Download Guild Wars 2 completely free and battle the Elder Dragons
Guild Wars 2 has long sat comfortably between MMORPG giants like Blizzard’s World of Warcraft and Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV, but over the years it has proven it didn’t need to go head-to-head with the industry’s other big titles. Instead, it forged its own path, sidestepping many of the pitfalls found in other games.
ARENANET - the industry’s true mold-breaker
ArenaNet began in 2000, when three friends founded the studio. In 2005, their first game, Guild Wars, launched and sold more than 1 million copies within just six months.
In 2009, the studio unveiled its next big project, Guild Wars 2, which released three years later. The game set itself apart by aiming to do things differently than the other titles on the market at the time.
A living world - races, cultures, and religious organizations
GW2 is built around the idea of a living world that constantly evolves. This is fueled by the many different races inhabiting the planet Tyria. You’ll encounter everything from massive feline-like beings who are masters of industrial might, to humans believed to have been brought to the planet by gods, to plant people grown from a colossal tree, and many more races.
Each has its own worldview, religious beliefs, and political conflicts that shape the story you play through. The living world is also supported by the ‘Living World’ principle—ongoing updates released between expansions that add new regions, story chapters, bosses, and much more.
Play for free
Since mid-2015, the base game has been completely free to play. The subsequent expansions (Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire and End of Dragons) must be purchased separately. But if you want to try the game and play through the base game’s 31 maps and 80 levels without paying for the game or a subscription, you can do that here.
Speaking of subscriptions, Guild Wars 2 is also one of the few MMORPGs on the market that doesn’t require a monthly fee to play. On top of that, the game itself is surprisingly affordable at less than $45.
That means you get an extraordinary amount of game time for very little money—and you’re also guaranteed all future free updates as long as you log in while the Living World patch (update) is live.
Conclusion
Guild Wars 2 is definitely a game you should check out if you haven’t tried it before. And if you’ve played it before but took a long break, now is the perfect time to come back and experience the magic again before the next expansion arrives.
The game is immensely fun and lets you fight as many different classes (professions) and races. Combat is dynamic and runs smoothly—at a level no one else in the industry even comes close to.
* Guild Wars 2 expands its game systems in February 2022 with its newest expansion, End of Dragons, which wraps up the story of the mighty Elder Dragons (the narrative focus since the game launched in 2012). Now’s your chance to join in before the game begins a whole new era of stories and battles.
If you want to learn more about the new expansion, you can read our article about End of Dragons lige her.
Download Guild Wars 2
