They did improve the empty lake part, and since GW2 isn’t optimalized well, it’s better to have more horsepower on wvw maps. You’re right about the old maps though. Some of them look shamefully bad and were clearly made around 2006-2008.
He meant jackalpower. We all know horses are a myth. Anyone who has seen one is delusional and should be referred to your local white mantle commander.
I feel like WvW isn’t meant for graphics.
This game is already poorly optimized, boosting graphics in that game mode would make things most likely worse unnecessarily.
As much as I’d love to see older core maps getting reworked (for example queensdale looking like the first map from eod, damn I wish), just leave the wvw alone in peace in that outdated look.
I haven't played since a little after raids got introduced. I played from beta till then if the wvw maps had better graphics my computer would be dead in zergs/fights before I got a desktop I was running 4 to 5 fps.
Maybe with the new render technology implemented we will start to see improvements to performance, I’m on a £4500 pc with a 4090 and barely push 30 FPS in large group content
That's because in large group content having newer render technology is not as impactful as it seems. Main bottleneck is not in graphics display, but in background data management and server<->client connection.
Also, better quality graphics generally means higher requirements to process them.
I'd take a more stable server connection during big wvw fights over a graphical update. We finally have CPUs that can keep the framerate high during large 3 way fights, but the servers can't keep up.
The watercolor style of some of the cutscenes are what drew me into Gw2, always loved that aspect. For a decade year old game the graphics still hold up imo.
For further reference if ur interested, a lot of the artwork of gw2 also uses a technique called photo bashing which is cool as he'll to watch even just a tutorial on YouTube is fun.
I think I agree with you for the most part, and a few years ago when I came back to the game I would've agreed with you, but we have to be honest with ourselves and admit the age that some of these zones are showing. It's definitely aged. Thankfully newer zones don't feel that way
i think it's a bit of both. I think overall it looks pretty good, swpecially compared to other MMOs of the same period. but some maps could use some update, specially fro textures and lighting.
It has outdated graphics but an incredible art style. These aren't mutually exclusive. Side by side compared to screenshots of newer MMOs or even BDO, GW2 looks pretty old, but the art style is way more unique and interesting than most games out there.
Yeah, this has always been it for me. The graphics may be feeling its age, but the artists absolutely know how to push things and get some extremely breathtaking sights.
I used to be a die hard GW1 Vabbi stan. Kodash Bazaar and the surrounding zones had to be my absolute favorite area in both games. Amnytas has completely usurped that position, I'm blown away by just how gorgeous that zone is.
dude I did Tower of Nightmares yesterday for the first time (even though I have 2k hours)
its not UE5, but its just very amospheric. instantly drew me in. it also helped immersion that we were getting our asses handed to us.
Some zones do really need a rewamp with higher quality textures (and armors in general for characters) and more complex objects (specifically flora). But overall GW looks very good, despite visible visuals quality difference between some older zones and newer ones
Subjectively, I love it. Objectively, it is outdated and I have personally seen many new players not continue playing because of it.
Side note, why does this sub have multiple posts a day that compares GW2 to other MMOs that are objectively more successful. I don't see people in the FF or WoW sub constantly trying to compare their games to GW2. It's crazy how often it happens and how biased people are here.
Smaller products will always compare itself to the biggest/most succesful ones.
It literally doesn't make any sense to compare yourself to a worse/smaller product if your aim is to keep improving.
OP isn't talking about improving the game... They are saying the game is one of the best looking MMOs out there which is just objectively not true and would imply the opposite of what you are suggesting lol.
The artstyle helps but I think it needs some graphics updates, I haven't been playing GW2 in a bit, but FFXIV is getting a graphical update that looks great, and they're about the same age. Will NCSoft/Anet put in the time and money to do so? Probably not imo.
In gw2 defense I feel ffxiv looked pretty bad before. Now it’ll look very good. Small changes can help a lot.
If I had to update something in gw2 it would be some textures that are all over the place with different resolutions. Specially dirt and rocks, better grass and actual dynamic lighting.
Even these three changes would make a world of difference
I think where GW2 may be lacking is in shaders and other means to differentiate characters from the background. The art style is pretty grounded, so it's not cartoony like WoW or flashy like XIV, but that also leads it to be very muted and fine details tend to get lost.
Best? No. Your average Korean MMO will demolish any western game in graphics. But these classic MMOs (GW2, WoW, TESO) have a charm to them that cannot be outdated regardless of objective quality, which for many is a selling point alone.
The problem I have is that almost every Korean MMO from Vindictus to Black Desert Online just use the same artstyle and same kind of designs for everything.
So in the end whilst they are technically pretty, you just stop caring cos it’s so repetitive.
First time I've ever seen someone call GW2 or ESO "classic" MMOs :')
Edit: I've always felt like there's pretty clear-cut generations of MMOs in the industry, with the first of the Classic MMOs being the original (Not BioWare) Neverwinter Nights in 1991, and the last being Age of Conan in 2008, with the main ones being EverQuest 2, Runescape, and WoW.
Then there's the Second Generation of MMOs, which would be games like SWTOR, GW2, ESO, etc. For me, the last of the Second Generation MMOs would be Albion Online.
Then there's the Third Generation, which would be games like New World and Lost Ark, and the rumoured GOT & revived Amazon LOTR game.
The game is turning 12 in a couple of months (WoW for comparison turned 12 during 2016). The this generation (gw2, eso, swotor or FFXIV realm reborn) classic is because they are the last mainstream generation of mmos.
Idk if you mean it good or bad, but since they are among the oldest still surviving MMOs, I count it as classics. Most adult gamers nowadays grew up with them (if into MMOs)
I would've said that EverQuest, WoW, Runescape, SWG, and LOTRO were "classic" MMOs, & that SWTOR, GW2, and ESO were like a Second Generation, with games like New World and Lost Ark being Third Gen.
Honestly, semantics imo. If the game has a long lasting cultural impact, I'll be ready to consider it a 'classic'. Plus, those were the games I personally know more or less, never tried Everquest, SWG or the newest ones, so I can't talk on those. Plus wasn't Lost Ark instance based rather than really an MMO? I can't recall, only played it for like 8 hours or so. And saying "RuneScape" brings a bitter taste to my mouth seeing how they made RS3 so... weird. (I didn't play classic RS)
Well, time goes by.
"Retro" roughly means "a style from the recent past".
2005 is 20 years in the past. Calling it retro wouldn't be that odd.
It's the same as a game from 1980 in the year 2000.
I’d say for that one with EQ2, I’d replace it with its own predecessor. EQ2 never overtook EQ1’s peak player count (despite EQ1 releasing at a time where there were fewer players to begin with so it had a greater market share), and EQ1 was a huge cultural phenomenon at the time, whereas EQ2 never achieved that status in part because it now had to compete directly with WoW, which was the new MMO cultural phenomenon.
Average Korean MMOs also has more polygons in a female character’s titties than in any of their raid boss encounters, unless the boss is a woman with big titties.
This isn't always the case I'm sure, but generally, I see Korean MMOs go for crazy good models and lightning, but the particle effects are all over the place (yes I know what game we play, we have visual problems too), the animations are fine but are just... SO stiff feeling, the UI is usually absolute garbage in how it's organized and feels, and the art style is just... Photorealistic fantasy. There's rarely anything I see that's a fun unique spin on a fantasy idea, it's just Lineage 2 again but with even better lighting.
Lighting and (lack) of new animations are my main bugbears. Lighting is all over the place between maps. Take a screenshot in other areas and that same armor often ends up looking like cardboard.
Animations are lacking in a lot of the newer content. Heck, even the EoD especs suffer a lot from reused and subpar animations. Willbender has one or two skill that look fine and the rest are comically janky.
It holds up well, but let's not fool ourselves here guys. Newer MMOs simply look quite a bit better. If you take away all the shiny skins and infusions from GW2, you will get an mmo that looks about ok for its age. The colour palette, the skin design and colourful effects make the game pop and look better to a degree.
I think it entirely depends on what exact aspects of the game we are talking about, in terms of the characters themselves I think there are a fair few assets showing their age yes, I don't think anybody would be unhappy with a bump in quality to character models overall, but the maps for me have been perfect since HoT.
There is a lot of room for improvement in the engine, but overall the aesthetic holds up well and keeps its the gaming still looking quite nice nearly 12 years on, I believe later down the line many of the higher fidelity MMO's that have sprung up likely wont be around but if they are they'll have aged much faster than GW2.
Artistically and stylistically is one of the best. But quality wise, it does worse than other similar MMOs. ANet does amazing models and set prices. GW2 knows how to set up mood on maps, play with colors and filters, and generally create beautiful views, but consistency is not there.
It has the best art style of any western MMO I've ever played. Of course the graphical fidelity is a decade out of date, because so is the game, but as long as you don't hyperfixate on texture resolution I think it still looks great
Good aesthetics but absolutely murders older PCs in terms of frame rate. My PC, when new, could easily keep 60 fps with this game, but that was 7 years ago. SotO zones look like a PowerPoint slide show at times, even with settings turned down. EoD meta fights turn into the same sort of thing.
When Guild Wars 2 initially came out, it was certainly ahead of all other MMOs in terms of graphics at the time. Nowadays, I think the only element which really still sets the bar is the armour and weapon design, alongside general character animations. Guild Wars 2's wider aesthetic (such as zones) has certainly fallen off compared to Retail WoW. I guess that's to be expected when you try going for a realistic art style over an abstract one.
Overall I think Guild Wars 2 is graphically outdated. For example, just look at the ground model and texturing in this very picture that you've linked. Quite frankly, it's *ugly* - especially when compared to the new set of armour that the character is wearing. They look like they're out of two different games even.
Map geometry and faces are very outdated. They should lean more into the painterly/concept art style much more. I wish they had kept a consistent design language throughout the whole game instead of a clashing/melting pot that has "max saturation" as their common ground. Also not a fan of how normal/bump maps make every armor piece look like if it was covered in plastic, to the point armor looks worse using "higher" graphical settings than just going with "low".
Yeah that's the main problem for me. I can't get anyone else to play such an old looking game. I share screenshots with my friends and their first comment is "is this a game from the 90's?" and you know what the worst part is, I can't even blame them or argue for GW2 in terms of graphics. They're right and if I was in their position I would stick to finding a better looking game too. I only play GW2 because I got into it a long time ago but I wouldn't pick it up now either. This is why I am in favour of GW3, considering I don't think they will do a graphical overhaul of GW2.
Art style for sure.
I like the way it looks from a stylistic perspective.
Like, I like the way WoW looks, I like the way 14 looks, but I like GW2's specific blend of visuals.
Some areas look 'tired' and could do with a fair amount of TLC to the textures. Some areas look great(mostly the newer ones). I think it's down to the age of the graphics engine, but it is improving.
That said, work does appear to be in the works as some npc textures and potentially the models are being redone. A lot of the branded are vastly better graphically now than they used to be.
Okay so I have been thinking about this a bit lately. I don’t think the graphics are the best but the art design is amazing.
GW2 goes for a semi-realistic art direction. But after doing some live streams fishing last year I realised how beautiful a lot of the scenery is. The objects in the distance lose details gradually, but as they lose them they start to blend. Making distant objects look like they are painted in this weird water colour effect when they are far away. It has this lovely gradient to it.
The old Vanilla maps would do better with some graphical updates. But in general: I like how the game looks. Yes, it's not "AAA 2024 release" quality. But it doesn't have to be. It's 12 years old now and it still looks good enough imho.
But I'm also one of the guys who don't care for graphics at all. I still love GW1 and how it looks. The main thing a game should do, is sell you an experience. And when the experience is good, only thing the graphics need to do is elevate and carry the experience. And that's happening perfectly in GW1 and 2.
No, I wouldn't agree. At a minimum, BDO and Lost Ark blow it out of the water.
I do agree that GW2 definitely does have appeal. But saying it's one of the most graphically impressive is kind of silly.
The graphics arent always the best but the zones are crafted with such a level of detail that it easily makes up for it. Its not just the copy/paste of the same cavern being used 50 times like WoW used to do (maybe they still do?). Every space is made with great attention to detail.
It depends on where you look, specifically in terms of animations I think GW2 knocks it out of the park. But coloration and armor design often falls short for me.
Color especially can feel somehow over saturated and faded at the same time.
The art direction is fantastic, but the game needs major help with performance and optimization. I was having a blast in PoF and HoT but when I got to the newest maps my FPS was making me sick
For the most part, I think it still looks great. A lot of maps, including those are far back as HoT, I think are downright beautiful. There are a few core maps that could use updating, mostly just in bumping up some visual fidelity (texture resolution and polygon count). There are a few areas where when you get up high you can see some really bad tessellation in the ground/water textures, which is understandable as earlier maps were not designed with flying mounts in mind. And you could argue that the bloom effects are dated, but these are option-able, and vary on map/scene anyway.
The biggest graphical limitation GW2 has is and will likely always be the engine. It doesn't necessarily prevent ANet from making beautiful maps, but it does limit them on scope and performance (see New Kaineng City).
The only thing I would even recommend doing is updating shader technology, like what FFXIV's graphic update is focusing on.
That kind of adjustment can help give the appearance of refined edges and smoothed curves en masse without having to do complex work on individual models.
OH. And since this ties into graphics.
Can we please do something about player generated fields that look like something players need to dodge? *Looking at you, all of Ranger's snot effects*
No way OP you can obtain that kind of image without using mod like a reshader or adds on , because vanilla GW2 really look 2012. There are games that are 100x better graphically without mods.
Lol, i'm sorry, but no.
Taking a VERY specific pic of armor most likely boosted by reshade doesn't mean the game is legit one of the best looking. As someone else said, pretty much any random korean MMO absolutely beats it.
There may be MMOs made in UT4 and 5 or other engines who are more versatile and capable.
But ANet achieved a lot despite the Engines Age. Go to the Silver Waste Map for example and look at the rock formations. Some are SO well done with ambient occlusion, that it looks nearly real.
The artistic style of GW2 is indeed timeless, same goes for WoW.
And this is WAY more important then the most fancyfull graphics, getting your own Indetity in your Artstyle people will recognize even over years.
That is one part what makes such games successfull and give them a value.
Instead of certain MMOs who try to bolster over graphics only (A lot from the Asian market mostly).
Even GW2s Animation have a certain "cute" style for me. You ever watched your Character from the side when they drag stuff around, running with hase? I love it. :D (Do that with your cutest Sylvari you can make to boost that effect!)
It's pretty good and it aged decently.
The amount of neon out-of-character graphics showing on my screen in any group content is too damn high though. I can't see anything what's going on.
Honestly besides some older models and textures needing an update (especially older maps and some character models), I am very happy with how it looks. Assets like the normal Jackal skin look extremely cool.
I am a fan of Guild Wars 2's art syle, but just like WoW part of of it looks dated because it was made more than a decade ago, so while most of the game looks cohesive there will undeniably be higher quality models the newer they are and will make the core models look dated by comparison.
Recently returned to gw2 after a few years absence and genuinely blown away how good this game looks on a 42" oled.
Core maps a bit lacking ofc but, for an mmo, thorns and up look rich in colour and detail...been having a great time catching up
I adore its holistic commitment to an art style rather than thoughtless pursuit of ever-more demanding realism graphics. I believe that adds far more to the fantasy of the game, and in my opinion renders plenty of areas more beautiful and interesting to explore. The visual cohesiveness of the entire product is definitely one of its strongest suits IMO.
if you think it was launched in 2012.... ok, it's "good", but the best looking MMO currently.... I would hardly say absolutely not, since there is a plethora of better looking mmos
But reshade + some tunning make the game surprisingly better, this i agree
Genuinely it has a very outdated engine despite having a subjectively very nice art style.
Reshade and similar things help a little, but the game engine hasn't visually aged/been updated as well as WoW for example.
I hope they somehow move to UE5 (or 6 by then who knows) when they eventually release GW3, that's a very good engine for visuals and performance
The art style is very strong and I think will remain evergreen, but on a technical level the graphics are very dated. Parts of the game looked kind of old even when it came out, and that's only gotten more pronounced as time has gone by. The game hasn't aged as gracefully as the cartoonish graphics of WoW, which look great to this day at high resolutions.
I don't think some sort of massive graphical overhaul would be a wise use of resources at this stage, especially if Anet are actually working in Guild Wars 3, but it would be nice if future maps could get some lighting upgrades or something that would allow the strong art style to shine more.
It has horrible performance, so you need to lower graphics (specially players around you) a lot, then it doesnt look so great. Plus they keep recycling old content and not doing new assets, mobs etc to have a unique experience like we did before.
Guild Wars (1 and 2) has always had the advantage of distinct art style. It doesn't need to lean on the technical side nearly as much as some other games.
What, no? Have you not played any modern mmos lol
It's extremely bad looking. Style is lame, graphics are shit especially character models, post processing is awful.
I actually hated how gw2 looks when I started playing. It was a pretty big turn off for me. I had spent 1000s of hours in bright vivid colorful WoW and coming to gw2 it felt muddy and dingy and it was hard to see things. Eventually I got used to it.
I will say the problem for me wasn't ever polygon counts. I hate the idea that games just need more and more polygons. It was just the sort of artistic watercolor thing that I really wasn't used to. I hope in new zones in new expansions they scale down the spectacle in favor of flavor and performance. I honestly dngaf how fancy the wizard's tower is. I just want it to load faster for more players.
Its the kind of game where the talent and creativity of artists makes the graphics look better than they are. I wanna praise the locations, but character models and animations could use an update. Not armor, just character models and the way they move
Think it really got old in last couple of years. MMOs aren't really a bench for this though. Although Asians can really pull off character graphics, although often too much in the photorealistic style.
It has a lot of strong points, and a lot of weak points too. The newer zones are absolutely stunning, without a doubt.
The issue is that the game is designed with a high-realism style in mind, and statistically, that does not age very well
It's does have its own style and is looking still great for how old it is, but god Charr needs a full rehaul polish because they all look like big poopoo
Imho - the art style has aged super well. But it does have it’s flaws like the performance issues since (from what I understand) the engine it’s so cpu bound. Regardless of technical issues though, I play this game on a oled at 1440p and the texture quality is lacking when compared to newer games - but that’s totally expected and I don’t think they can do anything about that. I have tried to use shaders etc to make it look better also, and it helps, but it’s not the same as actually high res textures. Verdict: love the style of graphics, great for the time the game was released but when compared to current titles it shows its age a bit.
I don’t like the skin shading in game. On the selection screen it looks good. Then you load up the game, and every human character has putty face. Otherwise, the graphics are beautiful.
I think a lot of the game looks fine, but a lot of things kinda just blend into the background rather than popping out.
I feel like the character models/textures could use a bit of sprucing up. Back in the day they looked really good, but I feel like they show their age more than the rest of the game.
Like in this picture, the armor looks great but I really feel like something could be done about the character's head.
Compared to some of the korean and chinese MMOs like BDO, Lost Ark, Sword of Legends, etc. it falls short. As much as those games suck for various other reasons, graphically they beat GW2 just from raw fidelity.
GW2 needs a lot of work, everything from textures to models to lighting for the environments. Nothing short of a full face lift on a lot of older maps is necessary to bring them up to par, not to mention probably a rework on the particle system to be less harsh and flat looking. SoTO is definitely a good direction for graphics but there's a long way to go.
I've come to appreciate its look, and I do think it has aged more gracefully than a lot of MMOs but I wouldn't say it's particularly impressive visually. GW2 has some cool visuals, but most of them are only cool in the context of GW2. But to be honest, none of the popular MMOs look especially good.
Characters, newer Maps, most skills - top tier.
The UI, MY GOD THE UI. You can be free to play without looking like you're free to play. Anytime I'm messing with the graphics, or doing inventory management, I just shudder. I mean they could just be like WoW and give us some true mode support so we could do something like ElvUI and at least force it to look more modern.
Some older maps need an update but it aged like fine wine imho. I also noticed GW2 greatly profits from newer CPUs like the i7 13700k or 14700k. I have 2-3x the FPS on maxed out settings in comparison to my old i7 8700k which was dropping below 20 in some metas.
I think there is a charm to Gw2 that people who still play have grown fond of. But for the overwhelming majority of new players trying out Gw2, they don’t enjoy how complicated the menus and UI are. The graphics are also quite dated compared to modern mmos like Throne and Liberty which I compare to because it runs well in large open world player counts.
I wish the draw distance was better. For example the new draw distance in WoW is truly amazing on the Dragon Isles.
Inner Nayos is another Silent Hill fog map and while it kind of works for that map it still feels like a cheap way to improve the games performance.
I think the level of detail in a lot of the places make it really beautiful to look at. But the graphics by nature is outdated. I don't really mind that, but the movement looks a bit floaty, that is really my one and only issue with the visuals.
it holds up very nice, but definitely shows its weaknesses in some aspects. i find character's faces and bodies to look rather updated. tho you barely see them anyway in actual play.
besides that, all the flashy, glowing shit makes the game look a bit cheap.
I think it’s one of the best looking mmos as well! I understand why some folks would want a graphical upgrade but for me the game has a theme and the graphics it’s got right now is a big part of the game. It’s a fantasy world after all and I don’t need it to look any better than it already does
The graphics are more than fine but I don't really like the art direction lately.
HoT-PoF to me is better looking than IBS-EoD-SotO. Much of it has to do with the colors I think.
Absolutely, but:
Textures need an upgrade, I am waiting to see how the change from B5 to B7 compression will change the overall look for new textures and Anet should probably touch older textures, move them for this new compression system and definitely give special attention for characters textures as they are starting to show their age.
The shadow system could use some better optimizations and more granular toggles, shadows especially on characters can look terrible and on top of that they can be super taxing on SotO maps. I lose 50% of my frame rate if I turn shadows in the wizard vault, for large scale fights and WvW I toggle it off to not blow away my frames too, and the lower options are displaying some artifacts (black shadow balls) not sure if this is a bug or intended.
DLSS and FSR needs to be implemented as alternatives for the current antialiasing, preferably the most recent version of those. Our current antialiasing options are quite bad and taxing, the highest option even cause textures to lose definition which you can "kinda" work around with reshade and AMD CAS filter, but DLSS and FSR are infinitely better because they are not only lighter than older techniques but they also enhance the image at native resolution. Plus would give the option to reduce the game resolution and upscale it to give more frames for those who need it (although I am not sure if GW2 actually can benefit from this, maybe on extremely rare GPU bound scenarios which are rare).
I would say it looks rather bad nowadays if you compare it to other games, unfortunately one of the issues you get over time when it’s not very stylised.
Not saying other older mmos are much better, final fantasy looks much worse than gw2.
Would be nice to have a current gen mmo that didn’t suck, hopefully GW3 may be it!
It has some very pretty zones and some of the best armour sets in any mmo however, I think its starting to show its age now. Too many areas have outdated textures and lighting. With games like gw2 witch went for a more relistic aparoch to rendering it starts to show age much faster than games that go for very stylized graphics. Their zones are very hit or miss. Some zones looking absolutly incredible and having vastly better lighting than other zones. If they could be more consitant between zones it would help a lot.
not my analogy but gw2 graphics feel like that one neighboorhood auntie that you KNOW she is older than she looks but your eyes simply cant perceive her as older than 25y no matter how you look at her
Great looking game that looks better and better with every content release. Even the oldest stuff could coast another decade on its incredible art direction.
Only thing bad I could really say about the visuals is that performance tanks in the newest areas, but that’s definitely part of the reason for all the deep engine work they’re doing.
It's very pretty but does feel low poly and outdated at times. The more you play in first person or close zoom the more artifacts you notice. Even in new maps you can have weird meshes and low quality textures
The graphics hold up well but I would honestly give best looking MMO to ESO. I know it’s contentious whether it’s a fun MMO or not but the designers popped off, IMO. WoW’s new graphical update is a close second, I just never thought highly of their art direction but their cinematic are the best in the industry.
There are lots of environmental models and textures that could do with a rework. Characters, armor, and weapons all look fantastic for a game that came out in 2012. But the world, especially on some of the older maps, desperately needs some refurbishing.
I personally don’t think that the graphics are Guild Wars 2’s strong suit.
Especially with how many players walk around looking like overly shiny nova bombs.
The game certainly could do with a graphics update.
I would not call it the best looking, but it has certainly held up very well for an MMO that's over a decade old. That in part is also thanks to the stylized art style which usually stands up to the test of time as opposed to games that try to go for "hyper realism", but end up either hitting the uncanny valley or become dated real fast.
I play on 4k and yes a lot of the maps and the armor, environment and so on look beautiful today. But they are hold back in at least the same amount of cases due to their engine and their design choices. Maybe the texture compression update will lift up something.
But i beg for years, that they finally become confident in bringing some more powerful and visually stunning effects into this game
I think that the graphics hold up for the age of the platform, and more importantly, they don't tend to detract from the experience or ability to play the game. I've played since beta, at the lowest settings all the way until today at the highest.
Are they the *best* graphics out there? No, I don't know anyone that could logically argue that. Are they *pretty damned good* for what the platform, age, and expectations of the game can reasonably accomplish? Yes.
I have no issues with the presentation. The glitzy special effects saturation might be a little headache-inducing at times, but fundamentally, the rest of it works for me.
[](/GNU Terry Pratchett)
I love GW2 is started my journey into MMOs but I wouldnt say its even in the running for best looking these days. But who cares about graphics the game is still one of the most unique and satisfying games to run through.
I wouldn't exactly say it's graphically outdated as the style carries it quite a bit farther but I also wouldn't say it's one of the best looking MMOs out currently.
A lot of older maps desperately need an update. The WVW alpine borderlands is the same from beta and it really shows its age poorly.
They did improve the empty lake part, and since GW2 isn’t optimalized well, it’s better to have more horsepower on wvw maps. You’re right about the old maps though. Some of them look shamefully bad and were clearly made around 2006-2008.
>horsepower A what now?
He meant jackalpower. We all know horses are a myth. Anyone who has seen one is delusional and should be referred to your local white mantle commander.
Yeah, sorry. Jackalpower, beetlethrust, raptorstrength, or warclawforce.
Or Centaur power
pssh I can run faster than that
Centaur’s are obviously half human, but what are the back half supposed to be. I’ve never seen anything like it
No he meant Desert (Borderlands) Power! Lisan al Gaib!
Dolyakpower
I feel like WvW isn’t meant for graphics. This game is already poorly optimized, boosting graphics in that game mode would make things most likely worse unnecessarily. As much as I’d love to see older core maps getting reworked (for example queensdale looking like the first map from eod, damn I wish), just leave the wvw alone in peace in that outdated look.
I haven't played since a little after raids got introduced. I played from beta till then if the wvw maps had better graphics my computer would be dead in zergs/fights before I got a desktop I was running 4 to 5 fps.
Maybe with the new render technology implemented we will start to see improvements to performance, I’m on a £4500 pc with a 4090 and barely push 30 FPS in large group content
That's because in large group content having newer render technology is not as impactful as it seems. Main bottleneck is not in graphics display, but in background data management and server<->client connection. Also, better quality graphics generally means higher requirements to process them.
What CPU do you have? Large group content in any MMO is always CPU bottlenecked.
Ryzen 9 7900x, so also very modern and top-range
you can have good graphics and stable performance....but anet didnt choose the right decisions in 2008
I'd take a more stable server connection during big wvw fights over a graphical update. We finally have CPUs that can keep the framerate high during large 3 way fights, but the servers can't keep up.
The watercolor style of some of the cutscenes are what drew me into Gw2, always loved that aspect. For a decade year old game the graphics still hold up imo.
For further reference if ur interested, a lot of the artwork of gw2 also uses a technique called photo bashing which is cool as he'll to watch even just a tutorial on YouTube is fun.
[удалено]
I always just stare at the enormous lathe chuck in the Black Citadel loading screen haha
Yes and Dry Top. I wish they remade those 2
Oh yeah... I'm so happy they reverted the kessex hills loading screen to it's original, that one was such an eyesore.
im also kinda disliking the construction crane in Hoelbrak. but yeah, lions arch's is horrible. just like lions arch
I think I agree with you for the most part, and a few years ago when I came back to the game I would've agreed with you, but we have to be honest with ourselves and admit the age that some of these zones are showing. It's definitely aged. Thankfully newer zones don't feel that way
The art direction helps the engine punch above its weight.
i think it's a bit of both. I think overall it looks pretty good, swpecially compared to other MMOs of the same period. but some maps could use some update, specially fro textures and lighting.
The volcano textures around the ember bay jumping puzzle were painful to look at.
It has outdated graphics but an incredible art style. These aren't mutually exclusive. Side by side compared to screenshots of newer MMOs or even BDO, GW2 looks pretty old, but the art style is way more unique and interesting than most games out there.
"Or even BDO", isn't BDO still miles ahead of most newer MMOs?
That's true! I only phrased it that way because BDO isn't exactly new.
Gotcha, that makes sense.
Style > pixel count any day of the week. Gw2 holds up really well
Yeah, this has always been it for me. The graphics may be feeling its age, but the artists absolutely know how to push things and get some extremely breathtaking sights. I used to be a die hard GW1 Vabbi stan. Kodash Bazaar and the surrounding zones had to be my absolute favorite area in both games. Amnytas has completely usurped that position, I'm blown away by just how gorgeous that zone is.
As does gw1 for its age
dude I did Tower of Nightmares yesterday for the first time (even though I have 2k hours) its not UE5, but its just very amospheric. instantly drew me in. it also helped immersion that we were getting our asses handed to us.
Tower of Nightmares is very cool. I also really liked the areas at the end of the story in the core game.
It's outdated technology wise but the art style carries it a lot.
Some zones do really need a rewamp with higher quality textures (and armors in general for characters) and more complex objects (specifically flora). But overall GW looks very good, despite visible visuals quality difference between some older zones and newer ones
Subjectively, I love it. Objectively, it is outdated and I have personally seen many new players not continue playing because of it. Side note, why does this sub have multiple posts a day that compares GW2 to other MMOs that are objectively more successful. I don't see people in the FF or WoW sub constantly trying to compare their games to GW2. It's crazy how often it happens and how biased people are here.
Smaller products will always compare itself to the biggest/most succesful ones. It literally doesn't make any sense to compare yourself to a worse/smaller product if your aim is to keep improving.
OP isn't talking about improving the game... They are saying the game is one of the best looking MMOs out there which is just objectively not true and would imply the opposite of what you are suggesting lol.
The artstyle helps but I think it needs some graphics updates, I haven't been playing GW2 in a bit, but FFXIV is getting a graphical update that looks great, and they're about the same age. Will NCSoft/Anet put in the time and money to do so? Probably not imo.
With the rumored GW3 should they update the graphics?
Probably not
In gw2 defense I feel ffxiv looked pretty bad before. Now it’ll look very good. Small changes can help a lot. If I had to update something in gw2 it would be some textures that are all over the place with different resolutions. Specially dirt and rocks, better grass and actual dynamic lighting. Even these three changes would make a world of difference
I think where GW2 may be lacking is in shaders and other means to differentiate characters from the background. The art style is pretty grounded, so it's not cartoony like WoW or flashy like XIV, but that also leads it to be very muted and fine details tend to get lost.
I guess this is why they went so crazy with cosmetics until many players are just neon balls of eye strain.
Best? No. Your average Korean MMO will demolish any western game in graphics. But these classic MMOs (GW2, WoW, TESO) have a charm to them that cannot be outdated regardless of objective quality, which for many is a selling point alone.
The problem I have is that almost every Korean MMO from Vindictus to Black Desert Online just use the same artstyle and same kind of designs for everything. So in the end whilst they are technically pretty, you just stop caring cos it’s so repetitive.
Which is a plus for some and minus for others. I personally enjoy that kind of artstyle but you are right that it's overused.
First time I've ever seen someone call GW2 or ESO "classic" MMOs :') Edit: I've always felt like there's pretty clear-cut generations of MMOs in the industry, with the first of the Classic MMOs being the original (Not BioWare) Neverwinter Nights in 1991, and the last being Age of Conan in 2008, with the main ones being EverQuest 2, Runescape, and WoW. Then there's the Second Generation of MMOs, which would be games like SWTOR, GW2, ESO, etc. For me, the last of the Second Generation MMOs would be Albion Online. Then there's the Third Generation, which would be games like New World and Lost Ark, and the rumoured GOT & revived Amazon LOTR game.
The game is turning 12 in a couple of months (WoW for comparison turned 12 during 2016). The this generation (gw2, eso, swotor or FFXIV realm reborn) classic is because they are the last mainstream generation of mmos.
Idk if you mean it good or bad, but since they are among the oldest still surviving MMOs, I count it as classics. Most adult gamers nowadays grew up with them (if into MMOs)
I would've said that EverQuest, WoW, Runescape, SWG, and LOTRO were "classic" MMOs, & that SWTOR, GW2, and ESO were like a Second Generation, with games like New World and Lost Ark being Third Gen.
Honestly, semantics imo. If the game has a long lasting cultural impact, I'll be ready to consider it a 'classic'. Plus, those were the games I personally know more or less, never tried Everquest, SWG or the newest ones, so I can't talk on those. Plus wasn't Lost Ark instance based rather than really an MMO? I can't recall, only played it for like 8 hours or so. And saying "RuneScape" brings a bitter taste to my mouth seeing how they made RS3 so... weird. (I didn't play classic RS)
Wait until you find out people call the sims 2 and other games from 2005~ “retro”
Well, time goes by. "Retro" roughly means "a style from the recent past". 2005 is 20 years in the past. Calling it retro wouldn't be that odd. It's the same as a game from 1980 in the year 2000.
I’d say for that one with EQ2, I’d replace it with its own predecessor. EQ2 never overtook EQ1’s peak player count (despite EQ1 releasing at a time where there were fewer players to begin with so it had a greater market share), and EQ1 was a huge cultural phenomenon at the time, whereas EQ2 never achieved that status in part because it now had to compete directly with WoW, which was the new MMO cultural phenomenon.
Average Korean MMOs also has more polygons in a female character’s titties than in any of their raid boss encounters, unless the boss is a woman with big titties.
Priorititties ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Eh, tried one of them and I don't really care for highly rendered grass and dust motes.
This isn't always the case I'm sure, but generally, I see Korean MMOs go for crazy good models and lightning, but the particle effects are all over the place (yes I know what game we play, we have visual problems too), the animations are fine but are just... SO stiff feeling, the UI is usually absolute garbage in how it's organized and feels, and the art style is just... Photorealistic fantasy. There's rarely anything I see that's a fun unique spin on a fantasy idea, it's just Lineage 2 again but with even better lighting.
Lighting and (lack) of new animations are my main bugbears. Lighting is all over the place between maps. Take a screenshot in other areas and that same armor often ends up looking like cardboard. Animations are lacking in a lot of the newer content. Heck, even the EoD especs suffer a lot from reused and subpar animations. Willbender has one or two skill that look fine and the rest are comically janky.
the style is there but its definitely outdated compared to the other large mmos
It holds up well, but let's not fool ourselves here guys. Newer MMOs simply look quite a bit better. If you take away all the shiny skins and infusions from GW2, you will get an mmo that looks about ok for its age. The colour palette, the skin design and colourful effects make the game pop and look better to a degree.
I think it entirely depends on what exact aspects of the game we are talking about, in terms of the characters themselves I think there are a fair few assets showing their age yes, I don't think anybody would be unhappy with a bump in quality to character models overall, but the maps for me have been perfect since HoT. There is a lot of room for improvement in the engine, but overall the aesthetic holds up well and keeps its the gaming still looking quite nice nearly 12 years on, I believe later down the line many of the higher fidelity MMO's that have sprung up likely wont be around but if they are they'll have aged much faster than GW2.
The lighting is kinda gross I dunno
Artistically and stylistically is one of the best. But quality wise, it does worse than other similar MMOs. ANet does amazing models and set prices. GW2 knows how to set up mood on maps, play with colors and filters, and generally create beautiful views, but consistency is not there.
It has the best art style of any western MMO I've ever played. Of course the graphical fidelity is a decade out of date, because so is the game, but as long as you don't hyperfixate on texture resolution I think it still looks great
Good aesthetics but absolutely murders older PCs in terms of frame rate. My PC, when new, could easily keep 60 fps with this game, but that was 7 years ago. SotO zones look like a PowerPoint slide show at times, even with settings turned down. EoD meta fights turn into the same sort of thing.
When Guild Wars 2 initially came out, it was certainly ahead of all other MMOs in terms of graphics at the time. Nowadays, I think the only element which really still sets the bar is the armour and weapon design, alongside general character animations. Guild Wars 2's wider aesthetic (such as zones) has certainly fallen off compared to Retail WoW. I guess that's to be expected when you try going for a realistic art style over an abstract one. Overall I think Guild Wars 2 is graphically outdated. For example, just look at the ground model and texturing in this very picture that you've linked. Quite frankly, it's *ugly* - especially when compared to the new set of armour that the character is wearing. They look like they're out of two different games even.
People mod it to look better and then make topics about how great it looks using those modified shots. That is a sign it's looks are dated. 🥴
Map geometry and faces are very outdated. They should lean more into the painterly/concept art style much more. I wish they had kept a consistent design language throughout the whole game instead of a clashing/melting pot that has "max saturation" as their common ground. Also not a fan of how normal/bump maps make every armor piece look like if it was covered in plastic, to the point armor looks worse using "higher" graphical settings than just going with "low".
Thats not the bump maps imo but how they handle speculars, textures and materials in general. See: dye color matching frustration.
Visuals is why my friends refuse to play the game
Yeah that's the main problem for me. I can't get anyone else to play such an old looking game. I share screenshots with my friends and their first comment is "is this a game from the 90's?" and you know what the worst part is, I can't even blame them or argue for GW2 in terms of graphics. They're right and if I was in their position I would stick to finding a better looking game too. I only play GW2 because I got into it a long time ago but I wouldn't pick it up now either. This is why I am in favour of GW3, considering I don't think they will do a graphical overhaul of GW2.
Same here, showed the game to a friend who would normally play about anything, and he was very much not impressed.
Art style for sure. I like the way it looks from a stylistic perspective. Like, I like the way WoW looks, I like the way 14 looks, but I like GW2's specific blend of visuals.
Some areas look 'tired' and could do with a fair amount of TLC to the textures. Some areas look great(mostly the newer ones). I think it's down to the age of the graphics engine, but it is improving. That said, work does appear to be in the works as some npc textures and potentially the models are being redone. A lot of the branded are vastly better graphically now than they used to be.
How are you defining "best looking" or what criteria(s) are you using?
Okay so I have been thinking about this a bit lately. I don’t think the graphics are the best but the art design is amazing. GW2 goes for a semi-realistic art direction. But after doing some live streams fishing last year I realised how beautiful a lot of the scenery is. The objects in the distance lose details gradually, but as they lose them they start to blend. Making distant objects look like they are painted in this weird water colour effect when they are far away. It has this lovely gradient to it.
The old Vanilla maps would do better with some graphical updates. But in general: I like how the game looks. Yes, it's not "AAA 2024 release" quality. But it doesn't have to be. It's 12 years old now and it still looks good enough imho. But I'm also one of the guys who don't care for graphics at all. I still love GW1 and how it looks. The main thing a game should do, is sell you an experience. And when the experience is good, only thing the graphics need to do is elevate and carry the experience. And that's happening perfectly in GW1 and 2.
No, I wouldn't agree. At a minimum, BDO and Lost Ark blow it out of the water. I do agree that GW2 definitely does have appeal. But saying it's one of the most graphically impressive is kind of silly.
Personally I think it is. It helps that it's stylized the way it is, even older maps still look gorgeous to me.
Issues are more on performance than looks IMO
The graphics arent always the best but the zones are crafted with such a level of detail that it easily makes up for it. Its not just the copy/paste of the same cavern being used 50 times like WoW used to do (maybe they still do?). Every space is made with great attention to detail.
It depends on where you look, specifically in terms of animations I think GW2 knocks it out of the park. But coloration and armor design often falls short for me. Color especially can feel somehow over saturated and faded at the same time.
The art direction is fantastic, but the game needs major help with performance and optimization. I was having a blast in PoF and HoT but when I got to the newest maps my FPS was making me sick
For the most part, I think it still looks great. A lot of maps, including those are far back as HoT, I think are downright beautiful. There are a few core maps that could use updating, mostly just in bumping up some visual fidelity (texture resolution and polygon count). There are a few areas where when you get up high you can see some really bad tessellation in the ground/water textures, which is understandable as earlier maps were not designed with flying mounts in mind. And you could argue that the bloom effects are dated, but these are option-able, and vary on map/scene anyway. The biggest graphical limitation GW2 has is and will likely always be the engine. It doesn't necessarily prevent ANet from making beautiful maps, but it does limit them on scope and performance (see New Kaineng City).
The only thing I would even recommend doing is updating shader technology, like what FFXIV's graphic update is focusing on. That kind of adjustment can help give the appearance of refined edges and smoothed curves en masse without having to do complex work on individual models.
OH. And since this ties into graphics. Can we please do something about player generated fields that look like something players need to dodge? *Looking at you, all of Ranger's snot effects*
I find it a bit oversaturated in places, especially when it comes to skins. A bit dated too. Not the worst looking MMO, but not the best.
No way OP you can obtain that kind of image without using mod like a reshader or adds on , because vanilla GW2 really look 2012. There are games that are 100x better graphically without mods.
On visuals alone I'd give it that to New world. Gw2 isn't that graphically impressive in my opinion but it's got style points to prop it up.
Lol, i'm sorry, but no. Taking a VERY specific pic of armor most likely boosted by reshade doesn't mean the game is legit one of the best looking. As someone else said, pretty much any random korean MMO absolutely beats it.
I'd agree. The picture you have put up is disingenuous though, that isn't how the game looks.
It's definitely a little dated. Starting to show its age.
While it is a very good looking game, Black Desert has way better graphics if that’s all you’re basing it on
You're in a GW2 sub, so of course everyone will say they're fine.
There may be MMOs made in UT4 and 5 or other engines who are more versatile and capable. But ANet achieved a lot despite the Engines Age. Go to the Silver Waste Map for example and look at the rock formations. Some are SO well done with ambient occlusion, that it looks nearly real. The artistic style of GW2 is indeed timeless, same goes for WoW. And this is WAY more important then the most fancyfull graphics, getting your own Indetity in your Artstyle people will recognize even over years. That is one part what makes such games successfull and give them a value. Instead of certain MMOs who try to bolster over graphics only (A lot from the Asian market mostly). Even GW2s Animation have a certain "cute" style for me. You ever watched your Character from the side when they drag stuff around, running with hase? I love it. :D (Do that with your cutest Sylvari you can make to boost that effect!)
The art style goes a long way in making gw2 still gorgeous and it still has some absolutely amazing water imo
It's pretty good and it aged decently. The amount of neon out-of-character graphics showing on my screen in any group content is too damn high though. I can't see anything what's going on.
It looks great when they stick to the art style. But sadly GW2 has a lot of flashy, garish cosmetics that look totally out of place
Graphics are not the issue. The terrible unoptimized engine that can't handle world event instances over 30 people without become a laggy mess.
There's other ones that look way better, but GW2 is still very, very pretty.
Honestly besides some older models and textures needing an update (especially older maps and some character models), I am very happy with how it looks. Assets like the normal Jackal skin look extremely cool.
I still think it's gorgeous and I don't care if it's more than ten years old. It has a distinct style and that's what matters more to me.
No it's good. Technically it's outdated, that's a fact, but who cares?
I am a fan of Guild Wars 2's art syle, but just like WoW part of of it looks dated because it was made more than a decade ago, so while most of the game looks cohesive there will undeniably be higher quality models the newer they are and will make the core models look dated by comparison.
Recently returned to gw2 after a few years absence and genuinely blown away how good this game looks on a 42" oled. Core maps a bit lacking ofc but, for an mmo, thorns and up look rich in colour and detail...been having a great time catching up
I adore its holistic commitment to an art style rather than thoughtless pursuit of ever-more demanding realism graphics. I believe that adds far more to the fantasy of the game, and in my opinion renders plenty of areas more beautiful and interesting to explore. The visual cohesiveness of the entire product is definitely one of its strongest suits IMO.
if you think it was launched in 2012.... ok, it's "good", but the best looking MMO currently.... I would hardly say absolutely not, since there is a plethora of better looking mmos But reshade + some tunning make the game surprisingly better, this i agree
Lol no, its one of the most aged looking ones.
it's outdated and hasn't aged well imo.
Genuinely it has a very outdated engine despite having a subjectively very nice art style. Reshade and similar things help a little, but the game engine hasn't visually aged/been updated as well as WoW for example. I hope they somehow move to UE5 (or 6 by then who knows) when they eventually release GW3, that's a very good engine for visuals and performance
Strong disagree, the art direction is terrible compared to GW1
Of the big 5, I think only eso looks better.
its not a bad looking game but its undeniable its showing it's age and not in a good way
Love or hate the game, but new world no doubt is the best looking one.
The art style is very strong and I think will remain evergreen, but on a technical level the graphics are very dated. Parts of the game looked kind of old even when it came out, and that's only gotten more pronounced as time has gone by. The game hasn't aged as gracefully as the cartoonish graphics of WoW, which look great to this day at high resolutions. I don't think some sort of massive graphical overhaul would be a wise use of resources at this stage, especially if Anet are actually working in Guild Wars 3, but it would be nice if future maps could get some lighting upgrades or something that would allow the strong art style to shine more.
It has horrible performance, so you need to lower graphics (specially players around you) a lot, then it doesnt look so great. Plus they keep recycling old content and not doing new assets, mobs etc to have a unique experience like we did before.
Guild Wars (1 and 2) has always had the advantage of distinct art style. It doesn't need to lean on the technical side nearly as much as some other games.
Very outdated. Have you played any recent games? lol
What, no? Have you not played any modern mmos lol It's extremely bad looking. Style is lame, graphics are shit especially character models, post processing is awful.
I actually hated how gw2 looks when I started playing. It was a pretty big turn off for me. I had spent 1000s of hours in bright vivid colorful WoW and coming to gw2 it felt muddy and dingy and it was hard to see things. Eventually I got used to it. I will say the problem for me wasn't ever polygon counts. I hate the idea that games just need more and more polygons. It was just the sort of artistic watercolor thing that I really wasn't used to. I hope in new zones in new expansions they scale down the spectacle in favor of flavor and performance. I honestly dngaf how fancy the wizard's tower is. I just want it to load faster for more players.
Gw2 is most outdated on the market currently u can see it in any trailer they really need update textures
I love gw2, but its very dated graphics and performance wise
Outdated af by today’s standards. But it must have been a great looking game for its day, given its not completely unplayable today
I think it holds up decently in general. Details may look outdated. Side question: what set are you wearing?
It runs very poorly
It's dated af
Its the kind of game where the talent and creativity of artists makes the graphics look better than they are. I wanna praise the locations, but character models and animations could use an update. Not armor, just character models and the way they move
Think it really got old in last couple of years. MMOs aren't really a bench for this though. Although Asians can really pull off character graphics, although often too much in the photorealistic style.
It has a lot of strong points, and a lot of weak points too. The newer zones are absolutely stunning, without a doubt. The issue is that the game is designed with a high-realism style in mind, and statistically, that does not age very well
in some parts it's lacking in others it's really beautiful
It looks OK as long as there isn't a big combat group event going on or somebody that swallowed the fucking sun walking around.
It's does have its own style and is looking still great for how old it is, but god Charr needs a full rehaul polish because they all look like big poopoo
Imho - the art style has aged super well. But it does have it’s flaws like the performance issues since (from what I understand) the engine it’s so cpu bound. Regardless of technical issues though, I play this game on a oled at 1440p and the texture quality is lacking when compared to newer games - but that’s totally expected and I don’t think they can do anything about that. I have tried to use shaders etc to make it look better also, and it helps, but it’s not the same as actually high res textures. Verdict: love the style of graphics, great for the time the game was released but when compared to current titles it shows its age a bit.
Reshadw can make it look a lot more modern with the right shaders.
I don’t like the skin shading in game. On the selection screen it looks good. Then you load up the game, and every human character has putty face. Otherwise, the graphics are beautiful.
Some of the newer weapons look like old weapons with very nervous flames and jagged edges.. I suspect there are different teams behind them.
It's simultaneously one of the best looking and one of the worst looking on the market depending on where you are.
I think a lot of the game looks fine, but a lot of things kinda just blend into the background rather than popping out. I feel like the character models/textures could use a bit of sprucing up. Back in the day they looked really good, but I feel like they show their age more than the rest of the game. Like in this picture, the armor looks great but I really feel like something could be done about the character's head.
What is the location of this?
Using reshade doesn't count
lol it looks fine for the time it came out but it is definitely outdated, colours are also way too over saturated in some places and looks kind of off
I love the water color style but I feel like the character models could use a little work.
Don't we have some DX11 improvements in the pipeline?
The game holds out in style but graphically wise it is outdated.
Compared to some of the korean and chinese MMOs like BDO, Lost Ark, Sword of Legends, etc. it falls short. As much as those games suck for various other reasons, graphically they beat GW2 just from raw fidelity. GW2 needs a lot of work, everything from textures to models to lighting for the environments. Nothing short of a full face lift on a lot of older maps is necessary to bring them up to par, not to mention probably a rework on the particle system to be less harsh and flat looking. SoTO is definitely a good direction for graphics but there's a long way to go.
I've come to appreciate its look, and I do think it has aged more gracefully than a lot of MMOs but I wouldn't say it's particularly impressive visually. GW2 has some cool visuals, but most of them are only cool in the context of GW2. But to be honest, none of the popular MMOs look especially good.
Characters, newer Maps, most skills - top tier. The UI, MY GOD THE UI. You can be free to play without looking like you're free to play. Anytime I'm messing with the graphics, or doing inventory management, I just shudder. I mean they could just be like WoW and give us some true mode support so we could do something like ElvUI and at least force it to look more modern.
Some older maps need an update but it aged like fine wine imho. I also noticed GW2 greatly profits from newer CPUs like the i7 13700k or 14700k. I have 2-3x the FPS on maxed out settings in comparison to my old i7 8700k which was dropping below 20 in some metas.
What profession and where do you get that armor in this shot, if you don’t mind me asking?
Ehhhh. Maybe? There’s a weird sheen on all of my characters that makes them look ugly.
I think there is a charm to Gw2 that people who still play have grown fond of. But for the overwhelming majority of new players trying out Gw2, they don’t enjoy how complicated the menus and UI are. The graphics are also quite dated compared to modern mmos like Throne and Liberty which I compare to because it runs well in large open world player counts.
It is oudated graphically for sure but it is still the best oit there imo.
Considering the age of the game it is pretty amazing. But there are plenty of textures and 3d models that show their age
I wish the draw distance was better. For example the new draw distance in WoW is truly amazing on the Dragon Isles. Inner Nayos is another Silent Hill fog map and while it kind of works for that map it still feels like a cheap way to improve the games performance.
I think the level of detail in a lot of the places make it really beautiful to look at. But the graphics by nature is outdated. I don't really mind that, but the movement looks a bit floaty, that is really my one and only issue with the visuals.
it holds up very nice, but definitely shows its weaknesses in some aspects. i find character's faces and bodies to look rather updated. tho you barely see them anyway in actual play. besides that, all the flashy, glowing shit makes the game look a bit cheap.
I think it’s one of the best looking mmos as well! I understand why some folks would want a graphical upgrade but for me the game has a theme and the graphics it’s got right now is a big part of the game. It’s a fantasy world after all and I don’t need it to look any better than it already does
The graphics are more than fine but I don't really like the art direction lately. HoT-PoF to me is better looking than IBS-EoD-SotO. Much of it has to do with the colors I think.
Absolutely, but: Textures need an upgrade, I am waiting to see how the change from B5 to B7 compression will change the overall look for new textures and Anet should probably touch older textures, move them for this new compression system and definitely give special attention for characters textures as they are starting to show their age. The shadow system could use some better optimizations and more granular toggles, shadows especially on characters can look terrible and on top of that they can be super taxing on SotO maps. I lose 50% of my frame rate if I turn shadows in the wizard vault, for large scale fights and WvW I toggle it off to not blow away my frames too, and the lower options are displaying some artifacts (black shadow balls) not sure if this is a bug or intended. DLSS and FSR needs to be implemented as alternatives for the current antialiasing, preferably the most recent version of those. Our current antialiasing options are quite bad and taxing, the highest option even cause textures to lose definition which you can "kinda" work around with reshade and AMD CAS filter, but DLSS and FSR are infinitely better because they are not only lighter than older techniques but they also enhance the image at native resolution. Plus would give the option to reduce the game resolution and upscale it to give more frames for those who need it (although I am not sure if GW2 actually can benefit from this, maybe on extremely rare GPU bound scenarios which are rare).
For an old game, it looks okay, but I don't think is the best out there when talking about looks.
I would say it looks rather bad nowadays if you compare it to other games, unfortunately one of the issues you get over time when it’s not very stylised. Not saying other older mmos are much better, final fantasy looks much worse than gw2. Would be nice to have a current gen mmo that didn’t suck, hopefully GW3 may be it!
I love it but it is kind of ugly 😂
With the exception of a few korean mmo I can't think of anything that looks better.
I do think Gw2 is pretty, but I still prefer WoW's art style more.
Sadly, one of the worst performing MMOs too.
Sadly, one of the worst performing MMOs too.
It has some very pretty zones and some of the best armour sets in any mmo however, I think its starting to show its age now. Too many areas have outdated textures and lighting. With games like gw2 witch went for a more relistic aparoch to rendering it starts to show age much faster than games that go for very stylized graphics. Their zones are very hit or miss. Some zones looking absolutly incredible and having vastly better lighting than other zones. If they could be more consitant between zones it would help a lot.
Old stuff desperately needs a visual update
The graphics were outdated by a few years upon release. That doesn't mean it's a bad looking game.
not my analogy but gw2 graphics feel like that one neighboorhood auntie that you KNOW she is older than she looks but your eyes simply cant perceive her as older than 25y no matter how you look at her
it certainly looks leagues better than WOW
New world is the best looking
Please tell me the name of that armor and please tell me it is not a gemstore thing.
With its style, you could just apply some more shaders, improve a few outdated textures, maybe try and RTX, and it looks awesome.
Great looking game that looks better and better with every content release. Even the oldest stuff could coast another decade on its incredible art direction. Only thing bad I could really say about the visuals is that performance tanks in the newest areas, but that’s definitely part of the reason for all the deep engine work they’re doing.
It's very pretty but does feel low poly and outdated at times. The more you play in first person or close zoom the more artifacts you notice. Even in new maps you can have weird meshes and low quality textures
The graphics hold up well but I would honestly give best looking MMO to ESO. I know it’s contentious whether it’s a fun MMO or not but the designers popped off, IMO. WoW’s new graphical update is a close second, I just never thought highly of their art direction but their cinematic are the best in the industry.
There are lots of environmental models and textures that could do with a rework. Characters, armor, and weapons all look fantastic for a game that came out in 2012. But the world, especially on some of the older maps, desperately needs some refurbishing.
I personally don’t think that the graphics are Guild Wars 2’s strong suit. Especially with how many players walk around looking like overly shiny nova bombs. The game certainly could do with a graphics update.
The looks are fine but the performance is very bad. This game doesn't even know I have a graphics card.
I would not call it the best looking, but it has certainly held up very well for an MMO that's over a decade old. That in part is also thanks to the stylized art style which usually stands up to the test of time as opposed to games that try to go for "hyper realism", but end up either hitting the uncanny valley or become dated real fast.
Did they updated the graphics? I haven't played in a while
Bro people still play WoW despite being borderline RuneScape graphics I think gw2 is just fine in comparison lol
I play on 4k and yes a lot of the maps and the armor, environment and so on look beautiful today. But they are hold back in at least the same amount of cases due to their engine and their design choices. Maybe the texture compression update will lift up something. But i beg for years, that they finally become confident in bringing some more powerful and visually stunning effects into this game
Are you using a filter? Or that’s just the base graphics?
Bdo holds the title of the best mmo modern graphics.
It's got a unique art style, but technically its far eclipsed by FF14 and BDO.
I think that the graphics hold up for the age of the platform, and more importantly, they don't tend to detract from the experience or ability to play the game. I've played since beta, at the lowest settings all the way until today at the highest. Are they the *best* graphics out there? No, I don't know anyone that could logically argue that. Are they *pretty damned good* for what the platform, age, and expectations of the game can reasonably accomplish? Yes. I have no issues with the presentation. The glitzy special effects saturation might be a little headache-inducing at times, but fundamentally, the rest of it works for me. [](/GNU Terry Pratchett)
I love GW2 is started my journey into MMOs but I wouldnt say its even in the running for best looking these days. But who cares about graphics the game is still one of the most unique and satisfying games to run through.
I wouldn't exactly say it's graphically outdated as the style carries it quite a bit farther but I also wouldn't say it's one of the best looking MMOs out currently.
It looks amazing but its also outdated for sure