Summary
While it has always touted itself as a heavyweight contender in the MMO scene,Guild Wars 2has always been the scrappy underdog. Eschewing the subscription fee model and providing half of its new content for free for active players, ArenaNet has produced genuinely artful work in a genre infamous for its finicky, locus-like fans. Where other games in the genre have been happy to increase the slope on the gear treadmill and cash their cheques,Guild Wars 2’s pillars were built around creating a compassionate, inclusive community, ambitious storytelling, and genuinely compelling content to drive enjoyment rather than mere engagement.
The MMO has never been perfect. Through bold experimentation, communications missteps, overreaching ambition, and occasional bad luck, ArenaNet has had its fair share of downs. However,Guild Wars 2’s triumphs and innovationsare worthy of the annuls of gaming history, and the many epic experiences they have delivered to their players deserve celebration. EveryGW2player will have their favorite moments throughout the game’s history. However, each release will be ranked in terms of its content contributions, gameplay changes or innovations, soundtracks, and story executions.
NOTE: For a prospective player, the best way to tackle Guild Wars 2 is by playing the story of each release in chronological order. While there is plenty of meaty end-game content to look forward to, Guild Wars 2’s foundational feature (and one of its greatest strengths) is its narrative. The base game is free to play and is a great way to find out if the games resonates, as it is a fairly good indicator of the quality of the rest of the game.
9Living World Season 1 (Re-Release)
The Uneven Result Of A Rocky Experimental Phase
For years, Living World’s “Season 1” was absent from the story ofGuild Wars 2, and the events of the story were only available in-game as a cinematic recap. This is because, rather than relying on the traditional expansion model, ArenaNet had planned to add and remove content to give the illusion that Tyria was a living, changing world. In the long run, this philosophy did not pay off as it hurt the new player experience. The content itself, while memorable for those who had a chance to experience it, was a mixed bag at best.
However,“Season 1” has since returnedand is now available to play along with the base game. While the developers have done an admirable job remastering and tweaking these episodes to modern standards, it is still a somewhat shaky bridge between the core game’s narrative and Living World. “Season 1” is by no means terrible, but it is something of a dip following the epic Zhaitan storyline from the Personal Story.
8The Icebrood Saga
Entered With Strong Start, Ended With A Disastrous Finale
Strike missions, solid map additions, some peakGuild Wars 2design and storytelling moments, and, of course, the terrifying Bone Skinner all combined to make the norn and charr-focused Living World season a promising contender in the Elder Dragons storyline. However, the saga’s disastrously rushed finale cemented it as one ofGuild Wars 2’s lowest points.
Covid restrictions, which came into place midway through its development, meant a lack of voice acting (a shortfall that has since been addressed). A press conference announcing the saga that was supposed to reignite enthusiasm forGuild Wars 2’s future fell flat, partly due to bad organization and partly because, behind the scenes, the studio had been ordered by its publisher, NCSoft, to fire a large portion of its staff, which ultimately caused the final few chapters' dismal execution.
7Living World Season 2
The Makings Of A Good Living World Chapter
Having decided against permanently removing future content from the game, ArenaNet set out to structure the Living World in a more cohesive and satisfying way, starting with “Season 2.” In addition to its two extra maps, this marked a significant improvement over “Season 1,” but it has its share of slow moments.
There is a slight overemphasis on the new, divisive cast (affectionately dubbed “Destiny’s Edge 2.0” by the community). However, the overarching mystery is expertly woven, and the final episode delivers agenuinely thrilling conclusion to the story. Despite its pacing issues, Season 2 solidifies itself as a compelling chapter, setting the stage for even greater things to come.
6Secrets Of The Obscure
ArenaNet’s First Mini-Expac
After finally putting the Living World updates model to rest after a decade, ArenaNet set out to create a hybrid of regular updates and big, showstopping expansions with their newly proposed “mini-expansions,” starting with “Secrets of the Obscure.” It began a new story arc and arrived with a suite of much-needed positive sweeping changes toGW2’s core systems. Despite this and a strong opening map, the first “mini-expansion” ended up being somewhat disappointing to many players.
“SotO” allowed players' characters to gain access to weapons that had been previously unavailable or reserved for elite specializations, resulting in more diversified build potential. However, besides the introduction of relics and the Wizard’s Vault (which further complicated the game’s systems for new players) and a fresh-start story, the “mini-expac” lacked the usual story and gameplay oomph that other expansions had brought previously.
5Janthir Wilds
The Mini-Expac Model Hits Its Stride
As with the previous mini-expansion, the release of “Janthir Wilds” was planned to be staggered. Two maps, land spear weapon access, and, most excitingly, home instances were introduced with the opening patch. So far, this expansion seems to be hitting the right notes with the community. The long-awaitedplayer housing featurewas a nice edition, and while there is once again a lack of new elite specializations, the new weapon access is welcomed.
Rather than continuing to escalate the stakes, the plot seems content to slow down and explore its characters and world more deeply, which is a welcome change. However, this could shift as more content is released throughout the year, including new maps, group content, story drops, and raids. “Janthir Wilds” continues the arc started by “Secrets of the Obscure,” but there are plenty of challenges, tantalizing lore, recurring rewards, and familiar faces to keep long-term fans happy.
4Guild Wars 2 (Core)
A Strong, Evergreen Foundation
Although the game is well over a decade old, the content found in Core Tyria still absolutely holds up. Heart, soul, art, and magic went into the making ofGuild Wars 2, and the designers, artists, and writers clearly laid down their labors to last the test of time. The Personal Story certainly seems dated (especially with its side-by-side dialogue cutscenes), and each map may not have the vertical or horizontal majesty of later Living World seasons or expansions, but it is still agorgeous, explorable expansenonetheless.
Core laid down a foundation for PVP and (the much underloved) World VS world modes. Dungeons may not have held up as the endgame that ArenaNet would have liked them to be, but they are still fun adventures to romp through with friends. The final few areas of the game are just as evocative today as they were on release. ArenaNet worked to innovate in so many ways before and afterGuild Wars 2’s release, many of which go unnoticed, all without the studio having the benefits of being funded by a monthly subscription fee.
3End Of Dragons
A Strong Conclusion Of The Dragon Cycle
After a disappointing Living World release in “The Icebrood Saga,” ArenaNet and the player base needed a win. Thankfully, they both got one with “End of Dragons.” While it didn’t push the envelope with new features (besides perhaps the siege turtle), the new maps, set in the long-awaited setting of Cantha, are some of the best in the game. A satisfying return to a nostalgia-rich area filled with top-tier challenges, meta-events, and story content enhanced by a gorgeous soundtrack beautifully tied together a story ten years in the making.
The general consensus on “End of Dragons” from fans is that, while it reaches some of the series' highest points (at least in the first half), it lacks the polish ArenaNet is known for, ends all too quickly with too few maps, and was let down byGuild Wars 2’s final EoD-related living world update, “What Lies Beneath.” After a decade of speculation, fans felt Cantha was swept in and out of view all too soon.
2Path Of Fire + Season 4
An Enchanting And Game-Changing Addition
Besides the jaw-dropping setting, masterful storytelling and plot delivery, excellent raids,a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, and another round of excellent elite specializations, “Path of Fire” and “Season 4” added between themGuild Wars 2’s greatest asset to date: its mounts. After being petitioned for years, ArenaNet effortlessly raised the bar on mounts, not only in MMOs but in video games in general. Each mount in GW2 is great in its own way. However, their addition had the unintended consequence of making much of the older game world feel like “flyover country” by comparison.
“Season 4” should be considered a direct continuation of “Path of Fire” (even if, lamentably, it is not packaged and sold as such, even if Living World seasons can be bought with in-game gold). It fills in the missing space for its central location, the Crystal Desert and Elona, includes all the same characters and villains from the expansion, adds a final couple of mounts, and (spectacularly) ties up the same storyline. The lack of PVP content was the only thing that let this expansion and season down.
1Heart Of Thorns + Season 3
Guild Wars 2 At Its All-Time Best
The Heart of Thorns and Season 3 (which uses many of the Masteries learned in the expansion) era is hands down Guild Wars 2’s finest release period. After disparaging the expansion model for so long, “Heart of Thorns” arrived and showed the world how to blow up a game withexpansion content so goodthat the player base still heartily revels and engages with it to this day.
Raids (some of the best in the MMO genre), iconic bosses, massive, beautiful, sprawling maps, masteries (including gliding), a cracking soundtrack, gold-standard evergreen meta events, and some of the best elite specializations all dropped with the release of “HoT.” Season 3, which serves as an immediate follow-up to the fallout of the expansion’s final chapter, adds maps on par with “HoT” and segues beautifully into the next arc of the Elder Dragon story.
