Guild Wars 2

First off, thank you ANet for re-adding in this feature. With it players once again get the feeling that they are leveling and earning something for leveling. Having the trigger on this being once playes have maxed out Masteries also makes sense. That said, Raid Masteries should not be associated to Heart of Magumma but its own grouping. Testing this myself and guildmates at first thought this was a bug between Tyria and Magumma until we factored in the Raid Masteries. Please consider breaking this into its own grouping since Raids can be accessed via Tyria and Magumma and therefore straddle both zones. Thank you again for re-adding this feature and appreciate your consideration on this.

Technically the Forsaken Thicket is in the HoT Zones. The Entrance is in VB. You can access them from Lions Arch Aerodrome because you get (by lore) transported by pact ships.

Yes, but the Areodrome is in LA.

Another reason this should be separate is that Masteries are per account, yet these are group only content where as all the rest are solo player content that is made easier with more people.

Raids were also created for a subset of the playerbase, so why should they block progress for people not raiding?

Its a small thing but details are important. Another option would be to allow players to apply EXP to those masteries without restrictions but that seemed a less desirable solution to the issue since the mastery xp were meant to be locked behind the encounter itself.

Yes, the Areodrome is in LA, but that doesn’t matter. The raids themselves are a part of HoT. As such, are HoT based masteries, not core. That is logical.

Regardless of this, Raid Masteries, should not be a factor in the regaining of access to spirit shard generation. I doubt the majority of people will even do raids, but I could be wrong. Even still, I feel they should be their “own thing” that shouldn’t act as a barrier to the ‘average’ player.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

Raid Masteries, should not be a factor in the regaining of access to spirit shard generation. I doubt the majority of people will even do raids, but I could be wrong. Even still, I feel they should be their “own thing” that shouldn’t act as a barrier to the ‘average’ player.

^ This. I agree. I was very disappointed when I found out why my exp bar wasn’t increasing while in the fen. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Anets’ barriers.

Blude.6812:

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

Raid Masteries, should not be a factor in the regaining of access to spirit shard generation. I doubt the majority of people will even do raids, but I could be wrong. Even still, I feel they should be their “own thing” that shouldn’t act as a barrier to the ‘average’ player.

^ This. I agree. I was very disappointed when I found out why my exp bar wasn’t increasing while in the fen. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Anets’ barriers.

No masteries should be a factor. In my opinion, a player should be able to choose if he wants his xp to go to spirit shards regardless of the state of his masteries. Spirit shards were obviously introduced to give xp some more value. However, xp is still worthless if you have locked masteries, or if you are lacking MP.

Isn’t it possible that this is a bug? Has ANet actually said that we have to complete all the raid masteries to start earning spirit shards?

Ganathar.4956:

No masteries should be a factor. In my opinion, a player should be able to choose if he wants his xp to go to spirit shards regardless of the state of his masteries. Spirit shards were obviously introduced to give xp some more value. However, xp is still worthless if you have locked masteries, or if you are lacking MP.

I agree with you. I have no intention of ever building a legendary weapon and I would like to choose to ignore those masteries. Not sure why they should be required. Similarly, I understand Anet encouraging different play types, but I don’t think they should require fractal masteries, either. However, raid mastery requirements for the vast majority of non-raiders really sucks. I would most like to have raid masteries downgraded from obligatory to optional.

It’s technically part of Maguuma masteries; points earned in raids can be used in Maguuma masteries, so that is probably how it is.

That being said, I would also like to opt out by having a spirit shard track myself. The well has really run dry for mastery points and I acquired enough to max the 4 lines plus only 1 extra for raids, which I now sorta regret because the new map seems to demand a mastery as well.

I have no intention of really raiding or doing legendary crafting so XP towards them is not worth anything to me. I also have 2781 spirit shards, so if one thinks I’m begging for them, you are sorely mistaken. But given my readings of the forum, I think it’s more of an issue that it’s rubbing into the faces of people who aren’t able to get enough mastery points if it weren’t annoying them enough.

Anyhow, my remaining points aren’t particularly fun, so I didn’t bother especially after doing all the main ones. Hopefully the Bloodstone fen ones aren’t too bad. I need 8 and there’s about 33 available outside of Bloodstone Fen. Doesn’t sound too bad but doing a lot of these actually hurts my head, either something about them or maybe repressed memories.

tl;dr do bloodstone fen.
I’m not going to list CT masteries because I am hopeless there. I still need to do the legendary line which I never wanted in the first place.

In that case, please allow Spirit Shards track to be selectable. Personally I just don’t have enough mastery points, and I don’t play fractals, so I don’t care about any of the fractal lines. I rather go back to earn Spirit Shards.

The ‘level all your masteries’ makes no sense. In Tyria I only see one of the three masteries as being worth leveling (I have no desire to make a legendary and I do not do fractals). Maguuma XP is easy, the MP that are usually what limits your progress so we need a way to burn the excess XP.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Isn’t it possible that this is a bug? Has ANet actually said that we have to complete all the raid masteries to start earning spirit shards?

I don’t think its a bug, but could be wrong. Seeing the logic work in Tyria and the pattern between the 2 with the people that tested with us was that we all had all of Tyria done but non of the raid masteries done. In Tyria XP was building and leading to shards, in Mag it was just a blank bar.

TheGrimm.5624:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Isn’t it possible that this is a bug? Has ANet actually said that we have to complete all the raid masteries to start earning spirit shards?

I don’t think its a bug, but could be wrong. Seeing the logic work in Tyria and the pattern between the 2 with the people that tested with us was that we all had all of Tyria done but non of the raid masteries done. In Tyria XP was building and leading to shards, in Mag it was just a blank bar.

My understanding is you only have to be successful on one raid to unlock, not all of them. nor do you need the raid masteries. Once it is unlocked, the XP bar will fill in fen(if trained etc.).

TheGrimm.5624:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Isn’t it possible that this is a bug? Has ANet actually said that we have to complete all the raid masteries to start earning spirit shards?

I don’t think its a bug, but could be wrong. Seeing the logic work in Tyria and the pattern between the 2 with the people that tested with us was that we all had all of Tyria done but non of the raid masteries done. In Tyria XP was building and leading to shards, in Mag it was just a blank bar.

That is consistent with it being intended and with it being a bug — the symptoms would be the same.

My question remains: how do we know that it was intended? Did ANet actually say that it was?

Well, the statement was: all Masteries for a region. Interpret that as one will.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Well, the statement was: all Masteries for a region. Interpret that as one will.

ANet’s inconsistencies about the definition of ‘region’ and ‘all’ are well documented. ANet’s been clear that they don’t expect everyone to join raids, too. So I find it hard to believe that they deliberately gated a feature behind something that they know to be available to them minority just because some junior developer typed, “all masteries for a region” instead of “all open world masteries” or whatever.

As I said, interpret it as you will.

If it’s a bug, I suppose it may be ‘fixed’. If not, it may be changed, anyway. If it’s not changed, players will get used to it, as with everything else, most likely. It may get a response like the GoB thread(s), it may not.

/shrug

I agree with OP, Raid masteries should be their own group, and change the raid mastery points to be different from HoT and Core points.

You don’t need Spirit Shards.
If your desperate for shards, Tomes are there for a reason.

Just because you locks yourself to “only” xyz doesn’t mean there aren’t otherways of getting it.
Your just choosing not to get it, just as I’m choosing to better myself to get them.

Morte de Angelis.7986:

You don’t need Spirit Shards.
If your desperate for shards, Tomes are there for a reason.

Just because you locks yourself to “only” xyz doesn’t mean there aren’t otherways of getting it.
Your just choosing not to get it, just as I’m choosing to better myself to get them.

Agree, and also don’t need spirit shards, have 3.7K of them and 1750 ToK in the bank as well. The point more is the inconsistency. Extremely happy they brought them back between times when people have Masteries to work on. This makes sense. But they said and planned all along that raids weren’t for everyone, so why the block?

Again remove the block or allow people to go ahead and be able to train into those Masteries without the kill the boss with a group requirements. I created this post for myself and others that are non-forum goers since ANet is so close on this feature being spot on.

+100 Again from me for them bringing this back. Its nice to feel like looping 80 has value again, even if its for just collecting a currency for future use.

Good gaming!

I totally agree with this. I was also very happy that they added spirit shards again and then kind of disappointed they I wouldn’t be getting them anyway. They could at least let us get the raid masteries without actually having to raid, but just removing the necessity to get them at all would be preferable.

“I don’t understand” why I can get spirit shard in other maps but not in Bloodstone Fen … I’m not interested in Raid and will probably never make any of them.

I cannot agree more about the fact that “Raid Masteries, should not be a factor” to get spirit shard in Bloostone Fen.

Maybe I am choosing to “better myself” by not being forced in to an area I left intentionally.

Please, Take some care in the words chosen, unintentional or blissfully unaware slights are still slights.

On the last major update, you did this:

Added back the ability to receive Spirit Shards once all the Masteries in a given region (Central Tyria or the Heart of Maguuma) have been earned. Players will continue to earn experience, and with every 254,000 experience points gained, players will earn a handful of Spirit Shards, which are useful to spend in the Mystic Forge or with the Mystic Forge attendant Miyani.

This is nice, however, could you please fix it so it works even if you have not finished locked ones. Some of us don’t care to do the raids for example, and as such, the mastery track is locked for us. But unfortuantly, you need to unlock it and do it just to get the spirit shards per level back again.

It doesn’t really seem fair to make people have to unlock them if they happy having them locked.

1. This isn’t a bug, so it does not belong here

2. No one is saying you have to have spirit shards. Keep locked masteries locked if you don’t want them. But the intention as it stands is that you get spirit shards AFTER you get to 170 Mastery. Not before.

Morte de Angelis.7986:

1. This isn’t a bug, so it does not belong here

I don’t see evidence one way or another about whether it’s a bug or not. I can see why some people think it might be a bug and I can see why some people think it might have been intended. In the absence of an official response, I think posting here is as good a spot for this thread as any.

I’d lobby that instead of having to wait till you get max, they’d just add a “mastery line” that gives shards, instead of waiting for whenever you max a region.
Me i’ve maxed the exp on 2-3 different lines, but i’m missing 1 point to train them (i’ve already mentioned how lame the mechanic of level it twice feels), so i’m stuck with full bars for now.
Also, people that don’t want to raid, fractals or Legendaries shouldn’t have to level those just to get shards.
Also its probably better for future content if they do it like this, instead of having to update exclusions.

I agree that this is not a bug. I feel it is the way they planned it, but at the same time failed to realize that locked masteries should not count.

The whole system of the spirit shards needs to be available to all people, regardless if they have every mastery unlocked or have some locked.

I liked the idea of not needing to kill a boss in Raid to unlock it. Perhaps they could just change it to entering Spirit Vale and perhaps talking to the Npc there. Right now, I am trying to kill the first boss or get a group to do the escort so I can unlock it just to get the spirit shards.

It also is not because I need spirit shards (3.5k), it is the principle of being fair to all.