Guild Wars 2

I’m really glad that some of the LS3 masteries are useful everywhere. (Like the downed skill. That’s really useful.) But what about the others? The aerial combat one, the oakheart mastery, the ‘fire yourself out of a lava chute’ one?

Are these now useless? Ways to only get around those specific maps?

Will there be oakheart things added to Core Tyria maps, or HoT maps? Will they be on PoF maps at all? What about the lava chutes? Some of those masteries were expensive, and it would be really nice if they could be used here and there on other maps. (And aerial combat. WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT WORK OUTSIDE BLOODSTONE FEN. SOMEWHERE. ANYWHERE.)

Are there any plans at all to EVER put these options into other maps? (Like adding gliding to Core Tyria?) Or are they forever going to be hugely expensive niche skills?

Aerial combat is also available in Lake Doric if you take a ley line from the pier to attack a jade cannon. Not more generally, though.

Oakheart can also be used in the guild halls if a player buys the nodes from the vendor in DM, and placed anywhere the decorator desires.

I agree it would be nice to proliferate these further, but ANet’s design decision to make PoF navigable without owning HoT means they would have to add them for flavor without making them the best way of doing some PoF travel. Anywhere they exist there would have to be an equally good or better PoF method to get where they take you, or suddenly players have to buy HoT to be effective.

That would be pretty tricky to design and might not satisfy anyone. HoT owners “pfft this is a useless thermal tube.” PoF only owners “Hey, wtf, how come there’s this cool thermal tube I can’t use?”

None of them were required to get around the map although there may have been a few places that could have required them. They primarily just made navigating the maps more enjoyable. Except for the one in episode 3. I never got the point of that one other than unfreezing chests.

That last gliding skill would have been great to have.

I absolutely wouldn’t mind the LS3 masteries being around in non-exclusive formats. I mean yes! Absolutely! If you have the right mount and the right mount mastery, that should be the best way of getting around a PoF map! But it doesn’t have to be the only way.

I’d love to see bouncing mushrooms pop up here and there on Core Tyria maps, forex. Not needed, but maybe a way to cut down time for the adventurer in a rush. Same for thermal tubes. They’re not NEEDED. But having them there gives those that bought the content and mastered the masteries a shortcut. (Or maybe just a cool way to get from A to B that isn’t really a shortcut, just cool.)

I’m absolutely not suggesting that ANet set things up so you’d HAVE to have bought LS3 or HoT to get somewhere. I’m just…really hoping that the options are included, really. Just to get some added mileage out of having done that content.

If there was going to be another x-amount of expansions, I feel like if they try to add every single mastery into the newer maps, it would feel cluttered. Perhaps stuff like hidden areas only reachable by old masteries for a chest, or a nice view, or achievement, or something like that would be neat.

But not too many, just a reasonable small amount that gives an explorer something to look forward to and explore.

Larathia.5284:

I’d love to see bouncing mushrooms pop up here and there on Core Tyria maps

They already have in the secret white mantle hideout in Brisbane in the One Path Ends story. That proves they’re capable of growing in the core maps so who knows? I too hope they’ll pop up again here and there.

Some of these masteries added here and there in the core Tyria maps might serve to freshen up those maps a bit for long (and even not so long) time players. Could be fun!

I’d like to see lava chutes in PoF. Not as a “you have to buy the LS3 to navigate these maps properly” thing, but just as an option to quickly get around the map.

They should lock you into the ball for the entire flight, though, so that it can’t be exploited to gain height for gliding to difficult-to-access locations.

Just as like a convenience thing, to validate the time/resource/money investment of people who did play the LS3, so that it doesn’t feel utterly useless.

Oakheart could perhaps be used similarly, but maybe as just a 1-charge thing that lasts 15 seconds or so, just to let players scale otherwise difficult climbs in specific areas. Again, just convenience, not exclusivity.

Addendum – would it be possible to transfer the LS3 masteries to PoF? quite apart of the fun/utility of oakheart & tubes, the counter magic mechanic seems like it would be interesting/fun to include in expansion fights, and the sirens song things seem like they would be pretty awesome as well.

Perhaps even koda’s flame could make an appearance somewhere.

As with all the masteries, they shouldn’t be strictly requisite beyond the first tier (which would be counter magic in this case), just… useful.

Koda’s flame would be a better fit in a core shiverpeaks map. As it is it feels like a wasted mastery …. even in BF you can just follow someone with a torch and search the chests after they open them.

The Gliding combats skills would be very nice to have outside of the bloodstone map.