In our latest column devoted to Guild Wars 2, we take a look at what Arena.Net is doing or must do to please the many veterans that will carry over from Guild Wars 1 to the newer game. See what we think needs to happen and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

There are millions of fans of the original Guild Wars game, and we are going to be the toughest critics that ArenaNet can try to please. One of the reasons we Guild Wars veterans fell in love with the original games, was that they were just different. While they had a lot of similarities with MMOs, such as controls and similar UI layouts, it was the importance of skills, strategy, and less emphasis on what items you had, that gave us a breath of fresh air from endless grinding. I was a player that came from playing MMOs one after the other, looking from something that felt new and interesting. When I played Guild Wars, I noticed my skills were more important than how rare and great my weapons and armor were.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: Pleasing the Veterans.

If a player spends a lot of time into playing a certain game, it becomes the only game they really see. A player can get really obsessed.

From a business model perspective, that player base that would want to stick with GW1, is the only group of people that GW2 doesnt have to appeal to. ANet is trying to get new customers, while not loosing what they already have. Anyway, its a fair question, but not a must question I think. If someone likes a game that much he is probably like the guys who still play Vanguard or EQ. Which is again just as cool.

Played GW since release in 2005. I'm pretty happy with how GW2 has developed for the most part. There are a few things which GW had that I wish GW2 had but not sure I should get into that here (I know how these threads start to break down with arguments that way).

Meh never played Guild Wars The First---Altough i think i have friend who was inches away from becoming a GW I fanboy... 

I am sometimes more than thankfull of never playing or seeing originals on this era of sequels. While waiting for GWII :)

I could never get into GW1, I tried a couple of times but the CO-RPG aspects just were too foreign to me to really feel like I was playing a MMO.

I thought the controls were clunky and the dependance on henchman and such was offputting.

I love GW2. It really feels like a MMO, more so than any MMO I've played since... early WoW? UO?

The biggest I think most important game-changer Anet has done with GW2 is removing the competitive feeling to PvE where you view other players as an annoyance or direct competitor against YOUR progress.

By making everything open, everything cooperative, everything group/party friendly (w/o actualy having to group up) is a real game changer, IMO.

I feel like I can log in and actually play WITH other people, doesn't matter what class or level they are, doesn't matter what quest chain they are on, doesn't even matter what server they are on!

PvE done right - and I've always been PvE > PvP.

My biggest concern with gw2 is the number of raw skills.  Yes there are plenty, but I felt a little limited playing mesmer cause most of the skill point skills were completely unapealing.  I think they should keep all the skills they have and reintroduce skill captures for highest level players.  These skills wouldnt be better than other skills just different and provide even more variety. 

I know people worry that with more skills the likely hood of imbalance is hgih but that is only true for people with limited imaginations, for a while in GW1 people smite monk teams were huge and everyone screamed nerf, until people started running mesmer elemental dot teams that just destroyed them.

Do you really think you are entitled to such a thing? REALLY!? You bought a boxed game friggen-A. Congrats...pat yourself on the back.

Originally posted by werewood

From a business model perspective, that player base that would want to stick with GW1, is the only group of people that GW2 doesnt have to appeal to. ANet is trying to get new customers, while not loosing what they already have. Anyway, its a fair question, but not a must question I think. If someone likes a game that much he is probably like the guys who still play Vanguard or EQ. Which is again just as cool.

There's no subscription fee, and they are not releasing any new GW1 expansions.

From a business perspective, they want as many GW1 players to buy GW2 boxes. The GW1 cash shop is hardly going to sustain the resources required to keep GW1 profitable. Once GW2 launches, that will be the only source of income for GW1, except for the odd GW1 box sale ( for completionists that crave the HoM items in GW2 most likely ).

This just reminds me off EQ/EQ2. I played both. Unfortunately many EQ players thougth EQ2 would be EQ++. But it wasn't. It was a very different game just sharing the same lore.

Reading comments on mmorpg and elsewhere from GW1 veterans about GW2 I also see those comments that they are disappointed by GW2 because it is not a GW++. Mostly because they miss features from GW which they liked there. GW2 and GW share the same lore, but that's it. If you are not open for changes, even drastic ones compared to GW, a GW veteran will not be happy in GW2.

Absolutely hated GW1.  Bought it, played it for a few hours and gave up.  Never bought an expansion and never even saw the cash store.  GW2 I played the first BWE after prepurchasing it because I liked what they were saying and I love it.  I think I'll be playing it for quite a while.

super hype for a game that is boring. I loved GW1 for the pve and pvp. PvP in GW2 is so boring and not innovativ at all. I dont know much about the PvE aspect yet, since i didnt make that far., but to be honest, it didnt hook me like GW1.

What i miss in GW2 is the fact that you need skill and teamwork to win a game. Here its just a mass zerg. That is the korean way and should be not todays standard.

Originally posted by ZeGerman

My biggest concern with gw2 is the number of raw skills.  Yes there are plenty, but I felt a little limited playing mesmer cause most of the skill point skills were completely unapealing.  I think they should keep all the skills they have and reintroduce skill captures for highest level players.  These skills wouldnt be better than other skills just different and provide even more variety. 

I know people worry that with more skills the likely hood of imbalance is hgih but that is only true for people with limited imaginations, for a while in GW1 people smite monk teams were huge and everyone screamed nerf, until people started running mesmer elemental dot teams that just destroyed them.

Agreed! I feel as though a lot of the utility skills are a waste, even though Anet says every skill has a use, I found that hard to believe, and also introducing that 'tier' system was horrible, but people were complaining that there was no progression. But yeah, I feel as though skills is an area they still need to 'refine' otherwise the voices available for chars, the voice acting and the personal story.

i love the original GW to death! played 4 months after launch, got 5 accounts, 1 with 50/50 HoM points, others got 30/50, but im ready to move on to GW2! 

it's still got the beautiful aethetics that i love about GW1: breathtaking sceneries, beautiful player characters, fancy armor and of course the dancing!

if there will be updates for GW1, i will definitely log back in and play. it wont ever be uninstalled from my PC. of course i wont miss any of the holiday events and the infamous April Fools jokes.

but i'm mainly a PvEr, i only dabble in JQ/FA/AB for Pvp. the transition from GW1 to GW2 is kinder for a PvEr than to the hardcore GW1 PvPer. The PVp in GW1 is so excellently designed and highly competitive that veteran PVPer will find GW2 PVP somewhat lacking, in spite of all the additions. 

I have found GW1 superior in most ways to GW2.  I wish I hadn't wasted my money on the pre-purchase. I'll be giving it away when it arrives.

Loved GW1, loving GW2. There's so much about GW2 that's just a better version of its predecessor. The death penalty is still painful but far more tolerable, the combat is more interactive, there's more than 20 levels that take you like an hour to cap out on, and there's progression in my skills that doesn't require hunting specific mobs (I hated that). I actually think I'll still go back and play GW1 on occasion, even when GW2 launches, but 2 is definitely the superior game for me.

Originally posted by Samhael

I have found GW1 superior in most ways to GW2.  I wish I hadn't wasted my money on the pre-purchase. I'll be giving it away when it arrives.

care to elaborate?

Absolutely loved and still love Guild Wars. GW2 is more "I like it, but..."

So far GW2 seriously lack PvP formats but then: I am only interested in structured. The WvWvW may be a quick fix instead of random arena in GW, but it is not something I plan to spend much time in.

I will probably play mostly PvE in GW2 and if structured does not introduce new meta's I will get my PvP fix in Guild Wars.

Originally posted by makii

super hype for a game that is boring. I loved GW1 for the pve and pvp. PvP in GW2 is so boring and not innovativ at all. I dont know much about the PvE aspect yet, since i didnt make that far., but to be honest, it didnt hook me like GW1.

What i miss in GW2 is the fact that you need skill and teamwork to win a game. Here its just a mass zerg. That is the korean way and should be not todays standard.

Samething I see in the game. The WvW is no DAoC or Shadowbane. Just a zergfest with no tactics. As far as a MMO goes it falls short compared to TSW whose PvP is just as good in a better enviroment.