Guild Wars 2

Asking this question, since I can’t find any answers about it through google.

Is there gonna be changes or updates to PvE? Open world PvE, with solo encounters…

Since taking example Cursed Shore, foes there are super easy, atleast if one goes full berserker DPS build, with it players don’t have to dodge or use any other skills than just those which inflict huge amount of damage in short duration, example: Berserker Warrior with Greatsword would only have to use Hundred Blades on a Risen Pirate, the pirate might inflict few thousands points of damage, but will succumb to the inability to create atleast little pressure on the player.

Same problem in every other map in GW2, except Southsun Cove (boon manipulation and high direct dmg attacks), Dry Top and Silverwastes (Mordrem hit hard and make it impossible to just “get close and spam 1-2 skills and get away with few scratches”.

Anyway, I’m gonna do the same list once more…
Foes have:

• Low Armor (vs. Direct Dmg)
• High HP (vs. Condition Dmg)
• Weak abilities (vs. Crowd Control, vs. Healing)
• Rarely inflict more than 1 condition, which are very short in duration (vs. Condition Manipulation)
• Rarely use boons, which are short in duration (vs. Boon Manipulation)
• Champ ranks too easily and remain as lone foe to attack (vs. Crowd Control)

Essentially, solo combat against foe, shouldn’t be “get close and spam 1-2 skills and win with few scratches”. I’ve constantly found dodging useless for majority of confrontations, which is one of the core mechanics in GW2, rendered underused, except in PvP.

• Heavy armor is essential against direct dmg builds, Mordrem Husks are great, not impossible for Berserkers to kill, but resist enough to force players to dodge and use other skills. These heavy armor foes could also use Protection boon to further their resistance and their allies for short durations with reasonable cooldowns.
• Heavy Condition using foes are non-existant in GW2, some of those could offer nice chance to use condition manipulation skills, Mordrem Trashers, Hounds and Husks deal 1-2 conditions with few of their attacks, but its short duration ones only.
• Foes with more potent abilities will offer great use for CC and healing.
• Foes could use atleast 3 boons each, either apply on themselves or to their allies, giving boon manipulations more use.
• Retaliation is a excellent deterrent to Spammer builds, could be limited to set times, Mordrem Hounds were excellent, but they spammed it too much, which could have been fixed by simply increased cooldowns between application and “no effect if ally already has Retaliation” to reduce multiple Hounds roaring at once for long effect, rather than replacing it with Swiftness that is useless to them.
• Foes should use more Veterans and Elites to support Champions and higher rank foes, to keep Crowd Control skills viable through out the fight in group events (But I dunno about the upcoming new Defiance system)

I like your ideas, FrostSpectre.

Foes need to dodge more often, use a variety of conditions and boons, try to regroup and use escape skills instead of becoming suddenly invulnerable. In short, mobs need to behave a little more like players.

IMO, better and stronger use of conditions, boons and evasion would be not only good to keep people on their toes while playing, but also a great way to prepare PvErs for the true challenge that PvP is.

The “too easy” and “too crowd focused” style of PvE right now is making PvP and PvE too appart one from the other. I think the players and Anet would win a lot if the two modes were closer: more people participating in both modes, a stronger community, more similar systems and estrategies.

Of course, since PvP is the more challenging mode, I think PvE needs to step up to reduce the gap.

Honestly, any suggestion are this stage is pointless. You might want to wait and see how the supposedly new advance AI system works first.

If you watch the PoIs from recent broadcasts, you can hear the Devs speak about the changes to foes, etc. upcoming in the Heart of Maguuma. Also, some changes to Bosses, at least, in Pact Tyria.

Good luck.

The only thing we know is that they will improve the AI on HoT according to the GDC: Building a better centaur AI presentation

Hopefully, this will bring some challenge in the PvE world outside of Silverwaste and Dry Top.

Rage from an MMO player base is not something that can be avoided. The MMO consumer base is like the mythical hydra — cut off one complaint and two more will take its place. Thus, designing to avoid complaints is not a viable approach to development.

Challenge in the persistent world is not designed into a solo-player v. solo normal mob scenario. Why? Because there are way too many possibilities for that solo player to face 2, 3, 4 or more mobs at the same time. My personal record for aggro, I think, in PvE roaming was ~6 normal Risen and 2 vets. Mobs are not like movie ninja. They’re designed to do the same damage whether they are on their own or in a group of 6-8.

Also, there are weak mobs and stronger mobs. Working as intended, maybe.

I’m waiting to see whether the AI changes that were talked about as part of HoT have: increased challenge; and increased challenge with staying power. That latter phrase is the real tester. Revised Risen and Krait were a lot more challenging than the mobs they replaced, but now they’re the status quo and everyone is used to them.

Hidori.3472:

Emtiarbi.3281:

The only thing we know is that they will improve the AI on HoT according to the GDC: Building a better centaur AI presentation

Hopefully, this will bring some challenge in the PvE world outside of Silverwaste and Dry Top.

I’m afraid if they roll out the new AI to all maps and make it harder that the forums would be full of complaints about how hard the games is. You see what happened in the past few weeks and how the ppl rage for mostly minor things.

I think they should add the new AI to specif maps like Orr, Frostgorge Sound, Fireheart Rise, Southsun Cove. Or maybe they can add it depending on the NPC rank, the higher the rank, the better AI.

I think they have the tools to make the game challenging enough to be at least interesting.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Rage from an MMO player base is not something that can be avoided. The MMO consumer base is like the mythical hydra — cut off one complaint and two more will take its place. Thus, designing to avoid complaints is not a viable approach to development.

Challenge in the persistent world is not designed into a solo-player v. solo normal mob scenario. Why? Because there are way too many possibilities for that solo player to face 2, 3, 4 or more mobs at the same time. My personal record for aggro, I think, in PvE roaming was ~6 normal Risen and 2 vets. Mobs are not like movie ninja. They’re designed to do the same damage whether they are on their own or in a group of 6-8.

Also, there are weak mobs and stronger mobs. Working as intended, maybe.

I’m waiting to see whether the AI changes that were talked about as part of HoT have: increased challenge; and increased challenge with staying power. That latter phrase is the real tester. Revised Risen and Krait were a lot more challenging than the mobs they replaced, but now they’re the status quo and everyone is used to them.

This speaks well to my views on it. I admit that 1 on 1 is never a problem…hardly requires effort at all. But rarely do I find myself 1 on 1. Taking on two, three, or four is more the norm. The beauty of the current system is that if I want more challenge in an area, it is relatively easy to gather mobs into groups of whatever size I want. They re-spawn fast enough that, if I am roaming, say…down in Orr…I am never at a loss for groups of mobs.

Having more challenging mobs would be great for those solo 1 on 1 fights but if there were substantive increases in mob difficulty, I can see roaming in areas with groups being more frustrating…at least for players with my skill level. I do recognize, though, that players with far greater skill than I have would likely enjoy the challenge of trash groups of greater difficulty…so…I guess finding the balance is the challenge for Anet.

You lost me when you said dodging isn’t important. I have multiple weapon sets just so I can slot Energy sigils when I need them, and I run traits for vigor or profession specific things like Adrenal Implant/Elixir R/Signet of Agility.

However, I do agree with your general idea of pushing to fill in the gaps of previous content. There isn’t enough need for boon rips. There are some heavy condi fights but as you said it’s 1-2 at most 3 condi’s to cleanse, or they’re just ignorable, but again we do have fights like Lyssa in Arah4 that landed 45 stacks of confusion on a teammate the other day.

I did love the retaliation dogs, while it frustrated the hell out of me when I was soloing on a profession that couldn’t reliably boon rip, I loved that it really pushed to have that mechanic available, as you said though reapplication was a bit much.

Sounds like you want the game like it was at launch. Where you would get creamed if you took on more that