes are treated as seasons, much the same as in a television series. These seasons, released roughly yearly, bring about the largest changes to the environment and often include the addition of brand new worlds to explore. Seasons are further complemented by non-mandatory expansion packs that provide the game with even more legs. The gameplay loops at the heart of Guild Wars 2 will be familiar to veteran players of MMOs and RPGs. Players select a race and class at the start of their journey and develop their characters further through the acquisition of experience, earned through questing, combat, and other common activities. Unlike many MMOs which automate the act of combat, skill and targeting are a necessity for success in the game. Players who want to excel will learn the patterns of cool down time for their abilities and learn how to best combine powers and skills for maximum effect in the game's sprawling environments. Players migrating over from the original Guild Wars will be comfortably at home here. While some changes have been made to the gameplay and care has been taken to upgrade the aesthetic look of the world, Guild Wars 2 is built off of the same basic engine as its predecessor. MMOs might not be for everyone, but the dynamic elements of Guild Wars 2 and the commitment to regular updates from the developers make it a promising opportunity for those looking to play online.