Originally posted by MindTrigger

It's a stellar themepark, if that is what you are looking for.  An increasing number of people are burned out on them and want more.  We're all waiting for some of these new games with more emergent gameplay coming this year and next year.

Honestly, I find LOTRO to be a better themepark because it doesn't feel as contrived and linear  as GW2 feels.

ANet keeps talking about how they want GW2 to feel like a living world, but the more they try, the less it does IMO.

How is GW2 linear, aside from the Personal Story progression? By the time you hit level 25 you already have more content and worldspace than you need to level and level scaling allows you to meaningfully play almost anywhere you are high enough level to play in. I've leveled 7 toons to 80 and I'm always finding that by level 40 I'm completely off the rails and choosing where to go and what to do completely on a whim.

Most of my friends from other MMOs have trouble adapting to the amount of freedom the game offers. They literally don't know what to do with themselves because there is just too much to do.

GW2 is the least linear "theme park" MMO I've ever played and I've played many over the last 14 years. It may not feel like it for the first 15 levels, but even then it's usually because people are sticking too close to their Personal Story and ignoring the other four starting zones they can easily travel to and adventure in.

Originally posted by dynamicipftw
I have bad news for you OP. The first 10-15 levels are the best part of the game.

thats a lie.

post 30 is the best part of the game. I say around 60 honestly.

At 60 you get full access to the Trait system with all tiers unlocked.

You get more dungeons to run (problem is the time it takes to get into a group)

More zones to explore.

More Events.

Dragon Events for Meta events.

have all you skill bar unlocked to make whatever build you want.

Better looking gear.

Originally posted by MMOExposed

Originally posted by dynamicipftw
I have bad news for you OP. The first 10-15 levels are the best part of the game.

thats a lie.

post 30 is the best part of the game. I say around 60 honestly.

At 60 you get full access to the Trait system with all tiers unlocked.

You get more dungeons to run (problem is the time it takes to get into a group)

More zones to explore.

More Events.

Dragon Events for Meta events.

have all you skill bar unlocked to make whatever build you want.

Better looking gear.

Once you reach level 20 you will have the same experience without any type of changing in combat, playstyle, play choices.... as you do at 80.  The experience at Level 20 is the same for the next 60 levels.

Traits are so underwhelming (Zelous Blade anyone) that they hardly effect your playstyle over than forcing you into that one weapon set that you've been using since level 1. 

Originally posted by NaMeNaMe

Originally posted by MMOExposed

Originally posted by dynamicipftw
I have bad news for you OP. The first 10-15 levels are the best part of the game.

thats a lie.

post 30 is the best part of the game. I say around 60 honestly.

At 60 you get full access to the Trait system with all tiers unlocked.

You get more dungeons to run (problem is the time it takes to get into a group)

More zones to explore.

More Events.

Dragon Events for Meta events.

have all you skill bar unlocked to make whatever build you want.

Better looking gear.

Once you reach level 20 you will have the same experience without any type of changing in combat, playstyle, play choices.... as you do at 80.  The experience at Level 20 is the same for the next 60 levels.

Traits are so underwhelming (Zelous Blade anyone) that they hardly effect your playstyle over than forcing you into that one weapon set that you've been using since level 1. 

Not really true, a lot of higher level traits significantly change your playstyle. Take mesmers for example where dodge can create clones (level 40 minimum) and shatters from yourself (level 60 minimum).

At level 40, dodging becomes an offensive tactic, rather than defensive. At level 60 you gain access to your defensive shatters (F3 and F4) at any time without needing clones.

Both those traits significantly change the playstyle of the class. In fact most Grandmaster tier traits are playstyle changers. Thiefs become group buffers with Venemous Aura. Rangers get to use their signets on themselves as well as their pets. Elementalists can use their signets whenever they want and not lose the passives.  Engineers can become anti-conditions. Warriors can become healers.  Guardians can become condition converters.

Admittedly Necro grandmasters are fairly lacklustre.

But for most classes high level traits will result in significant changes to skill groups, which should change your playstyle and when you use certain skills.

Originally posted by evilastro

Originally posted by NaMeNaMe

Originally posted by MMOExposed

Originally posted by dynamicipftw
I have bad news for you OP. The first 10-15 levels are the best part of the game.

thats a lie.

post 30 is the best part of the game. I say around 60 honestly.

At 60 you get full access to the Trait system with all tiers unlocked.

You get more dungeons to run (problem is the time it takes to get into a group)

More zones to explore.

More Events.

Dragon Events for Meta events.

have all you skill bar unlocked to make whatever build you want.

Better looking gear.

Once you reach level 20 you will have the same experience without any type of changing in combat, playstyle, play choices.... as you do at 80.  The experience at Level 20 is the same for the next 60 levels.

Traits are so underwhelming (Zelous Blade anyone) that they hardly effect your playstyle over than forcing you into that one weapon set that you've been using since level 1. 

Not really true, a lot of higher level traits significantly change your playstyle. Take mesmers for example where dodge can create clones (level 40 minimum) and shatters from yourself (level 60 minimum).

At level 40, dodging becomes an offensive tactic, rather than defensive. At level 60 you gain access to your defensive shatters (F3 and F4) at any time without needing clones.

Both those traits significantly change the playstyle of the class. In fact most Grandmaster tier traits are playstyle changers. Thiefs become group buffers with Venemous Aura. Rangers get to use their signets on themselves as well as their pets. Elementalists can use their signets whenever they want and not lose the passives.  Engineers can become anti-conditions. Warriors can become healers.  Guardians can become condition converters.

Admittedly Necro grandmasters are fairly lacklustre.

But for most classes high level traits will result in significant changes to skill groups, which should change your playstyle and when you use certain skills.

i havent got all classes to 60+ but in my experience by 60 you have a lot of build options per classes i have played.. numerous styles, numerous ways to fight, numerous ways to help your group,  numerous ways to deal and avoid damage as well.. very very good variety in my experience compared to many other MMOs

Originally posted by dauntSilver
Just bought, downloaded and installed the game today. after playing for about two hours, I feel like i just threw away 60 bucks. I am playing as a human engineer, only level 4. I dont even know if I want to log on anymore. Please tell me it gets better and I'm just getting the wrong first impression :[

Dump the Engineer right now.

My good friend and longtime guild mate started with an Engineer back at release and he quit the game at around level 30ish.  He recently cambe back almsot 2 months ago on my behest and started a Guardian.  He now plays more hours per day the nI and is already farming for his legendary which is something I'll never do do.  Thats how much more he likes the game because of picking the wrong class.

Try soemthing else, if you want a class that uses guns try a Thief or a Rifle Warrior.

Originally posted by dauntSilver
Just bought, downloaded and installed the game today. after playing for about two hours, I feel like i just threw away 60 bucks. I am playing as a human engineer, only level 4. I dont even know if I want to log on anymore. Please tell me it gets better and I'm just getting the wrong first impression :[

If you want to know if the pvp ever gets more  interesting  or if you can play something  other than a DPS spam "hybrid" the answer is no. Does the world get more interactive as you progress and do your deeds have lasting effects, no. Are DEs just repeatable quests that dont require a que, yes. In order to "enjoy" this game you have to have attention deficit disorder, and like rapidly spamming buttons with few skil choices, you have to want to clear what can be loosely called content as fast as possible and many times as you can a day and enjoy every second of it. Also WvW is terrible and you will have little interaction with others outside of grinding a few DEs in lower levels. The game world itself is somehow lacking, it feels meaningless to complete story lines or attain anything, an incredibly segregated and souless community. Its like one giant never ending Daily quest.

Originally posted by dauntSilver
Just bought, downloaded and installed the game today. after playing for about two hours, I feel like i just threw away 60 bucks. I am playing as a human engineer, only level 4. I dont even know if I want to log on anymore. Please tell me it gets better and I'm just getting the wrong first impression :[

It really depends on what you are looking for with this game. I can say that it is VERY common for people to hop into GW2 with the wrong mentallity. The game doesn't do a very good job of framing itself early on. On the surface it seems like it's just another WoW, but it's actually quite a bit different on MANY levels. Those that seem to enjoy the game are the ones who realized this, and were looking for it. Those who dislike the game have either missed that about the game, or actually prefer the WoW formula for MMOs. (carrot on a stick)

That said, I will say that lvl 4 is definitely too early to get a feel for the game. I'll also say that class matters. I've played every class in this game, and there are just some that I have a hard time getting into. Other classes I can't seem to stop playing (like Mesmer and Necromancer), it's really just a matter of preference. Engineer is also one of the most lackluster classes to start out with. They do get a lot better at higher lvls, but they are similar to Elementalists & Mesmers, in that their effectiveness relies heavily on traits. Classes like the warrior are always good, and the traits just buff the strength they already have. Classes like Engi, Ele, Mesmer play completely different depending on traits (i.e. Engineers may have bombs that healer, or be tossing elixirs the whole fight, or be tanking w/ a flamethrower, etc.)

Engineers are not the most straightforward classes, and excel mostly in utility & survivability. They can get good damage going w/ the right setups, but you literally need to the combination of traits / gear to be effective for the harder content.

- There are quite a number of people who hated the game at first, and now love it. You wouldn't be the first.

Originally posted by Aerowyn

which gw2 classes very much has in many ways.. but yes the boons and conditions are somewhat short in duration(can be traited to last a bit longer overall) but as you said the game is very fast paced

Yes, the short durations of everything borderline annoyed me. Like many boons expiring so fast that the icon went away before i looked from center screen down  to the icon on my 26" monitor. You can then spend traitpoints to make 1sec durations run for 1.3sec..all i can say to that is: seriously, W T F ???

The game was a major letdown on many levels for ALOT of people and up to today, Anet still has no clue as to how to get classes, traits, balance, WWW, economy, loot together in a reasonable way. And to get back to the OPs question:

No, it doesn't get any better. In fact the game basicly stays about the same once you've got your weapon skills unlocked. No matter what the people tell you and how to hold on to lvl 40 "'it'll be fun then", you might end up quitting before you hit lvl 30 with more than 2 chars.

Originally posted by Volgore

Originally posted by Aerowyn

which gw2 classes very much has in many ways.. but yes the boons and conditions are somewhat short in duration(can be traited to last a bit longer overall) but as you said the game is very fast paced

Yes, the short durations of everything borderline annoyed me. Like many boons expiring so fast that the icon went away before i looked from center screen down  to the icon on my 26" monitor. You can then spend traitpoints to make 1sec durations run for 1.3sec..all i can say to that is: seriously, W T F ???

The game was a major letdown on many levels for ALOT of people and up to today, Anet still has no clue as to how to get classes, traits, balance, WWW, economy, loot together in a reasonable way. And to get back to the OPs question:

No, it doesn't get any better. In fact the game basicly stays about the same once you've got your weapon skills unlocked. No matter what the people tell you and how to hold on to lvl 40 "'it'll be fun then", you might end up quitting before you hit lvl 30 with more than 2 chars.

How boons / conditions work REALLY depends on the class. A good example would be the elementalist. If you look at any 1 skill / trait, you're like 'great.. I get a buff for 2-3 seconds max, that is TOTALLY useless", until you look at how the traits / skills / gear all compliment each other to the point where you can literally be like ... 'wait a minute, I can chain these 3second buffs together, to literally have 100% uptime on all of them, that's insane!'. Other classes, like the warrior or thief, can't really do that. Instead they get longer-duration persistant buffs, that function more like 1-off abilities.

Honestly, there is only 1 class in the game that I would say is fairly broken in terms of balance, and that would be the thief. And it has less to do w/ their math, and more to do with a combination of culling problems & the decision to make thieves VERY stealth heavy.

It reminds me of Dota2 in a way, where every class feels insanely OP once you understand how they work. The game is definitely one of the most balanced MMOs out there atm.

Originally posted by dynamicipftw
I have bad news for you OP. The first 10-15 levels are the best part of the game.

I feel exactly the same.

The game can't be for everyone.  It suspect it would not appeal to crafter-oriented, min-maxers, healers, people that love multispecs or raiding-oriented players, but that it would really appeal to explorers, pvp fans, altaholics, completionists, and jack-of-all-trades types.

Don't forget that you can level in different ways.  Though I don't find these as appealing as the normal pve way of levelling up, you can level through crafting and pvp.

If by the time you have your favorite 3 utility skills unlocked you are not having a good time, its not the right class for you.  I was a bit bummed with engineer myself because I was really hoping for it to be more similar to a ritualist, butI ended up vastly preferring using the kits to the turrets.  Try out the flamethrower and grenade kit.

Edit:  The game is absolutely positively not as bad as some people make it sound.  I consider it head and shoulders above all other MMORPGs I have played, personally, and I have played a lot.

Worst case scenario, you just really don't like the limited skill selection for the characters in GW2 and its not for you, but I imagine you will find one class that interests you.  If the events are proving to be uninteresting to you, you may just be burnt out and jaded from MMOs in general.  I really can't think of any reason I would prefer standard questing to events, the events have always been fun for me.

If you came for the PvP, I think it is some of the best.  Though the lack of skill options hurts GW2 in terms of customization, I think it helps in PvP.  Not having mana and healers really makes the pvp feel more balanced.  There are still heals mind you, but you aren't going to possibly get healed through even just one other player going after you (at least not without skillful play to avoid getting hit on your part).

On a technical level, I think the graphics are the most detailed in any MMO I have played before, but of course art-style comes into personal preference as well.  Guild Wars 2's art style follows from the original, which I personally enjoy.  The engine handles large numbers of people fighting surprisingly well, and I have not had to lower settings even in WvW spamfests.

Anyways, before I get too carried away, its safe to say that GW2 offers loads of content with no sub fee, and that the content is some of the best developed in any MMO.  People trying to paint the game as terrible and dull are trolling or jaded, and either way there isn't any MMORPG that will appeal to them.

Let me preface this by saying: In no way, shape, or form am I trying to pick a fight and/or insult someone.

1)If you give up now. You will be accused of playing too little. Which in some peoples opinion means that your opinion is instantly invalid. I mean honestly IMHO if I have to be bored at the start of a game for it to get to the proverbial good parts. Then it's a compatibility problem or bad design. Sometimes even a combination of the two.

2) If you play up to the suggested level (believe it was 60 by most folks here). Possibly even you will be labeled a troll/hater.   As people will say well you must have found something you enjoyed in the game to play that long. Just not good to force yourself to certain parts just on the hopes that it might get better. Just depends on your own patience.

3) If you don't try at least a few of the classes before quitting. Your opinion will be dismissed. As people will claim you don't know enough about game and/or it's mechanics.

Game just isn't for everyone. I got to 46 or 47 in the first month of release in GW2.  After that I pretty much gave up.  Haven't been back since then. By time I got into 40's I was just playing to to hang out with my friends. After some of them stopped logging on, had less and less reason to play.  Sometimes it's just not meant to be.  Can't force a square block into a triangle cut out.

Originally posted by Cromica
It does not get any better. The game is nothing but a massive grind that anet didn't even try to hide, but instead made it even worse with DR and nothing meaningful to do at max level. 

grind?

i didnt grind for my 5 exotics sets at all

only grind that is in game is for legendary

Originally posted by dauntSilver
Just bought, downloaded and installed the game today. after playing for about two hours, I feel like i just threw away 60 bucks. I am playing as a human engineer, only level 4. I dont even know if I want to log on anymore. Please tell me it gets better and I'm just getting the wrong first impression :[

I personally think engineer is a rather boring class, some loves it but it really isnt a good first class. Role a warrior or a thief or something. Another race might also help a bit.

Another thing to think about is that GW2 is about exploration, go out and explore the zones instead of just expecting quests to lead you everywhere. Be curious and try to find hidden stuff and events you havnt done before.

Of course the game might just not be your cup of tea but you really should try another class and moving around a bit before you decide that. I also think engineer gameplay is pretty boring, on the other hand do I love how the theif works.