Guild Wars 2

So I’m really enjoying the content and I’m glad it takes some time to unlock thing, I don’t want to have the expansion finished by the end of the first week. I do however not like how they “Play Your Way” idea got lost in the expansion.

In the core game you can get to ‘end-game’ by playing whatever you liked. PvE worked as any regular MMORPG, PvP you get reward tracks (not out initially but loved the change) that give levels and crafting supplys so you can craft ascended gear if necessary. WvW you get ExP and look like in normal PvE ‘quests’ or events are just based on objectives to promote fighting.

In the expansion they moved away form this. If you want to earn Managua mastery you have to go to Managua to earn it, no other options. Same with the main maps, you have to earn it there. Why did we move to this? WvW and PvP get left in the dust, yes they can’t use mastery but you can say the same about PVP players needing character levels or gear. ArenaNet did do a good job allowing WvW to unlock Hero Points out in WvW but what about the rest of the game. I use to be able to play WvW and get materials and craft gear so when living world came out I could go participate. Same went for PvPers. Now if you don’t go out and get your Managua Masteries you may be left out on living world and you have to earn them in the jungle not where you prefere to play Gw2. Is it that hard to allow us to pick and level up mastries anywhere in the game (only major change possibly making tome somehow grant mastery points, without the stockpiled ones being able to use)?

tl;dr New Mastries are only earned in specific areas of the game unlike how the core game worked hard to allow people to ‘progress’ in the game mode and area they liked moving away form the “Play your way”.

Note: I still like the content and I’m more than pleased with the expansion and have no regret in buying it. Part of what makes this game better that others similar to it (for me at least) is how laid-back and ‘flexible’ progressing is in the game. If I feel like sPvP one day and PvE the next I’m still progressing towards ‘end-game’ and don’t feel like I’m falling behind playing what I like.

Pink Ninja Man.4375:

If you want to earn Managua mastery you have to go to Managua to earn it, no other options.

Maguuma Mastery can only be used in Maguuma, so this does seem rather logical. However if Maguuma Mastery starts becoming useful outside of Maguuma then I’d agree adding more ways of getting it would make sense.
Being able to unlock elite specs outside of Maguuma makes sense becomes elite specs can be used everywhere in the game.

I feel like the pacing of masteries, hero points, the content and all is totally reasonable progression pace, I also kind of agree with this.

I think, perhaps, there should be incentives to gain mastry in the proper places, but not a hard lockout. Like, to progress HoT masteries, you can go and get full XP in HoT maps, or half exp everywhere else since you’re more “practicing” than “learning”

CureForLiving.5360:

Pink Ninja Man.4375:

If you want to earn Managua mastery you have to go to Managua to earn it, no other options.

Maguuma Mastery can only be used in Maguuma, so this does seem rather logical. However if Maguuma Mastery starts becoming useful outside of Maguuma then I’d agree adding more ways of getting it would make sense.

As someone who spends a lot of time playing PvP and WvW and just a little bit of PvE (mostly just story and living world don’t care for the gold grinding) I’m use to being able to go into PvE at any time to play Living World, now I have to make sure to go into PvE (which I don’t mind too much) to get mastery to make sure I’m able to access the living world content. The only old requirement for living world was maybe the idea of getting to a higher level which was obtainable in all areas of the game. Same thing with raids, which they already mentions would require certain mastery. I can participate in dungeons and fractals of the mist after leveling and getting gear in PvP or WvW, raids though? Not unless you play the new PvE maps and get mastery. I suppose if the only mastery you need is just a few of the lower level ones that are easy to earn I don’t see this as a problem but if you need higher ones it can start to become more of an annoyance. Basically in old GW no content was ‘Gated’ behind anything that made you play in a specific area of the game, in the expansion this is quite the opposite.