How do I hide the "upgrade to full account" banner in the game window?

[Daniel]

Or this just another game pretending to be free when it isn't?

[SinisterSlay]

You have to buy one of the expansions to unlock your account.
Otherwise you are restricted to the original launch game areas and the first living world season.

[Daniel]

Originally posted by SinisterSlay:

You have to buy one of the expansions to unlock your account.
Otherwise you are restricted to the original launch game areas and the first living world season.

I understand that but how do I hide it until I might eventually decide to buy something? It's really annoying having it there all the time.

[SinisterSlay]

Originally posted by Daniel:

Originally posted by SinisterSlay:

You have to buy one of the expansions to unlock your account.
Otherwise you are restricted to the original launch game areas and the first living world season.

I understand that but how do I hide it until I might eventually decide to buy something? It's really annoying having it there all the time.

Far as I know you can't

[ebaG-gamma]

Originally posted by Daniel:

Or this just another game pretending to be free when it isn't?

There have been quite a few discussions of this topic in the past and I – of course – always had to add my mustard (it's a German saying):

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1284210/discussions/0/4765459305691470001/#c4753074499849568724

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1284210/discussions/0/583876502953670989/#c594009760474352353

A) playing is free, since there is no monthly subscription fee
B) a big portion of the game is buy-to-play

The game started out as a 55 bucks buy-to-play title.
After 3 years, shortly before the release of the first full expansion (Heart of Thorns) in 2015, the base game became playable for free. This did, however, not mean a shift to the F2P business model as it is used in many other live service games. The playable-for-free base game is more like a very generous trial.

Since 2019, when you buy the second big expansion (Path of Fire, PoF) (2017), you get the first one (HoT) "for free". In a way these two biggest and best expansions cost the price of one now.

Since I assume you are a new player, I invite you to check out this guide I set up especially for newcomers. At least skim this before you play more and especially before you make any purchases: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3335333185
I also explain the DLCs and what part is free in it.

[LSD]

^ That's a huuuge amount of words. As SinisterSlay said: you can't.
The game has a bunch of annoying pop-ups that never go away like this, e.g., if you glide or fly into a leyline, you'll get popups telling you to get the SotO expansion. It's irritating.

[ebaG-gamma]

Originally posted by LSD:

That's a huuuge amount of words. As SinisterSlay said: you can't.

SinisterSlay answered one part of the original question. I answered to another part.
This should have been quite easy to understand by the simple fact that I quoted the part of the question that I responded to.

[SinisterSlay]

I didn't answer the pretending to be free part because it sounded trollish.
GW2 is more free than most games. It has no sub, which automatically makes it the cheapest game. It also doesn't gate you anywhere for microtransactions, so its significantly cheaper than all f2p games. And you can actually play free without being gated by microtransactions. So it's a more free than most f2p games, which themselves aren't really free.

[Uma Purpura]

Originally posted by Daniel:

Or this just another game pretending to be free when it isn't?

Well, as the others said, it definitely is "free" and way better than many others in that broad sense, but you can't get rid of the banner unfortunately. If you end up liking the game you can get the expansion starter pack on sales for like 7 bucks or something, it's not a huge amount of money and it will remove the banner permanently. But you'll see for yourself after you try it

Originally posted by LSD:

The game has a bunch of annoying pop-ups that never go away like this, ... . It's irritating.

Quite amusing how this sounds like a description of someone's comments that constantly pop up here in the discussions, the likeness is uncanny !
I think that person's name contains the letters S,D and L somewhere, but then again, what do I know, I'm just a silly woman, I might be mistaken

[LSD]

Originally posted by Uma Purpura:

Originally posted by Daniel:

Or this just another game pretending to be free when it isn't?

Well, as the others said, it definitely is "free" and way better than many others in that broad sense, but you can't get rid of the banner unfortunately. If you end up liking the game you can get the expansion starter pack on sales for like 7 bucks or something, it's not a huge amount of money and it will remove the banner permanently. But you'll see for yourself after you try it

Originally posted by LSD:

The game has a bunch of annoying pop-ups that never go away like this, ... . It's irritating.

Quite amusing how this sounds like a description of someone's comments that constantly pop up here in the discussions, the likeness is uncanny !
I think that person's name contains the letters S,D and L somewhere, but then again, what do I know, I'm just a silly woman, I might be mistaken

This stalking stuff is getting really weird now.

[Uma Purpura]

Originally posted by LSD:

Originally posted by Uma Purpura:

Well, as the others said, it definitely is "free" and way better than many others in that broad sense, but you can't get rid of the banner unfortunately. If you end up liking the game you can get the expansion starter pack on sales for like 7 bucks or something, it's not a huge amount of money and it will remove the banner permanently. But you'll see for yourself after you try it


Quite amusing how this sounds like a description of someone's comments that constantly pop up here in the discussions, the likeness is uncanny !
I think that person's name contains the letters S,D and L somewhere, but then again, what do I know, I'm just a silly woman, I might be mistaken

This stalking stuff is getting really weird now.

Would be great if it actually was stalking, but unfortunately for everyone in the discussions here, some people are omnipresent and chances are high that you can find certain individuals under most of the discussion posts without even looking, but as I said, what do I know, I'm just a silly woman

[Hefutoxin]

Originally posted by LSD:

This stalking stuff is getting really weird now.

You feel the need to whine about GW2 in nearly every thread. Daily. For years.

At least armyguy takes breaks.

[LSD]

Originally posted by Hefutoxin:

Originally posted by LSD:

This stalking stuff is getting really weird now.

You feel the need to whine about GW2 in nearly every thread. Daily. For years.

At least armyguy takes breaks.

You feel the need to whine about people who aren't fanboys, in every thread. It's stalkerish and, frankly, weird.

[Hefutoxin]

Originally posted by LSD:

Originally posted by Hefutoxin:

You feel the need to whine about GW2 in nearly every thread. Daily. For years.

At least armyguy takes breaks.

You feel the need to whine about people who aren't fanboys, in every thread. It's stalkerish and, frankly, weird.

Stop stalking me and you wouldn't see it. I know I am your idol, but this type of worship is giving other people the creeps.

[Koytar]

LSD yet again not knowing what to do on his life and instead opt for the twitter like minded and spread it here, amusing

[ຊคrtนrคēl]

Originally posted by Koytar:

LSD yet again not knowing what to do on his life and instead opt for the twitter like minded and spread it here, amusing :captainclown:

It's so very hilarious though to see how absolutely no one here in the discussions can stomach him and his constant nonsensical bs
You gotta admit, that's quite the achievement to end up literally universally disliked by every other participant around here. I don't think even the trolls that provoke on purpose with their posts from time to time managed to get to this level hahah