Guild Wars 2

Hey all, sorry if any of you are sick of seeing these type of threads…I know they are quite common on various MMO forums lol.

Anyway I just wanted to find out how the game is fairing these days. I haven’t played since around this time last year. Started playing in early access and really enjoyed the game for a few months but just got burnt out on the whole “tagging” event farming deal. Enjoyed every other aspect like grinding for legendaries, fractals, dungeons, dragons etc. Formatted my HDD one day and just never reinstalled.

I did consider checking it out a few times but one things (which was actually a good aspect of the game) that put me off returning was the amount of “one time” content I had missed or was missing…namely the achievements. Its something that puts me off is achievements I can see on a list yet no longer am able to achieve.

Anyway enough about the life story, I just wanted to find out from long term and new players a like what the game is like now. Im not worried about “op/up” classes, balance issues or server inbalance in WvW (cant even remember which server I was) but just how things like quality of life, achievements and dailies are.

I played a thief exclusively for every aspect of the game but am consider playing a Mesmer if I return, it was the only other class that really appealed to me so although ill read through the mes forum any extra info on changes to the class recently would be appreciated too (I imagine “portal bomb” has been nerfed in WvW by now lol).

Anyway thanks guys

/lifestory ;P

Nothing new has been added, you missed a lot of temporary content that won’t be re-lived.

So, its essentially still the same game you left it.

Basically what Charak said. It’s still the same as when you left. Some minor things that don’t change anything and all the content that you missed won’t make it’s way back.

If you didn’t like it before, you won’t like it now. Don’t let the defence tell you otherwise. And I’m sure they’ll be here in force to tell you of all the “great changes that have been made to the game”.

Hey thanks for the reply. Yeah I would often get emails or see the content advert when I visited the website. I take it they were similar to the lost shores (correct name?) and Halloween/Christmas events?

Also how is the cash shop? When I played I did like to support the game but at the time there wasn’t much interesting to me besides the boxing gloves (lol)

Halloween should be coming around soon. It’s probably the only event that’s any good, imo.

Lol the cash shop. Full of fluff and junk that keeps the game going in the direction it is. It’s still pretty kittenty. Some more single use armour skins, town clothes that serve no purpose, toys that a bored person in LA uses, and things that are convenience items that should be in the game but instead on the shop for absurd amounts of gems.

Totally wrong. There’s plenty of new stuff…quality of life stuff, stuff that has changed. There’s new jumping puzzles, a brand new dungeon path, there’s zone wide Scarlet invasions, there’s new PvP maps, there’s all sorts of new stuff.

You have people on these forums who are unhappy because they don’t like some of the design decisions Anet has made…but the game has progressed…just not in the direction everyone likes.

For example, ascended weapons have been introduced, which require more grind than some people want to do. But it’s still far less grind than legendary weapons.

In addition, a minigame rotation has been added to the game, four mini games rotate.

Dailies have changed, monthlies have changed…those who say it hasn’t changed are not just wrong…they’re demonstrably wrong.

Charak.9761:

Nothing new has been added, you missed a lot of temporary content that won’t be re-lived.

So, its essentially still the same game you left it.

except that the OP will be experiencing the latest Living Story update…. so yah you are wrong about playing the same old game.

Vayne.8563:

Totally wrong. There’s plenty of new stuff…quality of life stuff, stuff that has changed. There’s new jumping puzzles, a brand new dungeon path, there’s zone wide Scarlet invasions, there’s new PvP maps, there’s all sorts of new stuff.

You have people on these forums who are unhappy because they don’t like some of the design decisions Anet has made…but the game has progressed…just not in the direction everyone likes.

For example, ascended weapons have been introduced, which require more grind than some people want to do. But it’s still far less grind than legendary weapons.

In addition, a minigame rotation has been added to the game, four mini games rotate.

Dailies have changed, monthlies have changed…those who say it hasn’t changed are not just wrong…they’re demonstrably wrong.

-One new jumping puzzle, aetherblade’s
-The new dungeon has no replay after achievements, the rewards are off-based compared to the time spent. It was replaced an existing path, so it’s not additional* content.
-invasions were only worthwhile during the LS, when you could zerg farm them, now they are less frequent with less people to scale up mobs to multiple champions
-Skyhammer is poorly executed pvp design, an 8000 laser spike every 5 seconds from whomever controls it?
-Crafting to 500 cost 150-200g in materials, Ascended weapons cost 20g
-The daily system with the addition of achievement chests have turned this game into an Achievement Simulator (like a AH simulator of D3), where people only log on for the AP and logoff because there’s nothing else to do.

Yeah I’ve been reading various other topics around the forums and can tell there is a divide within the community. Personally I don’t mind grinding and like I said the only real thing that put me off the game originally was doing the same few events, it didn’t feel like a game or fun because all I was doing was trying to tag as much mobs as possible before they were zerged to death.

Did a lot of the content I miss contain achievements that are no longer doable then?

Neoheart.2750:

Did a lot of the content I miss contain achievements that are no longer doable then?

All of them did.

Skan.5301:

Neoheart.2750:

Did a lot of the content I miss contain achievements that are no longer doable then?

All of them did.

and there is where you will have a problem. being felt left behind because you missed out on AP. Competing for AP is like competing for how many times you used the restroom today. Its pointless to compete in this game unless you are in WvW or TPvP.

Its not that I was competing just that they were something to collect. Also it gave or gives you the sense that you’ve taken part and experienced the content. Negatively it reminds people that they’ve missed so much.

Really enjoyed WvW when I played too, more so than a lot of the PvE content and I was actually glad that it was part of the legendary requirements (cant remember the tokens people dropped) but I only ever pugged in the sPvP.

well if you don’t play now you are just gonna keep missing out on stuff.

In addition to the things others have mentioned, they also added Guild Missions, Fractals, a major change to the Tequatl encounter (it’s a 80+ person outdoor raid now), Leaderboards, custom arena and spectator mode, Guesting, a progression system for WvW, culling was removed and most all of the reward systems were reworked.

Here is a vid of the some of the major changes you’ll see right away when you enter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce_dvXJercI

And here is one on WvW changes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUfV3OBLyc8

Game releases splash page is here:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/

Charak.9761:

Nothing new has been added, you missed a lot of temporary content that won’t be re-lived.

So, its essentially still the same game you left it.

This and don’t worry about the temp stuff you missed…because, ‘meaningless fluff’ sums it up…

Karizee.8076:

In addition to the things others have mentioned, they also added Guild Missions, Fractals, a major change to the Tequatl encounter (it’s a 80+ person outdoor raid now), Leaderboards, custom arena and spectator mode, Guesting, a progression system for WvW, culling was removed and most all of the reward systems were reworked.

Here is a vid of the some of the major changes you’ll see right away when you enter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce_dvXJercI

And here is one on WvW changes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUfV3OBLyc8

Game releases splash page is here:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/

Thanks for the links. Never crossed my mind to youtube it lol. Watching the first one and this guy seems to be covering everything really well

The forums will always be a split road. Especially when it comes to asking this kind of question, where most of the responses you’ll get are hateful. Because as we all know, game forums are the “filth” of the entire game.

But on to your question. Which honestly, only you can answer.

The game has seen some upgrades. A lot of quality of life additions that make things easier, along with things that seem to punish us more. We got a wallet now to store all that currency that they keep adding. A bunch of nerfs/buffs to professions that needed it (and some that didn’t deserve it). Performance is a lot better than it was when you played, though still needs a bit of tweaking. Culling is basically gone, with new “shadow men” replacing everyone.

One thing you might not like, depending on if you like farming and grinding. They’ve added a lot of that to the game. For a game that is supposed to not be a “grindy game” as O’Brien puts it, it has a lot of grind now. A lot of stuff is also time gated too, so you are limited on how fast you can obtain things now. DR (Diminishing Returns) is still in the game. Even more RNG than before, and it’s gotten worse that they’ve added more of it to the gem store as well (RNG Chests in the gem store).

Ascended gear. If you left back in October of last year, you missed this. A new tier of gear has been added. Remember when Exotic was supposed to be the highest tier and they said you should be able to get the best gear by the time you hit 80? Well not anymore. They added another tier called Ascended. And it is a grind to get. And it’s time gated too if it wasn’t bad enough already. Oh and don’t forget Celestial gear as well, which could be bad or good depending on how you see it. It is basically all-stat gear. Which some see as a tier, while others see as worse than Exotics.

Then you got the Living Story. This could be bad or good. Bad in the sense that you missed out on a lot of story that you will never get to see. Good in the sense that it is new content every two weeks (except the last two which was just an update to old content and a new path that replaced an old path). Downside to the LS, is that it is mostly been rushed content that is buggy the first week. None of them seem to mesh well and they are very random. The LS is mostly an achievement farm with the reward of a new backpack skin or a mini pet. On the upside though, it’s new content every two weeks to keep you busy with something to do.

In the end, the game is B2P. No subscription keeping you from not playing, so feel free to let it install while you are sleeping or something and then hop back in to get your own impression. Hope that helps, even though it seemed more negative than positive. Oh, and sorry for the long read.

Right after you left (I believe) they introduced the stat treadmill that is Ascended gear.

You are now WAY behind because you’ve missed tons of dailies and thus “laurels” which you use to buy Ascended trinkets.

WvW is in a terrible place with its own version of vertical progression (World Ability points). People with Ascended weapons and Guard Leech and/or Applied Fortitude abilities will be running around with far more stats than you. For a PvP-type environment, this is a disaster.

Portals have a 20 max capacity.

I’d be interesting if you made a follow-up post at some point giving your perspective on the changes!

No that was great Spyder, thanks for the post. Having watched videos that Karizee posted im looking forward to playing again. All the changes that I saw or hear about sound and look great.

I do remember the ascended gear, well at the time I think it was only the rings which you obtained from fractals. Had a couple of those but nothing more.

Im thinking about just starting a new character and enjoying the game/story again instead of trying to pick up where I left off with the thief. Would probably be easier to pick up this whole living story thing too.

So, thanks to all that posted. Looking forward to trying it again

Well, karma has been nerfed in a big way. If you were to get 1,000, nowadays you would get 100. It’s that bad. So, if you want a legendary instead of an ascended, you might be spending those laurels on obsidian shards.

Charak.9761:

Vayne.8563:

Totally wrong. There’s plenty of new stuff…quality of life stuff, stuff that has changed. There’s new jumping puzzles, a brand new dungeon path, there’s zone wide Scarlet invasions, there’s new PvP maps, there’s all sorts of new stuff.

You have people on these forums who are unhappy because they don’t like some of the design decisions Anet has made…but the game has progressed…just not in the direction everyone likes.

For example, ascended weapons have been introduced, which require more grind than some people want to do. But it’s still far less grind than legendary weapons.

In addition, a minigame rotation has been added to the game, four mini games rotate.

Dailies have changed, monthlies have changed…those who say it hasn’t changed are not just wrong…they’re demonstrably wrong.

-One new jumping puzzle, aetherblade’s
-The new dungeon has no replay after achievements, the rewards are off-based compared to the time spent. It was replaced an existing path, so it’s not additional* content.
-invasions were only worthwhile during the LS, when you could zerg farm them, now they are less frequent with less people to scale up mobs to multiple champions
-Skyhammer is poorly executed pvp design, an 8000 laser spike every 5 seconds from whomever controls it?
-Crafting to 500 cost 150-200g in materials, Ascended weapons cost 20g
-The daily system with the addition of achievement chests have turned this game into an Achievement Simulator (like a AH simulator of D3), where people only log on for the AP and logoff because there’s nothing else to do.

The new dungeon path is CERTAINLY addition content. Half the path it replaced is virtually identical to an already existing path of the same dungeon. Everything in the new dungeon path is new, including new mechanics, and more interesting bosses that require more teamwork. And the idea that there’s more to do in a dungeon besides finish it (the extra stuff at the end) is also completely new.

There was one new jumping puzzle, if you don’t count the one in November, Dierdre’s garden. There were also 30 dynamic events added at that time.

I don’t know about you,. but I get somewhere between 15 and 30 champion bags during invasions still. Maybe you need to look at your build or your strategy.

The daily achievement system reward chests were something people were asking for. That you don’t have to do them all for laurels and you can choose the five achievements you want is something people have been asking for. That you don’t have to do all the monthly achievements and you can pick four is something people have been asking for.

The account wallet is massively convenient and a big QoL improvement. Getting rid of culling is a big improvement as well, in both WvW and PvE. Some people don’t like the WxP stuff in WvW, but quite a few people do because it gives them something to work towards. Some people don’t like the ruins in WvW and some people do…oh yes that’s new too.

Guild Missions are some of the most fun I’ve had in this game, particularly puzzles and rushes…oh wait, aren’t those puzzles also jumping puzzles. You seem to have forgotten about them.

Even the moa races are new and offer a different kind of content for people who like that sort of thing.

But the bottom line is, you pick and choose what you personally like or don’t like and use that as an excuse to say there’s been no new content and that everything is the same.

I submit if everything was the same, people wouldn’t be complaining on the forums about how stuff is changing.

Charak.9761:

Nothing new has been added, you missed a lot of temporary content that won’t be re-lived.

So, its essentially still the same game you left it.

Noooowt true! We now have wonderbul content called… ascended weaponz, and soon more content called abscended armorz. No need for silly alts, just adjust to the new content and equip a single character with all teh gearz. Just simply raise your crafting profession to 5000 and inject eeeeasy to acquire mats, 1000’s of them, 100’s of 0000’s of them, to accomplish excellence so you can creep on enjoying temporary content and wvw player transfer zergs. Truly endless content for all to enjoooy!

wb, OP! like that legendary you like but on a whole new level, one piece at a time.

Those who live by the BIS gear, die by the BIS gear.

I can do everything I want without BIS gear, so I’m quite happy with the game.

Nage.1520:

Those who live by the BIS gear, die by the BIS gear.

I can do everything I want without BIS gear, so I’m quite happy with the game.

Yup, just like some do what they do in just rare armor, if even that It’s alll good. /warm fuzzies

If you didn’t like it before, you won’t like it now.

Kaizer.7135:

If you didn’t like it before, you won’t like it now.

I saw this post and just fealt I had to answer.
How could you know? Do you know OP? Hmmm…

It is pretty funny becouse my Fiancée wasn’t too fond of GW2 after the first month playing it, she got back after the new Achievement update and she plays the game like there is no tomorrow, could be my influenses or whatever but she likes it now.

A friend leveled to level 80 fealt that he was done and found nothing more to do in the game and stopped playing but when SAB Back to School came out I told him about that and he started playing becouse he liked the 8-bit style to try SAB (He missed the first release), he also started playing the “regular” GW2 with me and my Fiancée and now he likes it alot and is leveling 3 alts and joins in on WvW/sPvP and dungeons with his main.

Kaizer.7135:

If you didn’t like it before, you won’t like it now.

Pretty much this. It’s the same game with new added content from living world (which isn’t too exciting, imo).

About the only thing between now and whenever you left, OP, is that you have “lost out on” some achievement points and are now far behind on the AP treadmill. Seeing as you now get “rewards” for APs, you’ll just feel like not playing the game all over again.

The rest of the game is about as un-/fun as it has always been. It seems like ArenaNet as a company is bi-polar. Some moments it is happy and giveth us fun content, some moments it is not and taketh away fun content.

New permanent content:
1: fractals, a set of mini dungeons with an ever increasing difficulty level (amount of mobs and something called ‘agony’ that gets harder and heavier while you progress.

2: higher rewards for defeating world bosses and higher rewards for defeating champs. This has let to a shift in balance from events to champions and world bosses.

3: Southsun cove world boss event. A new world boss added there

4: Tequatl the sunless overhaul. This world boss was pretty easy but now requires a lot of teamwork and coordination

5: Better daily/monthly’s with a new currency system called Laurels that give both unique and semi-unique rewards

6: Guild missions. Specific content (hunt bosses, large scale dynamic event, race track and gorup jumping puzzles) you can do specifically with your guild. These also gives recommendations that can be traded for unique and semi-unique rewards.

7: new PvP maps

8: a lot of things have been added to the gemstore/cashshop.

9: turning off culling, you can actually see how active the game is.

10: new ascended gear level (weapons allready, armour soon)

11: Achievement point rewards. You get now rewarded for title hunting.

12: Scarlets minions evade: 4 times per day Scarlets minions invade a specific map (announced in chat). This consist of a massive amount of dynamic events popping up. involving clearing up different kind of mobs. After surviving 5 waves you can take on Scarlet (if you make it that far). The amount of enemy’s and the amount of champions makes this very lucrative.

So overall, the gaming experience has been widely altered. Despite the narrow minded views of some in this topic.

The living world was mostly consisting of temporary content, but due to a large amount of criticism. This is shifting. For example.
June had the skypirates of Tyria/dragonbash. This consisted off a new jumping puzzle, a new dungeon, a scavenger hunt and a set of weaponskins. After the event only the skins and the jumping puzzle remained in game (the dungeon will return in the fractals of the mist in a skinnier form).

This month we had a replacement path in the dungeon twilight arbor specifc for level 80. This path is there to stay, is challenging and fun and has an achievement track for their own.