Guild Wars 2

http://www.tentonhammer.com/news/guild-wars-2/guild-wars-2-stronghold-receives-mist-champions

My fave quote from the official post: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/meet-the-mist-champions/
“Turai Ossa will be the default Mist Champion available to all players once Stronghold is released. Grymm Svaard will also be available to all players, though he will need to be earned by completing his reward track in PvP. You will need to own Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™ to be able to access the reward track that unlocks Nika. Additional Mist Champions will become available in future live content releases and will also require Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns to unlock them for your account. We will be temporarily unlocking all of them during upcoming betas for pre-purchasers of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.”

Good on you though ArenaNet for splitting the queues. That was a necessary thing to do and I appreciate it. Skill splits need to happen now though before you keep heading down this road of segregating the populace even more with Elite Specs and Champions that require certain DLC. This stuff flies in mobas because they are free and you buy costumes that you want. Hiding PvP content behind a paywall is a dark road to go down when nerfs or buffs invariably happen.

Players obtain Turai by default once Stronghold is released, with Grymm available to all players but they’ll need to complete his reward track in PvP. As for Nika, you’ll need to own Heart of Thorns to unlock her. The idea is that ArenaNet will continue to add Mist Heroes to Stronghold in future content updates, with all future ones requiring Heart of Thorns.

Rofl. I smell p2w. Now you not olny lose new class+elite specs if all you do is pvp, but you also lose champions which may give you advantage over enemy team. In b4 gemstore champions, olny 1000gems each.

skowcia.8257:

Players obtain Turai by default once Stronghold is released, with Grymm available to all players but they’ll need to complete his reward track in PvP. As for Nika, you’ll need to own Heart of Thorns to unlock her. The idea is that ArenaNet will continue to add Mist Heroes to Stronghold in future content updates, with all future ones requiring Heart of Thorns.

Rofl. I smell p2w. Now you not olny lose new class+elite specs if all you do is pvp, but you also lose champions which may give you advantage over enemy team. In b4 gemstore champions, olny 1000gems each.

No plans for gemstore ones, confirmed on reddit by Anet. And they wouldn’t do that anyway.

Locked behind expansion? Pretty kitten normal.

You already get the game mode for free, its not unreasonable to require the expansion for extra options

Well a lot of people were complaining that PvP only players are not getting anything with the expansion. Now you know guys, now you know.

Thats why I always had faith in our dear Devs <3
However AoE Stealth sounds horrible…

I like the changes.

I would however like an update on how to make PvP a larger component for that map. There was a ton of feedback after the last beta about how actual player fighting was secondary.

Planning on separate TDM too? Perfect opportunity to add more maps to each mode.

Zmodd.5427:

Planning on separate TDM too? Perfect opportunity to add more maps to each mode.

With the new guild hall thing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they removed TDM entirely. So many people just AFK and waste everyone’s time in the map anyway.

So it will have actual meaning who is going to channel champion from mists cuz they will decide about prefences before match start: some teams will choose only one the most champion suited to their tactic and some teams will try to have as many unique champions and decide during match which person will go for summon linked to him champion the most efficient in that moment. Seems more organized.

Fluffball.8307:

Zmodd.5427:

Planning on separate TDM too? Perfect opportunity to add more maps to each mode.

With the new guild hall thing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they removed TDM entirely. So many people just AFK and waste everyone’s time in the map anyway.

Well surely splitting the queue for TDM would mean only people that want to be there will be there.

Zetsumei.4975:

Well surely splitting the queue for TDM would mean only people that want to be there will be there.

Touche. I’m pretty tired.

Do I understand correctly that heroes that your team can spawn now depend on if someone did enough to grind up a particular hero (via reward track)?

As in, you might be matched against a team that all has full set of heroes but on your team you’re the only one who can summon Nika and everyone else is stuck on sucky basic ones?

butch.8136:

No plans for gemstore ones, confirmed on reddit by Anet. And they wouldn’t do that anyway.

That was a joke.. ;]

Fluffball.8307:

Zmodd.5427:

Planning on separate TDM too? Perfect opportunity to add more maps to each mode.

With the new guild hall thing, I wouldn’t be surprised if they removed TDM entirely. So many people just AFK and waste everyone’s time in the map anyway.

I stopped doing unranked because I can’t guarantee TDM and you give them this idea!!!.

Bugabuga.9721:

Do I understand correctly that heroes that your team can spawn now depend on if someone did enough to grind up a particular hero (via reward track)?

As in, you might be matched against a team that all has full set of heroes but on your team you’re the only one who can summon Nika and everyone else is stuck on sucky basic ones?

You are assuming that Nika will be better than the others in all situations.

Branden Gee.2150:

At this time we aren’t planning on selling Mist Champions for Gems.

Whatever you do, please do not sell the characters themselves on the gem store. Sell goofy skins or something for them, but if you put these on the gem store then I’m afraid this would definitely be considered pay2win.

Keep the integrity. It’s already sort of weird that Stronghold isn’t locked behind the expansion. Having parts of the game mode limited to people with the expansion may set a dangerous precedent.

That is, unless you intend to separate queues for Stronghold between those with HoT and those without HoT. Then it would be fine.

Speaking of separate queues….

About time you guys split teamQ and soloQ, don’t you think?

SlayerSixx.5763:

Speaking of separate queues….

About time you guys split teamQ and soloQ, don’t you think?

Imo they doin( more or less )that in their own vision: guild teams.

Hmm, not sure this was needed, but ok. Grymm sounds potentially OP, but we’ll see.

Also, putting additional heroes behind reward tracks was a clever way of pacing additional options for a map that already comes off as very complicated for new players.

lordkrall.7241:

Bugabuga.9721:

Do I understand correctly that heroes that your team can spawn now depend on if someone did enough to grind up a particular hero (via reward track)?

As in, you might be matched against a team that all has full set of heroes but on your team you’re the only one who can summon Nika and everyone else is stuck on sucky basic ones?

You are assuming that Nika will be better than the others in all situations.

Whichever. This is basically “do we have stealth vs something else” question. If only one hero can be summoned at a time and there is a potential choice, then it’ll still boil down to “do all members of your team have all heroes” or do they summon hero Blah just because they don’t have anything else unlocked. How will that impact the team and matchmaking?

All I can say is, NIKA

Woot

Would like to know what’s happening to TDM.

If it’s being removed from queues, I would still like for it to be in Custom Arenas. They should also add Raid on the Capricorn to CAs, but that is for another topic lol.

This is great news, now I never have to play another stronghold.

Nightshade.2570:

All I can say is, NIKA

Woot

Hot girl huh? She seems to be flat tho..

FIX IT

Could someone explain what a Mist Champion is?

Genoshock.2104:

Could someone explain what a Mist Champion is?

The article or the blog post probably could…

Oh, so now we can filter out Stronghold and Conquest.

But what about Courtyard? Courtyard is definitely not conquest.

Courtyard uses a variant of the basic Kill Count rules. Why can’t we filter that one if we just want to play that mode or avoid it altogether for a while?

Can there be a separate queue for courtyard then? At least once a day I get into a match in unranked against a full premade and my team gets destroyed, nobody gets exp, and it’s a total waste of 5 – 10 minutes. You shouldn’t even be allowed to queue unranked as a group of 4+ but that’s beyond the point.

MithranArkanere.8957:

Oh, so now we can filter out Stronghold and Conquest.

But what about Courtyard? Courtyard is definitely not conquest.

Courtyard uses a variant of the basic Kill Count rules. Why can’t we filter that one if we just want to play that mode or avoid it altogether for a while?

You can already do this in ranked queue.

Ok how about queuing outside of the lobby? Leaderboards? No? Wow at least we got some kittening mist champions.

Edit: And yes what about TDM? Will courtyard stay in queue with conquest? Or will it just disappear?

If you have any ideas on how solve the problems we have in PvP take a look here, and have your say

Grateful for the split between Conquest and Stronghold, but Courtyard needs to be split as well like others have said. You got plenty of room up there in that flashy PvP UI to split it up into Conquest, Stronghold, TDM, and your beloved “Practice”. Instead of Enter/Exit just add that little door thing you see in instances and after PvP matches at the bottom right to leave.

MiniEquine.6014:

Branden Gee.2150:

At this time we aren’t planning on selling Mist Champions for Gems.

Whatever you do, please do not sell the characters themselves on the gem store. Sell goofy skins or something for them, but if you put these on the gem store then I’m afraid this would definitely be considered pay2win.

I’m hoping they do decide to sell some on the Gem Store, along with different skins. As long as they keep them ‘balanced’, I see no issues. Maybe with players actually buying stuff for PvP, they’d make some more maps, new reward tracks, or other kinds of goodies.

There’s tons of “Mist Hero” possibilities. It’d be a shame to only see three for the next three years because all the money’s in PvE. Not when there’s heroes like Mhenlo, Cynn, Kuunavang, Glint, Master Togo, Prince Rurik, Gwen, Pyre Fierceshot, General Morghan etc..

List goes on. Stronghold’s not only going to be a breath of fresh air for PvP’ers. It’s an attractive game mode for PvE’ers as well, since it’s not as PvP-focused like Conquest. Adding in more Mist Heroes through the Gem Store could give PvP a boost in content, and player population. Again, as long as ANet keeps them balanced and priced appropriately, I see no problem.

skowcia.8257:

Nightshade.2570:

All I can say is, NIKA

Woot

Hot girl huh? She seems to be flat tho..

FIX IT

Nika please.

It’s an honest attempt to link some pvp aspect to the new expansion, it sounds a little like a p2w but honestly it makes sense after all.

Stronghold is a new game mode pushed with HoT and is free for all, a little pay component is not so bad imho.

In general the champion idea works really well for shaking meta (moba docet) anet decided to implement it in a npc/passive format and it’s interesting.

I hope they fixed other stronghold aspects like archers, player damage on guards and channeling.

K cool but give us the chance to customize champions with outfit!

More Revenue for u, more fashion for us!

I’d be quite happy to see cosmetic items for champions on the gem store , make them as outrageous as possible

Do we have a large enough playerbase to do that, is my question
Also, what about the queue time?

skowcia.8257:

Rofl. I smell p2w. Now you not olny lose new class+elite specs if all you do is pvp, but you also lose champions which may give you advantage over enemy team. In b4 gemstore champions, olny 1000gems each.

I can add even more, you have to BUY Guild Wars 2 to be able to play pvp at all! What a horrible p2w!

Ferik.3127:

Do we have a large enough playerbase to do that, is my question
Also, what about the queue time?

No – Definitely not.

Queue times are already extremely painful at the moment.

skowcia.8257:

Nightshade.2570:

All I can say is, NIKA

Woot

Hot girl huh? She seems to be flat tho..

FIX IT

Not just any hot girl…but someone that carries the heavy weight of history.

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Nika