Guild Wars 2

Hi,
While I was on my throne last night, I was thinking about Guild Wars. (…waits for people to stop laughing at me…jk). Anyways, I was thinking about daily’s and I’ve come to the conclusion that, everything else aside, in my opinion they boil down to two things(double edged sword):

1. They DO get people back into the world, into random zones doing random things. Zones like Queensdale now have level 80s running around. This is awsome! This is how the game should have been!
2. The innate human ‘urge’ to log in, complete your daily, log out. Nothing more than a chore. There are plenty of people in game that feel this exact way, I know I do.

I’ll be honest: While leveling my 5 characters to 80, I would ocassionally see a little “bleep” with a daily completion progress bar. I thought, “Oh cool, some more XP, etc”. I didn’t think much of it, I didnt go out of my way to complete dailys. I was so involved in the game, the environment, the lore, the NPCS. Who cared about dailys? They were an added bonus, a little more XP, maybe some $$ and karma I believe. But all in all, just small added bonuses for playing the game however you wanted, whenever you wanted. Nothing earth shattering. Nothing game breaking. Nothing to fuel the ‘urge’ to log in and keep up with everyone else. Keep in mind, my last level 80 character level capped in early to mid January I believe.

Then, and it always circles back to this, the November 15th patch came out and we have stat increases. Suddenly, the mood in the game shifts. Now, with the January patch and with daily’s actually rewarding something measurable, laurels, the innate human nature that a lot of people have compells us to log in and complete the daily. With all of my dungeon farming for exotics done, with farming fractals to 20-25 done, with getting one character fully ascended(up to this point), the only thing I have left TO do is farm some dragons at the chance of a legendary, and complete the mundane daily tasks for laurels to keep up. I log off quickly after that. If there were no laurels attached, to be honest my mindset might change a bit…for the better.

Anyone else feel this way? Anyone else feel that the dailys are both a positive and negative on this game? It got people back into the world, but at the cost of immersion. I no longer feel immersed in any zone. I toon hop to complete the daily as quickly as I can, because thats what we humans do.

Responding to my own topic..yawn..

Maybe what arenanet could have done is find some other way to get people back into the world without another carrot such as laurels.

Suggestions:
-Increase karma/XP/money gained from completing dynamic events in these zones(adjust level scaling a bit more..make it a bit more challenging to be a bit closer to that of Orr). I would make the XP/Money gain a bit higher than you would find in Orr so that if people want to farm XP for skill points or gain some money, they would go to their favorite zone and do so. If people want to karma farm or farm T5/T6 mats, Orr would be a better place. Its all a matter of what your aiming for, but at least there would be some incentive to go back to these old zones at 80. Instead of the 1 silver 90 copper, or whatever it is that you receive at 80 for an event in Orr, make the DEs in places like queensdale reward you 3 silver. Again, adjust the level scaling so you cannot faceroll everything.
-Increase the droprate of Rares in Non-Orr zones(moreso than Orr), however, Orr will have higher XP/Money gain/Karma gain per DE.

Dailies are part of my own personal metagame. Most of them are achievements I would acquire through the normal course of play, while others take a bit of effort. If there’s underwater kills to get, I’ll choose to play on a map with decent underwater zones. If I need kills in Kryta, I’ll play on one of those maps. If I can combine the two, all the better and more efficient.

Once I’ve decided where I want to play, I stop thinking about achievements and let them take care of themselves. Towards the end of the night, if I was smart with my decision as to where to play, I should be done. That’s the metagame part of it for me.

I will toon hop though for crafting achievements, but so far, it’s all good because I’m actually crafting gear I need or I’m still leveling a discipline. With 11 toons, I still have plenty of crafting yet to do. Dailies just mean I get a bit more of a reward for it.

All in all, I see no downsides.

cesmode.4257:

Responding to my own topic..yawn..

Maybe what arenanet could have done is find some other way to get people back into the world without another carrot such as laurels.

All I see in your posts are you don’t like dailies awarding laurels. But if you’re doing fractals lvl 20’s 25’s you don’t need laurels?

I thought the point of laurels was to give people optional paths toward ascended items without having to run fractals. Even then, those of us who don’t like fractals and only will get laurel items aren’t getting everything, like the quivers and some other stuff. So if you’re doing fractals you don’t have to do dailies for laurels.

Maybe I misunderstood your post? Or maybe I misunderstand laurels.

cesmode.4257:

snip
Then, and it always circles back to this, the November 15th patch came out and we have stat increases. Suddenly, the mood in the game shifts. Now, with daily’s actually rewarding something measurable, laurels, the innate human nature that a lot of people have compells us to log in and complete the daily. With all of my dungeon farming for exotics done, with farming fractals to 20-25 done, with getting one character fully ascended(up to this point), the only thing I have left TO do is farm some dragons at the chance of a legendary, and complete the mundane daily tasks for laurels to keep up. I log off quickly after that. If there were no laurels attached, to be honest my mindset might change a bit…for the better.
snip

umm, dailies never gave laurels till jan 28th, MUCH later than the november patch. november patch gave us DR if im not mistaken.

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

rizzo.1079:

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

I agree, except for the real stat progression part of course.

Iruwen.3164:

rizzo.1079:

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

I agree, except for the real stat progression part of course.

Sorry I worded that wrong: I’m not grinding for stat progression if it’s not worthwhile stat progression. Ascended items are not worthwhile stat progression and not worth feeling like you have to grind your daily for them.

Also, OP, check out the monthly this month. I just finished it yesterday, it’s an easy 10 laurels.

Halanna.3927:

cesmode.4257:

Responding to my own topic..yawn..

Maybe what arenanet could have done is find some other way to get people back into the world without another carrot such as laurels.

All I see in your posts are you don’t like dailies awarding laurels. But if you’re doing fractals lvl 20’s 25’s you don’t need laurels?

I thought the point of laurels was to give people optional paths toward ascended items without having to run fractals. Even then, those of us who don’t like fractals and only will get laurel items aren’t getting everything, like the quivers and some other stuff. So if you’re doing fractals you don’t have to do dailies for laurels.

Maybe I misunderstood your post? Or maybe I misunderstand laurels.

From what I understand, you can only get ascended earrings via laurels+50ecto, or guild missions. Its hilarious that you cannot purchase them with pristine fractal relics, and that they are not chest drops in a fractal.

My Dead Characters.9517:

cesmode.4257:

snip
Then, and it always circles back to this, the November 15th patch came out and we have stat increases. Suddenly, the mood in the game shifts. Now, with daily’s actually rewarding something measurable, laurels, the innate human nature that a lot of people have compells us to log in and complete the daily. With all of my dungeon farming for exotics done, with farming fractals to 20-25 done, with getting one character fully ascended(up to this point), the only thing I have left TO do is farm some dragons at the chance of a legendary, and complete the mundane daily tasks for laurels to keep up. I log off quickly after that. If there were no laurels attached, to be honest my mindset might change a bit…for the better.
snip

umm, dailies never gave laurels till jan 28th, MUCH later than the november patch. november patch gave us DR if im not mistaken.

Re-read. I never said november patch gave laurels. I said november patch gave us the stat increases/“gear grind”.

I myself would like to be able to complete a daily doing WvW only, I can come close but usually I have to quit and do some PvE to finish it.

Before they changed dailies I hardly ever did them, now I’ve got 19 laurels. Which for me is a huge jump.

But I don’t feel any real urge to do my daily, certainly not to JUST do the daily and then log out again. If I do them I do it while doing other activities, like levelling an alt or exploring. Frequently I’ll get at least one part done without even trying.

(And yesterday I got condition remover without even knowing it was possible. I was on a low level longbow ranger with no traits and no utility skills that remove conditions. All I can think is it all happened through combos, which I also didn’t notice I was doing.)

Personally I think it comes down to your playstyle and attitude towards the game. If you approach it as if the focus is to level up and then get gear and then you’re finished then yes you probably will feel like you need to focus on whatever is giving you gear you don’t have and you won’t have much motivation to play once you’ve done it.

But to me getting gear has never been the point of this game. It’s something that happens along the way in order to make playing easier, but it’s not a goal in itself. My goal is to explore the world, to do all the personal story quests, events, see all the areas, etc. etc. so that’s what I focus on when I’m playing.

rizzo.1079:

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

And I might just do that…but then when I return, my characters might be “out of date” or behind…Its just in my nature, and many others, to want to get the maximum stats for our characters, grind for aesthetics, and then just enjoy the game casually on our own time. With ascended gear slowly introduced, I’ll come back and feel the urge yet again.

I never thought GW2 would go down this road. 1-80 on 5 toons and I never felt like I was “behind” anyone because up until that point it never mattered. Exotic gear, at the time, was the best set you can get and I would get it in my own time. Take abreak, come back, and my exotic set is still on par with yours

I actually agree with you OP.
The game needed people to get out of LA and FoTM and the only way to do that was to make Ascended items available elsewhere, sure.
I don’t think that the new dailies were the best way to go about it.
A better way would have been to ad crafting recipes/ karma/dungeon rewards etc.

To get players into the maps stricter level scaling, better rewards, new DE’s, interesting boss fights etc would have gone a long way- there is a reason people were camping plinx and FoTM and why they are camping dragons now.
( not great suggestions but that is just off the top of my head)

As for the urge to chase the carrot I agree with you and I don’t even care about the carrot, just the fact that I can get my dye fix by getting 5 laurels changed my game.

I used to just do whatever I felt like and I still do, I just feel like I should be ticking off a checklist to get that laurel.
I don’t like that at all- the fact that dailies are easy and quick to complete has nothing to do with it.
I dislike it so much in fact that I stopped doing them, unless it happens by itself as I do what I was planning to do- I don’t get them as often now but I am much happier.

I find it hilarious that even people who where for Ascended items initially have now realized what they are

Danikat.8537:

snip

But to me getting gear has never been the point of this game. It’s something that happens along the way in order to make playing easier, but it’s not a goal in itself. My goal is to explore the world, to do all the personal story quests, events, see all the areas, etc. etc. so that’s what I focus on when I’m playing.

This was my feeling up until november 15. Again, for a lot of people like myself, just human nature to want to stay on top of things. And I was. I had my exotic set and was content with just enjoying the game and exploring. But now, my pieces are not top dog and in order to stay on top, I have to do things I dont want to do. There is nothing psychotic about this, many people on this forum and in game feel the same way. You are 100% correct, it is how you approach the game. I wanted to slowly level my characters, 5 of them. Pick a few to gear up. Done that. Enjoy the game. I was doing that, now I have to stop to regear for ascended rings(done, finally), amulets(only one toon), and now earrings/accessories? Yes, laurels can be done without thinking about it IF you are leveling characters. But I am not leveling anymore. So with my max level characters I need to find places to get kill variety, where I can get 4 events, find 3 veterans, etc. Yes a lot of it is done easily..sometimes not as much and I need to run around for a while to find that last kitten vet! or that last event!

Morrigan.2809:

The game needed people to get out of LA and FoTM and the only way to do that was to make Ascended items available elsewhere, sure.
I don’t think that the new dailies were the best way to go about it.
A better way would have been to ad crafting recipes/ karma/dungeon rewards etc.

Then people would just have taken the “grind in some well known efficient places and dungeons” route again. You can’t grind laurels, which is a great concept. I love dailies and monthlies, the way things currently work is one of the best ideas ANet ever had. It actually takes time to achieve that stuff, I just cannot be grinded in a short time just by putting more effort in it. It makes people actually play the game again.

Iruwen.3164:

Morrigan.2809:

The game needed people to get out of LA and FoTM and the only way to do that was to make Ascended items available elsewhere, sure.
I don’t think that the new dailies were the best way to go about it.
A better way would have been to ad crafting recipes/ karma/dungeon rewards etc.

Then people would just have taken the “grind in some well known efficient places and dungeons” route again. You can’t grind laurels, which is a great concept. I love dailies and monthlies, the way things currently work is one of the best ideas ANet ever had. It actually takes time to achieve that stuff, I just cannot be grinded in a short time just by putting more effort in it. It makes people actually play the game again.

Grinding has nothing to do with it but since you brought it up there are people in this game who grind and they will always grind no matter what Anet does.

As for people playing the game again- I am glad you feel that way- I feel exactly the opposite.
I was playing the game, now I feel a stupid need to finish up a daily I don’t need.

At least until I decided not to do it any more and just go back to playing the game like I have been.
I did mention that those might not be the best ideas to get people back on the maps though- so how about region specific skins/crafting mats and mini games?
Anything really that is fun just for the sake of fun and not for maxing profit and efficiency.
Unfortunately I realize that a large portion of players care very much about profit and efficiency, that is why I said what I did.

Since the dailies have been changed, I never had to do something just for the sake of completing a daily. It always happened within an hour of normal gameplay.

cesmode.4257:

This was my feeling up until november 15. Again, for a lot of people like myself, just human nature to want to stay on top of things. And I was. I had my exotic set and was content with just enjoying the game and exploring. But now, my pieces are not top dog and in order to stay on top, I have to do things I dont want to do. There is nothing psychotic about this, many people on this forum and in game feel the same way. You are 100% correct, it is how you approach the game.

You say that it’s just human nature… But as far as I know I’m human and I never feel these urges… I just really don’t get this. Why do content you don’t want to do for a reward you don’t really want or need? Some days I do the daily, some days I don’t get around to doing that last bit. Sure, it delays me acquiring ascended gear if I don’t do it, but…. why would I care? I let my main priority (world completion, messing in WvWvW, doing stuff with friends, whatever…) control my play choices. I simply don’t get why anyone else has a problem with this.

the problem is that they cannot find a better solution to hook a majority of the players than to put a gear treadmill.

imo, endgame shouldnt be about stats, but about good/epic/cool consumables.
think of it as the ingredients in UO.
that was endgame

anyway consumables and skins.
but not stats :/

I hate almost all dailies in MMOs. All they do is say “yes you are allowed to do whatever you want, but if you want to keep up with everyone else you have to do this” and then you gotta do a few boring tasks every day. Honestly, if GW2 devs still had the mindset of “in GW2 you can play the way you want” then dailies in their current form should not exist.

JaironKalach.4938:

cesmode.4257:

This was my feeling up until november 15. Again, for a lot of people like myself, just human nature to want to stay on top of things. And I was. I had my exotic set and was content with just enjoying the game and exploring. But now, my pieces are not top dog and in order to stay on top, I have to do things I dont want to do. There is nothing psychotic about this, many people on this forum and in game feel the same way. You are 100% correct, it is how you approach the game.

You say that it’s just human nature… But as far as I know I’m human and I never feel these urges… I just really don’t get this. Why do content you don’t want to do for a reward you don’t really want or need? Some days I do the daily, some days I don’t get around to doing that last bit. Sure, it delays me acquiring ascended gear if I don’t do it, but…. why would I care? I let my main priority (world completion, messing in WvWvW, doing stuff with friends, whatever…) control my play choices. I simply don’t get why anyone else has a problem with this.

To reiterate what I said: Its human nature…maybe not for everyone such as yourself, but for a lot of people such as myself. Just this innate urge or need to have max stats in the game, and THEN enjoy the game. I had that, then they threw ascended at us, laurels…now I go out of my way to obtain the necessary currencies to PURCHASE, not earn through some difficult kill, my way to max stats.

^ same here

and since i only have 15hours a week or such to play, i miss out on pvp and wvw because i feel compeled by the boring gear grind.

and your also right that “farming” is quite dull.
anyway theyll realize it, playerbase is diminishing again now since the last patch, most people went like “ugh… more… pain”.

I agree with Veldan 100%. @Avatar: I think a lot of them alluded to UO as their first MMO, an experience they wanted to replicate. I never played it, but from what you have said..sounds like GW2 is way off the mark.

The way i want to play is as follows!!
-Level as many characters to 80 as possible— DONE, at 5
-Pick 2 or 3 to gear up— Done, 3(thief, necro, warrior)
-Obtain a max stat set for each of the three within a decent amount of time/effort(maybe 10-30 hrs played…just a guess): DONE up until November 15. Now certain slots are outdated every so often/
-THEN map complete
-THEN grind for legendary/enjoy WvW

Thats how I wanted to play. Now, with everything going on, I circle back to the 3rd bullet in that list, to make sure I am keeping up with my progress to get max stats for each slot. THIS is not how I wanted to play.

To anyone about to say : Stil you can play how you want to play! I respond: But I WAS playing how I wanted to play. I WANTED a max stat set then enjoy the game. Now, my earrings, amulets, and rings are outdated by ascended. Now I have to adhere to other systems to get back to playing the way I wanted to play. Do you not understand this?

Avatar.1923:

^ same here

and since i only have 15hours a week or such to play, i miss out on pvp and wvw because i feel compeled by the boring gear grind.

and your also right that “farming” is quite dull.
anyway theyll realize it, playerbase is diminishing again now since the last patch, most people went like “ugh… more… pain”.

Im already playing half as much as I used to.

cesmode.4257:

rizzo.1079:

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

And I might just do that…but then when I return, my characters might be “out of date” or behind…Its just in my nature, and many others, to want to get the maximum stats for our characters, grind for aesthetics, and then just enjoy the game casually on our own time. With ascended gear slowly introduced, I’ll come back and feel the urge yet again.

I never thought GW2 would go down this road. 1-80 on 5 toons and I never felt like I was “behind” anyone because up until that point it never mattered. Exotic gear, at the time, was the best set you can get and I would get it in my own time. Take abreak, come back, and my exotic set is still on par with yours

Whether or not you have the personal need to have maximum stats for your character, your statement that your characters will be “out of date” is your perception, not reality.

We understand. You have it in your head that in order for you to have fun playing the way that you want to play then the way you want to play shouldn’t drag you down. Yet, it does.

The problem with this is that it’s your way to play. Not the games. Not mine. But yours. Either adapt or don’t…your choice. If you continue to choose to play in a manner that ultimately doesn’t satisfy you via GW2 then maybe this just isn’t your game. Obviously, you’d prefer to change the game to fit your desired playstyle. That’s understandable as well…there’s a suggestion forum for just that sort of thing.

Shootsfoot.9276:

cesmode.4257:

rizzo.1079:

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

And I might just do that…but then when I return, my characters might be “out of date” or behind…Its just in my nature, and many others, to want to get the maximum stats for our characters, grind for aesthetics, and then just enjoy the game casually on our own time. With ascended gear slowly introduced, I’ll come back and feel the urge yet again.

I never thought GW2 would go down this road. 1-80 on 5 toons and I never felt like I was “behind” anyone because up until that point it never mattered. Exotic gear, at the time, was the best set you can get and I would get it in my own time. Take abreak, come back, and my exotic set is still on par with yours

Whether or not you have the personal need to have maximum stats for your character, your statement that your characters will be “out of date” is your perception, not reality.

Perception is reality, ever hear of that expression?

Anyways, so right now we have ascended accessories x 2, rings x2, and amulets.

If I break from the game for 6 months. I come back, you’re telling me they would not have added another 1 or 2 slots of ascended? Each requireing somewheres near 1+ month to obtain? I consider that outdated my friend. If they added ascended gloves and shoulders, with some stat difference of 5-12% which seems to be the norm, my exotics are inferior. Out dated.

BioFringe.7945:

We understand. You have it in your head that in order for you to have fun playing the way that you want to play then the way you want to play shouldn’t drag you down. Yet, it does.

The problem with this is that it’s your way to play. Not the games. Not mine. But yours. Either adapt or don’t…your choice. If you continue to choose to play in a manner that ultimately doesn’t satisfy you via GW2 then maybe this just isn’t your game. Obviously, you’d prefer to change the game to fit your desired playstyle. That’s understandable as well…there’s a suggestion forum for just that sort of thing.

However, the game used to fit my playstyle until the infamous november 15th patch where a good portion of the community viewed it as a shift in their design philosophy. Now, with dailys rewarding something measurable, something to spend..you need to have it! Must do those dailys!

cesmode.4257:

Shootsfoot.9276:

cesmode.4257:

rizzo.1079:

Ascended gear is a ripoff, give me some real stat progression I’m not grinding for like 7 points on the top stat and 3 on the two lower ones. The only thing laurels are useful for are stacks of unident dyes atm.

So no, I don’t have that problem. OP it sounds like you’re treating GW2 as a job and I"d recommend playing a different game, at least for a while.

And I might just do that…but then when I return, my characters might be “out of date” or behind…Its just in my nature, and many others, to want to get the maximum stats for our characters, grind for aesthetics, and then just enjoy the game casually on our own time. With ascended gear slowly introduced, I’ll come back and feel the urge yet again.

I never thought GW2 would go down this road. 1-80 on 5 toons and I never felt like I was “behind” anyone because up until that point it never mattered. Exotic gear, at the time, was the best set you can get and I would get it in my own time. Take abreak, come back, and my exotic set is still on par with yours

Whether or not you have the personal need to have maximum stats for your character, your statement that your characters will be “out of date” is your perception, not reality.

Perception is reality, ever hear of that expression?

Anyways, so right now we have ascended accessories x 2, rings x2, and amulets.

If I break from the game for 6 months. I come back, you’re telling me they would not have added another 1 or 2 slots of ascended? Each requireing somewheres near 1+ month to obtain? I consider that outdated my friend. If they added ascended gloves and shoulders, with some stat difference of 5-12% which seems to be the norm, my exotics are inferior. Out dated.

Well, then this game isn’t for you.

And THAT’S the reality.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

cesmode.4257:

BioFringe.7945:

We understand. You have it in your head that in order for you to have fun playing the way that you want to play then the way you want to play shouldn’t drag you down. Yet, it does.

The problem with this is that it’s your way to play. Not the games. Not mine. But yours. Either adapt or don’t…your choice. If you continue to choose to play in a manner that ultimately doesn’t satisfy you via GW2 then maybe this just isn’t your game. Obviously, you’d prefer to change the game to fit your desired playstyle. That’s understandable as well…there’s a suggestion forum for just that sort of thing.

However, the game used to fit my playstyle until the infamous november 15th patch where a good portion of the community viewed it as a shift in their design philosophy. Now, with dailys rewarding something measurable, something to spend..you need to have it! Must do those dailys!

I’m sorry for your loss as that is how you see it. I just don’t share your outlook. Best of luck to you though and I truly hope that you find what you’re looking for wherever it may be.

Purely a matter of personal feelings on this but it is one that others do seem to share so I think there is some validity to it.

Up until Laurels were added in to the game, GW2 had what no other game ever had and I appreciated it beyond measure; no feeling of needing to log in to do something. Now with the change to dailies I feel like I at least need to get on and do those. I don’t set out to just do the daily unless I am really pressed on time, but it is always there looming and I know I won’t log off until it is done.

Again this is a matter of choice on my part but this is the desired effect they were going for I think, and I resent it a little. I don’t need agreement on that point it’s just how I feel and it does effect my opinion on the game (which I still love).

Agree 100% with the OP.
As much as I enjoy the new dailies, my overall ‘feeling’ while playing, my enjoyment of the game has…dwindeled.
I just can’t make myself ‘just do what I enjoy, when I enjoy it’ anymore, because it feels as if I’d cripply myself (in the long run) by doing so :/

the reality is; check the log in data.

xfire can give you a cue, albeit not 100% right.

Frotee.2634:

Agree 100% with the OP.
As much as I enjoy the new dailies, my overall ‘feeling’ while playing, my enjoyment of the game has…dwindeled.
I just can’t make myself ‘just do what I enjoy, when I enjoy it’ anymore, because it feels as if I’d cripply myself (in the long run) by doing so :/

yes yes and yes
i want to replay the game on an alt, but i feel forced to do dailies and grinds with my main…
its just a weird feeling and it aint good.

Agree with the OP completely.

I am liking the most recent variety of the Dailies, and it gets me to broaden my leveling experience, and enjoy different aspects of the PVE game.

But once I hit my Daily, I usually look at the clock and realize its time for bed. (Its the downside of working for a living.)

So I’m definitely feeling that “double-edge” of the Dailies. Maybe once I get enough laurels I’ll be fine…but that might be many months from now.

Avatar.1923:

the problem is that they cannot find a better solution to hook a majority of the players than to put a gear treadmill.

Yep, they’ve given people what they asked for. They didn’t do it in a way that ruins the game for everybody else though. It was a high-wire act, but they did it quite well. It keeps the game alive, there will always be somebody who doesn’t like what they do.

I just saw some activities in the log that probably wouldn’t have completed by just playing. So I clicked on the list of dailies, selected some that better match my playstyle and now I’m almost done although I’ve mainly been waiting in overflow so far. Really not a big deal.

I’ve never seen the whole ‘Play the way you want’ thing to really be as literal as some seem to have taken it. The phrase is based on inherently subjective and unquantifiable values, presuming that ‘the way you want’ essentially means ‘whatever is fun for you’, or perhaps ‘whatever you feel comfortable in doing’. I see a lot of criticism from people regarding ANet’s decisions regarding the Dailies and Ascended gear and, regardless of how much I agree or disagree, I can’t help but wonder whether these issues are far too personal for the developers to ever really address. If you enjoyed the game a few months ago, then ANet just so happened to make a game that appealed to you – they had a design document and they followed it and you liked the result. Recent changes are the result of a change of focus, that’s true, but for me it really does boil down to either you being a member of the original intended audience for the game or an incidental member of this group. Now that ANet are following a new design document (or a refined one), you feel left by the wayside. But I’m not convinced that this loss of ‘fun’ is really something that people can pin on ANet – it’s too individual. ANet don’t necessarily make a game for us, they make a game for people like us who like approximately the same things that we do. That approximation’s important, because it’s how they appeal to a wider audience – but it also means that sometimes they won’t quite hit the nail on the head.

This boils down to the following, as far as I’m concerned: You played the game a way you enjoyed, but apparently saddled yourself with a goal and journey that you may have enjoyed at the time, but has since turned sour (as many goals and journeys do, regardless of someone switching up the rules) – the acquisition of top-level gear. The addition of a new level of gear has led you to make some tough decisions – you want to stay on top, for whatever reason, but you don’t feel comfortable in the requirements. The easiest route out of this issue is to blame the person who has brought you to this, and it’s understandable. The hardest is to really consider why you actually want this at all.

The more you say that Ascended gear is needed on some intrinsic level to enjoy the game, the more you promote the idea within yourself. But do you really need it, or have you just convinced yourself that you do? Why do you have the concern that you fear being left behind the curve when even taking part isn’t something you want – when all of the other activities you’ve listed as wanting to do can be performed without caring too much about the curve at all?

This curve is an activity too – a goal for many. Take part or don’t. The rest of the game will still be here. If your perception is your reality, maybe you need a new perspective.

@proxy: Either way, I feel that there were a lot less unhappy people before November 15 when they introduced the first ‘power creep’ or ‘stat increase’ or ‘gear treadmill’. It seems that every patch since then has been under intense scrutiny, and I feel thats because many were burned in november.

In my opinion, before the November patch, mostly the only people that complained were of bugs(naturally but has no bearing on this debate) and people complained of lack of endgame(which they still do now. This will never go away until there are instanced raids which I do not want).

Post November patch, people complain about bugs less, still complain about lack of end game, and now complain about gear treadmill/stat increases/unexplainable innate urges to complete mundane tasks set forth by the game devs to acquire another form of currency to purchase better stuff.

Whatever your perrsonal opinion is, or anyone’s, just from the forums alone or even map chat in LA, there are more disgruntled people now, and last month, and the month before that, than there were in September or October.

This whole direction just piled onto the disgruntled people that are still disgruntled with the lack of stuff to do.

I just bought the game in early Feb. From what I understand, it feels like these changes to Dailies are catered more towards people like myself, new players. I’m leveling up a handful of characters at the same time, highest level is 50, and I guess I don’t have that “dangling carrot” syndrome because I can’t use any of the gear that laurels buys.

I don’t even complete the daily every day as I have no real sense of their value yet. I know I am going to want them later at some point for some good gear, but until you hit 80 you can’t really spend them on anything. I am OK with this because as a casual player, by the time I hit 80, I’ll be able to grab some ascended items for my characters.

I have no intention of grinding dungeons to have the absolute best possible, so to me this laurel system is going to reward me better gear than I was going to be able to get any other way. As a new player, I am basically looking forward to free gear by the time I level up. I think that is who ANet is catering to at the moment.

since my guild does not do much guild things together, i look forward to dailies. it is easy enough to do, and according to anet’s plan, it does bring me back to certain areas i have forgotten.

i log on every night for 2-3 hours. first thing i do is my daily, because i enjoy it. i have made a personal challenge to complete 8 of them every night. usually i do not get close (ex: Keg Brawl), but unless there is something going on – new living story stuff or guild activities – i just log out and go to sleep. i could always use more sleep.

i ask my guild if they want to do dailies with me every night, but with no responses, i am not worried too much. they will come running when they can’t find good vet spawns or need another person for Fractals. with my guild more wvw focused, i just get used to doing them all alone.

i like the rewards, and looking every night at my Laurel count is a nice sight. there could be a few more group ones, or guild-related ones (form a party with guild members, or do Fractals with at least 2 guild members). Something that involves a party, because Events do not (you just show up at the right time), Fractals does, but the ressing/kills/vets really don’t need a group, either.

i am currently looking for a second game to occupy my time when not doing dailies or monthlies, or waiting for the precursor.

cesmode.4257:

@proxy: Either way, I feel that there were a lot less unhappy people before November 15 when they introduced the first ‘power creep’ or ‘stat increase’ or ‘gear treadmill’. It seems that every patch since then has been under intense scrutiny, and I feel thats because many were burned in november.

In my opinion, before the November patch, mostly the only people that complained were of bugs(naturally but has no bearing on this debate) and people complained of lack of endgame(which they still do now. This will never go away until there are instanced raids which I do not want).

Post November patch, people complain about bugs less, still complain about lack of end game, and now complain about gear treadmill/stat increases/unexplainable innate urges to complete mundane tasks set forth by the game devs to acquire another form of currency to purchase better stuff.

Whatever your perrsonal opinion is, or anyone’s, just from the forums alone or even map chat in LA, there are more disgruntled people now, and last month, and the month before that, than there were in September or October.

This whole direction just piled onto the disgruntled people that are still disgruntled with the lack of stuff to do.

I’m not arguing with anyone’s opinions of feelings on the game – they’re valid, even if I happen not to share them. But this is something that seems rife in communities such as this. We enjoy the majority of the game – your list of goals above, barring acquisition of Ascended gear, still consists of a majority of things that can still be pursued and presumably enjoyed. But despite this overwhelming amount of content, we allow one aspect that we are not happy with to apparently sour everything else. I see a lot of people actively complaining about Ascended gear not because it simply exists, but because they feel compelled to take part. And if this is a compulsion – and if you can’t moderate or manage it – then I’m not surprised this has impacted on your enjoyment. But I would suggest that this isn’t something you should allow to rule your time.

There is another aspect to this debate that I’d like to acknowledge – the mechanical, quantifiable benefits offered by Ascended gear. Now, it’s true that ANet might introduce content that will be made considerably easier by having Ascended gear – and it’s true that the community may become fixated on ensuring that everyone they party up with has this gear (a solution to that could be actively opposing it in-game and ensure that you include everyone you can in your time there, regardless of equipment). But at the moment, the only real areas in which stats can significantly make your time easier/more satisfying are dungeons and WvWvW.

Do me a favour – head into WvWvW in all greens or rares. Play as you normally would (though I’m presuming that a portion of that is within a group and against a group, as WvWvW does have a significant lean towards group play). Every time you fight an enemy, try to identify whether or not they have higher-level equipment than you. Then try to identify how much your decision is riding on your own win:loss ratio (which is not necessarily dependant on your gear) and your preconceived idea that you’re going to be weaker/less useful due to your gear. If you can accurately manage this I’d be surprised, because there are many factors that influence your performance other than equipment, and there’s a strong possibility that the anonymity is fuelling your concern.

It’s easy to allocate blame to ANet. I’m not saying it is or is not justified, but it’s easy – they’re the developers and they’re the biggest target. But much of our own discomfort with these changes seems to come down to our feeling that we have to take part in them. Our enjoyment is being defined for us in this manner, rather than us taking control of it for ourselves. If we feel that’s wrong, I don’t see how anyone can change it more easily – and more fundamentally – than us.