Guild Wars 2

Honestly, if you want any sort of fun out of this game you need to find yourself a good guild. My server (Full population) is dead on nearly every map. People are already upwards of level 50 on Fractals, no dungeon groups form, Heart of the Mists is a ghost-town.

The whole game just feels empty to me. But really I have what I need with my guild. If you plan on actually taking part in any organized activity that isn’t a Fractal run being formed in LA, you should probably search for a good guild to call home and play with people who share common interests because otherwise this game will not be too much fun for you in its current state.

Game going down hill…

You mean like less grindy down hill? Or, less ascended grind down hill?

Prinny.4653:

I’ve noticed that the amount of players on higher maps have decreased to the point that anywhere from 50%-90% of points on the maps are constantly contested making it impossible in many cases for a solo player to complete maps. It’s gotten to a point that you are lucky to find 2 players in a group.

Basically since the new content, most higher level players don’t even bother with regular maps anymore. Players are looking at it this way, why do maps with poor drops when you can do other things that net you better items.

Needless to say, higher level maps from 70-80 need to have new content and and better drops added to bring players back to them.

As it stands now, this game is going down hill since newer player that want to complete maps and other things can’t, due to the lack of players to aid in certain areas. It’s going to get to the point where people are just going to give up, and when (not if) that happens, this game will die.

I’m not saying this because I’m low level, on the contrary, I have 3 characters all at level 80 and I have 100% map completion. I just see this as a growing problem that needs to be addressed. I like the game, but I see the player base dropping in these areas everyday.

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Eladriel.7295:

Prinny.4653:

I’ve noticed that the amount of players on higher maps have decreased to the point that anywhere from 50%-90% of points on the maps are constantly contested making it impossible in many cases for a solo player to complete maps. It’s gotten to a point that you are lucky to find 2 players in a group.

Basically since the new content, most higher level players don’t even bother with regular maps anymore. Players are looking at it this way, why do maps with poor drops when you can do other things that net you better items.

Needless to say, higher level maps from 70-80 need to have new content and and better drops added to bring players back to them.

As it stands now, this game is going down hill since newer player that want to complete maps and other things can’t, due to the lack of players to aid in certain areas. It’s going to get to the point where people are just going to give up, and when (not if) that happens, this game will die.

I’m not saying this because I’m low level, on the contrary, I have 3 characters all at level 80 and I have 100% map completion. I just see this as a growing problem that needs to be addressed. I like the game, but I see the player base dropping in these areas everyday.

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Zone population, not Server Population. Kthnxbye.

And I agree with the OP, I’ve been trying to level an alt, check out zones i didn’t hit with my other character. World is dead, cannot complete group (champion) events on my own with respawn rates. Its very discouraging.

Eladriel.7295:

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Server population means nothing. I play on a “Full” server and the only place with a living soul is Lion’s Arch and Orr. (bots in Orr and people who want to spam the first boss for cash – that’s all)

Daddicus.6128:

While you are partially correct, the real problem is much more fundamental: Solo players can’t compete. The mobs are way too large against single characters.

Further, the few people who ARE there are just moving around, some being particularly dirty while doing it. I wish I had a gold for every player who, having risen chasing him, ran through my character so they would aggro me instead. It’s unbelievable that anybody would do that, but it is worse because it’s so common.

Part of me wants to respond in kind, but I’m just not that kind of player. But, the game REWARDS players for doing this to other players (they don’t have to repair their armor or teleport to rez). Thus, knowing human nature, it’s simply unavoidable.

I think there should be a severe penalty for leaving the aggro zone soon after pulling enemies to another character. It has to be a minimum of 3-4 silver to match what they would have to pay if they stuck around and then died.

The best punishment for players that lead a train through your character is the same thing they did to you.. Write down their names hunt the dirty doers down and run a train through them.. Payback is itch..

JERRIX.5390:

Eladriel.7295:

Prinny.4653:

I’ve noticed that the amount of players on higher maps have decreased to the point that anywhere from 50%-90% of points on the maps are constantly contested making it impossible in many cases for a solo player to complete maps. It’s gotten to a point that you are lucky to find 2 players in a group.

Basically since the new content, most higher level players don’t even bother with regular maps anymore. Players are looking at it this way, why do maps with poor drops when you can do other things that net you better items.

Needless to say, higher level maps from 70-80 need to have new content and and better drops added to bring players back to them.

As it stands now, this game is going down hill since newer player that want to complete maps and other things can’t, due to the lack of players to aid in certain areas. It’s going to get to the point where people are just going to give up, and when (not if) that happens, this game will die.

I’m not saying this because I’m low level, on the contrary, I have 3 characters all at level 80 and I have 100% map completion. I just see this as a growing problem that needs to be addressed. I like the game, but I see the player base dropping in these areas everyday.

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Zone population, not Server Population. Kthnxbye.

And I agree with the OP, I’ve been trying to level an alt, check out zones i didn’t hit with my other character. World is dead, cannot complete group (champion) events on my own with respawn rates. Its very discouraging.

This. I remember doing group events with champion bosses or large chains (also possibly with a champion as an end boss) early in the game’s life and now I can’t find more than maybe 2 or 3 people in any given map who do anything. Used to be someone called for an event and 20+ people would show up to do it, or at least say in chat that they’re on their way.

Now? You’ll be lucky to see someone trolling you in chat because you asked for a group. And that’s only if anybody’s even there.

Mkalafut.1273:

Eladriel.7295:

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Server population means nothing. I play on a “Full” server and the only place with a living soul is Lion’s Arch and Orr. (bots in Orr and people who want to spam the first boss for cash – that’s all)

I have to disagree.. Server population means everything.. If the game was going down hill the populations would be low if players were leaving.

Eladriel.7295:

Mkalafut.1273:

Eladriel.7295:

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Server population means nothing. I play on a “Full” server and the only place with a living soul is Lion’s Arch and Orr. (bots in Orr and people who want to spam the first boss for cash – that’s all)

I have to disagree.. Server population means everything.. If the game was going down hill the populations would be low if players were leaving.

When nearly the enitre population sits in 1 area in the game, and the rest of the zones are plagued with rangers and bears running around, I would say there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Eladriel.7295:

Mkalafut.1273:

Eladriel.7295:

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Server population means nothing. I play on a “Full” server and the only place with a living soul is Lion’s Arch and Orr. (bots in Orr and people who want to spam the first boss for cash – that’s all)

I have to disagree.. Server population means everything.. If the game was going down hill the populations would be low if players were leaving.

You still aren’t understanding. The server can be full of people doing Fractals and hanging out in LA, and the world will still be EMPTY. Thats the problem. The WORLD is empty, not the server. There’s stuff to do out there too, ya know.

Even getting groups for Dungeons and Fractals is rough if you aren’t on level 10 already.

Horrorscope.7632:

Enoch.1058:

Kings X.5082:

ANET needs to make the game solo friendly. Maybe they should look at GW1 for inspiration.

In what ways is GW2 NOT solo-friendly?

Dungeons.

Oh don’t forget about champions and some (not all) skillpoints. Venturing into certain caves can be suicidal also with the high respawn rates.

Let’s revisit this from the Game FAQ:

Will Guild Wars 2 be solo-able?
Yes. You will be able to advance your character to the maximum level without ever joining a group, if you so desire. Most content will be designed in a solo-friendly way, though often with mechanisms for scaling up in difficulty when more players are involved. This will give players the option to experience the game however they prefer.

At the same time, it is important for an MMO community to join together to overcome challenges. Guild Wars 2 will feature challenges that require players to join forces.
———————————————————————————

The first part is still pretty much true.

This last part is now the problem how can the community come together to overcome challenges if the community is not present? You cannot always ask your guild to help out since they may be running dungeons or WvW and be occupied in those those events for hours. So you are stuck grinding soloable events and enemies and unable to do other content that requires players to join forces.

I never thought I would say it but I miss Alesia.

JERRIX.5390:

Eladriel.7295:

Mkalafut.1273:

Eladriel.7295:

Really? I sure can’t tell it.. Log out of your game and look at the world map and see all the high and full servers. Just about every server is either high pop or full.. I think you got your info wrong or you are wondering around with blinders on. I see lots of players in starting areas and many other areas.. Maybe you are playing at the wrong times. This game isn’t going down hill.

Server population means nothing. I play on a “Full” server and the only place with a living soul is Lion’s Arch and Orr. (bots in Orr and people who want to spam the first boss for cash – that’s all)

I have to disagree.. Server population means everything.. If the game was going down hill the populations would be low if players were leaving.

You still aren’t understanding. The server can be full of people doing Fractals and hanging out in LA, and the world will still be EMPTY. Thats the problem. The WORLD is empty, not the server. There’s stuff to do out there too, ya know.

Even getting groups for Dungeons and Fractals is rough if you aren’t on level 10 already.

This exactly. Everyone’s either in CS or LA now. Every other zone is fairly devoid of players, which is a little depressing because I like to explore.

In its current state GW2 is only partially solo-able in open areas. Even in teir 1 zones there are champions that are sitting on skill points and points of interest that for some reason are no longer de-spawning, even after days. This means that people who are new or have rerolled can not catch up with out help. Get into higher zones like Malchor’s Leap and its like your in a dungeon [actually worse due to hyper fast re-spawns] only on the outside. People are leap frogging over each other to get past this kind of content, I haven’t seen many stopping to offer any help or work with people they come across anymore because doing so will cost you in deaths. There are various forms of air assault that often can not be seen from your location and these catapults and such re-spawn way too fast to consider bothering trying to take them down. One skill pint in the example zone is in an area that has unknown source assaults in the form of slow and a rather quick damage over time that is rather devastating , you cant see a source for it and spreads over a huge area in land and water so basically there is no escape. What I have seen some do is wait for some poor player to get hit by it and then go in and get the skill point. How nice!

Anet … what are you thinking? Its such a beautiful game and the open areas are emptying out of players that might normally be spending time there due to this kind of thing. Its like the game still thinks there are zerg groups all over the place and is stuck in responding to large amounts of players that are no longer there.

One thing I wish they’d do is offer about 2-3 extended chain DE’s per map, in all maps.

Like for instance, take plinx, right now it offers what about 5 or 6 events in a row? I’d like to see it offer say 15-20 in a row that would carry everyone around the map. Add in a couple more chains like that, and I think it’d be more enticing to people. Do this for every map. Then as an added bonus, at the end of the quest chain a chest appears. Then depending on how much you participated in the chain determines likely-hood of good items spawning.

I think the problem with the zones emptying is simply that horizontal progression is usually effective when actions have real consequences… As it stands, no one being in Orr or in other zones creates minor annoyances within the map, yet has no negative consequences on the world.

What if because the centaurs and bandits aren’t dealt with, there’s a siege on Divinity’s Reach… closing off the Asura gate to it and withdrawing all human NPCs from the world? What if, by getting a weekly or monthly faction assignment (from the Pact as well as Whispers/Vigil/Priory), this bolsters defenses in the various zones they send us to which gives the world a little slack for failed events (like harder for points to be overrun, or failing an event does have quite as severe of a consequence).

To me this makes the game, and events, more dynamic while having actual progression. In it’s current form, failing events is too localized and lacks consequence.

Some good ideas in these last two posts by DeadlySynz and Bruno Sardine. ANet has said that they plan to tweak DEs throughout the game. More ideas like these would be welcome, I’m sure.

Perhaps something needs to be done to, at least temporarily, draw people’s attention from the things that are monopolizing their time? Along the lines of the invasions suggested by Bruno, maybe some events that affect crafting outcomes, operations of the TP or even Fractals. Not to the degree that people are horrifically inconvenienced, but enough that some small amount of time outside of LA and Fractals is needed to keep operations there running smoothly.

Prinny.4653:

I’ve noticed that the amount of players on higher maps have decreased to the point that anywhere from 50%-90% of points on the maps are constantly contested making it impossible in many cases for a solo player to complete maps. It’s gotten to a point that you are lucky to find 2 players in a group.

Basically since the new content, most higher level players don’t even bother with regular maps anymore. Players are looking at it this way, why do maps with poor drops when you can do other things that net you better items.

Needless to say, higher level maps from 70-80 need to have new content and and better drops added to bring players back to them.

As it stands now, this game is going down hill since newer player that want to complete maps and other things can’t, due to the lack of players to aid in certain areas. It’s going to get to the point where people are just going to give up, and when (not if) that happens, this game will die.

I’m not saying this because I’m low level, on the contrary, I have 3 characters all at level 80 and I have 100% map completion. I just see this as a growing problem that needs to be addressed. I like the game, but I see the player base dropping in these areas everyday.

I strongly disagree that the game is going downhill…the game is just suffering from a bit of a pitfall. The lost shores stuff was very lackluster in comparasion to the halloween stuff and the ascended gear was poorly implemented. Chris said in the AMA they will fix this issue by making ascended gear available from other means.

Arenanet made a serious mistake that caused some people to quit/not play as much ….one i strongly believe they have learned from. In due time, the explorable areas should be back to normal population before the ascended gear was released. I also believe in time they will win some of the lost/less active players back.

The wintersday stuff looks promising…we at least know it should make the major race cities more active…..i know this is something players have expressed wanting.

The only item for map completion that you can’t get solo is the skill point in Grenth. Some classes can but not all. Everything else is possible. I know since I just recently finished it on a toon.

Graill.8596:

@shootsfoot

YOU need to understand YOUR view is also irrelevant seeing what you tried to do to those two folks. YOU need to understand that MMO does not mean people have to group, it is a choice, the same goes for soloing. If you need your hand held because you are incapable of performing simple or complex tasks by yourself or the game has a certain group mechanic then that is your choice, do not ever state MMO means the game is all about grouping…it is not.

MMO means, and this is to educate you, a game with masses of people online doing what they enjoy…….not doing what you think they should shootsfoot.

LOL…ok.

At least now I can see why you do most things solo.

Ofc maps of high lvl will be empty ,why bothering going to this crowded with undead zone when the drop is &^#@. those mobs are way 2 strong thats why ppl dont bother going there,when making a map thats crowded and ull be constantly attacked by 3-5 mobs atleast make sure those mobs dont kill u in 3 hits ( i mean 1 of them not all ,all is faster ) not to mention how much disables those mobs have…. either their holding u on ground for 10 secs or on place for even more its pure ^#%#

Shootsfoot.9276:

Graill.8596:

@shootsfoot

YOU need to understand YOUR view is also irrelevant seeing what you tried to do to those two folks. YOU need to understand that MMO does not mean people have to group, it is a choice, the same goes for soloing. If you need your hand held because you are incapable of performing simple or complex tasks by yourself or the game has a certain group mechanic then that is your choice, do not ever state MMO means the game is all about grouping…it is not.

MMO means, and this is to educate you, a game with masses of people online doing what they enjoy…….not doing what you think they should shootsfoot.

LOL…ok.

At least now I can see why you do most things solo.

Building an MMO around solo playing is rather stupid.

There are far better genres around for soloing.

Not saying people should not be able to do anything solo, but having so the majority of activities are solo friendly does not help foster a community.

Shootsfoot.9276:

Horrorscope.7632:

Enoch.1058:

Kings X.5082:

ANET needs to make the game solo friendly. Maybe they should look at GW1 for inspiration.

In what ways is GW2 NOT solo-friendly?

Dungeons.

I just don’t understand the mentality of people buying a game marketed as a massively multi-player online game and then complaining you can’t do everything solo.

Some of us see the value of other people in MMOs as more targets to kill.