Guild Wars 2

Good morning forum peeps!

First off, like to say, the levelling experience in this game was just awesome. There is nothing like it on the gaming market. It was a dream to me. I didn’t have to bring 15 Kobold candles or 10 wolf pelts to an NPC who, as soon as he gets them, will turn around and say “I need 15 Prickleberries too (u mad bro?)”. So thank you very much to who ever came up with GW2 yellow heart idea.

Purposely, I didn’t read about the endgame. I just didn’t want to know too much. I was hoping to figure things out and look things up only when I got to that point. Why look up things that effect level 80 when your toon is level 20, right?

Then something happened. I happened to accumulate some gold. 23 gold. So I did what every good gamer does, I went to check out gear on the trading post.

And this is where the game has kind of died for me. I discovered I could owe full exotic gear for about 30 gold. At this point I still had a thought that there was still much better gear out there, in fractals, or dungeons. So I asked in chat, what gear level comes after exotic? People told me there is some ascendant gear, rings, accessories. But for the main 6 pieces of gear, exotic is the highest.

I didn’t want to be able to buy the gear. I was very disappointed to see that I could. So, what do I do now? Keep levelling toons just to buy them gear at 80? Jumping puzzles? (i’m not the best jumper). WvW? What do I do with pvp currency when I’m wearing exotic gear?

Is end game all cosmetic?

The end game was always supposed to be cosmetc, completely in line with Guild Wars 1. Having a cosmetic end game actually solves a lot of the genre’s problems, things like stat and gear creep.

Think about your typical MMO. You take a break for a month or two, you come back and you’re completely undergeared for everything your friends are doing. You feel left out you and you have to pug or solo your way through stuff, because you took a break.

The old system is very unforgiving to people who are just starting out, or people who just take a break. Then there’s another issue.

The numbers get bigger and bigger, but they don’t really mean anything, because it’s all just relative to the new content anyway.

The only reason ascended gear has a stat increase is because of reactions to people who have played other games, and think you must have stat increase for end game. Personally, I’d have preferred no stat increase for ascended gear, but I see why Anet did it.

The fractals are the hard, challenging thing that people from other games do because they need that sense of progression.

Me, I just enjoy the world. Work on achievements. Play some WvW. Today I had a great time playing Keg Brawl. Ton of fun. Some people like the super adventure box.

Some people go for the dungeon master title, which involved finishing every path of every dungeon. Some of them can be challenging.

But yeah, the rewards for the most part, are cosmetic. And if you want to know why, take a look at the threads about how many people think the ascended gear has ruined the game by creating gear grind.

Vayne.8563:

The end game was always supposed to be cosmetc, completely in line with Guild Wars 1. Having a cosmetic end game actually solves a lot of the genre’s problems, things like stat and gear creep.

Think about your typical MMO. You take a break for a month or two, you come back and you’re completely undergeared for everything your friends are doing. You feel left out you and you have to pug or solo your way through stuff, because you took a break.

The old system is very unforgiving to people who are just starting out, or people who just take a break. Then there’s another issue.

The numbers get bigger and bigger, but they don’t really mean anything, because it’s all just relative to the new content anyway.

The only reason ascended gear has a stat increase is because of reactions to people who have played other games, and think you must have stat increase for end game. Personally, I’d have preferred no stat increase for ascended gear, but I see why Anet did it.

The fractals are the hard, challenging thing that people from other games do because they need that sense of progression.

Me, I just enjoy the world. Work on achievements. Play some WvW. Today I had a great time playing Keg Brawl. Ton of fun. Some people like the super adventure box.

Some people go for the dungeon master title, which involved finishing every path of every dungeon. Some of them can be challenging.

But yeah, the rewards for the most part, are cosmetic. And if you want to know why, take a look at the threads about how many people think the ascended gear has ruined the game by creating gear grind.

Ok, I think I understand. Fractals are raiding? and the reason to raid is for prestige not gear?

Fractals are far from challenging, maybe it’ll be for the first 3 Levels.
And after the Ascended Gear, what next? What’s the point of it?

in other words: there is no endgame this game gives you everything on a platinum platter… and every persone playing the game poops his pants if there is an item that he/she can’t get within 4 minutes. So do what I will do, play the game untill level 80 (because the world is awesome) and than come back when the game adds something fun to work for. Rare items that only some can get, awesome rewards in pvp etc. and maybe even super rare items that you can only craft.

Dawning.1340:

Vayne.8563:

The end game was always supposed to be cosmetc, completely in line with Guild Wars 1. Having a cosmetic end game actually solves a lot of the genre’s problems, things like stat and gear creep.

Think about your typical MMO. You take a break for a month or two, you come back and you’re completely undergeared for everything your friends are doing. You feel left out you and you have to pug or solo your way through stuff, because you took a break.

The old system is very unforgiving to people who are just starting out, or people who just take a break. Then there’s another issue.

The numbers get bigger and bigger, but they don’t really mean anything, because it’s all just relative to the new content anyway.

The only reason ascended gear has a stat increase is because of reactions to people who have played other games, and think you must have stat increase for end game. Personally, I’d have preferred no stat increase for ascended gear, but I see why Anet did it.

The fractals are the hard, challenging thing that people from other games do because they need that sense of progression.

Me, I just enjoy the world. Work on achievements. Play some WvW. Today I had a great time playing Keg Brawl. Ton of fun. Some people like the super adventure box.

Some people go for the dungeon master title, which involved finishing every path of every dungeon. Some of them can be challenging.

But yeah, the rewards for the most part, are cosmetic. And if you want to know why, take a look at the threads about how many people think the ascended gear has ruined the game by creating gear grind.

Ok, I think I understand. Fractals are raiding? and the reason to raid is for prestige not gear?

Fractals isn’t raiding, becaues the party size is five. Fractals are a dungeon that gets harder as you get to higher and higher levels. There are, I think, 9 different fratals, each a seperate minidungeon in it’s own little dimension. As you travel through the fractals you gain fractal levels. This is where it starts to get interesting though.

For the first ten levels, you’re just learning what’s what. Then the bosses gain the ability to cause agony with their attacks. Agony is a new condition that, so far, only affects things in the fractals. It basically lasts for 6 seconds, can’t be removed and ticks away a percentage of your health with each tick. The only thing you can do against agony, is have agony resistance on your armor. This comes from infusing ascended gear, which you also can get in the fractals.

Actually the fractals are a lot of fun..and yeah, they get pretty challenging.

Nick.6972:

Fractals are far from challenging, maybe it’ll be for the first 3 Levels.
And after the Ascended Gear, what next? What’s the point of it?

You keep asking and people keep answering. What’s the point of anything? If you enjoy something you do it. If you don’t enjoy something you don’t.

Ever play soccer. You have pretty much the same game over and over. What’s the point? The point is to enjoy yourself. Clearly this game is something you’re having trouble enjoying. You want a hard and fast goal.

Well, unless you find and set goals for yourself in this game, you’re going to end up disappointed. I think that’s the difference between people who’ve played games like WoW for so long and games like Guild Wars 2 (not implying that you’ve played WoW). It’s just that WoW gives you that breadcrumb trail. This is the next dungeon and this is the next raid and this is the gear you need. Guild Wars 2 doesn’t give you that.

For some people that’s frustrating. For me, that’s very freeing.

Dindin.2378:

in other words: there is no endgame this game gives you everything on a platinum platter… and every persone playing the game poops his pants if there is an item that he/she can’t get within 4 minutes. So do what I will do, play the game untill level 80 (because the world is awesome) and than come back when the game adds something fun to work for. Rare items that only some can get, awesome rewards in pvp etc. and maybe even super rare items that you can only craft.

Rare items that only some can get? Feeling a bit elitist here? In a competitive atmosphere everyone is given equal power so everyone should be able to get that max damage item.

If you are someone who is looking to find that loot that is gonna make you godly against opponents this game is just not for you.

GW1 did fine with gear stat caps and GW2 should follow in the footsteps of its daddy.

Dawning.1340:

So, what do I do now? Keep levelling toons just to buy them gear at 80? Jumping puzzles? (i’m not the best jumper). WvW? What do I do with pvp currency when I’m wearing exotic gear?

Is end game all cosmetic?

The only thing I can tell you is that if you expect to have a feeling of gear progression in GW2, you will not find it, and should instead try to look at the picture a bit differently.

I, myself, am a very hardcore and veteran WoW player, and was pretty scared of the “unorthodox” “endgame” (notice the pairs of quotes in there) that GW2 offers, especially after having played WoW for 6 years and never having played the original Guild Wars before. Every time I asked, people raged at me for expecting there to be an endgame in GW2 and also tunnel-visioned on what I was NOT asking of them.

I read both GW2 books before the game even shipped. I was so excited to meet the characters from the books in-game. How would Lion’s Arch compare from what the book describes and my imagination vs the game, how did Logan’s and the Queen’s relationship continue to develop after the events in the books, etc. I pre-ordered GW2 but suddenly stopped playing it when I reached level 25 with my Elementalist for only 1 reason: I thought there was no endgame. And there isn’t in the form WoW had taught me. And then when I asked in Map Chat and later in different forums across the net, everyone raged at me for expecting WoW’s endgame in GW2. But, in a nutshell, what I was asking was “What can you do at level 80, and what is the point in doing it?”

Absolutely no one could answer me.

If a newbie WoW player came to me and asked me, “Hey, man, can you please give me a very detailed LIST of things to do in WoW at max-level and what is the point in doing them,” I would be able to produce an ordered listing of absolutely everything you can do in the game and for what reasons you would like to do that. I think this is what you have asked (correct me if I’m wrong).

Thankfully, after a scorn-filled “l2google, you noob”, a friend of mine gave me this posts from Guild Wars 2 Guru and Gamespy:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/players/What-to-do-at-80-1

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-2/1226589p1.html

It has exactly what I wanted, and I can now proceed to enjoy the heck out of this awesome game. I started a fresh Guardian on Friday, and I’m already 50 on Sunday. I’ve enjoyed the game THAT much with the mentality that most of what I’ll do will be bragging rights. After 16,000+ achievement points in WoW I can confidently consider myself an achiever and will enjoy the challenges this game will bring to my OCD regarding map completion and medal completion (in the character screen). Hope this helped. And whatever you do, DON’T quit on this game just because another MMORPG has shown you what you think is the only endgame in the genre.

TL;DR – If you wanna know most of the things you can do at max-level in GW2, check out the links I posted. And as to what is the point in doing them: the point will be what YOU as a player give them, be it fun, bragging rights, passing the time, challenging yourself, etc. but the point will never be to perform at a higher level than others because of gear.