Guild Wars 2

Can we please get rid of the parties in this game and just have them replaced with the squads instead. Just like how there is a raid mode squad, just make it a party mode squad. That way we can be the squad leader, set markers, ready check, make announcements, etc.

This is more of a ranty part, and me complaining more than anything about reasons why I want this change. So take it with a grain of salt, or be salty about it, idc.

One thing that really annoys me is when I lfg for fractals and someone sees that I have 98, 99, 100 t4 dailies listed on the lfg. Then they join with the intention of doing only 1 out of the 3. When they enter the party they go and change the fractal that I set to start with, just so they can get the one they want done, and then leave the group after. It gets really annoying having to post an lfg up all the time, and then edit the message because you only need 1 or 2 specific ones now. I would really like to be the squad leader so that the settings I choose are what the people joining the group are bound to. If you are choosing not to make a party for something then you shouldn’t get the right change or have a say in things, go make your own party, or group with people you know. A squad format with a leader would be a lot better imo.

The squad features would also make fractals go a bit better, with being able to place markers and stuff for visuals, and ready checks would be amazing. I can’t tell you how many times I have been trying to change a skill, and before I can even type “wait”, someone has already started the boss fight. Or on chaos when someone just runs into the cold area and leaves the rest of the group behind and doesn’t communicate which bonfire they are going to light.

Parties are pretty limited, and with squad they don’t really have a place anymore imo. Just change parties to 5 man squads please and thank you. I would be a very happy player

5 man Parties are the always usable groups of 5 They require nothing…

• Party chat
• Acces to LFG
• Joinable, Invitable
• Needed for Fractals and Dungeons
• kick by votes
• FREE

10 man Raid Party[/u] -or- Squad (?)

without a commander: (Should be known as the “Raid Party”)
IMHO these should be renamed to Parties!

• can now be formed without a commander’s tag…
• party chat
• Acces to squad chat? why? should be party only
• Ability to make sub groups? why this is not a feature you should get for free!
• No appointing of lieutenants (no commander, so no lieutnants
• Formally no markers
• Acces to LFG
• hot-joinable
• kick by votes
• FREE
  Needed for Raids

with a commander’s tag:
Raid group with a commander, should be renamed to Raid Squads

• squad chat
• party chat
• markers
• Closed or Open squads/ groups
• Acces to LFG
• Lieutenants
• closing and opening of groups
• max 15 subgroups (10 ppl?)
• 300 gold and 250 badges of honor
• kick by commander/ lieutenants
  Preferred for Raids

50 man Full Squads are for ppl having acces to a commander’s tag.

• LFG
• squad chat
• party chat
• markers
• Open squad
• Lieutenants
• closing and opening of groups
• max 15 subgroups (50 ppl!)
• 300 gold and 250 badges of honor
• kick by commander/ lieutenants
  Needed for WvW and PvE Open world and Meta portalling

Well IMHO:

• parties should be the basic grouping mechanisms for instanced content I have no problems with 10 man parties -at all-. We should see the 10 man party instead and keep the functionality like parties.
• I suggest the Commander’s tags adding further functionality and have the commander’s tag also be usable in party groups creating 5 man squads for small instances like dungeons and fractalsand keep the 10 man squads for raids.
• You do not benefit from markers as much in fractals as much in Raids, mostly cause the duration of the instances and the fights is so much lower… but when you have it why not implement it’s use. I doubt having anyting other then placing your personal marker in the swampland fractal would ever be needed….

• I prefer to always have to option to join and leave:
  Having a nice party doing t4 fractals on minstrel builds will not assist in the joy I have in instanced content, nor do groups where the opener doesn’t have AR, doesn’t know mechanics, or is just asking for a carry… when you have done 25-100LI raids or have been stuck in the PUG circuit you should know. It’s allways my chouice to stay or go. I had a lot of fun doing lvl 100 fratcals with some fractal lvl 50s and 60’s with 150 AR, starters but they finished it in 3 wipes… I knew I was running them , BUT would I have done the same if they would have been an LFG group? I doubt so… fractal 100 took us 57 minutes… I normally do all my t4’s and daily recs in the same time.

TL:DR;
I suggest:

A) making parties 5 or 10 man for instances (catering for basic story, dungeons, fractals and raids) with basics:

• 1 group
• party chat

B) the commander’s compendium unlocking functionality like

• squad,
• squad chat,
• grouping,
• lieutenants,
• markers.

(edit: adjusted to include TexZero’s comment, whcih showed inclarity in my list.)

Why would you be able to have a closed squad without a tag. Seems counter-intuitive.

A tag should give you all the permissions you desire, without one you should be subject to basically hotjoin.