So what's it like?

I'm still debating if I should get this game. I have a few questions to players that have been playing alot since start.
I should start by saying I'm not much into PvP. Is there anything worth playing for other than runes so you can be better at PvP?
How is the hacking? any wizzards come out with hacks yet and are they enforeced?
Does it look like you will need a chapter every month to keep you interested? and if so how much will chapters ( expansions) cost? I ask because i read alot of people already at end game, and if chapters are going to cost more than a regular monthly fee i have to wonder.

Thanks in advance.

*I played everything but 1 WBE.

*I don`t PvP.

*The Runes also help you in PvE.

*It`s mostly server side so there will be no hacks. Have been a few scams but Anet is taking care of that.

*I`ve been playing steady since release but I`m older,work, and have a family so a couple hours here and there 4-5 hours a night or 2 has gotten me about 1/3 of the way into it or to Lion`s Arch however far that is. I`d speculate that most of the players that are at the end game were aplha/beta testers and have done the missions so many time they know how and what works to get through, or they`re only interested in PvP so powered through to get to that aspect of it with their custome made character. I`m sure there is also a few who need to get up from the chair and go outside for a little break that have spent every waking hour at the game because they enjoy it so much. That`s my take on players at the end game.

*Let`s assume you can get 6 months from the game. That`s $50. Next installment, another 6 months $100. Now let`s take WoW, $35, $10 a month. End of year that $155. GW for another year $100, WoW another year $120. If I don`t wish to pay for the next installment I don`t and can keep my character active. If I don`t want to pay for WoW, account closed. That`s my math anyways.

If your not into PvP, this is still a great game. Most games run about 50 hours and then you beat it and its pretty much a shelf ornament. Well, you will get alot more then 50 hours out of this game even if you dont PvP. So the bang for your buck is there if that is a concern. If you are a casual gamer who is not into PvP I think this is a really great game as it has a load of content, tons of explorable areas and a great storyline.

As for the hacking aspect, I have seen absolutely no evidence of any types of hacks so far. The game is situated much differently from Diablo. Im sure folks will come up with hacks, they do for every other game ever made, but so far either they have been really sneaky or they have been quickly quashed.

I cant quote how much the expansions will be, but logic dictates they will run 40-50 American dollars per upon release.

Hey thanks guys! I'm also in the older class :-) i guess us older fellas are not as keen on PvP as we used to be lol.
But you gave me a pretty good idea what to expect thanks!

I have to take exception to the "older fella's are not as keen on PvP" part there. I'm 37, and I absolutely detest the PvE grind. I ONLY bought this game for PvP, and am one of those who feel betrayed by ANet for adding all this grind crap into the game.

As far as you enjoying the PvE? It's there, and for the most part the missions seem well thought out. There are some very odd decisions on the part of the dev's in places, but for the most part the missions are pretty well balanced for what you have available to do them with.

The explorables, on the other hand, are not as well thought out at all. And then there's the matter of certain prime professions being generaly superior to others (PvE only, they work well in PvP), and the very big problem of certain prime professions being much more popular in groups than others. You will go a long time begging for an invite with a Mes prime, but can't even pop into some towns just to sell loot without getting spammed with invites as a Monk prime.

Overall I would rate the PvE content as very small when compared to more traditional CRPG's like Morrowind or even Baldur's Gate. And before some role player fanboy chimes in with an arguement, I mean the actual content, not the fluffy filler with no calories and no taste.

Can it be finished in a week? Oh ya. Not by me, I'm one of those with a life. But there were guides on where to find elites after only a few days, and that couldn't have been done in the beta's (it wasn't an issue then), and it couldn't have come from one of the alpha's unless somebody violated their NDA.

But even I've managed to get almost all the way through the S. Shiverpeaks, mostly solo. One word here, the vast majority of PvE players are very bad at it. Pickup groups tend to almost universaly suck, so my recomendation is this:

Unless you already know a group of guys to game with, I would pass on this game. The PvP content is worth suffering through the crap mentioned above, but if you're not into PvP then I just can't see it being worth the trouble.

Grind? I don't see any grind in GW. Maybe for a counter-strike player it may seem that way, but to an EQ/DAoC/WoW player GW is as hassle free and fun as you can get RPGing.

All the negative things from those old time-sinkers are gone:

-No more level threadmill. you'll never have to camp a spawn for hours on end just so you can get some XP.

-No more waiting 10 levels to get new spells.

-No wasted time travelling. If you ever rode a boat in EQ, you know what I'm talking about.

-Readily accessible skills, weapons and armor. For all level players of any playing style. No more salivating over gear that you know you won't be able to ever get outside a raiding guild.

-No being shut out of content by clock-punching guilds.

-No catastrophes due to non party members actions.

-No monthly fees

-The ability to play PvP exclusively w/o ever having to soil yourself by mingling with the unwashed masses

Sounds perfect for everyone.