Guild Wars 2

Okay, this is something of a rant, because I’ve spent the last 45m trying to finish two jump puzzles in Dredgehaunt Cliffs, and I’m honestly to the point that I’m NOT having fun with the game anymore, and have logged out in frustration.

Devs, for the love of god, if you want to put jump puzzles into the game, that’s fine, but don’t make them REQUIRED to finish a zone. Not everyone enjoys playing “guess when to tap the space bar” in order to finish a zone. I like to challenge myself by taking on multiple mobs, big mobs, soloing champions, and the like. A “challenge” to me is not figuring out when to hit the flipping space bar, with a misclick resulting in a fall to my death.

If people enjoy jump puzzles, more power to them. But please, DO NOT make them mandatory.

I think you are mixing jumping puzzles with vistas.
Jumping Puzzles are longer, has a chest and an achievement at the end, and is not required to finish the map.
Vistas can have elements of puzzles, with some tricky jumping, but all you get is the vista… no chest, no achievement. Vistas are indeed required for map completion.

Anyways… a formality, and I agree that some vistas are a pain. But they wont go away. (Nor should they, many people love them and want more) Find a mesmer to help you maybe?

Actually, one of the Dredgehaunt Cliffs vistas is at the END of the jump puzzle. You’re forced to do the jump puzzle to get the vista — it’s about 10 feet past where the puzzle mob spawns.

I have no problem with vistas, even if they require a bit of thought to figure out how to get to. What I dislike is requiring an elaborate jump puzzle (where you can fall to your death with one misclick) to finish a zone. Adding jump puzzles for BONUS achievements is perfectly fine. But REQUIRING them is, to me, annoying as all hell.

It’s fine that some people like them. As I said, more power to them, if ANet wants to add tons of them all over the place. Just as long as they’re BONUS stuff. Not REQUIRED.

Dredgehaunt Cliffs has 2 nasty vistas, and I hate that map. Even if it’s more of an annoyance in the end rather than truly gamebreaking stuff, those Vistas were the main reason I hated that one map in particular (ironically, most Vistas on Cursed Shore, including the jumping puzzle, turned out to be quite simple in comparison.) Thing is, some Vistas are nasty enough to the point of being “jump-puzzle-like”. I honestly wished all Vistas were optional fluff myself, and not required for map completion, given the sometimes weird mechanics to get to a few of them (standing almost on air, etc.)

I share the frustration, but I don’t think the developers didn’t do anything bad, other than trying to cater to a specific gamer that likes that type of thing. I am certainly not one of them, being jumping puzzle-impaired myself (I do them rather begrudgingly.) I do believe they should be wholly optional, and that no Vista should be attached at all to any jumping puzzle (I don’t remember if Dredgehaunt Cliffs’ Vistas were tied to any puzzles, but there are some (admittedly few) vistas that do require doing some of them.) Let those who enjoy that stuff do so wholeheartedly, but never make it a requirement, so all other Vista-hating/jump-puzzle loathing players can omit that part of the game if they so wish.

(Some jump puzzles are fun, really, but most are frustrating to play for me. I didn’t even participate on the Mad King’s puzzle JUST BECAUSE I heard it was brutal from my guildies-never even tried it due to this, since I tend to hate even the most basic ones. No amount of reward will make me love them. :P)

In short, don’t dumb down that stuff for those players who love it, but avoid making it a requirement of any sort (save perhaps achievement titles) in the future.

Getting that vista at the end of Tribulation Rift Scaffolding is probably one of the hardest, if not the hardest one to get in the non-WvW areas (the first time through). I actually can’t recall more than a couple that required that much effort so it’s not a huge issue really. Generally they’re just a matter of finding the proper way up, and that one isn’t too different… besides the challenge of getting up onto the scaffolding in the middle of a war zone.

In other words, nearly all the vistas are relatively easy and don’t require difficult jumping puzzles to complete zones.

I think its strange they call them jumping puzzles in the first place. I always have. I guess the word fits, but I don’t feel as if I have solved anything in completing one. It doesn’t have the same feel or vibe as say a crossword puzzle or jigsaw puzzle. Its a set path with collision mechanics.

I will agree that requiring them to finish a zone is silly. Only a couple of zones have them for certain vista’s/poi’s. Fortunately, its its only a couple.

I also don’t like achievement systems in general. Its a kitchen sink sort of tool to keep certain players busy to give them a sense of accomplishment. The thing that bugs me about the majority of the achievements in GW2 is they are not “fun” and require a grind or work mentality to complete if you are going for them and see them as a method of progression or accomplishment. In console games the same thing does tend to arise dependent on the game or developer, but in my experience the table is flipped and more of the console type achievements are actually “fun” to complete.

I understand your pain. Soloing, I fought 2 days on the one in the mine (vista, no JP), another 2 days on the other one near the dungeon (vista, with hard JP). They are very challenging for the first time. When I did them with my 2nd toon, still very hard but at least it took only 2 hours each. With my 3rd toon, they become a breeze that I could do them within 10-15 minutes.
I think they should leave them alone because they make you feel your progression when you do them multiple times. One thing needed to be improved is probably the insane respawn timer (which is very common and unpleasant all over Tyria) which adds more than enough frustration and blocks you from the real challenge.

Sevati.6724:

I think its strange they call them jumping puzzles in the first place. I always have. I guess the word fits, but I don’t feel as if I have solved anything in completing one. It doesn’t have the same feel or vibe as say a crossword puzzle or jigsaw puzzle. Its a set path with collision mechanics.
….

Some of them could be considered puzzles as you have to figure out the correct way to go, but yeah, a lot of them are more jumping ‘challenges.’ I guess they could name them as one or the other but it’s not real smooth to say “jumping puzzle and/or challenge.”
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If you’re having problems with parts of a jumping puzzle or route to specific vistas check youtube. When I’ve been confused with something and get frustrated it’s helped to watch a quick vid of someone else doing it. I have yet to fail in an attempt to find a vid when I’ve checked. Most of the time I’ve been approaching something from the wrong way and making it much more difficult.

It is possible to jump first and while yoh are in the air move in any direction you want.

It is possible to change your direction of movement while in midair and use that to jump around corners.

In some places you can walk off of the visible structure and stand in midair. Try that in very tough spots and if it works there use it to your advantage.

Some spots may be easier to navigate by mouse movement and others by keyboard movement.

Some spots it feels better to jump across something like in real life by taking a running start others its easier to jump first then start moving in midair like mentioned above.

Not sure on this but having a speed enhancer on like the running speed boost for Ele heal while in air seemed to increase the distance jumped.

Hope that helps you.

There’s also a vista in… Diessa Plateau, I think it is? That’s at the end of a JP. There’s a skill point up there as well.

You could try to get a Mesmer to help you. I usually do JPs on mine since when I fall off I can portal back instead of having to start over.

If you’re struggling on them then just come to Blackgate server and I’ll port you to them. You lose the experience of finishing it but sometimes it’s worth it if it’s frustrating you that much.

I can also give advice on how to do them since I’ve done those three times at least.

Clobimon.9652:

…besides the challenge of getting up onto the scaffolding in the middle of a war zone…

The trick is to use the shield generator from the crates (part of the heart/quest there) and then use it on your way there by have the shield overlap each other.

I think having to complete a few jumping puzzles to get world completion is a good thing, it isn’t ment to be 100% easy to get 100% completion. The dredge one took me about 3 hours, but the satisfaction of knowing you are part of a small group (i see alot of lvl80’s without stars by there names) is something to be proud of with being able to show some competent playing.

On a side note i didn’t complete the Halloween clock tower (speed jumping not my thing) so im not very good at jump puzzles, but patience and a good eye for knowing where exactly to jump to/from can make the jump puzzles connected with vistas pretty easy to get(frustration is how you start to make silly mistakes).

Uh… Am I the only one that thinks map completion IS “optional fluff”. You aren’t denied access to the next area until you hit 100%.

Personally I’m getting rather good at them, except in cases where lots of floaty objects bump my camera in and out a lot. They REALLY need to find a way to deal with that. There are also a couple that are just not friendly to larger characters at all, as you brush walls when jumping which halts your jump and makes you fall early.

If I could request anything it would be a button to TOGGLE my double-tap evade. I have to open the options and turn it off every time I hit a jump puzzle, and I’m in a world of hurt if I forget to turn it back on.

If you get angry. Take a break and come back later. A few vistas were challenging but very doable. I remembered the clock tower. I died so many times and had to log off and vent but once I nailed the routine, it was hella fun. The only annoying part was that I lived in Australia so the last jump into the clock required some odd timing that would normally would had got you killed.

Like what has already been suggested, just find a friendly Mesmer to give you a hand.

You can try asking in guild, in zone, in LA or even here on the forums. If you do it on the forums then just setup a time and day to meet up in game.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are a lot of people who really enjoy being able to use their Mesmer to help other people complete Vistas and Jump Puzzles.

I see this is old but I join the rant here. I’m trying to do the Breached Wall Vista puzzle and while most of it is quite easy there’s a long jump which has taken me more than ten attempts (not counting EACH attempt meant having to kill at least two ascalonian ghosts). When I finally achieved that jump my hand was shaking so much in the next two jumps I fell down and now I have to start it over again. I don’t mind easy jumping puzzles required to finish a map (Dredgehaunt ones were interesting and doable to my clumsy hand) but this can be very frustrating!
PS Anyone can give me advice about how to make long jumps? I’ve been completely unable to finish Troll’s End because of that!

Sonia.7910:

I see this is old but I join the rant here. I’m trying to do the Breached Wall Vista puzzle and while most of it is quite easy there’s a long jump which has taken me more than ten attempts (not counting EACH attempt meant having to kill at least two ascalonian ghosts). When I finally achieved that jump my hand was shaking so much in the next two jumps I fell down and now I have to start it over again. I don’t mind easy jumping puzzles required to finish a map (Dredgehaunt ones were interesting and doable to my clumsy hand) but this can be very frustrating!
PS Anyone can give me advice about how to make long jumps? I’ve been completely unable to finish Troll’s End because of that!

Each character has a specific area of space on which he “stands”. This is why you see sometimes charr or asurans hanging by their pinky on walls and cliffs. You need to find out the exact shape/size of that relative to your character model. Like if you’re an asura, I find that it is possible to jump slightly later than a human model would. For example, this is the cliff/wall.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

and this is you – [a]

Sometimes, you must jump at

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[a] to get maximum distance. But on an asura model, sometimes I jump
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx-[a] (I tried my best to illustrate x.x)

It’s as if on my asuran feet, the last jump isn’t on the wall/cliff anymore, but 1 step or half a step off the wall/cliff.

The point is you can jump slightly off-platform on an asura since they’re tiny in character model but each character has the same specific hitbox and foot area. Once you figure that out, jumping puzzles become easy/doable. =) Also, NEVER ever look at your char’s foot to check if you can stand on it or not. :p

PS. The one vista in dredgehaut cliffs was actually nerfed to make it easier. I think this happened during the wintersday patch. I remember the only way to finish that was to hang by the edge of your toe on one plank to be able to jump to the next one. >.< Took me 2 days to finally get it.

I’m not opposed to vistas being a part of World Completion. However, they do seem to be something extra that you actively have to seek out despite your regular play. In the course of doing all the hearts in a zone you’ll probably hit 90% of the POIs without even trying to. Skill Points are something that you’ll want to get, akin to hearts, as they directly contribute to your character’s progress. However, vistas are purely to get a nice view of the terrain. Which, if you want to get technical, is a part of exploring: getting to a high vantage point to scout an area (Assassin’s Creed?). But you’re not going to hit them in the course of your questing.

Thanks, penatbater!

So there’s not actually a trick, like taking impulse or something? While I was painfully climbing again and again on that long jump in Breached Wall I was seeing people doing it easily just running to the edge and jumping. Of course if I do that my kitten keyboard won’t react properly and I will simply not jump XD. And if I take my time to find that xxxxxxxxxxxxxx[a] you so awesomely describe those kitten ascalonian ghosts get my *ss -sigh-. Well maybe next time I’ll do it better since I “think” I already got the jumping point.

I just hoped there was a miracle combination of keys which would allow me jump those missing inches more easily. I guess I’m just clumsier than the other players.

And I do love Vistas. I may be a weird case, but I find them terribly relaxing and rewarding, after figuring out how to climb to a hard place, especially if they have a beautiful piece of soundtrack in the background (Dawn in Shaemor has become a favourite XD). I do prefer the ones which involve no fighting, but then, I’m not the fighter type…. I enjoy exploring the world avoiding unnecessary combat with my thief XD

I recently did this one myself for the first time:

http://dulfy.net/2012/09/30/gw2-wall-breach-blitz-diessa-plateau-jumping-puzzle-guide/

with that it took me 2x to finish it (1x for skill point and then i missed the jump to the vista because I forgot I was still in combat)

Yeah, that’s the one I’m having trouble with. Well, I had. I’ve taken a rest because I was getting too frustrated. Maybe tomorrow. I’m a stubborn lady.

Sonia.7910:

Thanks, penatbater!

So there’s not actually a trick, like taking impulse or something? While I was painfully climbing again and again on that long jump in Breached Wall I was seeing people doing it easily just running to the edge and jumping. Of course if I do that my kitten keyboard won’t react properly and I will simply not jump XD. And if I take my time to find that xxxxxxxxxxxxxx[a] you so awesomely describe those kitten ascalonian ghosts get my *ss -sigh-. Well maybe next time I’ll do it better since I “think” I already got the jumping point.

I just hoped there was a miracle combination of keys which would allow me jump those missing inches more easily. I guess I’m just clumsier than the other players.

And I do love Vistas. I may be a weird case, but I find them terribly relaxing and rewarding, after figuring out how to climb to a hard place, especially if they have a beautiful piece of soundtrack in the background (Dawn in Shaemor has become a favourite XD). I do prefer the ones which involve no fighting, but then, I’m not the fighter type…. I enjoy exploring the world avoiding unnecessary combat with my thief XD

Nope. You can try using swiftness and getting out of combat for a longer jump, but I assume you’ve already tried that. :p It’s all about where you jump off that determines your distance (and whether or not the structure you’re jumping to allows for character models on it).

What I meant by the small space there is that you need to find the furthest place you can jump from. Sometimes its exactly at the end of your cliff/wall. Sometimes, it’s a little bit more past it (again, due to the nature that each character has the same foot box while having different character models which might cause some confusion). =P Goodluck! A guide really helps as well as they can tell you where is the best place to jump from/from which direction. And don’t worry, I fell down maybe 3-4x as well doing the breached wall. But I did finish it without the guide (just for the excitement of discover :p)

wumpusrat.4769:

Okay, this is something of a rant, because I’ve spent the last 45m trying to finish two jump puzzles in Dredgehaunt Cliffs, and I’m honestly to the point that I’m NOT having fun with the game anymore, and have logged out in frustration.

Devs, for the love of god, if you want to put jump puzzles into the game, that’s fine, but don’t make them REQUIRED to finish a zone. Not everyone enjoys playing “guess when to tap the space bar” in order to finish a zone. I like to challenge myself by taking on multiple mobs, big mobs, soloing champions, and the like. A “challenge” to me is not figuring out when to hit the flipping space bar, with a misclick resulting in a fall to my death.

If people enjoy jump puzzles, more power to them. But please, DO NOT make them mandatory.

I know where you’re coming from.

In the beginning, the jumping was seriously challenging for me. I remember getting unbelievably frustrated trying to get a vista in Divinity’s Reach that required me jumping from column to column.

Many months later, today, jumping puzzles are my favourite thing about GW2 (with all the frustration attached), but it was a long road, and I totally understand that not everybody wants to or will travel it. Getting to vistas no longer frustrates me as I’ve been through worse.

I do think that map completion should come with one or the other challenge, so in my book it’s fine that there is a few select maps that are difficult to finish. But one person’s frustration is another person’s joy. One person enjoys doing heart quests and for another person it’s dull drone work. I love jumping, but I find dungeons ridiculously hard and struggle with them. I think overall the balance of things needed for map completion is a fair one.

My best advice is to ask somebody in /map (or on here) who is experiences in that area to walk together with you. They can take care of the mobs together with you, show you where to go, heal if you fall, etc.

Other than that, the best thing I can say is: If I could do it, so can you (probably) (But I do feel sorry for the frustration.)

Just something to help you guys get through this. It took me 3 days of roughly 2-3hrs a day to get just 1 jumping puzzle in Straits of Devastation. (not the magi tower, the one near the river). So keep at it! And use a guide! :p

Zeefa.3915:

Vistas can have elements of puzzles, with some tricky jumping, but all you get is the vista… no chest, no achievement. Vistas are indeed required for map completion.

There’s a nice Vista in Malchor’s Leap with a chest, so sometimes you get both.

I feel for the OP; I hated jumping puzzles for the longest time. I’ve never been good at platformers (well, at least not since the 2d days of Nintendo) and could never seem to get them done. But after practicing awhile – just jumping around on just about anything … climbing the sides of mountains and hills and buildings where I could fall safe without dying and didn’t really have to make it to the top – I started to have fun with it; and I got better. (and you can find a lot of hidden little spots while doing it)

Anymore, I love jumping puzzles, Vistas, or just climbing things for the sake of climbing them. Practice and repetition … and walking away when you get frustrated, are your best tools. You don’t always have to finish each zone right here and now … go to another zone and do the non-jumpy parts for awhile. Do a dungeon, explore, run around a city, swim (alot of great sights under water) and cool down. Then go back to them another day.

It took me about 5 months to really get to a spot where I was having lots of fun Jumping – I really hated it to start with – but now it’s added a whole other level of play to the game and I’m glad I kept working at it.

And, hey, there’s no shame to looking online for the solutions until you get comfortable with it … you still have to make the jumps, but they might show you a much easier way of doing it. (and don’t forget a lot of classes have a 50% fall damage reducer pretty low in their Trait line – might want to switch to that on those puzzles with long falls)

Break a leg.