Guild Wars 2

Rather than bog you down with a wall of txt that no one wants to read, I present you with a question asked of and answered by Woodenpotato.

http://youtu.be/Z4_09iJM1Xs?t=1m25s

~ After all the “fuss” about GW2.. have you learned anything about yourself as a player and what you want from an MMO?

MY OWN ANSWER TO HIS QUESTION::

Personally, I find that GW2 was a great concept, but they failed to do anything with it due to their “fear” of being like any other MMO.

IE: ANet are afriad of grinding / raids / power creep ~ thus GW2 content became trivial and nothing more than Skyrim w/Online Co-op.

“I learned that I want my gated content, because playing GW2 doesn’t even feel like an MMO in that there’s no sense of challenge or community.. we’re all just a faceless zerg vying for standardized loot.”

What could ANet have done differently? ~ this:: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/Combat-Dynamic-Events-what-s-the-point-if-they-re-easy-mode/page/1
___________

EDIT::
While it’s great to see other peoples take on this topic ~ please refrain from talking badly or taking cheap shots at certain player groups or mentalities.

IE: Hype goes both ways, in that you can build up something so much you either come crashing back down to reality or get stuck in a delusional state, thinking everything is flawless and beautiful.

Topic = Your opinion on YOURSELF and GW2

The game is aimed at the PvP crowd and then the supercasual Facebook gamers.
I hoped for it to be more of an mmo that you could actually you know, build your character, yet, you slap on a weapon and boom, you have the skills and rest is just pretty much in passive skill form(traits) not talking about slot skills, they do add variety but it’s not enough for me to have a character that I’d like to have.
No matter how many pink fluffy scarfs I equip wont make it any better.
Maybe it works for the roleplayers but for any actual mmo player this is just a game for PvP and nothing more (Except PvP is kinda bad)
Here’s a great example WHY we need gear for PvP. A server with most people wins in WvWvW but what if we added gear to that equation, a server with a lower population and well geared players could stand up to the super bad zerg rush of bad players and with the combination of skill + gear outcome the massive disadvantage is playernumbers.

I did learn that a lot of OTHER players buy into hype and don’t do the research. Which is ironic because they take their time investment seriously enough to post endless lengths of text about it on forums, but apparently… not serious enough to do the research and form their own opinions before forking over money?

What I learned about myself is that even though my primary motivation in MMOs is PvP, I do very much enjoy the cooperative gameworld. It passes the time and I’m no longer filled with a sense of loathing and paranoia every time I see another player, so that’s a plus.

I have learned that I have overcome my operant conditioning and still get cheese. The freedom is refreshing and my profession playstyle is unique/fun. And while considered inadequate those that I kill in spvp/wvw might disagree. But then again, most of them are too busy actually playing to game to spend time on the forums.

ARENAnet need look no further than their first creation GW1. It seems after Factions, they lost a core of their good staff(those who created HA/TA/RA and got the ball rolling on seasonal events).

Anyway as a player, I learned:

1) I really appreciate an elaborate selection of high-impact skills like in GW1 as opposed to limited low-impact auto-pilot skills like we have here in GW2. I literally can go make a sandwich while my toon fires away.

2) I despise conquest game types in PvP. My type of game is where the objective is to go in and kill the enemy team, period.

3) If by “gated” you mean “instanced”, I definitely do NOT like instanced content, so I commend ARENAnet for their dynamic events system although the fun-factor is limited because the auto-pilot style of fighting is boring.

ARENAnet should have put more focus on PvP or at least the same amount as they did in PvE. What it boils down to is people expect Guild Wars to be a solid PvP game as part 1 was. No one bought this game for PvE and assure you those that did are not the hardcore fans. They’ll move right on to the next pretty grind-fest that comes along.

4) I don’t like theme park games. I find all this talk about “I’m bored at level 80” hilarious. What do you expect in a theme park game??? That’s the entire reason they’re crap. For great lasting PvE, sandbox is where it’s at.

After 12 years+(since UO) the MMO community is still waiting for a big budget company to bring a massive multiplayer online world simulator sandbox with:

-Open PvP
-Non-instanced housing
-City conquering
-Crafting with a purpose. Contributing something useful unique to the world. Not simply grinding away for self sufficiency.

No….I didn’t learn anything about myself. Never expected to. Its only a game. Another time sink for anyone with a bit free time. Not unlike, though vastly superior, IMO to television.

I’ll leave philosophical revelations to RL…where they belong.

@Miracle
To clarify:: Gated content = Artifacts of “Uber” via Dungeons in Legend of Zelda

1. where you need a key to enter the dungeon.

2. You need to solve puzzles to progress and unlock more doors.

3. You have to beat the “sub-boss” to get the special item/weapon/armor that allows you to delve deeper into the dungeon.

4. You use the “special item” to solve new puzzles and eventually beat the Dungeon Boss and acquire his “legendary item” to progress further in the story, unlocking the next dungeon for conquest.

5. Upon collecting (4) Artifacts of “Uber” ~ a new continent opens up, with a whole new set of stories, dungeons, challenges and of course.. now you need to collect (9) “Pieces of Eight” to progress to new continent and unlock more of the story/dungeons/ect…

In other words, gated = Requirement before access.
In Typical MMOs this would be a “Gear score” or level restriction.

Guild Wars 2 could also have gated content, but like I said above… they’re afraid of anything that a typical MMO has.

My suggestion to this type of “gated content” for GW2:: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/GW2-Challenge-Mode-Edition
.

I have learnt that Deathshroud is OP and I just need to L2P!

(Necro’s are fine, user was infracted for this post)

Raf.1078:

No….I didn’t learn anything about myself. Never expected to. Its only a game. Another time sink for anyone with a bit free time. Not unlike, though vastly superior, IMO to television.

I’ll leave philosophical revelations to RL…where they belong.

With a response like that, I don’t think you actually watched the video or understand the topic tbh =/

i learned that eating once a day is safe, as long as i do take ONE break to eat and to use the restroom. and sleep for at least 4 hours each night. Guild Wars 2 allows me to test my body’s limits of health and mind on a daily basis. chewing ice fools my brain into thinking i ate something (chewing on ice) and drank water (ice melted in mouth), thus prolonging my gaming experience/sessions.

i finally got the hang of Elemental “bursting” i think players call it. i did not know what this meant, but i think i am starting to learn how now. I learned that i enjoy farming/grinding for no reason every night for 3 hours, for no particular reason, and that people i know in RL cannot compare to the nice people in my guild. also realize how lonely the outside world is when NOT playing Guild Wars 2.

When i die, i want to be hooked up to the large MMO in the sky…

the holy trinity is a very very important part of dungeon crawling and i hate not being a proper tank/healer

i hate token only loot systems it makes looting far less fun.

I feel GW2 is a little like Just Cause 2. A huge beautiful map with the same thing repeating over and over again. T_T

It’s fairly boring. Like Miracle.4216 said I’ve been waiting since UO for a big AAA company to make a sandbox MMO. Enough of this theme-park crap.

I’ve waited for this game for 4 years, and I’m only level 42. Since I start at the lower level areas to complete entire continents 100% I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again. That’s why I wrote that GW2 feels a little like Just Cause 2.

However. This game is definitely unique and has a lot of cool (DYNAMIC) events evolving around you. But for one that just stick around for a little while to complete a heart real quick; things might get boring in the long shot. So far I’ve stumbled on pretty much alike events like; “Collect these Dwarven Artifacts for me” etc.

Most importantly; I hold no grudge against ArenaNet for this. Hell no! More like the opposite. This is a game that have held me for a longer period of time than any other MMO I’ve ever played. So I’m on my knees kissing their feet for this game.

Remember, this is just 1 our of millions of people’s opinion.

I re-learned to trust in my instincts and never buy a game until a few months after launch. I fell for the hype of this game and broke my own rules, and regret it.

I also learned that re-opening my 11 year old Asheron’s Call account and playing is, despite the museum quality graphics, actually a boat load of fun, unlike “playing” this game. The funny thing is that ancient game comes closer to living up to the GW2 hype than GW2 does.

I also watched this video and I believe he made some good points. I Have learned a lot about myself as a player. I don’t believe that this game has no hope of catering to these types of players though. I think there is a way to eliminate the grind but still have less player equality which may br the issue- i think the truth is that most people like to believe that because they put in time and effort that they are better than others. It is just human nature. Why do we study and work and buy ferraris and big houses and other status symbols if this isn’t true? Why would i study my kitten off if the whole class is getting an A? This isnt a bad thing it js just what drives us to work harder and put in more time to certain aspects of our life. For an mmo this ideally means put in more money. I truly believe that there is a way for ANet to fix this problem without too badly hurting the casual players. Do I think this game could be amazingly fun for everyone yet still have a hierarchy of players that have put more into the game as hardcore mmo players? Yes I do.

This a fantastic topic for discussion, and a great question. (I’m curious why you changed the topic title though?)

I think I’ve learned a few things about myself, and sorry if this is a bit verbose.

One is that virtual world exploration mustn’t be one of my core motivations, at least as much as I thought it was. GW2 has the most gorgeous, intricately crafted and expansive environment I’ve ever seen in a multiplayer game, and yet despite what I thought during the beta, I’m no longer very interested in grinding out map completion. Everywhere you turn it looks phenomenal, but I just don’t feel like I’m actually immersed and interacting with a real, living world. I don’t know why – there are so many wonderfully designed elements to each zone, not to mention the ‘dynamic’ events, so I guess the conclusion must be that I’m not as much of an explorer as I thought.

Another is that I think I’ve confirmed that I don’t gel at all with the idea that player skill is more important than character skill. I almost wish that wasn’t the case. Everything about the GW2 philosophy that says player skill should determine your success rather than gear, time investment or character choices seems like it should be a huge step forward towards a more egalitarian game. It sounds like it should be more fair, more inclusive, and more fun. Despite this, I tend to feel an opposite reaction. I doubt my reaction times and coordination could ever be trained to be anywhere near as good as the ‘top-tier’ players, no matter how much I practice, and they aren’t really the attributes that I (as a person) have much interest in developing. I think I really enjoy computer games and role-playing for the social interaction and the cerebral challenge of making choices as if I was a character in the world, whereas the ‘quick-time event’ aspect of combat is a nice occasional mini-game that holds only temporary interest. I also have a suspicion that just like unchecked egalitarianism in the real world, in MMORPGs it may tend to encourage a slight elitism and a lack of empathy (ie, if everyone has the supposed equal opportunity to be successful, then anyone who is not successful is simply not trying hard enough and deserving of ridicule/exclusion). I don’t think I necessarily want gear or stats or time to overrule player skill, I think I just want it to come down to who I’ve become as a character, not how dexterous I’ve become as a player.

Finally, I think I’ve really started to understand that for me the defining features of the MMORPG/virtual world experience are what people now seem to call ‘sandbox’ (as if having meaningful choices in a virtual world was somehow an optional design decision). Linear stories, non-persistent ‘instancing’, industrial production style ‘crafting’, no opportunities to build/change the world, no interesting and exclusive choices with consequences – all of these would seem to be unfortunate imports from traditional games that I think diminish the really good aspects of why I would choose to play a persistent world based game like this over any other multiplayer game. I don’t really know if it is because GW2 de-emphasises character-based interactions and choices, but I’ve never felt so clearly that I as a player was interacting with other players out in the world or in the chat. I’ve learned how important it is to me that there is the level of immersion necessary so that my actions and interactions are in a character context – whether with PCs, NPCs or the environment.

I’m honestly surprised at how quickly I’ve lost the motivation to keep playing whenever I log into one of my characters. I still think it really seems like the most artfully crafted and exceedingly well-made game of the last few years by far.

Well, GW2 didn’t quit live up to my expectations – largely being another clone of Standard MMORPG: Mists of Boredom with rough edges ironed out instead of replaced wholesale – but I still enjoy it because I learned something else about other people from it…

That people can be friendly, helpful, smart, fun and engaging when given a system tailored to elicit just this sort of behavior.

As opposed to being fluffy, meowing, fur-licking kittens that most people usually are…

This is exactly what I wan’ed in an MMO; very happy here an’ expect ta be for some time ta come.

@Rovan Leafsong
Thank you for the well thought out and detailed response.

To follow up, I think a part of that “lack of immersion” many people (including yourself) are feeling is, in part due to the removal of the Holy Trinity.

lol, I know that sentence alone will tick a LOT of people off (IE: duh, ANet and GW2 are better off without the trinity) ~ but when you think about “Tank / Healer / DPS” you have a system the requires people to “need” and be “needed by” others.

Sounds horrible in theory right?

However, this pushes people into learning their class and actively trying to get better as to not disappoint other people, that depend on them.

In something as simple as a PvE group.. to something as complex as a 50 man raid.

It all comes down to needing others and more importantly.. to be NEEDED BY OTHERS.

Personally, I’m not a fan of the trinity ~ but after playing GW2, I can see that without it, you still need systems in place to cater to that mindset. (being needed)

Otherwise you end up with the current type of Dynamic Events that are almost identical to raids and yet still try to mimic the trinity ~ with none of the immersion or challenge.

IE: Have you fought Balthazar? ~ he chases one target at a time (Tank/Kite) ~ while everyone else throws out pot shots (DSP) ~ occasionally, someone gets low and throws down their AOE Regen (Healer).

Sounds like the Trinity! ~ but no one is actively trying to fulfill any role, instead they’re just “knee-jerk” spamming either DPS, Dodge or Heal.

Which is one of the reasons I created this suggestion: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/Combat-Dynamic-Events-what-s-the-point-if-they-re-easy-mode/page/1

Though it doesn’t solve all of the problems, it does allow ANet to keep the current combat system and design “challenging” content and mob balance around it.

Something where everyone must pay attention to what’s actually going on in the battle and has a “job” to do, yet still doesn’t need the holy trinity.

In closing, I think that Guild Wars 2 has great potential ~ but it seems they’re either holding themselves back due to “fear” of becoming a traditional MMO or because they really don’t want anything to do with MMO’s and like having more in common with a 60$ Action/Adventure Console game.

In which case, I would wonder why they would even bother to label it an MMO at all.

Also, a video you may find contextually interesting:: http://youtu.be/Aip2aIt0ROM
Design Choices:: Challenge Vs. Cheap Last-ability?

I have some issues with some of the grinds in place but I am REALLY liking the stat parity at max level, far more than I thought I would.

For once I actually have interest in playing max level alts.

I’m going to have a tough time losing that whenever I play some other MMO.

Afraid of grinding? I wish they were more afraid of grinding! Or have you failed to acquaint yourself with crafting yet?

There’s a lot of things GW2 brings to the genre. The fact that A-Net challenged the standard is a good thing.

GW2 was a theory, and since it really wasn’t put into practice by a major company, we wouldn’t know what works, and what doesn’t work.

We need more bold approaches to the genre, and we need them to build on each other’s strengths and weaknesses. GW2 does this.

GW2 failed completely to keep me interested for more than one month (barely). And even during that month, I haven’t enjoyed my game time, I was more of forcing myself to play, trying to like a game that’s just designed wrong.

I only played the game for 5 minutes on opening day, and now I hate the game so much that I just read the Guild Wars 2 forums constantly, everyday, all day. THIS IS THE WORST GAME EVER. I will spend the rest of my life devoted to posting on the forums so others can know how bad this game is.

I’m even going to name my first born “Guild Wars 2 Sucks” don’t care if its a boy or a girl, THE WORLD MUST KNOW.

Loved it till lvl 10. Now after i seen how anet works with support, how game works with gems shop ftw , and game content being broken and boring, i hate it.
For me its fail and soon we will all see it.

I’ll keep this short. To answer the OP: Yes.

Yes it is.

Had fun till about level 40-50. Story turned into garbage… the DE’s felt repetitive, the dungeons are a chore with no defined healer or tank class, the systems in which you find/buy gear are flawed and I really wish I could get a refund and buy something like borderlands 2

I discovered that the kind of players who want to feel superior to others because they can spend more time grinding gear that has higher stats also like to post on forums of games that do not cater to their particular proclivities complaining that there is no endgame.

I also discovered that the people who play to get more skilled over time keep on playing and don’t need the crutch of out-gearing someone in order to pwn them.

C’est la vie.

Since my fun comes from exploring, helping random strangers and chatting away in map chat, I think this game hits the mark for me When I do a dungeon for example, I really don’t care about setting a record time, as long as I have a group to joke around with. Have not been disappointed so far.

I find it harder to long in each week, my friends for the most part never made it past 20. Most went to Mop and never turned back, because the content while the same as always was challenging and rewarding. Even with all the RNG trying to get the items you want, at least they where obtainable, and served a use. Not just looked cool and make others spam /w or focus in wvw.

I still get on because I enjoy wvw, hell I avoid combat like the plague in wvw, and scout 99% of the day. Reporting movements, predicting attacks with fair accuracy, and generally influencing my commanders, helping us win.

Outside of wvw, I mine…. and mine… and farm…
not even able to try the RNG fight for a precursor yet since the economy is still rough.
Prices continue to rise as players leave, chances of getting a legendary “skin” drop as the % of sucess seems to be secretly nerfed with every update.

Dont get me wrong. I have gold. I toss it around. Hell I throw gold at keeps in wvw to get the orb (golems). In handfuls, but its not anything that satasfies the quest for something “better” because we are all equals.

I wanted esport spvp, but normalization forces most viable spvp to be 1 of maybe 3 things. THere is little variance because we are so normalized that we know what “could” be out there and can stop it. Theres nothing to fear, no one is better geared, only better or lucky enough to have a better connection.

And then theres the gem shop. Launch week, hell I must have burned 20 keys I looted. I have not seen one drop since week 2. Occasionally they come in quest/zone rewards. But thats just as rare. usually its gear my class cant use and I have to horde it or sell it off. EVERYTHING costs gems. Bag slots, character slots, skins. Sure I can understand this but the transfer rate is climbing and only getting worse. This may be f2p, but its still p2w or at least look nice and enjoy. And only if your lucky it seems after shelling out massive wads. (or having godsend luck)

Anet, your cash shop for profit only hurts you. Sure you get money from gold farmers and people hyped for skins, but the average player hates you. Because you put RNG on real money. If we invest actuall money we should be able to get more than a chance at what we want with more than the probability of literally getting trash.

I have discovered that I don’t need a never ending stat climb in order to enjoy end game. I used to be like everyone else, chasing after stat increases in order to feel superior to others. Why bother? What does it really matter? I can get the same amount of joy from making my character look sick without making the game imbalanced in my favor against the people who can’t grind all day.

Really, Guild Wars 2 has changed my outlook on MMOs completely. It has a load of issues that really need fixed, but the base game itself is awesome, the idea behind it all is awesome. All they need to do is expand content to make the game more varied, balance certain aspects of the game (WvW/SPvP), make certain currencies have more uses in general (Badges of Honor, Karma) and then add bells whistles (e.g. spectator mode). Once they’ve done those things, GW2 will be my favorite MMO of all time without any comparison.

Pilusilm.5682:

The game is aimed at the PvP crowd and then the supercasual Facebook gamers.

Let’s start with this.

I hate PvP. And I hate those simple Facebook games.

So, that is out of the way.

But GW2 is exactly what I wanted in a MMO.

1. I’m not required to keep on upgrading my gear past a certain point. I can focus on how I want to look. And if I find an item which I like in the looks department, but don’t like in the stats department, well, I’ll just transfer that look onto an item where I don’t like the looks of, but rather prefer the stats.

2. I’m not required to party up with strangers to even get some basic things done. I can still party with friends if I want to, but nobody is forcing me. Yet I do come across players in the wild wild world (luckily not too often, otherwise it would feel like a park instead of a wilderness!)

3. I love the crafting system, though I wouldn’t have minded if it were more difficult to max (not by implementing a “failed to craft” system!). No idea how, but I sometimes think it’s too easy (especially the weapons and armour crafters are too much copy/paste).

4. But most of all, I love the environments, especially in combination of the dynamic events. Something I (or any other player) do can change the environment (for a while). I simply love to explore the world. And returning to already visited places only to find them in a different state from what I’ve seen before because some other player did (or didn’t do) something.

Naturally, there are snakes in this paradise as well, but for me, most of those are my fellow players. I especially don’t like people who only play for the coin/karma/XP reward. They will start an event and then won’t stick around to finish it because they can get more coin if they have 3 bronze instead of 1 gold reward. Or those that will stick with only one or two events because those are “easy” and “profitable”. They ruin those events for the rest of the player base that would like a challenge.

Irnhide.3428:

Had fun till about level 40-50. Story turned into garbage… the DE’s felt repetitive, the dungeons are a chore with no defined healer or tank class, the systems in which you find/buy gear are flawed and I really wish I could get a refund and buy something like borderlands 2

I really enjoyed my elementalist but yeah, I cant stand lvling up anymore. Quests are repetitive. Storyline blows. Combat is getting dry. It’s becoming a chore rather than a game. Things feel kinda pointless and I’m just lvling for the sake of lvling—which is why I haven’t played much in the last few days even with the Halloween events. Sigh.

Dishonored seems like it’s going to be fun though.

Hmm What I’ve learned….

First thing I learned in the game is that something that so many claimed was overhyped can be underestimated. When I played for the first time I was expecting dynamic events to be immersive and to achieve that I expected that NPCs would engage in the dynamic event itself rather then just stand there their only purpose to give you the quest. I was expecting they would run out of sight before despawning. I was expecting they would spawn in the world out of sight and after they’re all killed they die and stay dead. In some events thats what I got but in others it was so much more then that. Mobs would be patrolling their fortress, they would leave their patrol and assault a friendly village and those who survive after the failed assault would just run back to their old patrol. NPCs would walk for whole minutes to get to their homes / where something needs doing. Dynamic event chains play out like a mini interactive movie. Everything actually happens down to small insignifact details such as calling in a raven to send a message that the NPC in question needs a caravan to transport stuff. It was so much more then I was expecting.

Second thing I learned is as unlikely as it would seem sometimes you want things you dont even know you want! we all have our own vision of how the perfect MMO should be but in mind I never evitioned things like send you collectables to the bank from all over the world. I never imagined little details such as have a dove deliver your mail rather then it simply magically appearing. I’ve never imagined that you could randomize a bit sound so that repeating things such as a windmill can sound entirely random even though its not etc..

All the other stuff I knew and lived up to my expectation. I knew the game allowed all of its content to be repeated as to achieve your end game goals and thats exactly what the game does. I knew that there would be a ton to do to tweak one character and there would be many different ways to achieve that goal! I want to craft corrupted weapons? takes a lot of Corrupt lodestones that have a very low drop rate. Some I can farm but once it starts getting repetitve, I can do dynamic events, I can do dungeons, I can go play wvw, I can play in any zone and I will make the money necessary to buy the next few lodestones until I feel to farm some more. As I was expecting You decide how to reach your goal.

I was also expecting a combat system that allowed me to play my character any way I want much like gw1. Thats exactly what I got though in a different system. Every skill I have can be used in so many ways depending on how I use it. more then that I can combine that with other skills and the skills of other players. There are so many layers to the combat system that it kind over borders with over achieving more then I was expecting. Its a pity there isnt any really tough content to make the combat system shine. I hope future content will remedy this!

All in all The game delivered exactly what I was expecting. I played gw1 and I loved the game for its phylosofies. Liberty to play the character any way you want. Goals that take long to acheive but that have no urgency to be achieved and that you can get around at doing in many different ways. A world thats seemingly living where your actions actually have an impact, if npcs are asking you to go to war for them, they dont stay relaxed at home, they join the fight and whatever you do changes the world while you’re doing it, if for a temporary amount of time (for obvious reasons). These core GW1 phylosofies where implemented perfectly in GW2, these I already knew I would liked what GW2 has to offer.

People like to take the high road and say “I don’t care about gear progression” and I laugh.

A good MMO with good PVE endgame has GOOD raids/dungeons that not only DROP upgrades per boss killed, but also reward you with tokens to upgrade even more gear. It’s a marriage between gear and progression that lets your character grow in strength as you progress through the content.

In Guild Wars 2 doesn’t matter what battles you’ve been in, or what evil monster you destroyed – you can still be chain stun’d by risen farmers with shovels.

GW2 is great, good concept, good play, but with punishing dungeons that really aren’t that fun and where you have aggro bouncing all over the place. People will naturally want to play tanks – therefore let them and stop the ping pong machine of an aggro mechanic. They might have pulled it off if dungeons were fun and challenging but overall they’re feh.

People skip mobs for a reason. Never seen as much skipping of dungeon content in any other MMO than GW.

I am only commenting here because I believe the complaints are far too vocal compared to the praise.

I like GW2. I enjoy all aspects of the game from WvW and Dungeons to exploring and crafting. I like the challenges that this game poses and I feel great when I learn how to overcome them.

I don’t understand why people complain about the lack of vertical gear progression at 80 in GW2. This game doesn’t have it, this game was never intended to have it. Plenty of other games do have it. Why do the complaining people think all MMOs need vertical gear progression at max level?

Sometimes I think they should have just kept the max level at 20 like in GW1. That way a massive proportion of game content would be for max level and would hopefully have deterred the complainers from trying it in the first place. Please do not pay any attention to the complainers ArenaNet, they are vocal and louder than the people who like it the way it is because those people are mostly busy enjoying the game.

It is hilarious when some people left WoW because they can’t stand what WoW did when come to GW2 THOSE poeple still keep demanding for GW2 to be like WoW. I afraid WoW just inception their mind that good MMORPG = good vertical stats progression contents.

Just another thread with whiners once more proclaiming, “I wish GW2 was like X game – but I’m not going to go over and play X game, I’m just going to complain about how I wish GW2 was like X game – but I’m not going to go over and play X game, I’m just going to complain about how I wish GW2 was like X game – but I’m not going to go over and play X game, I’m just going to complain about how I wish GW2 was like X game – but I’m not going to go over and play X game, I’m just going to complain about how I wish GW2 was like X game – but I’m not going to go over and play X game, I’m just going to…”

And it never really ends…

I love this game because being a good player is more important than having good gear. There is no making up for lack of player skill with higher tier stuff. Either you’re bad and you die, or you’re good and you win. Gear doesn’t change that, neither does level actually. I’d take a 34 guildie to AC expl over an 80++ elitist any day of the week.

Seriously… 80++ what does that even mean? If you don’t know there’s nothing higher than 80 then you must surely be a bad player.

After waiting for Guild Wars 2 since the first announcement ( 5 years ago), I’ll say that it’s pretty much all I want from an MMO. I learned that I know exactly what I want, which is why I’m not disappointed with the game. Neither did I have unrealistically high expectations created by the hype pre-launch. I kept my expectations for the game at a realistic level. I knew some of the things ArenaNet claimed just couldn’t be true — such as dynamic events being truly dynamic, and a high quality branching story for 5 different races and with tons of choices.

Anyone who’s disappointed with this game either:
-Had unrealistic expectations from hype / trailers / marketing / own imagination
-Didn’t do their research
-Didn’t want Guild Wars 2, but rather WoW (or any of their favourite MMO) v2.0

No game is perfect for you, unless you make it yourself… GW2 definitely is not the end-all, perfect game for every player.

With that said, my answer to the original question is a resounding yes. This is dramatically closer to what I have always wanted out of an MMORPG. This game is fantastic, and it meets and exceeds all the expectations I had prior to release. It comes closer to the game design philosophy that I’m looking for than any game in the last decade. I can’t wait to see how they improve it over time…and I hope that future games in the genre take these concepts and run with them.

I’ve learned I can enjoy an MMO again after WoW:BC and that I don’t need no carrot on a stick to drive me through the game if the content is fun enough.

Absolutely perfect for me. I guess players like me are the target audience and they totally nailed it. I absolutely love that there is no gear treadmill, equal pvp, pve mechanics that endorse friendly behavior and the absolutely beautiful world this is all presented in. Of course there are a lot of areas this game needs improving, but the key mechanics are definitely not one of those.

I love that I’m not forced to do anything I don’t like and I can sometimes if I want to slow my pace and smell the roses so to speak. My main is 80 with max gear, around 6-7 exotic weapons on her, 100% map completion and I still have loads of stuff to do. My “endgame” consists of sandbox style approach to the world, socializing (dungeons), pvp and the occasional alt leveling without the worry of getting behind on my main. My current goals are to master all of the dungeons and push my limits as a player as high as I can, that in PvE and PvP. I believe even when I’m bored from the PvE/dungeon part (that is until the next expansion), even W3 would be enough to keep me occupied for a long time.

The mechanics people bring up as negatives, regarding mechanics GW2 doesn’t have compared to other MMOs, I actually see them as positive, because a lot of them were the things that I hated on other games, but lack of them in here, keep me hooked on this game.

tl;dr: Yes

I actually asked very little of this game as I played GW and never liked it. Reluctantly bought this when Swtor was becoming miserable and couldn’t be happier in my decision.
Maybe because I’m from the older crowd and the Old School EQ genre but this game is actually amazing in the amoun it lets you do and not be over-geared to do it. I can go back to any level content and have fun and be rewarded. I get to explore, do puzzles see amazing things and all of that is in the open world.

How many of your older MMO’s did that? When was the last time you really got to do those things in WoW without going into an instance?

To me, reading these forums it clear that a lot of gamers feel entitled to certain things and if they dont get them, the game is crap.

Equal pvp feels essential for pvp or it can never be competetive, but equal pve just destroys immersion. In spite of these things I do not really get why this is even discussed before the gamebreaking bugs are fixed so that everyone can play it and get people to come back to the game.

All I ever wanted was Devil May Cry Online. Or at least Dark Souls MMO.

I dont need loot, raids or progression, I want a great skill-based combat system and PvP. And lots of explosions. And minimal grind.

Dragon’s Nest was pretty close, but lack of character customisation and its free to play moneygrabbing is a bit of a downer.

GW2 doesn’t have the combat system I’m looking for, but the other elements all appeal to me, so I will pass the time here until my dreamed-of DMC Online becomes a reality.

Rieselle.5079:

Dragon’s Nest was pretty close, but lack of character customisation and its free to play moneygrabbing is a bit of a downer.

I love dragon nest’s combat system too.

You reminded me how I missed raiding the elf and cerberus set in DN and all the fun activities with my guild before I quit for a better graphic game. I agree it has lack character customisation. It’s has minimal grinding there but there’s good constant individual gear and level progression.

PvP= Balance and only skill
PvE= Progression

I think GW2 helped me to better focus on what it was I was looking for in an online rpg. Lately I’ve come to realize I was in it for the reward of increasing accessibility.

GW2 managed to provide that in ways better than other games I played.
- The waypoint system.
- The weapon skill system and bundle pick ups.
- New mechanics being unlocked as you level up.
- Skill points used as a currency to buy from a pool of skills.
- Increasing the number of possible traits each tier unlocked.
- Downscaling keeping more and more content practical as you level up.

However, I feel GW1 had accessibility progression that I wish was kept.
- Secondary professions broadened playstyle options significantly the longer you played a character.
- Prestige items weren’t so daunting to get in GW1. Farming was usually only necessary for those wanting large collections.
- PVE progression focused on increasing build accessibility. One could tackle more content as they progressed from a having a character able to do more, instead of hit harder.

So I learned how to better identify what I had already liked better than I had before.
I guess that’s life. lol

I learned about internet communities and hence stepped away from all social media activities at work