Guild Wars 2

Short Version:
The Temple of Balthazar has become so unrewarding and painful that it is increasingly difficult to find people to go near it. Please consider a reduction in the veteran’s minion spawnrate, and or reducing the not-so-random rain of fire. It makes trying to get the skill point incredibly painful for the players. Other temples handle this balance just fine, why is this one different?

Long Version:
I’ve just finished repairing for the 20th time. That’s an estimate. I actually stopped counting a couple of hours ago. I know I have spent well over a gold just in repairs though. I keep hurtling my body at the risen hordes using various combinations of my Asuran genius and mesmer skills to try to get the last skill point I need for this map. It’s all I have left. This one point.

I’ve tried rolling from veil to mass invis and communing while stealthed, but the rain of fire always hits me with only a second or so left on the progress bar. It’s not really random. I know that now.

I’ve tried burning down the vets, and the infinite minions they spawn. The number of minions they can produce is staggering. I would be willing to wager some gold that just one of those vets could solo Giganticus Lupicus just through never-ending waves of the minions they spawn from nothing.

I’ve tried going with other people as well, but we were still unable to burn down all the vets required before the ones we had just finished off respawned behind us. Yes, it is that quick. I realize it is an MMO, and we should be doing things in groups, but even groups are having trouble here.

Calls to the map go largely unanswered. No one wants to deal with this Temple. A check of the temple status right now shows that not one American server has this temple open. No one is even trying it. This is normal.

This is not a new thing. It was this painful on my warrior and engineer too. In the warrior’s case, I just gave up and left this single Skill Point alone. For the engineer, I wound up camping the temple status web page and guesting to a server that had it open finally. It took days for that.

I know people will claim that it is supposed to be like this, and if only I didn’t suck I could do it and they all got that skill point on their level 2 thief, but I am not buying it. This is not the first, second, or even third time I have seen this level of pain at just this one temple. The other temples are annoying, sure… but they are not so over-the-top that people actively avoid them.

I’m not asking to make it stupidly easy. There is no fun in that. Putting a finite cap on the minion spawn would be a reasonable compromise. Maybe reducing the mob count or increasing the respawn rate? Even just toning down the rain of fiery doom would help.

In summary: Could you guys please consider making the Temple of Balthazar a bit more like the other temples in terms of moving around them and getting completion done?

Sincerely,
Bruised and Bloody in the Straits of Devastation

One simple answer to your question of why is this temple harder than the others : obsidian fragment.

The Sixteenth.2561:

One simple answer to your question of why is this temple harder than the others : obsidian fragment.

I can totally understand that’s why the actual fight for the temple is so much harder, and it makes sense in that regard, but that is not what I am talking about at all. I am talking about getting the PoI and Skill Point from the Temple. Nothing more.

The other temples allow you to get their PoI and Skill Point with some moderate discomfort and fuss. This is how it should be.

Let me put it this way: It’s not really a “Skill Point” if the only skill you need is a server-wide assault. The idea of a Skill Point is that you can get it if you have some skill. This is true for every other Skill Point in the game. Why is this particular Skill Point different?

Does that make more sense?

Or perhaps make the Pact Morale event (whatever it’s called) leading to the temple a tad easier to finish.

The overall event chain is long enough that failing that one event (which is very easy to do) is more demoralizing to the players than the Pact.

I’ve been trying to buy an obsidian shard for 3 weeks now. Never once have I seen the temple be taken. It’s no soloable, and no one does it.

So maybe it’s time for a change, huh?

get some water eles with friends to babysit npcs. problem solved

Perfect example: I just got back from an evening out. The first thing I did was check the temple status. Not only is it not open on a single American server, but it is not open on a single European one either. Not that it matters much since you can’t guest to a different region, but it does help illustrate the point.

Orr is, in general, a very unpleasant place with high mob density and fast respawn rate. People know that going in. There is little sense in punishing them more than is necessary to set a basic difficulty bar.

I would still very much like to see the temple reviewed and the Skill Point and PoI brought into line with the other temples of Orr, so that they can be achieved by a skilled single player or a small group. That is not an unreasonable request, and does not break any game continuity nor feel like pandering. It’s asking for consistency. This is the only Skill Point that requires such a coordinated effort.

I just like the thread title.

Balthazar is open on TC atm

Vanthian.9267:

I just like the thread title.

Is it that sad that I tried to find a hidden message in the post somewhere?

No one just makes sure that every word in the title starts with a T and makes sure to capitalize them all!

Kagato.4061:

Vanthian.9267:

I just like the thread title.

Is it that sad that I tried to find a hidden message in the post somewhere?

No one just makes sure that every word in the title starts with a T and makes sure to capitalize them all!

Alarming Alliteration At An Amount Approaching Anarchy………….aardvark

I was aiming for catchy.

I assure you that the illuminati are not behind the post (as far as I know).

For the record, I do things like this in my work email too. Anything to break the droll monotony, right?

MeanCoffeeBean.2073:

For the record, I do things like this in my work email too. Anything to break the droll monotony, right?

A veritably virtuous and valuable vision visited upon this vile and violent vicinity, it’s validity vigorously and vehemently verified via vim, vivacity and vitality

That Threat Title Takes The Top Trophy!