Guild Wars 2

Hello everyone,

(no this isn’t another rant on the new ascended gear) I don’t regulary post on the guildwars 2 forum, but now I finally have something to say. I wanted to post this under GW2 general, but I thought the suggestions forum was a better spot for this.

I started playing during the beta of guild wars 2, I made an Asura Elementalist, got him some nice looking armor and explored a snowy area close to Lion’s Arch to make a screenshot of the beautiful landscape and my awesome Asura (who was way too low level for the area, but I thought the picture was worth the risk). I disabled my UI and positioned my Asura facing the camera.

Unfortunately, the rendering of the (HD) screenshot took a couple of seconds too long and that short time period was just enough for a pack of hungry wolves to get to my harmless little Asura, resulting in a bloodbath that I’m not willing to describe in full detail…

Now the big question:
Is it necessary for every corner of Tyria to be filled with bloodthirsty foes that fight you to the death? Except for the cities, towns and outposts there isn’t a single inch of Tyria where players are safe from harm and fighting for your life isn’t a necessity. The level scaling is causing all enemies to form a serious threat to your character regardless of level (not that I have a problem with the scaling itself, but it does have it’s drawbacks). In other words, there isn’t any exploreable place in Tyria that is completely safe.

And I know there are jumping puzzles, minigames (kegbrawl) and many other things to do in this game. But what I am really missing is a big map where you can just explore without being in life threatening danger all the time. A place where players can relax, go fishing, visit a bar or have a dance party. Overall just a fun, rewarding explorable and above all: “social” area for players of every level to enjoy and take a break from their daily adventures.

And preferably a place other than just Lion’s Arch… I was secretly hoping the Lost Shores would be that place, but no. LA does have exactly what I’m asking for, but nobody is using the bars, diving board, jumping puzzles and everything else that is available (there is no reward for doing anything there).

If any of the game developers are reading this:
Please, if you make future content, have it include anything besides new dungeons and enemies. Think of new ways to keep the community together and make Guild Wars 2 the social MMO it could be!

(A picture says more than a thousand words. So in this screenshot, you can see my Asura before and after being torn apart by hungry wolves…)

I agree with the OP to a certain extent. I only RP, for the most part. I leveled my main char, who ICly carries no weapons to level 40, so I can travel where I want to and run if I am attacked with a good chance of escaping. I like to explore, sniff the flowers, have a picnic lunch with my friends or do other silly RP things. Please don’t make me have to run away all of the time, every where. How about an additional state – RP Only. In that state, monsters would not attack me, I could not attack monsters and the only XP I could possibly gain would be from discovering POIs. I am sure this idea has some flaws, but it is a place to start.

And somebody revive the poor little critter above me!

This message was brought to you by a Kitten Who Role Plays.

I’ve seen countless people request a reduction in mob density and an increase in respawn time since I joined the beta (I have, as well). The OP is right: it’s off-putting to have to weave your way through every inch of the game world in an effort to minimize unnecessary combat. Combat in this game can be pretty fun, but that fun is drastically reduced against the 500th generic animal, bandit or Svanir that only exist to slow down my trip from Point A to Point B. Combat against plain mobs is even more underwhelming during the mid-level ranges and beyond, long after your character has learned all his weapon and utility skills and you’ve settled into your preferred play-style. Areas designed to house Dynamic Events and Heart Quests obviously need to have an abundance of mobs to fight, but the rest of the world could really benefit from some open space.

Mob density aside, all MMOs benefit greatly from more “fluff” activities. I have no desire to be a longstanding player in a fantasy world for months or years if it feels like a glorified lobby for instant dungeons and PvP. Activities like playing music in LOTRO, the diplomacy card game in Vanguard, and the excellent housing system in EQ2 are exactly the types of things we need to see more of in the theme park sub-genre.

I’m glad to see that I’m not the only player who is thinking this

@robinsiebler
They do have town clothes in this game, which is a state you could compare to Roleplaying Mode. But unfortunately you instantly go back to normal gear if you get attacked. I think they should do more with the concept of town clothes. The idea to make your character invulnerable while wearing town clothes, would not be a great because it could be easily abused.

I would encourage Anet to come up with new ideas for town clothes, or maybe invent a new kind of exploreable area where you can only wear town clothes. (just getting a little bit creative here)

I’m really a big fan of the costume brawl, specifically because it enables and rewards players for interacting with each other. It’s features like this that help make the game come to life for me.