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The original was posted on /r/guildwars2 by /u/KnightEclipse on 2024-08-29 01:58:36+00:00.

Not to vent but a lot of really bad stuff happened to me IRL which had led me to today where I was really unsure what to do but knew I needed a real “day off” where I do nothing but things that make me happy. Guild wars 2 is a game that I have played on and off for many years since the first expansion came out forever ago.

When I first tried it I was a broke high schooler that didn’t have money to buy the expansion, but I had so much fun. Life happened and friends quit and eventually I drifted away to other games. But after many years the game was still doing fine and I wanted to get back in, I played it a bit for myself and it was still as good as it was before, so I bought all three expansions at the time.

Then fell off again.

All these years later I was sitting here, having just detoxed from the neurotic grind fest that is Albion Online, and wanting a new MMO because I find the genre awe inspiring, I think about trying Guild Wars 2 again. I log in and find out a new expansion came out JUST as I started it up again, which was funny. I log in and find all my old characters, one level 60 necromancer and a bunch of alts below level 10. I pick my level 8 Guardian for a roughly fresh start and head in.

I forgot how generous the game is, I had a bank full of max level boosts, free weapons, skins, birthday gifts that STACKED even when I wasn’t playing to redeem them. I felt welcomed in a way that I really have never felt in an MMO before, in any other game really. It felt like a party that I had shown up late for, and rather than getting estranged looks as I walked in with my Sunday pajamas on, everyone cheered and welcomed me back by putting a beer in my hands.

There was so much to do, but there was no feeling of catching up, all my anxieties and thoughts about typing a preemptive thread of “what to do?” or “how do I do this?” or “how do I grind this?” just… went away. I just kind of walked around, not in a confused way, but like a kid coming back to Disneyland. I saw people running around, I adjusted my gear, systems that seemed really confusing to me when I was a teenager make perfect sense now. I just walked around and did quests, tried new weapons, met some people and even did a world event that led INTO a group world event in a way that was super organic.

I talked to some people in town for a while cause their gear was really cool and they thanked me for the compliment and followed up with tips and things to look out for as a new player entirely unprompted, simply out of a desire to help a new player. Comparing this to other MMOs and games I play, where you get shrugged off, called a slur, or someone tries to take advantage of your friendliness to get ahead simply for the crime of trying to interact in a social setting.

Today was one of the most genuinely relaxing days I’ve had in a while. The game made me excited, with making me fearful of missing anything. It was all just there, waiting for me to discover and experience it, but at my speed.

I started the day at level 8, I am now level 52 after a few hours, and I had a ton of fun.

My only regret is that I didn’t get here sooner. Thank you guys for having me.