Guild Wars® Reforged Review – A Timeless Classic Polished for 2025
I returned to Tyria and found the original Guild Wars refreshed: better performance, controller/Steam Deck support and QoL tweaks — but the soul, the deep buildcrafting and tactical PvP are unchanged. A great value for fans and newcomers alike.
Guild Wars Reforged is a careful restoration, not a full remaster — and that’s exactly why it works. If you loved the 2005 original or always wanted to try a tactical, skill-based MMO that doesn’t charge a monthly fee, now’s a perfect moment to jump in.
I spent hours tinkering with dual-class combos and the eight-skill hotbar, and it still hits the same satisfying note: buildcrafting feels like composing a deck, where each choice has teeth. Reforged bundles Prophecies, Factions and Nightfall, adds higher-res icons, ambient occlusion, better bloom, controller/Steam Deck support and useful QoL like a quest tracker — small changes that matter. The world remains instanced (towns are shared hubs, missions are private), so the game plays like a co-op RPG with MMO trappings. Combat is tactical and punishing if you’re sloppy; PvP stays excellent — readable, deep and endlessly experimental thanks to multiclassing. Henchmen and Heroes still make soloing a joy, and party composition is a proper puzzle. That said, Reforged isn’t a texture-overhaul: many legacy quirks and longstanding bugs remain, some Steam-integration corners (DLC/store issues, account linking) caused headaches at launch, and the economy reflects two decades of play: messy but alive. For me the nostalgia warms the bones, the music still slaps, and the updated technical base makes returning effortless.
Guild Wars Reforged is a loving preservation: it brings the game into modern hardware while keeping everything that made the original special. It’s imperfect, but for fans and curious newcomers it’s an easy and worthwhile jump back into Tyria.
Pros
- Authentic Guild Wars gameplay — deep multiclass buildcrafting and tactical PvP
- Modern QoL and tech boosts: controller/Steam Deck support, UI scaling, higher-res assets
- Great value: three full campaigns included, no subscription fee, lively community
Cons
- Not a full remaster — many old bugs, visuals and systems still feel dated
- Account/DLC/Steam linking and some early crashes frustrated players at launch
Player Opinion
Players rave about the nostalgia, the build depth and the revitalized player numbers — many bought Reforged again just to support ArenaNet. Common praise: controller and Steam Deck support, QoL fixes and that the core combat still clicks. Criticisms repeat: leftover bugs, cracked integration for some Steam-store/DLC features, economy inflation and requests for fresh servers. If you like tactical PvP, old-school co-op RPGs or deck-like skillcrafting, you’ll find a lot to love here.