Guild Wars 2

Will free players have restrictions regarding Guild Halls?
I’ve got a small Guild with mostly players with free accounts,
will they be able to access and help get the Guild Hall on HoT?

From what I understand. Free players will be required to buy HOT to continue playing once it is released.

From my understanding, only those with HoT can unlock it… or you can get help from non-guild to help unlock yours. Once unlocked, the freebies will be able to go there, but a lot of it they will not have direct access to/interact with. I do not know the specific limitations though.

Nope. They will only need to purchase HOT if they want to access its content. And yes this includes guild halls. If you dont purchase HOT you will still have access to the core game.

Mega Skeleton.8259:

From what I understand. Free players will be required to buy HOT to continue playing once it is released.

No, free players will be able to continue playing the core game.

Runiir.6425:

From my understanding, only those with HoT can unlock it… or you can get help from non-guild to help unlock yours. Once unlocked, the freebies will be able to go there, but a lot of it they will not have direct access to/interact with. I do not know the specific limitations though.

This is what I was expecting,
there’s no specific information on this released yet?

El Psy Congroo.7965:

Runiir.6425:

From my understanding, only those with HoT can unlock it… or you can get help from non-guild to help unlock yours. Once unlocked, the freebies will be able to go there, but a lot of it they will not have direct access to/interact with. I do not know the specific limitations though.

This is what I was expecting,
there’s no specific information on this released yet?

Nothing I’ve found, just vague at best on what exactly they will be able to interact with. Most likely? They’ll only be able to interact with the basic vendor once you unlock it and maybe the arena. The rest of it is reserved to HoT specific things. That is what I suspect anyway.

It’s really vague. They’ve sort of hinted about non HoT purchasers, but nothing I’ve seen for the f2p people. The f2p might not have any Maguuma guild hall access but maybe they’ll have the access to the Lions Arch guild hall.

That’s a good question : can f2p players/ non-Hot players participate to the guild hall claim ?

Vroum.2906:

That’s a good question : can f2p players/ non-Hot players participate to the guild hall claim ?

They don’t say explicitly but they do imply it’s for HoT owners only, in that it’s an (instanced?) location in the new maps that you’ll need to be able to reach. Non HoT owners can’t access the new maps to travel across them.

Guild Halls. Taken from the enemy
Mounting an expedition to take one of these ruins is an expensive proposition and requires a certain amount of trust from the Initiative. On top of the costs to supply a population of Initiative guards and support staff to help settle the location once it’s been taken, your guild will actually have to reach the ruins, which is an adventure in itself. Once there, you must go in and drive out the Mordrem.

I’m in a role playing guild that is mostly f2p. I and more than enough to claim it have purchased HoT, but we really need to know if our free guild-mates can at least enter it with those who have claimed it to rp, even if they can not use anything in it. Otherwise it is useless to those of us who have paid. We need a place the whole guild can meet without being disturbed. Lions arch guild initiative office even would work if they hadn’t put the assanine 5 player limit on that. We’re tired of having to find inaccessible corners of the normal world and hope others don’t come barreling through. The key point I’m saying is that if the whole guild cant enter at least it isn’t a guild hall, it’s just a vip lounge.

since guild halls are located in the jungle, and that you need to reach them in order to claimthem for your guild, they should be HoT-require.

As far as I’m concern I find it logical that only players that bought HoT get access to HoT content. Even more since 50$ for a full game isn’t expensive… (not the issue here I know)

a few of my guildies havnt bought HOT but theyve been playing since launch… im curious to know if they will be able to get in as they have the core game.. just not expac.

I agree that getting there initially and claiming it will clearly require the expansion for all of those participating in that. The important question for me is whether free to play can enter the instance through the guild panel just like all the other guild members who did not participate in the claiming or otherwise walk there. There is plenty of features free to play is going to explicitly have access to when it is a social feature that would detract from the experience of the paid customers to deny it to the f2p players such as the effects of rebalancing, the changes to WvW, the changes to guild chat, and the complete reworking of how guilds work.

My question is whether what they have been calling a guild hall is for the guilds, or if it is a vip lounge for guilds that don’t care about their free to play members.

As far as I understand it you will need to own the expansion in order to do the claiming part. After it is claimed however I believe there is a button on the guild tab that will directly teleport you to the hall, which would make it possible for non-HoT owners to access said hall after it is claimed.

F2p players will not be able to launch an expedition into the jungle, neither can they participate in one, thus they can’t enter guild halls. However the guild initiative building in lions arch serves the same purpose as the new guild halls and can be entered by everyone once heart of thornes is released.

No, it does not work as a guild hall for a guild with over a hundred players if only five can be in each instance. The purpose of a guild hall is for the entire guild to be able to be in one private instance together, not spread across twenty identical private instances.

I think what most said is true, that for the expedition to claim the hall you need HoT players, but the hall should be open to people without HoT after it is sucessfully claimed. for the services in the hall: most are the same you can get by going to the guild initative in lions arch and as that is available to everyone once HoT launches everyone should have access to the services you have there in the guild hall as well. just if there are some HoT specific services a guild can unlock later for the hall those might be blocked to players without HoT.
but if claiming and/or entering a guild hall requires to have HoT-access still needs some clarification from the devs, which I hope we will get before the release (and please let everyone at least enter the guild hall after it is claimed, it would otherwise break up the guilds in HoT and coregame players).

I have a vague memory of the devs saying in one of the guild live streams that non-HoTters will be able to go to the guild’s hall, just not use a lot of its services. I would guess that if a P4F player can be in a guild, s/he can be in the guild’s hall once the guild has a hall to be in.

Guild halls are inside Maguuma jungle… The new expansion is Maguuma jungle…

I haven’t seen this being directly addressed anywhere and I would like to know for sure:
After we claim a Guild Hall can it be accessed by all the guild members or only those who own HoT?
I can speculate myself but I’d love this matter to be actually addressed by a dev.

Here’s why:
My guild is currently small (used to be huge but we basically all quit for a year) and we need to gather gold and materials for the Hall in advance. As a leader, I don’t want to take donations from people who don’t have HoT IF they won’t be able to access it.
Please, give me an answer.

Thank you.

You need HoT to access the Guild thing in the new map area’s.

If they don’t have HoT they can still access guild functions via the new building in LA.

I assume guild banks and such will still be in main cities though.

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

Oh wow. That’s cool. At least they can see some stuff.

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

Thank you so much for the answer! That’s really cool!

Seth Chadwick.5317:

I’ll probably get it wrong

Not necessarily wrong if everything is in a state of flux / change!

Good to know info though, thx

I had no idea non-HoT players would be able to get in to Guild Halls at all! That’s actually really cool.

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

So we’re back to saying that if players want to GvG in arenas, they must own HoT? I’m very cool with that. I honestly thought that the whole Guild Hall would be locked off from non-HoT owners and that they’d have to use the Guild HQ in LA to access guild features. It’s nice to know that they can at least enter it, I guess. I wouldn’t have minded it being locked off, considering that it IS a feature of a paid expansion which is more or less subsidized by the players that purchase said expansion. To have non-purchasers access it kind of makes them…sort of semi-freeloaders.

Thank goodness, that is what I was hoping to hear. That way F2p and non-expansion guild mates don’t have to get left out of guild-held events, parties, RP sessions, and things of that nature being held in the hall, even if they can’t use all of the things IN the hall. I was afraid that wouldn’t be the case, which would be a detriment towards building a guild community and would hurt both the HoT and non-hot guild members.

I do have a follow-up question about one specific feature though:

Will non-Hot players be able to contribute to the treasury for funding guild upgrades and expeditions?

Even if I can’t use all of those upgrades I’d still like to pitch in costs to help claim the hall and build it up. I don’t see why I couldn’t since I could always just dump those mats in the bank and let a guildie transfer them for me anyways.

Will f2p players also be able to contribute to the treasury? Since the contributions go straight to upgrades and can’t be taken by other players, so it wouldn’t be usable as a workaround for trading like the bank would, and it would be nice for f2p people to have a method of contributing to upgrades without being ‘total’ freeloaders.

Shiren.9532:

wouldn’t guild activities within the guild hall be universally more fun (for the whole guild) if the entire guild could participate? Do you think they could be less fun when the whole guild can’t participate in a guild activity because some don’t own HoT?

If people who haven’t purchased the expansion feel left out because they can’t play the content in the expansion there is a simple solution…..buy the expansion!

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

Seth I do have a couple more questions if you’d be so kind to answer them if you can.

Could core players fully navigate a guild hall map? I’m asking because Lost Precipice seemed to rely a lot on gliding in the stream. Or do they get all waypoints unlocked inside without having to get in proximity of them?

Also wondering if they can use the guild materials storage/deposit for upgrades.

From developer Seth Chadwick:
Seth Chadwick.5317:
You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

Seth Chadwick.5317:
You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

This was on front page. I had this question also, so if you missed it on that page, here it is.

Siphaed.9235:

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

So we’re back to saying that if players want to GvG in arenas, they must own HoT? I’m very cool with that. I honestly thought that the whole Guild Hall would be locked off from non-HoT owners and that they’d have to use the Guild HQ in LA to access guild features. It’s nice to know that they can at least enter it, I guess. I wouldn’t have minded it being locked off, considering that it IS a feature of a paid expansion which is more or less subsidized by the players that purchase said expansion. To have non-purchasers access it kind of makes them…sort of semi-freeloaders.

Except that because of the changes to guild functions those same people will potentially be paying for upgrades to the Guild Hall. They have no incentive to pay for those upgrades if they can’t even see them along with being unable to use some of them. By letting them into the area they have a better reason to pay into the system.

Did we ever get a confirmation that guild banks would be accessible outside the guild hall after it was stated it was currently unknown at the Q&A during guild week?

can we log in – log out inside the guild hall without being kicked ? pretty much like the Permanent Royal Terrace/airship pass work today ?

Farming Flats.5370:

can we log in – log out inside the guild hall without being kicked ? pretty much like the Permanent Royal Terrace/airship pass work today ?

Speaking of which, can we “assume” that Royal Terrace and the Heirship will continue to have (a) all of their current services and (b) relevant HoT services (at least for owners of HoT)? Or do we need to start making other arrangements to have access to the guild bank?

Thanks

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Farming Flats.5370:

can we log in – log out inside the guild hall without being kicked ? pretty much like the Permanent Royal Terrace/airship pass work today ?

Speaking of which, can we “assume” that Royal Terrace and the Heirship will continue to have (a) all of their current services and (b) relevant HoT services (at least for owners of HoT)? Or do we need to start making other arrangements to have access to the guild bank?

Thanks

As a Royal Terrace Pass owner I’m taking this as the answer to whether or not guild banks will be in there.

Dara Potocska.8196:

The guild bankers will still be available in the world for your guild banking needs. We will also have one in the Guild Initiative Office.

That is, they will still be there. None will be removed from where they are.

Seth Chadwick.5317:

Non HoT players can donate to the treasury.

F2P non HoT players?

Or just people with the full base game?

Arioso.8519:

Seth Chadwick.5317:

Non HoT players can donate to the treasury.

F2P non HoT players?

Or just people with the full base game?

F2P can’t mail out items or put items in (or out of) a guild bank, so only players with the full base game can donate.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Arioso.8519:

Seth Chadwick.5317:

Non HoT players can donate to the treasury.

F2P non HoT players?

Or just people with the full base game?

F2P can’t mail out items or put items in (or out of) a guild bank, so only players with the full base game can donate.

That is what I would think, however, the Treasury =/= the Bank.

It is deposit ONLY and all donated items are only used towards guild upgrades. Given that F2P players can still sell base mats on the TP, it would follow to reason that they might also be able to donate said materials to the guild treasury. The main reason, or at least one of the reasons, f2p players can’t use the guild bank is that it would let them bypass the mailing/trading restrictions, this is not the case with a deposit only treasury.

So I would still like official dev confitmation if the treasury is an exemption to the f2p restrictions or not. My money is on “no” but it would still be reasonable given how the treasury works, and it would still be nice if f2p players could help the guild build the upgrades they do benefit from, like WP reduction costs and such.

Dang. I thought this was a thread for requesting decorations.

I was gonna ask for a popcorn machine and stackable barrels/kegs.

Shiren.9532:

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can get into the Guild Hall map if you do not have Heart of Thorns and hang out with people, but most of the HoT guild features in there will be disabled for you. For example you will not be able to enter the Arena. I’m not going to go into detail on which specific things will be accessible and which are not because I’ll probably get it wrong

Are you concerned about the likelihood of guild halls becoming a tool which segregates some guilds instead of enabling them to play together?

A guild with a mixture of players who own HoT or players who don’t will be divided down that line with every guild activity which uses HoT exclusive guild hall features. Is that the experience that guild halls are intended to create?

I understand guild halls are a HoT feature, but guilds are communities and communities are strongest when they aren’t divided by barriers. Guild halls as a tool for supporting guild communities are self-sabotaging when they exclude members of the guild based on their expansion status.

I can only speak specifically to the arena because it’s the only detail you’ve confirmed, but any guild activity taking place in the arena will segregate the guild into players who do or don’t own HoT. Only HoT owners can play in the arena jumping puzzle or participate in the guild’s arena PvP tournament. Doesn’t it go against the spirit of a guild hall to exclude people like this? It feels like it competes with the goal of a guild hall – to bring in ways for guilds to spend time together.

Locking the scribe profession, the new guild equipment cosmetics or even the ability to acquire and customize a guild hall behind HoT has minimal impact on guild communities, but wouldn’t guild activities within the guild hall be universally more fun (for the whole guild) if the entire guild could participate? Do you think they could be less fun when the whole guild can’t participate in a guild activity because some don’t own HoT?

It’s kind of intended. Remember that, despite now having a F2P element, GW2 is not designed as a F2P game.

They simply felt it was an opportune time to implement “permanent trial” accounts like many other MMOs do, and that it was unfair to ask new players to fork over increasingly large sums of money as new expansion are released. This was a problem in the GW1 model. Getting someone to start playing after two addon campaigns was often far more expensive than getting them to paly at release.

“Free to play” was very clearly defined by Mo when the announcement was made. They consider GW2 a buy-to-play game with an optional cash shop rather than a free to play game with a cash shop they rely on to make all of their revenue.

Thus, they want people to feel like the cash shop is optional, but the core game is the primary expense of the game, and they felt it was a good move to always have new accounts pay the same price over the life of the game so it’s always easy for new players to pick up.

Unless they start pushing a 50 dollar expansion every two months, the amount of content included with each expansion release (the core, and all live content updates until the next expansion) is a pretty solid value for existing players, with the additional option that those players, if they’re not active, can choose to in stead recieve all but the most recent paid expansion for free if they’re willing to wait it out.

They probably should have referred to the F2P thing as a trial, as with the limitations that’s what it amounts to. I probably would have eliminated a lot of confusion.

Thank You for all of your involvement in this thread Mr Chadwick. This sort of dialogue is appreciated.

Don’t think he said that, at all.

Seth said Play4Free players are (will be) able to deposit items into the Guild Hall Treasury, but are not, nor will be, able to deposit into the Guild banks.

Seth Chadwick.5317:

You can walk to most all places in Lost Precipice, it is just not nearly as fast or fun. Getting to the entrance requires gliding but once the Guild Hall is claimed guild members can teleport to it via the button on the guild panel.

I think the guildies and I may have found the entrance to one of the guild halls:

Hmm, I found that too, but if that’s the entrance then fighting the mordrem to get inside isn’t going to offer a ton of maneuvering room

I think the entrance may not even be in Verdant Brink, let alone the parts we beta’d in.