Guild Wars 2 has been around for well over a decade. In 2025, it’s celebrating its 13th birthday—but don’t let the age fool you. This MMO is still going strong, receiving quarterly updates, seasonal content, and new expansions nearly every year. If you’re thinking about jumping into Guild Wars 2 for the first time, or returning after a break, here’s what you can expect right now—and a look at where the game is headed.
A Quick Look at Character Creation
Your adventure begins with the character creator. You’ll choose from five races: Human, Norn, Charr, Asura, or Sylvari. None of them offer gameplay advantages, so go with what feels right for you aesthetically and lore-wise.
After that, you’ll pick a profession. Guild Wars 2 offers nine in total. Eight are available by default, and the ninth—Revenant—unlocks if you own any of the expansions like Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire, or End of Dragons.
If you’re new, Ranger, Guardian, or Necromancer are great beginner-friendly options. Each profession has its own playstyle, so there’s something for everyone.
Story and Worldbuilding
Guild Wars 2 offers a Personal Story that unfolds as you level up. You’ll make choices early on that shape the tone of your journey, although the paths do eventually converge.
But the real strength of the game lies in its world. Instead of traditional quest hubs and fetch quests, Guild Wars 2 uses dynamic events. These events pop up organically as you explore and feel like living parts of the world. Help a farmer? That might trigger a bandit retaliation nearby. It makes exploration feel meaningful.
With expansions and seasonal updates, the world map has more than doubled in size since the 2012 launch. Even the free base game gives you access to dozens of zones and a full storyline, making it an excellent starting point.
Combat That Keeps You Engaged
Combat in Guild Wars 2 is active and fluid. Your weapon determines half of your available skills, while the rest are customizable based on your profession and choices. You can dodge, swap weapons mid-fight, and create combo fields for bonus effects.
This system was ahead of its time back in 2012 and has only gotten deeper. With each expansion came Elite Specializations, new ways to play your profession that include a unique weapon, new traits, and a reworked mechanic.
For example, an Elementalist can evolve into a Tempest with the Heart of Thorns expansion, gaining the ability to overload elements for support or extra damage.
Mounts That Do More Than Just Travel
Mounts weren’t in the game at launch but were introduced with Path of Fire. They’ve since become an essential part of exploration and combat.
Each mount has a unique movement style and utility. The Raptor lets you leap across long distances and pull enemies into fights. The Springer can jump vertically and stun foes. Mounts are earned through the story or collection achievements and integrate seamlessly with the game’s systems.
Crafting and Customization
Guild Wars 2 has a robust crafting system. You can gather materials from enemies or the environment and use them to create gear, sigils, or even home decorations.
Scribe crafting allows you to make upgrades and enhancements, while the recently introduced Homestead Crafting in the Janthir Wilds expansion lets you personalize your own home space. It’s another layer of endgame progression that’s fun and rewarding.
A Friendly Community
One of the best aspects of Guild Wars 2 is its community. The game is designed to promote cooperation over competition. You don’t compete for loot or kills—everyone gets full rewards for helping out.
You can also join up to five guilds at once. This means you can be part of a casual social guild, a raiding group, and a World vs. World team all at the same time.
Mentorship is built into the game. Veteran players can choose to become Mentors and help newcomers directly in-game. It’s not uncommon to see someone with an apple icon offering guidance in starter zones.
What Happens at Max Level?
Level 80 is just the beginning. Once you hit max level, a huge portion of the game opens up.
You can dive into high-level content like Raids, Fractals of the Mists, or Strike Missions. These offer unique rewards and real mechanical challenges.
Prefer open-world gameplay? There’s no shortage of meta events and map-wide battles, especially in expansion zones. And with level scaling, older content still offers a fun and balanced experience.
There’s also structured PvP and the massive World vs. World mode, where entire servers battle it out across large maps for control.
The Road Ahead: Late 2025 and 2026
The Janthir Wilds expansion wrapped up earlier this year, and a brand-new expansion, Visions of Eternity, is on the horizon, set to launch on the 28th of October 2025.
Expect new zones, stories, masteries, and maybe even more Elite Specializations. ArenaNet continues to release quarterly updates, which usually include new achievements, areas, and seasonal events.
What lies beyond that? While there’s no confirmation yet about Guild Wars 3, the current structure of the game ensures that your time, progress, and achievements are never wasted. Whether you’re a casual player or a long-time veteran, your investment in the game continues to matter.
Is Guild Wars 2 Still Worth Playing?
Absolutely. With a free base game, no monthly subscription, and years’ worth of content, Guild Wars 2 remains one of the most accessible and rewarding MMOs out there.
Whether you play for ten hours or a hundred, the game respects your time. It doesn’t try to be World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV. It’s something else entirely. And in 2025, that’s still a very good thing.
If you’re new or thinking of returning, now is a great time. You’ll find a game that’s evolved beautifully and still has plenty left to offer.
