Guild Wars® Reforged Three campaigns, one saga, no monthly fee

You pick one of ten professions at creation, then later add a second, and that combination is where the game opens up. Want a warrior who heals? A monk with a sword? Nothing stops you. Your bar holds only eight skills at a time, chosen from thousands you unlock as you travel, so every mission starts with a decision: what to bring. Armor sets, weapons and dyes round out the look, and the result is a character that plays and dresses exactly how you want.

One purchase gives you all three full campaigns: Prophecies, Factions and Nightfall. The story runs from the fall of Ascalon, with Charr warbands sweeping across the land, to rival gang wars in the streets of Kaineng City, to a desperate stand in the sulfurous Desolation, where you cross the wasteland astride a Junundu wurm. Hundreds of quests and challenging missions carry the plot along, with holiday events sprinkled on top. The writing, the voice acting and the music hold up remarkably well, and the story is worth following, not skipping.

Towns work as gathering hubs where you meet other players, form a party and step out into the world together. Outside the walls, each zone is your group's own private instance, so no strangers will steal your kills or drag extra monsters onto your party. Not in the mood for people? Recruit customizable NPC heroes, gear them like your own character and tune their builds, or fall back on hired henchmen. Veterans are famously generous with new players, and PvP lets your team test itself against other teams when the co-op campaign needs a break.