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[Retro]

The core Guild Wars 2 game is now available for free, details and download link can be found here; https://welcome.guildwars2.com/en/play-for-free

Also announced:

• Heart of Thorns expansion will release on October 23rd 2015. Details here: https://heartofthorns.guildwars2.com/
• 10-player Raids will be added with the expansion, details here; https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/raids-in-guild-wars-2/
• Legendary Armor

Free-to-Play FAQ available here: https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/95982157

Restrictions on free accounts:

• 2 Character slots (upgrade to 5 with purchase).
• 3 Bag slots (upgrade to 5 with purchase).
• In-game mail to friends only, no gold / item attachments.
• Except for mutual friends, can only whisper (direct message) players within the same zone, and new players once every 30 seconds.
• Restricted Trading Post (player-to-player sales exchange).
• No Guild Bank Access.
• No Daily Login bonus.
• No Gold to Gem conversion.
• No Forum access.
• A few other minor content restrictions, see the FAQ.

Today we’re happy to announce that the Guild Wars 2 core game is available for everyone to play for free. With Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™ launching soon, there’s no better time to introduce the game to your friends.

Our Business Model
Guild Wars 2 has the simplest of business models: buy the game and play it as long as you want with no monthly fees. We’ve been championing this as a great business model for MMOs since launching the first Guild Wars® a decade ago. We continue to believe in buy-to-play. It’s good for gamers and good for developers.

This business model has been fantastic for Guild Wars 2 and our fans. Since launching three years ago—almost to the day, today—we’ve sold more than 5 million copies of the game. And we’ve delivered more than 40 major content releases, with world-changing events, Living World episodes, and feature packs, all free of charge.

Expansions are the one place where the buy-to-play model gets a little tricky. When you’re coming in as a new player to a game that has a bunch of expansions, what exactly should you buy in order to play with your friends? The base game and also every single expansion? We’ve seen examples in the industry where that kind of thing has gotten out of control. It doesn’t seem right, and we want to do better. As we get ready to ship our first expansion for Guild Wars 2, we want to ensure that we keep the business model friendly and simple. So let’s be clear that when we say Guild Wars 2 is buy-to-play, we’re only asking you to buy one thing: the current release, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

To accomplish that, we’ve already included the core game as a free bundle for anyone who buys Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. And today we’ll go a step further: we’re making the core game free for everyone. For anyone who’s been curious about Guild Wars 2, now you can just go to guildwars2.com, download the game, and start playing.
If anyone can play Guild Wars 2 for free now, does that mean we’re switching business models to free-to-play? Are we going to be one of those games that aggressively monetizes free players through microtransactions? Absolutely not. Guild Wars 2 remains the same game it always has been. We’re making the core game experience free because we’re confident that anyone who loves Guild Wars 2 will buy Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

Getting the Details Right
A game like Guild Wars 2 lives and dies by its community. Our goal is to protect our current community but also to make it as easy as possible for you to introduce the game to your friends, to recruit new players into your guilds, to challenge new players to Player vs. Player matches, and so on.

It’s trickier than you’d think to accomplish both objectives. We have to ensure that free accounts can’t be used to abuse the game or its current players (through botting, cheating, spamming, or RMT) while still making sure that free accounts get the authentic Guild Wars 2 experience.

Here are the changes we made for free accounts.

First, free accounts start with fewer character slots and bag slots than the paid version of the game. But they still get the full complement of slots as soon as they buy Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

Second, free accounts have some chat restrictions and economy restrictions so that they can’t be used to disrupt the game for other players. Free accounts can use local chat and whispers, but not map chat. With whispers, they can both start new conversations and reply to existing conversations but are limited to starting new conversations no more than once every 30 seconds. Free accounts can buy and sell common goods on the trading post. They can’t mail gold or items directly to other players, trade gold for gems, or access guild vaults.

Third, free accounts have some restrictions to prevent them from skipping ahead to places where they could be used to disrupt the game. They must play to level 10 before leaving the starter zones, to level 30 before using LFG, and to level 60 before using World vs. World. They can play PvP immediately but must get to rank 20 before using custom and unranked arenas.

We’ve found in testing that it’s hard to read a list like this and know how it’s going to feel in action. All these changes are live today, so we invite you to see for yourself. Test with a free account and see that it’s the same Guild Wars 2 you know and love; test with a veteran account and confirm that the community is protected.

We have an exhaustive FAQ covering these changes and other topics related to the free game, so check it out if you have additional questions.

If you're picking this up, we have some info / advice for new players over in the community side thread; http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=987332 (Scroll down to the 5th page of the "Coloring Book"... yes, seriously).

 

[Blablurn]

woooo


might try it out now


cool

 

[Trace]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

 

[nubbe]

thanks... was mashing F5 on the site

 

[Black-Wind]

If I paid for it years ago do I still have to pay for the expansion?

 

[Flandy]

Is there a level cap or any other limits?

 

[Retro]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

The in-game cash shop is unchanged.

Is there a level cap or any other limits?

Nope, it's the full game from Level 0 to 80. The only restrictions on free accounts are that there are fewer character slots, a few restrictions on chat (no map-wide chat, can only whisper other players every 30 seconds), no in-game mail and players cannot enter the World vs. World mode until level 60 (to prevent free accounts from acting as spies).

 

[Jon of the Wired]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

They said explicitly that they won't do that.

 

[Blooddimond]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

New accounts have less inventory space, some restrictions to stop gold farmers, and can't do world versus world til 60. Otherwise same as the normal version

 

[ahoyhoy]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

The only non-aesthetic Microtransaction stuff I noticed when I played Vanilla was the storage space expansion which, while annoying, wasn't a huge cost bump considering there wasn't a monthly fee.

 

[Raide]

Loved the quest progression and the storyline crafted for just you. Good variety and mixing of combat and weapon skills too.

Great news its gone p2p.. more people should check out how great GW2 is.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How are they making money?

 

[Soulflarz]

Hell yes!

Really happy to hear this, I was waiting for a sale again, now I don't need to!

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How do they make money?

The logic is that the game is so cheap to purchase nowadays ($5 on sale) that it's at no notable loss to them to do this vs expected profits for getting more people to buy the expansion after hooking them.

 

[Jira]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

F2P garbage? What are you talking about?

If I paid for it years ago do I still have to pay for the expansion?

Yes.

Is there a level cap or any other limits?

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/play-for-free-today/


https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/95982157-Account-types-Free-Core-HoT

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How are they making money?

The Gem Store makes them more money than box sales, over $100m a year. They still sell their expansion @ $50.

 

[Mobius and pet octopus]

I might have to check it out. There an active gaf community?

 

[W1SSY]

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How do they make money?

They sell for the most part cosmetic items in a store for real money. I have not played in awhile but at times they did also sell pickaxes, axes, and gathering hooks that did not deteriorate and therefore mean you no longer have to use in-game money to versions that do break after so many uses.

 

[Retro]

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How are they making money?

They think you'll like the game enough to buy the expansion or at least a few convenience / cosmetic items from the gem store.

 

[MikeDip]

Holy cow yes! Cool!

 

[Chesskid1]

i just purchased it last month when i bought a new PC and was looking to try out an MMO

it was hard to find a copy so i just bought a key off ebay and only played about 5 hours so far

great timing by me

 

[Cirdan]

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How are they making money?

They hope you buy the expansion(s). Generally if you play an mmo and you don't get the new expac everyone else around you is playing...well... what are you even doing in the game then? Everyone else has the newest shiniest things and you're still doing vanilla stuff.

 

[Black-Wind]

So (and I don't necessarily mean this in a negative way), what's the catch? What allows them to do this? How are they making money?

The reason MMOs can be free to play is cause most have some kinda cash shop in place with things people are willing to trade rl cash for.

GW2 already has a cash shop. Hell, I dropped the game cause of their shitty RNG boxes in their cash shop. (Well, not souly for that reason. But Those Jade Dragon skins were the last straw)

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Does that mean I can finally create a us account without losing my de one, or having to pay for it? Yay, might do.

 

[MikeDip]

i just purchased it last month when i bought a new PC and was looking to try out an MMO

it was hard to find a copy so i just bought a key off ebay and only played about 5 hours so far

great timing by me

Whenever this happens to me I like to pretend I was the last sale they needed to finally switch over and have a sale/go free and I helped out everyone else like a secret robin hood.

So, thank you! I appreciate it.

 

[Zeroth]

I might have to check it out. There an active gaf community?

Yes

 

[Jira]

I might have to check it out. There an active gaf community?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=987332

 

[Verder]

perfect

 

[CountAntonius]

Well finally time to give it a shot.

 

[Kos Luftar]

https://help.guildwars2.com/entries/95982157-Account-types-Free-Core-HoT

comparing free account to paid account (if you buy account just buy expansion it is a better deal because it includes the paid version of the core game).

 

[Cidd]

I bought it at launch played it for a couple months with friends but I haven't touched it in over a year now.

Maybe it's time to give it another shot.

 

[shysaursoft]

If anyone can play Guild Wars 2 for free now, does that mean we’re switching business models to free-to-play? Are we going to be one of those games that aggressively monetizes free players through microtransactions? Absolutely not. Guild Wars 2 remains the same game it always has been. We’re making the core game experience free because we’re confident that anyone who loves Guild Wars 2 will buy Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/play-for-free-today/

 

[Stupid Sexy Flanders]

This is great, I purchased it on sale and played with my friend once. After a few weeks of not playing I got an email saying I was banned (think it was something to do with trading real world money? Even though I played it with my friend and barely got past the starting area...) and had been refunded for the game automatically.

Glad I can hop back in without having to buy it again

 

[CrunchyFrog]

I'm going to assume they added even more random F2P garbage compared to what was in the paid game before?

The only non cosmetic stuff is a few convenience things like one or two extra bag/bank/profession slots, instant/ondemand shops/repairs/bank access, unlimited use resource mining equipment (whose limited use counterparts can be purchased for a pittance with ingame currency), and some standard gold/exp boosters (which can also be gotten for free and are given out like candy AND only count down based on ingame playtime not realtime) and some TF2 crate-esque chests which you can buy keys to unlock (though a select few in-game character progression rewards include keys). Even a majority of cosmetic stuff can be acquired by just playing the game or participating in world events.

Any actual gear or gameplay altering items not only are entirely unlockable through normal casual play (which accomodates the largest spectrum of MMO playstyles I've ever seen) but HAVE to be unlocked so and cannot be bought outright, so everyone is on the same playing field balance-wise regardless of how much money you put into the game.

ArenaNet have bent over backwards to provide the most reputable and nonexploitative yet still fiscally sound MMO I've ever played and they should be commended for such an effort.

 

[Sakura]

Ok so if I had purchased just the base game before this, do I have a "free account" with those limitations or do I have a paid account just with no expansion?

 

[nataku]

Ok so if I had purchased just the base game before this, do I have a "free account" with those limitations or do I have a paid account just with no expansion?

You just have a normal, unrestricted account since you bought it. No expansion though until you buy that.

 

[ThirtyFour]

This seems quite out of the blue unless I missed some news. I've always been interested to try it though so I will definitely download it.

 

[Retro]

I might have to check it out. There an active gaf community?

Very much so, community thread is located here; http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=987332

 

[Philippo]

They should make a next gen console port, i played the hell out of it during the first year but now my laptop is too crappy to handle it.

 

[Faenix1]

Sounds a lot more restricted than the usual F2P.

I was interested in finally checking it out but now? Eh, I dont know.

 

[Jira]

They should make a next gen console port, i played the hell out of it during the first year but now my laptop is too crappy to handle it.

A console port is unlikely if only because ANet is known to sometimes push out 3-4 patches in a single day which the console infrastructure simply doesn't allow for. Too much redtape around certifications.

 

[Retro]

The reason MMOs can be free to play is cause most have some kinda cash shop in place with things people are willing to trade rl cash for.

GW2 already has a cash shop. Hell, I dropped the game cause of their shitty RNG boxes in their cash shop. (Well, not souly for that reason. But Those Jade Dragon skins were the last straw)

That was over two years ago, they've made a lot of changes to the cash shop since then, including to the Black Lion boxes. Buying them has always been completely optional, more so now that the exclusive skins are tradeable.

Sounds a lot more restricted than the usual F2P.

I was interested in finally checking it out but now? Eh, I dont know.

I don't know how it compares to most F2P games since I tend to stay away from those, but most of the restrictions are in place to limit communication to prevent gold sellers and bots. Apart from the level restrictions on the early game and fewer character/bag slots, you pretty much get the full game everyone has been playing for 3 years.

 

[Spazznid]

So first they're like "Buy the base game guys! You'll need it to play the expansion!"

Then they released the expansion with the core game included and with no option without the core game.

Scummy.

Then they make the core game free, and so now everyone who purchased it in advance of the expansion to prepare is screwed twice.

I used to love Anet.

 

[silvermember]

Sounds a lot more restricted than the usual F2P.

I was interested in finally checking it out but now? Eh, I dont know.

How many f2p mmorpg games have you played?

 

[Hero Prinny]

Those restrictions seem pretty fair, im guessing its mainly to block bots which is a shame legit players have to suffer but it is what it is, at least free players can experience the full game. I stopped playing at around level 52 or so

 

[Zeroth]

So first they're like "Buy the base game guys! You'll need it to play the expansion!"

Then they released the expansion with the core game included and with no option without the core game.

Scummy.

Then they make the core game free, and so now everyone who purchased it in advance of the expansion to prepare is screwed twice.

I used to love Anet.

They applied refunds to those who purchased between January (when the expansion was announced) and July (when prepurchase was available with the base game). I would say they covered that pretty well, given the first mistake.

 

[silvermember]

So first they're like "Buy the base game guys! You'll need it to play the expansion!"

Then they released the expansion with the core game included and with no option without the core game.

Scummy.

Then they make the core game free, and so now everyone who purchased it in advance of the expansion to prepare is screwed twice.

I used to love Anet.

Which they refunded.

 

[Spazznid]

How many f2p mmorpg games have you played?

I play them like candy, and it's usually nowhere near this limited. This is the thing that happens when previously paid for games go f2p. They keep their old purchase/subscription as a "Prime" members club thing and limit others to incentivize it. Games with f2p in mind from the start don't have that.

 

[Slayven]

any veteran reward or bonus?

 

[Mad Season]

great game. terrible end game

 

[Syril]

So first they're like "Buy the base game guys! You'll need it to play the expansion!"

Then they released the expansion with the core game included and with no option without the core game.

Scummy.

Then they make the core game free, and so now everyone who purchased it in advance of the expansion to prepare is screwed twice.

I used to love Anet.

Yeah I think they should at least offer a discount on the expansion to people who had owned the game already. On the plus side they put the game on sale pretty frequently, so I can at least count on being able to buy it at the price I feel I should eventually.

 

[shysaursoft]

great game. terrible end game

Quite a lot of endgame. But no perpetual gear tier grind, to give the illusion of endgame. That's why it's a great game.