Guild Wars 2

I’m writing this because I am bored. I have 3 awesome characters all geared up and I’ve played WvW to the point that it has become nauseating. There is really nothing left to do, which is why I’m sitting here writing this instead of logging in and playing.

I really like this game. It has a nice engine, character design, lore, everything. It’s just lacking the feeling of accomplishment that usually keeps me interested past this point in other MMOs, and before the flames start I’m not talking about gear progression here.

Before I get into the meat of the discussion I wanted to preface it with a simple statement: “My expectations are knowingly unrealistic”. You can’t eat the same dinner each night and expect it to be fantastic forever, regardless of how well it’s cooked. People, myself included, pour hundreds of hours into a game and then get disappointed when it starts to become dull. The knowledge that this expectation is unrealistic does not, unfortunately, make it any less boring.

So what can be done? Well let me get back to that “feeling of accomplishment” thing I was hinting at earlier. I’ve played a LOT of MMO’s and the ones that I’ve found to be the most engrossing did a really good job of rewarding players for time invested. The most common system of “reward” is gear, but using that as the only vehicle of reward ends up with that nasty stat creep that the community here rightly reviles. GW2 has a good alternative system of progression through item skins that keeps people engaged getting their character to look the way that they want, but that too gets old after a point. What this game really needs, to keep it fresh, are methods of “reward” that go beyond gear and aesthetics.

To find good examples of this you really have to go beyond the characters themselves. Player housing is a good example of alternative progression. Whole loads of things that can be unlocked and acquired there. Really tricky to do well but I’ll leave that to another post. How about NPC allies? Being able to pull them in and fill in a spot for someone who disconnected or whatnot? Gearing/skilling them up could be another way to add to the longevity of the game. How about mounts? I know they don’t really fit well into this game but a whole lot of content could be added revolving customizing the mount’s looks. The point is that it is another example of how you can reward players for spending time in the game without throwing class balance to the wind or creating any kind of stat creep. There are a hundred other ways this can be done, it just takes a little creativity and at the end of the day that’s what people are really looking for, something new, novel, CREATIVE.

Kadin.2356:

The knowledge that this expectation is unrealistic does not, unfortunately, make it any less boring.

It should, however, lead you to conclude that the problem and solution are both on your end of the equation, not arenanet’s.

take a break, come back in a few months.

GrandmaFunk.3052:

Kadin.2356:

The knowledge that this expectation is unrealistic does not, unfortunately, make it any less boring.

It should, however, lead you to conclude that the problem and solution are both on your end of the equation, not arenanet’s.

take a break, come back in a few months.

Truth, but I really wanted to avoid making a “and thanks for all the fish” post.

Kadin.2356:

GrandmaFunk.3052:

Kadin.2356:

The knowledge that this expectation is unrealistic does not, unfortunately, make it any less boring.

It should, however, lead you to conclude that the problem and solution are both on your end of the equation, not arenanet’s.

take a break, come back in a few months.

Truth, but I really wanted to avoid making a “and thanks for all the fish” post.

Why make that kind of post? If you’re bored, simply take a break, or quit the game. When you feel like playing again, play again. If the feeling doesn’t come back, well, I hope you felt you got your money’s worth out of the game :p

You have some good ideas about things to add longevity without creating a gear grind, and they are definitely things I’d like to see. Unfortunately, I think they are also rather involved and not a quick, or easy fix. Hopefully this is something that the dev team is already at work on.

In the meantime have you tried Fractals? Some of the fractal skins are amazing. What about the new guild missions, have you done all of those? Ever gone on a Temple circuit in the Cursed Shore and gotten every single temple open for your server at the same time — that’s one of my current goals. Do you have any guildmates that are working toward the Dungeon Master title? Dungeons are good fun if you don’t just run the same path into the ground over and over again. There is actually quite a bit to do at 80th beyond WvW, but jumping back into WvW a couple of times a week is fun, too.

If you decide to take a break there’s sure no harm done since there isn’t a subscription fee or steep gear progression, but hanging out and playing with your friends is a much nicer option.

I actually like the fact that Kadin didn’t start to complain about the lack of endgame options or gear progression. Thumbs up.

I love your ideas. I think there should be customizable mounts and houses! That sounds AWESOME!!!!

They keep adding weapon skins to the game…how about ARMOR skins?
Where is the armor coated in ice to counter the armor that is on fire? How about heavier looking light armor? Medium armor that isn’t a bloody coat? Heavy armor that looks lighter without it being just more skin showing?

Heck the “Dark” armor set (kharma vendors all over Orr sell it) has 2 problems they still haven’t fixed; the legs are painted on rather than looking like proper plated armor on the thighs, and the helmet makes any dye on it appear lighter than the rest of the armor on women.
Another large problem with heavy boots is you can see the ankles between the shin guard and the boots on much of the heavy armor sets. This is rediculous! Bloody add in a sock or something covoring it up for every boot!