Guild Wars 2

It doesn’t feel like it’s a skill thing. Half the time you can’t or can barely see an indicator that the knockback is coming because the indicator is bigger than the platforms so it disappears into the air. It’s just tortuous and makes the fractal frustrating and tortuous.

Maybe you should look at the harpies, with your eyes.

Pinch.4273:

Maybe you should look at the harpies, with your eyes.

This line made me laugh for some reason.

Great advice, too.

so a higher difficulty adds mechanics to something….and the mechanic is cried about. no win situation, i can see them valuing feedback on PVE encounters even less in the future and i wouldn’t blame them.

stay back edge of platform, strafe left and right. If you are sharing a platform with someone you will get knocked off. Just assume you are always being targeted.

Stability, reflect and stand in areas with a better chance of showing the circles. Or just stay mobile I guess. Once you’re used to it, you’ll be flying through that level again.

this is the only fractal i like, the harpies trolling the players with knockback off the platforms.
i feel warm and fuzzy inside when they say “die groundling”
and most ppl do die often there

I personally think the encounter should be more oldschool, where if you get knocked off, you’re dead and can’t continue.

The ability to zerg rez and still complete objectives is giving players free reign to be stupid and half kitten everything.

Personally I think this Fractal is fine since they more than telegraph their attacks. It’s funny too to see people die so much because it’s not actually a difficult attack!

If I was calling the shots, I’d reduce their projectile speed for lightning slightly, but only slightly.

The issue I have is more in that when 3 are places close so you agro all of them at once with all 3 doing knockbacks its kind of stupid, unless you have a guard to reflect (dont always have) its just stupid.

I suggest the frequency of knockback is reduced, size of ground aoe is reduced (should never be able to stand in a place where the circle is not visible at all on the platform (yes this may simply happen as you moved on to get to your corner so it can be seen)), and space them so you do not need to agro more than one at a time (make it possible, but only attacking wrong one would lead to it)

If you get on the platform that the harpy is on it won’t cast knockback on you. When there is three or more harpies close enough we get a player on each of the harpies platform and have them draw their harpies aggro. It works pretty good most of the time.

There is skill involved. You can pretty much rush through it just like in sub 10 level. Rather than removing the knockback from the fractal, id rather they removed the bad players from fractals who slow down my runs.

I’m surprised you’re complaining about Harpy knockback at lv10+ when you should really start being fearful at 20-30+

Avinz.2456:

If you get on the platform that the harpy is on it won’t cast knockback on you. When there is three or more harpies close enough we get a player on each of the harpies platform and have them draw their harpies aggro. It works pretty good most of the time.

This. The number of groups I tell this to and yet they still hang back and take 20 downs.

I personally find the harpy level to be very fun and hope they include mechanics like this in the future (I.e., mechanics that individuals can either survive using their own abilities or by relying on the utility of a groupmate).

Our guild group has 2 Eles, a Thief (me), a Guardian and an Engineer. We regularly co-ordinate a rotation of all of our defensive skills ie. Smoke Screen, Swirling Winds x2, Wall of Reflection, Stability-granting skills.

It’s more than doable if you stay organised. I’ve seen too many groups rush in head-on and get smacked, and they act surprised for some reason. While the ground circles could do a better job of telling where the orbs are going to land, it’s not difficult at all to just mitigate the knockbacks completely.

It would be fine if the mechanics were actually fair towards the player and it wasn’t just a huge time crunch.

The Asura fractal is by far the most annoying precisely because it is not challenging….just annoying.

1. Players can barely see the red circles while on the platforms.

2. There are way too many Harpies. Remove 2 from each path and I’d find that acceptable.

3. Give players more reliable ways to counter the Harpies.

Dee Jay.2460:

It would be fine if the mechanics were actually fair towards the player and it wasn’t just a huge time crunch.

The Asura fractal is by far the most annoying precisely because it is not challenging….just annoying.

1. Players can barely see the red circles while on the platforms.

2. There are way too many Harpies. Remove 2 from each path and I’d find that acceptable.

3. Give players more reliable ways to counter the Harpies.

Approach the harpy in melee range, it won’t knock you off.

Be careful when doing so that you don’t agro a harpy on a nearby platform while doing so though, THAT one will knock you off. If you’ve got 2 harpies on 2 platforms kinda close to each other, 2 players can stand on one platform each and get the attention of the harpy on their platform too. In a PUG if I don’t feel like communicating this, then have everyone argue with me (“I’ve been running this fractal since 1943 that’s not how it works!” gets knocked off platform for 6th time), I just let them deal with one harpy and I jump past them to the potentially dangerous one nearby and get its attention that way.

I’m not going to say I don’t get knocked off sometimes, but once you know what I said above, it doesn’t happen that much.

they should at 30+not 10

Ald.9418:

I personally think the encounter should be more oldschool, where if you get knocked off, you’re dead and can’t continue.

The ability to zerg rez and still complete objectives is giving players free reign to be stupid and half kitten everything.

This! Since I’ve hit lvl 30 people dont seem to die as often anymore (so do I :P). It’s all about skill.

Tips for mesmers: Use illusionary warden (reflects projectiles), mimic (can reflect those knockbacks) in combination with stability mantra, and of course, feedback.
also you can stealth and skip the first part, then going down again without dying and port your group up, which is very hard to do but it can be done.

SSalp.6423:

Ald.9418:

I personally think the encounter should be more oldschool, where if you get knocked off, you’re dead and can’t continue.

The ability to zerg rez and still complete objectives is giving players free reign to be stupid and half kitten everything.

This! Since I’ve hit lvl 30 people dont seem to die as often anymore (so do I :P). It’s all about skill.

Tips for mesmers: Use illusionary warden (reflects projectiles), mimic (can reflect those knockbacks) in combination with stability mantra, and of course, feedback.
also you can stealth and skip the first part, then going down again without dying and port your group up, which is very hard to do but it can be done.

Absolutely. The 26 and 30 daily makes everything seems quite easy. Not that everyone’s SUPER AWESOME but just that they’re at least competent, which is good enough.

This kinda feels learn 2 play to me. Guards aren’t the only folks with reflects. Plenty of people have stability. Simple mobility and awareness cancels most of the KB opportunites.

Use your tools, and your eyes .

Nike.2631:

This kinda feels learn 2 play to me. Guards aren’t the only folks with reflects. Plenty of people have stability. Simple mobility and awareness cancels most of the KB opportunites.

Use your tools, and your eyes .

It’s more about coordination as the party needs to behave as one to clear out each monster. It’s no use with one person using Stability and no one else does. His/her stability will just run out and he might get knocked if the don’t retreat in time. But most of the time they, don’t even at Fractal 40’s, simply due to the nature of PUGs. If you had guardians who put up reflects and stuff then it’s a good visual cue to other PUG members to STAND HERE AND FIGHT…if they had some sense.

travosaga.6089:

It doesn’t feel like it’s a skill thing. Half the time you can’t or can barely see an indicator that the knockback is coming because the indicator is bigger than the platforms so it disappears into the air. It’s just tortuous and makes the fractal frustrating and tortuous.

I love that the Harpies do that knockback. It’s hugely trollish, and I love that a developer put that in purely for the troll factor. Seriously though watch the actions of of harpies and you can EASILY avoid that big electric ball flying towards you. Also those red circles you’re standing around in… that’s a sign to either move out of the way or brace yourself for impact.

just strafe left-right on platforms and don’t stop.. i have never been knocked off platform unless someone comes to my platform and doesn’t strafe..

even 3 harpies are not problem if you keep everyone moving all the time.. they will always miss..
even if red circle is on your platform, attack will miss if you keep rapid movement on platforms..

edit: never used any defensive abilities (reflects, blocks, smoke)… my group is 3-4 rangers + 1 warr

Have you tried using the guardians wall of reflect on the harpies balls of knockback?
If you time it right ITS LIKE PONG!

:D