Guild Wars 2 is a free-to-play, big online game where many players play together. It was created by ArenaNet and published by NCSoft. The game takes place in the fantasy world of Tyria. The main story follows the return of Destiny's Edge, a group of heroes who fought against Elder Dragons, huge, mysterious creatures that have taken control of Tyria since the original Guild Wars game in 2005. This story ends in the third expansion called End of Dragons, released in 2023. The game happens in a world that continues to change, with stories that take place in separate areas.
Guild Wars 2 is the fourth main game in the Guild Wars series. It is different from other online games because its story changes based on what players do, a feature common in single-player games but rare in multiplayer ones. Instead of traditional quests, the game uses a dynamic event system that lets players complete tasks in different ways as part of a shared world. The combat system is also more flexible, encouraging teamwork between different character types and using the environment as a tool. It also simplifies the magic-based skill system from the original game.
As a follow-up to Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 does not require a subscription fee, a feature that made its predecessor unique at the time. Until August 2015, players had to buy the game to install it. The game sold over 2 million copies in its first two weeks. By August 2013, the game had 460,000 players at the same time. By August 2015, more than 5 million copies had been sold, and the base game became free-to-play. By August 2021, over 16 million player accounts had been created. On August 16, 2022, it was announced that Guild Wars 2 would be available on Steam as part of its 10th anniversary celebration.
Six major expansion packs have been released for the game: Heart of Thorns (2015), Path of Fire (2017), End of Dragons (2022), Secrets of the Obscure (2023), Janthir Wilds (2024), and Visions of Eternity (2025). Each expansion adds new areas to explore, challenges for advanced players, and new skills. The first three expansions also introduced new character classes, specializations, and "Living World" updates, which are ongoing story updates that connect expansions. In February 2023, it was announced that future expansions, starting with Secrets of the Obscure, would use a new release plan. Instead of releasing every two to four years with a "Living World" season in between, smaller expansions would be released more often at a slightly lower cost. Additional content for these expansions would then be added through quarterly updates.
Gameplay
Guild Wars 2 lets players create characters by choosing from five races and nine professions. The five races include humans, charr (introduced in Prophecies), asura, norn (introduced in Eye of the North), and sylvari, a race unique to Guild Wars 2. The nine professions are grouped into armor classes: "scholars" use light armor, "adventurers" use medium armor, and "soldiers" use heavy armor. Five professions return from Guild Wars. There is no dedicated healing class because the developers wanted to avoid requiring every group to have a healer.
A player's race and profession determine the skills they can use. Guild Wars 2 uses a skill-based combat system, where players choose 10 skills from a larger list, requiring strategy. Unlike Guild Wars, skill slots have set roles: the first five depend on the player's weapon and profession, the sixth is for healing, the seventh through ninth are unlocked as the game progresses, and the tenth is for an "elite" skill, which starts locked. Guild Wars 2 focuses on quality of skills rather than quantity and aims to reduce skill differences across game modes to simplify balancing, a common challenge in MMORPGs.
The level cap in Guild Wars was 20, but Guild Wars 2 raises it to 80. This change allows for more character development without forcing players into repetitive, grind-heavy gameplay, a goal of the original Guild Wars. In player versus environment combat, a scaling system adjusts the player's level and stats to match monster levels, keeping difficulty consistent. In player versus player combat, all players use nearly all skills and items at level 80, ensuring fairness.
Guild Wars 2 includes small-scale tactical PvP and "World versus World," a large-scale combat mode in a separate persistent world. Players can join or leave quickly and build siege weapons, with rewards based on success. The game offers eight crafting disciplines, allowing players to practice two at a time, with a fee to switch. Basic recipes are available, but players can experiment with ingredients to discover new recipes. Since the game takes place 250 years after its predecessor, characters from Guild Wars cannot be carried over. However, a few achievements and honors from Guild Wars are transferable to Guild Wars 2, requiring linked accounts.
The Heart of Thorns expansion added raids, challenging endgame content featuring bosses with special mechanics that test teamwork, damage output, positioning, and character builds. Additional raid wings, Strike Missions (single-boss encounters), and harder Challenge Mode encounters have been released since.
Plot
Guild Wars 2 is set in the high fantasy world of Tyria, which has changed a lot over 250 years since players defeated the Great Destroyer in the Eye of the North expansion. Five powerful creatures called "Elder Dragons" were sleeping beneath the continent, but they have since awakened, causing widespread destruction and harm to Tyria and its people. The humans, who were once the strongest race in Tyria, are now weaker due to natural disasters and wars with the Charr, who have taken back their homeland of Ascalon. In the north, the Norn, a proud group of Nordic hunters, have been forced to move south because of the ice dragon Jormag. In the west, the Asura, a technologically advanced race, now live above ground after the first awakened dragon, Primordus, took control of the Depths of Tyria. Near the Asura's forests are the Sylvari, a new race that appeared in Tyria 25 years ago. They have not been affected by the problems facing other races, but they have an unknown connection to the Elder Dragons.
To the south, the continent of Cantha is isolated due to a political climate that avoids outsiders, supported by the undead navy of Zhaitan. The continent of Elona is also cut off, with hints of its prosperity coming from battles between the lich Palawa Joko's Mordant Crescent and Kralkatorrik, the crystal dragon in the Crystal Desert, as well as reports from the secretive Order of Whispers. The Battle Isles no longer exist because a tidal wave from the re-emergence of the fallen kingdom of Orr, linked to Zhaitan's awakening, destroyed them.
As time has passed since Guild Wars, there are changes in culture, clothing, technology, and a common language used by people in the game.
Guild Wars 2 features a large story called "The Elder Dragon Saga," told through the first three expansions and "Living World" seasons. These seasons are updates that continue the story in an episodic format, connecting the expansions. The saga begins with the original game and ends in the 2022 expansion, End of Dragons.
In the core game, the player character is tasked with reuniting the members of the disbanded Destiny's Edge, a group of adventurers from different races. Their struggles and reunion represent a small example of the larger unification of all playable races into "The Pact," a group needed to fight Zhaitan, the undead Elder Dragon.
After defeating Zhaitan in the core story, the player forms a new group to battle Scarlet Briar, a mysterious and dangerous Sylvari. Scarlet creates dangerous alliances, such as the "Molten Alliance" (Charr and Dredge) and the "Toxic Alliance" (Krait and a group of evil Sylvari). Her group also includes the "Aetherblades," sky pirates. As the player and their allies fight Scarlet, they learn about her past and her goals. The season ends with Scarlet attacking the main player city, Lion's Arch, using a giant drill called "The Breachmaker." The player and their allies defeat Scarlet, but Lion's Arch is destroyed, and the Breachmaker damages a magical energy line, awakening a new Elder Dragon, Mordremoth, the jungle dragon.
Season 2 of the "Living World" continues the story, sending the player to the Maguuma Wastes to fight Mordremoth with help from Destiny's Edge. The season begins with the crash of the "Zephyr Sanctum," a group of airships carrying the Zephyrites, followers of Glint, a dragon champion who escaped Kralkatorrik. The player and allies follow Scarlet Briar into the Dry Top region, learning about the Elder Dragons and Scarlet's motives. They also search for an egg laid by Glint before her death. At the end of the season, the Pact prepares to battle an Elder Dragon, but the Pact fleet is destroyed by Mordremoth.
After Season 2, the Pact fleet is in ruins in the Maguuma Jungle. Mordremoth sends its minions, the Mordrem, to take control of Tyria and the Sylvari. The Pact commander travels through the jungle, finds missing allies, and learns more about Glint's egg, which was taken by Caithe. They discover a hidden city, Tarir, built to protect Glint's offspring. After reconciling with Caithe, the egg is left in Tarir, guarded by the Exalted. At the end of the expansion, the Pact commander enters Mordremoth's mind and destroys him, scattering his magic across Tyria, some of which is absorbed by Glint's egg in Tarir.
The expansion Heart of Thorns introduces raids that form an optional side story, leading into the story of Living World Season 3.
Living World Season 3 begins a year after Heart of Thorns and covers the aftermath of the expansion, the effects of two Elder Dragons' deaths, a political coup, a human civil war, and the return of Lazarus the Dire, a member of the Mursaat, a race thought to be extinct. During the season, Glint's egg hatches into a baby dragon named Aurene. It is later revealed that Lazarus is actually Balthazar, a human god who has turned rogue and plans to destroy the remaining Elder Dragons to take their power.
After Season 3, the Pact commander stops the first stage of Balthazar's plan but now faces a new threat as Balthazar raises an army to spread terror across the Crystal Desert. While humans deal with the return of their god, the Pact commander chases Balthazar to prevent his plan from disrupting Tyria's magic and causing the end of the world. The commander traps the undead lich Palawa Joko in the underworld and learns more about Glint's secrets, including Aurene's purpose to replace the Elder Dragons and control their magic. At the end of the expansion, Aurene and the commander defeat Balthazar.
Balthazar's death releases a large amount of magical energy, most of which is absorbed by Glint's egg in Tarir.
Development
The decision to create Guild Wars 2 started during a design meeting for Guild Wars Utopia, when the company was releasing game campaigns every six months. The team realized they could not complete all their goals within the limits of their previous campaign plans and the short time they had. At Jeff Strain’s suggestion, they discussed how adding too many features to stand-alone campaigns made tutorials more complicated and made it harder to balance the growing number of skills. This discussion led to the idea of making a completely new game.
Work on Guild Wars 2 began in 2007. The game was announced on March 27, 2007, at the same time as the final Guild Wars expansion, which was meant to connect Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 in both gameplay and story. The development team stopped using early open alpha and beta tests, which they had used for Guild Wars. ArenaNet believed player expectations for beta tests had changed, and beta tests were now used to test nearly finished games before release. Beta tests planned for 2008 were canceled to ensure Guild Wars 2 would have the greatest impact on players. Guild Wars 2 uses a modified version of the game engine ArenaNet created for Guild Wars. Changes to the engine include real-time 3D environments, better graphics and animations, and the Havok physics system. Developers say the engine now matches the game’s concept art, which will be used to tell the story to players.
In August 2009, two years after the game was first announced, ArenaNet decided the game was ready to show to the public. A trailer mixing animated concept art and in-game footage was released at Gamescom, followed by interviews about the game’s world and player races.
In November 2009, NCsoft CEO Jaeho Lee said the game would likely not release until 2011 but would offer a closed beta in 2010. A playable demo was shown at Gamescom, Penny Arcade Expo, and Paris Games Week in 2010. The game was made for Microsoft Windows, with a small team exploring a console version.
ArenaNet held small closed alpha and beta tests in 2011. On January 23, 2012, it was announced that Guild Wars 2 would release in 2012. In February, select press were invited to test the game. In March and April, beta tests expanded to include anyone who pre-purchased the game. On June 28, 2012, ArenaNet announced the game would release on August 28, 2012, with pre-purchasers able to play on August 25.
On September 18, 2012, a beta version of Guild Wars 2 for Mac OS X was released. However, support for Mac OS was later stopped in 2021 because Mac OS no longer supported OpenGL rendering.
Guild Wars 2 originally had content updates every two weeks, but now releases large updates every few months, with smaller patches and bug fixes in between. These updates often include new items for sale in the gem store and unique events for players. Some updates add new game mechanics, such as new dungeons or combat options.
In the Lost Shores update on November 16, 2012, a new dungeon called Fractals of the Mists was added. This dungeon is different from others because it includes many smaller "mini-dungeons" called fractals. Each fractal has its own story and environment, and players must complete them in order to unlock new ones. After completing three fractals, players unlock more challenging fractals. This update also introduced a new equipment rarity level called Ascended, which can be obtained through various methods, most easily through the Fractals of the Mists dungeon.
The Flame and Frost: Prelude update on January 28, 2013, added several features, including achievement laurels, guesting, and living story content. Achievement laurels are earned by completing daily and monthly achievements and can be used to buy items like Ascended equipment. Guesting allows players to temporarily join their friends’ servers without moving their home server, and a gem fee was added for transferring homes. Living story content includes events players must complete within a set time. Once the time passes, the story progresses, unlocking new content while previous content becomes unavailable, though the story’s impact on the world remains.
The next two updates, Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm (February 2013) and Flame and Frost: The Razing (March 2013), added guild missions, a new WvW progression system, and advanced the Flame and Frost living story. Guild missions let guilds earn guild merits by completing bounties and puzzles, which guild leaders can use to unlock rewards. The WvW system introduced World XP and new ranks, which unlock exclusive titles and abilities.
The Flame and Frost: Retribution update (April 2013) added a limited-time dungeon, new guild missions, new WvW abilities, and purchasable siege weapons and guild banners for WvW. The dungeon, Molten Weapons Facility, was available for 13 days and tied to the final part of the Flame and Frost story.
In May 2013, the Secret of Southsun update began a new living story, followed by a smaller update, Last Stand at Southsun. This update also added changes to WvW, such as traps in battlegrounds, improved World XP rewards, and the use of Ascended and infused equipment in WvW.
In June 2013, the Dragon Bash and Sky Pirates of Tyria updates introduced new living story content and features, including improved PvP leaderboards, the Authorized Shoutcaster Program, the ability to gift items from the gem store, a balance update to skills and traits, and other changes.
Reception
Guild Wars 2 was released and received high praise from many critics. It earned a score of 90 out of 100 on Metacritic.
PC Gamer’s Chris Thursten gave the game a 94% rating, describing it as "a well-made and enjoyable online RPG that successfully meets the expectations of its genre." IGN’s Charles Onyett rated the game 9 out of 10, stating that it is "one of the most detailed and rewarding MMOs ever made, with a fair system that encourages exploration and features beautiful environments." GameSpot’s Kevin VanOrd began his review by saying, "Guild Wars 2 is a paradise for explorers and adventure seekers, and the best online role-playing game in years," and gave it a 9.0 out of 10. Computer and Video Games’ editor Andy Kelly gave the game an 8.9 out of 10, concluding that it is "an entertaining MMO that avoids the tedious repetition of other games. The absence of a monthly fee makes it even more appealing." GamesRadar’s Hollander Cooper wrote, "Guild Wars 2 has everything a good MMO should have. It is original, large in scale, and very social, fixing many problems that previously limited the genre. Allowing players of different levels and classes to play together is a major improvement, making Guild Wars 2 one of the best MMOs available today," and gave it a 4.5 out of 5. GameSpy’s Leif Johnson noted, "Although Guild Wars 2 has some issues, they do not take away from the enjoyable experience. It does not change the basic ideas of MMORPGs but presents them in a more lively and fresh way than other games."
Time magazine named Guild Wars 2 the top video game of 2012. Editor Matt Peckham wrote, "Guild Wars 2 is a rare game that changes your daily routine, like a meteor hitting a satellite. It feels like a living world and offers a fun, flexible experience that other MMOs only hope to achieve."
At the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Guild Wars 2 for the "Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year" award.