Guild Wars 2

Greetings,
I don’t normally like to complain but I really think this needs to be adjusted. With the 19.99 sale I managed to get several new people to try the game so that they could experience WvW with us only to find none of them can WvW until 18. I don’t remember that being in the patch notes and I have confirmed that you can still WvW under 18 if you have another character on your account over 18.

What this does is force people to play a certain playstyle they might not enjoy for the first 18 levels. Guild Wars 2’s moto was Play how you want. This is not the case anymore as a Player can’t pick up and play GW2 solely for WvW. They are now being forced to PvE.

I highly recommend this change to be reversed as it deters players from getting hooked on the content they came for and forces them to play a way they don’t want to. I leveled each one of my 4 level 80’s in WvW alone, entered at level 2, had my commander tag by level 11. That was the experience I came here for. What personal story mission am I on? I still need to go to the tavern in Divinity’s Reach. Some of us don’t play GW2 for PvE. You should encourage that.

If I had these kind of forced gameplay mechanics in place it would be less likely I would have decided to come here.

Play How You Want…. Stay true to your credo ArenaNet

UPDATE
Here’s my suggestions ArenaNet:

• Add right click “Destroy Siege” option when siege is selected to add a stack of “Burn Siege”. Upon getting 5 stacks of burn siege the siege weapon destroys itself. No CSR needed to prevent siege trolling.
• Limit Trial Accounts to WvW after 18

With those 2 bullets I just cured the problem and kept the game friendly for everyone. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I agree. I’ve always leveled my new toons in wvw. We had a couple new players with us last time out and they could not join us because they weren’t 18. Now they’re forced to go pve.

Last night an long missing guild mate joined GW2 and we told him to get through the tutorial and he could come and WVW with us. Much to our surprise he could not due to the fact that he was not level 18. When did this happen? Why did this happen? One of the greatest thing about the game was being able to do WVW or PVE with the guild at any level. Not a new player friendly change.

It is incredibly easy and fast to level up. You can get to 18 in an hour or two of focused play. Especially if you’ve got higher level friends to help you out.

Prissie.6582:

Last night an long missing guild mate joined GW2 and we told him to get through the tutorial and he could come and WVW with us. Much to our surprise he could not due to the fact that he was not level 18. When did this happen? Why did this happen? One of the greatest thing about the game was being able to do WVW or PVE with the guild at any level. Not a new player friendly change.

Because people were abusing it to create troll siege and do other annoying things

Black Frog.9274:

It is incredibly easy and fast to level up. You can get to 18 in an hour or two of focused play. Especially if you’ve got higher level friends to help you out.

Prissie.6582:

Last night an long missing guild mate joined GW2 and we told him to get through the tutorial and he could come and WVW with us. Much to our surprise he could not due to the fact that he was not level 18. When did this happen? Why did this happen? One of the greatest thing about the game was being able to do WVW or PVE with the guild at any level. Not a new player friendly change.

Because people were abusing it to create troll siege and do other annoying things

So the person would spend 19.99 or 39.99 to build troll siege? This limit is only for new accounts. If they had a toon already they wouldn’t be limited. I find it hard to believe someone would spend that much real world cash to be a moron. But then again we also have peopleofwalmart.com….

I would think ArenaNet would just add a right click option to siege to allow people to report troll siege and store the name of the person who placed it. Thus allowing them to lock out accounts who perform such actions. If enough people report it the siege destroys itself. Would be a much more community friendly solution that this.

Foghladha.2506:

Black Frog.9274:

It is incredibly easy and fast to level up. You can get to 18 in an hour or two of focused play. Especially if you’ve got higher level friends to help you out.

Prissie.6582:

Last night an long missing guild mate joined GW2 and we told him to get through the tutorial and he could come and WVW with us. Much to our surprise he could not due to the fact that he was not level 18. When did this happen? Why did this happen? One of the greatest thing about the game was being able to do WVW or PVE with the guild at any level. Not a new player friendly change.

Because people were abusing it to create troll siege and do other annoying things

So the person would spend 19.99 or 39.99 to build troll siege? This limit is only for new accounts. If they had a toon already they wouldn’t be limited. I find it hard to believe someone would spend that much real world cash to be a moron. But then again we also have peopleofwalmart.com….

I would think ArenaNet would just add a right click option to siege to allow people to report troll siege and store the name of the person who placed it. Thus allowing them to lock out accounts who perform such actions. If enough people report it the siege destroys itself. Would be a much more community friendly solution that this.

No, you see that during LEAGUES arena net almost ALWAYS had a “try out GW2 for a month for free” trail going just before or at the start of the tourney. This meant that people could create FREE accounts that they used to troll with. Said accounts was disabled once their trail period was up, thus they just made a new one. This circle went on and on and on. It was/is also one of the driving forces behind WHY arenanet is struggling to stop the siege trolling. Because A LOT if not most of the trolls are using trail accounts.

I agree with Foghladha. One of the best things about WvW has been being able to jump right into the fight. It was sold by ArenaNet, early on, as “anyone can help with the fight.” I think abandoning that approach is a mistake.

I thought you could still WvW right from level 1, the only difference is that you don’t have access to the WvW panel, it remains hidden until lvl 18… did they try going to LA and using the portals to enter? Unless it had something to do with the free trial week when they blocked wvw to trial accounts… bug maybe?

You can’t even equip an off hand weapon until level 7, there’s even a restriction on when you can swap to the secondary weapon set (somewhere in the teens I think) Why would you want a level 2 with (1) 1 handed weapon running with you? Don’t kill the uplevel? No, tourney taught us the uplevel is the spy and ALL green arrows must pay. I understand the irritation from those that have run a lowbe in there, but, think back, how long did it take you to get acclimated? Did you kill anyone with your white armor and weapons? Some things are worth waiting for, be thankful, it could be longer.

Soren.9316:

I thought you could still WvW right from level 1, the only difference is that you don’t have access to the WvW panel, it remains hidden until lvl 18… did they try going to LA and using the portals to enter? Unless it had something to do with the free trial week when they blocked wvw to trial accounts… bug maybe?

This was how I understood the notes as well, but I admit could apply to toon under 18 on the same account as your other + 18 toons….. I have had no interest in leveling since the trait change myself…..

Prysin.8542:

Foghladha.2506:

Black Frog.9274:

It is incredibly easy and fast to level up. You can get to 18 in an hour or two of focused play. Especially if you’ve got higher level friends to help you out.

Prissie.6582:

Last night an long missing guild mate joined GW2 and we told him to get through the tutorial and he could come and WVW with us. Much to our surprise he could not due to the fact that he was not level 18. When did this happen? Why did this happen? One of the greatest thing about the game was being able to do WVW or PVE with the guild at any level. Not a new player friendly change.

Because people were abusing it to create troll siege and do other annoying things

So the person would spend 19.99 or 39.99 to build troll siege? This limit is only for new accounts. If they had a toon already they wouldn’t be limited. I find it hard to believe someone would spend that much real world cash to be a moron. But then again we also have peopleofwalmart.com….

I would think ArenaNet would just add a right click option to siege to allow people to report troll siege and store the name of the person who placed it. Thus allowing them to lock out accounts who perform such actions. If enough people report it the siege destroys itself. Would be a much more community friendly solution that this.

No, you see that during LEAGUES arena net almost ALWAYS had a “try out GW2 for a month for free” trail going just before or at the start of the tourney. This meant that people could create FREE accounts that they used to troll with. Said accounts was disabled once their trail period was up, thus they just made a new one. This circle went on and on and on. It was/is also one of the driving forces behind WHY arenanet is struggling to stop the siege trolling. Because A LOT if not most of the trolls are using trail accounts.

Why not just put this limit on trial accounts then?

HazyDaisy.4107:

You can’t even equip an off hand weapon until level 7, there’s even a restriction on when you can swap to the secondary weapon set (somewhere in the teens I think) Why would you want a level 2 with (1) 1 handed weapon running with you? Don’t kill the uplevel? No, tourney taught us the uplevel is the spy and ALL green arrows must pay. I understand the irritation from those that have run a lowbe in there, but, think back, how long did it take you to get acclimated? Did you kill anyone with your white armor and weapons? Some things are worth waiting for, be thankful, it could be longer.

I don’t care if you’re naked fighting with a stick. If you want to WvW you can follow me any day of the week.

Access is not removed. Only the UI is hidden.

Use the keybind shortcuts to get into both PvP and WvW at lower levels.

First go to Heart of the Mists and equip your 2nd weapon set. Weapon swap is locked at lower levels in PvE but not in PvP. Once you equip in PvP, you can use weapon swap in both WvW and PvE. You have to always go into HotM in order to change to a different weapon set though.

Then go into WvW. Enjoy.

Why this limitation? If you have someone who wants to go into WvW as a level two on a paid account, more power to them. New accounts should not need workarounds to get in.

If siege on trial accounts is an issue, just disable the trial accounts from being able to drop siege.

But you can PvP as soon as the tutorial is over. Obviously PvP is far less complicated.

I bought my son an account during the sale as well, and he is pretty hardcore into sPvP and WvW. He was really sad that he had to spend a day leveling a character in PvE before he could go to WvW. Is it a deal breaker? Not to us. But it was highly inconvenient and shouldn’t be a requirement, especially because WvW uplevels everyone to 80. Who cares if they’re level 5 or 50? Or naked with a stick like Fog said. Stop forcing people to play a certain way ANet – let us play OUR way.

You can still enter WvW via the portals in Lion’s Arch.

Please don’t blow this out of proportion.

Chaba.5410:

Access is not removed. Only the UI is hidden.

Use the keybind shortcuts to get into both PvP and WvW at lower levels.

First go to Heart of the Mists and equip your 2nd weapon set. Weapon swap is locked at lower levels in PvE but not in PvP. Once you equip in PvP, you can use weapon swap in both WvW and PvE. You have to always go into HotM in order to change to a different weapon set though.

Then go into WvW. Enjoy.

Thanks for the info. I thought I had read something about this when they made the change.

Just ran into this myself. Besides what others have already said about going through the LA portals another tip is to go to pvp and pick up equipment first.

Going to pvp also unlocks your weapon swap but you can only change which second weapon you have equipped in the mists.

Unfortunately, I actually disagree with this 100%. I don’t WvW, but the fact of the matter is once you start giving special treatment to one group of players then they will roll all over with it. Why can’t people do dungeons until a certain level? I don’t see this as a fair change across the board and honestly it just seems like special treatment for people who play world versus world.

Silent The Gray.3091:

Unfortunately, I actually disagree with this 100%. I don’t WvW, but the fact of the matter is once you start giving special treatment to one group of players then they will roll all over with it. Why can’t people do dungeons until a certain level? I don’t see this as a fair change across the board and honestly it just seems like special treatment for people who play world versus world.

You can enter dungeons at level 2. You simply can’t open the instance. Fail argument is fail.

Reverence.6915:

Silent The Gray.3091:

Unfortunately, I actually disagree with this 100%. I don’t WvW, but the fact of the matter is once you start giving special treatment to one group of players then they will roll all over with it. Why can’t people do dungeons until a certain level? I don’t see this as a fair change across the board and honestly it just seems like special treatment for people who play world versus world.

You can enter dungeons at level 2. You simply can’t open the instance. Fail argument is fail.

In fact… I used to rush my alts by getting them on the dungeon for the end reward before EotM.

You can enter in a dungeon at any level. You just won’t be able to do it like a player of the level of the dungeon would (Pretty much like in WvW, where a uplevel can’t compete with a 80)

On a positive note, you can have them level as they unlock their skills, then assist them in EOTM to teach the basics of getting supply, building siege, defending, attacking, and let them get accustomed to GW2 a bit. You can also show them how to take down gates, walls, use siege effectively, and by the time they get the hang of everything they will more then likely hit lvl 18. (Since you get EXP in EOTM.)

Then at level 18 they could come into WvW, and you can continue showing the ropes, so to speak about towers, keeps, places to set siege, fighting, skill combo’s, gears types to run in wvw, areas to cap like the dredge/ogres/bloodlust points.

I am all for this. It curbs free trial trolling to a large degree, and the amount of new players that want to "go straight to wvw ahhmigawd!!!’ are likely miniscule. Someone coming in with few weapon skills, and no utility is just a res bot anyway. So double win.

Maxite.6102:

I am all for this. It curbs free trial trolling to a large degree

Free trials can’t WvW. I believe they can Obs Sanctum and maybe, don’t recall, EotM.

Why is people ignoring the answers that is telling you there is NO problem to get in to wvw regardless of level. Go to LA take the portal and join. I am fairly sure you can live with that you can not use the UI until lvl 18 so stop blowing this out of proportion. There is no problem use portal, solved!

Having a level restriction implemented, because vet players abused something, is rather pointless if the same vet players have a work-around and all it does is cause confusion and inconvenience to a new player.

Key word there is NEW player… which is what this thread is about. Experienced players knowing of a “workaround” is moot to the discussion.

So let’s explore that:

How would a new player know about the LA Portals or using Mists? “Ask in chat”, you say? Then consider what would give them the idea that there were any ways to bypass the UI restriction? Is a new player thinking: “Oh, it says I can’t WvW until I’m level 18, kitten that, there’s got to be a way around that, so I’ll just ask in chat!”

Yea… no. They’ll believe what their UI tells them, because there is no reason to question it.

You have to put yourself in the shoes of a new player, which is exactly what we’re asking the Developers to do. Its a bad design, it only punishes those that they’re trying to attract. Best is to get rid of it, if not then at least plug the workarounds if they’re that unintended.

So one more time: Whether I, or any of you, know that there’s a workaround to the UI restriction, does not matter. Its the new player that we are concerned about, especially those of us on the lower tiered WvW servers that want to attract new blood.

Sekkerhund.3790:

Having a level restriction implemented, because vet players abused something, is rather pointless if the same vet players have a work-around and all it does is cause confusion and inconvenience to a new player.

Key word there is NEW player… which is what this thread is about. Experienced players knowing of a “workaround” is moot to the discussion.

So let’s explore that:

How would a new player know about the LA Portals or using Mists? “Ask in chat”, you say? Then consider what would give them the idea that there were any ways to bypass the UI restriction? Is a new player thinking: “Oh, it says I can’t WvW until I’m level 18, kitten that, there’s got to be a way around that, so I’ll just ask in chat!”

Yea… no. They’ll believe what their UI tells them, because there is no reason to question it.

You have to put yourself in the shoes of a new player, which is exactly what we’re asking the Developers to do. Its a bad design, it only punishes those that they’re trying to attract. Best is to get rid of it, if not then at least plug the workarounds if they’re that unintended.

So one more time: Whether I, or any of you, know that there’s a workaround to the UI restriction, does not matter. Its the new player that we are concerned about, especially those of us on the lower tiered WvW servers that want to attract new blood.

So were you see this huge plot against new players i see something else, because the truth is, before they changed this, we had MANY new players who only knew how to press number one following the champtrain in queensdale not knowing how to combine rotation or understand the meaning of cc, or how they stay alive. And when they reached higher ranks and suddenly had to actually play the game they were wrecked.

Now for the people who are experienced already or who tell friends to join the game they still have a option to join wvw, and at lvl 18 which takes a few hours to reach due to the easy way of leveling, you will as new player be introduced to the ui.

Again you see a huge plot, i see a-net at least trying to help the inexpereinced players to find their way through the game and there is many of them. Experienced players will find their way anyway and can join wvw through the portals, and their friends that they bring will be helped by them if they want a faster way.
There is no problem, you just want it your way, but this leaves out all those that actually have no friends to turn too and ask, and they need a slower way to get in to this game and get introduces to things as they come a long. After spending many hours in ascalon farming chilipepper, seeing all this lvl 5 riflewarriors, staff messmers and staffwater eles lying around dead everywere due to not understanding their skills and they would get wrecked if they enter wvw at that point and will never enter again. I feel this was a better way of doing it for the people who need the rest will manage anyway since they can still use it.

Sekkerhund.3790:

How would a new player know about the LA Portals or using Mists?

There is a NPC on each race major town that talk about it. Mind you, this NPC been in game since day 1.

I think many people are still missing this key point:

ANY LEVEL CAN DO WVW; YOU ACCESS THE BATTLEGROUNDS THROUGH A PORTAL IN LA.

xivor.8754:

I think many people are still missing this key point:

ANY LEVEL CAN DO WVW; YOU ACCESS THE BATTLEGROUNDS THROUGH A PORTAL IN LA.

Yup, so why did they make the change in the first place? Just to be annoying? The new leveling experience is just god awful and having to wait so long to get your traits for WvW was just a kittenty move on their part.

I think the intent was to not allow WvW access til level 18, but failed to realize the portal travel allowed the access still. I think this classifies as a “bug”.

I think this feature should be optional or removed, new players should be able to roam and explore WvW, that’s how I found GSCH back a few years ago.

it’s a good move by ANET. at least some deterrent to siege trolls and spy accounts.

even then, 18 level is nothing in this game, you can get it in a blink if you’re experienced GW2 player. if you’re new to GW2, and was told to level up in WvW, you’re very much ill-advised.

It is why I never bought ESO. I played the beta. Realized I had to level before I could go into their version of WvW or RvR, and I logged off and walked away from it.

I do not know what devs are thinking, but the second I run into being locked out of a large and significant game aspect I turn and walk away. I have a lot of fun in this game. I sure am glad it wasn’t this way from the start, or I would have missed it all.

I thought GW2 motto was eSports.

Also, you can still play PvP when your under 18, did you suggest to your newplayers to play PvP? To get them ready for WvW, because if they don’t know how to fight others they wont be any good in today’s WvW where majority of people have been playing for a long time and will run over any newbs that stand around trying to figure out what to do.

You earn PvE experience and leveling scrolls in PvP too, so its really advisable to make them play a bunch of PvP games before they set foot into WvW.

Also, this is kinda good news, because Jade Quarry is one of the servers that has been heavily abused by people (Jade Quarry haters, people want Jade Quarry to be tier 2 or below) with new accounts building siege and siege capping us to hinder our WvW performance, yet here we still stand STRONG in Tier 1 WvW. (Fast moving superior siege golems, don’t scare us, we KNOW we are the most dominate WvW server in GW2).

new accounts should be 78 not 18 , because if they hack on wvw they are doing a lot of damage to the game with only 20$.

new accounts from level 18 should have the option to go to eotm where the score doesn’t matter and hacks are useless . so they can level up there their toons , but in eotm they will spent a lot of time to go to 78 .

after spent a lot of time , they will think twice if they hack on wvw . personal time is very important to sacrifice it to stupid hacks

old accounts with at least one character 80 level with a new character i don’t think there is problem to go to wvw. if they hack they will loose all their characters ….

P.S. of course there are 80 level characters around that are hacking in wvw , but most of the people when there is a chance to loose something that they spent a lot of time for it they think it twice to do it.

Trial accounts should NOT be allowed to WvW.

Players should be able to WvW at level 2 (same as PvP).

Why Style?
Many might get Trial accounts, just to test GW2, and if you block them from the parts of the game which they are trying, you could drive away possible new players.
Not everyone comes to GW2 strictly for PVE/SPvP, some play for WvW as well.

I understand people possibly abusing it, however I don’t understand blocking legit players from something due to abusers.

Go to LA, take the portal to WvW.

Bingo, now WvW is account unlocked.

If you are under 80 and plays wvw you will hate it

McWolfy.5924:

If you are under 80 and plays wvw you will hate it

I’m doing it right now on an alt account and loving it. Do you know how funny it is when you kill someone with an uplevel that isn’t even bronze rank? I just know people are raging when they lose 1v1. The only thing that sucks it that every time I gain a level I do less damage because the system is stupid.

Honestly comparing WvW and PvP does not seem really wise because because gear and lvl are standardised in PvP.
I"ll just leave this here for those that “like” to play WvW with lvl <18
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