Guild Wars 2

I made a new topic because i only want to touch on this point in this thread. It sounds to me in there article like they are saying that on monday you can only do ascalon plus mai trin ( just picked a fractal+boss randomly) And everyone who does a fractal on monday will only get ascalon and mai trin. I understand this makes fractals easier to get into without the huge time requirement. But i really liked the randomness and the three parts :/ I would ask that the people who decide these things leave an option to do fractals the old way for increased rewards. They mentioned something about end encryption chests or something right? Well lets say if you do the static ascalon +mai trin on monday you get 1 but if you do it the classic way it obviously takes longer but you get 5? Any obvious problems with my suggestion?

I agree wholeheartedly. I mean, if you want 1 quick dungeon, most OTHER dungeons already do that. Fractals is the hard-core-ish content in GW2. Toning it down THAT MUCH seems counterproductive.
Plus what scares me the most is that they might get rotating schedules like the World bosses and that you have to enter fractals at specific times to get in a specific one. I usually play at more or less the same time every day, imagine the agony of having to play the exact same fractal every day?

Yeah i would honestly prefer if it just stayed with the three random shards but i understand they need to make it more accessible to other players if they can rationalize assigning resources to it. So i just ask that they make it accessible to new players without making it less fun for the people that enjoyed it originally. Most of the other changes really excite me

“The new static schedule will allow you to practice a given fractal and learn its challenges with your friends, removing the necessity of rerolling fractals in order to find the fractal of your choice.”

I dont think its going to be locked into specifics. I think you can choose whatever you want. Maybe the bonus daily is tied to a certain one. But there will probably still be worthwhile rewards to completing other fractals on the same scale.

At least I hope so.

Static shards is really great for a lot of reasons. Records included.

Wait, so what you are saying is that if my group wants to just run 100’s since that is where the most challenge theoretically is, We will only be able to do that one shard that is assigned to fractal 100 over and over again? Do you know if the boss fractals are also locked to specific shards like that?

I dunno, I read it as you choose from a list.

“The new static schedule will allow you to practice a given fractal and learn its challenges with your friends, removing the necessity of rerolling fractals in order to find the fractal of your choice.”

That implies some choice in picking the fractal you want to practice. As does “still have the flexibility of running three or four fractals in the evening with your friends just like before.” If there is only one option, that would mean running it three or four times which I doubt they mean by that comment.

Cameron Rich.3905:

To clarify on what the “Static Schedule” means:

Old System:
Every time you load in from Dessa’s Lab, a random fractal is chosen. If you want to play Swamp, you have to leave and re-enter, “rerolling” until you get that fractal.

New System:
Upon loading in from Dessa’s Lab, you are placed in a particular fractal depending on which scale you are playing at. If you want to play Swamp, all you’ll have to do is enter at a scale associated with it.

Hope this helps!

So these will change daily? Or will certain levels always be locked into certain fractals?

Part of the fun of fractals was the randomness This new experience sounds like they have changed too much and it will not be as fun as before. Do you know how locked into these changes they are? Like if the people that run fractals often expressed our worries, would they be willing to change some of the things?

The randomness was not part of the fun to anyone that did fractals regularly.

I have done at least one fractal a week with different guildies and pugs since before the fractured patch.

“Once a week”. >_>

spoj.9672:

“Once a week”. >_>

The definition of regularly is at regular times or intervals which my fractal schedule perfectly falls into. But that is not the point, the point is that i do fractals often and the people i do it often with do not like this change, i have seen some people i know who do not do fractals regularly get excited about this but none of the people i know who do them often are excited about this specific aspect.

Therodin.2970:

I have done at least one fractal a week with different guildies and pugs since before the fractured patch.

Yeah… that’s not nearly as often as you might think it is…

There is nothing fun about RNG. Once you’ve done all fractals there is no element of surprise, it just becomes tiresome whenever you get a fractal you don’t feel like doing.

Purple Miku.7032:

Therodin.2970:

I have done at least one fractal a week with different guildies and pugs since before the fractured patch.

Yeah… that’s not nearly as often as you might think it is…

There is nothing fun about RNG. Once you’ve done all fractals there is no element of surprise, it just becomes tiresome whenever you get a fractal you don’t feel like doing.

Then what seperates dungeons from fractals? When this change goes live you will just be choosing from a list which one you want to do

Cameron Rich.3905:

rhapsody.3615:

Cameron Rich.3905:

To clarify on what the “Static Schedule” means:

Old System:
Every time you load in from Dessa’s Lab, a random fractal is chosen. If you want to play Swamp, you have to leave and re-enter, “rerolling” until you get that fractal.

New System:
Upon loading in from Dessa’s Lab, you are placed in a particular fractal depending on which scale you are playing at. If you want to play Swamp, all you’ll have to do is enter at a scale associated with it.

Hope this helps!

So these will change daily? Or will certain levels always be locked into certain fractals?

Certain Fractal Scales will always be locked to Certain Fractals.

So curious. Will the scales determine challenge and reward? IE will we be wanting to do 100s only? Or will the rewards and general difficulty span a set of ranges such as 91-100 are all at the same general difficulty with the same rewards but each different level has different instabilities and different maps associated with them?

I’m excited but there are a lot of details to understand.

Therodin. Let me put it into perspective. We sometimes do multiple scales in a single night. When we do this “RNG” often results in the same “random” choices each time. My group gets cliffside pretty much every time we run fractals. The other day we got swamp > molten > dredge > mai on both 40 and 50 back to back. With static shards and different static shards on each scale we can avoid depressing stuff like this.

That only sounds depressing if you are doing it to get to the end. I find fractals fun and that second run you listed sounded pretty fun. Cliffside on the other hand i pretty much despise.

I hope they will explain it in detail during the stream. Explanation in the blog post is just horribad.

I’m confused, they said 1 full run will be the same as 1 current fractal, does that mean you only get to run 1 fractal at lvl 100? Like only grawl or mai trin ever?

Furthermore, does this mean you can just choose a swamp from every daily tier and get your chest? :S

Therodin.2970:

That only sounds depressing if you are doing it to get to the end. I find fractals fun and that second run you listed sounded pretty fun. Cliffside on the other hand i pretty much despise.

And if you did a 30/40/50 in a single night and got cliffside 3 times, how’d you feel?

I’ve averaged somewhere around 60% snowblinds in fractals since I started playing again a few weeks back (I stopped keeping track after the second week, but it was at 80% then, feels like it’s dropped since then though). That’s a lot of the same map. It’s to the point that I’m surprised when snowblind isn’t my second. Which for me is my least favorite (the Source is terribly designed imo, too much knocking around and health doesn’t reset so suicide runs is valid).

Therodin.2970:

Purple Miku.7032:

Therodin.2970:

I have done at least one fractal a week with different guildies and pugs since before the fractured patch.

Yeah… that’s not nearly as often as you might think it is…

There is nothing fun about RNG. Once you’ve done all fractals there is no element of surprise, it just becomes tiresome whenever you get a fractal you don’t feel like doing.

Then what seperates dungeons from fractals? When this change goes live you will just be choosing from a list which one you want to do

Fractals scale in difficulty™ and offer the possible drops of ascended rewards and unique skins that can’t be earned elsewhere (top kek at PvP reward tracks being the fastest and most efficient method of acquiring dungeon skins -facepalm-), and a lot of the bosses have more interesting and less forgiving mechanics than those found in dungeons, which tend to be more basic and easier to deal with.

Additionally, FotM gives terrible monetary rewards by comparison to dungeons. They are completed for different purposes.

Therodin.2970:

That only sounds depressing if you are doing it to get to the end. I find fractals fun and that second run you listed sounded pretty fun. Cliffside on the other hand i pretty much despise.

Doing the same exact runs back to back is not fun. I dont mind cliffside so much anymore. I just dont want to see it twice in the same day. And i certainly dont want to run 2 fractal scales and get both molten and mai trin twice. The purpose of the random shards was to create variety. But ever since they tiered shards most of that variety disappeared.

So let’s say, Cliffside map will always be found at lvl 14 26 37 48 78 88 100 etc with the same mistlocks each time. GG.

So this allows you to balance and tailor mistlock instabilities to scales without worrying about how they effect certain shards more than others? Interesting. I believe Weth mentioned this back in the fractal CDI. Good to see the concern was addressed.

Only problem this creates is a lack of uniform scale for fractal records. Usually we choose the scale with agony and no other mistlock to create a controlled environment. Now it seems like certain records are going to be forced into weird mistlocks.

I mean, that’s cool for while you’re leveling up, but honestly unless the leveling system changes I’m guessing some people will be level 100 within the first couple days if not some insane person on the first day.

My concern and I think many’s is that once we’re not worried about getting our personal level up that we’ll fall into farming the same thing over and over again due to the efficiency.

If there is a swamp option that has the best rewards, guess which option people will choose.

spoj.9672:

So this allows you to balance and tailor mistlock instabilities to scales without worrying about how they effect certain shards more than others? Interesting. I believe Weth mentioned this back in the fractal CDI. Good to see the concern was addressed.

Only problem this creates is a lack of uniform scale for fractal records. Usually we choose the scale with agony and no other mistlock to create a controlled environment. Now it seems like certain records are going to be forced into weird mistlocks.

But, they’ll be the same for everyone. Highest level of each map will create the same playing field. Unless they rotate? which it sounds like some will some won’t… all still pretty confusing.

Maybe create that perfect weekly playing field people have been talking about though.

How will fractal scale 100 work then?
Will it be the case that scales 89 to 100 will be the same effective difficult, but each featuring a different location?
Or will scale 100 be the most difficult, but you’re stuck repeating the same location every time you do it?
Or will you make scale 100 a special case, perhaps make it random?

Yeah it will be equal. But like from a record point of view. The highest scale with dredge might be 96 and have some really awkward instability. Whereas another shard will have its highest on 94 with a different instability. Which just means we have some extra variables in records. Not really a problem. Just might make some shards really unfun to do on the highest scale.

How will this work if new fractals are ever going to be added? Are you just going to be adjusting the schedule?

What prevents players from having someone with a higher fractal level swamp from power-leveling them through the fractal levels? Currently players gain progression by completing a fractal level at their current level or above. If fractal level 95 was swamp, whoever has access to that can host and then just repeat the fractal over and over until players have reached that level.

What about the reward system? Since there will be 3 new tiers of rewards: 1-20, 21-50 and 51-100, does this mean there is one daily chest for each of these tiers, which all give the same reward? Or do they scale with the fractal level?

If not, people will just do the lowest swamp every day and that’s that. If it does, people will do 100 every day and have the exact same fractal every day.

I assume at lv100 every fractal will be available? So that you can play all fractals at lv 100 once you defeated the one attached to it (to unlock ‘all fractals at 100’)?

Swamp speedruns to gain levels. People spaming the easiest best rewarding fractal per teir.

Fractals as a game mode will now be mostly about repetitive farm.

spoj.9672:

“The new static schedule will allow you to practice a given fractal and learn its challenges with your friends, removing the necessity of rerolling fractals in order to find the fractal of your choice.”

I dont think its going to be locked into specifics. I think you can choose whatever you want. Maybe the bonus daily is tied to a certain one. But there will probably still be worthwhile rewards to completing other fractals on the same scale.

At least I hope so.

Static shards is really great for a lot of reasons. Records included.

If you can only play the given shard from that day, it’s a downgrade from the current system.

If you can select a given shard from the list, it’s still a downgrade from the current system, because who will NOT select swamp?

“One of the core changes we’re making is that each fractal run will only consist of one island from a static list instead of the current rotation of three random islands with a random boss fractal. "

This means that you can easily level fractals just by doing 1 fractal, instead of 3 fractals + 1 boss fractal.

What this means is that everyone is going to level their FOTM lvl 4 times faster than before.

Cameron Rich.3905:

rhapsody.3615:

Cameron Rich.3905:

To clarify on what the “Static Schedule” means:

Old System:
Every time you load in from Dessa’s Lab, a random fractal is chosen. If you want to play Swamp, you have to leave and re-enter, “rerolling” until you get that fractal.

New System:
Upon loading in from Dessa’s Lab, you are placed in a particular fractal depending on which scale you are playing at. If you want to play Swamp, all you’ll have to do is enter at a scale associated with it.

Hope this helps!

So these will change daily? Or will certain levels always be locked into certain fractals?

Had to delete my last post because of forum shenanigans. For Clarity:

Scales will now have a specific assigned Fractal associated with them. So certain fractal scales will have you play through the Swamp Fractal, others will be Mai Trin, etc. Each existing fractal has been associated with a number of scales, so you’ll see all of them multiple times on your ascent to fractal scale 100.

With this change, it will be easier for groups who want to practice strategy against a certain fractal to jump right in and play. Additionally, it paces out the rate at which you experience certain Fractals, so you don’t have to fight the same encounters over and over again!

Your explanation is still confusing. Are you saying a level 100 fractals can be Mai trinn with a number of certain mistlocks and that will not change not matter what? 100 will always be mai? What’s going to stop people from running a lower level on swamp, let’s say 96 for faster rewards? What incentive is there for people to try different long fractals? People will always just pick swamp, over and over and over, if after it is done, we can pick it again.

Anet clarified some stuff on reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/3f6ei6/the_brandnew_fractals_of_the_mists_legendary/ctluosv

Each fractal scale is a pre-determined island and gambit pairing. Fractal 20 will always be the same island and the same gambit. You won’t be able to just do swamp for any scale you want.

The rewards you get from an island will scale based on the island type. So an island that is typically longer (cliffside) will give more rewards then one that is typically shorter (swamp). This will discourage you from just farming swamp forever.
The new daily achievements will require you complete different fractal scales. You won’t be able to just do swamp X times to complete the achievements.
This might mean a group picks their favorite set of scales (3 to 9 or so islands) to clear each day, but repeatedly farming the same scale or same island will not be as beneficial.

Boss fights will be spread throughout the ‘static schedule’ like the other fractal islands. A ‘run’ will be one island; either boss or regular. They use the same reward scaling I mentioned above.

Cameron Rich.3905:

Additionally, it paces out the rate at which you experience certain Fractals, so you don’t have to fight the same encounters over and over again!

I don’t understand this. It seems to me, that the new system will be even more exhaustive than the old system. Let’s see:

Old system, basically: Swamp + 2 random fractals + random boss fractal

New system: One fixed fractal per scale.

Players farm daily scales, for example: Daily 50, or Daily 49, etc. So players that do their daily scale fractals will actually be repeating the same encounters over and over again instead of having some kind of variation to it!

For example: Cliffside gets locked into Scale 50. Players farming their daily 50 will only encounter Cliffside from now on.

I really want an explanation, because I’m not seeing how that unfolds.

From what i understand you can do any fractal you want at any given time but if you want to progress up to the next level for your personal reward level you have t do a specific fractal.

I dont think they would over look people just doing the swamp fractal over and over to power level..

Does it not seem like they are giving with 1 hand and taking away with another here, it seems like they are dumbing fractals down for the causal players here, but making out its really for people who want a challenge,

By making “scales” they can just destroy builds that people would run, this backs onto the question about how will Agony Resist work now when you force people to change builds/armor stats.

Arcadio.6875:

Anet clarified some stuff on reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/3f6ei6/the_brandnew_fractals_of_the_mists_legendary/ctluosv

Each fractal scale is a pre-determined island and gambit pairing. Fractal 20 will always be the same island and the same gambit. You won’t be able to just do swamp for any scale you want.

The rewards you get from an island will scale based on the island type. So an island that is typically longer (cliffside) will give more rewards then one that is typically shorter (swamp). This will discourage you from just farming swamp forever.
The new daily achievements will require you complete different fractal scales. You won’t be able to just do swamp X times to complete the achievements.
This might mean a group picks their favorite set of scales (3 to 9 or so islands) to clear each day, but repeatedly farming the same scale or same island will not be as beneficial.

Boss fights will be spread throughout the ‘static schedule’ like the other fractal islands. A ‘run’ will be one island; either boss or regular. They use the same reward scaling I mentioned above.

This is cool. Only problem is having only 3 scales is too little. Make it 5 different scales.

Sigmoid.7082:

From what i understand you can do any fractal you want at any given time but if you want to progress up to the next level for your personal reward level you have t do a specific fractal.

I dont think they would over look people just doing the swamp fractal over and over to power level..

Then we’d be back to how things were when FotM was first released.

The rewards you get from an island will scale based on the island type. So an island that is typically longer (cliffside) will give more rewards then one that is typically shorter (swamp). This will discourage you from just farming swamp forever.
The new daily achievements will require you complete different fractal scales. You won’t be able to just do swamp X times to complete the achievements.
This might mean a group picks their favorite set of scales (3 to 9 or so islands) to clear each day, but repeatedly farming the same scale or same island will not be as beneficial.

So instead of farming Swamp forever, we will farm Cliffside forever?

If I undestand well basically every level (scale) will have its map with its new Mistlock (probably balanced on map duration and level).

Example

50 – Cliffside
51 – Swamp
52 – Ascalon

etc.

I think what change will be the mistlock, so every level will have a different mistlock.

If you want to farm every daily on the same map (for example swamp) i think you will have a different mistlock and different mob stats for each tier.

dutchiez.7502:

The rewards you get from an island will scale based on the island type. So an island that is typically longer (cliffside) will give more rewards then one that is typically shorter (swamp). This will discourage you from just farming swamp forever.
The new daily achievements will require you complete different fractal scales. You won’t be able to just do swamp X times to complete the achievements.
This might mean a group picks their favorite set of scales (3 to 9 or so islands) to clear each day, but repeatedly farming the same scale or same island will not be as beneficial.

So instead of farming Swamp forever, we will farm Cliffside forever?

From what I’m reading, there is a base reward (sounds better than current), a Daily scale reward (chance at ascended/skin), and a Daily achievement. The daily achievement will be rotating level. So you may just do your favorite within each scale (1-20/21-50/51-100) and get the first two, but to get your third achievement reward you’d be changing your map.

So unless you see the daily achievement as “not worth it” you’ll be changing what you do every day.

By the way, the fact that Swamp is always the prefered fractal just goes to show that “puzzles” can’t be and are not challenging content in dungeons, and those must involve combat scenarios

Quickfoot Katana.8642:

By the way, the fact that Swamp is always the prefered fractal just goes to show that “puzzles” can’t be and are not challenging content in dungeons, and those must involve combat scenarios

The molten bosses fractal is nearly as quick to do which is all combat. The issue is the length of the fractal rather than it being puzzle or combat oreiented.

dutchiez.7502:

So instead of farming Swamp forever, we will farm Cliffside forever?

If all you care about is rewards, there will always be one option that is more lucrative than all others from a time cost/reward perspective.

Heres what happens from what the devs describe.

You join swamp runs to level reward dificulty

The daily you do the same 3 easiest fractals each day.

Basically fractals is just gonna be smaller dungeons with no benefit in doing multiple paths.

Fail

And as people said this basically means its nit easy to add new fractals.

The overal design is poor in other ways too

The rewards you get from an island will scale based on the island type. So an island that is typically longer (cliffside) will give more rewards then one that is typically shorter (swamp). This will discourage you from just farming swamp forever.

Oh. Kind of like how dungeons rewards all differ based on their difficulty level?

I’m glad Anet worked so hard tweaking the dungeon rewards, giving them valuable experience when it comes to deciding on rewards for fractals.