Is Guild war 2 completely free to play?

[☯ FURI4 CIEC4 ☯]

Hi, I'm new to this game and I would like to start playing it since many people tell me it's very nice. When I went to the game page I noticed that it's free to play but there are several DLC packages. Do these packages affect the gaming experience with other players? Can the end game be complete even if you don't buy the DLC? If you want to do pvp tomorrow will you have the complete class of armor, skills and level?

[Zethell]

The core game is completely free, the expansion and Living World Story is still paid content.
There is also a 90% cosmetic in-game cash shop, where you can also buy some power through gem>gold conversion, upgrades for your home which will generate daily materials for you and convenience items to help you farm stuff more easily.

The Expansions unlock new elite specializations for all classes as well as new weapons, mounts and glider. The mini-expansions (SOTO & Current) unlock new weapons only.

You can't do Raids without getting Heart of Thorns & Path of Fire package.
I don't know if there are any non-expansion Strikes, maybe 1.
Dungeons are available in Core game, those are free. Fractals too probably.

Fractals are like harder Dungeons, and Strikes are like easier Raids.

You can still farm gold in the RIBA (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/RIBA) meta though, on F2P. So you got that going.

The end-game in GW2 is whatever you want it to be.
It's not like other MMO's. For most people the end-game is achievements and cosmetics.

Oh and PvP you just go in at any level and you will be scaled up to 80 and you get to pick a level 80 build and stats. Some builds/stats may not be available to you, since you lack expansion elite specs.

[Hefutoxin]

Originally posted by ☯ FURI4 CIEC4 ☯:

Do these packages affect the gaming experience with other players? Can the end game be complete even if you don't buy the DLC? If you want to do pvp tomorrow will you have the complete class of armor, skills and level?

The game does not follow the typical MMO structure.

Maximum gear level has not changed in over a decade. You can get it as F2P.

However, Player Skill is far more important than equipment. You won't really see this until around Max level when even basic enemies use multiple abilities and hit like a truck.

Expansions add more and different Endgame activities. But they do not add better equipment.

Expansions add more skills to each profession and some of those options are clearly better than the ones in F2P. However, you will lose in PvP regardless because people there have over a decade of practice.

[Joker]

The core game is free to play, with many restrictions on in-game functionalities.
I think "free to try/free to start" is a better description

[Nibbie]

Originally posted by ☯ FURI4 CIEC4 ☯:

When I went to the game page I noticed that it's free to play but there are several DLC packages. Do these packages affect the gaming experience with other players? Can the end game be complete even if you don't buy the DLC?

The DLCs are expansions, like virtually every MMO out there. They add new areas, stories, and mechanics. Also as someone mentioned, the level cap was never raised, so all of these areas are the same level and drop the same level gear, so they all remain relevant to the current game and have some players doing them.

The free part is the entire core game and Living World Season 1, the first major post-release story arc. Basically you have everything from the game's release in August 2012 to the end of Living World 1 in March 2014, but with a few extra F2P restrictions like limited trading and communication.

Originally posted by ☯ FURI4 CIEC4 ☯:

If you want to do pvp tomorrow will you have the complete class of armor, skills and level?

I haven't really done it, but I believe PVP auto levels you to max and uses a special gear system so any character can start doing PVP right away. However, I assume that doesn't come with any of the Specializations for each class that the expansions added, so you can't use the weapons and abilities that were added in expansions you don't own. "Core" builds should still be competitive though, especially at lower ranks where skill matters more than build.

As for the rest of the game, you will be able to get to the max level (since it was never raised from release) and earn the highest power gear just fine as F2P, it just might be more work since you can't use the full trading post.

[Bermag]

You can play without the content like maps and stories from expansions. But playing without elite specialization is not somethign I would consider. So at least get Thorns/PoF expansion.

I rather see the F2P option like a "try before you buy". I

[Spirit]

Originally posted by Zethell:

The core game is completely free, the expansion and Living World Story is still paid content.
There is also a 90% cosmetic in-game cash shop, where you can also buy some power through gem>gold conversion, upgrades for your home which will generate daily materials for you and convenience items to help you farm stuff more easily.

The Expansions unlock new elite specializations for all classes as well as new weapons, mounts and glider. The mini-expansions (SOTO & Current) unlock new weapons only.

You can't do Raids without getting Heart of Thorns & Path of Fire package.
I don't know if there are any non-expansion Strikes, maybe 1.
Dungeons are available in Core game, those are free. Fractals too probably.

Fractals are like harder Dungeons, and Strikes are like easier Raids.

You can still farm gold in the RIBA (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/RIBA) meta though, on F2P. So you got that going.

The end-game in GW2 is whatever you want it to be.
It's not like other MMO's. For most people the end-game is achievements and cosmetics.

Oh and PvP you just go in at any level and you will be scaled up to 80 and you get to pick a level 80 build and stats. Some builds/stats may not be available to you, since you lack expansion elite specs.

erm , soto also add the skyscale and janthir gives you the warclaw as a mount for open world + new weapon professions

[LSD]

If you don't buy the DLC then there is no end game. The F2P game is the original base game, but it never had anything to do end-wise.

You can do the PvP, but the free classes are all terrible. I think there's maybe 2 F2P builds that are viable for PvP. One of them's Guardian with a hammer, the other's Mesmer.

[Joker]

Originally posted by LSD:

If you don't buy the DLC then there is no end game. The F2P game is the original base game, but it never had anything to do end-wise.

I played core for over 3000 hours and still play core content to this day
There was lots of things to do in core, but in context of how the game is today, it will feel lacking to not have the expansions
But people were playing dungeons, world bosses, fractals, pvp, wvw, doing map completion, achievements etc
There was plenty to do
The game has changed though, so I would certainly reccommend having all expansions

[☯ FURI4 CIEC4 ☯]

Thank you guys! I am grateful for your very detailed answers!

[Eminem]

Wait for sale. The only expansion you need is path of fire combo pack. On sale you'll get for 7 dollars. Anet sales match steam sales.

Get the expansion in game thru Black Lion and NOT thru steam.

[O.K]

Originally posted by LSD:

If you don't buy the DLC then there is no end game. The F2P game is the original base game, but it never had anything to do end-wise.

You can do the PvP, but the free classes are all terrible. I think there's maybe 2 F2P builds that are viable for PvP. One of them's Guardian with a hammer, the other's Mesmer.

oh thats why core engi/ele/ranger/warrior are meta, quit lying

[LSD]

Originally posted by Bakasura:

Originally posted by LSD:

If you don't buy the DLC then there is no end game. The F2P game is the original base game, but it never had anything to do end-wise.

You can do the PvP, but the free classes are all terrible. I think there's maybe 2 F2P builds that are viable for PvP. One of them's Guardian with a hammer, the other's Mesmer.

oh thats why core engi/ele/ranger/warrior are meta, quit lying

Yeah except they really aren't.

[Zethell]

Originally posted by Spirit:

Originally posted by Zethell:

The core game is completely free, the expansion and Living World Story is still paid content.
There is also a 90% cosmetic in-game cash shop, where you can also buy some power through gem>gold conversion, upgrades for your home which will generate daily materials for you and convenience items to help you farm stuff more easily.

The Expansions unlock new elite specializations for all classes as well as new weapons, mounts and glider. The mini-expansions (SOTO & Current) unlock new weapons only.

You can't do Raids without getting Heart of Thorns & Path of Fire package.
I don't know if there are any non-expansion Strikes, maybe 1.
Dungeons are available in Core game, those are free. Fractals too probably.

Fractals are like harder Dungeons, and Strikes are like easier Raids.

You can still farm gold in the RIBA (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/RIBA) meta though, on F2P. So you got that going.

The end-game in GW2 is whatever you want it to be.
It's not like other MMO's. For most people the end-game is achievements and cosmetics.

Oh and PvP you just go in at any level and you will be scaled up to 80 and you get to pick a level 80 build and stats. Some builds/stats may not be available to you, since you lack expansion elite specs.

erm , soto also add the skyscale and janthir gives you the warclaw as a mount for open world + new weapon professions

No, Soto does not add any professions or specializations.
I said it added new weapons.
It does not add any new mounts, but you're right, you can get a nerfed skyscale in it.

Skyscale was not added in Soto, it was added in Season 4.
Warclaw was not added in Janthir, it was changed in Janthir.

[Joker]

Originally posted by Zethell:

Originally posted by Spirit:

erm , soto also add the skyscale and janthir gives you the warclaw as a mount for open world + new weapon professions

No, Soto does not add any professions or specializations.
I said it added new weapons.
It does not add any new mounts, but you're right, you can get a nerfed skyscale in it.

Skyscale was not added in Soto, it was added in Season 4.
Warclaw was not added in Janthir, it was changed in Janthir.

Not nerfed skyscale
Buffed skyscale