Guild Wars 2

As the outflow of GW2 pvp players and GW2 players in general continues to grow, it is necessary that some changes will happen in attempt to get out of this negative spiral. I have seen a fair share of games, but in my personal preference only few games have the same potential in the basics as GW2. I played the game since launch, and after I saw many many friends leaving the game, even I started doubting to do the same. How come? What are the issues?

1. I am a PvP player. I like competitiveness. On the opposite of PvE, where every map, quest or dungeon keeps te same, a PvP match is always different from the others. Ofcourse there are a lot of fanatic PvE players, but the fanatic PvP players have the benefit that they advertise the game as well to the world outside. To people that are not familiar with the game. Think of streams, tournaments and live events. For this reason, it is surprising that Anet invests such a little amount of resources into PvP. It is no wonder that Overwatch became popular so quickly: it is a PvP-only game. There aren’t THAT many competitive MMORPG’s out there, so Anet shouldn’t be chanceless at all.

2. The lack of communication of the Anet Team for PvP purposes is quite astonishing. Nothing is explained. Very little presence on the forums. No clarification of updates, vision of the future, etc. A while ago, a topic was opened by a dev on the PvP forums on the possible update on PvP sigils, and to receive feedback from the players on the suggested updates. I thought ‘’oke, that is finally a good step’’. However, still nothing has happened with it, it takes waaaaaay to long. Meanwhile, a lot of updates for PvE were released, with new maps, and so on. Updating the PvP sigils costs such a low amount of time compared to creating and releasing new maps. Then why does it take so long?

3. Maybe it is just me, but I don’t notice a lot of pro players on the forums. They should be able to give a more convincing voice on the forums. I don’t know whether they already tried or not, but still. I also know that many of them left the game, especially since last season. But there is still a bunch of them present here. They are generally better capable of analyzing on which aspects the game can improve, and will be heard more quickly by devs I would suppose.

4. The word ’’balance’’ is being taken out of proportion. ’’Balance’’ grew out to be that almost all classes can do the same now. It makes PvP uninteresting and it lacks variety/surprise. Adaptation on enemies should happen during a game, not before the game starts. In my opinion, we don’t need buffs to update weapon skills, utilities and traits, but we need nerfs across the board. It will make things less random, easier to watch, and more comprehensive for new players. Also, it would not necessarily reduce the skill level of the game. Bring vanilla trait lines in line with HoT traitlines, so you can keep new players (that play the free version of the game) interested in playing.

5. Make the off-season period shorter. I mean, come on. I told a friend I only play PvP. He said: ‘’what are you doing in off-season then? lol’‘. There is not much wrong with a short off-season period, but this is way too long. Again a factor that doesn’t work as an incentive to keep playing for many players.

Summarized:
1. A good PvP section is a good advertisement for the game.
2. More communication from Anet on vision, updates and current problems.
3. To the experienced/pro players: don’t stop with letting your voice being heard.
4. Rethink what balance means, and which aspects of it can contribute to better gameplay.
5. Reduce the lenght of off-season periods.

I write a lot on the forums thought, maybe I could write more but yeah – usually my source of voice is my stream

The forums for most games are generally avoided by the majority of the pro players for said title. Helseth spent some time posting on here but he moved on to a different game because of as you said the lack of communication from ANET.

In general most of the pro players have been leaving in droves and IMO they were the last support block holding the PVP scene together. Unless ANET is willing to learn from their long standing mistakes namely their lack of transparency with the community this games PVP scene will simply continue to stagnate.

bluri.2653:

I write a lot on the forums thought, maybe I could write more but yeah – usually my source of voice is my stream

Thanks for your response. I know you tend to stream quite often, which is good. But I don’t think that the information you spread there will reach Anet. The chance that they read forums is larger than the chance that they watch or re-watch a stream. Also, written information is permanent, easier to look up and easier to respond to. But yeah I noticed you on the forums so that is great, but a lot of other good players are absent I think.

HeadCrowned.6834:

Think of streams, tournaments and live events. For this reason, it is surprising that Anet invests such a little amount of resources into PvP. It is no wonder that Overwatch became popular so quickly: it is a PvP-only game.

Does Hanzo’s fully charged shot can still one shot another non-tank player ?
I used to love the game since beta , watching on streams some high lvl players

WvW is the child left behind.

The pvp has been enjoying of the Anet attention since HoT. The Skyhammer rework, Battle of Kyhlo rework, Coliseum, pirate map, 6 seasons, a legendary back item…

So… we have to believe that Anet will ignore pvp… yes… and the earth is flat and the char does not smell like a wet dog.

vier.1327:

WvW is the child left behind.

The pvp has been enjoying of the Anet attention since HoT. The Skyhammer rework, Battle of Kyhlo rework, Coliseum, pirate map, 6 seasons, a legendary back item…

So… we have to believe that Anet will ignore pvp… yes… and the earth is flat and the char does not smell like a wet dog.

haha agreed. If PvP is the child left behind, then WvW is the child that was dumped at the local police station a couple hours after birth.

The 4. point is the most importent after all. The combat in this game lags in it´s core.
In the first year when this hybrit and spam wasn´t a thing like today and hits actually hurt, you could destroy noobs in this game and it rly felt like your skill is worth something.

I know rly well how friends and I were used to go Hot-Join for farming noobs 3 vs 8 basically. It wasn´t the kind of zerg spam like it is today.
I know people were crying about thieves 1 shot backstab and stuff.
Some things were more op then others blabla. The usuall stuff going on.

Befor I think about matchmaking mmr ect, I think about this.
When I play this game today, I find myself back in a spam/zerg.
You kind of see a differece bettween skilled players and those who are not.
But it is marginal compared to what it was supposed to be.
I mean, even against a skilled player, I see myself healing me back to full like 10 times(exaggerate) over befor someone dies. -_-

And maybe people overrate mmr then. Because this needs to be fixed first.
Your skill must feel to be honored in fight insteadly, if it does not even that and you find yourself back in this zerg, you maybe can´t have a working mmr.
If you have a good combat, you can carry much more then you can today with this hybrit spam zerg.

Most of you kind of missed the time when the game was at it´s best point.
They scewed it up like very soon.
The game how it was the first year was the best version of the game.
Besides the lags, ballance issues and stuff. I felt myself actually carrying something.
Todday is just awefull to play.

Seriously. If they would load the first year version of the game. The real spvp people would destroy this pve farmer noobs hardcore.
I´m sure of that. They wouldn´t even know what was happening to them.

gw niko.1049:

Seriously. If they would load the first year version of the game. The real spvp people would destroy this pve farmer noobs hardcore.
I´m sure of that. They wouldn´t even know what was happening to them.

I remember too , Jumper (thief) introducing the 100-ndada Enginer spec when ppl where spouting that it is unfair that no other classes exept Thief+Warrior cannot blow up another person in 1,5 sec in April-June 2013
(after the -10% nerf ., becaused of WvwWvw)
Or when they buff the F1 of Mesmers to give 3 might with each Illusion exposion .

Both where welcomed graciously from the pro community too
/trollface :P

What helps my class to win Tournaments are good … the rest are bad :P

Professions were left behind at launch, and combat is basically a one dimensional game of damage spam with extremely poor roles to play outside of dps. Profession designs, combat systems, skills, roles… you name it, are not as good as they could have been.

There are far less character build options in gw2 than there were on gw1, and that hurts the entire game because our characters are central to the whole thing, be it pve, wvw or spvp.

Want the game to be better, and for players to be interested more in the pvp sides? Then the devs need to blow up professions, take the good stuff out and rebuild with players fighting other players in mind… with roles in mind… and to keep making substantial efforts to put professions at the top of the dev list going forward.

Swagger.1459:

There are far less character build options in gw2 than there were on gw1, and that hurts the entire game because our characters are central to the whole thing, be it pve, wvw or spvp.

I haven’t played GW1, but I always hear that GW1 PvP was better. And the very reason why is probably what you say here. Why doesn’t Anet take another look at GW1 and extract from that game what we need here?

it´s a totally different game. You have no mana in gw2 but in gw you had it. In gw you couldn´t jump or dodge. Gw was very a static tactial game i think. Gw2 is a totally different game with same artstyle and story.

Or am I wrong? I just played it very short time very casually and much too late.

gw niko.1049:

The 4. point is the most importent after all. The combat in this game lags in it´s core.
In the first year when this hybrit and spam wasn´t a thing like today and hits actually hurt, you could destroy noobs in this game and it rly felt like your skill is worth something.

I know rly well how friends and I were used to go Hot-Join for farming noobs 3 vs 8 basically. It wasn´t the kind of zerg spam like it is today.
I know people were crying about thieves 1 shot backstab and stuff.
Some things were more op then others blabla. The usuall stuff going on.

Befor I think about matchmaking mmr ect, I think about this.
When I play this game today, I find myself back in a spam/zerg.
You kind of see a differece bettween skilled players and those who are not.
But it is marginal compared to what it was supposed to be.
I mean, even against a skilled player, I see myself healing me back to full like 10 times(exaggerate) over befor someone dies. -_-

And maybe people overrate mmr then. Because this needs to be fixed first.
Your skill must feel to be honored in fight insteadly, if it does not even that and you find yourself back in this zerg, you maybe can´t have a working mmr.
If you have a good combat, you can carry much more then you can today with this hybrit spam zerg.

Most of you kind of missed the time when the game was at it´s best point.
They scewed it up like very soon.
The game how it was the first year was the best version of the game.
Besides the lags, ballance issues and stuff. I felt myself actually carrying something.
Todday is just awefull to play.

?Why?

If GW1 is so much better,why aren’t there more people playing it than GW2?
Less chances for qq in the forums there?

OP: Welcome to what we WvW’ers have been dealing with for a loooooong time. Take a seat and get comfy. There’s Hot Chocolate over at the table

Aenaos.8160:

If GW1 is so much better,why aren’t there more people playing it than GW2?
Less chances for qq in the forums there?

Because they stopped their work on balance.
And they also eventually admitted many years ago, that there were simply too many skills in gw1 for them to keep up a decent balance…. Which is understandable with literally far over a thousand skills… And makes the balance in gw2 even less understandable.

People talking about WvW here: get out xD. I basically know nothing about WvW, but Im sure that the issues there are different from the issues in PvP. Create your own topic and suggestions on that forum.

HeadCrowned.6834:

People talking about WvW here: get out xD. I basically know nothing about WvW, but Im sure that the issues there are different from the issues in PvP. Create your own topic and suggestions on that forum.

You don’t visit wvw forums very often do you? You get a new thread of this kind hourly over there, so we started expanding

Entenkommando.5208:

You don’t visit wvw forums very often do you? You get a new thread of this kind hourly over there, so we started expanding

No, I never do :P But come and join sPvP, we can use more players there. Wouldn’t hurt if WvW is that bad. :P

Entenkommando.5208:

Aenaos.8160:

If GW1 is so much better,why aren’t there more people playing it than GW2?
Less chances for qq in the forums there?

Because they stopped their work on balance.
And they also eventually admitted many years ago, that there were simply too many skills in gw1 for them to keep up a decent balance…. Which is understandable with literally far over a thousand skills… And makes the balance in gw2 even less understandable.

That is the ironic thing. GW2 has less skills but less balanced.

HeadCrowned.6834:

Entenkommando.5208:

You don’t visit wvw forums very often do you? You get a new thread of this kind hourly over there, so we started expanding

No, I never do :P But come and join sPvP, we can use more players there. Wouldn’t hurt if WvW is that bad. :P

WvW has better gear flexibility, use of food and utility buffs instead of the kid friendly PvP Amulet system. If ANET spent half the time on WvW that it does on sPvP, then WvW could actually be great. Sadly it feels like they have a (non)progress meeting on WvW once every 3 months on a Friday at 5pm when everyone is clock watching.

Spartacus.3192:

WvW has better gear flexibility, use of food and utility buffs instead of the kid friendly PvP Amulet system. If ANET spent half the time on WvW that it does on sPvP, then WvW could actually be great. Sadly it feels like they have a (non)progress meeting on WvW once every 3 months on a Friday at 5pm when everyone is clock watching.

If you discount the time that they spent on PvP maps, then they barely spent time on pvp at all. Besides, only one newly released map has been received well, and that one was released a very long ago. Go back then to WvW, you already say its better due to food and stuff. No one cares. If anything is kid friendly, it is zerg fest WvW.

Child that is left behind? WvW say hi…

Bwa-ha-ha. PvP used to stomp every other game mode for so long (all balance changes, skill tuning, traits etc), and now just a couple months and “child left behind” Patience. Wait for a year or so, then it will be left behind

Bugabuga. Man spvp basiaclly has the same old mapes for 4 1/2 year now besides stronghold. There were tons of basic bugs for years and they didn´t bottor fixing anything.
Spvp is at least as left behind as wvw bro.

Welcome to what WvW has been going through since forever.

bluri.2653:

I write a lot on the forums thought, maybe I could write more but yeah – usually my source of voice is my stream

RIP bro I’ll remember you always

gw niko.1049:

Bugabuga. Man spvp basiaclly has the same old mapes for 4 1/2 year now besides stronghold. There were tons of basic bugs for years and they didn´t bottor fixing anything.
Spvp is at least as left behind as wvw bro.

Compare number of maps in WvW (EBJ, one Alpine and now one Desert) — 3.
Maps in PvP:
Stronghold: Completely new, new mechanic
Battle of Khylo (old and “improved” now)
Coliseum (completely new)
Forest of Niflhel
Legacy of Foefire
Revenge of the Capricorn (new one)
Skyhammer (2 iterations)
Spirit Watch
Temple of the Storm

Sooo…. no. PvP got more changes: coliseum, new game mode map and a bunch of changes to other maps Plus most of the balance changes were all because something was OP in PvP (and got nerfed everywhere as a result — engie and turrets, mesmer things, blocks, eles healing too much etc)

good players left in masses since season 5 and nothing dropped in the pvp field since the improvements of maps and rewards nerfs and called dead lol

how about wvw where the good players left in masses 3 years ago and more after HoT. I wonder what to call it.

Bugabuga.9721:

gw niko.1049:

Bugabuga. Man spvp basiaclly has the same old mapes for 4 1/2 year now besides stronghold. There were tons of basic bugs for years and they didn´t bottor fixing anything.
Spvp is at least as left behind as wvw bro.

Compare number of maps in WvW (EBJ, one Alpine and now one Desert) — 3.
Maps in PvP:
Stronghold: Completely new, new mechanic
Battle of Khylo (old and “improved” now)
Coliseum (completely new)
Forest of Niflhel
Legacy of Foefire
Revenge of the Capricorn (new one)
Skyhammer (2 iterations)
Spirit Watch
Temple of the Storm

Sooo…. no. PvP got more changes: coliseum, new game mode map and a bunch of changes to other maps Plus most of the balance changes were all because something was OP in PvP (and got nerfed everywhere as a result — engie and turrets, mesmer things, blocks, eles healing too much etc)

But the WvW maps are much bigger.
Yea maybe you are right. But I don´t know why the 2 left behind childs now fighting about who was/is more left behind… ??
The greatest and foundational problem for me was and is the combat itself, that anet was giving everything to much of everything. This hybrit thing. This spam, particularly the spam of heal.
I do like WvW too. But I don´t like the current state of combat there as well.
I have the same problem with both modes.
But as it always is, anet needs for everything months and years. And then it´s not said yet if they are not just making it worse. -_-

I have years of promising and hoping behinde me. I´m seriously not hyped for the new expansion. For me it´s just another way for anet to get some cash flowing.
Pve is their one and only loved child. They don´t like pvp, not spvp neighter wvw-pvp.

We are in the same boat friend.