New content. -> New items. -> Better items. -> Gear treadmill! -> Dev’s Lied! -> Game RUINED! -> No Hope. -> All is lost.
Thought process of the mob right now.
Let’s relax and take a step back. It’s easy to get frustrated. Don’t think I’m not upset just because I’m posting this. I heartily agree that this update is appearing to be a direct contradiction of the basic principles GW2 was founded on. However, that doesn’t mean that flooding the forum with bitterness is going to solve anything. Right now, we are ill-informed.
Sure, we can speculate on the horrors that can (and I’ll admit, appear very likely to) arise out of an update like the one we are faced with. And it’s tough not to scream at the Dev’s and lash out against this seemingly brutal slap to the face. It takes two points to create a line, and in the heat of the moment we quickly extrapolate that, if Point A is the game’s launch status, and Point B is the Lost Shores update, then we are on an endless path that will lead us on a continual treadmill. And again, this reality seems frighteningly feasible right now.
I loved Guild Wars 1. This game is not Guild Wars 1. I think Anet did a great job on their original title, and so far I think they are doing a decent job on Guild Wars 2. It takes time for any MMO to get settled down after launch – sometimes months to a year or even years before the content that eventually defines it is put in place. So, we don’t know yet what Anet’s plan for the big picture is. Sure, Ascended gear is better. And even though it seems nigh impossible, perhaps they will stop there and not implement the ‘dreaded’ treadmill. Maybe they realized that the game lacked a very much needed gap between Exotic and Legendary and that, without this traumatic fix during the first few months, the game would prove lackluster over the course of the next few years without this equipment to bridge the gap.
Plus, the fact that they are only introducing a few pieces during this update guarantees content of future updates. Isn’t that what everyone wanted? I’ve read these forums off and on since release. A week ago this forum was up in arms over their boredom. And now that Anet has declared their solution to the boredom, before it is even released, people are terrified.
I’m not saying that things don’t have a possibility to take a turn for the worse. Indeed, perhaps they already have. Maybe the post I just typed doesn’t really make much sense to the majority and won’t have any impact on anyone. All I’m trying to do is to encourage people – asking them to wait, and see what actually happens versus what everyone fears to happen. For, although things look grim, we don’t know what Anet has in mind beyond this and, as easy as it is to try and guess for ourselves, we should just wait and see before passing such harsh judgement.
TL;DR Let’s weather this storm that rages due to lack of information. Information about Anet’s future plans with this new item and condition type. Perhaps they really do have this all under control. After this update is released and we have a larger picture in view, our judgements will be more informed and viable.
