I highly recommend this game, especially at this cost, it's a goddamned steal. I first tried GW2 shortly after leaving WoW, and honestly I didn't like it at first. I approached it like another WoW mmo, and just didn't "get it". I booted it up again some time later, and just decided to ignore everything and go off exploring, and found the best exploration game this side of Skyrim. There's stuff hidden everywhere, incredible views (My screenshot folder is huge), there's an incredibly active and friendly community.
The way it was designed really helps foster the community as well. Every class can rez a downed character, every class can heal, every class is fun. There's no competition for gathering nodes, which spoils nodes for every other game, seriously.
The graphics are the best I've seen in an mmo. The characters are vibrant and beautiful, and Arenanet's focus on aesthetics is fantastic. Being someone a bit old in the teeth (mid thirties), I've calmed down from my raiding days, and I've found this game suits me perfectly. The combat is great, extremely active, and being able to dodge ruins combat in other games for me as well.
In most MMO's, I hate pvp. I hate it. I get stunlocked, can't do anything, and then die. Over and over and over and it never stops till I ragequit. Guild Wars 2's Edge Of The Mists is incredible for PvP, though. Think of two (or more) incredibly large armies, roaming around a giant mazelike battlefield. You can go off on your own, I certainly did my first time. I didn't see anyone, so I went wandering off to pick herbs and chop trees or whatever, and then I noticed my frame rate starting to drop. I suddenly saw a literal wave of red names come streaming over a hill, annihilate me in half a second as I attempted to flee, and continued their march to secure points. Seeing two groups meet up accidentally is the most fun I've ever had in a game online.
I haven't dabbled in dungeons or fractals (hard dungeons, as I understand it), as I'm still exploring. The zones in the game all downscale your level, but not in a way that makes you feel neutered. So, this essentially makes the entire game still viable for max level characters. That's an astonishing amount of content. I leveled my first character primarily in two starter zones and PvP, so here I am with a max char, and hardly any map progress.
So, set aside what you think Guild Wars 2 is, please. You would be doing yourself a disservice passing it up. Sure, it's not as hard as other MMO's, but they don't all have to be. Guild Wars 2 has the most stunning game world I've ever seen, and I really hope you all give it a go.
Edit: Also, the crafting is brilliant. Also, the focus on character wardrobe is amazing. You can dye your armor freely, and transmog sets to make the most perfect outfit for any situation you choose. It's a really, really great feature.
There is a cash shop, but you can buy the currency with in game gold as well, which I have done. The game is not at all pay to win, so quell that fear. Tons of cosmetics, temporary boosters, that sort of thing. You can also deposit all your "collectables" (crafting materials) to your bank from anywhere, which is sooooo fucking handy. Also, the ability to sell on the Auction House from anywhere is super awesome.
There are no mounts (which bummed me out at first), there's a waypoint system. As you explore, you come on these waypoints and they unlock, so you can just double click them on the map from anywhere, and instantly teleport for a small fee. I've come to appreciate these more than mounts, actually.
