Guild Wars 2

According to the news post by Linsey Murdock (13 Nov https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/linsey-murdock-unveils-new-high-end-ascended-gear/ includes a screen capture comparing an ascended ring to an exotic ring) “The first end game mechanic we will introduce is Agony, which will be encountered in the Fractals of the Mists dungeon, and is mitigated by Infusions.” These infusions can only be placed in special slots that are available only on the newly introduced gear type known as “Ascended”, which means that to fight specific types of high level foes infusions are necessary. It also means that players better love their Ascended gear, because they won’t be able to fight these special foes in anything else. This is a limitation that means that players will have to choose between the aesthetic styles they like and the mandatory Ascended gear they need to play end game content. The overall effect of the mechanics of infusion slots on specific, limited rarity items is choice constriction.

In Guild Wars 1 infusion was something more akin to a title that could be applied to any armour that a player had chosen to equip. Thus, the player had the freedom to control all aspects of the style of armour they wanted for their characters, without worry about function. Players who chose to mix and match parts of various sets of armour to set themselves apart from others could simply infuse that armour to go kill the Mursaat that used the Agony condition that infusion mitigated. They were not forced to stow the armour they liked and equip an entirely new set of armour (that they may not be as enthusiastic about) to fight off the effects of a condition that most enemies in the game didn’t apply.

From a purely financial standpoint, as a “money grab”, the mechanic of creating an exclusive type of enemy that requires an exclusive kind of gear drives micro-transactions and helps fill player storage that can be monetized through storage space sales. It makes financial sense and is supported by a glut of similar “features” in many free-to-play and pay-to-win games currently on the market. It also controls players by limiting their choices and constricting their options.

From a player perspective, as a “fun enhancer”, giving players the freedom to choose any armour they like and infuse it as necessary to engage a specific type of challenge respects the choices that players have made while playing by empowering them to keep the rewards they have earned, regardless of the type of game content they are playing. The original Guild Wars seemed to understand this kind of play system and use it to great advantage, while the new game tends to penalize players more often than reward them. This is exhibited to great effect in the fact that GW1 infusion respected player freedom of choice while GW2 infusion slots on exclusive Ascended gear disrespects the time some players have invested in exotic/cultural gear acquisition by deprecating that gear in favour of new gear that will take as much or more time to acquire.

It could be argued that transmutation stones could be used to make the Ascended gear look like the exotic gear so players “don’t lose anything” except for the fact that they do lose the time they invested in earning that exotic gear. They also lose more time attempting to acquire Ascended gear to replace what they already earned. The key here is that players have earned what gear they have in the game. Developers need to respect the fact that players have jumped through the required hoops to earn the desired baubles and empower those players to take on more challenges rather than penalize players by deprecating their achievements.

All in all, is creating a new tier of exclusive gear really creating a new reason to play the game or is it simply a way of devaluing gear to cajole players into making choices they might not like? Are exclusive infusion slots on exclusive gear more fun for players than earning an “infused” unlockable label for any gear a player chooses?

I’m very interested in knowing what other players think about this type of mechanic and how well they think it rewards their time commitment to the game, whether they are hardcore or casual.

Brown Fang Thump.9482:

In Guild Wars 1 infusion was something more akin to a title that could be applied to any armour that a player had chosen to equip. Thus, the player had the freedom to control all aspects of the style of armour they wanted for their characters, without worry about function. Players who chose to mix and match parts of various sets of armour to set themselves apart from others could simply infuse that armour to go kill the Mursaat that used the Agony condition that infusion mitigated. They were not forced to stow the armour they liked and equip an entirely new set of armour (that they may not be as enthusiastic about) to fight off the effects of a condition that most enemies in the game didn’t apply.

Except for the fact that if you had armor runed a specific way for specific builds you still had to have all your armor infused as Spectral Agony would kill you in a heart beat if if you weren’t infused . Additionally your unenthusiastic armor comment wouldn’t of held up in the early days of GW1 as your stats were determined by the armor set you wore forcing you into some pretty ugly looks .

Adine.2184:

Except for the fact that if you had armor runed a specific way for specific builds you still had to have all your armor infused as Spectral Agony would kill you in a heart beat if if you weren’t infused . Additionally your unenthusiastic armor comment wouldn’t of held up in the early days of GW1 as your stats were determined by the armor set you wore forcing you into some pretty ugly looks .

As you know, runes could be swapped at will, as long as you could afford them; so, swapping runes and insignias on a single set of armour was always cheaper in GW1 than buying a brand new set of armour to special purpose. Also, if you did keep alternative armour for specific purposes it could still be any armour you liked. You were never forced to wear Obsidian Armour because it was the only armour that could be infused against foe X.

Mursaat were introduced to players in Prophecies as maximum level content, as noted on the wiki, which also gives more information on infusion:

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Mursaat
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Infusion

As to whether or not, and how, armour statistics were bound to armour type, the history of the most early form of the game is irrelevant in light of how the game evolved over time. Still, if you need specifics to remind you what the state of GW1 game is now (which is more relevant) you can look at the following urls:

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Prestige_armor
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Armor_calculation

What you should note is that “Prestige armor is no different from any other max armor apart from its appearance and cost. Although you do not need to be ascended to wear prestige armor, some sets are unavailable until you have completed the relevant campaign’s storyline.” Prestige armour does not have stats determined by armour set the statistics for the armour are based on character profession, level and player selected upgrades. This is not the case in GW2, which has more inherent statistics bound to each piece of gear.

It would also have been nice if you could have included a direct answer to my question in your comment.

Honestly, I hope that infusions don’t do much outside of the new dungeon, much like how it didn’t in GW1 when you weren’t fighting mursaat and the like. As for it being a higher teir of not just rarity, but also stats, I’m not sure about it yet. To me it really depends on the availability of the new gear. If it can be crafted (which is the way it should be) in some way, then I will make them, transmute them and be on my merry way. Some people might complain about it even if it’s this way, but people will complain even if they just flat out gave it to you. However, if it is only aquired by doing the dungeon and getting lucky, then I think we might have a problem. I, for one, hate playing the RNG game when it is dealing with things that I will need for progression.

All in all, I hope that infusion means that you are protected when you go against creatures that inflict Agony, and maybe do more damage (or take less) against them specifically. That way, you can get the new stuff, transmute it and be good if you use it outside of the dungeon, instead of having to have a seperate set. To be fair however, I do think people are jumping to conclusions way before we have all the details. I mean, who knows, they might actually just give you the back piece. It’s far too soon to start assuming things.

And for the record, I always got new armor sets infused in GW1, just in case. It just felt like something I should do before I considered the armor complete.

@ Gilgamesh

You make some valid points. I’ve based my conclusions on the officially posted information which includes a screen capture that compares an ascended ring to an exotic ring. Both rings have distinct icons and statistical information. The article also includes information on how ascended gear is acquired and used.

Check it out: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/linsey-murdock-unveils-new-high-end-ascended-gear/

Whether or not the first piece of ascended gear is free is not as important to me as whether or not a new tier of gear for a new class of enemy improves the play experience for the player or the profit potential of the developer.

Brown Fang Thump.9482:

Adine.2184:

Except for the fact that if you had armor runed a specific way for specific builds you still had to have all your armor infused as Spectral Agony would kill you in a heart beat if if you weren’t infused . Additionally your unenthusiastic armor comment wouldn’t of held up in the early days of GW1 as your stats were determined by the armor set you wore forcing you into some pretty ugly looks .

As you know, runes could be swapped at will, as long as you could afford them; so, swapping runes and insignias on a single set of armour was always cheaper in GW1 than buying a brand new set of armour to special purpose. Also, if you did keep alternative armour for specific purposes it could still be any armour you liked. You were never forced to wear Obsidian Armour because it was the only armour that could be infused against foe X.

Mursaat were introduced to players in Prophecies as maximum level content, as noted on the wiki, which also gives more information on infusion:

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Mursaat
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Infusion

As to whether or not, and how, armour statistics were bound to armour type, the history of the most early form of the game is irrelevant in light of how the game evolved over time. Still, if you need specifics to remind you what the state of GW1 game is now (which is more relevant) you can look at the following urls:

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Prestige_armor
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Armor_calculation

What you should note is that “Prestige armor is no different from any other max armor apart from its appearance and cost. Although you do not need to be ascended to wear prestige armor, some sets are unavailable until you have completed the relevant campaign’s storyline.” Prestige armour does not have stats determined by armour set the statistics for the armour are based on character profession, level and player selected upgrades. This is not the case in GW2, which has more inherent statistics bound to each piece of gear.

It would also have been nice if you could have included a direct answer to my question in your comment.

While your posts are well written, I have to disagree.

I never really liked GW1, however I am quite enjoying how GW2 is being handled thus far.

If I wanted to play GW1, I would be still playing it.

@ Raksha

I absolutely expect some folks to adamantly disagree with me.

I’m not saying that GW1 is the greatest game ever, blah, blah, blah. I am saying that in the case of ascended gear, as I understand it, the game mechanic used for infusion in GW1 was a more fun option than that proposed for GW2.

You do make 1 point I have to admit to: I did like GW1 so much that I still play it sometimes (along with other games). I didn’t quit years ago then come back looking for a completely different experience.