i play gw now from first betas, etc
you got 2 pvp modes;
WvWvW: 3 servers fighting eachother on several maps (open world PvP, maybe similar to WoW), capping objectives and holding them/upgrading them; servers that have good time coverages (enough ppls, that can cover maps 24/7) usually win - this mode is very deppandable of your team/server/guild, as you get rewards/score when you kill other players
more about it here:
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and then you got normal PvP:
there you are instantly levled to 80 (only in PvP), you can gear yourself up free with all unlocked max level/stat available gear/weapons, and you're ready to play PvP
PvP has some different modes, like 1v1, team arenas (5v5) and so on
In my opinion PvP is preety unbalanced and its not so fun to play as your team needs to cap objectives to gain pts, also not all classes are that well balanced
more about it here:
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and yes gw2 actually has community that's not that fucked up at kal one :d (no offense haha)