Guild Wars 2

I do not like zerg content that much for the following reasons:

- Lack of coordination, and the content is balanced for this (for the most part)
- Too many effects, and I cannot see what is happening
- I feel miniscule/unimportant (did my presence really help out or was I just along for the ride)
- Groupthink + the last statement = most people auto-attack only

Yes, I do actually. The idea of coordinating with a whole army of people and having this massive pack move in a bunch is very enjoyable to me. It’s also pretty fun socializing with people before the event too. If I wanted to play 5-man content all the time, I’d go play League, Diablo, or any other co-op game.

This content isn’t just “zerg bum rush kitten kitten ” content either. My server tried that the first time (we all clumped up) and we lost instantly. The second time we actually communicated beforehand, ran through strategies, and actually managed to get 3 chains before losing. The rewards are pretty nice for failing too. Also, you to all those complaining about waiting, you don’t’ have to wait there all day. Just ask when the last spawn was and come back around that time, or just sit there alt-tabbed and do other stuff while you wait. Not that difficult.

You mean running around spamming #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 until stuff die?
Sorry, but I prefer a solo instance, something with a bit of challenge, a bit of lore and a bit of rewards

Yes I love this open world zerg content. But I’d like to see more instanced content as well.. maybe larger instance groups with fights like tequal but harder with different kinds of rewards (like titles). I’d also love to see the queen’s gauntlet style 1 vs 1 fights again too.

NO.

BUT I don’t want it out of the game, if some people like it, they should be able to experience it.

This said, I would like that EVERY open world content scales from “solo” to “zerg”.
(even Temples or World Bosses)

If I’m roaming alone in open pve I should be able to do everything that a zerg is able to do, this clearly would require to press something more than #1, otherwise it would result just in a total defeat.

It was fun back in 2005/2006 after 8+ years it gets a bit a tiresome.

I don’t like zerg content but don’t see a way Anet could be rid of it. They wanted open world bosses. Usually in most MMOs a group of people tags a boss and it’s theirs so there won’t be a huge zerg but only the guild who “tagged” the mob. Anet wanted to avoid the griefing that comes with “tagging” so they made the bosses scale. What we end up with is “Hey, everyone is welcome” big huge cluster-bleep zerg…… any ways to solve (other than instancing) can be directed to the suggestions thread

I hate the herd content this game seems determined to shove down our throats. The biggest (but not the only reason) for me is the particle spam that makes me both figuratively and literally ill. I see nothing enticing about a massive, shifting, varicolored blob of light that has friendlies and hostiles in it somewhere.

I’m actually taken back that people actually LIKE zerg content. Am I playing the same game as you guys? Maybe it would be okay in smaller proportions, like a max of 35 people or so. Right now zergs to me are a lag fast. My FPS drops due to all the effects as there are hundreds of players stacked on top of each other pummeling a single enemy. How exactly is that fun? There’s literally no tactics to it, we all just stand around and barely even dodge. Then when it’s over they all just follow each other, even though they don’t really have any idea where they’re actually going.

If Anet designed maps to be more like districts as in GW1, this whole situation would be much better. Instead you have wayyyyyyy too many people at the same point doing the same thing and it’s just not fun, to me at least. I’m still not sure why you guys think it is fun, lol.

I quite dislike zerging and I, personally, think it’s one of the game’s biggest drawbacks. There’s nothing really fun about being a tiny, insignificant player in such events and mix that with lag, FPS issues, an oversaturation of graphical effects, and mindlessspamming of skills and most of the fun is stripped from it. And this also applies to much of WvW which is why I don’t play it as much as I’d like to.

The best content is stuff scaled for 1-5 players. Updates with stuff like SAB, that zephyr sanctum crystal collection jump puzzle, queens gauntlet challenges, etc are 100% better than updates that focus entirely on zerging.

Open world would be far more fun provided I could kill other players. Scripted content is fun for the first 5 or 10 minutes. After that it gets old.

Zergs are OK, and admittedly it’s kind of fun to run around in a huge ball o’ death, but I dislike it when content starts REQUIRING zergs to beat, like Tequatl and now the Triple Wurm.

I like being in the guild group I am in now (~20) and taking on 2 to 3 times our numbers.
Everyone does what to do, its extremely rewarding, and the most fun to be had in this game.
Its world versus world. Not team versus team.
Being in the middle of silver tier, most of us dont experience lag. Suckers.

No…

Zerg content blows. People fail so bad at the easiest fights because they don’t even read the boss description. Instead they are just lazy.

Need more challenging small group stuff like fractals, or solo fights like that chic in queensdale.

Nick.6972:

As the title implies, do you like open world zerging?

I do not.

For those saying that zerg content isn’t “zerg” content….

• It is not challenging on a player-level
• It is extremely laggy
• It is completed by a full map (~100-ish players)

>> Zerg content = by definition zerg content

Give me Tequatl & this wurm dude, Jormag and more in an instance and let me kill them solo OR with a group of 5. At least that way I could enjoy the content.

Yeah, no. I totally like all the bosses we have except for Tequatl and the 2 current ones.

Main problem is:
Overflows.
I did join my server for a reason, and I want to do zerg content with them, not with people on overflows.

When Tequatl came out I was so frustrated, I finished achievements but nothing else, never again. And then these bosses came out and I’m constantly stuck in overflows, waiting over an hour for a boss to spawn, only to fail because most people in overflows just arrived and don’t know what to do.

You can’t go around as say “join party from your guild”.
- Maybe there is no guild.
- Maybe they don’t care?
- Joining hardly works when the main server is full.
- It’s bothersome.

Once again, same as Tequatl patch. The bosses are good. The overflows are the problem, and yet, they still have not been fixed. Why not fix them before handing out more bosses.

The overflow is not the problem.
The problem is people in a zone not listening and results in a fail – this applies to both main maps & overflows.

Hopefully they number of people willing the just Zerg along will reduce in future as they realise they have to do more than just stand still and spam a few skills.

Elmo Benchwarmer.3025:

I don’t like it. As a player I need a challenge. Zerging doesn’t provide that.

I agree it’s not challenging, but having said that there’s no reason it can’t be in-game as well.

I tried one with a new PC, I wasn’t overly keen as before with the old one, I would not be able to see everyone and when the action started I would lag badly. Now with the new one I can see everyone and no lag, but does tend to get my cooling fans a bit excited.

I prefer zerg content to instanced content. Mind you, I prefer smaller zergs to bigger zergs, but I’d still rather have a bigger zerg than instanced content.

Games where instanced content is front and center become lobby games, instead of MMOs. Everyone can hang around in Ogrimar and wait for their queue to pop.

No thanks.

I don’t mind huge zerging in PvE living story content as long as there’s lots of loot to be had, AND if there’s something to look forward to, like the toxic spore skin in other living stories, but this one doesn’t have any skins to aim for – which makes me a sad panda.

Guess I’ll just get this meta over with for the achievement points and wait for the next LS. Hopefully it’ll have some new skins and perhaps new black lion weapon skins? Haven’t had any new ones for a while now.

Zerg sounds good in theory, but what we have in Guild Wars 2 is the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Instanced content in GW1, with party size limit, was much more challenging.

I loved the Zerg stuff like the Queens gauntlet and the scarlet attacks but I don’t like Tequatl Zerg action.

Why I like QG and scarlet attacks?
I just like when lot’s of players plays on the same map and fights for the same purpose. I like it when all players fight together to achieve a succesfull victory and I like it becouse even if you where unsucsessfull you still got a reward.
For me it does not matter if I get loads of loot but as long as there is something to fight for, a little coockie.

Why I don’t like Teq?
So many preperations is needed. Some say you have to prepare 1h before and I see now as the nerf too Fire Elemental Powder people is crying that they will have no chance at all to defeat Teq?
Sure I do like event that isn’t just pushovers like QG and Scarlet attacks but Teq is just the opposite and as an extra bonus players don’t even get a reward for trying but failing utterly. There is no kittenie left to get players to do Teq so special created Guilds are created for Teq and well I am not one of those people who joins a guild for one Event.

In short. I like Zergs as long it does not lag.

Yeah, I enjoy zergs.

I would enjoy massive zerg content if there were no hyper-frequent overflow issues. I can’t be bothered to wait for 2 hours in hope to fight something that might or might not succeed.

Vol.7601:

This is an MMO, so yes. I expect massive zerg content in a massively multiplayer.

If you want 5-man stuff, go play an RPG like Diablo.

im taking it that you werent a massive fan of gw1 then?

Open world for life, I love feeling like part of an army

Is the zerg the general direction we can expect this game will head for the future.

While story itself seems to be sacrificed on the way, large scale events seem to be the bread and butter of every LS update nowadys.
I can not speak for others, but I for one tried to get away from shallow raiding for a more immersed gameplay. Now we are all back to raiding again, just more chaotic and random in open world scenarios.

Is this it, is that what we get for the last few updates of the story arc? Don’t get me wrong, I love to kill giant creatures, but it is simply not enough.

Are non-raiders wrong in this game now with all the new content being designed for 40+ people?

This feels wrong, at least for me. Go get on TS they say, if you want to kill the big thing. Go listen to the commander! Wow, yeah, wow…

I don’t mind 40 people raids.

But I don’t want to deal with RANDOM PEOPLE that mess up the whole attempt or have the players spread out between 5 overflows. Put this into instances and let us decide who we play with.

Vizunnah Square please!

I think it just needs mechanics that can’t be ruined by troll sabotage.

Zerg encounters may not be a good long-term choice for a game facing eventual attrition.

RedCobra.7693:

Vol.7601:

This is an MMO, so yes. I expect massive zerg content in a massively multiplayer.

If you want 5-man stuff, go play an RPG like Diablo.

im taking it that you werent a massive fan of gw1 then?

Why, Guild Wars 1 wasn’t an MMO.

The difference between MMOs and CoRPGs (like Guild Wars 1), is that you play in a persistent world with other players who aren’t necessarily partied with you. It adds a completely different dynamic to the game.

Guild Wars 1 was a lobby game, with no persistent world. It was an excellent game, one of the best I ever played…but it wasn’t an MMO.

The first two Ms in MMO, massively multiplayer implies more than 20 or 30 people. The most you could have playing with you together in PvE in Guild Wars 1 was 12 people. I don’t consider that a massive amount of people.

Why are you playing a massively multiplayer game if you do not like massive zergs?

That’s like playing an RTS and then complaining that you hate strategy

goldenwing.8473:

Zerg encounters may not be a good long-term choice for a game facing eventual attrition.

Says the guy who apparently bought over 40 character slots.

Zergs in an mmo, say it ain’t so!

I think a lot of people like zerging. I think a lot more people like zerging than trying to get 20 or 30 people together at one specific time. The problem with raiding is that it’s like a job. You have to show up. People get really kittened off when you make a mistake…even if that mistake is due to lag, or real life emergencies, or even insomnia slowing your reaction time.

People get kittened in zergs too, but you don’t have to answer to them because you’ll never see them again.

I run most dungeons with my guild. It’s not that hard to get five people to do something that takes 20 minutes. You can do that quite casually.

But even guild missions, which are scheduled, aren’t done by most of my guild. If people are on, they’ll do them, but you know….we’re not that type of guild.

I don’t think most people want to schedule their game time that way, which is why the zerg is a good alternative for many of us.

I want to be really clear about the following distinction between raids and encounters:

I enjoy raid content that occurs outdoor that requires coordination, tactics and a raid leader similar to Dragon encounters and MLs in DAoC.

I do not particularly enjoy meaningless, laggy outdoor zerg encounters such as those found in RIFT and GW2.

I also do not enjoy large instanced raid content and everything that goes with it (WoW, RIFT, EQ2 and the other WoW clones.)

I am willing to have a trade-off in a game of outdoor zerg content if it preserves 5-man instances. I don’t have to do the zerg encounters.

If there was less lag, people with more brains, dodging actually required, ranging punished and more risky and other skills needed than just auto attack then I might start to enjoy it. But even then probably not, because I can’t see anything with 50 people on my screen anyway.

Why is it an “or” and not an “and” OP?

Yes I enjoy open world zerging in an mmo AND yes I enjoy instanced content and stuff like Liadri.

Not sure why it has to be one or the other.

Vol.7601:

goldenwing.8473:

Zerg encounters may not be a good long-term choice for a game facing eventual attrition.

Says the guy who apparently bought over 40 character slots.

I have bought 3-4 accounts for every game I have played over the last 14 years. That’s not about “supporting” the game… that’s part of my MMO playstyle.

Character slots has nothing to do with attrition. I can easily abandon 4 accounts worth of characters if a better game appears and/or the devs of the current one “breaks the game” for me in a way I cannot accept or tolerate.

At the moment, the ONLY thing keeping me in this game is my guild.

Watching ANet tread down similar “classic” path of other MMOs that have seen attrition issues.

-Currently researching / testing other games.

If you’ve been following ANet blogs, the company president likes massive open world battles. Is it so surprising, then, that the game provides content that requires this type of play? If massive groups of players jump on this type of content because it’s new, because of achievement points and (possibly) rewards, is it any wonder that metrics tell them the content is successful? The only reason for ANet to shift away from massive open world events would be if massive numbers of players “tell” them — by staying away — that this is not what they want. That’s unlikely to happen.

So just curious… what comprises “immersive gameplay” for you Kaiyanwan?

Fenrir.3609:

Why is it an “or” and not an “and” OP?

Yes I enjoy open world zerging in an mmo AND yes I enjoy instanced content and stuff like Liadri.

Not sure why it has to be one or the other.

Because it obligates us to have a massive coordinated zerg that’s never organized in order to correctly beat the content?

I don’t like zergballs, I’m all for instanced content which you have total control over since you set the limit on how many people can enter.

I think I’d like it a lot more if I could turn off the godkitten ed spell effect visuals.

What’s the point of even having character models and red circles on the ground if it’s all covered by an orange and blue fireworks show?

I enjoy zerg fighting in WvW, but PvE not so much, and when you deal with overflows, trying to get into the one with all your friends, it sucks.

I like zerg fighting. Not the champ trains, but can’t complain since I just don’t have to take part. Stuff like the marionette fight makes large scale battles more fun, and I’m sure things are heading in a better direction compared to the dull shattered fights.

As for the wvw very battles, it makes perfect sense. Maybe the ability to create smaller zergs with different colored pins would make things a bit more diverse and let interesting strategies to come up, but all in all, zergs are just armies

Yes, I love it. But most importantly, I like variety. I like having content meant for zerging when I feel like zerging, and content for 5-man party when I feel like it.

Rash.6514:

Yes, I love it. But most importantly, I like variety. I like having content meant for zerging when I feel like zerging, and content for 5-man party when I feel like it.

What about the middle term? A 24-man raid, or “a medium-sized instanced content” (in GW2 not-gonna-copy-WoW mentality)?

I don’t mind Massive Zerg content, so long as there is a healthy mix of Vet and Champ foes.
Sometimes when it scales up there’s more Champs than the group can handle.
If the content is related to a specific element in the storyline (take the giant metal puppet currently) then I’d rather have that instanced.