New Player - Wait for Expansions?

[Brannagan]

SO i'm a new player and i've noticed there's a lot of DLC but is it even worth it yet? From past experiences DLC's are usually end game content so it would be wasted on me atm right? Hell, I don't even know if i'll like the game or not

[anninke]

I think you can try the free part and decide later. There are some limitations for F2P players but it's still more than fine for a trial and the expansions tend to be on sale fairly often, so I'd recommend to wait for that.

[Hefutoxin]

Publicado originalmente por Brannagan:

SO i'm a new player and i've noticed there's a lot of DLC but is it even worth it yet? From past experiences DLC's are usually end game content so it would be wasted on me atm right? Hell, I don't even know if i'll like the game or not

The only two things you'd get below level 80 are the permanent Raptor mount and access to the Revenant class.

You do get a token to make instantly level a character to 80, but most people suggest you level at least one character to 80 first.

[Nibbie]

The only reason to get the DLC before you finish the base game is to remove the F2P restrictions. Otherwise, you have to be max level to do any post-base game content, so you have plenty of time to wait and see if you want to play more.

[Ruy Cabecinha]

You can do the content calmly, personal history, living world. Then you can get the heart of thorn and path of fire expansions. One for the glider and the other for the mounts, which are very important in the game for you to complete the content.

[Brannagan]

Played a few hours now and decided I do really like this game (playing Necro) and for £25 for the two expansions and mount was worth it for now to be honest i'll certainly be getting my moneys worth that's for sure plus I want to try out the Revenant

[⛧мᴿвᴼzᴬcᴷ⛧]

Heart of Thorns includes the glider. Path of Fire gets you Raptor, Springer, Jackal, Skimmer, and griffon mounts. End of Dragons gets you a fishing boat, a turtle mount and fishing. Secrets of the Obscure offers weapon abilities. Janthir Wilds is for Warclaw mount, Homestead and Spear things. Most DLC contains new "Elite Specialization", so your player can play a different class with new abilities, weapons.

[RotherHans]

GW2 is unlike ANY OTHER MMO!
There simply is NO ENDGAME expansion, ALL EXPANSIONS are relevant and populated.
More or less of course, depending on player main times.

The first 3 expansions unlock Elite Specializations for core classes and other important game play.
This makes GW2 a content monster and best of all, you're free to explore as you feel like because no sub is forcing you to time optimize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdE6JaSlkos

Though getting the latest expansion is a bit different after all,
because it fully unlocks the Wizard shop.

[Spirit]

when you decide to get some expansions , go either for the hot and pof pack (after that no ability to purchase living world seasons via shop but for gems) or go directly for the elder dragon saga when its on discount (best price for content) that contain everything except obscure and jantir
the choice is up to you

[william_es]

All the expansions require level 80 to do, but getting to level 80 doesn't really mean much.

There's a TON of progressions past 80. Unlocked quests, collections, etc. You can even get a token that maxes you to level 80 instantly. The DLC's are a lot of fun, and worth playing. They also give you a ton of quality of life bonuses, like having mounts makes your life so much easier. Not required, but just easier.

[Uncle Buck]

In my honest opinion they are all worth it, with varying degrees of value. IF you played through the core story and game and enjoy the game at a mechanical level as in the combat, build diversity and horizontal character progression and so on. The game expands mechanically in a variety of meaningful ways with each major expansion.

If you're in it for the story, its honestly all downhill after the core game, with sporadic but brief upticks in quality of plots and character writing. This is obviously entirely subjective so your mileage may vary.

They all go on sale a couple times a year.

[Zhaeph]

Publicado originalmente por RotherHans:

[...]

Though getting the latest expansion is a bit different after all,
because it fully unlocks the Wizard shop.

You mean the "Special Part"? Because that's the only thing that it unlocks (and the "You need JW to buy this") ...and when the new expansion is coming you'll need that for the wizard vault to unlock it again no?

[Evil]

wait for a sale ,theres more to this game if you give it a chance and learn how it all works

[~T~D~]

Don't wait, Aren't they 75% off now? - Remember to hit the PVP button if u wanna check out lvl 80 skills for different characters.

[LSD]

Publicado originalmente por RotherHans:

GW2 is unlike ANY OTHER MMO!
There simply is NO ENDGAME

Yea, that about sums it up.

[ebaG-gamma]

I tried for an explanation of expansions in GW2 in the section titled "What's the deal with all the expansions and DLCs?" of my guide https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3335333185, because it can be quite obtuse as a new player, especially understanding "Living World".

I would also recommend waiting for a sale. I added links to sales history to the end of the section "Which bundles and expansion deals are there?" in my aforementioned guide.
I think it's reasonable to expect another sales window in March, like this one from last year: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/spring-into-some-seasonal-sales/
When a sale rolls around I'd recommend picking up the Elder Dragon Saga Complete Collection for 50 bucks (it's 100 bucks off-sale) if you want to play all of the continuous story without omissions (in other words, including Living World (see first paragraph)).

NOTE that on Steam you can not buy the Elder Dragon Saga Complete Collection from Steam if you already own any part of it, e.g., the Heart of Thorns & Path of Fire Expansion Starter Pack. Reading the first part of my guide should make my stance on using a Steam account clear (but I don't know how many hours you already sunk into your Steam GW2 account, so switching might be too much to stomach for you).

Publicado originalmente por ~T~D~:

Don't wait, Aren't they 75% off now?

The recent sales window closed on the 2nd of January. (From December 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) to January 2, 2025, at 9:59 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8))

Publicado originalmente por Uncle Buck:

If you're in it for the story, its honestly all downhill after the core game, with sporadic but brief upticks in quality of plots and character writing. This is obviously entirely subjective so your mileage may vary.

… and an extremely unpopular opinion in the community.
While the base game's lore is very interwoven and multifaceted with personal story strands, dungeons, hearts, dynamic events, documents in and out of the game etc., the presentation and pacing has drastically improved afterwards.
But I wholeheartedly agree that it is all subjective.