Guild Wars 2

Hello there.

As of late I’ve found myself playing less and less. After giving this some serious thought, I came to the conclusion that it’s, in fact, not the lack of things to do but rather the choice of what to do.
ArenaNet had a solid fondation (imo) at launch to build whatever game they wanted. However, there seems to be mixed messages here.

To date, the following has been implemented:
PvE
Two major events.
New map.
New dungeon.
New item sets.
Fixes.

WvW
Fixes.

PvP
New map.
Fixes.

With these updates in mind, it seems that GW2 is taking the route towards the “raid” approach. However, ArenaNet consistently talks about how they want GW2 to be an e-sport and that the endgame is WvW. This, to me, seems a bit ambivallent.

My point is, that I just want to know what vision ArenaNet have for GW2. What will this game be in a year?
This is basicly so I can play my gametime accordingly and focus on what is (and will be) relevant to the long term game situation.

I want serious answers, and not oppinions on what people prefer. Just straight up facts of where ArenaNet is taking GW2.

Thank you.

• They’ll be adding Breakthrough events to WvW for Wintersday. There’ll also be a big WvW update in Feb.

• Ascended gear will be released throughout next year, as opposed to all at once, so players get a chance to get it. Also, they’ll be implementing different ways to get Ascended gear outside of Fractals

• Dungeon encounters are being overhauled. They’ll also be adding more Fractals.

That’s the extent to what I know.

You forgot:

New achievements.
New titles.
New mini-pets.
New mini-game.
New jumping puzzles.
New events.
New mats and recipes.
New rewards.
New skins.
New PvP mode (paid tournies)

For a look at where PvP is going, you can watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hByqoWsnz-I

As for the rest of the game, we are getting an expansion’s worth of content in January and February.
http://gamingbolt.com/guild-wars-2-interview-we-talk-to-areanet-about-how-the-mmorpg-has-been-doing-post-launch

That’s all I know and it looks pretty spectacular!

I am currently playing about 1/10 the amount of time I played at launch and have returned to other things.

Fractals were an amazing addition, but they changed everything. Besides the struggle in group formation (yes I know about the LFG website), nothing about the game fits my schedule. I don’t have the ability until late at night to just drop my kids’ needs. I need to be able to do something and stop what I am doing from time to time to assist with homework, baths, etc.

Honest to God, there is barely even a place in the level 80 zones to park your character for five minutes. Waypoints pretty much stay contested these days thanks to fractals, and the mobs are not being cut down by large groups anymore. Just moving from one side of the map to the other takes fifiteen minutes. You can’t warp to gather Ori because a WP is contested. You can hardly walk ten feet without being immbolized, crippled or knocked down. Stopping to fight every mob is a chore and the drop rate is so crummy, who would want to anyway?

Dungeons can be a breeze if you have a regular group to run with. If you don’t you spend as much time resurrecting as anything else. The rewards in the dungeons don’t make me feel like I’ve accomplished anything at all. Ecto is needed in insane amounts to get anything decent and acquiring ecto for a causual player is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

In Guild Wars, I could instance myself into a solo area and clear it. I knew mobs were not going to respawn in my trousers if I took a bio or went to pour a Coke. I could even run a Sorrow’s Furnace and pull mobs in a way that kept me relatively safe. If I took a buddy, or sometimes my son with me, things worked out just fine.

I can’t do squat in Guild Wars 2. I can’t stop, or at least if I do I need 5 minutes to find a safe zone or I return to my computer with a dead toon. Despite being level 80 in three power sets and having things like “retreat” or “stealth” or “minions” I still don’t feel like all my work getting there allows me to do much of anything productive. I still can get one-shotted by the champion karka or unstealth and get noticed by a mob of risen.

Frankly, I am just tired of not being able to move around the map without dropping 5 silver to warp there, then having to kite forever and a day — all because my level 80 toons will be conditioned to death and slow my progress.

I work all day and I have a family. I want to be able to pop in, join an event, maybe run a dungeon once they are in bed. I need those things to happen fairly unimpeded. But with everyone in fractals, WP’s stay contested. Travel to where I want to go gets longer. And there are literally 3-6 enemy mobs every 20 yards.

I personally just got tired of not having anything to do, and what I want to do has too many hurdles for me to consider fun.

Stamen.9240:

I am currently playing about 1/10 the amount of time I played at launch and have returned to other things.

Fractals were an amazing addition, but they changed everything. Besides the struggle in group formation (yes I know about the LFG website), nothing about the game fits my schedule. I don’t have the ability until late at night to just drop my kids’ needs. I need to be able to do something and stop what I am doing from time to time to assist with homework, baths, etc.
[SNIP]I personally just got tired of not having anything to do, and what I want to do has too many hurdles for me to consider fun.

I read this with interest, because i have the same concern as you. I have two kids (3 and 1), and i am often needed to help my wife in all the evening chores.

I found two solutions to play with serenity:

- Running dungeons only with my friends and guildies

They know me and are understanding if i have to afk for 5 minutes. Besides, it is much more fun anyway!

- Farming in well structured areas like Frostgorge and Southsun Cove

You’ll find refreshing farming in these lvl 80 areas, because, unlike Orr, there are several “safe places” to park your PC, even in Southsun where it is more crowded, you are often only a cliff jump from safety, and only the Veteran Karkas have crippling abilities. There are mines, nodes, a few events (between the two zones, you will complete your daily without trouble) and lvl 80 loot. Southsun Cove is free travel to and from Lion’s Arch, too. Frostgorge has Jormag as an added bonus. So you will find stationing in these areas better than in the mob-filled Orr.

A last advice: if you find playing in off-peak hours (late at night, for example), try moving to a different server with a compatible time-zone. It will help you immensely in your tasks

Thanks!
That video was very informative, and I’m looking forward to the new pvp content.
Is there any information about the WvW additions?

^ Fabsm – good ideas, I may try that when I get back.

As it stands, most of friends stopped playing so there’s maybe only 3-4 left active in our guild.

I think the future of Guild Wars 2 will depend on better crafted solo content. Let’s all face it – Guild Wars had sooooo much to do on your own, or maybe in a small group of 2-3 people. Two-manning instances and dungeons was a blast. There is no such option here.

I need to feel like I can take 10 minutes and run through Orr without needing use half that time beating off things I have no desire to fight, or without feeling that I need a bigger group.

But I will try your spots.

New skills
New trait options (or remove trait system completelly and add something more complexed which gives us freedom of choice)

my2coppers

Stamen.9240:

(…)

I’m not really understanding why this is such a big deal for people. Why waste 5 minutes finding a safe spot that might not work, when you can spend 1 second logging out to character select, and then later 1 minute logging back in / loading the map?

Character Select is 100% safe, 100% of the time. (Nitpicker disclaimer: But once the WvW update comes out don’t do this while “in combat”, you’ll die!)

No, not at all. There have been many times I have logged out, then logged back and when the loading screen goes away, I’m on my back. I think there’s a several second delay from when you actually leave the game compared to when you think you logged out.

Could be a difference in connection, but I never have good luck with that method.

More SPvP modes, please god please! And more interesting and bigger maps for them. Where is capture and defend <Something other then a circle> or capture the flag or team death match?

For all the people that leave or quit, just as many are likely coming in. These forums are a perfect example of that. I’ve been participating here since they opened them and there are tons of new participants posting now…and some that appear to have left.

Our lil Guild is growing like crazy. Most of the new people are just that. Peeps that have recently purchased the game.

That wasn’t my question really. I’m sorry if that’s how I came across. I’m merely wondering what to expect out of GW2. A fair question I think, if a player is gonna invest hundreds of hours into a game. Will they focus on PvE, WvW, PvP or all of the above?
Now, if that’s to my liking is another question.

As for more PvP modes, I bellieve the custom arenas are gonna be something like that.

I believe their theory is to be able to provide something for each type of player, so it’s a “multi-focus” game. I don’t do PvP at all, save for WvW (and ocassionally at that), but there is fun to be had on the PvP side of things as well.

Though PvE players and PvP players seem to be at odds some times, this game is not one or the other (PvP players seem to think PvP is what matters, and that PvE is just fluff-they even claim GW1 was the same, but I also very rarely did PvE with GW1 either, so it’s just trying to force their personal preference on others.) I don’t mind people enjoying PvP if that’s what they like, and feel that developers should attempt to provide an enjoyable gaming experience for all-with the exception of “selling out” and trying to emulate models of success that doesn’t pertain to them, as if one is to retain any integrity, caving in to each and every opinion out there is not wise.