Guild Wars 2

I started playing GW2 during beta, and even got GW1 for background story. I really enjoyed the game and its content up until Heart of Thorns. While I like some zones more than others, I was never a fan of the jungle, so my experience over the past year or so has been mediocre at best.

However, the point is that I wanted to say I think AN is doing a great job with the new zones, even though I feel the story chapters are a bit short. My favorite would have to be Bitterfrost as Ive always been a fan of the Shiverpeaks, and then Lake Doric. Least favorite being Ember Bay. That said, Bloodstone Fen is I think the most imaginative. (So glad I waited for LeyLine Gliding for this.) Being able to do the dailies and hearts in these zones on a daily basis is nice and keeps me busy.

There are always complain threads being made, so figured I would post one saying keep up the good work. (hoping for a dark themed legendary scepter in a later chapter)

I’m not sure about the new zones, thought I can’t speak for Lake Doric because I haven’t played there yet. I really liked bloodstone Fen, but the others I feel extremely meh about. I know why that is too.

if I’d have been allowed to explore them, without the ‘story’ leading me around them by the nose, I’d probably like them, but that one little fact put me off them completely and I’ve only visited Bitterfrost and Ember Bay once. I doubt I’ll ever spend any real time in them.

saying that, I do really like the idea of repeatable hearts, and I like how the new maps aren’t meta maps (that I’ve played). it means there’s plenty of things to do with few people when I decide to go back and give them another chance (which I inevitably will do eventually). I like that they have their own dailies too, and that they are all in interesting places.

I love the zones we’ve gotten in Season 3.

I have to say I agree completely, great work on these zones, I actually stopped running and just stood still enjoying the sight of the moonlight (leylight?) reflecting off the snow in Bitterfrost. Truly beautiful…

Of course, a troll punching me in the side of the head a second later kinda snapped me out of it.

I haven’t looked too much into the new zones outside of doing the story, mostly because I’m not focused on them (working on finishing Bolt at the moment). However, I am extremely happy that it seems that ANet is able to learn from the complaints of HoT. For example, it seems that mobs are much more manageable than the Heart of Thorns maps, and these new maps are also much more manageable.

I’m also happy they were able to keep the flavor of their maps consistent; something I feel a lot of people miss is the fact that the story is never about us. The player character, from the start, has always been another character in the world of Tyria. Heart of Thorns maps were designed to show us how truly small we are, and how we really aren’t any sort of excessively powerful hero, and that many things in the world are bigger than us. The maps were beautifully designed to convey this idea. I think these new maps keep flavor very well in their own ways.

I found the enemies in Lake Doric way harder than those from Heart of Maguuma. This is not a bad thing. It keeps me focuses and entertained. I just want to make clear the difficulties can be subjective.

That being clear, I have to say I love all the little details and hidden places the newmaps offer, and while I like the meta-maps, I don’t think the new ones need a meta.

I enjoy Bloodstone Fen originality and its 3D feeling. Ember Bay is really, really fun and fast paced. Most of Lake Doric is a little dull for me, but there are multiple sweet spots were the map becomes really wonderful. The only one I don’t like is Bitterfrost, mostly because it bores me to death.

PS: No new map compares to Verdant brink yet, IMO. VB is just too much beautiful and awesome for me.

I wish they were a tad bit larger with more meta events though. I do enjoy them and think I lean towards bitter frost myself for the diversity of landscape buy I kind of miss the big meta events. The thing about the new zones is just that all the events are kind of the same and there are fewer of them. I guess people prefer those more but it would be nice to have a little more variation. Leaning towards wanting another vertical jungle type map for the next one though.

Would be happy with verdant cascades near the raid or something though. I feel like we’ll end up getting more of rata novus soon.

I think the enemies in LD give a fun pvp feel even though they aren’t that tough unless you get totally mobbed. Bitter frost is my favorite map out of all the HOT maps.

I will explicitly state again as I have in other threads, the leather farm is a complete failure.

Khailyn.6248:

I started playing GW2 during beta, and even got GW1 for background story. I really enjoyed the game and its content up until Heart of Thorns. While I like some zones more than others, I was never a fan of the jungle, so my experience over the past year or so has been mediocre at best.

However, the point is that I wanted to say I think AN is doing a great job with the new zones, even though I feel the story chapters are a bit short. My favorite would have to be Bitterfrost as Ive always been a fan of the Shiverpeaks, and then Lake Doric. Least favorite being Ember Bay. That said, Bloodstone Fen is I think the most imaginative. (So glad I waited for LeyLine Gliding for this.) Being able to do the dailies and hearts in these zones on a daily basis is nice and keeps me busy.

There are always complain threads being made, so figured I would post one saying keep up the good work. (hoping for a dark themed legendary scepter in a later chapter)

Yes! I really like new zones too. Both thematically and mechanically – especially the flatness. Having played on HoTs vertical maps without some kind of variation is abit teadious!

The core design choices of HoT have obviously been cast out

These new maps are more in line with core tyria maps and before anyone goes on a tirade about core maps being easy. I’d say there missing the bigger picture as core content was scaled to the rare/exoctic area. If your in ascended gear of any type, using any prefixes since the introduction of season 1, gliding, improved skills from years of balance patches, or using an elite specialization then obviously core tyria seems like easy content.

Core Tyria has been effected by power creep since the first skill balance patch. Living story 3 however is set to the current level of power.

A dungeon at its time minus the exploits would be comparable to a current raid minus the trinity elements. Ls3 succeeds wee HoT fails because it’s more traditional while adjusting itself to current levels of power and mechanical changes in the game.

Beautiful maps that facilitate story telling and achievement hunting. However there are not enough interesting events going on to keep me invested in the new maps. Especially ember bay and bitter frost are just mind numbing.

Agree @dutchriders. Bloodstone has more going on to keep you busy, while outside of a few cycled events in bitterfrost or the boss events in ember bay there isnt much going on. Could use more. Lake doric can get a kittenaotic at times having so many white mantle around, but I think thats part of its charm.

Bitterfrost is my favorite of the new maps. Lake Doric is 2nd. I really don’t care for Ember Bay or Bloodstone Fen.

I like the repeatable hearts and zone-specific dailies, and new skins associated with open world content are always welcome (although there could always be more of them!). The new mastery skills have been a mixed bag. I don’t like the map-specific masteries, particularly when they don’t add much to gameplay or navigation (Koda’s flame). Downed skill 5 and the counter magic mastery were more welcome additions, in my opinion.

Bloodstone fen is my standout favorite among the LS3 maps and indeed makes my top three behind Tangled Depths and Verdant Brink for map design. I know that such maps are not universally popular, so I wouldn’t expect to see these being the only style of map moving forward. However, I am getting a bit disappointed in the map design since Bloodstone Fen. In my opinion, three “flat” maps in a row is enough and it’s time for another vertical map, preferably one with some sort of meta.

My biggest complaint is that there isn’t enough reason for me to come back to these maps. They stand alone with the only purpose beyond the story and associated achievements being to farm unbound magic, which I suppose is better than nothing. I wonder if at some point we can begin to put unbound magic to use toward a set of armor and weapon skins? Just something to keep us busy in the longer term and give us a reason to play these maps.

Only issues I have are with story and events being for zerk groups, areas themselves are a nice change from just full on jungle