Guild Wars 2

Let me begin by saying that I enjoyed the living story content quite a bit. It started somewhat too slow, months of foreshadowing with generic “do this 500 times” tasks are not really fun (not to mention the whole “let the refuges die so we can rez them” bit), but the last two content updates made up for it. The arc ended with a bang (literally), and the dungeon was challenging and well made.

What was really a huge disappointment, however, was the reward at the end. Not the chest rewards, those are fine, I’m talking about Fused Gauntlets. Never mind the fact that there’s only one appearance for all three armor classes, so if you don’t like them, you might as well throw them in the storage for eternity, but those things just don’t give me any satisfaction as a reward since they’re functionally just standard exotic Sentinel Gloves. I really liked the reward in the Lost Shores, you got a 20-slot bag and a kicka­ss unique accessory, both of which were very useful and appreciated. Compared to that, I don’t really want to use the fused gauntlets on any of my 8 characters.

I noticed there’s a jetpack skin as a possible drop from the chest at the end. If you really wanted to give players a unique reward, you could have created a usable jetpack that gives players a double jump ability. Not a full jump, that would trivialize jumping puzzles, just a small boost, like the equivalent of a dodge-jump, just with a different activation (for people who aren’t keen on pressing two buttons at the same time). That would have been a good reward and far more appropriate for having raided a weapons/tech facility.

Obviously the point is moot now, but I’m hoping the reward in the next story arc will be something more than “here’s a skin, if you don’t like it, that’s tough luck for you.”

So you want a reward that gives people that missed this arc of the living story a disadvantage? Putting real advantages onto limited time items is quite stupid.

I missed the cursed shores patch but to be honest I think these are pretty cool, and any exotic reward is always good. Although they are always going to suit heavy armour wearers better.

lordkrall.7241:

So you want a reward that gives people that missed this arc of the living story a disadvantage? Putting real advantages onto limited time items is quite stupid.

How is it an advantage when I clearly proposed that it ought to be functionally no better than the dodge-jump which is already possible? Have you even read my post, or did you just decide it wasn’t worth straining your gray matter? If anything, it would level the playing field for people who have trouble performing a dodge-jump with the standard method. Plus, there’s nothing preventing the devs from including a different means of acquisition post-event, just like with the Ancient Karka Shell which is still available for 1000 shells.

I merely suggested that the reward be something that is not entirely subject to taste and has a function that most players are gonna want to use. I don’t play tanks, so Sentinel Gloves are of no real use to me, and I don’t need yet another skin in my storage that I’m never gonna use, especially not one that I can’t even sell to make a little bit of profit and buy myself something I actually want or need.

Rewarding your players is a subtle art—I should know, I’ve been a DM in PnP games for decades—and finding the right kind of reward is based mostly on experience. I am voicing my dissatisfaction so that the developers are aware that there are players who are not happy. Otherwise there’s no way they’ll ever learn how to please a larger part of their customer base, it’ll always be just hit-and-miss.

So, being able to do something that you couldn’t do before is not an advantage? Isn’t that really the definition of an advantage?
You even state it this time around as well: “f anything, it would level the playing field for people who have trouble performing a dodge-jump with the standard method.”
So clearly it will make it easier/possible for people that get this reward, while people that have trouble with it, and can’t do this event, will still not be able to do it.