Guild Wars 2

A gear treadmill is more like how WoW released gear. Every six months to a year, a new tier of gear was released that was at least 14% more powerful than the best gear you could possibly obtain at that point. This included every single armor slot. It immediately invalidated what you owned, and it was necessary to obtain it because all the creatures of the new content were balanced around having this increase in power.

That is a gear treadmill. GW2 is not, although it is very grindy.

Ik what the gear treadmill, I played WoW for 6 years……………..GW2 was supposed to be the antithesis of that. I now realize that it kills a lot of the desire to even play the game for people with limited time like myself. I just don’t have the time to spend 3+ hours a day on the computer anymore…………………………I really wish this game had followed that path GW1 set for it, but wishes are for fools and princesses, neither of which I am.

Exotics aren’t the equivalent of rares now. Aside from future fractal content, things will still be designed under the premise that players may be wearing masterwork, rare, or exotic gear. (hopefully)

The way I see it: The gear tradmill in wow was too massive, but at least the gear was fun to grind for. When you defeated the whatever heroic mode raid boss, it felt like an achievement in itself. The first kill was the real treat, the gear just a bonus.

The way they implemented grind in this game now. I don’t know. I am sure some people enjoy it. Personally I just find it borring.
It is nice that everyone has an even chance to get these new ascended weapon. Everyone that wants to can get them, and you don’t have to depend on other people to achieve that goal. Thats the good part about it. They are not reserved for a small elite.
All in all, I still would rather be without them I hate crafting with a passion, and I liked that I could potentially swap between toons having each of them equally powerfull in their own way. I do feel the ascended gear to some extend limits my options. Not right now so much – but when they add the armor as well then swapping main will be a costly/borring/time consuming proces.

A player in full Ascended gear (Weapon, Accessories and Armor) will have 5% more weapon damage and 5% more stats compared to someone in Exotic gear.

It’s not a big deal.

Over 10% total damage increase isn’t a lot. Ok. I’ll take your word for it.

I haven’t played WoW, but I have played some wow clones. So correct me if i’m wrong, but gear treadmill is something like this no? you get BiS gear, a few months later, new content is added which includes gear with higher stats which would be needed to complete new dungeons(ergo gear check). Now you have to get the new BiS gear, and then a few months later new content is added again, rinse and repeat.

As for GW2’s case it would be a gear treadmill if the difficulty was bumped, fortunately hasn’t been any of the sort. You can still do content on lower tier gear.

inb4 Teq Rising update is a gear check screams. It is a revamp that promotes coordination.

I don’t know what the big deal is about the gear you’ve already grinded for. It’s easy to get an exotic. You can get most any exotic stat combo you want for 15 gold or less. I think you mean that you’ve painstakingly earned the exotic skins you wanted.

Well your skin wasn’t invalidated. You can transmute your exotic skin on to your ascended weapon, otherwise a set of exotic gear wasn’t all that hard to obtain. I don’t know how a loss of that pocket change could be described as “crushing.”

Nokaru.7831:

A gear treadmill is more like how WoW released gear. Every six months to a year, a new tier of gear was released that was at least 14% more powerful than the best gear you could possibly obtain at that point. This included every single armor slot. It immediately invalidated what you owned, and it was necessary to obtain it because all the creatures of the new content were balanced around having this increase in power.

That is a gear treadmill. GW2 is not, although it is very grindy.

A new gear tier in WoW would not invalidate your existing gear if your play was restricted to preexisting content as is the case in GW2 with its new tier of gear and no new content designed around it.

Ashen.2907:

A new gear tier in WoW would not invalidate your existing gear if your play was restricted to preexisting content as is the case in GW2 with its new tier of gear and no new content designed around it.

A new gear tier in WoW sure would invalidate an old one in PvP or on a PvP server.

Now that I think of it, the same exact thing is true in GW2 with WvW. People with the new beatsticks will be beating your face in better.

Chickenshoes.6250:

Ashen.2907:

A new gear tier in WoW would not invalidate your existing gear if your play was restricted to preexisting content as is the case in GW2 with its new tier of gear and no new content designed around it.

A new gear tier in WoW sure would invalidate an old one in PvP or on a PvP server.

Now that I think of it, the same exact thing is true in GW2 with WvW. People with the new beatsticks will be beating your face in better.

Agreed regards to PvP. Even a minor advantage can make a significant difference there.

Gear treadmill started in October, you’re late to the party OP.

What’s so bad about a gear treadmil? It gives you a fresh start to progress your character again. Progressing my character is, for me, what PvE is all about. If my stats stayed the same till the end of time I would feel like I’m not making progress. PvP is a different kettle of fish and all stats should be normalized.

At least in WoW you have a new environment to progress in, like a new raid or new continent and whatnot.

Lambent.6375:

Exotics aren’t the equivalent of rares now. Aside from future fractal content, things will still be designed under the premise that players may be wearing masterwork, rare, or exotic gear. (hopefully)

Think about it a full ascended set will be more or lesser 20% powerful than an exotic set. Now multiply that % for 5 people in a dungeon. How can they design new content based on exotic level? Ascended guys will simply facereoll everything.
Colin also said that an “hard mode” for dungeons is highly unlikely .-.

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It would be a treadmill if and only if they end up adding more tiers that make ascended obsolete.

A tread mill is a mill of treads. Lots and lots of steps. Hence the term.

One new tier of gear does not a treadmill make…particularly when it’s been a year since that tier was introduced and it’s not fully introduced yet.

Lambent.6375:

Exotics aren’t the equivalent of rares now. Aside from future fractal content, things will still be designed under the premise that players may be wearing masterwork, rare, or exotic gear. (hopefully)

The divide has already been started by the have and have nots, do you really think that those with all the max slots are going to be happy with new content anyone can do in rares? Just look as some of the threads, most are make it harder with great drops so the scrubs cant have any!

This is how I decided to play since Nov, I dont bother wasting gold on something thats not going to be maxed, I no longer play in teams with my alts since they are sub par, if I happen to get a pre cursor drop maybe Il go that extra mile and make it if not then no legendary for me.

I started the crafting on ascended and then realised that I can not get the weapon I want due again to the inscript being down to luck, the answer i got for that was.. run dungeons for tokens and salvage the armour in hopes i keep the inscript I need, so since I dont play in dungeons and i have no luck whatsoever, something else for me not to bother with. (Im that person that has seen maybe 6 exotics, in alot of hrs of play, drop all worth nothing).

I am a GW1 player too, and I saw nothing bad in new players being able to get max armour at max level then having to work at getting the prestige armour if they desired, infact I used to run around looking at peoples mix and match sets but in GW2 i have my settings on low for WvW and I dont care what armour you have if anything id like a setting that stopped all that mess showing on the floor as people walked and black smudges in fights.

As for Teq, I can see that going the same way as Jormag, some will bother and most wont, the invasions have shown us that large groups can not work together, every invasion is the same… farmers farm and the event people rage that zergs wont leave pirates, why? coz the end reward isnt worth that bit more effort.

Soz turned into an essay. But my thoughts atm on GW2 that by trying to appease everyone they are becoming a Jack of all Trades and Master of None.

To all who are saying that this isn’t a big deal. This is the worst case of one build lock down I have ever seen. Every class has multiple builds, so when I want to switch from zerker to condi for example it takes forever. And I can’t even obtain gear in a fun way, it’s just grind grind grind then go to Excel spreadsheet to click your way to victory and then back to grind again, but slowly because it’s “time-gated”.

And this is just for ONE character. I have eight! Only now I see that buying those char slots was a grave mistake. When they introduce ascended armor this gap will widen even more. Then I’ll be done with this game forever.

Above all, if we don’t protest this stat increase, it’s just opening them a way for more of this atrocity. What if they decide to push Legendary gear one more level stat-wise? What if they introduce legendary armor? Then divine gear? Beyond divine gear? It can go on forever like that. I bought this game because I didn’t want to feel like a hamster in a wheel.

You know what would be nice and make it all worth while and worth the grind…

If they let you choose your stat combos on your ascended gear. Since they’re making ascended the be all gear, aside from legendary weps, why not be able to choose our stats on the fly like legendaries?

Treborlavok.3504:

You know what would be nice and make it all worth while and worth the grind…

If they let you choose your stat combos on your ascended gear. Since they’re making ascended the be all gear, aside from legendary weps, why not be able to choose our stats on the fly like legendaries?

Sorry, that’s for the Transcended gear they’ll release next year with 5% more stats above Ascended.

Vahlen.9508:

I never realized how much I hated the idea of the “gear treadmill” until today. I thought it might be fun to boot up GW2 and kill stuff as I haven’t been able to play in a couple months, been at the police academy.

It was at that point I realized that all the weapons on my warrior that I spent so long running dungeons for were now the equivalent of what rares used to be……………..do you know how crushing that is? What do I have to look forward to? An extremely large grind for just a single weapon, forget the fact that I’m warrior and use like a dozen.

This isn’t an I quit post or anything, it’s just a post from a guy that is extremely disappointed with the path you (Anet) has chosen to take this game. I know my sole opinions means little, but hopefully I’m not alone in my sentiments.

There is no gear tread mill in GW2. You obviously have no clue what one is if you think there is.. Go play wow and you will see one. You will not get another tier of armor aside the ascended. They have already stated that several times.

stof.9341:

Treborlavok.3504:

You know what would be nice and make it all worth while and worth the grind…

If they let you choose your stat combos on your ascended gear. Since they’re making ascended the be all gear, aside from legendary weps, why not be able to choose our stats on the fly like legendaries?

Sorry, that’s for the Transcended gear they’ll release next year with 5% more stats above Ascended.

Lol yea go figure. Takes me over a month to craft my celestial gear… They come out with ascended stuff… Fml.

Vahlen.9508:

I never realized how much I hated the idea of the “gear treadmill” until today. I thought it might be fun to boot up GW2 and kill stuff as I haven’t been able to play in a couple months, been at the police academy.

It was at that point I realized that all the weapons on my warrior that I spent so long running dungeons for were now the equivalent of what rares used to be……………..do you know how crushing that is? What do I have to look forward to? An extremely large grind for just a single weapon, forget the fact that I’m warrior and use like a dozen.

This isn’t an I quit post or anything, it’s just a post from a guy that is extremely disappointed with the path you (Anet) has chosen to take this game. I know my sole opinions means little, but hopefully I’m not alone in my sentiments.

You are definitely not alone. Since November, the game has slowly slid down hill. The last two updates, while they had some of the more substantiative combat content that arenanet has pushed out as part of the living story, has been nothing more than a zerg to farm money. Farm with the zerg, or be left behind in terms of $$. And now, ascended gear is a bit of a grind to get the new BiS weapon stats. Ascended armor is on the way this year. And arenanet has not turned away from the idea of legendary armor either.

Yeah, the game falling from grace toward gear grind, grind in general, zerg gameplay as “engaging” content, RNG, cash shop grabs, etc.

Ive stopped playing.

Ascended is what exotic was supposed to be at launch. There isn’t going to be anything beyond Ascended. Except Legendaries, which only is for the looks and not power/stats.

Zoid.2568:

Ascended is what exotic was supposed to be at launch. There isn’t going to be anything beyond Ascended. Except Legendaries, which only is for the looks and not power/stats.

I guess I can buy ascended weapon with dungeons tokens. Could you show me how?

Since it is a treadmill it only works if you put energy into it. Stop walking along it and it stops.

Zoid.2568:

Ascended is what exotic was supposed to be at launch. There isn’t going to be anything beyond Ascended. Except Legendaries, which only is for the looks and not power/stats.

With GW2, ArenaNet’s had a nasty habit of claiming “We always meant it to be this way”. They cannot ever be believed in that respect, frankly.

Zoid.2568:

Ascended is what exotic was supposed to be at launch. There isn’t going to be anything beyond Ascended. Except Legendaries, which only is for the looks and not power/stats.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-27-guild-wars-2-preview
“Everyone, including casual gamers, by level 80 should have the best statistical loot in the game.”

Ascended is the “best statistical loot” and no you won’t have it “by level 80”.

Anet has a history of lying to their player base.
Exotics are the way they should have always been. Acquired by the time you reach 80.

Edited by moderator: became off topic

JDGumby.7685:

Zoid.2568:

Ascended is what exotic was supposed to be at launch. There isn’t going to be anything beyond Ascended. Except Legendaries, which only is for the looks and not power/stats.

With GW2, ArenaNet’s had a nasty habit of claiming “We always meant it to be this way”. They cannot ever be believed in that respect, frankly.

They estimated the time to get exotic would take more time, a few months but was more easily obtained than they thought. They should have tested this in beta, before launch and they did, however at that time dungeons and mobs in GW2 were much more difficult and the game got nerfed because of player whine.

Nokaru.7831:

A player in full Ascended gear (Weapon, Accessories and Armor) will have 5% more weapon damage and 5% more stats compared to someone in Exotic gear.

It’s not a big deal.

Why even introduce it then, if it’s so insignificant.

Zoid.2568:

They estimated the time to get exotic would take more time, a few months but was more easily obtained than they thought.

Does that mean that they expected us to take months to get to level 80? Because we were meant to have BiS by level 80.

Nikaido.3457:

Zoid.2568:

They estimated the time to get exotic would take more time, a few months but was more easily obtained than they thought.

Does that mean that they expected us to take months to get to level 80? Because we were meant to have BiS by level 80.

Now we weren’t supposed to have exotic once we hit level 80. Whoever said that lied or got the wrong information. Everyone at lvl 80 should be able to get the best stat gear without having to do stuff they don’t, is more like it. You can run dungeons, buy from TP, Craft. You got options.

Next year, divine gear. It will come.

Zoid.2568:

Now we weren’t supposed to have exotic once we hit level 80. Whoever said that lied or got the wrong information. Everyone at lvl 80 should be able to get the best stat gear without having to do stuff they don’t, is more like it. You can run dungeons, buy from TP, Craft. You got options.

And now you don’t.

Zoid.2568:

Now we weren’t supposed to have exotic once we hit level 80. Whoever said that lied or got the wrong information.

Lied or wrong information?

Colin Johanson: Everyone, including casual gamers, by level 80 should have the best statistical loot in the game. We want everyone on an equal power base. The rare stuff becomes the really awesome looking armours. It’s all about collecting the unique looking stuff and collecting all the other rare collectable items in the game: armour pieces, potentially different potions – a lot of that is still up in the air and we’ll finalise a lot of those reward systems as we get closer to release. And those come off of things like the bosses at the end of dungeons – the raids.

Lambent.6375:

Exotics aren’t the equivalent of rares now. Aside from future fractal content, things will still be designed under the premise that players may be wearing masterwork, rare, or exotic gear. (hopefully)

I could reply, but I would rather leave Mike O’Brien to tell you why Ascended gear is bad:

Brien

We even have the inverse motivation against having that continual gear grind as it would separate players so they wouldn’t be able to do these things together. If there is a dragon attacking in the open world, with a vertical progression would it end up being too easy for some people and too hard for others?

…Which is exactly what more gear tiers create. Is the new Tequatl going to be too hard for people using rares or too easy for people using ascended? It cannot be the same challenge for people with differente degrees of power.

Wolfheart.1938:

Nokaru.7831:

A player in full Ascended gear (Weapon, Accessories and Armor) will have 5% more weapon damage and 5% more stats compared to someone in Exotic gear.

It’s not a big deal.

Why even introduce it then, if it’s so insignificant.

for fractal, that’s the point everyone seems to be forgetting, ascended tier are mainly for fractals

Happyfool.8951:

for fractal, that’s the point everyone seems to be forgetting, ascended tier are mainly for fractals

Then they should be acquired by playing fractals. Another thing, how many people would go above lvl 50 in fractals? Not many I presume.

Out of all those who’d be willing to go beyond FOTM 50 almost none would agree with doing mindless things like killing dumb world bosses pressing 1111 every day while chasing after the dragon timers. The target audience for this gear is not the same as the ones who enjoy the method of acquisition.

haviz.1340:

Happyfool.8951:

for fractal, that’s the point everyone seems to be forgetting, ascended tier are mainly for fractals

Then they should be acquired by playing fractals. Another thing, how many people would go above lvl 50 in fractals? Not many I presume.

The reason not many people attempt 50+ fractals is because of agony and that AR only capped at 45 before the release of ascended weapons. Now that AR is capped at 55, i’m betting that more people will be attempting 50+ pretty soon.

Fractals was introduced to satisfy players who wanted a more challenging content, as Anet put it. (citation needed)

Nikaido.3457:

Out of all those who’d be willing to go beyond FOTM 50 almost none would agree with doing mindless things like killing dumb world bosses pressing 1111 every day while chasing after the dragon timers. The target audience for this gear is not the same as the ones who enjoy the method of acquisition.

I’m sure those people have hidden potential. Check this post.

@Happyfool
You don’t really do fractals, do you? you speak like a gaming “journalist” writing about a topic he’s been given but never spent much time with.

50+ is hard capped. 55 AR doesn’t help there. 55 AR only helps making 48 even more faceroll than it already was at 45. 50+ is accessible in that you can be a masochist and do odd, zero reward levels to progress but you don’t get the daily chest since the maw is hardcapped. As long as it’s hard capped no amount of AR could get you through the maw, not even a full set of ascended armor would.

Happyfool.8951:

The reason not many people attempt 50+ fractals is because of agony and that AR only capped at 45 before the release of ascended weapons. Now that AR is capped at 55, i’m betting that more people will be attempting 50+ pretty soon.

“Would” is the key word here. Brainless spammers won’t do anything above 20+ anyway.

Fractals was introduced to satisfy players who wanted a more challenging content, as Anet put it. (citation needed)

Challenge isn’t synonymous with spamming 1 to get proper gear.

Happyfool.8951:

Fractals was introduced to satisfy players who wanted a more challenging content, as Anet put it. (citation needed)

Slapping an effect onto content that kills players who don’t have its specific antidote doesn’t make that content more challenging – just annoying, especially if you have to grind for said antidote.

To get my level 400 to 500 artificer I have to spend ~200 gold??!!?!!??!?!

200gold for a weapon?!!!??!?!?

How about when ascended armors are out? Prolly 800 gold?!!??!?!??!?!

WTF!

I don’t wanna “work the hardest” for something in the game. It’s a kittening game, kitten .

Zoid.2568:

Ascended is what exotic was supposed to be at launch. There isn’t going to be anything beyond Ascended. Except Legendaries, which only is for the looks and not power/stats.

Anet already broke the promise once, what makes you think they will not do it again?

The “We never said we will NOT add a new tier” bs just leave them open for more gear grinds added in the future.

Yup, gear treadmill started, they had a chnce to stop it but didnt.

alcopaul.2156:

To get my level 400 to 500 artificer I have to spend ~200 gold??!!?!!??!?!

200gold for a weapon?!!!??!?!?

How about when ascended armors are out? Prolly 800 gold?!!??!?!??!?!

WTF!

I don’t wanna “work the hardest” for something in the game. It’s a kittening game, kitten .

And you have to do that 3 times so you can actually craft all weapons. And then epic grind to actually craft the weapons. And armor is already knocking on the door so better hurry up!