Guild Wars 2

Let me get to the point. This game has never been about vertical progression. As someone who LOVES classic, vanilla GW2 and does not like HoT or anything new, would I have success finding groups and being able to get good gear by just doing the vanilla content?

Thanks!

Getting groups would depend on the content. Dungeons are half dead from what I hear and fractals need HoT for better rewards at high levels, but you can group for them. Crafting ascended gear with the stats that came with it back then are as easy or as hard as it ever was.

The old maps are still populated and you arent locked out of new gear beyond new stats. You still have full access to fractals, wvw and pvp as well.

The only thing you are locked from is the new maps and raids. Plenty play the old maps regardless as to whether they have HoT or not.

I own HoT already. I just dont care for the vertical content (level1, level 2, level 3, etc) . My brain cant handle vertical content. I need open areas, like the GW2 maps.

Yep you can get the same stats as everyone else. You miss out on some different skins.

You should check out the two maps added with the living story. Bloodstone Fen does have a lot of vertical space but it is all open area. Ember bay is all flat for the majority of the map.

simplesimon.2084:

Yep you can get the same stats as everyone else. You miss out on some different skins.

You should check out the two maps added with the living story. Bloodstone Fen does have a lot of vertical space but it is all open area. Ember bay is all flat for the majority of the map.

Yes, I have not done much more gliding there so far than I do in the core maps.

Vanilla content is Fractals, PvP, WvW, Dungeons and a non-replayable PS.
As well as event chains like the World Bosses, Orrian Temples, and various group events.

I think you can find some parties for them, but don’t expect too much. Most players quit after Core, or get HoT to keep playing.

As other people said HoT didn’t add any new tiers of equipment, ascended is still the best and exotics are still almost as good and you can get both (with many different stat combinations) in the core game. There are some new stat combinations which are exclusive to HoT content, but not everyone uses them and the old ones aren’t any worse than they used to be.

You could even train the elite specs in the core game. I don’t think map completion gives you quite enough hero points but you can play WvW to get proof of heroics and use them to buy completion of HoT hero challenges without ever having to go to the maps – and each of those gives you 10 hero points.

I’ve never had trouble finding groups for dungeons and things, but it might depend on what you’re looking for and what you consider a reasonable wait time. I was amused when I posted in another topic that I’ve always been able to get a group within 10-15 minutes advertising for “everyone welcome” and 2 posts down someone else complained that getting a group for a speed run took “almost 10 minutes”. But I suppose if you’re expecting the run to take 10 minutes having to wait 10 minutes to get a group together is a major issue. If you’ve committed your next hour or two to figuring out the path with other dungeon amateurs 15 minutes isn’t long at all.

Whatever you’re looking for I definitely recommend posting your own LFG advert if you don’t see a suitable one. I’ve made the mistake several times of looking at the list and seeing either nothing or a couple of adverts for groups that wouldn’t take me and thinking no one else is interested, but then I decide to advertise ‘just in case’ and it fills up. I suspect a lot of people are unwilling to be the one to post the advert but are happy to respond if they see one.

Danikat.8537:

As other people said HoT didn’t add any new tiers of equipment, ascended is still the best and exotics are still almost as good and you can get both (with many different stat combinations) in the core game. There are some new stat combinations which are exclusive to HoT content, but not everyone uses them and the old ones aren’t any worse than they used to be.

What I want to add to that is that with HoT you do get access to Elite Specializations and a new prefix called Yassith’s Viper which is the meta for Raw Condi damage like Necro and burner Ele. So even if you dont wanna play HoT story, you can still get the optimal condi’s and elite specs for your core gameplay. It will help in dungeons and fractals as well