Guild Wars 2

Hello! I`ve not really played GW2 since the original Fractals patch. Can you tell me what new features and content have been implemented since then and are worthwile for visiting Guild Wars 2 again?

Well….

You missed a ton of temporary content. Only permanent things that are still here is a revamp of Tequatl and a replacement dungeon path. So kind of, nothing has changed content wise for you. They deleted a path in Twilight Arbor and replaced it with a new path. And they made Tequatl an 80 man raid content.

They used Southsun for a couple new events, but since they were all temporary content patches, it is back to being the same now. There was some quality of life updates, like the currency wallet and the looking for group tool. A few changes to loot and balance updates. A bunch more gambling and new items in the gem store, though some of it was only temporary (again). They have added more Ascended items, almost a full set now, and increased crafting to 500 in the weapon crafts. Any recipes you discovered though after 400 have been reset and you’ll have to discover them all over again.

MF gear is gone now. Any gear you had with MF stats, you can now change the stats on them. Of course it is all soul bound now as well with that change. MF is now an account wide buff that you earn via essences that are salvaged from items.

So all in all, you’ve missed a lot of temporary content so it’ll feel like nothing much has changed from that perspective. But GW2 is a B2P game, no subscription. So it doesn’t hurt to log in and check it out yourself. Let it install overnight while you sleep or something, and log back in to see for yourself.

-Guild Missions : More like ‘actitivies’ to do with the guild, rather than traditional instanced content. OK for this type of game I guess, but not my cup of tea.
-Living Story : Horrible attempt at story telling and content addition, with lots of it being temporary, RNG, zerg, and achievement grinding. With this, they update the game every 2 weeks so if you miss out on some achievements or content, you miss out. Theres a lot of debate around living story whether or not its good for the game.
-Achievement point rewards : At certain thresholds you get rewards like 1 gold, X amount of magic find, and a skin.
-Magic find removed from gear and placed on the account. Blues/Greens can be salvaged for essences of luck which increase magic find account wind.
-Account wallet : organized all currencies into one location, account wide. Fantastic addition.
-Open world, for the most part, is void of players unless they are map completing, leveling, or it is a living story area.
-More, lots more, ascended gear and the game has been driven into the depths of a light gear treadmill or carrot on a stick.

Just to name a few.

Worth coming back: Sure, maybe. Ive been back and forth with the game. I really like the classes, the world, wvw a bit, and some DEs. Im trying to ignore all the poor decisions they are making design wise, but its hard, and sometimes I want to leave the game again.

GW2 has always been installed, but I just don`t really feel like turning it on. I hoped for some new things to see or do but I guess it`s better business catering to the core playerbase than getting back people that left. They would probably leave again some time later anyway.

Some more permanent content wouldn`t hurt though… Any news on an expansion pack or something like that?

Here’s a great video that shows what changes you’ll see right away (applies to everyone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce_dvXJercI

And another video that highlights changes to WvW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUfV3OBLyc8

You can see the release splash pages here:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/

And here is a searchable patch notes:
http://gw2patchnotesearch.david-reess.de/

Bloodwork.1572:

GW2 has always been installed, but I just don`t really feel like turning it on. I hoped for some new things to see or do but I guess it`s better business catering to the core playerbase than getting back people that left. They would probably leave again some time later anyway.

Some more permanent content wouldn`t hurt though… Any news on an expansion pack or something like that?

Not really. I wouldn’t expect any info on an expansion in the foreseeable future.

I think you should try the game, and not come to the forum for information like this. First of all, there’s plenty of stuff that has been added and plenty of stuff that KEEPS getting added.

What the naysayers neglect to mention is that there’s new stuff every two weeks, which means that if you don’t like one update you don’t have long to wait for the next. And because they don’t like it, then everyone else is going to hate it too…except some people like it.

So yeah, asking here is a bit of a waste of time. There’s plenty of stuff to do, and plenty of stuff added…and more coming all the time.

Vayne.8563:

I think you should try the game, and not come to the forum for information like this. First of all, there’s plenty of stuff that has been added and plenty of stuff that KEEPS getting added.

What the naysayers neglect to mention is that there’s new stuff every two weeks, which means that if you don’t like one update you don’t have long to wait for the next. And because they don’t like it, then everyone else is going to hate it too…except some people like it.

So yeah, asking here is a bit of a waste of time. There’s plenty of stuff to do, and plenty of stuff added…and more coming all the time.

How is it a waste of time? They asked what new content has been implemented since they left. Which is exactly what everyone is answering with. Nothing is being neglected. So the forum is not the place to find this information? What purpose does the forum serve if they can’t come here asking information on what has been implemented since they left?

This is a perfectly fine thread. They want to know what changes have been made since they have been gone, and the replies are giving the OP just that. Just logging into the game will not give them the answers they seek. Thus coming to the forums to ask these questions is not a waste of time and will help educate them on what has happened since they left.

SpyderArachnid.5619:

Vayne.8563:

I think you should try the game, and not come to the forum for information like this. First of all, there’s plenty of stuff that has been added and plenty of stuff that KEEPS getting added.

What the naysayers neglect to mention is that there’s new stuff every two weeks, which means that if you don’t like one update you don’t have long to wait for the next. And because they don’t like it, then everyone else is going to hate it too…except some people like it.

So yeah, asking here is a bit of a waste of time. There’s plenty of stuff to do, and plenty of stuff added…and more coming all the time.

How is it a waste of time? They asked what new content has been implemented since they left. Which is exactly what everyone is answering with. Nothing is being neglected. So the forum is not the place to find this information? What purpose does the forum serve if they can’t come here asking information on what has been implemented since they left?

This is a perfectly fine thread. They want to know what changes have been made since they have been gone, and the replies are giving the OP just that. Just logging into the game will not give them the answers they seek. Thus coming to the forums to ask these questions is not a waste of time and will help educate them on what has happened since they left.

Someone said nothing is new on Southsun, but the Karka Queen meta event is new, as well as the two guild events that take place there.

No one mentioned the moa races, the new jumping puzzle, Southsun Survival, Sanctum Sprint…in fact most Living Story chapters have left something behind.

No one mentioned WvW leveling, the new SPvP map.

People DID mention the new dungeon path and said it just replaced a path. What they didn’t say was that it’s more challenging than most other dungeon paths, made by a new design team that has far more specific achievements associated with it, some of them which can be done only when you beat the dungeon. They replaced a 15 minute dungeon path with a longer one with far more interesting mechanics. Talk about glossing over stuff.

And saying it’s all been temporary and it’s gone ignored the fact that right now and this time, there’s a pretty cool Tower in Kessex that’s still there for a least a while more, which some of us quite enjoy.

Since forums are often populated by those who complain or those who don’t like the game (indeed there are many people who post here who haven’t played the game in months), one would expect a skewed view of what’s new.

I didn’t mention the QoL stuff that’s changed either including the end of culling, the wallet, several optimization patches, he might not have even been here when the auction house preview was introduced.

Or when dailies were changed so you only have to do five of them out of an increasing number of choices. He wasn’t here when laurels were introduced.

People word things in ways to make it sound like they want it to sound. There’s nothing new here, you haven’t missed anything is misleading at best.

People mentioned what they remembered. You can’t fault people for not remembering content that was introduced. As a community we should be working together to help other. If something was missed, fill in the blanks and help.

Instead of making a post to tell the OP his topic is waste of time, give them that information that others forgot to mention (just like your above post without all the ridicule). You can help the OP instead of ridiculing the other posters, thus making their question not a waste of time.

Keep your personal feeling to yourself, and help them and inform them of the things we forgot to tell them. Don’t come in here telling them they are wasting their time and then not even help them with their question.

SpyderArachnid.5619:

People mentioned what they remembered. You can’t fault people for not remembering content that was introduced. As a community we should be working together to help other. If something was missed, fill in the blanks and help.

Instead of making a post to tell the OP his topic is waste of time, give them that information that others forgot to mention (just like your above post without all the ridicule). You can help the OP instead of ridiculing the other posters, thus making their question not a waste of time.

Keep your personal feeling to yourself, and help them and inform them of the things we forgot to tell them. Don’t come in here telling them they are wasting their time and then not even help them with their question.

Do you honestly think everyone in this thread who posted before me has “kept their personal opinion to themselves?”

I’m telling the OP to check out the game. It’s free to play. He already owns it. Asking a question like this here makes it a loaded question precisely because people ARE allowing opinions to interact with factual information.

I’m saying that he’s likely to get a skewed answer, and I firmly believe that.

Are you saying that if I believe a specific question is going to get a skewed answer, I shouldn’t say so?

They are voicing their opinions about the game, not other players like you are doing.

The OP is asking for information on what has been implemented since they left. Telling them to go play the game is not helpful as that provides no information on what has been implemented since they left. The people above are at least providing that information, regardless of their feelings to the game.

You on the other hand, are giving your opinions on the community, not the game. And until your last post, you didn’t provide any information to the OP’s question. It’s simple. Help the OP, fill him in on what information we forgot to give, without criticizing the other players. If you have opinions about the game, lay them out. Go for it. But keep your opinions of other players to yourself.

I’m leaving this conversation. Maybe you haven’t looked at or don’t remember every other I’m back what’s new thread, but I do. People are brutal in many of those threads. A forum isn’t just one post or one thread but a series of threads. I know what to expect in these types of threads and often they’re not only unfair, but they’re hostile. Now that might have changed, apparently there have been bans, but you’d excuse me for stating what I’ve seen as a truth from past experience.

If you have a problem in the future with my posts, report them. That’s what you should do. Because this has now grown dangerously off topic and I don’t want to continue to derail the thread.

Unfotunetly most of the content has been removed since it was added so it will seem like not a lot changed.

The highlights that are still around:

1. Account Bound Magic Find
2. WvW ranks
3. Custom PvP matches
4. Guild Missions

Those are really the only major things, there are also a bunch of minor things that each only take 5-30 minutes each to complete but at least they are something.

1. New Teq fight. Takes 80+ people and a lot of coordination. Only completable if you are on a high pop server or in a specific Teq guild
2. New path in TA. Replaced an old path. More interesting mechanics, and some achievements, but significantly harder for the same reward as the other paths so it is only very rarely run.
3. A couple new mini-games that are on a rotation. They are not very popular, you will usually be playing by yourself except maybe if you get lucky during prime-time. (keg brawl is an exception, that one seems a little more popular)
4. A new jumping puzzle in the zone above LA. It’s pretty fun, but you can only get the reward once.

Fractal revamp is coming today, that will be the first real permanent content we have gotten in a long time. It should be pretty good.

In addition to the TA dungeon path, Aetherblade jumping puzzle and other things mentioned above, I can think of the following:

Scarlet invasions (45 minute zergs) are still taking place. When they happen, they’re announced in chat with a yellow message telling you where to go. (Although the player zergs focus on the Krait tower right now.)

All boss fights were updated to not be over within seconds, so far only Tequatl had its mechanics changed. The megadestroyer looks different. All boss fights give you at least one rare or exotic item, overall boss drops were increased several times.

All champions drop champion loot bags now, which prompted people to hop on “champion trains” and run around in circles all day farming them. Particularly in Queensdale and Frostgorge Sound.

The living story is far from terrible. People are of course entitled to their opinions. Objectively, all it means is that there is new content every two weeks: things will happen, then they are happening, then they have happened. Sorry for those who missed stuff, but you’re getting new content a few days later! In addition, as was said before, living story chapters tend to leave permanent changes behind.

Today, fractals get a major update: 5 new fractals in total, new ways to acquire more agony resistance, and gambits (handicaps) that make higher levels more challenging in hopefully interesting ways. 4 out of the 5 new fractals are based on 2 temporary dungeons that you missed, but will be able to see now in their fractal form, and the 5th fractal was (narrowly) voted for by the player base in an election campaign themed living story chapter.

Tons and tons of new items were added over the months, including (exclusive/expensive) weapon skins, gem shop armor skins, new hair styles, dyes, new types of boosters and other consumables, a new series of minis, etc.

Read the summaries listed on this wiki page for a quick overview of the most important changes.

All in all, we did get nearly an expansion’s worth of new content, but in order to benefit from it all, you have to log in once every two weeks. I personally think that for a game that has no monthly subscription fees, this is a fair enough deal.

You know, looking back at this thread, I’m 100% positive that there were posts that have been removed when I made my post. It might look like my post is a response to the posts before it, but I’m sure there was at least one, maybe two other posts after it that are no longer there.

I apologize if I’ve offended anyone.

Thank you everyone that provided information on the actual game. It seems that there are some things worth checking out.

Have fun

Bloodwork.1572:

Thank you everyone that provided information on the actual game. It seems that there are some things worth checking out.

I got too focused on permanent content and missed the biggest selling point. While the LS is only temporary content it is usually at a minimum entertaining, if not exciting.

While it goes away after 2-4 weeks, it is still fun and worth doing while you can. So while you have missed the previous content the current content is a lot of fun.

Actually if you log in right now and do the current nightmere tower content, it provides a nice summary before the final boss fight about what has happened the last 6 months. It is a good way to get caught up on what you missed.