"The GW2 Community is Friendly" Is a Myth

[Drakortha]

It's an old myth that's left over from the first year of GW2 after launch. It was at that time GW2 felt like a fresh departure from other MMO's and the result of this was a happy and welcoming community.

I find it so bizarre now that over 10 years later, people constantly make the statement that the GW2 community is "friendly", like it's some sort of fact. As someone who has been playing this game since launch, it is extremely far from the truth. The community has changed since the early days, and not for the better.

If I had to describe the community in just a couple of words, I would use words such as Toxic. Aggressive, Condescending. Etc.

As soon as you get to any of the end-game group content, the true face of the GW2 community will reveal itself to you and before long, you will figure out how to turn off chat and set yourself to appear offline just so you are not verbally abused every day that you log in to play.

[LSD]

Even back when the game released, if you criticise the game in any way, everyone gets defensive and then aggressive.
Every critique is always prefaced with "I love gw2 and think it's the best game ever, but...", and even in this forum, new players asking why dumb things still exist in the game are getting attacked for daring to question the game. It's amazing.

[Spirit]

critics are stuff when used correctly can lead to growth
there are some ppl who get easily offended but those are the exception then the norm
even i´am a relatively new player but i can survive a few harsh words from someone who has maybe more exp then me

[likous]

The game is toxic in PvP, Fractal T4 and Raids, the rest is friendly. Sincerely, a player who started in 2019. A few years ago I helped a player pass a jumping puzzle. He thanked me with 50 gold.

Toxic players will be toxic and liars will do everything they can to be winners

[Jon]

So like any other community it has fair share of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. You truly made great discovery

[✨Saint✨]

Well, GW2 is not a perfect community, but overall it is a friendly one imho.

[Danny]

Been playing for like five years now. Very friendly community. One can only assume you get what you put out :)

[⎝⧹๖ۣۜFleksus⧸⎠]

if its not pvp or wvw the community is pretty friendly if you dont interrupt the dudes and dudettes while they are trying to help new people even if themself are incompetend af aside from knowledge of the open world.

t4 and raid groups are toxic because the people dont give a ♥♥♥♥ about playing together

[Mr_Puddins]

Back in my Halo 2 days I thoroughly enjoyed trash talking and teabagging ppl

[ah_puch]

There has been a mass exodus after the 2019 layoffs as well. Majority of the people who've made this community great have moved on to other mmos. What's left is the bitter ones who cannot escape the sunk cost fallacy and forced to accept and even defend below average development quality, year long content droughts and tiny playerbase size. 2023 was such a sad year for GW2, looks like it will continue well into 2024.

[Tasha Vulpine]

Originally posted by Danny:

Been playing for like five years now. Very friendly community. One can only assume you get what you put out :)

Then you assume wrongly, because real life is not some "Karma returns to you" Hindu story.

[Hefutoxin]

Originally posted by Drakortha:

As soon as you get to any of the end-game group content, the true face of the GW2 community will reveal itself to you

https://snowcrows.com/explore

Like EVERY GAME, challenging endgame content requires knowing WTF you are doing so you don't waste other peoples time. If you don't know, there is a link to resources.

What some people struggle to understand is that it is extremely rude to show up to a situation completely unprepared and expect other people to carry you.

Originally posted by ah_puch:

What's left is the bitter ones who cannot escape the sunk cost fallacy and forced to the below average development, year long content droughts and tiny playerbase size. 2023 was such a sad year for GW2, looks like it will continue well into 2024.

Is that why you guys are still here?

[𝒞𝒶𝓉𝓎𝒶♡]

Originally posted by Drakortha:

It's an old myth that's left over from the first year of GW2 after launch. It was at that time GW2 felt like a fresh departure from other MMO's and the result of this was a happy and welcoming community.

I find it so bizarre now that over 10 years later, people constantly make the statement that the GW2 community is "friendly", like it's some sort of fact. As someone who has been playing this game since launch, it is extremely far from the truth. The community has changed since the early days, and not for the better.

If I had to describe the community in just a couple of words, I would use words such as Toxic. Aggressive, Condescending. Etc.

As soon as you get to any of the end-game group content, the true face of the GW2 community will reveal itself to you and before long, you will figure out how to turn off chat and set yourself to appear offline just so you are not verbally abused every day that you log in to play.

Been very much friendly for me. :)

But of course everyone has their own personal experiences, like in any game. I guess can be a bit of luck also where ends up, or if gets some bad experience and it affects your own behavior/attitude from that moment forwards.

There is of course the attitude in both WvW and some PVE "endgame activities" that yes, people expect you to bring the meta or close to it and know your class. It's on every similar mmo though, was in ESO, is also in FF14 Savage and Ultimate raid community, people expect you to know the fights and your role if you join clear groups, training is obviously different, and clear for 1, where they still expect that 1 to do their best and know stuff from training first, and not be a full carry. Unless you are some big enough streamer with carry privileges, and some groups do it even if it would take days until the streamer gets it right with luck. X)

Funnily enough, in WvW i do 80% of times in squads etc bring non-meta builds. :D But then again, i make fun of myself for doing it, and if anyone else does, i don't care. I'm based and good with those non-meta picks anyways lol. So when they ask for a heal Firebrand, i'll join and say some meme like: "Best i can do, is this Tempest fake healer in full Celestial.." and then just join the squad. :P You see, i bring quality with whatever i bring, they love me anyways! ^^

Based on all the mmo games i have played, i easily put GW2 in the TOP 3 most friendly communities. :) But as said, some might have their own opinions that are different, everyone has their own preferences, it's all good.

[Teratus]

As soon as you get to "end-game group content"..

By this I'm taking a guess that you're referring to mostly Raids, which doesn't surprise me in the least considering it's dead content, and the main reason it's dead content is because it was, for years gatekept by elitist, meta or gtfo type players.

Those players are a very small minority in Gw2, they do not represent the larger Gw2 community who are generally very friendly and helpful most of the time.

[mysaga]

Originally posted by Drakortha:

It's an old myth that's left over from the first year of GW2 after launch. It was at that time GW2 felt like a fresh departure from other MMO's and the result of this was a happy and welcoming community.

I find it so bizarre now that over 10 years later, people constantly make the statement that the GW2 community is "friendly", like it's some sort of fact. As someone who has been playing this game since launch, it is extremely far from the truth. The community has changed since the early days, and not for the better.

If I had to describe the community in just a couple of words, I would use words such as Toxic. Aggressive, Condescending. Etc.

As soon as you get to any of the end-game group content, the true face of the GW2 community will reveal itself to you and before long, you will figure out how to turn off chat and set yourself to appear offline just so you are not verbally abused every day that you log in to play.

It is worth paying attention to the details here. Usually the statement is "most new player freindly and welcoming communities" as far as I am aware. This is a totally different part of the game than "endgame group content", which is probably T4 fractals, raids, and strikes in pve. As Teratus already wrote, you may indeed find some elitist and toxic people there.

I think in general when it comes to certain types of content in MMORPGs, you will always find those "bad apples" in the community. And they tend to stick out. There is usually a way to deal with it, and it often involves finding like-minded players to tackle these types of content instead of going for pugs.

[Teratus]

Originally posted by mysaga:

I think in general when it comes to certain types of content in MMORPGs, you will always find those "bad apples" in the community. And they tend to stick out. There is usually a way to deal with it, and it often involves finding like-minded players to tackle these types of content instead of going for pugs.

Aye.

I've also had a lot of personal success creating my own pug groups and advertising them as welcoming to all players.
Usually by adding "All Welcome" to my LFG's, and always in training categories if possible where im more likely to find people who I want to play with.

While it's true there are a number of elitist players in the endgame content, it's also true that a lot of people who play the endgame content with them, are not like them and far more open minded to playing with less experienced and casual players as well, even willing to help and teach them.

If you make your own group, advertise it to everyone being welcome then it tends to weed out the elitist players fairly well since they will automatically see the group as "unoptimised" and they won't want to waste their time on it.
So it's a good way imo for two very opposed player types to avoid one another, which is a good thing for both of them tbh.