@PhineasfoolBecause of the unconventional ranking system used in GW1 reaching maximum rank is a real grind.
My first experience with GW1 I actively pursued ranking up until I got to Player rank 42 and then I gave up on ranking entirely because you gained nothing except for the bragging rights and I simply had fun with the game.
When I first learned of the Unicorn Chomper I went back to GW1 figuring I'd work on both games at the same time but then I decided that getting to Rank 313 was simply too much of a grind and decided I could live without it; or at least I did until I unlocked every other character at which point I simply couldn't take looking at that empty pedestal spot in the Chomper area.
When I went back to GW1 again I simply played to rank up- actively fulfilling the Quests which I could do during normal play through and Skipping the ones which were clearly included by some sadist over at PopCap.
I managed to grind my way to rank 313 over the course of another 225 hours of constant gameplay in under 2 months and in the process I really did learn to hate the game for the grind because I was pushing through it at an accelerated pace.
At the end I was as grateful for not having to play GW1 any longer as I was to be able to add the Unicorn Chomper to my roster. I didn't touch the game for a long while after that but I can play it now.
I didn't have to grind so hard because I started ranking up again back in July and I didn't plan to but it was one of those things that snowballed from doing one or two ranks a day to ten a day. I wouldn't recommend it but the closer we get to February 2017 the more that sort of grind will become necessary so I would recommend that anybody who is considering it start now.