Upload's not really needed. Download is needed, but not in huge heaps. Unless you end up on dial up, it shouldn't be that much of a matter. What matters is if you have a data cap, and ping may be important.
You dont need to buy anything. If you enjoy the game, got your first character to level 80 and played your personal story, i'd recommend to buy both dlc and the living story (story between dlcs. You usually unlock them when you play shortly after they are released, but since you are new, you'll have to pay for them).
Because ranked play is for people who take the game serious and since ranking--which determines quality of competition and to a lesser extent, season rewards via extra pips per match--is subject to increase or decrease based on win/loss, you need to ensure that they are at least getting serious semi-experienced players.
[ARENA NET] Rubi Bayer.8493 posted on 2022-11-07 21:25:25: 11/08/2022—November 8 Release Notes Living World Season 1—Battle for Lion's Arch. In the wake of the climactic events of the Personal Story, dark machinations converge toward their final goal as heroes rise to the occasion.

It depends on the guild, but if there is a lot of structure to it, you'll likely see it being put to good use. If its a no-name guild, then its likely just to line the leaders' pockets. Then we've got our guild troll who likes announcing a $15/month subscription fee for his "private" guild.

The answer, at least as far as guild Wars 2 is concerned, and even before it with the first one, has been a decided "No" regarding subscriptions. Subscriptions themselves don't make a game better or are indicative of an increased level of quality, the developers do that. IYwQdgs.
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  • does guild wars 2 require a subscription