Guild Wars 2

First off let me say that I love the game. Love the classes, the combat system, the crafting, the huge cities, love everything about the game. I have spent easily over $100 and probably closer to $200 on this game since starting a little over a month ago. This is not a gripe post but what I am honestly hoping is something that will be seen my Anet and taken into consideration when making future content. If not that is ok too, just writing down my thoughts helps also. I am compelled to write this post after hitting lvl 80 in GW2 and being utterly confused from that point on. HoT is a different game..

When you start the game you are free to roam. I have read in fact that some people are so used to MMO’s that guide them from one quest hub to the next, that the reason they quit GW2 early on is that there was not enough direction. But the game is designed to let you go at your own pace and freely roam the HUGE world of Tyria and rewards you for completing maps. However once you hit 80, that all changes. It is no longer a free to roam game, but now, in HoT, i am being led. I have to progress in a certain way, understand certain things, acheive certain things before I am able to progress. That has been my experience thus far. I ran through all of sliverwastes to get to verdant brink so I could move on with the HoT story (more on that later), and when I did finally reach Verdant Brink, it is a confusing as hell place to be, full of mushrooms and updrafts and events constantly in my face so it seems. The map itself is one huge puzzle of up down and all around. Now I am sure if I take the time to play it properly, follow the story, go step by step and understand everything it will all make since and I will love the zone. Regardless though, the issue here is not whether it is a fun zone or not, but rather the fact that it is SUCH a departure from central Tyria. I do realize that is a conscience decision made by the dev team, but it is honestly like an entirely different game at this point. I would rather stay in central Tyria in the game that I like than play this new game of puzzles and jumping talents.

At level 80 we get to unlock masteries and i can finally go get a glider that I’ve been seeing everyone use since i started the game! I am excited to do those two things but oh wait a sec, not that easy in GW2. I have to “unlock” masteries first. After much research i find that in order to unlock masteries , and in doing so get my glider, i have to go to HoT and start the story (which is why i had to run through silverwastes to get to verdant brink). Now I just hit lvl 80 on my first ever character. The lvl 80 story is all about zaitan, then there is the season 2 that can be bought, which will lead me to the HoT expansion. But in order to unlock masteries and get my glider, i have to skip all that and go straight to Maguuma verdant brink and start the HoT story. It took me a while to realize that though, but after reading and searching the interwebs, that is what I did. Very wierd once you hit lvl 80 and i just cannot believe that Anet is happy with that transition for newer players. I understand why it is this way, and that had I been playing for all 5 years it would have all been a natural progression, but for new players it really does take away from the story and natural progression to do it this way.

Ok let me see if I can put this last thought of mine into coherent words. Everyone likes mmo’s for different reasons. Some the pvp, or raids or the guild and friendships they make etc. I am a pve solo player, meaning I dont group or pvp (much). Then why play a MMO multiplayer game? Because they ( not just gw2) are some of the best single player rpg games on the market today. I could play gw2 for over a year, level every class and every crafting prof. to max lvl and do world map completion and do the stories etc, w/o ever being in a group, raid or pvp at all, and have a blast doing so. You jsut cant find that much fun and value in many single player games, if any at all. Maybe thats alot of the game I am not seeing or getting to experience, but to each their own, right? My point in this, is that I feel I have that with central tyria, but when I get to HoT, it feels different. The game seems to be pushing to group content constantly in adventures, events, and some of the tougher areas of the zone. Yes the mobs are harder to kill and yes getting around is more difficult (much fewer waypoints i noticed), and I am sure i could solo it, but it is very frustrating and not as enjoyable. Would be much easier if I had some help right? And that is the problem. I hope the next expansion returns to central tyria style adventuring. I know HoT is supposed to be a challenge, but it is just not as much fun, for new players that arent super geared, than the first 80 lvls that I experienced.

HoT is different. You’re not ready for it because you’ve skipped LIving Story Season 2, which is harder, and available for purchase as well. If you’d done that first, you’ve have been more ready for HoT.

I agree that Anet does a kitten poor job of explaining the order of the story but you’re going from chapter 4 to chapter 8 (example not real numbers), without having experienced anything between.

Edit: If you’re on a US server and you want some helping acclimatizing to HOT, I’ve helped many people bridge the gap, just hit me up in game.

Vayne.8563:

HoT is different. You’re not ready for it because you’ve skipped LIving Story Season 2, which is harder, and available for purchase as well. If you’d done that first, you’ve have been more ready for HoT.

I agree that Anet does a kitten poor job of explaining the order of the story but you’re going from chapter 4 to chapter 8 (example not real numbers), without having experienced anything between.

Edit: If you’re on a US server and you want some helping acclimatizing to HOT, I’ve helped many people bridge the gap, just hit me up in game.

Thanks Vayne.
2 points to make in reply to you: 1) I know i have skipped chapters, that is what I wrote above. The point is that the game makes you skip chapters if you want to unlock masteries and get a glider. I am currently going back to do season 2 now. 2) How do you communicate cross server? There are many US servers….

Maybe the point should be…don’t skip over content to get a ‘shiny’. Masteries were offered, for one reason, because many of us had been L80 for a long, long time and wanted some way to progress our characters. I don’t think they were implemented with brand-new players in mind. That’s one of the reasons I always suggest leveling up one or two characters naturally before trying expansion+ content.

If one strives for gliding as soon as reaching L80 for the first time, one misses out on Map Completion the old-fashioned way. Now, that might not be something fantastic, but it can make one appreciate gliding all the more.

There’s no real rush with this game. Do remember, most players had time to collect at least some Ascended gear before stepping into Heart of Thorns, and lots and lots of experience with their Professions.

You can whisper anyone in the same Region, NA or EU. Regions in PvE all share the same maps. (Servers are really only for WvW.)

Welcome to Tyria. Take your time, and good luck.

AtheWunder.2301:

Vayne.8563:

HoT is different. You’re not ready for it because you’ve skipped LIving Story Season 2, which is harder, and available for purchase as well. If you’d done that first, you’ve have been more ready for HoT.

I agree that Anet does a kitten poor job of explaining the order of the story but you’re going from chapter 4 to chapter 8 (example not real numbers), without having experienced anything between.

Edit: If you’re on a US server and you want some helping acclimatizing to HOT, I’ve helped many people bridge the gap, just hit me up in game.

Thanks Vayne.
2 points to make in reply to you: 1) I know i have skipped chapters, that is what I wrote above. The point is that the game makes you skip chapters if you want to unlock masteries and get a glider. I am currently going back to do season 2 now. 2) How do you communicate cross server? There are many US servers….

I’ll whisper you. There’s no trick to communicating cross server, you can just add my name to your friend’s list.

AtheWunder.2301:

I am currently going back to do season 2

That money would be better spent elsewhere, trust me.
Generally speaking GW2’s story is really mediocre and so is the content offered in LS2. If you really want to buy something, buy the LS3 maps, just for the farms.

Arenanet’s business model works by drawing in new, clueless players to the game and tricking them into wasting their money on mediocre content. Player permanence is not a priority to Anet.

Mavis.1463:

AtheWunder.2301:

I am currently going back to do season 2

That money would be better spent elsewhere, trust me.
Generally speaking GW2’s story is really mediocre and so is the content offered in LS2. If you really want to buy something, buy the LS3 maps, just for the farms.

Arenanet’s business model works by drawing in new, clueless players to the game and tricking them into wasting their money on mediocre content. Player permanence is not a priority to Anet.

I’ll be honest;

Season 2 is how you can understand the reason to go to the jungle, you get familar with your group (yes, I know that used to be Season 1), You can find a bit of back lore on Scarlet and you get to know some of the factions ingame…

Season 2 is what season 3 will be for the upcoming expansion. The prologue to the expansion, the bridge. Season 2 did add 2 maps, but acces to those is not locked behind the expansion (there was no expansion yet)

I found season 2 entertaining, but gear and stuff recieved from achievements is not gamebreaking anymore,
These gear sets were
Sinister (bypassed now through HoT’s Viper’s gear) and
Nomads (Bypassed now by HoT’s Minstrel gear)

As for Season 2 and the difficulty: the difficultty scale was raised a lot compared to the vanilla story line peope were expected to be in full exotic gear/weapons andhave a decent build and optionally food instead fo the base story where you have levelling gear and trinkets if you think about buying ’m

I found season 2 interesting and an important part of my ingame experience, I also unlocked it on my alt account, mostly to get the said sinister trinkets to at least have some kind of decent gear for my 1st condi on my alt account. This reason is trivialized by the introduction of living series season 3 story episodes only leaving the story motivation.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Maybe the point should be…don’t skip over content to get a ‘shiny’.
.

Game kinda forces you to go to HOT as soon as you hit lvl 80 though by spamming you with ‘unlock this mastery’ popups

Yeah – the way the game forces unlocking the mastery system is really irritating. Especially for central tyria. It should have unlocked as soon as you hit 80.

Cyndercat.5120:

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Maybe the point should be…don’t skip over content to get a ‘shiny’.
.

Game kinda forces you to go to HOT as soon as you hit lvl 80 though by spamming you with ‘unlock this mastery’ popups

Not only that, but people are gliding all around. If Anet had limited gliding to HoT, it wouldn’t be in players’ faces so much that they felt compelled to get it.

Also, don’t worry OP about the people who reply against you. They pretty much reply like that against anyone who criticizes the game. I completely agree with everything you wrote and so do many other players. I had the same experience and I DID play LS season 2 and have been playing GW2 since beta.