Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

Right from the beginning the world involves you. you create characters in a way I have never seen done before in any mmo. with choices and questions about your characters past it creates a personality and dimension to your avatar. she/he is no simple cardboard doll, it has a past and a future ahead.

I agree with the fact that there is an awful load of grinding, but a great portion of it is disguised as missions, the game cleverly drops the kill x pick up x and subtly introduces it as go eliminate some of those leaving exchanging the precise quantity for a bar that will fill up as you complete the number of kills.
It also disguises it by simultaneously providing you with 3 or more tasks at once, in which you could do the majority of just e.g. picking up eggs or activating towers, rather than going for straight out grinding.

of all quests the best are your personal story, which you follow through as chapters in your life.
and of course there is the eventual skill tests which can be as simple as commuting with x object or spirit, to accepting the challenge of a powerful master, to the often tedious and sometimes aggravating jumping and leaping through an obstacle path set somewhere high.

Exploration is mesmerizing, with vistas being the icing on the cake.

Underwater combat and exploration is fun, specially when you are being chased by Jaws through an underwater laboratory compound.

combat is challenging engaging you to make a number of choices that will modify your combat skills from what weapon to use, to what skills to load.

this is one of the friendliest communities out there, with people, not of your party, often risking their lives to try and revive you in the midst of a heated combat.

if you have not given GW2 a try you should.