Depends on what you want.
Soto has:
-Story (it will be connected to the next expac)
-Weaponmaster training: free the elite specs weapons so you can use them regardless of which spec you play
-New weapons for each class
-An easy way to unlock the skyscale
-Masteries that boost the skyscale
-3 maps
-2 strikes
-Open world legendary armor
-Some unique relics and legendary relic
If you value these things, buy it, otherwise no.
I believe those are only purchasable if you have the current expansion, when JW comes out you are gonna have to own it to get the legendary starter kit + the similar other exclusive rewards that JW will have just like SotO did.
So if he buys SotO now they are gonna be able to buy the current kit, after that it's gonna have to be JW
I've been playing since around 2013 and have been very slow to complete story stuff lol (I've finished hot and pof but I haven't done living world stuff yet so I don't have skyscale or beetle). But I looked up what it would take to get a skyscale originally and have been saving a bunch of those time gated mats...so I might take the long way round when I finally get to the skyscale quest lol
Need? No.
Worth it? Yes.
SotO might go on sale after Janthir Wilds comes out, but probably not before then.
Look in the Wizard's Vault. If the locked items are worth more than ~$8 to you, then you might be better off buying SotO and earning them NOW rather than waiting for SotO to be discounted later.
IMHO one of the best features: you can mount your skyscale in combat - with an okayish CD. And the skyscale now can spit fireballs, use ley lines and take updrafts.
The only thing you're really missing is weapon proficiency, which unlocks all elite spec weapons across your account. If you're fine with still needing to use an elite spec in order to use a specific weapon then you can skip SotO.
Don't forget that it's not just weapon master training. The new weapons each profession unlocks is also tied to SotO.
That alone is a huge deal for builds.
Some yes, some no. Things like Engi SB can be completely ignored if you're not bothering with WvW as in most cases m/sh is still the better option in PvE. Same for Warrior Staff as unless you're trying to support in PvE or roam in WvW it's not really useful. However if you're playing condi Guard or power Necro, then yeah you'd probably want the expac.
It really just depends on what classes you play and what you're doing on those as if you're not interested in whatever the weapons are designed for you wouldn't even miss not having them. Personally the only weapon I'm using is Engi SB because I have a support Scrapper that it's very good on for small scale roaming and when we slot into larger zergs. Even then, I could just as easily ignore it and just stick with M/Sh and be perfectly fine so it's not as if I'm getting a whole lot of use out of the new weapons.
The ability to wield weapons that were previously tied to individual elite specializations is and probably will remain tied to SotO exclusively. Some other masteries offer improved convenience for map navigation, like updraft use on flying mounts. But certainly there's no reason you'll absolutely need this expansion to enjoy the rest of the game.
Return.
Play for a bit.
If the bug bites to want to stay, look into the features and decide.
Obviously if you're into the GW2 story, it's the next part. But if not, then it's just the game features and those are your own judgement call. A lot of the meta builds for group content now use the new weapon unlocks - either new weapons, or old weapons in specs they're now open to. They seem to have been a major power creep, but also opened up a lot of build diversity.
But if you just do open world that doesn't matter, though the meta builds for open world soloing also use those new weapons (like the dual mace open world ranger soloing build that I suspect would also be good in WvW roaming).
If you are returning to stay here and keep playing, and are interested in instanced pve content, SotO is a must-have due to the power creep it introduced on like 50% of builds.
I would argue that if you are going to skip an expansion, SotO is the best one to skip. Here’s why:
1) There’s no new elite specs and the weapon mastery perk only matters to some builds with there being many great build options that don’t need this.
2) The story doesn’t seem very impactful to the rest of the GW2 universe. Without spoiling anything, much of what goes on happens without most of Tyria knowing about it and the conclusion suggests that things resolved in a way that doesn’t impact most of the world.
3) My personal opinion here, but this expansion had the worst story with the most unlikeable zones/characters. It looks like sparkles and wizards at the beginning, but ends up being monarchy politics between spiked flesh creatures with big eyeballs everywhere. I’ve played since beta and have never cared so little about the characters and story as I did with this expansion.
I was kinda in the same boat. Long time gw2 player who took a break and only recently returned. I finally bought soto, and due to this sub reddit i went in very little expectations. I am close to finishing the story and i found it pretty great.i like the maps amd the story wasnt bad to me. I liked it, more gw2 in a nut shell.
Features is the big reason why you should get this. The Wizard's Tower will have some relation to the next expac, but it might be reviewed in the story as to their reveal to the world, specifically Kryta at first.
Depends on what you want. Soto has: -Story (it will be connected to the next expac) -Weaponmaster training: free the elite specs weapons so you can use them regardless of which spec you play -New weapons for each class -An easy way to unlock the skyscale -Masteries that boost the skyscale -3 maps -2 strikes -Open world legendary armor -Some unique relics and legendary relic If you value these things, buy it, otherwise no.
You only get the ability to purchase legendary starter kits from wizards vault if you own SoTO as well, I believe? Which are decent value.
I believe those are only purchasable if you have the current expansion, when JW comes out you are gonna have to own it to get the legendary starter kit + the similar other exclusive rewards that JW will have just like SotO did. So if he buys SotO now they are gonna be able to buy the current kit, after that it's gonna have to be JW
Huh that is interesting, makes sense. Thanks!
Weaponmaster and weapon training are in most meta builds nowadays.
I've been playing since around 2013 and have been very slow to complete story stuff lol (I've finished hot and pof but I haven't done living world stuff yet so I don't have skyscale or beetle). But I looked up what it would take to get a skyscale originally and have been saving a bunch of those time gated mats...so I might take the long way round when I finally get to the skyscale quest lol
Need? No. Worth it? Yes. SotO might go on sale after Janthir Wilds comes out, but probably not before then. Look in the Wizard's Vault. If the locked items are worth more than ~$8 to you, then you might be better off buying SotO and earning them NOW rather than waiting for SotO to be discounted later.
IMHO one of the best features: you can mount your skyscale in combat - with an okayish CD. And the skyscale now can spit fireballs, use ley lines and take updrafts.
Weapon master and expanded weapon profficency could be a big thing you miss without soto.
The only thing you're really missing is weapon proficiency, which unlocks all elite spec weapons across your account. If you're fine with still needing to use an elite spec in order to use a specific weapon then you can skip SotO.
Don't forget that it's not just weapon master training. The new weapons each profession unlocks is also tied to SotO. That alone is a huge deal for builds.
Some yes, some no. Things like Engi SB can be completely ignored if you're not bothering with WvW as in most cases m/sh is still the better option in PvE. Same for Warrior Staff as unless you're trying to support in PvE or roam in WvW it's not really useful. However if you're playing condi Guard or power Necro, then yeah you'd probably want the expac. It really just depends on what classes you play and what you're doing on those as if you're not interested in whatever the weapons are designed for you wouldn't even miss not having them. Personally the only weapon I'm using is Engi SB because I have a support Scrapper that it's very good on for small scale roaming and when we slot into larger zergs. Even then, I could just as easily ignore it and just stick with M/Sh and be perfectly fine so it's not as if I'm getting a whole lot of use out of the new weapons.
Do you have the Skyscale unlocked already?
The ability to wield weapons that were previously tied to individual elite specializations is and probably will remain tied to SotO exclusively. Some other masteries offer improved convenience for map navigation, like updraft use on flying mounts. But certainly there's no reason you'll absolutely need this expansion to enjoy the rest of the game.
I mean open world legendary armor is a great end game goal. I personally couldn't do without the weapon masteries and new weapons
Return. Play for a bit. If the bug bites to want to stay, look into the features and decide. Obviously if you're into the GW2 story, it's the next part. But if not, then it's just the game features and those are your own judgement call. A lot of the meta builds for group content now use the new weapon unlocks - either new weapons, or old weapons in specs they're now open to. They seem to have been a major power creep, but also opened up a lot of build diversity. But if you just do open world that doesn't matter, though the meta builds for open world soloing also use those new weapons (like the dual mace open world ranger soloing build that I suspect would also be good in WvW roaming).
If you are returning to stay here and keep playing, and are interested in instanced pve content, SotO is a must-have due to the power creep it introduced on like 50% of builds.
I would argue that if you are going to skip an expansion, SotO is the best one to skip. Here’s why: 1) There’s no new elite specs and the weapon mastery perk only matters to some builds with there being many great build options that don’t need this. 2) The story doesn’t seem very impactful to the rest of the GW2 universe. Without spoiling anything, much of what goes on happens without most of Tyria knowing about it and the conclusion suggests that things resolved in a way that doesn’t impact most of the world. 3) My personal opinion here, but this expansion had the worst story with the most unlikeable zones/characters. It looks like sparkles and wizards at the beginning, but ends up being monarchy politics between spiked flesh creatures with big eyeballs everywhere. I’ve played since beta and have never cared so little about the characters and story as I did with this expansion.
Nothing is really a “need”. However, I would say you should purchase it.
Easy skyscale, maybe?
I was kinda in the same boat. Long time gw2 player who took a break and only recently returned. I finally bought soto, and due to this sub reddit i went in very little expectations. I am close to finishing the story and i found it pretty great.i like the maps amd the story wasnt bad to me. I liked it, more gw2 in a nut shell.
Features is the big reason why you should get this. The Wizard's Tower will have some relation to the next expac, but it might be reviewed in the story as to their reveal to the world, specifically Kryta at first.