A breathe of fresh air in a genre that was getting stagnant
For some newer to the genre they may feel a bit overwhelmed and lost but if you give the game a few hours of learning then its easy to catch on. I feel many of these aspects have been lost in MMOs over the years. The newer MMOs to have come out dont really immerse you into the world and you pretty much know exactly what to do and where to go from the get go. These types of games have always been about exploring the world and advancing your character. There is no fun in things when everything is handed to you.
The game does a great job of making you want to explore, the world is beautiful, especially the higher level zones. Nearly almost everything is voice acted, its nice to hear random NPC chatter as you wonder through the city.
As for the leveling, it is just about right. It can sometimes feel a bit slow at times if you fall behind in certain areas due to lack of events, but I feel the pace is just right for this type of game. It was not meant to take months to level. Some dynamic events on the other hand can become a bit tedious, as well as there is the occasional event bug and for some classes under water combat can be a bit frustrating.
As for the pvp, I havnt done to much of it but from what I have done everything feels well balanced. Certain classes synergy very well and there is alot to learn when it comes to playing your class effectively. WvW at first had a few balance issues but that is slowly being worked out.
Overall I feel like this is the MMO many of us have been waiting for. It has become rather tiring just seeing your average WoW clone release and offering really nothing new to the genre. GW2 offers a more dynamic leveling system that makes the world feel actually alive and a pvp system that is actually balanced. The world is beautiful, the sound is great, leveling is actually fun and there is tons to do and see. There have been a few bugs and glitches, things to be expected but overall the game is amazing.