Dear all
I am playing Guild Wars 2 again after playing the game for 1 week in 2012 and never logging in again after that, until now.
My main issue with the game back then was the absence of challenge I felt while playing. It all felt way too cheesy easy.
Now I realize that it mainly had to do with my own way of playing, (but I also read that (stats-)difficulty has been ramped up slightly: bravo!).
I think this subject has been mentioned endlessly already but I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with you, so…
Back then I treated hearts as quests and I was doing them all in semi-order, which made me (in my experience) out-level the mobs continuously, which made them dirt easy. I was disgusted after one week easy gameplay. I must add that at that time I was quite mmorpg-ignorant as I came from playing single player rpg’s so you can imagine my disappointment.
Since then I started to be very critical towards easiness in mmorpgs and I have been cursing casual play style in mmorpgs ever since.
But step by step, through playing many different mmorpgs, I came to understand the limits and the common challenges that all mmorpg devs face. How they have to accommodate all types of players. My own brother for example is someone who hates too much challenge in games, and as I love my brother I tried to understand how it is for him.
I understand better now how people play videogames from very different perspectives.
And I fully understand the commercial need of games to comply to market demand.
Knowing this, its clear the goal for any mmorpg is to be all-inclusive. This means hardcore as well as softcore players must find their place in a game. Games who succeed in delivering such an experience have a great chance to succeed overall.
Up till now there is no game that does this better than Guild Wars 2.
I realize that I was doing it wrong and not GW2. I was playing the game wrongly. I was a bad player so to speak while in fact Guild Wars 2 is simply the best game on the current market, and still much better than any brand new mmorpg that came out in 2016.
I was was playing like a casual, against my own likes, not realizing one can just as well play Guild Wars 2 in a more hardcore way.
I realize I have the choice as there is almost no invisible wall. I can challenge mobs that are up til 10 levels higher than me: there is all the challenge I could want. And events and hearts do not stop me from joining in based on my level.
Besides just difference in stats I also experience enough tactics by enemies in the game. So more stat difference + interesting tactics by enemies, that’s all you need for a hardcore game play.
First I saw dynamic events & hearts as a measure to suit lazy people. But now I see how it enhances fluid and free play: no grouping issues, no level barrier, no pre-reqs for playing them. This solves many issues I have with other games like ESO, Blade and Soul, Tree of Savior… which I feel continuously force you to play in a certain way. They put you on a rail track and you just ride from quest to quest in predefined chains of order.
In Guild Wars 2 I feel completely free to be hardcore or casual. To play challenging fights with mobs or just one shot them. To explore or craft. Nothing is obligated and all is available. Also: the more effort, the more reward. Its all just feels really dynamic.
This freedom greatly enhances immersion. As in real life you are also free to do as you like and face the consequences of your choices.
The fact that there is less of a gear treadmill is more realistic.
I can go on for a long time but don’t want to keep on boring you.
Put simply, I am amazed by my own ignorance back then and really happy that I now, based on some new information I obtained about the game, chose to take a gamble and bought the Heart of Thorns Expansion.
For me Guild Wars 2 is a game of great freedom. Freedom is what I appreciate the most in any mmorpg. So Guild Wars 2 is now on top of my list of decent games.
Devs, thank you so much!
PS To the Devs: I love the recent changes. Please never make the game easier then it is right now. The current average difficulty is just right. Taking in account that casuals can underlevel and hardcores can overlevel. And please keep on investing in pvp and Esports. GW2 PVP is decent and can only get better…. Don’t worry about new AAA titles: your game is still the best and people will come back again and again and keep on rewarding you for this.
Cheers to all & enjoy playing!
Gray M.
(edited by graymouser.4698)