Guild Wars 2

Now, I want to make it clear: I like the combat in GW2 a lot, however, like so many others I’ve found it growing stale over time, so I decided to look into that.

I’ve played GW2 since open beta and I’m still playing it to this day, but I find myself less engaged in the game. My max level character does not feel like my main, I eventually just stopped logging in on him (the reward system for achievements helped on this issue, though. Suddenly there was some reason to do them)
- I noticed, however, as I made new characters that playing on these felt great for the first few levels. Why? Because I was progressing with them. I got new skills for their weapons, new moves to pull off and this part of the character progression feels great, but it only goes to about lvl 40-50 and then the game really begins to feel stale (and I can gather that a lot of players have had this issue as well from what I read on the forums)

- But why is that? You can still progress levels, right? Yeah, sure. It is character progression, however, it doesn’t feel like that. It is nothing more than a wall between you and the higher level zones. It’s just a number.
- It doesn’t feel like progressing, per se.

- Think of GW1. There were only 20 levels, but even after you had hit level cap you were still progressing. There were still skills to get campaigns to complete, zones to explore, and the elite skills you had to earn through “bosses” out in the world. They were not in some panel or earned through points you got elsewhere.
- In GW2 we might as well have stopped after lvl 30. The last action bar had been unlocked and then it is just a matter of time before we earn the rest og the skills.

GW2 has 80 levels, but it stops being fun to level when your character doesn’t get better. When the same skills you are using to fight skritts are the same you will be using to fight dragons, when you don’t progress or feel like you progress. There needs to be done something about that.
- Mind you, I know very well that my opinion is that it doesn’t feel like I progress with my character, I know that there are those who think the system is perfect, but I am not asking for new skills that renders the old ones null and void. They should be just as valid to use as ever, but those who don’t share your playstyle should be provided with options to customize the game to where their playstyle is.

New skills and traits coming per this news release on July 18, 2013.

Yes, Colin’s blog post referenced above is the best reason for hope that I’ve seen to date. There he talks about ability progression, which I believe is one of the best ways to provide a sense of progression without devolving to a gear grind. Good stuff.

First year was ground work. Now game is complete. Now everything they add will be major progressive groundwork for you to earn like those dungeons skills and ranks Etc. and if you don’t believe me please by all means ask them yourself.

Raine.1394:

Yes, Colin’s blog post referenced above is the best reason for hope that I’ve seen to date. There he talks about ability progression, which I believe is one of the best ways to provide a sense of progression without devolving to a gear grind. Good stuff.

Actually I completely agree. It makes sense that the more work you put into your character the more skilled that character gets. Not the better equipped it gets.

I was afraid that I’d get some rage by posting this, but your replies are all nice and down to earth, referencing and keeping it mature. Thanks for that.

- Zora, I wouldn’t say that it was ground work. The foundation on which GW2 was built was the Manifesto, or you might say what they made a big deal out of such as the WvW, the Dynamic Event system, Personal Storyline and the new more dynamic and action oriented combat, and it all has room for improvement.
- We got some updates to the Trait system and such, yes, but looking through the releases there have been a huge focus on new features and additions to the WvW, instead of improving the mechanics overall, and it is far from complete, but MMO’s have always improved on themselves after launch.
- You are not entirely wrong, though, because they are right now making the game feel like it rewards you more for your time and effort, and what we see right now is (hopefully) just the beginning.

- Anyhow, I’m glad you agree. And yes, Kraag Deadsoul, I saw the news back when it came, and I’m very excited for it myself.

Raine.1394:

Yes, Colin’s blog post referenced above is the best reason for hope that I’ve seen to date. There he talks about ability progression, which I believe is one of the best ways to provide a sense of progression without devolving to a gear grind. Good stuff.

GW1 had that too, and I’m glad they keep the mindset. Getting the best stats on armor wasn’t hard and anyone could do that. The Elite Armors looked more awesome, got the Kurzick myself in GW1.

- Still, I don’t mind the cosmetics and the look of an awesome piece of armor. They did mention before launch that doing dungeons would get you better looking gear, but that it wasn’t needed to “play the game” in the sense that you didn’t have to complete a lot of dungeons before you had the stats for newer dungeons or just new content.
- Maybe it’s just me, but I would’ve preferred if those armor sets dropped from bosses in the dungeon. There is a more awesome feel to it when it drops (http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/the-jc-pennys-effect check this out for some “theory” behind it – I found it a quite interesting, despite liking the mindset behind JCPenny’s business model)

I would highly recommend reading:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/looking-ahead-guild-wars-2-in-2013/

They’re not gonna add new skills and trait when they can’t even balance the ones they’ve had for over a year. It would just be irresponsible when you look at the mess that is PvE balance.

I’m willing to bet my right nut that these “new” skills & traits will be unlocked through achievement points and as such, will be treated like racials.

AKA subpar and most of the time worthless.

Unless of course they plan to have you unlock them through lockboxes with a 0.001% chance.

The only way I could see this working is if they plan to balance through the new skills which i highly doubt since their focus since release has been the PvP epen kids.

DargorV.8571:

They’re not gonna add new skills and trait when they can’t even balance the ones they’ve had for over a year. It would just be irresponsible when you look at the mess that is PvE balance.

Balancing in MMO’s have always and will always be an impossibility.
- Why? Because people will always have different skill levels.
Now, I’m all for balancing and such, but thinking that a game can be perfectly balanced when the players’ skill levels aren’t? That only damages the game because it will never expand upon itself and reach new goals. It will end up in a vicious cycle of trying to balance and not understanding where the problem truly lies.

Extra credits have an episode on “Perfect Imbalance” here http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/perfect-imbalance – It’s interesting theory behind making a game fun.
- Think on it for a moment: A game can be perfectly balanced, but the players’ skill level ensures that it doesn’t seem that way. Therefore some professions or champions get some buffed skills that make them better.
When I’ve played LoL with some friends, I remember when playing Master Yi I’d get the comment “Oh, anyone can play Master Yi…” like, your at the noob level if you’re playing him. – Now, you might say “Then should certain classes be for noobs only?” and no, but some skills could help them get along and then later these players could try out new and inevitably better tactics (provided the player has learned/gotten some skills along the way).

- It would be stupid for GW2 to stop here, and no need to quote where they want to take the game, I’ve already read it.
- Even though I’m looking forward to Wildstar and to some extent Archeage and ESO, I want to see GW2 succeed. Why? Because I’ve enjoyed their first game and I like the lore of their world and I know that they can do better than what they are providing us with right now. The forums are sometimes quick to ban new and innovative ideas of designing old concepts due to the old concepts having been used in games before (mainly if it has been seen in WoW. And that WoW-noia indirectly kills the development of GW2 or it rules out some great ideas that could get a revamp through the game design of GW2).

Keep comments coming in, if you have an opinion or something to add or if you want to agree or disagree, but keep it mature or the game won’t benefit from it.