Guild Wars 2

Ok I have been back and forth with people in game and with friends…..All MMO’s do it this way and I am not sure why. Why is GW2 forcing the guilds and groups idea. They half exp and loot between everyone that fights with us. But the problem with the game is not one person can play solo cause everything is near impossible being the the levels are nerfed when you go into a number of areas. I hate the fact that MMO’s make it hard for people to level up by letting everyone take half loot and half exp just for standing near a person while they do their best to fight. and Take the spoils of fighting. I always played Solo but GW2 is forcing people like myself to join guilds or fight with a group so they can take my exp and loot just for being apart of the guild.

What class are you? Other than my ele and Mesmer leveling was the easiest in this game I have ever done. I am not sure what you mean half exp and loot??? Everyone that tags the mob gets their own exp and loot.

This is probably the most solo friendly MMO I have ever played. If you are having trouble soloing you are doing it wrong.

It pushes people to join a guild cause nothing can be beat less someone helps you and if they help you they get half the loot and exp even if they do not kill what yer fighting at that moment. So to be honest its not solo friendly. And there is no wrong way to do it you level up you get skills you fight thats it nothing else can be done to be stronger when they strip yer level from you when you enter a area where the level is lower then yers. Is crazy. There is no need to level up really cause its just pulled away from you.

I am a elementalist but its with all my characters. My Necromancer and my ranger.

Exp and Loot isn’t divided by the amount of people participating. You are awarded based on your participation which is entirely independent on you and no one else.

Levels aren’t nerfed. You are downlevelled to match a suitable level for the area. So it should provide a challenge and not a walk-in-the-park. Although sometimes this is still the case.

Guild Wars 2 encourages group play by doing these two things. Doing things in groups will be faster but it doesn’t mean you get more than if you did it alone.

A) Rewarding characters independent of others. So no one is trying to steal kills from you.
B) Downscaling higher levels so that they don’t ruin the experience of the lower levels.

Rune I think you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s OK to be confused. I’ve played solo and with a group and my xp doesn’t seem to change. If anything I think I get more XP from being in a group lol, we kill stuff faster and get same or similar amount of XP. Not only that, everyone loots separately and no money or items are split.

Additionally, Like Ruprect said, this game is almost a joke it’s so easy to solo. I think you might just be in an area too hard for you? In this game 1-2 levels above makes a difference. Try to stick with stuff your level.

I think you are confused. First off you absolutely do not have to party up to level in this game. You are almost always scaled down to be 2+ levels above what your are fighting. I have leveled 6 char to 80 completely solo, other than some levels in WvW and dungeons. I never had a problem. If you use an elementalist or Mesmer it is a little daunting but completely doable. You do not share anything with anyone. What ever mobs you tag you get full exp and loot for even if you are partied up as far as I can tell. In DE’s you get a medal based on participation, to get a gold you need to tag like 2 mobs.

Make sure you gear is always up to date, do not play a level 40 are with level 20 armor weapons.

Maybe I am completely missing the point here.

RuneCrimson.7380:

Ok I have been back and forth with people in game and with friends…..All MMO’s do it this way and I am not sure why. Why is GW2 forcing the guilds and groups idea. They half exp and loot between everyone that fights with us. But the problem with the game is not one person can play solo cause everything is near impossible being the the levels are nerfed when you go into a number of areas. I hate the fact that MMO’s make it hard for people to level up by letting everyone take half loot and half exp just for standing near a person while they do their best to fight. and Take the spoils of fighting. I always played Solo but GW2 is forcing people like myself to join guilds or fight with a group so they can take my exp and loot just for being apart of the guild.

So why do you play an online rpg? There are so many beautiful offline rpgs out there that won’t force you into group-play.

In Guild Wars 2 loot and exp is SHARED not SPLIT, everyone gets the same amount from killing a mob or from completing an event whether they are in a group or solo. There is no down side to teaming up with others, which is really good IMO. Experience earned is also scaled slightly, so a higher level player would get more exp/higher lvl loot from lower level events than a player of the correct level, this is so that people can play anywhere in the world and not feel like they aren’t progressing.

Levelling does not have much of an effect no, if you want to be able to run around one-shotting everything in the low level areas once you are a high level then just plain can’t in GW2, though it will be significantly easier.

I am a level 23 went to a area and it jacked me down to a level 17 everything I fight kills me. When I do kill something I write down the exp I get and I write it when someone helps and its half what I get when I kill the same thing by myself. I always stick to places my level and lower and my armour is always upto date I watched someone with my own eyes stand back watch me kill a spider and run up and take the loot I have been suckered before with the same talk in MMO’s So after that I have always wrote down my exp and such to keep track. and it is so with this MMO too. I like the game and the story lines and alot of other such things its just the fact that I have to struggle in near impossible odds to get anywhere or I have to get someone to help and they get half of that I fight my kitten off for.

JustCurious there is no progresses you level yer butts off in this game work and work to get yer character to a good status and slam he is a weak lil peon without having 2 other people by yer side.

I do not think we should be one shotting something No but again if we level up and do all that work it should at least feel like we are getting somewhere when we are not really getting anywhere except getting skills and I got all the skills I can get right now but they do no good when you hit something and yer so weak its like you never did no work leveling up. A level 80 comes into a level 17 area and they are fighting their butts off just to win it should at least feel like they are a bit stronger then just a level 17

A: your loot and XP are your own, what you get and what others get are not tied together. if you kill a spider and you see someone else pick up loot from it, it’s not your loot, it’s theirs.

B: You need to develop a better build and learn how to play it better. this isn’t the kind of game where you can level up and let the math carry you once things get tougher. You beat tougher mobs by being a better player.

I have never ever experienced this. Look at your gear, buy green items to get on level gear. Look are ear, rings, amulet buy on level green. Buy since it is usually the same price or cheaper than crafting it yourself, green since it is a waste to buy anything else and outlevel it. Look at your traits, you have points, maybe you have not used them bottom icon left hand side on the same page as your weapon unlock.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I do not think we should be one shotting something No but again if we level up and do all that work it should at least feel like we are getting somewhere when we are not really getting anywhere except getting skills and I got all the skills I can get right now but they do no good when you hit something and yer so weak its like you never did no work leveling up. A level 80 comes into a level 17 area and they are fighting their butts off just to win it should at least feel like they are a bit stronger then just a level 17

A level 80 in a 17 zone would have a much easier time with the mobs as their gear is better than anything available at that level and they have access to higher traits. If your gear is up to date you should be fine and by up to date I mean no more than 4 levels lower than your current level.
If you are keeping your gear up to date and you are still having a hard time try looking at the skills you are using and the traits you have picked, try speccing for more survivability instead of pure damage etc. Do you mind me asking what profession you picked?

RuneCrimson.7380:

All MMO’s do it this way and I am not sure why. Why is GW2 forcing the guilds and groups idea. They half exp and loot between everyone that fights with us.

ArenaNet agrees with you. That’s why they’ve made the game so that regardless of the number of players, each player gets the full amount of loot.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I am a level 23 went to a area and it jacked me down to a level 17 everything I fight kills me. When I do kill something I write down the exp I get and I write it when someone helps and its half what I get when I kill the same thing by myself. I always stick to places my level and lower and my armour is always upto date I watched someone with my own eyes stand back watch me kill a spider and run up and take the loot I have been suckered before with the same talk in MMO’s So after that I have always wrote down my exp and such to keep track. and it is so with this MMO too. I like the game and the story lines and alot of other such things its just the fact that I have to struggle in near impossible odds to get anywhere or I have to get someone to help and they get half of that I fight my kitten off for.

No one can steal your XP, your loot, or your gathering node. Loot drops for the individual, other players cannot even see the loot you get, let alone take it before you do. XP is awarded to everyone who does enough damage to qualify (which is only ever an issue in boss fights and was recently adjusted to be more fair), and ten people can mine the same chunk of iron ore one after the other.

Either you are mistaken, or posting false information to get people riled up. This game works in very different ways from other MMOs.

I am a Elementalist and everything is upto date and there is nothing I can do with my skills and traits to make it stronger you just put them in it makes no never mind how you do it. and Thibash I have been told that but I watched my exp and loot get halfed between 3 people and watched a person run up and take my loot from a killed creature so not exactly sure how to believe what I have seen with my own eyes.

I’m not saying this to be a jerk, but you really need to learn how to play this game. Because everything you have described is wrong.

Your eyes are just not correctly interpreting what they’re seeing.

for example: when a mob goes unkilled for a long time, they have an XP bonus attached to them which gets bigger the longer they’ve been alive. that’s partly why killing the same mobs doesn’t always give the same amount of XP.

so if you come upon on a mob, kill it, wait for it to respawn and then kill it again, you’ll always get less xp the second time.

has nothing to do with who’s around you,

RuneCrimson.7380:

I am a Elementalist and everything is upto date and there is nothing I can do with my skills and traits to make it stronger you just put them in it makes no never mind how you do it. and Thibash I have been told that but I watched my exp and loot get halfed between 3 people and watched a person run up and take my loot from a killed creature so not exactly sure how to believe what I have seen with my own eyes.

You didn’t watch them run up & take your loot. They took their own. If they hit the creature too, then they get a chance at their own separate loot, just like you do. Not every creature gives you loot (I’m sure you’ve noticed this when solo). Sometimes you kill something & you get nothing. If the guy ran up it’s cuz the dice rolled in his favor for loot and didn’t for you. Everyone gets their own loot table.

What you said about about throwing points in traits and it makes no never mind how you do it….completely false. This is why you’re having trouble. You need to play smart and create a build around your skills and traits. Elementalist has a higher skill cap than other professions. You need to learn how to effectively attunement swap. Maybe try an easier profession like warrior or ranger until you get the combat mechanics down.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I am a Elementalist and everything is upto date and there is nothing I can do with my skills and traits to make it stronger you just put them in it makes no never mind how you do it. and Thibash I have been told that but I watched my exp and loot get halfed between 3 people and watched a person run up and take my loot from a killed creature so not exactly sure how to believe what I have seen with my own eyes.

Then pay more attention to what you write. What do you mean a person run up and took your loot? When you kill a mob everyone that participated it killing it has a chance of getting loot from it, so everyone around, in the same group or not, gets the exact same EXP/Loot as if he killed the mob solo.

I am sure they would they have no problems taking forever to level cause someone is getting half of their exp. They have no problems running around with a group of people that will make it harder for them to level up. They have no problems with people running up and taking loot from them and such. I do cause I am not that far in level and need everything I get right now…when I am over a level 30 I will be with the other four million players and not care who gets what I mine. I have been told the same things everyone is telling me now in 50 other MMO games and got suckered more then 4 times…guarding myself and trying to get a little advice about how to make things more playable solo seems to be wrong in every game. But seems there is no way to play GW2 solo so I will go back to fighting my butt off dying 7 million times and hoping in the middle of that I will level up and it might do some good….it hasn’t done any good for me lately cause no matter how high in level I am it just keeps me at level 17 cause of the area I am in.

you are not lvl 17, the area is. Learn what that means and you will have less stress in your life.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I watched someone with my own eyes stand back watch me kill a spider and run up and take the loot

This did not happen in GW2, I don’t know what you think you saw, but it wasn’t this. The game tags monsters once you attack them and everyone gets the same chance of loot dropping Just for them – nobody can take your loot in this game. You’re being paranoid, one of the big central themes to this game is that you can run around and play with others and their killing monsters does not take away your rewards. I play with others all the time – level just fine and get me more loot than I can carry.

I watched him walk up and take my loot the spider was glowing and he walked up and it stopped glowing…it only glows for the person if its theirs on their side or should. As for getting the same loot and exp I fought a creature by myself killed it got 15xp fought the same creature with someone and only got 5 exp when I never stopped hitting it til it was dead.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I watched him walk up and take my loot the spider was glowing and he walked up and it stopped glowing…it only glows for the person if its theirs on their side or should. As for getting the same loot and exp I fought a creature by myself killed it got 15xp fought the same creature with someone and only got 5 exp when I never stopped hitting it til it was dead.

Are you sure this happened in a game called Guild Wars 2? Because everyone else that plays this game (and I mean everyone) has a completely different experience.

Yes I am sure it was this game cause this game and Assassins Creed 3 is the only ones I have been playing for the past 3 months lol And AC is not a MMO.

I’ve been playing the game solo since 2 weeks after it was released and I have never had the problems or experienced what you claim to have seen.

I wasn’t sure if you were just confused or trolling. Several people have tried to explain what happens and you simply refuse to acknowledge this. Now I’m sure. Bye!

I will not say anther word I will just go back to struggling in the near impossible and letting people take my exp and loot since everyone does not want to hear what I have seen and done in the game and find out how to play solo without being nerfed so bad. Later all.

either you do not read the responses or you actively do not want to understand what is written in them. Here in short form:
a) there is no xp/loot stealing. Contributors to a kill tag for the xp/loot and it is NOT split amongst them.
b) even downleveled to area you are more powerful than a player at level

most of all, the vast majority of the open world pve is ridiculously easy. If you keep failing as dramatically as you describe, you really must be doing something fundamentally wrong. Check your relevant class forum section, check gw2wiki, google for your class and builds, would be a good starting advice.

RuneCrimson.7380:

I will not say anther word I will just go back to struggling in the near impossible and letting people take my exp and loot since everyone does not want to hear what I have seen and done in the game and find out how to play solo without being nerfed so bad. Later all.

So why do you play an online rpg? There are so many beautiful offline rpgs out there that won’t force you into group-play.

Yeah but you forgot to answer my question.

I play offline games too I only have a few problems with the game other then that its fun when I can actually play it and not get dropped in 2.3 seconds.

yeah, by now it seems rather probable either a really young kid or a feeble attempt at humor.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Experience

No one can steal your loot, gatherables, or xp. You “earn” your exp by doing damage to the mob.

I solod my personal story till the end “where you need a group for the last part”. I don’t see it as impossible solo, it can be difficult at times but not impossible.

“I am sure they would they have no problems taking forever to level cause someone is getting half of their exp. They have no problems running around with a group of people that will make it harder for them to level up. "

Exactly the opposite of how GW2 works, in fact everything you listed was exactly what this game was made to break away from others..

“They have no problems with people running up and taking loot from them and such. I do cause I am not that far in level and need everything I get right now…”

Again, no one takes your loot… They CAN’T. You will not get loot EVERY mob, but you will get your own loot. AS will everyone else. Please check dev posts and interviews for how the game is designed, as i feel you are greatly confusing gw2 with other MMO’s.

I solo every single day on my thief, who is in the most glass cannon build possible. I rarely die unless I’m typing… And that is in a level 80 zone with tons of mobs.

Lastly, take a good look at all of your gear. Try and refresh it at around level 7 when starting, and then every 10 levels or so. You don’t need the best gear, just try to fill in the holes. Take your time killing, don’t try and brave 10 mobs at once. When you need help you can ask for it, but it seems you like to do things solo, which is fine. I also solo leveled most of the game, I’ve done maybe 6 dungeons EVER, so there is a place for people who solo. Because i make good money, easy leveling, and still find time to be sociable, even if typing gets me killed..

“Parties are not strictly necessary for the open world, but are necessary to join dungeons and other player’s personal story instances. A player can also join a squad which is useful for coordination during large events”

“Each player who participates in killing a monster will have the opportunity to loot the body. Each monster has a damage table and a threshold value of damage done to it by the player before it will give full credit for the kill. This value is about 5% to 10% of the monster’s health.¹ The loot dropped is unique to the player, and loot received by one player does not affect what another player receives. One monster may drop the same rare item for multiple players.”

“Players are discouraged from playing in areas that are too far above their current level. Due to how player and enemy stats increase with level, players will find it very difficult to deal significant damage against enemies more than 10 levels above their own. This means they generally will not receive credit for killing foes, preventing them from receiving any drops, and consequently preventing them from receiving any credit for participating in events. In addition, monsters will detect a much lower level player from a much further distance than they would detect an equal level player, and rush to attack them.

The levels of zones, enemies, hearts, and events will be displayed in purple when they are 10 levels or more above your character’s level.
Players can still complete Renown Hearts as long as the heart has non-combat tasks to perform.
Players cannot complete skill challenges; communing and item challenges can not be started.
Players will only deal glancing blows to enemies.
Players will find it very difficult to deal enough damage to receive credit for kills or participation in events.
Players cannot inflict conditions, enemies will display an “Immune” message instead.
Players can inflict control effects.
Players cannot rally off enemies."

“I am a level 23 went to a area and it jacked me down to a level 17 everything I fight kills me.”

Being higher level does not give you a guaranteed win. the scaling down allows players of any level to enjoy any content anywhere, aside from too high level where you are discouraged from trying to do-ie a level 50 in Orr.

“There is no need to level up really cause its just pulled away from you.”

Even though you are scaled down, your traits stay and your skills stay. So you actually have an advantage if you are higher in a small way, but still can be killed if not playing smart, yes even in a level 5 zone.

RuneCrimson.7380:

JustCurious there is no progresses you level yer butts off in this game work and work to get yer character to a good status and slam he is a weak lil peon without having 2 other people by yer side.

Completely wrong.

JustCurious.3457:

RuneCrimson.7380:

I do not think we should be one shotting something No but again if we level up and do all that work it should at least feel like we are getting somewhere when we are not really getting anywhere except getting skills and I got all the skills I can get right now but they do no good when you hit something and yer so weak its like you never did no work leveling up. A level 80 comes into a level 17 area and they are fighting their butts off just to win it should at least feel like they are a bit stronger then just a level 17

A level 80 in a 17 zone would have a much easier time with the mobs as their gear is better than anything available at that level and they have access to higher traits. If your gear is up to date you should be fine and by up to date I mean no more than 4 levels lower than your current level.
If you are keeping your gear up to date and you are still having a hard time try looking at the skills you are using and the traits you have picked, try speccing for more survivability instead of pure damage etc. Do you mind me asking what profession you picked?

He (JustCurious)explained this perfectly.

I’m gonna go ahead and call BS on Rune. Everything he is saying is 100% the opposite of how it works in game and I think he knows that. He’s trying to rile people up.

Rune, everyone in this forum is saying you are wrong. I’ve played this game since early release and I am telling you that what you are saying is wrong. You do not understand the mechanics of the game, and that’s OK. But if you’re going to argue with literally everyone here that has played the game longer than you and knows significantly more than you, then you, sir, are ignorant.

If you are adding the Bonus XP in with your calculations from one mob to the next then you are already doing it wrong. Bonus XP has already been explained. What kind of XP do you get when you don’t include bonus XP. Kill one level 17 mob, take a screen cap with what it says, or even use combat chat tab. Then kill another identical level 17 mob right next to it and screen cap it. Then party up with someone, have you BOTH kill another level 17 mob, post that screen cap.

As far as loot goes: that’s just plain wrong what you are saying. Sometimes the mob glows and only gives you money, not loot. So if you don’t pay attention it looks like you got nothing. I have played in many parties and have literally had 3 people loot the same mob and get different items. You are just so wrong it hurts my face. I’m sure I"m not alone here. Please let a dev clarify this once and for all.

Elementalists are one of the hardest classes to play, they have low health and low armour. Either spec into toughness or take defensive utilities. Traits make a MASSIVE difference, if you are just placing them all into power then you are going to have problems. I would suggest speccing more defensively or possibly trying another of the professions, Guardian is a nice class, very good survivability and I find mine great for soloing. I don’t know much when it comes to eles as I don’t play one so I can’t help much there.

Back onto the loot/exp problem, I have personally been playing since the headstart and during the BWEs, so I’ll reiterate what I and others have said; there is NO loot/exp stealing, it is ALL SHARED every person who has tagged the mob will get and equal chance at their own loot and will earn just as much exp if they had killed it solo. As long as you contribute enough you will get credit for it. I have found this is only a problem for some of the meta events, playing as a guardian I spec into supporting allies and such don’t do enough damage in some cases.

To sum up:
1. Try a more defensive trait and utility setup.
2. Try out some of the other classes.
3. Loot/EXP is all shared to those who contribute.

Hi everyone,

As Geotherma has provided a link to the wiki entrance of Experience (thanks!) and the experience mechanics have been explained, we are going to close this thread.

Thanks everyone for participating and your posts.