Guild Wars 2

Please just let us access the maps normally. Having to use portal scrolls for everything is really annoying when dealing with many alts, and if this keeps up they will fill our bank rapidly.

You only need to use each scroll once per character (assuming you don’t want to play the story for each), then you can just waypoint there like any other map and throw away the scroll. So I don’t really think its a problem with filling the bank unless you’re someone who creates new alts constantly and thus needs to keep the scrolls.

Which isn’t to say I wouldn’t prefer if we could get into the new maps more organically. Fire Islands could be gotten into via the Asura gate inside of the Rata Novus lab (which should itself be an open world area and not just a story instance, IMO) and Bloodstone Fen could probably connect to Verdant Brink somehow given their proximity.

I totally agree. I get that the story involves us portalling in as part of the plot, but there should be some mechanism by which once one character enters (or maybe after they complete the story), it unlocks a physical portal elsewhere.

Maybe just make it that portal in Rata Sum, make it so that attempting to use it works like the portal stone in the Guild Hall, allowing you to select your destination from available options.

You are forgetting that you never know if or when you might want to make a new character. You have to keep the scrolls indefinitely against that possibility, because they are too expensive to go out and keep buying over and over.

Boogiepop Void.6473:

You are forgetting that you never know if or when you might want to make a new character. You have to keep the scrolls indefinitely against that possibility, because they are too expensive to go out and keep buying over and over.

No chance at all I suppose that a character that has the wp unlocked or one parked in the area would be able to buy a scroll, put it in the bank and the new character use it?

Under normal circumstances, there’s no reason why you’d need to have one of each scroll per account. Just transfer it to the character that needs it. If you don’t have shared inventory slots, go to PvP, put it in your bank, and retrieve it with the next character.

That said, there does seem to be a permanent or semi-permanent connection between Rata Novus and Ember Bay, so that one really could be accessible via gate rather than requiring a scroll.

Sure. Add a portal from a town but it can only be accessed by characters that have progressed the story for it.

If it must be linked to Rata Novus, there is a portal in the generally accessible area of the city that could be used, since we have precedent for redirecting Rata Novus portals on command. Would be a bit annoying since access to that area is linked to the TD meta, though.

I see only 2 scenarios
1. Make a new character, login with your main, buy a portal, move it to the new character, teleport.
2. Keep a stack of Teleport to a friend in your bank, solves a lot of problems.

I do not understand, why would you buy more scrolls than needed, and before you need them?

I think they’ve gone with the portal solution because they can limit its use to L80, preventing sub-L80 characters from entering a zone they have paternally decided is too hard for lowbies.

There are, however, other solutions that aren’t so annoying for our inventory:

One Portal to Rule Them All

• Create a new mini-instance, similar to the hall of monuments.
• Offer a single portal orb to the Hall of Portals, with whatever limits ANet wants. (e.g. HoT owners only, e.g. L80 only)
• Sell unlocks to the new zones, which subsequently open up a new portal.
• That reduces the need for new gizmos at the expense of a second loading screen.

One Gizmo to Rule Them All

• Create a different gizmo that opens up a dialogue box, similar to the portal in the pay-gated zones (e.g. Royal Terrace).
• Sell unlocks to the new zone.
• Use the gizmo and you get a choice to enter any of the zones unlocked for the account.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

I think they’ve gone with the portal solution because they can limit its use to L80, preventing sub-L80 characters from entering a zone they have paternally decided is too hard for lowbies.

There are, however, other solutions that aren’t so annoying for our inventory:

One Portal to Rule Them All

• Create a new mini-instance, similar to the hall of monuments.
• Offer a single portal orb to the Hall of Portals, with whatever limits ANet wants. (e.g. HoT owners only, e.g. L80 only)
• Sell unlocks to the new zones, which subsequently open up a new portal.
• That reduces the need for new gizmos at the expense of a second loading screen.

One Gizmo to Rule Them All

• Create a different gizmo that opens up a dialogue box, similar to the portal in the pay-gated zones (e.g. Royal Terrace).
• Sell unlocks to the new zone.
• Use the gizmo and you get a choice to enter any of the zones unlocked for the account.

Either options seems a little convoluted for what you’re trying to solve, still requires having an item passed around between characters, and requires the time and effort to create new assets for a new instance or item.

Why not just have the first waypoint auto-unlock for a character if they’re level 80 and at least one character on the account has completed the episode. That would still solve the issue of players accidentally stumbling into a zone where they’re in over their heads, without adding any inventory clutter at all.

Stitch.1794:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

I think they’ve gone with the portal solution because they can limit its use to L80, preventing sub-L80 characters from entering a zone they have paternally decided is too hard for lowbies.

There are, however, other solutions that aren’t so annoying for our inventory:

One Portal to Rule Them All

• Create a new mini-instance, similar to the hall of monuments.
• Offer a single portal orb to the Hall of Portals, with whatever limits ANet wants. (e.g. HoT owners only, e.g. L80 only)
• Sell unlocks to the new zones, which subsequently open up a new portal.
• That reduces the need for new gizmos at the expense of a second loading screen.

One Gizmo to Rule Them All

• Create a different gizmo that opens up a dialogue box, similar to the portal in the pay-gated zones (e.g. Royal Terrace).
• Sell unlocks to the new zone.
• Use the gizmo and you get a choice to enter any of the zones unlocked for the account.

Either options seems a little convoluted for what you’re trying to solve, still requires having an item passed around between characters, and requires the time and effort to create new assets for a new instance or item.

Why not just have the first waypoint auto-unlock for a character if they’re level 80 and at least one character on the account has completed the episode. That would still solve the issue of players accidentally stumbling into a zone where they’re in over their heads, without adding any inventory clutter at all.

Sure. I’d much prefer there to be no gating — I don’t see any reason why ANet should decide for me what level toon I can take into a new zone. I like trying to find ways to navigate the map as a lowbie. Plus, they have other ways to prevent people grinding out new toons to farm the new maps.

My suggestions were made assuming that ANet has a specific reason for gating access behind an item — they’ve made all the new areas contingent upon something story + character specific.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Sure. I’d much prefer there to be no gating — I don’t see any reason why ANet should decide for me what level toon I can take into a new zone. I like trying to find ways to navigate the map as a lowbie. Plus, they have other ways to prevent people grinding out new toons to farm the new maps.

My suggestions were made assuming that ANet has a specific reason for gating access behind an item — they’ve made all the new areas contingent upon something story + character specific.

To prevent BL Key farming would be my guess. It’s trivially easy to get the map completion on Bloodstone Fen; with maxed out gliding it takes less than 5 minutes and doesn’t require any combat. As it is now to farm the rewards you need to burn Tomes to get to 80, which puts a limit on how often you can do that. If you could bring a low level character to the zone you could farm multiple keys per hour.

Cirrion.8951:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Sure. I’d much prefer there to be no gating — I don’t see any reason why ANet should decide for me what level toon I can take into a new zone. I like trying to find ways to navigate the map as a lowbie. Plus, they have other ways to prevent people grinding out new toons to farm the new maps.

My suggestions were made assuming that ANet has a specific reason for gating access behind an item — they’ve made all the new areas contingent upon something story + character specific.

To prevent BL Key farming would be my guess. It’s trivially easy to get the map completion on Bloodstone Fen; with maxed out gliding it takes less than 5 minutes and doesn’t require any combat. As it is now to farm the rewards you need to burn Tomes to get to 80, which puts a limit on how often you can do that. If you could bring a low level character to the zone you could farm multiple keys per hour.

You can use teleport to friend stones although you’re obviously limited by how many you possess.

Is it possible to get map completion as a lowbie in EB? one heart requires getting kill credit versus Mursaat and you can’t get kill credit if you are more than 10 levels below the foe, regardless of how much damage your party does.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Is it possible to get map completion as a lowbie in EB? one heart requires getting kill credit versus Mursaat and you can’t get kill credit if you are more than 10 levels below the foe, regardless of how much damage your party does.

Yea but not worth the effort. I think the Jade boss counts towards the heart so they can get it by becoming a heal/buff bot. I was able to get event credit in Bloodstone Fen with a level 2 character outside of a squad/party by simply using glider skills to remain safe.

I’m confused, why do you need a portal at all? You can just do the first part of the story quest which is just you listening to a few NPC’s talk, and it gives you the port automatically. Why would you buy scrolls or anything else so convoluted when it’s so easy and fast to get the port already? After you complete the story quest on your main, you can do the quests in any order you wish on your alts, meaning you are free to jump right to this episode to get the port (but you’d want to do the port for Blooddstone Fen as well).

Leiloni.7951:

I’m confused, why do you need a portal at all? You can just do the first part of the story quest which is just you listening to a few NPC’s talk, and it gives you the port automatically. Why would you buy scrolls or anything else so convoluted when it’s so easy and fast to get the port already? After you complete the story quest on your main, you can do the quests in any order you wish on your alts, meaning you are free to jump right to this episode to get the port (but you’d want to do the port for Blooddstone Fen as well).

Because for Episode 1, you don’t gain access until the instance after the one at Eir’s place. In the second instance, you have to kill Chak in the lab. Kind of difficult to do as a low level. On a level 80, it’ll probably take you 10-15 min to go through that instance with all of the unskippable cutscenes/dialogue.

For episode 2, you have to go through the first instance which involves fighting. I won’t give spoilers as to what it is but a low level will not make it through.

I agree. Scrolls are a bad idea and seem like a lazy solution to the problem of explaining how the character gets there.

They could also add a boat to the fire islands that sails to any of the map(s?) that gets added. They can do a check on the dialogue to see whether your character can go there or not (finished story once on the account for example, own hot etc.). Lion’s Arch is still a port.

Lethalvriend.1723:

They could also add a boat to the fire islands that sails to any of the map(s?) that gets added. They can do a check on the dialogue to see whether your character can go there or not (finished story once on the account for example, own hot etc.). Lion’s Arch is still a port.

I would have preferred a ship/gate, but I’m okay with scrolls, honestly. Instant access that I can shove into a shared slot isn’t such a bad thing.

One thing I’m hoping for is a compiled item after all the relevant content is released, so there’s one (1) item to act as a teleport vector, rather than three or four. It’d be easy enough to do with a mystic forge recipe.

yes please its a little world damaging if all your new maps are just sealed off on their own little areas and the only way to get to use a portal item