Guild Wars 2

Astralporing.1957:

NovaanVerdiano.6174:

It only effictively locks you out of scales 91-100.

It starts being a problem once you pass into required AR level above 100 (at above fractal level 70). Remember, that you’d be short on not only 28 points from using 5 ar infusions instead of 7 ar ones, but will also lack the two attuned slots.
And since after the last change doing only t3 dailies results in a significant nerf to the rewards, it seriously compounds he other problem mentioned.

Yes, you can compensate by crafting/buying better infusions, but even for fractal level 90 you’d need +20 ones. To reach 150 ar you’d need a 27, 27, 26 setup.
I don’t think i need to explain why this isn’t a practical option.

Completely true about the AR. You can reach 100-103 without problem. After that, it start to cost a lot more than other people to get higher since you need to craft 12+.

But I disagree completely about the significant nerf to reward. I’ll take KINGS numbers because they are the best we have. So either you base your assumption on those, you have other numbers with a similar sample size or you use anecdotal evidence. Next to each items, I’ll give the percentage chance of getting each item in Pre-HoT level 50, Pre patch champion, and the Post patch tier 3. I’ll compare them because they are the highest someone without HoT can do. Keep in mind that Post path tier 3 percentage will go higher than 100% because it’s 3 chest, not only 1.

Infused Ring : 53.8% ; 1.2% ; 43.8%
Uninfused Ring : 4.3% ; 17.4% ; 28.2%
Accessory : 0% ; 0% ; 0%
Armour : 11.9% ; 11.4% ; 10.8%
Weapon : 4.2% ; 3.4% ; 3%
Skin : 11.7% ; 0.5% ; 1.5%
Golden Skin : 0% ; 2.5% ; 0%
Golden Relic : 0% ; 0.6% ; 0%
Matrices : 0% ; 63.7% ; 809.4%

Yes we get a bit less ascended armour and weapon in Tier 3 currently, and they said it, but can you really use the word significantly? 11.4% vs 10.8% is significant?? Especially since i think it’s a good thing to have nerfed it since they added another tier on top of it with even higher chance.

The Skin droprate is irrevelant because we can now buy the skin with relic.

The only one that is problematic if you ask me is the 0% Golden Skin and Relic.

So where is your significant nerf to the rewards?

Thaddeus.4891:

So where is your significant nerf to the rewards?

liquid rewards. Full daily is around the same as before last change in total from daily chests (maybe even a little bit less than befroe), but significant part of it is in T4. There are new rewards that make the wealth gain better (ascended mats, for example), but they are also limited to t4. Also, you’re getting less encryptions now for a full daily.

Astralporing.1957:

NovaanVerdiano.6174:

It only effictively locks you out of scales 91-100.

It starts being a problem once you pass into required AR level above 100 (at above fractal level 70). Remember, that you’d be short on not only 28 points from using 5 ar infusions instead of 7 ar ones, but will also lack the two attuned slots.
And since after the last change doing only t3 dailies results in a significant nerf to the rewards, it seriously compounds he other problem mentioned.

Yes, you can compensate by crafting/buying better infusions, but even for fractal level 90 you’d need +20 ones. To reach 150 ar you’d need a 27, 27, 26 setup.
I don’t think i need to explain why this isn’t a practical option.

Uhm, sorry?

You are aware that you can dodge ALL agony inflicting attacks except those when entering boss rooms?
You can run with 0AR and be fine if you and your team make sure the agony doesn’t get inflicted in the first place. This is how it was back then too, starting at a certain scale no one was able to have the AR required either.

Astralporing.1957:

Thaddeus.4891:

So where is your significant nerf to the rewards?

liquid rewards. Full daily is around the same as before last change in total from daily chests (maybe even a little bit less than befroe), but significant part of it is in T4. There are new rewards that make the wealth gain better (ascended mats, for example), but they are also limited to t4. Also, you’re getting less encryptions now for a full daily.

Don’t forget they “re-nerfed”/buffed dungeon rewards to a huge extent.

Astralporing.1957:

Thaddeus.4891:

So where is your significant nerf to the rewards?

liquid rewards. Full daily is around the same as before last change in total from daily chests (maybe even a little bit less than befroe), but significant part of it is in T4. There are new rewards that make the wealth gain better (ascended mats, for example), but they are also limited to t4. Also, you’re getting less encryptions now for a full daily.

I don’t follow you. I just listed the reward from daily chests. Are you talking about the chest at the end of the fractal?

As for encryptions. I’m not sure, but I seem to get as many encryption as I used to get. If you used to do the 3 daily each day and now you only do the tier 4 every day, then yes overall you get less encryptions, but that’s because you do less fractals, not because individual fractal give you less encryptions.

Problem with the OP is that she expects things to be handed to her. Masteries are HoT specific. They are extra’s. They are not mandatory.

You are not ‘locked out’ of higher level fractals. You have to go the more expensive path for AR, but ‘locked out’, means prohibited, which you are not. Does it suck? Sure, but don’t go around claiming things that are blatantly false simply because you don’t like it.

And you said you are being kicked on a necro? Well i run regular shroud on my necro (and yes i own HoT) and i have never been kicked from a single fractal. In fact the only people that say anything about my build is other necro’s, and mostly its just to ask what it is. You appear to be leaving something about these encounters out. If people are kicking you randomly have you ever figured that it has nothing to do with you at all? Stop taking it personally. Sure its a kitten move, but it’s not because you ’don’t own HoT’, and i doubt it ever is. I got the expansion months after its release and i have never been kicked from a fractal simply because i didn’t have masteries.

Your only worry should be having AR for the fractals you plan on doing. And even if you dont, coming close will allow you to at least run the fractal in the worst of situations. Everything else isn’t even a factor, because lets be honest. The rest of us don’t care, we are more focused on making sure we are not the ones wiping, and our OWN rewards. I think you should do the same. It will make fractals much more stress free.

Buy to Play as a business model means that the game as it is when it released is free thereafter. Fractals was not even in the game when it launched. It was in when the OP joined more than 2 years later. However, the current iteration, including Masteries, was not.

Afaik, there are only two other B2P MMO’s, ESO and TSW. Neither adds any significant content for free. ANet has. However, they made a business decision to publish an expansion. That expansion has to contain things that entice players to buy it.

FotM is endgame content. In other MMO’s with expansion and endgames, to remain relevant one must purchase the XPac. While I sympathize with the OP’s desire not to spend more money, I also understand the business reality. ANet simply cannot afford to bend with regard to FotM Masteries. If they did, other players would complain about the other Tyria Masteries. If Anet caved on those, still others would complain they want the Season III Story, then something else.

My advice to the OP would be to look for a 3rd party partner selling HoT at a discount.