Guild Wars 2

Let’s be honest, I obviously haven’t played the new content yet, but I’m already disappointed. And, believe it or not, this has been the first Living Story content i was excited about hearing from the get-go.

But why?

Let’s start with the initial announcement text:

Fight in the Queen’s Gauntlet – Begins August 6
In the special Queen’s Gauntlet, you will face increasingly difficult challenges of single-combat against unique bosses. Cheer on your friends or show off your skills to the world. Take a risk with special gambit conditions to earn even more prestigious rewards!

This announcement doesn’t tell you the content is temporary, it doesn’t tell you it’s extra hard (which I don’t mind) and it doesn’t tell you it’s also limiting the number of people being able to play at any single time. It’s nice being able to spectate, but at the same time if I think back how crowded/lagging previous mini games have been, I don’t expect being able to play this any time soon.

But what did I expect that made me excited?

I might have to explain a bit more I guess:

Have you ever played Final Fantasy VII?

Yes, it’s an old game, about 15 years old, but still loved by its fans. The initial announcement immediately reminded me of a mini game you could find in this JRPG classic: Battle Square.

Here’s a short rundown for those that never played the game:

• It’s a series of solo battles (one player character) versus one or more enemies at once.
• You start with your usual equipment (no artifical limitation here).
• Once you’ve defeated an enemy you can quit and take your rewards or continue.
• If you’re defeated you get nothing at all (well, actually you get a handkerchief IIRC).
• If you continue, you’ll get a random handicap applied (e.g. no longer able to cast spells or use items) unless you’re very lucky.
• There are several rounds, increasing in difficulty (due to the enemies as well as added handicaps).

This is what I expected from Queen’s Gauntlet (and I thought it would be a permanent addition). No “it’s extra hard you’ll have to dedicate hours to even get in” content.

What do you think? If you want, wait for the content patch tomorrow, but I’d really like to hear what you’d rather have. The current implementation or something similar to the FF7 one. I’d prefer the latter any time.

I don’t understand your post. You’re upset because it’s not another game?

No, I expected another, more interesting mechanic that doesn’t just revolve around “wait 20+ minutes to get a chance on a single fight, win or lose”, rinse and repeat.

Well, it’s different of course, but actually it almost the same. I don’t understand why you don’t like it. There is 3 tiers of enemies and 3 bosses, difficulty due to different enemies and handicaps. The main difference – you choose your handicap and this is simply BETTER than random.