Guild Wars 2

Fractals IMO are fun for a while and the “gear progression (AR)” in theme is fine, but it feel like it has no purpose. When you progress though the fractals levels it feel lackluster. It feels like just doing the same fractal but the boss has better stats (and sometime annoying mechanic Mistlock Instability before the update). And even if you get to level 100 in fractals it has 0 purpose, Because it’s the same F-ing boss from other levels (you already done) and you get nothing in return (no special skin or gear or recipe, nothing). In addition when an expansion is released you have no room to progress, instead the only thing they can do is just shove new fractal instead of other fractals in the level 1-100 (like Chaos Isles Fractal. It feels like the main purpose of fractal these days is for gearing up for raids. And Raids are good but not all people like them, have the time to do them or can gather 10 people to do them constantly. So while you wait for you guild/friends to to the raid you have nothing to do (PvE wise).
And before you jump to defend fractals, please really think of what I said and tell me that you to didn’t think that at same point (or atleast agree with on that subject).

Kingsdavid.3598:

So while you wait for you guild/friends to to the raid you have nothing to do (PvE wise).

How did you go from “I no longer enjoy fractals” to “there’s nothing to do in pve”? Is your issue that you don’t enjoy fractals at all, that you no longer enjoy them because you’ve run them too often, or that you don’t find anything enjoyable in this game’s vast portfolio of pve activities beyond fractals and raids?

Personally, I have enjoyed my journey through the fractal levels a lot, but then I enjoy a lot of this game’s pve content and don’t easily burn out on a single facet since I switch up what I play all the time. Gearing up for fractals, increasing my ar and my fractal levels was motivated in part by wanting to be able to play fractals with friends at all kinds of different levels (and not feel like I’m being carried in the upper scales but actually being useful instead), in part by wanting to see the different variations of the fractals due to mechanic changes and instabilities, and in part by wanting to finish Ad Infinitum (for which I had to be able to run fractal level 100 and perform decently at it).

I still haven’t gotten my personal reward level all the way to 100 (currently at 88), since I don’t often have a group that is able to play the upper level fractals, but I’ll get there eventually, and I’m still having fun fractalling with guildies at all levels. My friends and guildies are interested in all kinds of different fractal levels, so things won’t get boring any time soon for us I guess .

Rasimir.6239:

Kingsdavid.3598:

So while you wait for you guild/friends to to the raid you have nothing to do (PvE wise).

How did you go from “I no longer enjoy fractals” to “there’s nothing to do in pve”? Is your issue that you don’t enjoy fractals at all, that you no longer enjoy them because you’ve run them too often, or that you don’t find anything enjoyable in this game’s vast portfolio of pve activities beyond fractals and raids?

Personally, I have enjoyed my journey through the fractal levels a lot, but then I enjoy a lot of this game’s pve content and don’t easily burn out on a single facet since I switch up what I play all the time. Gearing up for fractals, increasing my ar and my fractal levels was motivated in part by wanting to be able to play fractals with friends at all kinds of different levels (and not feel like I’m being carried in the upper scales but actually being useful instead), in part by wanting to see the different variations of the fractals due to mechanic changes and instabilities, and in part by wanting to finish Ad Infinitum (for which I had to be able to run fractal level 100 and perform decently at it).

I still haven’t gotten my personal reward level all the way to 100 (currently at 88), since I don’t often have a group that is able to play the upper level fractals, but I’ll get there eventually, and I’m still having fun fractalling with guildies at all levels. My friends and guildies are interested in all kinds of different fractal levels, so things won’t get boring any time soon for us I guess .

First of all thanks for the replay,
Second, I came to that conclusion from the moment I started to do fractals not after grinding fracatals.
I have to ask you, if you would play a Raid wing and finish it, and when you reach the second raid wing you realize it’s the same exact raid wing but it’s the bosses are a little harder to kill (not becuase of different mechanics, but cuz there hp,armor, etc. are higher). And image doing that over and over and over and over. Is that really feel like a good game. it create the illusion of progression, but with no really contant just like FTP mobile game (Don’t kill me fractal lovers).
And another thing, I really don’t think that for me there is anything else to do in PvE. I already did the HoT map that soon became grindy and had the same philosophy of endless repeating the same thing over and over, and I don’t like doing any of the Legendary weapons (Because I think they are ugly), and raids are 1 time a week content with guildies. So tell me what is there to do in the PvE?

Kingsdavid.3598:

And before you jump to defend fractals, please really think of what I said and tell me that you to didn’t think that at same point (or atleast agree with on that subject).

Defend fractals against …what? All I can see is that you no longer like fractals. Like anything in MMOs, it gets old after a while.

I happen to still like fractals because… well, because I do. There’s something fun for me about the instances and the various instabilities, I like getting ascended drops (in part because it’s unusual, but not too rare). I like helping new people learn to deal with the challenges of Tier 4.

In short, it’s my cup of tea, even if it’s no longer yours.

(I would like to see more changes to existing fractals, a few new instances.)

Mechanically I enjoy them. And the loot is nice

My main issue is that there is no real incentive to do anything other than dailies and that pretty much the only thing you see in lfg. you do your daily fractal and dont come back until the next day. the content in fractals i find is more stale than dungeons after playing the same fractals for 4 years it gets pretty boring at least dungeons have many different paths

I agree with you

a set of t4 fractals should take an hour or less with decent pug groups

This is equivalent to 1-2 arah paths with the same pug

Once you’ve done ur dailies, there’s no incentive to go back and do em again. Ppl who are habituated to t4s rarely (If ever) find themself doing lower tier fractals with groups, there simply no incentive like there is to explore open world again

Dungeons have more variety overall, roughly 3-4 hours with decent pugs

As mentioned fractals are even more brief and transient in this respect, only a set of 3 fractals on a daily cycle, and furthermore the overall progression at time seems piecemeal and the reprieve provided is bit of a letdown as well as bit of a showstopper in some cases.

As well most groups tend to avoid the lvls with annoying or inadvisable instabilities as they are rarely fun to deal with.

Most of this content hasn’t changed for years or even more.

Fractals taken individually are actually shorter and more two-dimensional than dungeons (no areas to stealth through? no parts that require grps to split up and work seperately on each task, like ac p1 and cof p2? No optional champs/bosses to fight with? No jumping puzzles that are challenging enough to require concentrated or solo effort?)

Taken all together progression is for the most part not only piecemeal but also stilted.

Dungeons have more variety and more time consuming than fractals, but no one even runs them anymore. Whereas daily fractals are only worth an hour of ur time at worst, and not even dependable source of income for most.

Kingsdavid.3598:

Fractals IMO are fun for a while and the “gear progression (AR)” in theme is fine, but it feel like it has no purpose. When you progress though the fractals levels it feel lackluster. It feels like just doing the same fractal but the boss has better stats (and sometime annoying mechanic Mistlock Instability before the update). And even if you get to level 100 in fractals it has 0 purpose, Because it’s the same F-ing boss from other levels (you already done) and you get nothing in return (no special skin or gear or recipe, nothing). In addition when an expansion is released you have no room to progress, instead the only thing they can do is just shove new fractal instead of other fractals in the level 1-100 (like Chaos Isles Fractal. It feels like the main purpose of fractal these days is for gearing up for raids. And Raids are good but not all people like them, have the time to do them or can gather 10 people to do them constantly. So while you wait for you guild/friends to to the raid you have nothing to do (PvE wise).
And before you jump to defend fractals, please really think of what I said and tell me that you to didn’t think that at same point (or atleast agree with on that subject).

They were supposed to be a main hub of instanced pve content, and even a dungeon replacement after HoT nerf. But for some mystical reason, all new instanced content is redirected to raids. Even new raid wing is announced already and there is new portal in LAA. But new fractal? /shrug

Those evil raids, which already consumed all the resources for 5-man instances long before HoT was even announced …

The loot does improve significantly at higher tiers, and there’s random wackiness from the instabilities that can be comical (Go home Mossman, you’re drunk!), or a nuisance (Poison trail), depending on your personality and the group’s performance. Fractals are cool as long as you still need ascended gear. After that the appeal diminishes significantly, tbh.

Problem is that we should, ideally, have gotten at least 6 new islands by now. They also ought to release them in groups of three, as they do with raids. Fractals are like chicken wings – not meaty enough for one at a time to feel satisfying.

It will be nice to have new maps for fractal.. When molten first introduced as event it was great fun .. I love it. More such even introduced will be nice.. And eventually add into fractal mists after event finished.
I don’t mind how fractal is now esp with t4 bcos its good $ and karma. It is the only thing I do daily. I am not sure why I would log in the game if without these dailies