Guild Wars 2

Perhaps one of my greatest frustrations with this game, is the ridiculous way that waypoints are used. I both love hate waypoints, as waypoints are leagues better than mounts, but you actually have to unlock a waypoint to use it. It is so frustrating to want to do something in one area, but have to trek through the entire map simply to get there.
Example: My human character has never left DR, he leveled exclusively through tomes, wvw, or something else. Now he’s 80 and I want to do higher level stuff, like Shatterer. Now I have to spend forever, to simply get there to unlock that waypoint, so I can do Shatterer again in the future. The fact that there are no unlocked waypoints by default is so incredibly stupid. If I’m an asura and I have not yet gone to ascalon, and I want to go do the AC dungeon, I have to do a lot of mindless walking just to get there.

Now, I know the world completionists like their world completion, I get it, however, unlocking waypoints in key areas would not exactly hurt. Unlock one waypoint in each major city, this already greatly increases mobility while losing nothing. Better yet, unlock the waypoint next to each dungeon. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to waypoint directly to the dungeon.

Some of you might say “Oh well you will unlock the waypoints as you go along in the personal story.” Two things. First, I don’t like the personal story, chapter 2 was ok, but the rest was really boring. Second, you don’t go to every area when you play PS. As a human, really the only race I like, I never went to Rata Sum or any other areas.

Please Anet, change the waypoint system so it doesn’t require so much work to simply go places.

I’m going to guess most people are going to disagree with this. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take forever to get anywhere in this game. Since you can get to Lion’s Arch for free through the mists, and into any starting area, there are very few runs that take more than five, maybe ten minutes.

That said, I think the game gives you enough. If you want waypoints, unlock them.

I saw a page in wiki for a possible gemstore item. It would allow you to learn one waypoint per device. Whether it will ever become available is unknown as well as if it allows you to select any waypoint or just one particular wp per map.

Shatterer is lvl 80 content? Wonder if anyone informed those lvl kitten and 50s that wander around the area.

Maybe you could just ‘Teleport to a Friend’. ; )

All major Cities have a Waypoint unlocked…as soon as you enter them through the Asura Portals. (Find them in LA!)

Good luck.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Maybe you could just ‘Teleport to a Friend’. ; )

All major Cities have a Waypoint unlocked…as soon as you enter them through the Asura Portals. (Find them in LA!)

Good luck.

All maps have one waypoint unlocked when you enter them. The one nearest the Asura gate or map portal. So that just in case you die, you don’t have to go to a completely different map to revive yourself.

ShadowStep.3640:

Unlock one waypoint in each major city, this already greatly increases mobility while losing nothing.

They already did. You can just go through lion’s arch and go through the asura gates to each major city. Then you unlock one waypoint on each major city. Just takes about 5 minutes.

Waypoints actually make the game seem much smaller than it actually is.

If you had to walk from point A to point B all the time, you would really notice this.

I’d like to see a transit system alternative that I don’t have to spend silver on. I know I know silver is so easy to get but I’m a cheapskate. Give me a mount or some trains/planes/something that I can take that doesn’t cost silver even if it takes longer. I can take a crap while I’m on it.

ShadowStep.3640:

My human character has never left DR, he leveled exclusively through tomes, wvw, or something else. Now he’s 80 and I want to do higher level stuff, like Shatterer.

See that’s where your problem is. If you had have levelled your toon how it should have been levelled you would have most probably opened the waypoints for higher level content. But since you took the easy path to lvl 80 then I guess you have to start running to open up these waypoints. I really don’t know why you’re complaining though, you levelled up faster than normal, just a little more time out of your very busy schedule to open waypoints won’t hurt you.

AlSo remember that if one party member is at the dungeon waypoint, as long as you are in the zone, it will port you inside when dungeon starts.

The only change id advocate for waypoints is less pf them or a better spread. Some areas have waypoints next to each other. Which seems counter productive.

ShadowStep.3640:

Now I have to spend forever, to simply get there to unlock that waypoint

Since complaints like these appear regularly on this forum, I did a little experiment a couple of weeks ago to figure out how long “forever” actually is. I created a new character and did nothing but run to open up all waypoints (and use a few tomes if I was too low level for the next area.

The result: It took me a little less than 10 hours to unlock all waypoints that are part of map completion. Just by running across the map, next to no fighting or anything else involved. Actually there was just one waypoint that turned out somewhat difficult to get, and that was the one in the very north-eastern corner of Frostgorge Sound that noone needs anyway, and this was on a lvl 71 character in a lvl 80 area … even Cursed Shore was easy to unlock at lvl 72/73.

So “forever” to unlock specific waypoints on lvl 80 characters really isn’t the case. As someone above said, you can unlock the racial cities (plus Ebonhawk) in a matter of minutes, and to access the first four dungeons all you need to do is step out of one of the starter cities as long as someone in your party has the dungeon waypoint.

Just consider how many waypoints you could already have unlocked in the time it took you to post this …

Waypoints are parts of map completion and individual character progression. I don’t agree “we need” any kind of account wide wp unlock. Teleport to a friend is enough.

Sorry OP, but I think the system is fine the way it is. No free world unlock for you.

uhohhotdog.3598:

I’d like to see a transit system alternative that I don’t have to spend silver on. I know I know silver is so easy to get but I’m a cheapskate. Give me a mount or some trains/planes/something that I can take that doesn’t cost silver even if it takes longer. I can take a crap while I’m on it.

There is something of this sort already in game. It takes longer but has no silver cost. In fact it is available to every character for free immediately upon creation.

The sense of entitlement applied to video games is insane. Also, I hate dying. Could we remove that?

Loxias.2375:

The sense of entitlement applied to video games is insane. Also, I hate dying. Could we remove that?

lol xD

Take the portal from DR to Ebonhawk and then north and you are at shatterer in about 5-10 mins…

ShadowStep.3640:

Perhaps one of my greatest frustrations with this game, is the ridiculous way that waypoints are used. I both love hate waypoints, as waypoints are leagues better than mounts, but you actually have to unlock a waypoint to use it. It is so frustrating to want to do something in one area, but have to trek through the entire map simply to get there.
Example: My human character has never left DR, he leveled exclusively through tomes, wvw, or something else. Now he’s 80 and I want to do higher level stuff, like Shatterer. Now I have to spend forever, to simply get there to unlock that waypoint, so I can do Shatterer again in the future. The fact that there are no unlocked waypoints by default is so incredibly stupid. If I’m an asura and I have not yet gone to ascalon, and I want to go do the AC dungeon, I have to do a lot of mindless walking just to get there.

Now, I know the world completionists like their world completion, I get it, however, unlocking waypoints in key areas would not exactly hurt. Unlock one waypoint in each major city, this already greatly increases mobility while losing nothing. Better yet, unlock the waypoint next to each dungeon. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to waypoint directly to the dungeon.

Some of you might say “Oh well you will unlock the waypoints as you go along in the personal story.” Two things. First, I don’t like the personal story, chapter 2 was ok, but the rest was really boring. Second, you don’t go to every area when you play PS. As a human, really the only race I like, I never went to Rata Sum or any other areas.

Please Anet, change the waypoint system so it doesn’t require so much work to simply go places.

If by “mindless walking” on your Asura, you literally mean, take an Asura gate to Black Citadel and then walk half-way across one zone….then sure…I guess that really is too much work…

I love how 5min of running is all of a sudden simply too much for any one person to have to suffer through.

Come on…seriously?

I love how no one mentions that for most classes, it’s also possible to have a 75% swiftness up time, which cuts your travel time by a third!
If you can’t do that, see if a mesmer with a full set of centaur runes will run with you real quick. There’s your mount. ;p
Also, once you are inside the dungeon, you can turn around and walk right out. You come out at the entrance of the dungeon, and unlock the waypoint for the dungeon…so all you REALLY need to do, is get to the area with the dungeon in it, join a group, and walk on out.
Did that with my mesmer. Longest trek was to the Cursed Shore.

i could see unlocking zone entrance WPs account wide. That trek to cursed shore got old long before i’d done it on all 8 of my characters.

That’s not really gonna mess with map completion, unless there’s some inherent advantage to being able to start at the least accessible areas.

Well, a mount would be still cooler.

I can see the aggravation of a book leveled toon to 80 not having the wp’s. Perhaps an addition reward to dungeoneer could be perm unlock of dungeon wp’s for the account. And maybe other ways to earn certain wp’s like the 3 orders or something open for account.. dear I suggest even a gem store unlock if not earned...

Think of all the casual players, they work all day, have kids and want to enjoy playing in the evening. Clearly unlocking relevant waypoints is asking too much of them. I think all WPs should be unlocked on first character creation.

Okay I am going to be out of character here for myself as I am never usually like this but I just feel compelled to in this special case:

Oh BOOOOHOOO cry me a river! Wow just spend 1 day, just 1 lousy day and get off your backside and go and unlock the wps, really, it’s not that hard, seriously….

Ok back to character now.

Have a nice day. :-D

It’s not that hard to unlock the major waypoints. Really it’s not.

You already speed leveled with tomes. Just take a play session and run to the most important waypoints. The Meta bosses, any portal in any map that has a dungeon and if you do guild missions then those waypoints.

Really, it sounds so lazy to speed level then also want all the benefits of maps being opened by leveling while actually playing.

The funny thing is he could have unlocked all the dungeon WPs in less time than it took him to actually write this moan. Some people just prefer to moan about everything rather than getting out there and actually doing something even if it would take them less time….

Reminds me of people in the old Runescape who stood there all day in the towns begging for cash facepalm. If they were actually out killing things they would be making cash as well as making their chars stronger, some people….

If you think unlocking the (dragon that gets filtered) WP wait until you have the ‘fun’ of unlocking the less-dangerous WPs in Orr. Unless you happen to be running with a group prepare to be running all the way from zombies until you cry SAFE then do it all over again for the next time. I had to do that yesterday with a new level 80 mesmer and fortunately there was a party relatively nearby when I died before I could unlock the one WP on the far side of cursed shore that would not get me killed.

With the exception of Orr usually the first thing I do with a character when they get to the level for a map is run around getting as many WPs as possible. Then take my time getting the rest of the map and if there is a daily there I have a good chance of having the WP that is called.

Lol. Wait till he finds out he needs 100% world unlock for his hero points…

so you studied your way to 80 in DR before ever setting foot outside of it and you want to have access to the whole world at once?

…you went to college right after high school, didn’t you?

roachsrealm.9284:

so you studied your way to 80 in DR before ever setting foot outside of it and you want to have access to the whole world at once?

…you went to college right after high school, didn’t you?

Maybe ended up with a Sociology or History degree, realized that outside of teaching, what can you even do with that degree, but still wants a management position without experience because dagnabbit he’s a college grad!

Extreme solutions are called for:

1. Accommodate OP: Remove persistent world entirely. All possible loot-bearing PvE content is in instances and can be accessed directly from Lion’s Arch through a queue system. For the more extreme, just have a lever for each boss. Click lever, get loot, no need to do the tedious, time-consuming content, no need to ever go anywhere. Or:
2. Remove cause of OP’s problem: Force him to level up in the persistent world by removing Tomes from the game. Remove PvE leveling from WvW and have it use the sPvP system. If the OP has to go there to level in the first place, he’d unlock the WP’s in the course of play.

Sorry for the sarcasm. As much as I don’t want a return to the EQ days with everything one could do in PvE taking forever and being tedious as all get out, it seems to me that as developers introduce more and more convenience into games, some players keep demanding more. It’s a trend I’m not fond of.

I want the waypoint system to be more like original Guild Wars.

Basically less waypoints put in maps that you can teleport to, but from there you have to walk where you want to go. It was free to teleport there too.

This could also make it more interesting with these waypoints being in more settlement like areas, and have a bank, trading post and such, giving players their own personal place they like.

Outpost system that you’re referring to may be a thing in HoT. There was significantly less WPs on beta map. Still this game is different, pretends to be open world and GW1 was fully instanced game.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Sorry for the sarcasm. As much as I don’t want a return to the EQ days with everything one could do in PvE taking forever and being tedious as all get out, it seems to me that as developers introduce more and more convenience into games, some players keep demanding more. It’s a trend I’m not fond of.

Yes, You can get most WPs with little trouble. Probably the biggest exceptions are in Orr and the one in Mount Maelstrom.

I would like to see a way to get to at least some of those WPs that did not have a high likelihood of your dying though. Like the Rally Waypoint in the Straits of Devastation. Unless you do it during the event chain you have to swim and try not to put your fist through the screen.

Vayne.8563:

I’m going to guess most people are going to disagree with this. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take forever to get anywhere in this game.

Exactly this.

The world is small enough as it is (as a result of ready porting after just exploring once). If anything, I’d make it less easy to teleport, but the current system works for me.

Farzo.8410:

I want the waypoint system to be more like original Guild Wars.

Basically less waypoints put in maps that you can teleport to, but from there you have to walk where you want to go. It was free to teleport there too.

This could also make it more interesting with these waypoints being in more settlement like areas, and have a bank, trading post and such, giving players their own personal place they like.

The teleport system is like Guild Wars 1.There, you needed to get to a shrine to activate it before you could use it, just like it’s needed to get to a waypoint here. The only real difference is the cost but they had different gold sinks in that game.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Farzo.8410:

I want the waypoint system to be more like original Guild Wars.

Basically less waypoints put in maps that you can teleport to, but from there you have to walk where you want to go. It was free to teleport there too.

This could also make it more interesting with these waypoints being in more settlement like areas, and have a bank, trading post and such, giving players their own personal place they like.

The teleport system is like Guild Wars 1.There, you needed to get to a shrine to activate it before you could use it, just like it’s needed to get to a waypoint here. The only real difference is the cost but they had different gold sinks in that game.

And that there are far, far more waypoints than there were outposts.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

It’s not that hard to unlock the major waypoints. Really it’s not.

Yeah, it’s really, really not that hard/time consuming. An hour or two will get you to all the world boss waypoints through the Asura gate network in Lion’s Arch.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect someone to have to put a little effort into unlocking the world map for a character if they want to be able to use that character for bosses/dungeons etc.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

It’s not that hard to unlock the major waypoints. Really it’s not.

You already speed leveled with tomes. Just take a play session and run to the most important waypoints. The Meta bosses, any portal in any map that has a dungeon and if you do guild missions then those waypoints.

Really, it sounds so lazy to speed level then also want all the benefits of maps being opened by leveling while actually playing.

Speaking of guild missions … didn’t the blog say that they will have a portal in the guild hall that will take you to closest WP? That should take care of a lot of places.

Menadena.7482:

IndigoSundown.5419:

Sorry for the sarcasm. As much as I don’t want a return to the EQ days with everything one could do in PvE taking forever and being tedious as all get out, it seems to me that as developers introduce more and more convenience into games, some players keep demanding more. It’s a trend I’m not fond of.

Yes, You can get most WPs with little trouble. Probably the biggest exceptions are in Orr and the one in Mount Maelstrom.

I would like to see a way to get to at least some of those WPs that did not have a high likelihood of your dying though. Like the Rally Waypoint in the Straits of Devastation. Unless you do it during the event chain you have to swim and try not to put your fist through the screen.

Really tho? I did world complete on at least 5 chars before the mega servers came so it was pretty much 99% solo (yes I am counting that champ in orr that spawns when you go for the commune too). I am not saying I am anything special or awesome, if anything I am an average player which is why I question these kinds of statements…

You are saying it’s too hard to unlock a waypoint? O.O wow, if it really is that hard to not die perhaps try not running zerkers once in a while?

Menadena.7482:

IndigoSundown.5419:

Sorry for the sarcasm. As much as I don’t want a return to the EQ days with everything one could do in PvE taking forever and being tedious as all get out, it seems to me that as developers introduce more and more convenience into games, some players keep demanding more. It’s a trend I’m not fond of.

Yes, You can get most WPs with little trouble. Probably the biggest exceptions are in Orr and the one in Mount Maelstrom.

I would like to see a way to get to at least some of those WPs that did not have a high likelihood of your dying though. Like the Rally Waypoint in the Straits of Devastation. Unless you do it during the event chain you have to swim and try not to put your fist through the screen.

It’s possible I’ve been fortunate. On my first character, there were so many people in Orr I barely noticed the mobs — and that was back when there was higher Risen density. Since, I’ve done Orr on 5-6 more characters and rarely have any trouble to speak of. The most “interesting” one was trying to get the Balthazar Challenge in SoD with just one other character.

This has been in another thread.. and I made a long post about exactly how long it took to get through all the maps to all the dungeons/world bosses etc.

tl;dr it takes less than 90 minutes to get the slowest character in the game (Mesmer) to all the needed areas if you plan your route. 90 minutes per character is a small compromise given you got to 80 your character instantly.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I saw a page in wiki for a possible gemstore item. It would allow you to learn one waypoint per device. Whether it will ever become available is unknown as well as if it allows you to select any waypoint or just one particular wp per map.

There is an item like this- https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Teleport_to_Friend

It doesn’t unlock a WP unless your friend is at the WP. They are quite useful on alts. The catch is they only come from black lion chests.

Menadena.7482:

If you think unlocking the (dragon that gets filtered) WP wait until you have the ‘fun’ of unlocking the less-dangerous WPs in Orr. Unless you happen to be running with a group prepare to be running all the way from zombies until you cry SAFE then do it all over again for the next time. I had to do that yesterday with a new level 80 mesmer and fortunately there was a party relatively nearby when I died before I could unlock the one WP on the far side of cursed shore that would not get me killed.

With the exception of Orr usually the first thing I do with a character when they get to the level for a map is run around getting as many WPs as possible. Then take my time getting the rest of the map and if there is a daily there I have a good chance of having the WP that is called.

Swiftness.
Leaps/teleports.
Condition clearing.
Stability and stun breaks.
Stealth.

Lots of options for getting around. You only really need them in Orr where the monsters are designed to discourage straight-up running past them.

One word: lazy……..

ShadowStep.3640:

…..
Example: My human character has never left DR….

Sorry OP, all validity for your argument went FULL STOP right here.

If your character never left DR, how would they know how to travel to a WP elsewhere?

A “map buying” system to open up WP for places a character has never been kind of defeats the purpose for exploring the world the Devs have worked so hard to create.

Can’t support this.

rhapsody.3615:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I saw a page in wiki for a possible gemstore item. It would allow you to learn one waypoint per device. Whether it will ever become available is unknown as well as if it allows you to select any waypoint or just one particular wp per map.

There is an item like this- https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Teleport_to_Friend

It doesn’t unlock a WP unless your friend is at the WP. They are quite useful on alts. The catch is they only come from black lion chests.

Yah. I have a couple of those. They might be useful for moving an alt deep inside the HoT at a later date. The item I saw though was something not yet in game but mentioned in wiki. I wasn’t able to find the page again, so maybe it was removed, but it said it would allow that char to learn one waypoint.

Theres a far more fundamental problem here, and it applies not only to this game but to most MMOs, and thats whats the purpose of the game?
Most MMOs Ive played seem to have only one purpose, and thats for most players to get to the level cap ASAP.
Having to grind their way up thru all the lower levels is seen as a chore or waste of time.
So it begs the question, why have levels at all.
Why not simply have an end game , where all the effort of the game designers goes
into making Ënd Game content .
This solves the levelling grind , and the other common complaint which is theres not enough end game content.
After a MMO is released all the zones are full of people for a month or 2 , until everyone starts hitting the level cap, and then 90% of all the players are at the end game and the only zones to have anyone in them are the end game zones.
The only way game designers can fix this and its only temporary , is to add more end game content and raise the level cap, after which in a month or 2 , everyones at the new level cap and complaining thats theres nothing to do.
What the fix is to all of this I have no idea, but its a problem that all MMOs have .

mauried.5608:

Theres a far more fundamental problem here, and it applies not only to this game but to most MMOs, and thats whats the purpose of the game?
Most MMOs Ive played seem to have only one purpose, and thats for most players to get to the level cap ASAP.
Having to grind their way up thru all the lower levels is seen as a chore or waste of time.
So it begs the question, why have levels at all.
Why not simply have an end game , where all the effort of the game designers goes
into making Ënd Game content .
This solves the levelling grind , and the other common complaint which is theres not enough end game content.
After a MMO is released all the zones are full of people for a month or 2 , until everyone starts hitting the level cap, and then 90% of all the players are at the end game and the only zones to have anyone in them are the end game zones.
The only way game designers can fix this and its only temporary , is to add more end game content and raise the level cap, after which in a month or 2 , everyones at the new level cap and complaining thats theres nothing to do.
What the fix is to all of this I have no idea, but its a problem that all MMOs have .

I disagree. Players decide to level to max ASAP all on their own assuming that’s where all the interesting content and rewards are found.

In the era of subscriptions, the purpose of an MMO was to waste a players time as much as possible. Running to and from quest givers and trainers. Slow movement across the game world. Everything and anything so they would have to pay for another month than max out within the free month the game purchase bought them.

The purpose of F2P is to hog tie players with basic cosmetic looks, tiny inventory and roped off content (for subscription to F2P/hybrid) to milk as much cash off of players.

GW2’s B2P let you have more character slots, bigger inventory, no (until LW2 late comers) roped off content. The addition of game currency to cash shop proxy currency lets players get for traditional cash shop items for free or at a reduced real world cost and in turn provides the game currency for players wishing to purchase it for real world currency.

GW2 fights against what you described as player migration to the top level zones is by having boss events across zones of all levels along with the downscaling of stats but keeping XP and rewards at the player’s actual level. That’s why Orr isn’t brimming with players. SW, well that’s the hot “farming” area.