Guild Wars 2

Hello, Neltisen’s here For starters, You did a nice job on making core game and expansion (on most part, from what I saw so far). Mastery system is a nice addiction, though lacks some core stuff that is fundamental for GW since 2005 – Story. I never was a big fan of usual grind MMOs without any story at all. I always liked Guild Wars for its story. Current Mastery system does not add up with the rest of the game.

Let’s take gliding for starters. New area, vast skies, surely, some gliding would fit here. Where to start? Build it from scraps of fallen Falcons (I mean flying ships – reference to FF; there are games where you craft it)? No, all you got to do is finishing 30 events. No story, no crafting, just 30 events and poof, you got glider.
Now you want to upgrade glider to make it more durable and pick higher winds. What to do? Craft? No! Just do 60 events and poof, it’s better now.
There are a lot of various mushrooms around area. How to use them? Are they edible? Some deem to be durable enough to jump on, try it? Ask around how to use them properly? Nope, just do 30 events.
New/Other races. Maybe learn their languages? How to do it? Speak with them and learn by bits? Kill many and learn from their screams? Nope, do 60 random events.

My point is: some masteries are required for getting around and/or raids, but there is not activity connected to them other than just looking for events and grinding them over and over (during last weekend, repeating escorts over and over was probably the fastest way). For tyria Masteries, I hope at least, that xp gained in dungeons will progress tracks. If only open world experience will progress them, it just turns them into grinder part of game (probably it will get more lively in Silverwastes, cause it offers many events repeating on short delays and closeby).

I would really like to see some story connected to masteries as well as some other means to progress them, than just xp grind.

Pretty extensive topic, but point given. How other guys feel about this system as a whole?

You can get points from doing story. I made four characters with my four beta slots, did the first story and pretty much had my gliding. There’ll also be adventures in the mix as swell, which aren’t events either. Everything that gives you experience, including raiding, will be in the mix for leveling masteries. And all buffs work on it.

This isn’t the problem you think it’ll be..

I like it. Frankly it’s a lot more enjoyable than other methods of leveling, and in the case of mastery at least you can do something cool at the end of each level.

The thing I’m a little not fond of is the area restriction. I feel anything that gives EXP (except maybe tomes for obvious reasons) should add to that mastery ranking. Which also brings into question the about PvP, unless you can raise mastery it’ll be back to the glory issue from a year ago. I know a lot of players who don’t enjoy the open world pve content or story but love and would definitely participate in raids which you NEED mastery for.

But for anyone who PvEs, or is interested in the story yeah it’s fun and rewarding.