I play GW2 for the exploration, story content, and exploring new mechanical combinations.
With the stat and equipment differences of PvP, I do not have nearly the same motivation to sit in that mode and experiment. If I’m experimenting it’s for PvP, not all game modes. I had less of a problem in GW1 where there was a PvP/PvE split.
I’ve explored most of the map by now, but I lack reasons to motivate exploration beyond just the sense of exploration. I’ve ran out of personal story content, I was more energized to play when I had story missions to do.
The Ascended gear grind and the exotic gear grind are fairly minor. My issue is that they take up inventory or bank slots. So I don’t really have multiple sets lying around because I need the space to collect the hordes of trash loot that keeps dropping. I don’t find salvaging fun. I do not find my deposit slots filling fun. I do not like opening bags. I rare drop is sometimes exciting for the skin that drops. Transmutation charges are not hard to come by, but the system really does discourage rapid look changing.
I want the mastery track rewards, but there is no simple goals to get them. I am expected to just do the map, which I find dilutes my desire to actually get the mastery ranks. When getting an elite spec, I found hunting for hero points motivating and compelled me to keep playing. A “do anything” fill exp bar, does not. The freedom is nice, but there is a lack focus to keep me going.
I don’t like the gear/stat system. Multiplicative damage stacking in a game where you choose between linear stacking tank stats or multiplicative stacking damage stats axes build diversity for me. It’s engaging figuring out how survive with glassier specs, but once you do then there really isn’t much left to learn in your class expect squeezing out more damage. You can try tankier combos, but you end up doing fractional DPS for marginal survivability.
Once you lock into build, lock into a gear set, and finish the story, there really isn’t much that keeps me going. I would like to see the basic concept of the gear/stat system revisted and how both damage and survival are calculated. I would like to see these systems re-imagined to better facilitate experimentation. I would want gear simplified, with all the trash cut out. I don’t need to open a bag to open another bag to just salavage all the trash just deposit in an overflowing bank to just curse the kitten sigals and runes that I either have to spend minutes tossing or just hold onto to them until I hit a merchant. That just takes me out of the action and any fun that I was having. I want more story content. Things I can personally do. Dynamic events that you can carry yourself, personal story, jumping puzzles, quest lines that cross the world. These are all great things to make solo-able that then are enhanced by having other people involved. If that kind of stuff was tied into mastery progression, I would find that motivating.
As it stands, I am not motivated enough to repeat map content to just fill a bar. I like this game. I have fun with it. The mechanics are pretty interesting. I just need focus and the petty annoyances are great enough obstacles that I do not have the desire to continually play. I was about to buy another character slot, but I decided I wouldn’t be playing the new character that much anyways do to the reasons listed above. Instead I purchased some Warframe micro-transactions. The apparent hypocrisy of buying more slots in that grind-fest game, but not for the far less grindy GW2 is why I wanted to share those reasons in a space where feedback is collected. I’m not against the core concept of MMOs. I just wanted to explain the little things in GW2 that are inhibiting my personal enjoyment.