1. Dynamic Events
I will say, if I didn't generalize dynamic events to one topic, it would've consumed every reason on this list. The idea, concept, and implementation of dynamic events is absolute stunning — and breathtaking, to say the least. I could go on and on about how amazing dynamic events are, but I'll keep it short.
Dynamic events allow you to quest in a manner unlike any other game before. Rather than walking into a town and collecting a bunch of quests for you to do in the middle of an area, dynamic events encourage you to explore areas and stumble on quests. As you're walking across a river bank, you can get a notification that prompts you to kill slugs. No one tells you to go and do something, you find it. You also see the slugs attacking villagers. Rather than some silly story that tells you what's going on, you experience it for yourself. You have the option to ignore this event if you'd like, but doing the quests will yield rewards like a new event. Dynamic events create a persistent world where things are always happening. If you're thinking that Guild Wars 2 is a stagnant and boring game, it's far from it.
Dynamic events also allow for organic party forming. You can be doing an event and suddenly other players can join in and help your cause. There's no menu where you have to click to form a group. Parties naturally form because of how lively the world is and it's all due to the cohesion of dynamic events and the world that effectively uses it.
2. Skill Bar and Weapon Swapping
If you're familiar with the first Guild Wars, you'll recognize some of the systems in place for its sequel. Rather than having all of your skills at your disposal like most MMOs, Guild Wars 2 allows you to pick 10 skills out of a pool of any. This is your life line; the build that you create using these 10 skills can save your life. It's a very a clever system that rewards you for building skills that match your play style. If you want to play a ranged warrior, then build your 10 skills that revolve around this type of play. Crafting your own character feels personalized because you handcraft your own tools at your disposal. Before you go out to tackle a task, you're forced to pack your own survival kit — that's essentially what you're doing with your skill bar.
Your skill bar also can shift dynamically during combat using the clever weapon swapping system. One moment you can be holding a sword and shield and the next moment a bow. However, switching weapons isn't the only thing that happens. Your skills bar changes. Depending on the weapon you're holding, your skills will reflect that. If in battle you feel like a sword isn't cutting it, switching to a bow may grant better success. It's a fun and very rewarding system that forces the player to think about what weapon is suited for each encounter, as well as changing them during the encounter.
3. Underwater Combat
This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is. At first, I thought it was some dumb combat feature that essentially works the same way as it does above ground. Boy was I wrong. The dynamic of underwater combat is completely different from the ground. Firstly, there is an extra dimension allowing for all-direction movement. This means that you can position yourself anywhere to avoid attacks or pull off killer moves. Secondly, the skills at your disposal changes underwater. You can't use the same moves in the watery depths. This means the approach that you took on ground won't work, allowing for an interesting switch up.
4. No Holy Trinity
Getting rid of the holy trinity is probably the most generic and unoriginal thing to list, but it's a big deal. There is no needed role for a party. The ability to play whichever profession you want and when you want without having the party suffer for it is absolutely amazing. I can play as a thief and not worry about whether the group needs a tank, healer, or a DPS.
The game has done away with this concept and replaced it with a system where each person is to care for his or her own self. If you die, it's your fault. If you mess up, it's your fault. That isn't to say that you won't be getting support, though. All the professions work well with each other. You can mesh skills together and combine teamwork for great results, however, you are still responsible for your own part in the group effort.
5. The World
The world of Guild Wars 2 is bustling with life. It's not a static environment with things waiting for you to happen. It's a very large persistent world that lives its own life whether you're there or not. People will move around on a schedule, environments change, and the time of day actually matters. Some of the subtleties that the world has to offer add up to an engaging MMO experience.
In addition, the lore of Guild Wars 2 is rich. The foundation was already set in the original Guild Wars, but ArenaNet has expanded the world since then. Despite it taking place in the same continent, the world has changed. New races have entered the picture, new apocalypses occurred, and new alliances have been forged. Despite it being an old place, the world has been painted over for new lore to be explored by the players. If you want a deep narrative experience from Guild Wars 2, you're going to get it.
Guild Wars 2 is a game that hardly needs an introduction. It's an MMORPG set to release this year and has been called many names: savior of the genre, WoW killer, the next big step, etc. It's hard to not think why, especially considering all the praise it's received from players who had the lucky chance to play the game.
When I first got my hands on Guild Wars 2, I was blown away at how immersive and amazing it was. Simply, it's my most anticipated game of the year, and I have no doubt that it will be the best. If you haven't pre-purchased Guild Wars 2, I highly recommend that you do so. You get access to a few perks, including the Beta Weekend Events until launch. If that isn't enough to convince you, then hopefully my five reasons why Guild Wars 2 is awesome will hype it up for you.
