As players become more familiar with the Guild Wars 2 mechanics, they begin to discover hidden secrets and tricks that make their experience even better. However, there are some things that even experienced players might not share with others. This guide we will explore the four things that Guild Wars 2 veterans might not tell you but that can greatly improve your gameplay. 

• Core Professions
• Endgame Content
• Horizontal Progression
• End Game

Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, these tips will help you take your gaming experience to the next level. So sit back, relax, and prepare to learn the 4 best-kept secrets of Guild Wars 2.

↖ Core Professions

At first glance, it may not come as a surprise that elite specializations outshine core professions. Core professions are only partially capable of competing with elite specializations in certain situations. However, elite specializations offer greater value and outperform core professions in almost every aspect.

For instance, let's take the core support Guardian, which excels at healing and buffing up players. While it may do these things very well, its elite specialization, the Quickness-bringing Firebrand, takes it up a notch by adding more healing, providing crucial PvE-based buffs, and contributing significantly to boss DPS. This renders the core support of Guardian somewhat lackluster in comparison.

However, it's important to note that core professions are only useful in some situations. For example, in PvP, the core support Guardian is still one of the best support professions available, while the Firebrand is relatively ineffective and fades quickly in certain situations. Nevertheless, the new elite specializations introduced by ArenaNet have done a disservice to core professions. These elite specializations can excel in one, two, three, or even four different areas, while core professions generally only excel in one or two.

It's important to emphasize that playing core professions will include you in groups or events. Players can still participate and be included regardless of the profession they choose. However, elite specializations tend to provide greater value and outperform core professions due to their unique features and advanced builds.

↖ Endgame Content

When it comes to endgame content in Guild Wars 2, it's important to note that different players value it differently. However, there are strong communities within each endgame group, such as PVP, worlders, ray groups, strike groups, and fractals. While ArenaNet doesn't favour all of these game modes equally, they have historically focused on the story and PVE instance content like strikes and raids. 

Unfortunately, PVP hasn't received the same level of attention and hasn't been updated since launch, although this may be an exaggeration. World versus World, which is a unique game mode, has only recently started to see updates after a year of waiting. This slow update process is due to ArenaNet's smaller development team and lack of financial resources compared to other MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV. ArenaNet relies on game purchases and in-game gem shop purchases for revenue. Despite this, they still deserve credit for their efforts.

↖ Horizontal Progression

When it comes to Guild Wars 2, veteran players might not mention that world PvP and fractals don't get updated very often. As someone who has made a lot of beginner guides for the game, I've noticed this quite a bit. One topic that comes up frequently is horizontal progression and what it means for new players.

Essentially, horizontal progression involves earning achievements, gw2 gold, gear,  or other values for your account that don't exponentially increase your character's power. This means that a piece of gear you earn now will be just as effective as it is three expansions down the line. For example, if you earn a mount, it will be available to all of your characters forever. If you earn a legendary weapon, it will be accessible to any character on your account that can use it.

However, only some enjoy this type of progression. Players who come from a World of Warcraft background might be used to constantly striving for the next gear upgrade to improve their character's stats. They might find it disappointing to hit the ceiling in Guild Wars 2, where there's no further progression available, despite their efforts.

On the other hand, players who don't have a lot of time to play video games might appreciate the value of horizontal progression. They want their efforts to carry over for the rest of their gaming career without having to strive for the next upgrade constantly. For these players, Guild Wars 2 can be a collectible game where they aim to earn all the different achievements, mounts, and gear available.

While horizontal progression may not be for everyone, it's an important aspect of Guild Wars 2 that new players should be aware of. Whether you prefer constant gear upgrades or a more long-term progression system, Guild Wars 2 has something to offer. 

↖ End Game

In regards to Guild Wars 2's end game and horizontal progression, veteran players often need to mention how repetitive it can be to earn collectible high-end gear. While it's true that most MMOs have some form of repetitive content, the process of earning these pieces of gear can be quite monotonous. 

For example, ascended gear, which is some of the best gear, requires players to repeat the same instances and kill the same bosses repeatedly to earn the necessary materials. This can become tiresome quickly. PvP can be more engaging due to the different variables, but ultimately, the objective remains the same. World vs World is more diverse but still requires a lot of repetition. While there are other ways to entertain oneself with achievements or mounts, group-based and solo-based endgame content requires a lot of repetition. 

Due to Guild Wars 2's slower content release, players are stuck doing the same thing for months on end. The new content releases, such as new expansions, strikes, PvP matches, and maps, can offer some new life to the game. For new players, it's important to understand their character's abilities, buffs, and debuffs, as well as how to gear efficiently.

Conclusion:

This guide includes the superiority of elite specializations over core professions, the different values of endgame content, the significance of horizontal progression, and the repetitive nature of earning collectable high-end gear. It's important to note that despite these drawbacks, Guild Wars 2 still offers an enjoyable gaming experience that caters to players with different preferences. Whether you're a new player or a seasoned veteran, there's always something new to learn and discover in this amazing game.