“Enjoy our new xpack and new mastery system! where we took the fun out of exploring! fun is for the weak! fun is for non-botters! Why have fun and play legit when you can GRIND!! Most of the game is now hidden behind HOURS of grinding out 10’s of millions of XP cleverly disguised as “masteries”
- Anet 2015
seriously I don’t know what I expected, I’m trying REALLY hard to like this expansion, but dang if you guys are trying REALLY hard to make me hate it!
why does this have to be a chore?! I just want to explore, have fun, join my friends and guildies for hard to kill bosses without this ridiculous grinding jumping puzzle from hell!
Yeah, I bought a copy for myself and for my wife. I really wish that I had my $100 back. And to think, all of this grind is (in my opinion) anet trying to make a $20 expansion seem like it has enough content to justify the $50 price tag.
Yes, this trend towards a platformer game is not good. The core game was fine because jps were there but you weren’t forced into them. The vertical nature of this game is really not my cup of tea. If there is an expansion after this please tone down the platforming aspects.
The new maps look fantastic, but yes, I wanted a fun journey, this, this is so far very difficult to like.
The whole “train” to use mushrooms and updrafts etc, hard to believe the team accepted the concept at the design table.
I will spend some more time doing stuff to see if it captures my attention for what I paid for it. Otherwise it will be back to "old"content suffering buyers remorse.
Do we have to kill the same mobs over and over again do gain a minimal amount of exp?
Do we have to kil the same mobs over and over again to drop a single item which we absolutely Need?
Are we forced to go through and repeat a single instance or do exactly the same thing over and over again to get something that is MANDATORY for us to progress in the game?
Because that’s the definition of grind. Just because something is time consuming, doesn’t mean it’s grindy.
If you don’t want progression, go Play skyrim, open the command window and type in “tgm”. There you go, now you can do everything without having to play the game. Quick tipp, with “coc qasmoke” you can also get all the items in the game without having to do anything.
It’s so unfun. I’m having a really hard time staying logged in. Everything is either gated behind a massive gold sink, which is a huge grind ( or whip out your wallet… yeah right) or behind a massive experience grind. it’s just fake content. the illusion of content. and it’s just not fun to play. dunno why i bought it. thought it would be something else. major regret so far.
I’ve been spending my time finishing up LS2 on my ranger, so can’t make a fair judgement on the mastery system, but from the get-go I thought it looked bad. It looked like a way to slow me down before I got to the fun. I understand that they want us to get as many hours as possible out of the expansion. If they can prevent us players from competing all the new content in the first couple months it will be for the best.
I think it’s possible that I will warm up to it though. It’s definitely not a big deal for me.
No Grinding! Only farming for 3000 hours, whipping out your wallet, throwing money into the RNG toilet, and giving up your first born for one weapon skin or shoulder item! It’s fun right! Not having fun to look cool is so fun.
Do we have to kill the same mobs over and over again do gain a minimal amount of exp?
Do we have to kil the same mobs over and over again to drop a single item which we absolutely Need?
Are we forced to go through and repeat a single instance or do exactly the same thing over and over again to get something that is MANDATORY for us to progress in the game?
Because that’s the definition of grind. Just because something is time consuming, doesn’t mean it’s grindy.
If you don’t want progression, go Play skyrim, open the command window and type in “tgm”. There you go, now you can do everything without having to play the game. Quick tipp, with “coc qasmoke” you can also get all the items in the game without having to do anything.
Yes we have to do the same events fighting the same mobs over and over again.
Sure, you can move a tiny bit away to do another event with similar mobs, similar everything.
I’m having fun so far, but I am a bit worried that I’m going to get high masteries in everything maguuma related, only to be hit with the realization that it’s all meaningless outside of maguuma. I mean, I knew that going in, but still.
How about them 400 hero points to play the spec you wanted for just one character? Never mind that you’ve already played him for 2000+ hours. How is this kind of mentality supposed to bring new players to the game? I was hoping for an addition to the game that would add more fun to the original content, not a time gate that makes me feel like I have to start all over again.
No Grinding! Only farming for 3000 hours, whipping out your wallet, throwing money into the RNG toilet, and giving up your first born for one weapon skin or shoulder item! It’s fun right! Not having fun to look cool is so fun.
Are you forced to get that weapon skin ? No. It’s a choice. If you do it it’s because you want it. It’s just an item skin. You can live without having it.
meh…..go back to the base game or play another game if you just want to stroll along without any challenge or meaningful progression.
i really like the new content (so far)…..earning mastery levels/points and hero points in the new area isn’t just a given like in the base game….it is a reward for being a semi-competent player. it feels the exact opposite of a grind…its the exact opposite of mindless repetition.
Chaos Organ (Ele), Pistol Opera (Thief), Modular Man (Eng)
MARA (EU) Gunnar’s Hold
…..earning mastery levels/points and hero points in the new area isn’t just a given like in the base game….it is a reward for being a semi-competent player. it feels the exact opposite of a grind…its the exact opposite of mindless repetition.
LOL, seriously? Getting to the Hero/Mastery Points is done pretty quick. You even get 10 instead of just one. Getting mastery experience on the other side, is the most stupid grind in GW2 so far. The base game at least had “heart”-quests (though not in lvl 80 regions) or switching to another zone as an alternative to doing the same stupid event over and over again. So far leveling is a no-brainer for incompetent players.
I completely regret purchasing this expansion. Game feels like a chore. Maps are a maze with content gated behind the Mastery system, which only serves to slow down progress and add hours upon hours of mindless grind. Game is not fun, it’s frustrating and it’s annoying now. I’m not supporting another ANet product until they make changes to the current game design.
People asked for an expansion because of good GW1 expansions – Got super mario maps instead. Even the mushrooms are there. Glorious, Anet, I had a very good laugh from this.
People asked for jumping puzzles(not me!) – got super Mario maps instead.
People thought ls1 was a boring grind fest that penalized you if you did not log in for 2! weeks and asked for something else – got ls2 instead, who was not only more difficult but also really boring and a much worse grind fest.
People ask for raids – Have to journey through a map to reach it. Complains everywhere. I would laugh my behind off if Raids are gated behind not only an equipement wall, but also a mastery wall.
You got EXACTLY what you asked for. The hard level cap was not touched in any way, you can move left or right on the map so it is in the strictst of senses not a true grind(of course it is a grind, but you know what I mean), navigating is as funny as getting stepped on the foot and you have to replay the old content because of HP.
so Anet basically brought you everything you wanted, just in the most grindy and undesireable fashion.
Unpopular Opinion: I’m enjoying the expansion and all of the new things there are to do within. This is particularly true with the onset of the Halloween event and the fractal revamp. Also ranger buffs at last!
The new maps look fantastic, but yes, I wanted a fun journey, this, this is so far very difficult to like.
The whole “train” to use mushrooms and updrafts etc, hard to believe the team accepted the concept at the design table.
This XPAC looks like a photocopy of NCSoft’s AION. I suspected the game would be grindy because of the whole mastery concept being bulldozed in. Grinding is ok to some extent as the player is working towards a goal. But, this game design has a fundamental flaw. It does not take into consideration that most of these maps will become empty as majority of the players will drift towards “easier” grindy content within a few weeks. Good luck finding people to do challenging content that will hold up a significant portion of the map.
The secondary flaws are in the assumption that majority of the people who play this game like jumping puzzles. Combining them in regular gameplay is plain blunder. Out of 5 people in a group, 1 will surely fail at it. For example, COE Laser corridor — and that was a simple one.
Reworking the content will be impossible right now. So, advice to the wise, try to get things done now when maps are full.
“If there is anyone here whom I have not offended, I am sorry.”
meh…..go back to the base game or play another game if you just want to stroll along without any challenge or meaningful progression.
i really like the new content (so far)…..earning mastery levels/points and hero points in the new area isn’t just a given like in the base game….it is a reward for being a semi-competent player. it feels the exact opposite of a grind…its the exact opposite of mindless repetition.
ahahahaha oh wow….so grinding literally millions of XP is challenging content now? And it’s not mindlessly repetitive? This is not even funny anymore
meh…..go back to the base game or play another game if you just want to stroll along without any challenge or meaningful progression.
i really like the new content (so far)…..earning mastery levels/points and hero points in the new area isn’t just a given like in the base game….it is a reward for being a semi-competent player. it feels the exact opposite of a grind…its the exact opposite of mindless repetition.
Nothing about this is challenging.
Show me 1 thing in the new expac that requires anything BUT mindless repetition?
You haven’t even earned any mastery levels. highest I’ve seen so far is 8. or 9.
I honestly hate the new mastery system. However what I dislike even more is how I feel like I’m running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, not knowing what to do. It feels so clunky, barely any direction. I also feel like they ruined leveling, it feels SO slow unless you use tomes or crafting as a crutch.
Same here, I can’t play this anymore. I thought Anet would know by now what the players want. Its grindy, boring and confusing, what a disaster and waste of money!
Hey there buddaaay!! Not enjoying HoT content? I suggest you go to Auric Basin and group up with your guildaaais!! 5 man party and up! Lot of event chains there. Verdant Brink is 110% garbage to get into HoT, Auric Basin is where it’s at. Just chain those events and don’t mind that experience bar untill you can put a unlock it. HoT is seriously hard to get into but once everything is unlocked it’s a breeze to navigate through, the first characters just get it rough. (IF MOBS HIT TOO HARD, GET TOUGHNESS GEAR, IT HELPS!). Rabid stats is basicly cheatmode.
I’ve spent about two hours inside the new map before leaving for good. Vertical layout is such a terrible idea itself, it’s even worse when the tools needed to move between the layers are gated behind massive grindfests (seriously, a mastery to jump on a mushroom, what the hell were they smoking lol).
Luckily I play a warrior, so I don’t need the elite points, since berserker is the most unexciting thing ever.
I bought the x-pac mainly for precursor crafting, but after playing a bit with it and looking online I realized it’s probably faster to farm the gold and buy them off the AH, and not much more expensive either lol.
So yeah… buyer regret it is. Just opened a ticket for a refund… hope it goes through.
The new maps look fantastic, but yes, I wanted a fun journey, this, this is so far very difficult to like.
The whole “train” to use mushrooms and updrafts etc, hard to believe the team accepted the concept at the design table.
This XPAC looks like a photocopy of NCSoft’s AION. I suspected the game would be grindy because of the whole mastery concept being bulldozed in. Grinding is ok to some extent as the player is working towards a goal. But, this game design has a fundamental flaw. It does not take into consideration that most of these maps will become empty as majority of the players will drift towards “easier” grindy content within a few weeks. Good luck finding people to do challenging content that will hold up a significant portion of the map.
The secondary flaws are in the assumption that majority of the people who play this game like jumping puzzles. Combining them in regular gameplay is plain blunder. Out of 5 people in a group, 1 will surely fail at it. For example, COE Laser corridor — and that was a simple one.
Reworking the content will be impossible right now. So, advice to the wise, try to get things done now when maps are full.
Worst thing is, it’s not even about being good, or bad, at jumping.
Some of us have a lot of lag to deal with.
So, you can’t even rely on people “getting good”.
Even if they improve slightly, they will still “fail” when the lag really kicks in.
Much as I used to really enjoy (offline) platform games, I just don’t think online games and hardcore platforming really work together.
Bought for pre-crafting looked it up and gave up and spent the gold it’s just not worth it at all. Sheer fact it takes gold, group play, and other currencies downs help so simply buying the thing straight up was the answer.
Precursor crafting shouldn’t be more work than all the other gifts combined and cost enough gold you might as well just buy the thing in my book.
This expac is the worst expac I’ve yet to play and I came to that conclusion today will grinding with a friend. After playing for hours I or anyone I know has yet to loot a new skin. Sure story mode awards that bladed deal like carapace but what expansion doesn’t award you with new loot. No new skins from killing mobs there is no reward for killing mobs no sense of this being an actual expansion. No new skills either when your starting out there gated to the elite and then you only get a handful of skills. You spend $50 for a so called Expansion and day 1 the Cash Shop is loaded with new skins and the actual expansion is a barren wasteland. Not even new weapon skins from loot but they sure did add new weapons to the cash shop and BLK Ticket. So I can’t think of a worse expansion than this one and they literally drained the fun out of this game.
I think the expac would have been fine if people could unlock their elite specs a lot easier.
That is what everyone seems to obsess about. Honestly everything else is downright amazing, the map design is pretty mindblowing and the zones are more beautiful than in any MMO i have ever played.
And grindy? The kitten, when there are more events than you can count, each map has a ton of them. Don’t keep doing the same event a hundred times. Problem solved. Masteries were not meant to be unlocked in a few days anyway.
Unpopular Opinion: I’m enjoying the expansion and all of the new things there are to do within. This is particularly true with the onset of the Halloween event and the fractal revamp. Also ranger buffs at last!
I think you and I in the minority on the forums. Another ranger enjoying the expac.
But I do understand some of the common complaints. Anet needs to revisit the Hero Points required to unlock the elite spec skills. The main reason is because they never clearly explained how it would work and what you would be able to do with it at launch. I don’t care because I did not plan to use it right away. But others did and should have been told when and how they would be able to maximize their Elites.
Like someone said, there are a lot of people with Buyer’s Remorse. A good marketing rep or manager knows that needs to be addressed right away. Once again, they have done something that has undermined their brand and customer loyalty/goodwill. Once you lose those, they are hard to get back.
Go to Metacritic and give Guild Wars 2 a low user score. Metacritic is becoming increasingly important in the gaming industry and, while we cannot do anything about the critics’ score, we can put pressure on ArenaNet by making very public our displeasure with the expansion.
is it so wrong that you have to train up your elite spec?
and when it come to the mysteries grind i’m almost sure they said long term leveling, if long term means under a week i would hate to see what a short term leveling system was 5 min or would that still be to long for everyone?
