Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet recently changed fractals and ascended gear and since I have not seen any gathered feedback about it, I would like to ask you to participate here.
It seems that some liked the recent changes, some not. Some would have never visited the fractals, some would not even think of completing the monthly without ascended amulets.
But there was nothing representing.
I created an online survey, you can easily answer. Post your opinion here, if you want to discuss or keep this up, so more might answer.

I’ll try to update this (either avg. or Yes/No).
The questions are:

1. How would you rate the state of Fractals 1-10? ( 1=pre-alpha, 10=perfect, bug-free, balanced)
   6.9
2. How would you rate the state of ascended gear and infusions?
   6.1
3. Do you like the idea of fractals? (Actual quote: “Endless and scaling. The deeper you go, the harder it gets!”)
   25/14
4. Do you like the new way to access higher levels (now)?
   22/16
5. Do you like the way they fixed the cap on fractal-levels?
   17/21
6. Would you like to see more different fractals?
   27/11
7. Are you still trying to reach higher levels?
   13/25
8. Do you like how ascended gear is obtained right now?
   7/33
9. Do you like the increased (ascended) stats?
   15/25
10. Do you like the infusions?
    16/24
11. Would you like to see more/ different stats/ infusions?
    29/11

Overall: 40

I’ll go first

1. 5, not ready to be played yet.
2. 8, nice idea, but still needs some work.
3. Yes. When it was first announced i was amazed, right now it’s not this way. “Endless and scaling” well up to a (low) limit.
4. Yes. I’s is easier to help guildmates/ friends to get up (a chest for every level, for skipping odds) and I receive an additional reward (karma).
5. No. They should have said: “We’re sorry, FotM was not ready to be released. we’ll keep the maw as it was, but you can access only to (including) level 50 now”. So you could play it without agony-resistance but it would take skill (or rezz orbs), maybe make the agony dodgeable?
6. Yes. I would definitely like more, and a way to choose, until all are equal in time/ reward
7. No. Currently I’m just helping guildmates to reach 10/20, and hoping for change.
8. No. To farm/ grind a month per character is plain boring.
9. No. There was no reason to increase the stats beyond exotic.
10. Yes. It is something different, that just increases your loot, not your chance to win a fight.
11. Yes. I would really like to see some new stats.
12. I would really like an official response or someone from ANet to care about our opinion and answer (maybe not this, but at least) some questions about FotM

added current 10 opinions to the first post.

Completed your online survey but how do you view results so far?

There is (sadly) no way, but I’ll keep updating the first post, so everyone can see the results after a short delay.

0
Have not and will not step in fractals nor shall I equip ascend gear. The grind and what they stand for is what I am against.

Wonderful that you’re doing a poll to bring out decent conversation about it.

Sadly, you should do 1-10 on 2. About fractals and 3. About ascended gear instead of the whole Yes/No. Especially for people like myself that are new to fractals I can’t honestly rank e.g. the following question: Do you like the way they fixed the cap on fractal-levels? since I’ve not heard or seen any form of cap so a simple N/A or 5 would’ve sufficed to stand neutral in the matter.

~ Axel.

i like that the fractals can become more and more hard.
actually, the game needs more of that.

im ok with infusion and agony resistance grind.

but im NOT ok with stat increase. i think it plagues the game.

Avatar.1923:

i like that the fractals can become more and more hard.
actually, the game needs more of that.

im ok with infusion and agony resistance grind.

but im NOT ok with stat increase. i think it plagues the game.

I don’t mind minor stat differences but when it starts to exceed +10% of normal equipment it becomes a ‘must’ for gamers forcing them to-do a massive amount of fractals.

massive amounts of fractals, or dailies, or whatever is needed for the “gear”.

thats the problem, how fast do you put your treadmill??

lets say a casual player starts the game now.
hes kind of 300-400h behind already.

Avatar.1923:

massive amounts of fractals, or dailies, or whatever is needed for the “gear”.

thats the problem, how fast do you put your treadmill??

lets say a casual player starts the game now.
hes kind of 300-400h behind already.

You can’t really say that either. For a casual player, having the best gear in the game isn’t going to be a focus compared to a hardcore gamer.

I do like (some of) the individual fractals, but not the overall concept. It’s just repeating the same short dungeons over and over, but slightly harder each time. I might to do them if there were 2-3x more Fractals added to the mix. I’ve done each a couple times, and that’s as much as I want to see of it. The grind and (first step of) treadmill they represent is major deterent for me, as well.

The ascended gear…I’m still in the camp that thinks it is a complete 180 on the originally advertised/hyped selling points of the game. The recent additional method of obtaining the gear (laurels) did nothing but reassure me that ascended items will forever be a ridiculous timesink or FotM grind.

I label FtoM/ascended as a grind because takes repeatedly completing the same few mini-dungeons in order to obtain. I do apply this label to other dungeon gear because it almost completely optional and cosmetic, aside from a few stat combos that are not craftable or available elsewhere. I do not consider ascended gear as ‘optoinal’ because it is absolutely/undeniably better than any other gear.

Fractals is a great idea but was executed poorly in many ways, and doesn’t feel like release content. Agony is a single boring DoT that basically just says “you better dodge this attack you should have already been dodging” and doesn’t add anythng to the Jade Maw fight.

A way Agony could have been made more interesting was having different agony types for different bosses. This doesn’t necessarily mean it has to damage you, they could work as a more intense version of existing comditions, like vulnerability and weakness. The current agony attack works like a super poison, which isn’t all too interesting.

This also means that a cap unrelated to difficulty exists, so it isn’t endless and becomes undoable, not to how hard it is, but because Anet decided so.

Ascended gear’s main problem right now is just a lack of ways to earn them and lack of stat sets that are popularly used. Infusions are also fine, giving increased rewards without hurting your damage or hindering your team.

As for progressing in fractals, I guess it is okay, and haven’t hit any major issues. Reconnecting was a much more important fix.

Overall, fractals is in beta for me, the new gear is fine with issues unrelated to how the gear works.

axel hansson.6705:

Avatar.1923:

massive amounts of fractals, or dailies, or whatever is needed for the “gear”.

thats the problem, how fast do you put your treadmill??

lets say a casual player starts the game now.
hes kind of 300-400h behind already.

You can’t really say that either. For a casual player, having the best gear in the game isn’t going to be a focus compared to a hardcore gamer.

But that casual player might be a lot happier (and likely to keep playing) when the best gear isn’t so far out of reach. The idea of having ascended earrings added while you are still working to get your amulet can be rather discouraging. The incremental addition of each ascended gear piece itself is a treadmill.

The player this is ‘best’ for, is the so-called “content locust” that will come back to GW2, rush to get their next piece for their ‘main’(or only char), then wander off to another game till the next ascended piece is out. A player like myself, that has multiple characters and no real “main”, are left with weeks/months(fractals) or months/years(laurels) of work to obtain this gear.

Is driving away a decidated player like me worth it to keep the player that is only here long enough to get a new shiny? I think I’m more likely to spend money in the gemstore…more char slots for more alts to see other personal story branches, for example.

axel hansson.6705:

Avatar.1923:

massive amounts of fractals, or dailies, or whatever is needed for the “gear”.

thats the problem, how fast do you put your treadmill??

lets say a casual player starts the game now.
hes kind of 300-400h behind already.

You can’t really say that either. For a casual player, having the best gear in the game isn’t going to be a focus compared to a hardcore gamer.

once that “casual” player gets to 80, hea gonna want to continue, and hes gonna have to “grind” same as what you did.

unless hes smart and keeps his laurels. can he do that? thats a life saver there probably.

all in all, we agree mostly that extra stat gear is not the right incentive.

i would do an alt right now.
but i feel like i cannot because i need my main to “keep up with the game”.
i dont have ascended back yet and missing a ring.

anyway. you get the point;
i feel the “grind” starting to get inside the game when playing and its not a nice feeling.
i rush thru my dailies, get angry when i cant find events or dead people to raise, i dont stop to smell the roses anymore…. and pve should have a bit of that imo…

Considering how you decided to give almost all the questions “Yes or No,” answers and nothing indicated neutral opinions, this survey won’t work. I myself have mixed feelings about the Lost Shores update, so I sure as heck know that I’m not on either side of the fence in terms of the dungeon itself and Ascended items.

How would you rate the state of Fractals 1-10? ( 1=pre-alpha, 10=perfect, bug-free, balanced)
9
How would you rate the state of ascended gear and infusions?
2
Do you like the idea of fractals? (Actual quote: “Endless and scaling. The deeper you go, the harder it gets!”)
Yes!
Do you like the new way to access higher levels (now)?
Yes.
Do you like the way they fixed the cap on fractal-levels?
Yes.
Would you like to see more different fractals?
Yes.
Are you still trying to reach higher levels?
Yes.
Do you like how ascended gear is obtained right now?
No.
Do you like the increased (ascended) stats?
No.
Do you like the infusions?
No.
Would you like to see more/ different stats/ infusions?
Not sure what this means, if you mean different stats in relation to infusions, then no. If you mean different stats across Ascended gear, yes.

Narkosys.5173:

0
Have not and will not step in fractals nor shall I equip ascend gear. The grind and what they stand for is what I am against.

I hate Ascended gear too, but you really should at least play through some Fractals for fun. It’s excellent content, very fun, and very interesting from a lore standpoint.

1. How would you rate the state of Fractals 1-10? ( 1=pre-alpha, 10=perfect, bug-free, balanced)
7
2. How would you rate the state of ascended gear and infusions?
6
3. Do you like the idea of fractals? (Actual quote: “Endless and scaling. The deeper you go, the harder it gets!”)
yes
4. Do you like the new way to access higher levels (now)?
yes
5. Do you like the way they fixed the cap on fractal-levels?
yes
6. Would you like to see more different fractals?
yes
7. Are you still trying to reach higher levels?
yes
8. Do you like how ascended gear is obtained right now?
no (needs more ways – craftable, able to buy it for karma, etc)
9. Do you like the increased (ascended) stats?
yes
10. Do you like the infusions?
no. AR double infusion is a bit of a hassle. Really I’m scared that they will use the same system for dungeons later, so if any dungeon would require AR there should be more ways to get the infusions (example: laurels) and more tiers should be infusable (like for example exotics).
11. Would you like to see more/ different stats/ infusions?
yes.

Orion.7264:

Narkosys.5173:

0
Have not and will not step in fractals nor shall I equip ascend gear. The grind and what they stand for is what I am against.

I hate Ascended gear too, but you really should at least play through some Fractals for fun. It’s excellent content, very fun, and very interesting from a lore standpoint.

orrion; i totally agree with your survey answers. 100%.

but… fractals have…. interesting LORE ?
dude, seriously, there is no lore whatsoever in there….
who the kitten is that asura building mad golem in his “pyramid”??
where the kitten is this swamp located in tyria?
mossman? who the kitten is he?
the grawl prisoners, are humans from queensdale?

seriously, fractal are super cool gameplaywise.
but gosh make them gel with the actual events in the world!
and at least give us the option to read some books about their “lore”.
i dont know… each time you complete 5 difficulty in one frac they give you a paragraph about it…
something, geez…

Avatar.1923:

Orion.7264:

Narkosys.5173:

0
Have not and will not step in fractals nor shall I equip ascend gear. The grind and what they stand for is what I am against.

I hate Ascended gear too, but you really should at least play through some Fractals for fun. It’s excellent content, very fun, and very interesting from a lore standpoint.

orrion; i totally agree with your survey answers. 100%.

but… fractals have…. interesting LORE ?
dude, seriously, there is no lore whatsoever in there….
who the kitten is that asura building mad golem in his “pyramid”??
where the kitten is this swamp located in tyria?
mossman? who the kitten is he?
the grawl prisoners, are humans from queensdale?

seriously, fractal are super cool gameplaywise.
but gosh make them gel with the actual events in the world!
and at least give us the option to read some books about their “lore”.
i dont know… each time you complete 5 difficulty in one frac they give you a paragraph about it…
something, geez…

I agree that more information would be nice; but the lore on the Fractals is that they exist in the Mists, and are pasts/possible presents/might-be futures/weird alternat (planets? Realities?). The Urban fractal, for instance, is part of the Searing of Ascalon from GW1; I was happy to see that in there. Others are not as clear, and might (please?) have some info discussed or revealed in the future. For instance, the Ice fractal; is this a present or possible present? Is it a possible future wherein the Sons of Svanir have conquered? The raving Asura was part of an expedition that was abandoned, but what was the timeline on that? He seems to be in a city cube in the upper atmosphere; Asuran space exploration?

AND WHAT IS THE GIANT IN CLIFFSIDE

As much as we don’t know about the Fractals, I think the tantalizing questions are as much fun wondering as knowing the answers. Hopefully we find out later.

imo
this past present whatever is simply an excuse to ditch whatever idea and character models they had.

basically, why not make fractals “slightly lore related”, akin to the destiny’s edge story.
or it could have be some kind of treasure hunt story, or “bounty hunter” story, or guerilla, or whatever.
as it is… its …. well…. huh…..

People who have never set foot in fractals should not be commenting on this page.

How would you rate the state of Fractals 1-10? ( 1=pre-alpha, 10=perfect, bug-free, balanced)
7
How would you rate the state of ascended gear and infusions?
8
Do you like the idea of fractals? (Actual quote: “Endless and scaling. The deeper you go, the harder it gets!”)
Yes
Do you like the new way to access higher levels (now)?
Yes
Do you like the way they fixed the cap on fractal-levels?
Yes
Would you like to see more different fractals?
Yes
Are you still trying to reach higher levels?
Yes
Do you like how ascended gear is obtained right now?
Yes
Do you like the increased (ascended) stats?
Yes
Do you like the infusions?
No
Would you like to see more/ different stats/ infusions?
Yes