Guild Wars 2

This, to me, seems ridiculous. The beauty of GW2, I thought, is you can play the way you like to play, EXCEPT, it seems, when it comes to earning Central Tyria Masteries. I have 2 level 80 characters, both of their experience bars are frozen out due to lack of Central Tyria Masteries.

I am forced, yes forced to either do collections, achievements and or Fractals. Regular experience does nothing. Since I don’t want to do collections, achievements or fractals what am I supposed to do? There should always be an option to grind these out if that is what I choose to do.

Oh man, I just thought of something.. even if I delete my characters, achievements are account bound, so I would still be in the same situation except I could just level them up and hit 80 and I am back where I started. Well I guess that answers that question.

Until I can reset masteries and/or advance them in some other way, this account is pretty much dead. There should ALWAYS be a way to gain experience, always…

If I am wrong, by all means educate me, I am a new player. But my research seems pretty clear. You can not get the Central Tyria Masteries completed without doing collections, achievements or fractals. And if you are going to ask, I have HoT, Living World and all the stories you can purchase.

Please tell me I am wrong…or could I hope for my account to be wiped of Characters and Masteries but leave my bank, gems and other stuff in tact? I am guessing no.. /sigh

If you aren’t doing all this stuff, you don’t need the Tyrian masteries anyway. The only thing you really want (but not needed) is the autoloot. Rest is just not necessary. Especially Fractals since you don’t do it.

You can’t reset it… maybe the support can help you.

I don’t understand your problem.
Why would you delete your account just because your XP bar doesn’t advance?

Mine doesn’t advance either. It has been stuck since at least 3 months because I don’t have enough interest to get the last few Mastery Points I need to spend the xp and get the mastery. This is on both, Central Tyria AND HoT.

Honestly I don’t care. I’ll probably get the mastery points eventually, and in the meantime I still get tons of fun just roaming around doing stuff. Why would I need to delete my account? Doesn’t make sense.

Just because the xp bar is full doesn’t mean you have to stop? My bars are full half the time and I actually have points to spend…

Back in my day, when you hit 80 it was pretty much stopped as well, you got skill points for ‘leveling’. Instead of grinding masteries you could maybe just do something and have fun and treat the game like it was a game. Or quit, whatever goats your float.

I’m not sure what the issue is here though, yes your xp bar doesn’t move, but the only thing you get from having it move after your masteries are maxed out is a single spirit shard “per level”. You aren’t really missing much honestly.

Considering the things you don’t like doing, none of the Tyrian masteries are required for you anyway.

If you don’t like doing collections / achievements, you won’t want to do legendary crafting, as crafting legendaries is basically a one big collection / achievement series.

If you don’t do Fractals, you don’t need Fractal masteries. Other than MAYBE the very first one, just so you can buy infusion extractors in case you get some of the infusions available outside of fractals and want to move them around.

Pact Commander is entirely made up of little convenience boosts and small bonuses. Not at all required.

So just ignore the masteries and go on playing how you want to.

i’m so with you on this matter but may I add to this my self I don’t craft yet to get ascended armor I have no choice but to craft or do pvp witch I don’t get why ascended is part of that then there is fractals but hat what I don’t pvp or do fractals as for achievements its more when it fills out it fills out but yes if there was a way to get mastery points other then grind some meta boss till your hair falls out or to get ascended armor with out crafting or grinding pvp and fractals but hell I’m just a noob not the uber elite pvper or fractal / raid runner

ron.6157:

i’m so with you on this matter but may I add to this my self I don’t craft yet to get ascended armor I have no choice but to craft or do pvp witch I don’t get why ascended is part of that then there is fractals but hat what I don’t pvp or do fractals as for achievements its more when it fills out it fills out but yes if there was a way to get mastery points other then grind some meta boss till your hair falls out or to get ascended armor with out crafting or grinding pvp and fractals but hell I’m just a noob not the uber elite pvper or fractal / raid runner

But if you don’t do wvw, or fractals, or raid, then why do you need ascended in the first place? You will do fine with exotics if that’s the case.

then why have legendary weapons /ascended armors as achievements at all seems your not wanted if you don’t have said. and treated as a lesser player every day I play I see map chat filled with some ones linking of all there ascended gear and legendary yes I don’t need it but why cant every player no matter how they play this game have a way to get it with out the said set up as it is

In addition:
Why can’t we fill the XP indicator for the masteries without MPs? I am still missing some MPs but can not fill the XPs. They are blocked/wasted within the specific mastery-line.

Ascended can be obtained as either weapons, armours or jewellery (mode dependant) from the following.

- WvW
- Fractals
- Raids
- Open World bosses
- Crafting
- Collections in pve
- New maps vendors
- Achievements, especially in story modes.
- laurels (login rewards)
- Guild Missions

I’m sure more ways will be added as time goes on, but there are plenty of ways at the moment.

Lyp Sao.1375:

In addition:
Why can’t we fill the XP indicator for the masteries without MPs? I am still missing some MPs but can not fill the XPs. They are blocked/wasted within the specific mastery-line.

The mastery points are to get players to complete various content.

Lyp Sao.1375:

In addition:
Why can’t we fill the XP indicator for the masteries without MPs? I am still missing some MPs but can not fill the XPs. They are blocked/wasted within the specific mastery-line.

The idea is to fill the one you are working on and progress in order. You gain xp, gain mastery points, unlock. And then repeat for the next line in a logical, linear progression order.

If you could gain all the xp and then hunt down the mastery points after, it would be a rather short progression system. This system is based on something the community asked for in a very long winded discussion that took place on the forums prior to the expac being announced. They wanted something that they could build on over time. The Mastery system fulfilled that request.

ron.6157:

then why have legendary weapons /ascended armors as achievements at all seems your not wanted if you don’t have said. and treated as a lesser player every day I play I see map chat filled with some ones linking of all there ascended gear and legendary yes I don’t need it but why cant every player no matter how they play this game have a way to get it with out the said set up as it is

People link these items because they are excited about crafting these items. Ascended is just nice to have as they are the best armor type to have, and legendary weapons/backpieces have cool skins and effects that many other items don’t.

And just because someone has these items doesn’t necessarily make them a “better player”. You can still be a good player in exotics.

I personally like my Eternity gs that I crafted, and the Nevermore staff is cool. I like the staff, but I actually enjoyed the journey collections associated with it, which got me to do stuff in the game I probably never would have done otherwise.

I’d say GW2 is a game of goals. If you don’t have something that drives you to play, be it the collections, or the masteries, or the different game modes, then I’d say why bother at all?

Making XP useless without the full mastery unlock was a bad decision but that only gives spirit shard which has plenty of other sources as well so it isn’t a terribly big deal either.

Ayrilana.1396:

The mastery points are to get players to complete various content.

Randulf.7614:

… If you could gain all the xp and then hunt down the mastery points after, it would be a rather short progression system. …

I have to do that anyway. But not in my prefered order.

Bones.5730:

This, to me, seems ridiculous. The beauty of GW2, I thought, is you can play the way you like to play, EXCEPT, it seems, when it comes to earning Central Tyria Masteries. I have 2 level 80 characters, both of their experience bars are frozen out due to lack of Central Tyria Masteries.

I am forced, yes forced to either do collections, achievements and or Fractals. Regular experience does nothing. Since I don’t want to do collections, achievements or fractals what am I supposed to do? There should always be an option to grind these out if that is what I choose to do.

What’s the actual problem here? That your XP bar doesn’t go up? Or that you want the benefits of the Masteries but do not want to actually get the Mastery Points needed to advance them?

The Mastery System requires both Mastery Points and XP to advance. To complain that you are forced to get these in order to advance the Masteries makes as much sense as complaining that you are “forced” to do PvP to advance your PvP rank or “forced” to do WvW to increase your WvW level.

Bones.5730:

Until I can reset masteries and/or advance them in some other way, this account is pretty much dead. There should ALWAYS be a way to gain experience, always…

There is a way to advance them (through Achievements throughout central Tyria, through Collections or in Fractals), you have just stated that you don’t want to do that.

What benefit do you think that gaining experience will have for you? Your character’s won’t level up any further, after all.

@OP: There is a misconception in your understanding of the XP bar. It does continue to progress, thus does level your Masteries just fine. It doesn’t matter what game mode you play (except for PvP, which has its own XP system), you will always continue gaining XP. It just takes a little longer than at Level 1. Your usual reward after Level 80 will be a Spirit Shard.

As for leveling Tyrian Masteries: All you need to do is activate the Mastery you currently wish to level, then you will see its progess bar. Once the bar is full, you need the respective amount of Mastery Points in order to finish the track, afterwards you can select the next one you wish to level and so on.

We all did it that way, it’s fairly simple. You don’t have to play any specific game mode for this, however, you need to do stuff that provides Mastery Points, which should be indicated in your journal.

Ashantara.8731:

@OP: There is a misconception in your understanding of the XP bar. It does continue to progress, thus does level your Masteries just fine. It doesn’t matter what game mode you play (except for PvP, which has its own XP system), you will always continue gaining XP. It just takes a little longer than at Level 1. Your usual reward after Level 80 will be a Spirit Shard.

As for leveling Tyrian Masteries: All you need to do is activate the Mastery you currently wish to level, then you will see its progess bar. Once the bar is full, you need the respective amount of Mastery Points in order to finish the track, afterwards you can select the next one you wish to level and so on.

We all did it that way, it’s fairly simple. You don’t have to play any specific game mode for this, however, you need to do stuff that provides Mastery Points, which should be indicated in your journal.

You only get the spirit shard if you’ve completed every mastery in the area you’re in. So until you’ve gotten all of the Core Tyria masteries finished you don’t get spirit shards for filling up the experience bar.

And that’s where the OP is having a problem: he doesn’t have the mastery points to unlock everything and doesn’t want to have to do the things that give mastery points. And he needs the reward from “leveling up” to get him to continue playing.

Seera.5916:

Ashantara.8731:

@OP: There is a misconception in your understanding of the XP bar. It does continue to progress, thus does level your Masteries just fine. It doesn’t matter what game mode you play (except for PvP, which has its own XP system), you will always continue gaining XP. It just takes a little longer than at Level 1. Your usual reward after Level 80 will be a Spirit Shard.

As for leveling Tyrian Masteries: All you need to do is activate the Mastery you currently wish to level, then you will see its progess bar. Once the bar is full, you need the respective amount of Mastery Points in order to finish the track, afterwards you can select the next one you wish to level and so on.

We all did it that way, it’s fairly simple. You don’t have to play any specific game mode for this, however, you need to do stuff that provides Mastery Points, which should be indicated in your journal.

You only get the spirit shard if you’ve completed every mastery in the area you’re in. So until you’ve gotten all of the Core Tyria masteries finished you don’t get spirit shards for filling up the experience bar.

And that’s where the OP is having a problem: he doesn’t have the mastery points to unlock everything and doesn’t want to have to do the things that give mastery points. And he needs the reward from “leveling up” to get him to continue playing.

You get spirit shards from Silverwastes bags tho (noxious seed pods) or airship cargo from VB, so he can still get said rewards just in a different way.

electricwater.1572:

Seera.5916:

Ashantara.8731:

@OP: There is a misconception in your understanding of the XP bar. It does continue to progress, thus does level your Masteries just fine. It doesn’t matter what game mode you play (except for PvP, which has its own XP system), you will always continue gaining XP. It just takes a little longer than at Level 1. Your usual reward after Level 80 will be a Spirit Shard.

As for leveling Tyrian Masteries: All you need to do is activate the Mastery you currently wish to level, then you will see its progess bar. Once the bar is full, you need the respective amount of Mastery Points in order to finish the track, afterwards you can select the next one you wish to level and so on.

We all did it that way, it’s fairly simple. You don’t have to play any specific game mode for this, however, you need to do stuff that provides Mastery Points, which should be indicated in your journal.

You only get the spirit shard if you’ve completed every mastery in the area you’re in. So until you’ve gotten all of the Core Tyria masteries finished you don’t get spirit shards for filling up the experience bar.

And that’s where the OP is having a problem: he doesn’t have the mastery points to unlock everything and doesn’t want to have to do the things that give mastery points. And he needs the reward from “leveling up” to get him to continue playing.

You get spirit shards from Silverwastes bags tho (noxious seed pods) or airship cargo from VB, so he can still get said rewards just in a different way.

Based on his wording it’s the filling up the experience bar and getting rewarded for it that keeps him playing. So unfortunately that won’t work for the OP. Based on my interpretation of what the OP said.

Seera.5916:

Based on his wording it’s the filling up the experience bar and getting rewarded for it that keeps him playing. So unfortunately that won’t work for the OP. Based on my interpretation of what the OP said.

I agree that the OP worded things as if it’s critical to their continued enjoyment of the game to get rewarded for filling up the XP bar. That’s unfortunate, because the benefits for filling up the XP bar have always been meager at best.

I’d hate to see the OP cutting off their gaming nose to spite their XP bar’s face; the game is a lot of fun for a lot of us, independent of getting anything for XP after L80.

I think the decision to have the Mastery System advance as it does was a poor one in hindsight. Maybe a dual currency system was better for ANet’s purposes. If so, it would have been better if they’d used a “track” system like the ones in WvW/sPvP.

In such a system, the XP required for each step could have been the amounts currently needed for each Mastery. The system could still have required points. This would allow for the inclusion of a repeatable PvE track that only rewards the shards as an opt out for players who don’t want to be completionists.

Since it seems unlikely that the system is going to change soon, OP, you have options:

• Stop playing. This may be a bad option if you like playing the game otherwise.
• Change your mind about completing the tracks. This may be a bad option if doing what’s needed is distasteful to the point you’d want to stop playing the game.
• Ignore the existence of the XP bar. This may be the best option. It’s the one I’m using — though I confess every time I see discussion of the current completionist-only system, I think, “<small cats, small cats>.”

Once we reach level 80, it’s pretty clear we are not supposed to enjoy core Tyria any more. Much effort is made to force us into other areas of the game, whether we enjoy them or not. We are even penalized if we don’t. No more experience for you! No more AP’s for you! No scribe for you! No more Legendaries for you!…….
The question you asked is rapidly becoming a “yes” for me.

I do have a second paid non-HoT account with 3 level 80s, which gives me experience, and although It doesn’t have anything compared to my main account, I’ve come to the realization that I enjoy playing it much more.

Tumult.2578:

Once we reach level 80, it’s pretty clear we are not supposed to enjoy core Tyria any more. Much effort is made to force us into other areas of the game, whether we enjoy them or not. We are even penalized if we don’t. No more experience for you! No more AP’s for you! No scribe for you! No more Legendaries for you!…….
The question you asked is rapidly becoming a “yes” for me.

I do have a second paid non-HoT account with 3 level 80s, which gives me experience, and although It doesn’t have anything compared to my main account, I’ve come to the realization that I enjoy playing it much more.

Do not have the same experience as you at all, nor do I feel the same.

We all have the right to interpret our environment individually. It would be exceptionally rare to have the same experiences and same resulting feelings. Neither of our interpretations are wrong, they are simply our own.
Thing is, if I pull the plug, it will be based on my interpretation, not yours.
I’m glad you enjoy it. I’ve got like 102 for Hot Mastery but I simply don’t enjoy it enough to want to ever finish it.

I understand, just expressing that there are others that feel different in a tangible way

I’m in exactly the same position: I’ve used up all my Core Tyria mastery points and don’t have enough to unlock any more masteries so all the XP I’m getting is going to waste. This has been going on for months now. Every so often I think I should do something to get more mastery points, then I look at the stuff I need to do and decide I’d rather work on something else instead.

And that’s how I deal with it – I know I could go and get those mastery points, but I don’t actually want or need the masteries (or the spirit shards) so the end result is not worth the effort for me and I spend my time doing stuff I enjoy instead. And then it doesn’t bother me any more because I’m enjoying what I’m doing in the game.

Although I really should get some of them sometime. I also want luminescent armour and the title you get for the full set (it’s perfect for my main character), and all I need to do for all 3 is complete the Season 2 story achievements.

Tumult.2578:

Once we reach level 80, it’s pretty clear we are not supposed to enjoy core Tyria any more. Much effort is made to force us into other areas of the game, whether we enjoy them or not. We are even penalized if we don’t. No more experience for you! No more AP’s for you! No scribe for you! No more Legendaries for you!…….
The question you asked is rapidly becoming a “yes” for me.

I do have a second paid non-HoT account with 3 level 80s, which gives me experience, and although It doesn’t have anything compared to my main account, I’ve come to the realization that I enjoy playing it much more.

But, the same exact thing happens in non-Core Tyria, as well. If one does not have the Mastery Points for a track, no XP is earned. I believe there are several threads (and one very long one, at least), lamenting the fact that the Spirit Shards can’t be earned because of the Raid track that some do not want to participate in.

Thus, it’s not about ‘not enjoying Core Tyria’ anymore. The same mechanic works in Open World game-wide.

For me, Spirit Shards (which I have thousands of) aren’t enough of a ‘reward’ to make me want to strive to complete all Masteries. That’s all one receives for leveling up. I’d rather enjoy the parts of the game I find interesting and fulfilling.

Honestly, I think the only thing that should change as a result of MP’s and the xp bar is that if you have all the non-Raid MP’s unlocked, you start earning Spirit Shards again. Not that I am low on Spirit Shards, but I think for those who do intend on getting their masteries (which a good chunk actually help with moving around the HoT maps, and even some of the LS3 maps), but not enter a raid get a purpose for xp again.

But I’m still not sold on people quitting over the xp bar, as once you hit 80 unless you are actively working on any masteries you aren’t actually losing a huge reward (spirit shards are obtainable in other ways)

Not only are Spirit Shards obtainable through other means, they are also worth very little in terms of purchasing power. There’s not much worth buying with shards, and therefore it’s my opinion that you really aren’t missing out on much, OP.

I think deleting your account over something as trivial as this is a really silly thing to do, and I think you’ll regret it, but that’s entirely your prerogative.

I wish you luck.

Before masteries were introduced, a while back, there was a period of time where you got to 80 and got nothing anyway and people still played the game. This was before the expansion. The experience bar was only ever originally designed to get you to 80.

With the mastery system, horizontal progression was introduced. The idea is you only need to earn the masteries you care about. Fractal masteries are irrelevant to a person who has no interest in Fractals.

Precursor crafting is irrelevant to someone who doesn’t want to do collections.

Therefor the OP only has one core Tyrian mastery line that could possible interest him. Then, as it was long ago, you don’t get XP anymore.

Frankly, I do believe Anet needs to do something like provide a toggle so you can stop earning mastery experience altogether and just work on getting spirit shards.

It would solve a lot of complaints.

But this particular complaint…I’m not feeling it. Seems like someone who’s unhappy with the game and looking for an excuse to complain. Because if you were having fun before getting pretty much nothing anyway, I don’t see how the bar moving or not moving has actually changed the game.

“There should ALWAYS be a way to gain experience, always…”

Ever played one of the other mmos out there with a max level? Once you reach the max level that’s it till the next expansion which may be a couple years away. You don’t see the players in those games threatening to delete their account or characters because they’re not gaining experience anymore.

You could always open up your mastery panel and do masteries until you unlock levels if it means that much, but threatening to delete for something so trivial? I don’t see it.

The word ‘forced’ is used too much in these forums, we’re not forced into anything in this game.

I don’t have enough mastery points to advance either, i have all possible mastery line filled 100% and this it is it, i just let the bar sit there.

Vayne.8563:

Before masteries were introduced, a while back, there was a period of time where you got to 80 and got nothing anyway and people still played the game. This was before the expansion. The experience bar was only ever originally designed to get you to 80.

Not quite. For 2+ years, in the first iteration, XP accrued post 80 and on level tick, players got skill points. There was a point to the XP bar post 80. When they removed skill points from the game, they introduced spirit shards to replace skill points as currency for MF recipes, etc. Shards came via content and it was at that point no one got anything from XP. The third iteration was Masteries, and XP only mattered for mastery tracks. Neither the completionist nor anyone else got anything once they were no longer pursuing Masteries.

Vayne.8563:

With the mastery system, horizontal progression was introduced. The idea is you only need to earn the masteries you care about. Fractal masteries are irrelevant to a person who has no interest in Fractals.

Precursor crafting is irrelevant to someone who doesn’t want to do collections.

Therefor the OP only has one core Tyrian mastery line that could possible interest him. Then, as it was long ago, you don’t get XP anymore.

Not quite again. In iterations 2 and 3, no one got any benefit from XP except for the mastery lines. Now, there is a benefit, but it’s only for some.

Vayne.8563:

Frankly, I do believe Anet needs to do something like provide a toggle so you can stop earning mastery experience altogether and just work on getting spirit shards.

It would solve a lot of complaints.

I agree. Not the first time I’ve agreed with you, probably not the last.

Vayne.8563:

But this particular complaint…I’m not feeling it. Seems like someone who’s unhappy with the game and looking for an excuse to complain. Because if you were having fun before getting pretty much nothing anyway, I don’t see how the bar moving or not moving has actually changed the game.

My take is that it’s that iteration 4 (XP tick rewards only for completionist players) feels unfair. Of course, I could be projecting.

I am unsure why it’s a huge issue that you’re not getting a spirit shard, or are unable to unlock masteries you’re not going to enjoy anyway.. I mean, if you don’t want to do Fractals or collection achievements then you don’t need Legendary Crafting or Fractal Attunement, leaving you with only Pact Commander that costs 19 Mastery Points to fully unlock. It can’t be completely impossible to find 19 achievements you could concider doing, out of the 67 ones available that yield Central Tyria Mastery Points?
Most mastery points you get from achievements that you complete while just playing the game anyway. Not all require you to go out of your way much or to spend hundreds of gold on some collection.. Play through the story, kill bosses, jump through a few hoops during story missions, complete the personal story, done..

And if it’s about the Spirit Shards; I probably gain more from doing 3 dailies than I do from gaining XP anyway.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Vayne.8563:

Before masteries were introduced, a while back, there was a period of time where you got to 80 and got nothing anyway and people still played the game. This was before the expansion. The experience bar was only ever originally designed to get you to 80.

Not quite. For 2+ years, in the first iteration, XP accrued post 80 and on level tick, players got skill points. There was a point to the XP bar post 80. When they removed skill points from the game, they introduced spirit shards to replace skill points as currency for MF recipes, etc. Shards came via content and it was at that point no one got anything from XP. The third iteration was Masteries, and XP only mattered for mastery tracks. Neither the completionist nor anyone else got anything once they were no longer pursuing Masteries.

Vayne.8563:

With the mastery system, horizontal progression was introduced. The idea is you only need to earn the masteries you care about. Fractal masteries are irrelevant to a person who has no interest in Fractals.

Precursor crafting is irrelevant to someone who doesn’t want to do collections.

Therefor the OP only has one core Tyrian mastery line that could possible interest him. Then, as it was long ago, you don’t get XP anymore.

Not quite again. In iterations 2 and 3, no one got any benefit from XP except for the mastery lines. Now, there is a benefit, but it’s only for some.

Vayne.8563:

Frankly, I do believe Anet needs to do something like provide a toggle so you can stop earning mastery experience altogether and just work on getting spirit shards.

It would solve a lot of complaints.

I agree. Not the first time I’ve agreed with you, probably not the last.

Vayne.8563:

But this particular complaint…I’m not feeling it. Seems like someone who’s unhappy with the game and looking for an excuse to complain. Because if you were having fun before getting pretty much nothing anyway, I don’t see how the bar moving or not moving has actually changed the game.

My take is that it’s that iteration 4 (XP tick rewards only for completionist players) feels unfair. Of course, I could be projecting.

It’s unfair only because it doesn’t have a toggle. Thanks for the corrections. I think my memory is going. I’m sure it has to be the pain meds.

I also miss the PvE auto-loot which is very very convenient. Sadly it´s locked behind content I don´t/won´t do.

Hopefully it will change one day.

electricwater.1572:

You get spirit shards from Silverwastes bags tho (noxious seed pods) or airship cargo from VB, so he can still get said rewards just in a different way.

That’s Obsidian Shards, not Spirit Shards. Two different things.

Semris.7520:

I also miss the PvE auto-loot which is very very convenient. Sadly it´s locked behind content I don´t/won´t do. Hopefully it will change one day.

You won’t do any of the things that award mastery points, not even accidentally through completing collections? That … actually seems like an awful lot of effort to go to, since a bunch of them are for excitingly challenging things like “level any character past 30, and do three personal story steps”.