(edited by Ashen.2907)
My Guild Wars 2 Review
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Conclusion
Guild Wars 2 failed. By ArenaNet’s own definition of success, “Is it fun?”, the answer often is “no, it’s not”. Good for them that the community of grinders that fill this (and all other) MMO are not really interested in fun.
My advice is: play through the tutorial, and then go explore the world. Do all the interesting dynamic events you find, admire the beautifully crafted world, listen to all the ambient dialogues, dig through all the lore you can find; do that from the starting areas all the way to right before you enter Orr. Ignore hearts, the personal story, dungeons, and definitely ignore the “lesser” aspects of the game (trading, crafting, item acquisition, etc). Once you have explored everything other than Orr, leave the game and never look back.
That massive block of disgruntled diatribe you tried to pass off as a “review” is not really convincing.
There isn’t any substantive claims anywhere in your “review” and nearly all of it is based on your own warped opinions.
I recommend you follow your own advice here and just leave the game and never look back.
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
If you haven’t logged in in months then how do you know the game has become nothing but a gemstore? :p
For the record: I’ve been playing since launch, any gems I’ve acquired were purchased with ingame gold. Never felt like the gemstore was an obstruction to my enjoyment. So not really sure what you are getting at.
This is actually a really good cash shop, and I’ve seen a few. If you want some perspective, go and see Neverwinter’s cash shop. :p
Because it was nothing but a cash shop BEFORE I left the game. When you can acquire a full stack of chests, but MAYBE 1 key during gameplay, you GOTTA realize its just set up to entice you to buy more keys from the shop.
Also, as is apparent, I haunt the forums just to see what’s going on. Just a quick look at the update notes tells me about the cash shop: kitten near every update (it seems) has new goodies to buy, while bugs are ignored. Skills can go imbalanced for MONTHS, but you can rest assured there will be new stuff in the cash shop to spend money on.
I liked this company better when they took pride in their product and focused MORE on the game and less on their cash shop.
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Why the hell would I have to look at how other games wring money out of their players to know I don’t like this game doing it?? That’s like saying I should like the way YOUR drug dealer sells drugs because he does it better than the rest!!!
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Why the hell would I have to look at how other games wring money out of their players to know I don’t like this game doing it?? That’s like saying I should like the way YOUR drug dealer sells drugs because he does it better than the rest!!!
Nothing to do with drug dealers. I don’t like the RNG system for skins from chests and I won’t support that. But there’s nothing in the cash shop I have to buy to play the game and I can, if I want, farm gold to buy the few things I’d consider essential, like more chest space.
However, games don’t exist in vacuums. WoW has a monthly fee and a cash shop. Some games rent mounts for a weeks time. Some games have buy to win items, where you can buy stats or better gear in the cash shop. The Anet cash shop is relatively mild.
If people are too immature to resist spending money on stuff, that’s their own look out. I disagree with the RNG, but it’s not game-breaking by any means. This is a very mild cash shop compared to most.
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Why the hell would I have to look at how other games wring money out of their players to know I don’t like this game doing it?? That’s like saying I should like the way YOUR drug dealer sells drugs because he does it better than the rest!!!
Nothing to do with drug dealers. I don’t like the RNG system for skins from chests and I won’t support that. But there’s nothing in the cash shop I have to buy to play the game and I can, if I want, farm gold to buy the few things I’d consider essential, like more chest space.
However, games don’t exist in vacuums. WoW has a monthly fee and a cash shop. Some games rent mounts for a weeks time. Some games have buy to win items, where you can buy stats or better gear in the cash shop. The Anet cash shop is relatively mild.
If people are too immature to resist spending money on stuff, that’s their own look out. I disagree with the RNG, but it’s not game-breaking by any means. This is a very mild cash shop compared to most.
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
You know, once the ascended gear crap was introduced, there was a HUGE backlash from the community about the company going against their manifesto and all that. Frankly, I think they threw that manifesto out WAY before THAT. The cash shop reflects that!
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
You know, once the ascended gear crap was introduced, there was a HUGE backlash from the community about the company going against their manifesto and all that. Frankly, I think they threw that manifesto out WAY before THAT. The cash shop reflects that!
You don’t have to pay a subscription fee, you get free updates monthly that introduce new content, you can exchange gold to gems to buy skins off the gem store and then you tell us that the developers are cash grab greedy cows? You know what would have been being a cash grab greedy cow – no gold to gems exchange, exotics and ascendeds only sold on the gem store and people not wearing them being completely useless.
You’re complaining that an MMO is surviving off skins and minis that they sell. Would you prefer it had no updates at all and cost a monthly subscription fee? because all MMOs have to survive off something.
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
In a sub-based game, new content is introduced in stages as a way to get people to maintain their subs longer. Is it wrong to charge for an expansion because you also have to keep an active sub to play the game?
You’re going out of your way to criticize Anet for being a for-profit business. Every such business tries to give their target market what the people want and do it better/cheaper/faster than their competition in order to make money and remain in business.
It’s like you’re condemning a lion for hunting prey. If it does not, then it will weaken and die. If Anet did not bring in money through the cash shop, they would have to charge a sub fee or they would not be able to maintain a game of this size and complexity, let alone post regular content updates in the first place.
Also, manifesto… lol not even going to talk about that one. Did you see the “everything I read on the internet is true” commercial?
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
In a sub-based game, new content is introduced in stages as a way to get people to maintain their subs longer. Is it wrong to charge for an expansion because you also have to keep an active sub to play the game?
You’re going out of your way to criticize Anet for being a for-profit business. Every such business tries to give their target market what the people want and do it better/cheaper/faster than their competition in order to make money and remain in business.
It’s like you’re condemning a lion for hunting prey. If it does not, then it will weaken and die. If Anet did not bring in money through the cash shop, they would have to charge a sub fee or they would not be able to maintain a game of this size and complexity, let alone post regular content updates in the first place.
Also, manifesto… lol not even going to talk about that one. Did you see the “everything I read on the internet is true” commercial?
No, they could fall back on their ORIGINAL plan: put out a quality game, and put out new chapters annually. If the game is good enough, people will buy it. GW1 was designed on that concept, and the company got over $1,000 from me, purchasing 5 accounts, 3 chapters each, plus GWEN, mercs, etc. THIS game? They got $60 from me, and that’s about it.
No, they could fall back on their ORIGINAL plan: put out a quality game, and put out new chapters annually. If the game is good enough, people will buy it. GW1 was designed on that concept, and the company got over $1,000 from me, purchasing 5 accounts, 3 chapters each, plus GWEN, mercs, etc. THIS game? They got $60 from me, and that’s about it.
you see here we could argue what is a quality game. In my opinion GW2 IS a quality game. And I did play GW1.
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Why the hell would I have to look at how other games wring money out of their players to know I don’t like this game doing it?? That’s like saying I should like the way YOUR drug dealer sells drugs because he does it better than the rest!!!
Nothing to do with drug dealers. I don’t like the RNG system for skins from chests and I won’t support that. But there’s nothing in the cash shop I have to buy to play the game and I can, if I want, farm gold to buy the few things I’d consider essential, like more chest space.
However, games don’t exist in vacuums. WoW has a monthly fee and a cash shop. Some games rent mounts for a weeks time. Some games have buy to win items, where you can buy stats or better gear in the cash shop. The Anet cash shop is relatively mild.
If people are too immature to resist spending money on stuff, that’s their own look out. I disagree with the RNG, but it’s not game-breaking by any means. This is a very mild cash shop compared to most.
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
You know, once the ascended gear crap was introduced, there was a HUGE backlash from the community about the company going against their manifesto and all that. Frankly, I think they threw that manifesto out WAY before THAT. The cash shop reflects that!
Ascended gear though is case in point. Not only is it not attainable from the cash shop but it’s not attainable from the trading post. That means, to get BIS gear, you can’t spend money. It’s contrary exactly what what you’re saying.
Yes, the skin greed is bad. But that said, legendary items weren’t done so that someone with money could have them and someone without can’t. For a lot of people that’s what’s really important.
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
In a sub-based game, new content is introduced in stages as a way to get people to maintain their subs longer. Is it wrong to charge for an expansion because you also have to keep an active sub to play the game?
You’re going out of your way to criticize Anet for being a for-profit business. Every such business tries to give their target market what the people want and do it better/cheaper/faster than their competition in order to make money and remain in business.
It’s like you’re condemning a lion for hunting prey. If it does not, then it will weaken and die. If Anet did not bring in money through the cash shop, they would have to charge a sub fee or they would not be able to maintain a game of this size and complexity, let alone post regular content updates in the first place.
Also, manifesto… lol not even going to talk about that one. Did you see the “everything I read on the internet is true” commercial?
No, they could fall back on their ORIGINAL plan: put out a quality game, and put out new chapters annually. If the game is good enough, people will buy it. GW1 was designed on that concept, and the company got over $1,000 from me, purchasing 5 accounts, 3 chapters each, plus GWEN, mercs, etc. THIS game? They got $60 from me, and that’s about it.
I’ve spent more money on Guild Wars 2 than Guild Wars 1 and I’m a supporter of both games. I think Guild Wars 2 is a quality game. I think Guild Wars 1 was a quality game too. But they’re DIFFERENT games produced at different times, having to compete against different products.
When Guild Wars 1 came out, there was VERY little competition compared to now. Games that have more exploitive cash shops (and there are plenty of them) have income to create more content. Games with monthly fees (like WoW which still has over 8 million subscribers) have tons of money to create new content…and new content is what keeps people playing.
The only way Anet could get a level playing field TODAY is to make enough money to compete. Otherwise, they’ll never be able to compete.
The MMO scene 8 years ago when Guild Wars 1 came out, and the number of competitors is huge. This is big, big business now. Back then it wasn’t.
Big business means you need big dollars to compete. It’s a sad truth…but that doesn’t make it any less of a truth.
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Why the hell would I have to look at how other games wring money out of their players to know I don’t like this game doing it?? That’s like saying I should like the way YOUR drug dealer sells drugs because he does it better than the rest!!!
Nothing to do with drug dealers. I don’t like the RNG system for skins from chests and I won’t support that. But there’s nothing in the cash shop I have to buy to play the game and I can, if I want, farm gold to buy the few things I’d consider essential, like more chest space.
However, games don’t exist in vacuums. WoW has a monthly fee and a cash shop. Some games rent mounts for a weeks time. Some games have buy to win items, where you can buy stats or better gear in the cash shop. The Anet cash shop is relatively mild.
If people are too immature to resist spending money on stuff, that’s their own look out. I disagree with the RNG, but it’s not game-breaking by any means. This is a very mild cash shop compared to most.
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
You know, once the ascended gear crap was introduced, there was a HUGE backlash from the community about the company going against their manifesto and all that. Frankly, I think they threw that manifesto out WAY before THAT. The cash shop reflects that!
Ascended gear though is case in point. Not only is it not attainable from the cash shop but it’s not attainable from the trading post. That means, to get BIS gear, you can’t spend money. It’s contrary exactly what what you’re saying.
Yes, the skin greed is bad. But that said, legendary items weren’t done so that someone with money could have them and someone without can’t. For a lot of people that’s what’s really important.
Vayne, I think you missed the point I was trying to make about the ascended gear. I wasn’t saying the community was up-in-arms about buying the ascended gear: I was saying their argument was that it went against ANet’s manifesto. I was saying ANet went against their manifesto when they decided to create a cash shop and make a game around it.
It is my opinion that, when they created GW1, their goal was to make a great game that their customers could enjoy and they could be proud of. I think, when they created GW2, they STARTED with that similar concept, but then their focus shifted AWAY from gameplay and enjoyment TO the cash shop… and it is apparent to me, and several others…including yourself! Afterall, what do you think the REAL motivation is behind those RNG boxes, hmmmm?
Wow, Rascal! You really know how to stir up the fanbois!!!
I read the OP, and, while I do NOT agree with every point, I DO agree with his assessment: GW2 failed!!! It has become nothing but a gem store with a game added to it. In my opinion, they focus MORE on selling product in the gem store than they do ANYTHING else! I’ve become so disillusioned by it, I haven’t signed on to my game in months! Hell, I can’t even play GW1 any more, it’s bugged me so bad!
Oh, by the way, Rascal: the grind was added for a reason: the longer the fanbois play, the longer they sign in and farm, the more opportunities the game has to sell them more crap in the gem store! THAT is the REAL purpose for the grind.
LMAO! 1/10.
You obviously haven’t looked at what OTHER MMOs have in their gemstore. Go check out Lotro, DDO, AoC, any PW game. You really have no clue about how good this gem store is compared to many others.
It was a nice try, I’ll give you that. lol
Why the hell would I have to look at how other games wring money out of their players to know I don’t like this game doing it?? That’s like saying I should like the way YOUR drug dealer sells drugs because he does it better than the rest!!!
Nothing to do with drug dealers. I don’t like the RNG system for skins from chests and I won’t support that. But there’s nothing in the cash shop I have to buy to play the game and I can, if I want, farm gold to buy the few things I’d consider essential, like more chest space.
However, games don’t exist in vacuums. WoW has a monthly fee and a cash shop. Some games rent mounts for a weeks time. Some games have buy to win items, where you can buy stats or better gear in the cash shop. The Anet cash shop is relatively mild.
If people are too immature to resist spending money on stuff, that’s their own look out. I disagree with the RNG, but it’s not game-breaking by any means. This is a very mild cash shop compared to most.
The problem with it, though, is that they focus more attention on the cash shop than anything ELSE, imo. I would go so far as to say any content that is added to the game is MORE thought of as a way to introduce you to new things to buy!
You know, once the ascended gear crap was introduced, there was a HUGE backlash from the community about the company going against their manifesto and all that. Frankly, I think they threw that manifesto out WAY before THAT. The cash shop reflects that!
Ascended gear though is case in point. Not only is it not attainable from the cash shop but it’s not attainable from the trading post. That means, to get BIS gear, you can’t spend money. It’s contrary exactly what what you’re saying.
Yes, the skin greed is bad. But that said, legendary items weren’t done so that someone with money could have them and someone without can’t. For a lot of people that’s what’s really important.
Vayne, I think you missed the point I was trying to make about the ascended gear. I wasn’t saying the community was up-in-arms about buying the ascended gear: I was saying their argument was that it went against ANet’s manifesto. I was saying ANet went against their manifesto when they decided to create a cash shop and make a game around it.
It is my opinion that, when they created GW1, their goal was to make a great game that their customers could enjoy and they could be proud of. I think, when they created GW2, they STARTED with that similar concept, but then their focus shifted AWAY from gameplay and enjoyment TO the cash shop… and it is apparent to me, and several others…including yourself! Afterall, what do you think the REAL motivation is behind those RNG boxes, hmmmm?
Ascended gear in NO WAY went against the manifesto. It did go against a couple of things said in a couple of interviews however.
Anyone who thinks ascended gear went about the manifesto is simply taking a single line of the manifesto completely out of context. People have every right to complain about vertical progression entering the game if that’s what they hate. But saying it goes against the manifesto is demonstrably false.
The ONLY line in the manifesto it could have gone against was the line about grind. However, when you actually read the entire paragraph, the type of grind Colin is talking about is crystal clear. This was an example of people using misleading evidence to try to support their claim and frankly I think that weakens anything else they say.
No, they could fall back on their ORIGINAL plan: put out a quality game, and put out new chapters annually. If the game is good enough, people will buy it. GW1 was designed on that concept, and the company got over $1,000 from me, purchasing 5 accounts, 3 chapters each, plus GWEN, mercs, etc. THIS game? They got $60 from me, and that’s about it.
Everything changes. Plans change. Markets change. Technology changes. They are trying something new with GW2, and doing something new involves risk. You don’t like how the game turned out, but there are people who drop $1,000 every month into the game. I’d imagine they feel differently.
Myself, I like GW2 better. I bought the full set of GW1 games for my wife and I so we could try it out and get the bonus items from HoM. It’s not a bad game, but I keep coming back to GW2 instead. I like the graphics, the UI, the way the game flows, better than GW1. It’s more fun for me.
Still, I probably will never spend $1000 on it. I bought the box for my wife and I, about $120, and bought us each a $25 gem card once. She bought me one for my birthday, and one for herself. So together we’ve spent a little over $200 on the game. And that’s ok, because it’s a choice that I made, just like you choose not to spend more than the $60 for the box.
I agree explorations is hardly rewarding. It was the first month, you could go out and find treasure chests in places and get a rare or exotic because they had a champion protecting it. (do you really think Champions would be defending a box full of copper, some blues and maybe a green item? spssh not!)
No it wasn’t during the first month, loot drops from Champions and world chests are exactly the same, despite Anet saying they buffed Champion loot. What actually changed is the addition of the guarandeed rare chest in World Boss events, nothing else.
The chests of which I speak aren’t from killing champions they were GUARDED by champions. Difference there.
That’s what I meant by chests, not the mini wooden ones they added later for killing champions but the ones they guarded. I used to go around Orr and get the chests all the time (not always easy) at launch and get the items from them, poof Nov came along and greens if you’re lucky blues most of the time.
That is part of the early outrage over the open world loot changes, they took that out too, it didn’t matter to Anet if you had to traverse a jump puzzles, fight a champion or a champion/veteran just to get to the chest, they changed them ALL to drop crap.
Balance Team: Please Fix Mine Toolbelt Positioning!
The chests of which I speak aren’t from killing champions they were GUARDED by champions. Difference there.
That’s what I meant by chests, not the mini wooden ones they added later for killing champions but the ones they guarded. I used to go around Orr and get the chests all the time (not always easy) at launch and get the items from them, poof Nov came along and greens if you’re lucky blues most of the time.
That is part of the early outrage over the open world loot changes, they took that out too, it didn’t matter to Anet if you had to traverse a jump puzzles, fight a champion or a champion/veteran just to get to the chest, they changed them ALL to drop crap.
and when I did jumping puzzles the month the game came out my loot was no better. Loot from champions/ PVE chests was always broken.
Gotta say, I was pretty disappointed when I cleverly snuck my way past a Champion today to get at a chest and all it had inside was a blue what would have been useless 20 levels ago. Come on, least we should get from that is a Rare.
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
Gotta say, I was pretty disappointed when I cleverly snuck my way past a Champion today to get at a chest and all it had inside was a blue what would have been useless 20 levels ago. Come on, least we should get from that is a Rare.
Why is the least you should get from that is a rare? I don’t really understand this comment.
If a Champion is guarding a chest it should have more than a blue in it; the fact that I was able to sneak past it and snag the chest without getting myself smashed to bits shouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I got it.
Can you imagine if I’d fought my way through the thing and only got a Blue?
Point being, a blue is a really lousy reward for getting past a Champion.
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
(edited by Jack of Tears.9458)
The problem with Champions giving guaranteed rares (‘least we should get from that is a Rare’) is that like dragon events, Champions will be over-run with people there to get their daily rare, the market becomes even more flooded and prices drop, even the ectos you might get from salvaging become commonplace and cost little, and overall we see Rares and ectos as just another near-junk item that is easily obtained and worth little. I already miss that little ‘Oooo, I got a Rare’, that I used to say to myself. Now, it’s ‘Cool, a Rare, more fodder for the Mystic Forge, or something…nothing exciting’.
Conclusion
Guild Wars 2 failed. By ArenaNet’s own definition of success, “Is it fun?”, the answer often is “no, it’s not”. Good for them that the community of grinders that fill this (and all other) MMO are not really interested in fun.
My advice is: play through the tutorial, and then go explore the world. Do all the interesting dynamic events you find, admire the beautifully crafted world, listen to all the ambient dialogues, dig through all the lore you can find; do that from the starting areas all the way to right before you enter Orr. Ignore hearts, the personal story, dungeons, and definitely ignore the “lesser” aspects of the game (trading, crafting, item acquisition, etc). Once you have explored everything other than Orr, leave the game and never look back.
I don’t understand. If the game is “failed” why are you advising people to play the game and have fun?
By your own conclusion you believe that the game was successful and that people should get it and play it.
If a Champion is guarding a chest it should have more than a blue in it; the fact that I was able to sneak past it and snag the chest without getting myself smashed to bits shouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I got it.
Can you imagine if I’d fought my way through the thing and only got a Blue?
Point being, a blue is a really lousy reward for getting past a Champion.
Maybe. I guess it depends on how many people you have with you. You see, if 87 people all show up, and take down the champion, it would be a lot easier. The rewards aren’t for soling, they’re just rewards.
Champions are guaranteed to drop at least a blue…that’s it. They have an increased chance of other higher drops as well, but blue is the minimum.
Sneaking past a champion for some professions is quite easy. Should a thief always get a rare, because he has stealth?
Conclusion
Guild Wars 2 failed. By ArenaNet’s own definition of success, “Is it fun?”, the answer often is “no, it’s not”. Good for them that the community of grinders that fill this (and all other) MMO are not really interested in fun.
My advice is: play through the tutorial, and then go explore the world. Do all the interesting dynamic events you find, admire the beautifully crafted world, listen to all the ambient dialogues, dig through all the lore you can find; do that from the starting areas all the way to right before you enter Orr. Ignore hearts, the personal story, dungeons, and definitely ignore the “lesser” aspects of the game (trading, crafting, item acquisition, etc). Once you have explored everything other than Orr, leave the game and never look back.
A couple million people disagree with you.
The game is a ton of fun, and it’s the only game that’s kept my interest this long….ever.
Sneaking past a champion for some professions is quite easy. Should a thief always get a rare, because he has stealth?
You play to your strengths; if you’re a Warrior you bash your way past, if you’re a Thief you sneak your way past. But there was a good point made about flooding the market with Rares, it’s just that by the time you’re 80th level a blue is such a minor deal it doesn’t even seem worth sneaking past … heck, even a rare is barely worth your effort at that point. But, yeah, ya still get he satisfaction of sayin’ ya did it if nothing else.
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
Once you have explored everything other than Orr, leave the game and never look back.
A couple million people disagree with you.
The game is a ton of fun, and it’s the only game that’s kept my interest this long….ever.[/quote]
Agreed, I’ve never stuck with one character to max level in an MMO before – well, not since the “good days” of SWG at any rate – and that was a long long time ago.
I don’t get what all the Orr hate is, either. I hear, if you’ve been there and done it you get sick of having to run almost everywhere because the waypoints are contested all the time and whatnot – but it’s probably the most gorgeous area in the entire game, ya gotta do it at least once. (me, I keep going back, I love Orr)
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
Sneaking past a champion for some professions is quite easy. Should a thief always get a rare, because he has stealth?
You play to your strengths; if you’re a Warrior you bash your way past, if you’re a Thief you sneak your way past. But there was a good point made about flooding the market with Rares, it’s just that by the time you’re 80th level a blue is such a minor deal it doesn’t even seem worth sneaking past … heck, even a rare is barely worth your effort at that point. But, yeah, ya still get he satisfaction of sayin’ ya did it if nothing else.
Which is sorta my point. Even in Guild Wars 1, drops become sorta meh. So you got a yellow? Big deal. All it is is a potential ecto here. In Guild Wars 1 most of that stuff was just garbage. The top level drops were all very rare skins. Those were the only ones you cared about, like certain named exotics.
Rares are already undervalued because of how many you get from meta-event chests. Every chest doesn’t need to have a guaranteed rare.
I guess if you come from Guild Wars 1, seeing a blue isn’t a big deal because the loot system isn’t tremendously different, certainly not as much as most people think. There was probably a time when a yellow or green meant something when it dropped in Guild Wars 1 too, but I can’t remember it. lol
I don’t get what all the Orr hate is, either. I hear, if you’ve been there and done it you get sick of having to run almost everywhere because the waypoints are contested all the time and whatnot – but it’s probably the most gorgeous area in the entire game, ya gotta do it at least once. (me, I keep going back, I love Orr)
I felt depressed as soon as I looked at it lol. After seeing all the other wonderful zones of nice green fields full of colour, only to end up at this undead infested barren wasteland (Which was to be expected due to the story), There was still the feeling of -I don’t want to be here-
Also I found it to be very boring. I had the eye candy in the other zones and this zone felt like a large grind on repeat, Same events occurring again and again.
I find this game to be no different with the way that quests (Hearts) and events are done compared to other MMOs (The general Idea behind it). Its really just a quest that can be repeated.
You know what we need is a way to bring those numbers back down; cataclysm of such magical proportions that it wipes the world of much of it’s upper tier gear. Make Rares actually “Rare” again, and each step above that harder to achieve – maybe hiding them in hard to find locations, at the end of really difficult jumping puzzles, behind the ranks of the nastiest monsters you can find, or on the other side of that mega trapped room. And from there you make the next step harder. But you make sure that the blues and yellows and greens that drop for your level are still good enough to get by on until you manage to get something better. Then you remove the “exotics” tab from the Trading Post so you can’t just go on and buy your exotics on the market. Instead you’d have to go through the work of getting them or deal in trade with other players who might want something you have. I could get behind that.
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
You know what we need is a way to bring those numbers back down; cataclysm of such magical proportions that it wipes the world of much of it’s upper tier gear. Make Rares actually “Rare” again, and each step above that harder to achieve – maybe hiding them in hard to find locations, at the end of really difficult jumping puzzles, behind the ranks of the nastiest monsters you can find, or on the other side of that mega trapped room. And from there you make the next step harder. But you make sure that the blues and yellows and greens that drop for your level are still good enough to get by on until you manage to get something better. Then you remove the “exotics” tab from the Trading Post so you can’t just go on and buy your exotics on the market. Instead you’d have to go through the work of getting them or deal in trade with other players who might want something you have. I could get behind that.
I wouldn’t mind it, but you know…it’s just not going to happen. And maybe it shouldn’t.
In theory the people who need that gear the most are the people who wouldn’t be able to get it. lol
@ Vayne & jack of tears
I find it funny how you two are talking about gear rarity when apparently this game is based on a non advancing gear system.
I find this game to be no different with the way that quests (Hearts) and events are done compared to other MMOs (The general Idea behind it). Its really just a quest that can be repeated.
There are certain things you’ll never get away from in an MMO, so it becomes about delivery – how well is the information delivered, in how many ways? Then, how many ways can the mission be done?
Hearts: You run inta an area and you enter a Hear radius where you are told what needs to be done. Typically you have about Three options to fill a heart, at least one of them sure to involve a non-combat approach. (most of the time) You can do 1, 2, or all 3 of these things to fill the heart and if that’s all you want you can be on your merry way.
~~~~~But, you could also look around the area where the heart popped up, find the npc giving the quest and talk to him or her and get the story behind why you’re doing what you’re doing. This also gives you a chance to talk and listen to some of the npcs for things they may have to say. Sometimes they drop clues, but more often they are just amusing to hear talk about their lives, their relationships, their jokes, etc.
Dynamic Events: These aren’t done at all like other games. Where in many games you may be running buy and see a farmer with a exclamation over his head who says “help, help, the farm is being attacked by bandits”, and when you look around you see bandits sitting in small groups, doing nothing until you come to attack them.
~~~~~~But in GW2 when you hear the old farmer yell “Help! Help! Bandits are attacking the farm!” you actually see bandits swarm down out of their camps and attack the farm and it is up to you to drive them back. If you fail, the farm burns, and seeing the flames a flock of harpies comes down to take anything they can get – cattle, wounded soldiers, whatever – and you now have to fight them off lest all the cows be killed and drug off to the Harpy nests. Succeed at that and you might have a chance to help guard the farm while they fix the gates or whatnot (can’t recall if the gate fix was part of that DE or another). These aren’t remotely like the “click on man who tells you to go here and kill monster X and bring me back his head” missions you see in some other MMOs. Dynamic Events can even happen when you aren’t ready for them and just take a wrong turn, or a badly timed jump and now you’re just hoping to squeeze by alive.
And a great number of Dynamic Events are chained as well, telling a story through half or sometimes the entire length of a map.
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
My arguments are infallible since no one here has managed to refute them. The great majority has not even tried.
There is a serious lapse in logic here.
People not trying to refute claims that have not been adequately (if at all) supported by substantial (or any) evidence is not an indication that the claims are infallible.
I suspect the “lapse in logic” is intentional; I suspect OP is just trolling with his “review”.
If a Champion is guarding a chest it should have more than a blue in it; the fact that I was able to sneak past it and snag the chest without getting myself smashed to bits shouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I got it.
Can you imagine if I’d fought my way through the thing and only got a Blue?
Point being, a blue is a really lousy reward for getting past a Champion.
If every champion dropped a rare or better, they’d have to nerf the spawns to the point where you only saw Queensdale chat light up with “Troll’s up! Wasp is up! Oakheart’s up!” once per day.
Otherwise, the number of rares and exotics going into the TP would double several times over, until the most expensive rare was worth 2 silver and every player had a Final Rest for every toon. Then you’d be complaining that rares aren’t worth anything any more and you’ve run out of things to make with your pile of ectos no one wants.
You know what we need is a way to bring those numbers back down; cataclysm of such magical proportions that it wipes the world of much of it’s upper tier gear. Make Rares actually “Rare” again, and each step above that harder to achieve – maybe hiding them in hard to find locations, at the end of really difficult jumping puzzles, behind the ranks of the nastiest monsters you can find, or on the other side of that mega trapped room. And from there you make the next step harder. But you make sure that the blues and yellows and greens that drop for your level are still good enough to get by on until you manage to get something better. Then you remove the “exotics” tab from the Trading Post so you can’t just go on and buy your exotics on the market. Instead you’d have to go through the work of getting them or deal in trade with other players who might want something you have. I could get behind that.
Perhaps its a vocal minority, but there is a large enough group of players who have to be bribed to do anything in the game that if you took away their ubergear or locked it behind actually challenging content, they’d set the forums on fire in protest.
Unfortunately there’s only one reason why you see dozens or even hundreds of toons gathered around the Frozen Maw, Shadow Behemoth, Shatterer, etc. – that chest with the guaranteed rare+ in it, and the other with the chance at more.
I like levelling alts because I enjoy the process, and exploring the world. But not everyone will go back to the starting areas, or any other zone, without being bribed to do so.
There are certain things you’ll never get away from in an MMO, so it becomes about delivery – how well is the information delivered, in how many ways? Then, how many ways can the mission be done?
Hearts: You run inta an area and you enter a Hear radius where you are told what needs to be done. Typically you have about Three options to fill a heart, at least one of them sure to involve a non-combat approach. (most of the time) You can do 1, 2, or all 3 of these things to fill the heart and if that’s all you want you can be on your merry way.
~~~~~But, you could also look around the area where the heart popped up, find the npc giving the quest and talk to him or her and get the story behind why you’re doing what you’re doing. This also gives you a chance to talk and listen to some of the npcs for things they may have to say. Sometimes they drop clues, but more often they are just amusing to hear talk about their lives, their relationships, their jokes, etc.Dynamic Events: These aren’t done at all like other games. Where in many games you may be running buy and see a farmer with a exclamation over his head who says “help, help, the farm is being attacked by bandits”, and when you look around you see bandits sitting in small groups, doing nothing until you come to attack them.
~~~~~~But in GW2 when you hear the old farmer yell “Help! Help! Bandits are attacking the farm!” you actually see bandits swarm down out of their camps and attack the farm and it is up to you to drive them back. If you fail, the farm burns, and seeing the flames a flock of harpies comes down to take anything they can get – cattle, wounded soldiers, whatever – and you now have to fight them off lest all the cows be killed and drug off to the Harpy nests. Succeed at that and you might have a chance to help guard the farm while they fix the gates or whatnot (can’t recall if the gate fix was part of that DE or another). These aren’t remotely like the “click on man who tells you to go here and kill monster X and bring me back his head” missions you see in some other MMOs. Dynamic Events can even happen when you aren’t ready for them and just take a wrong turn, or a badly timed jump and now you’re just hoping to squeeze by alive.And a great number of Dynamic Events are chained as well, telling a story through half or sometimes the entire length of a map.
I understand what you’re saying and that’s great and all, the idea that quests are executed differently and activated without the need for players, but it’s still a generic quest which doesn’t change, all that’s happening is the quest is already activated for you.
Our actions also mean little in comparison to other games. From what the manifesto stated “As a structure the MMO has lost the ability to make the player feel like a hero, everybody around you is doing the same thing you’re doing, the boss you just killed respawns ten minutes later, It doesn’t care that i’m there”.
That is describing the current system on Guildwars 2, It’s completely fake and on repeat, Everyone is doing the same thing I’m doing (The quest) Just a different objective of that quest, and yes the boss or quest does respawn 10 minutes later, and yes the world doesn’t care that I’m there, because the quest is on repeat (Oh look I just saved that farm, oh its under attack… again)
In other MMOs, Quests are based on a one time system, where once completed the world around you is affected in a very permanent way, where you can look back and remember the battle that took place and how you saved a village(Not revisit the village and find it under attack … again) This game was meant to be like that, Just it has failed again and again when it comes to making players affect the world in a “permanent way”
Do you see where I’m going with this?
I had more to write but I just lost the thought, Ill post in another one if i recall.
We already went over that somewhere above and it made sense.
I’m sorry I stepped outta yer box, don’ worry, if
ya whine enough they’ll put me right back.
This was an interesting review with some valid criticisms of the game and its players; nevertheless, I disagree with several details, and I think the conclusion is unfair.
With regard to hearts, I think the designers did a decent job of taking much of the grind out of this content. Many hearts involve transformations, picking up “experimental asura weapons,” or something similar that involves new skills or approaching the game in a new way. Heck, there’s one heart where you can do math problems. That’s not grinding. Since hearts aren’t repeatable content the way dynamic events are, I feel they’re more of a bridge from traditional MMOs to the world of GW2. For each character you do them once and then they’re done while the events remain available.
Regarding the Personal Story, while I agree with much of what the reviewer says here, I’d say that while it’s one of the weaker points of the game, it actually works against the reviewer’s main point about GW2 and its community of “typical” MMO players (more on this later). Because the Personal Story emphasizes the player as an individual becoming part of something larger (just as each of the major races and the three orders do) rather than himself becoming super-legendary. This is a little different from what MMOs and video games in general tend to do, as many people before me have noticed. But as I learned from another MMO which will remain nameless here, having a “good story” is meaningless if the gameplay isn’t worthwhile. GW2 has very good gameplay and a weak storyline, but that storyline at least attempts to do something a little different.
Jumping puzzles seem to be another minor element in the game which deserves inclusion. Personally, I thought these were nicely done (for the most part), with some interesting variety in terms of both gameplay and appearance. Getting high up on the limbs in Secret Garden, wandering through beautiful Scavenger’s Chasm trying to get all the orbs, even trying to dodge through griffons in Griffonrook Run (arghrhrgh)… the puzzles present different and rewarding challenges. Many are fun to do more than once. This isn’t grind content.
The heart of the reviewer’s complaint seems to be this: the game is played by stereotypical MMO players: “grinders, farmers, addicts and exploiters who are more interested in having something worth grinding than in having fun.”
The key line in the review is also the best line: “It’s a pity that ArenaNet has focused so much on making a game in which it’s so easy to play with other people, only to have it filled with people you don’t want to play with.”
Very nice turn of phrase. Powerful conclusion. Unfair.
Most “hardcore” players—that is, players who fit the reviewer’s description most perfectly—seem to agree that GW2 is unfavorable to them. They regard it as a game for “casuals.” Grinders, farmers, addicts and exploiters seem annoyed by GW2 (some still play, of course… duh, they’re addicts). Who’s right?
Let’s look at how GW2 tries to fight against the very players the reviewer says are its true base. Farming areas is discouraged by DR. Grinding dungeons is discouraged by having the entrances become contested. Farming world events is discouraged by limitations to the bonus chest. Grinding game content is discouraged by Living Story additions and temporary content.
Grinding still happens, of course; I’m not saying it doesn’t. I suspect mildly unfavorable loot tables and RNG contributes to that. The discouragements I mentioned above all have work-arounds or limitations, too. But it’s clear that ArenaNet has made considerable effort toward “encouraging” people to do more than just run the same things over and over again. Do people nevertheless run the same things over and over again? Yep. This brings me to my next point.
Grinders, farmers, exploiters, addicts… these aren’t absolute categories. We all fall somewhere on a sliding scale on these points—some of us have more tolerance for grind than others, for example. Anyone who plays computer games has some tendencies toward pellet hoarding and compulsive behavior. That’s the nature of the medium.
My experience with the game, my observations above, and the proliferation of threads full of people who fit the reviewer’s description complaining about the game, all suggest that GW2 caters less to people who fall on the extremes of those four points than the reviewer thinks.
As this conversation has become circular and no new perspectives have been presented in this thread, it will now be locked. Thank you for understanding.