(edited by showatt.9413)
Thoughts on Ascended Gear? [Merged threads]
Crapgame.6519 yes eventually they will add all the parts…that’s what…24 stats above exotics? I really dont think that will make anyone OP in wvwvw…
Or even better than the avg joe in exotics doing a dungeon. The infusions on the other hand were purposefully put in to gate people in the new dungeon, i would be more worried about that.
Yes, infusion is more worrying because you will have difficulty finding a party if your armor is infused below average. Would you wan’t to take someone with only exotic if it means you ll not make it to the end, guaranteed? Only friends.
They lied to us for years.
/Thread
Or, they fully intended to go the route they had “promised” only to find out it wasn’t going to meet the needs financially.
What would you have them do? Just allow the game to crash and burn?
Reality has a way of being a kitten when it comes to lofty ideals meeting a market driven economy.
That’s a very weak argument, seeing as they have only once added something to the cashshop.
Perhaps they will make more money from the cash shop when they start adding stuff people ask for. cough costumes wearable in combat cough
IT’S A SWORD. THEY’RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
So disappointed.
I would like to suggest to the people who are upset about this and/or are thinking of quitting that the rest of the game is still fun. It’s flawed but fun and I think we can still enjoy what we have in a post ascended world. We do have a voice, though but complaining on here isn’t going to have as much impact as we would like, so my suggestion would be that we boycott The Lost Shores content. I don’t want to do the ascended gear dance, so I think I’m going to spend this weekend playing with the friends I invited in the original content.
If it turns out that I’m wrong and ascended gear is no big deal then I can always come back to the content that remains from this weekend with a boombox and a mixtape, but until then I’m just going to boycott the content. It’s not intended for me anyways.
There’s no subscription, you’re not paying a dime, and you’re complaining?
Many of us have already paid out more money per month on gems than we would have on a subscription fee in other games.
So have I, but because I chose to do so. They did not force it on me.
I embrace the change, felt something was needed.
Just saying not everyone is as displeased with the move.
There’s no subscription, you’re not paying a dime, and you’re complaining?
Many of us have already paid out more money per month on gems than we would have on a subscription fee in other games.
well, that doesn’t make any difference, people should be happy A-net gives any FREE content, ther don’t hve to do it and just put everything in the gem store. ( new map for just 2,99!)
Elona is Love, Elona is life.
It’s not about a few extra stats.
It’s about a beginning gear treadmill, exotics being useless and Anet focussing on adding stuff that:
1) Goes against their own design philosophies (manifesto, multiple blog posts)
2) Nobody asked for
3) A significant amount of players dislike to such an extent that they would leave the game for itPeople ask for bug fixes, cosmetics, PvP formats and RNG removed, but get a gear treadmill. Something is wrong.
Ahhh see your #2 is wrong! We did ask for it!
And #3 could also be wrong, but without any kind of definite data, we wouldn’t know the answer to it.
Who is we? You mean the 4000 or so newish posters who are here saying we don’t want it? Or the same 50 or so people who have sat on the forums trying to turn GW2 into WoW?
I get it, you’re always right nobody else is.
Not to mention people have been asking for a type of gear progression from the start.
Otherwise why do you think AN is implementing it… figure it out genius.
But you are obviously too blind to see it, and only want to see what you want to see.
I get it, you’re always right nobody else is.If you are going to act like that, then i’m done.
Go back to Guild Wars 1 you spoiled brat
I give you facts, look at all the new posts, at all the new posters, and you give me ad hominem. These are the kind of people who want gear progression.
Skimmed through this thread as far as I can see this is all speculations.
First and foremost this isn’t a gear treadmill, and GW2 do not require a constant
number in their gamer population. This game is meant to be played by setting goals
and going for it. That is why its not a sub based game in the first place. The devs don’t
even require to bring in a new tier so early on in the game stage but the fact they do
means they got alot more stuffs installed.
If a minority of the population are still in denial and hate the changes or progression
however its called. It might be the time to take a break and maybe come back to Tyria
in a couple of months.
WvW uses pve gear.
Have spent my fair share in WvW and trust me the amount of damage you input isn’t a factor that is just based on a couple of stat points. If your finding yourself in 1v1 situations in your world, your just doing it wrong.
That’s the honest truth right there.
Having the biggest zerg or the greatest coverage is always gonna win you the game no matter how good ur gears are.
WIthout the pvp factor, the new gear is essentially for PVE. So what’s wrong about being able to kill stuff faster?
When their zerg outgears your zerg, you’ll die faster. We’re not talking about 1v1 in WvW. We’re talking about 50v50. lol
(…)
consequently increasing the rewards / chances of getting better loot.Same could be said for dragon events and many others.
This is all ingame already and i’d think it would be a matter of tweaking it.I might miss something, but what is the purpose of better loot if you are already full exotic?
I don’t think ‘better loot’ is in anyway a lasting concept for endgame.
…Better loot scaled with the difficulty and player actual lvl could be several things…
higher exotic drop chance
precursor drop chance
mats
different skins
consumables
and so on… pretty much anything that could be of some use other than vendor items, doesn’t need to be better but the higher the event difficulty, the higher the chances of something worthwhile item wise.
The discussion is about endgame, when the player already is fully geared with exotics.
then your argument only distillates(?) to “legendary crafting” as endgame-content.
Some thought provoking quote
WIthout the pvp factor, the new gear is essentially for PVE. So what’s wrong about being able to kill stuff faster OR having something better to work towards rather than pure skins?
What do you mean “being able to kill stuff faster”? If the new gear is better, then the enemies will also become harder.
Otherwise the carrot could be reached, which would defeat the purpose.
So, ANet finally invented the carrot on a stick? how innovative…
PLEASE make this forum more usable. Don’t just warn AFTER the save, write somewhere
how many lines/characters are allowed.
PLEASE make this forum more usable. Don’t just warn AFTER the save, write somewhere
how many lines/characters are allowed.
They lied to us for years.
/Thread
Or, they fully intended to go the route they had “promised” only to find out it wasn’t going to meet the needs financially.
What would you have them do? Just allow the game to crash and burn?
Reality has a way of being a kitten when it comes to lofty ideals meeting a market driven economy.
GW1 was f2p from the start and had multiple expansions. That game was successful enough to warrant a sequel. This game is doing fine.
i would gladly pay 2,99 to DELETE this whole patch you know?
GW2 balance:
A PvE player is supposed to avoid a 1-2 second 1 shotting aoe.
A WWW player is considered uncapable of avoiding a 5,75 second aoe for half his health.
A PvE player is supposed to avoid a 1-2 second 1 shotting aoe.
A WWW player is considered uncapable of avoiding a 5,75 second aoe for half his health.
So basically, the majority of this game does not want us to be able to get better things to kill the same things they are killing.
WvW does not count, it’s about tactics and zerging. And we do not have PvP let alone 1v1 PvP. Come on guys, we all have that opportunity to get better to fight off the risen or whatnot, I feel like there’s a Zhaitan conspiracy amongst players. They do not want us to be able to fight new enemies.
[VZ] Sky Avalon – Guardian (Main)
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
Either you get with the program, that progression is needed and it’s needed now, or you can kiss Guild Wars 2 completely goodbye.
This game needs a carrot that’s not Legendaries. Folks, if you think that this isn’t being done because they are having a retention problem, then you need to look again.
If ArenaNet doesn’t put something in there to keep people playing, and quickly, GW2 is toast. I love the game, but that’s just the truth.
Where are you getting this data from?
Experience.
You don’t change your basic and core philosophy midstream, on a dime, without some external force. If things are humming right along as expected, we wouldn’t be seeing this change now.
Typically it’s money that’s the driving force. They likely have internal data that suggests their retention isn’t where they want it and therefore are introducing this vertical progression mechanic as a way to keep people engaged. Furthermore, the infusion mechanic is a gate to keep folks from burning through the new content at the rate they have been.
So, you have no proof what-so-ever to back up your claim that this game is dying.
My experience is that people will also do things to increase their revenue, despite already making a profit. This is especially so in the MMO market when people see Blizzard’s subscription numbers and profit margin as a result of WoW; which is quite frankly and unrealistic goal to strive for.
Every game that attempted to mimic WoW has crashed and burned. Look at all the money and hype poored into SWtOR…which inevitably became known as the TORtanic. This MMO is doing fine, look at the server populations. Anet will continue to make a profit by catering to a different crowd.
This game is not dying and it does not need to change in an attempt to grab people who are already happy in a game that’s been out since 2004 and in which they are established.
This isn’t 2004.
This market demands different things than it did then, especially in this competitive genre.
The writing has been on the wall for a month. One only had to look at the NCSoft 3Q financials to see this was coming. It’s right there in black and white.
Anecdotal evidence is piling up as well. This game isn’t holding people. They play through till 80, and then bail on it.
That isn’t going to keep the company afloat.
@Waar Kijk Je Naar. nobody asked for? So you speak for the entire GW2 community? I want it, so apparently you don’t speak for me.
I guess you’re the kind of person who would say “The GW2 community is asking for flying mounts, 50-man raids, gear-based PvP and easier dungeons”?
IT’S A SWORD. THEY’RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
Ralph Koster (UO, SWG) had this idea that gamers had to create their own content, because hardcore gamers would exhaust it, before they could make new content, making everyone miserable.
His idea was that when you have world pvp, or a player run economy, players are competing against other players in a never ending activity. that in itself is a sandbox, where the possibilities and manipluative game systems are the content itself.
people can have fun for years just fighting over territory or be engaged in highly competitive matches to be the best. We know it from other game genres as well. people playing the same maps for years and years.
I think Anet should embrace the dynamic nature of GW2 and move away from the instanced dungeons. they are a relic, and not very social or MMOish. I would rather do more stuff in Tyria. in the open world. change things, take over towns, raise taxes on passing players and npcs. leave my mark on the world, take over places with the guild.
And yes, on my server, the people that were vocal when I asked in map chat felt it was a positive move. No one was vocal against it.
There’s no subscription, you’re not paying a dime, and you’re complaining?
Many of us have already paid out more money per month on gems than we would have on a subscription fee in other games.
well, that doesn’t make any difference, people should be happy A-net gives any FREE content, ther don’t hve to do it and just put everything in the gem store. ( new map for just 2,99!)
Well, actually, they do have to release free content if they want to stick to the manifesto they used to sell this game and not anger the majority of their player base… oh wait…. too late
I read the blogpost again and noticed a little detail:
Ascended items (rings, backback) do not have a rune-slot. Rune-stats are worked into the item.
So unless you want to spec for a very specific way these items might not be as useful as one might think. Technically the new tier has better stats, (which is normal for a new tier) BUT those stats are given and can’t necessarily be individualized to go well with your build. You might want an Exotic Ring instead of a Ascended, depending on your build.
It’s bad though that it looks like we have to go to the new dungeon in order to get the Ascended Ring in the first place. The mats for infusion are probably the rewards for getting farther in the dungeon (which would make sense) and balancing will be much easier for Anet if the players stats aren’t random but given (through the new Ascended items) —> much easier to finetune difficulty for really difficult encounters.
http://gw2style.com/index.php – show your look and rate others – great filters!!
WvWvW – you do know how cross swords work on the map, yeah?
Not everyone zergs…
Main – Laaz Rocket – Guardian (Ehmry Bay)
Johnny Johnny – Ranger (Ehmry Bay)
Hárvey Wallbanger – Alt Warrior (Ehmry Bay)
Johnny Johnny – Ranger (Ehmry Bay)
Hárvey Wallbanger – Alt Warrior (Ehmry Bay)
Mists of Pandaria is looking pretty good now, I don’t like the subscription fee but the way the GW2 economy is going, it’d probably work out cheaper in the long run. Then there’s the whole thing about WoW being exactly what it says on the box. Always wanted a reason to go resurrect my Worgen Rogue =)
If you log in to your battle.net account you’ll find a free 10 day trial for MoP…
Skimmed through this thread as far as I can see this is all speculations.
First and foremost this isn’t a gear treadmill, and GW2 do not require a constant
number in their gamer population. This game is meant to be played by setting goals
and going for it. That is why its not a sub based game in the first place. The devs don’t
even require to bring in a new tier so early on in the game stage but the fact they do
means they got alot more stuffs installed.
If a minority of the population are still in denial and hate the changes or progression
however its called. It might be the time to take a break and maybe come back to Tyria
in a couple of months.
WvW uses pve gear.
Have spent my fair share in WvW and trust me the amount of damage you input isn’t a factor that is just based on a couple of stat points. If your finding yourself in 1v1 situations in your world, your just doing it wrong.
That’s the honest truth right there.
Having the biggest zerg or the greatest coverage is always gonna win you the game no matter how good ur gears are.
WIthout the pvp factor, the new gear is essentially for PVE. So what’s wrong about being able to kill stuff faster OR having something better to work towards rather than pure skins?
Regarding WvW…
Yes, it is true that the bigger zerg will typically win a battle for an objective, and minor statistical differences between players isn’t too big of a deal.
But, you are ignoring a whole other facet of WvW that many of us enjoy immensely. And that is the whole idea of small gank-squads/spec-ops/harassers that just roam around WvW taking out other players…typically larger groups of players due to their superior skill, strategy, builds and yes, level/gear.
The problem we have is that adding another tier of gear means that for us wanting to play that kind of spec-ops role…we will be forced to grind the new dungeon just to be on par with the other players. And that sucks.
Magaera Enflanza (F Human D/D Ele)
[Envy], [Moon]
[Envy], [Moon]
Well I don’t have any solid suggestions, but copying GW1 is certainly not the answer. The very very casual players who “played” GW1 for 5 years are not your typical MMO player. I bought all 3 expansions for GW1 and the original game. In 1 month I had beat all 4 campaigns on normal mode and most on hard, ground out enough plat to buy 30 points in the HoM, and had some reasonable success in PvP.
If that pathetic amount of content is what people wanted for GW2 then i’m very very glad that Anet is disagreeing with them and adding something more substantial.
However I am certainly still open to other options other then a gear treadmill (which has nothing to do with what they are currently adding to the game, read up on what a gear treadmill actually is. The Agony stat, not the ascended armor is what is a gear treadmill.)
I agree with what Crackbone has said. The market isn’t the same anymore and things are changing incredibly fast. Gaming as it once was, is gone. And I can’t believe this thread has 87 pages now, bloody hell!
They lied to us for years.
/Thread
Or, they fully intended to go the route they had “promised” only to find out it wasn’t going to meet the needs financially.
What would you have them do? Just allow the game to crash and burn?
Reality has a way of being a kitten when it comes to lofty ideals meeting a market driven economy.
GW1 was f2p from the start and had multiple expansions. That game was successful enough to warrant a sequel. This game is doing fine.
This isn’t 2004.
The market is a ton more competitive now. Furthermore, GW2 isn’t GW1. Not even close. The design of the game is completely different across the board.
This is a real MMORPG. People expect mechanics that will keep them engaged in their characters.
You can’t get by with MMOG mechanics in a MMORPG in 2012. There has to be a carrot or a reason for folks to keep playing.
I honestly dont see the big drama with this at all, exotic gear is far too easy to obtain in the first place IMO. Second, its as if everyone here didnt expect legendary armour at some point?
There’s no subscription, you’re not paying a dime, and you’re complaining?
But you got your $60 worth, right?
Not when you spend hundreds of dollars on the gem store to support a game you believed in and to make your dude look cool and have the best gear. Only to find those things you bought (exotics via gold and crafting) are now redundant.
Character: Henry rank million/Duke Henry
Necromancer/Casual Warrior
[Team] Best WvW guild of all time. EASILY.
Necromancer/Casual Warrior
[Team] Best WvW guild of all time. EASILY.
They lied to us for years.
/Thread
Or, they fully intended to go the route they had “promised” only to find out it wasn’t going to meet the needs financially.
What would you have them do? Just allow the game to crash and burn?
Reality has a way of being a kitten when it comes to lofty ideals meeting a market driven economy.
GW1 was f2p from the start and had multiple expansions. That game was successful enough to warrant a sequel. This game is doing fine.
This isn’t 2004.
The market is a ton more competitive now. Furthermore, GW2 isn’t GW1. Not even close. The design of the game is completely different across the board.
This is a real MMORPG. People expect mechanics that will keep them engaged in their characters.
You can’t get by with MMOG mechanics in a MMORPG in 2012. There has to be a carrot or a reason for folks to keep playing.
And horizontal progression gets older faster than vertical.
I read the blogpost again and noticed a little detail:
Ascended items (rings, backback) do not have a rune-slot. Rune-stats are worked into the item.
So unless you want to spec for a very specific way these items might not be as useful as one might think. Technically the new tier has better stats, (which is normal for a new tier) BUT those stats are given and can’t necessarily be individualized to go well with your build. You might want an Exotic Ring instead of a Ascended, depending on your build.
It’s bad though that it looks like we have to go to the new dungeon in order to get the Ascended Ring in the first place. The mats for infusion are probably the rewards for getting farther in the dungeon (which would make sense) and balancing will be much easier for Anet if the players stats aren’t random but given (through the new Ascended items) —> much easier to finetune difficulty for really difficult encounters.
If you look at the stats on the ascended ring vs. the exotic ring…the stats on the ascended are significantly better than the exotic, even considering the gem slotted.
Magaera Enflanza (F Human D/D Ele)
[Envy], [Moon]
[Envy], [Moon]
WvWvW – you do know how cross swords work on the map, yeah?
Not everyone zergs…
Yeah, but if you lose to a guy on a WvW map. Who is to know how many consumable buffs he has? WvW is war. I’m just saying it’s silly to blame WvW losses to ascended armor.
[VZ] Sky Avalon – Guardian (Main)
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
I just can’t figure you out sometimes, ArenaNet. Either you are about to make a game design move that sounds like a kiss of death to me, or you’re so vague about the details that you’re allowing people to think you are.
This happened with the one-time events. If you had just straight up said that the one-time event was a cutscene, people would have gone about their lives and kept enjoying the game instead of getting all worked up about it.
So which is it? Are you destroying the fundamental principle that makes GW2 special by breaking the power plateau and introducing an endless gear chase? Or are you just adding that one last tier to fill things out, and being so vague about it that you have your community up in arms with worry?
I’m really hoping it’s the latter, as it’s at least less damaging in the long run, but before you do this again, please consider whether having a “big surprise” is worth all the discontent.
Tell Anet’s boss what you think: http://tinyurl.com/arkgzku
Is this set going to be permanent for at least 1 year or 2? Otherwhise im completly against this. This is just unacceptable.
You promised loads things. and you dont have fullfilled many of those things. Many people dont trust you anymore and will leave the game. Give me my money back!
Guild Wars players dont want gear progresion!!
(edited by Izzy.2951)
Wouldn’t a DPS ring out DPS the Yakkington’s Ring?
Yak Ring
68 power
68 precision
10% magic find
Ruby Orichalcum Ring of the Berserker
92 power
63 precision
6% crit
Or
Coral Orichalcum Ring of the Rampager
63 power
92 precision
63 condition damage
I mean, I’m making the assumption that there would not be great variance of other types of Ascended rings.
The modifications possible with Exotic gear put Exotic gear over Ascended gear in any place other than in the instance of a dungeon in which you would require your infusion slot.
You can’t get by with MMOG mechanics in a MMORPG in 2012. There has to be a carrot or a reason for folks to keep playing.
Yes, exactly. How else do you explain the following list of non-WoW MMORPGs that are currently enjoying undeniable success based on the carrot-on-a-stick model of play:
-
-
-
-
There has to be a carrot or a reason for folks to keep playing.
Let the carrot be fun, instead of more stats. Why can’t they just release the new dungeon with the new mechanic but NOT make the gear any better than exotics? They are blatantly trying to appeal to the WoW crowd that only plays to constantly upgrade their gear.
Skimmed through this thread as far as I can see this is all speculations.
First and foremost this isn’t a gear treadmill, and GW2 do not require a constant
number in their gamer population. This game is meant to be played by setting goals
and going for it. That is why its not a sub based game in the first place. The devs don’t
even require to bring in a new tier so early on in the game stage but the fact they do
means they got alot more stuffs installed.
If a minority of the population are still in denial and hate the changes or progression
however its called. It might be the time to take a break and maybe come back to Tyria
in a couple of months.
WvW uses pve gear.
Have spent my fair share in WvW and trust me the amount of damage you input isn’t a factor that is just based on a couple of stat points. If your finding yourself in 1v1 situations in your world, your just doing it wrong.
That’s the honest truth right there.
Having the biggest zerg or the greatest coverage is always gonna win you the game no matter how good ur gears are.
WIthout the pvp factor, the new gear is essentially for PVE. So what’s wrong about being able to kill stuff faster OR having something better to work towards rather than pure skins?
Regarding WvW…
Yes, it is true that the bigger zerg will typically win a battle for an objective, and minor statistical differences between players isn’t too big of a deal.
But, you are ignoring a whole other facet of WvW that many of us enjoy immensely. And that is the whole idea of small gank-squads/spec-ops/harassers that just roam around WvW taking out other players…typically larger groups of players due to their superior skill, strategy, builds and yes, level/gear.
The problem we have is that adding another tier of gear means that for us wanting to play that kind of spec-ops role…we will be forced to grind the new dungeon just to be on par with the other players. And that sucks.
Nope. People can still use consumables and have the same advantage.
[VZ] Sky Avalon – Guardian (Main)
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
Skimmed through this thread as far as I can see this is all speculations.
First and foremost this isn’t a gear treadmill, and GW2 do not require a constant
number in their gamer population. This game is meant to be played by setting goals
and going for it. That is why its not a sub based game in the first place. The devs don’t
even require to bring in a new tier so early on in the game stage but the fact they do
means they got alot more stuffs installed.
If a minority of the population are still in denial and hate the changes or progression
however its called. It might be the time to take a break and maybe come back to Tyria
in a couple of months.
WvW uses pve gear.
Have spent my fair share in WvW and trust me the amount of damage you input isn’t a factor that is just based on a couple of stat points. If your finding yourself in 1v1 situations in your world, your just doing it wrong.
That’s the honest truth right there.
Having the biggest zerg or the greatest coverage is always gonna win you the game no matter how good ur gears are.
WIthout the pvp factor, the new gear is essentially for PVE. So what’s wrong about being able to kill stuff faster?
When their zerg outgears your zerg, you’ll die faster. We’re not talking about 1v1 in WvW. We’re talking about 50v50. lol
Actually no. We’re talking about 50 vs 30, or 40 vs 30, or 20 vs 50.
No two zerg are ever the same size.
On the rare occasion that they are, you have siege weapon to negate the gear difference. I’m sorry but unless theres a gear that grant you over 15k bonus HP there will never be a notable difference in Wvw regarding the gears.
It’s all how big your zerg is, how well your player stick to the strategy and use the skills given to you (portal bomb…etc) and these things have nothing to do with gears.
There’s no subscription, you’re not paying a dime, and you’re complaining?
But you got your $60 worth, right?
What on earth does a subscription have to do with anything?
The decision is a poor one (imo) and moves away from what was advertised as the foundation of GW2’s design. We don’t know the specifics of how this will work out so far, but at least in part that’s due to AN’s “surprise!” approach to releasing information. Personally, I don’t think people are overreacting here any more than they were about DE a month or so ago. Basically its one more aspect of the same tired argument we’ve had to deal with in MMOs for ages. Some people like grinding (particularly dungeons) I’m sure all of us understand that, but this game was presented as something that would buck that trend.
If one wants to grind gear in dungeons, there is pretty much /every/ other MMO for that. GW2’s approach to cosmetic changes over stat improvement was a refreshing change of pace, and the decision to dump that seems overall more negative than positive.
This is how I currently feel about Ascended Gear:
If it is limited to rings and backslot items I think it will be fine. A sense of progression and working towards an endgame goal is important. Agony is an obvious gating mechanic but if content from new dungeons needs to be tiered and grows ever more challenging, rewarding ascended rings and backslot pieces this will be ok.
I do like how most of these items are geared towards combating agony, but I am in agreement that these items should only be geared towards dungeon progression alone and should not have significant impacts in areas like WvW. For that reason the increase stats bug me.
There is also the important aspect as to how these items will become obtainable. If they have increased stat bonuses and ONLY come from dungeons, it will compel everyone just to run dungeon content to become competitive in all aspects of the game.
If these items are added to dungeons with stat bonuses, non dungeon means of acquiring items with similar competitive stats MUST be added as well.
If ascended gear bridges into armor and weapons with cosmetic appearances, then things start to get complicated. You have people like me who own 4-6 sets of exotic gear in order to be prepared for any situation or stat combination.
Each one has specific runes and a themed look. Now if ascended gear comes out for armor and weapons, how is this going to factor into runes and appearances?
If you make the best armor in the game from a statistical perspective a clown suit, everyone will wear it just for the stats. What I don’t want to see is everyone with the same appearance and same legendary weapons.
Also legendary weapons are currently horribly stat weighted for specific classes or build combos and many people would be upset if say they are trapped with a weapon like the Dreamer on their all black murderous thief just to have the best stats in the game.
Ascended gear, while I’m not sure if this is intentional or not, will cause massive problems to people who have multiple gear sets for roles and want to keep the appearance of their favorite built sets.
This would mean a massive amount of transmutation stone purchases (perhaps this is intended for revenue generation).
Upgrading to ascended gear will also mean picking and choosing gear sets. It will mean being trapped with specific stats until the entire set is finished and not being able to ambidextrously change between gear setups and builds because the gear is now hard to get.
Overall I think the following aspects of the game will be hurt:
-Cosmetics of the World: Players will look like clowns to have the best stats, everyone will look the same. There are transmutation stones, but then players with completed sets or dungeon armors that they have hard worked to gain will need to pay a large amount of gems just to remain competitive while preserving their characters. Weapon wise, players will be trapped with legendary that have the best stat weight for their character regardless if the like the appearance or not unless ascended weapons with competitive stats are released side by side. Even then players will still have to shell out for transmutation stones for preservation.
-Lack of Build Flexibility: Players will now be pigeon holed into one set of stats for their specific ascended gear. They will not be able to ambidextrously change builds without putting an extreme amount of time into building multiple ascended sets. Much of the fun of guildwars is build exploration, the presence of ascended gear and a gear treadmill will force cookie cutters and promote less experimentation as players will need to figure out a dedicated spec and gear balance before working towards the final gear set. And when nerfs and buffs come in, people will be hurt even more.
Set Advantages for Niche Players: Increase stat gain and availability of ascended gear from only one source means that players that do ascended content will have a stat advantage. This means everyone will go to one set of content for the gear and players who don’t enjoy that content will suffer. If ascended gear is added it needs to be made available to all players in different ways. Not every player is a dungeon runner and one small circle of players should gain an advantage over the rest of the player base simply because they are dedicated to the right content niche.
I will wait and see how this all plays out, so far the devs have made intelligent decisions regarding the game world so I’m hoping many of these concerns will be handled in creative ways.
There’s no subscription, you’re not paying a dime, and you’re complaining?
But you got your $60 worth, right?
the point is not the money, but wanting to enjoy the game further which requires it being enjoyable, not so hard to understand, even for a oneliner-troll.
WIthout the pvp factor, the new gear is essentially for PVE. So what’s wrong about being able to kill stuff faster OR having something better to work towards rather than pure skins?
What do you mean “being able to kill stuff faster”? If the new gear is better, then the enemies will also become harder.
Otherwise the carrot could be reached, which would defeat the purpose.
Enemy becoming harder is …..bad?
I thought having a challenge – and be rewarded for taking on that challenge – is a good thing. Guess I was wrong. Nowadays its all about look and having everything easy.
better pvp format/ranking/stats.
its so not clear currently whos hot and whos not.
all of the other players feels like bots to me, i dont interact with them.
Either you get with the program, that progression is needed and it’s needed now, or you can kiss Guild Wars 2 completely goodbye.
This game needs a carrot that’s not Legendaries. Folks, if you think that this isn’t being done because they are having a retention problem, then you need to look again.
If ArenaNet doesn’t put something in there to keep people playing, and quickly, GW2 is toast. I love the game, but that’s just the truth.
Where are you getting this data from?
Experience.
You don’t change your basic and core philosophy midstream, on a dime, without some external force. If things are humming right along as expected, we wouldn’t be seeing this change now.
Typically it’s money that’s the driving force. They likely have internal data that suggests their retention isn’t where they want it and therefore are introducing this vertical progression mechanic as a way to keep people engaged. Furthermore, the infusion mechanic is a gate to keep folks from burning through the new content at the rate they have been.
So, you have no proof what-so-ever to back up your claim that this game is dying.
My experience is that people will also do things to increase their revenue, despite already making a profit. This is especially so in the MMO market when people see Blizzard’s subscription numbers and profit margin as a result of WoW; which is quite frankly and unrealistic goal to strive for.
Every game that attempted to mimic WoW has crashed and burned. Look at all the money and hype poored into SWtOR…which inevitably became known as the TORtanic. This MMO is doing fine, look at the server populations. Anet will continue to make a profit by catering to a different crowd.
This game is not dying and it does not need to change in an attempt to grab people who are already happy in a game that’s been out since 2004 and in which they are established.
This isn’t 2004.
This market demands different things than it did then, especially in this competitive genre.
The writing has been on the wall for a month. One only had to look at the NCSoft 3Q financials to see this was coming. It’s right there in black and white.
Anecdotal evidence is piling up as well. This game isn’t holding people. They play through till 80, and then bail on it.
That isn’t going to keep the company afloat.
You mean the NCSoft 3Q financials that stated:
“Strong growth was achieved in US and EU, fueled by successful launch of GW2”
and:
“B&S and GW2 have firmly positioned themselves as main revenue drivers for the company.”
Available for your viewing pleasure here.
I really hope Ascended gear is not advantaged over normal exotics for anything other than dungeons, and especially for WvWvW. I think that will cause a lot of the dedicated WvWvW players to leave the game. The only way I think this will be the case is if the infusion upgrades don’t increase stats at all.
Sorry to rant on you specifically, this goes to everyone posting similar stuff, really.
YES, it affects WvWvW.
Once the full ascended set is out, that’ll be at least an 8% advantage in base stats. It’s been said here time and again and if you take the time to look at the posted item in the blogpost, you can see it for yourself, too.
If it makes you feel better to pretend that we don’t know yet for the next three days, feel free to ignore what’s already known. But don’t confuse others by posting here, uninformed.
I realize the gear can be used in WvWvW, but I what I am hoping is that the infusions have very dungeon specific purposes so that the gear is actually on equal terms with current superior runed / upgraded exotics. If that isn’t the case, IMHO Anet is making a big mistake by adding a new tier.
It ISN’T on equal terms.
It has been shown by ANet, Ascended gear is 8% better than Exotic Gear + Rune.
Sky – [tSA] – Stormbluff Isle
November 15, 2012 – The day a dream died.
November 15, 2012 – The day a dream died.
I don’t get it. Before this was even announced the forums were filled with “oh gawd, we’re so bored we have nothing to do”.
Then once they (Anet) gives you a simple task of completing something. The new instance for better gear…which prolly a monkey with downs could complete; we get all mad… makes no sense.
I know I’m not the only one that has been dying for more things to complete. Sorry I don’t find running around the map ‘fun’ I get on video games to kill things, not run around looking at vistas when i could just go outside to look at nature…you know…that ISNT fake.
call me crazy, but I want something to do. not sit in LA twiddling my thumbs because I’ve completed all other dungeons over and over
(edited by Johnson.4867)
There has to be a carrot or a reason for folks to keep playing.
Let the carrot be fun, instead of more stats. Why can’t they just release the new dungeon with the new mechanic but NOT make the gear any better than exotics? They are blatantly trying to appeal to the WoW crowd that only plays to constantly upgrade their gear.
What if I told you the carrot was fun and it had more stats?
[VZ] Sky Avalon – Guardian (Main)
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
Master of all Professions
sPvP Rank Dragon – 8 Champ Titles – Ruby Division
what if…
… the ring will be given as soon as you enter the new dungeon. The only upgrades you get are the infusion-parts (which only make you more effective in this specific dungeon). It would make sense: playing on an equal level with an increasing infusion-thingy.
Ascended items are a new tier and a new tier has constant stats. There is no good and better Exotic gear, am I right?
http://gw2style.com/index.php – show your look and rate others – great filters!!
Anet you wanna get WoW boys? Wow buys always return to WoW. But we also leave your project because of broken promisses.
They lied to us for years.
/Thread
Or, they fully intended to go the route they had “promised” only to find out it wasn’t going to meet the needs financially.
What would you have them do? Just allow the game to crash and burn?
Reality has a way of being a kitten when it comes to lofty ideals meeting a market driven economy.
GW1 was f2p from the start and had multiple expansions. That game was successful enough to warrant a sequel. This game is doing fine.
This isn’t 2004.
The market is a ton more competitive now. Furthermore, GW2 isn’t GW1. Not even close. The design of the game is completely different across the board.
This is a real MMORPG. People expect mechanics that will keep them engaged in their characters.
You can’t get by with MMOG mechanics in a MMORPG in 2012. There has to be a carrot or a reason for folks to keep playing.
And horizontal progression gets older faster than vertical.
Precisely.
Pulling all of the emotion out of this debate, you really have to consider the “Why.”
Why add vertical progression? I assert that it’s because their current model of horizontal progression isn’t retaining customers as they hoped it would. Furthermore, they likely had this entire model in their backpocket if the numbers stacked up this way.
It’s simple, Either you want Guild Wars 2 to be around as a healthy and profitable game for ANet and NCSoft for the next 3-5 years, or you want outdated mechanics from 2004.
They are, in my opinion as ANet has figured out, mutually exclusive, and it’s coming home to roost now as Ascended Gear.
Ascended gear is so cool. Marginally higher base stats without a usable upgrade slot! SO USEFUL IN WvW! Especially that 10% Magic Find! In fact, the exotic ring in the teaser beats the ascended ring in terms of everything except magic find because the exotic ring can have an upgrade component. Thus, the only thing ascended gear has to offer you is the most magic find possible and some more defense against specific creatures in PvE. Something that only people who enjoy farming will care about.
It’s obviously intended for PvE only, since exotics with good upgrades will be of equivalent stats (more or less). I guess I better scrap my rare level 79 magic find gear which I use to farm Orr (and everywhere else with since I don’t have a set of exotic armor)! That Ascended gear sure does put it to shame along with the few pieces of exotic armor I wasted with karma! How will I ever be able to progress in PvE in my level 79 rare armor?! THE AGONY
This is what you get for complaining that there is “nothing to do” and you still complain. I’m sure that completing the new content will be possible in exotic gear. It just will be marginally easier and more efficient to do so in ascended gear. The difference between ascended gear and exotic gear is no different than the difference between exotic and rare. Legendary items still remain equal to (now ascended items) and so remain the “best in slot”, which is in line with their game design philosophy of keeping items on an equal power level. Adding a new ascended tier of PvE armor does not break it, nor does it entail a slippery slope into a “gear treadmill”.
(edited by sphonz.3129)