Guild Wars 2

Due to granting the powerful Applied Fortitude and Applied Strength effects, the Defense Against Guards and Guard Killer lines needed to be extremely expensive, but that meant players often felt obligated to spend their first 230 points on these lines before they could begin branching out into other ability lines… This drove our decision to shorten the Guard Killer and Defense Against Guards lines to five, removing Applied Strength and Applied Fortitude.

Source: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/upgrading-world-vs-world-upgrades/

I have never supported guard stacks for the very reason above and because it arbitrarily gives stat advantages to experienced players. However, I thought of alternative ways of handling this rather than removing it completely:

1. Guard stacks be made baseline by being added to everyone’s stats immediately upon entering WvW. Meaning that you get a 100pow 250vit buff upon entering WvW.
2. Guard stacks will be baseline by allowing everyone to obtain guard stacks without needing a point investment.
3. Guard stacks will be moved to the beginning of the guard killer and defense against guards trees for one point each.

I personally don’t like 1, and think that 2 and 3 are better ways of resolving the guard stack issue than removing it completely.

Thoughts?

Edit: Added quote

Someone mentioned the german article says something different. That the 2 bonuses are given freely once you reach a specific rank.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/wuv/Appl-Fort-and-Str-removed-or-baseline

I know many of us (myself included) are now accustomed to the +100 power and +250 vit. But I fail to see a compelling, non-arbitrary reason to keep it. All experienced players received this benefit, so even if my power level will decrease, everyone else’s will too.

I certainly agree with some arguments that there aren’t enough point sinks for people with lots of WvW ranks, but that is, I think, a separate issue.

fluidmonolith.3584:

I know many of us (myself included) are now accustomed to the +100 power and +250 vit. But I fail to see a compelling, non-arbitrary reason to keep it. All experienced players received this benefit, so even if my power level will decrease, everyone else’s will too.

I certainly agree with some arguments that there aren’t enough point sinks for people with lots of WvW ranks, but that is, I think, a separate issue.

I’m not sure whether or not I support the existence of guard stacks, I’m just giving alternatives to fix the issue claimed by anet other than completely removing it.

Guard stacks should be baseline.
I dont realy like this cheaper thing. Now i have more unused points…

What about giving a small disadvantage per wvw rank? i’d suggest to reduce your power by 1 for each wvw rank you have. Experienced wvw players will have a high rank so they will deal less damage. As a silverwaste farmer i want to own these experienced wvw players with my full glasscannon bearbow ranger but now they are continously killing me. I asked my mom to send a report to Anet to stop these experienced wvw players from bullying me. Hopefully they will apply this change to WvW.
In the meantime i’m still getting owned by all these bullies so i won’t be playing WvW till this patch comes out. I’ll just go start roleplaying with my friends in LA and make up names for new structures!

much devlove <3
A random PvE scrub

I am that new player and I’m very close to having the same advantages in bonuses that all of the veteran players have enjoyed.

Let me tell you it was humbling getting here, and even when guard stacks are removed veteran players will still have the upper hand because they understand their builds and what they can do with it.

No one can take that experience away. It was earned, but having extra power to face roll noobs is really unnecessary when your still going to have months of entertainment spiking them while they get a handle on what the other classes are capable of, why everyone in the zerg out runs them, or why their sigils of mischief just are not working out on their warrior.

I’m realistic, and like most new players I don’t expect to come into a game and own veteran players who poured months and years into learning their class, but by the same token I was discouraged more than once until I realized there was an additional penalty for being a new player entering the battlefield.

I die alot, and when I do I often repair and run back to face the same opponent. I don’t do this out of anger or ego. I do it to get a better look at their build, what they are using, and how they apply it. Its how I learn, but its hard to gauge ones progress when the math slants toward an already seasoned opponent.

On a personal note I have no desire to put another new player through what I went through, or feel the need to have a bonus over them because I’ve been doing it longer. This is my sport and I need my opponents every bit as much as I need my team. Many servers already struggle to have 24/7 team coverage, and compounding the negatives against those entering our community for the first time is just detrimental to the long term survival of WvW competition in my honest opinion. /salute

(edited for bad spellz)

I’m rank 2700++ and I really wish they simply remove them. It unbalance too much WvW and a flat 2500 HP isn’t worth the same on all class. My example is probably not correct but 2500 HP on a thief or a mesmer is like giving 5000 more HP to a warrior. I also really hate running around and feeling kitten if I don’t have them. To me they should simply remove it.

Archon.6481:

Due to granting the powerful Applied Fortitude and Applied Strength effects, the Defense Against Guards and Guard Killer lines needed to be extremely expensive, but that meant players often felt obligated to spend their first 230 points on these lines before they could begin branching out into other ability lines… This drove our decision to shorten the Guard Killer and Defense Against Guards lines to five, removing Applied Strength and Applied Fortitude.

Source: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/upgrading-world-vs-world-upgrades/

I have never supported guard stacks for the very reason above and because it arbitrarily gives stat advantages to experienced players. However, I thought of alternative ways of handling this rather than removing it completely:

1. Guard stacks be made baseline by being added to everyone’s stats immediately upon entering WvW. Meaning that you get a 100pow 250vit buff upon entering WvW.
2. Guard stacks will be baseline by allowing everyone to obtain guard stacks without needing a point investment.
3. Guard stacks will be moved to the beginning of the guard killer and defense against guards trees for one point each.

I personally don’t like 1, and think that 2 and 3 are better ways of resolving the guard stack issue than removing it completely.

Thoughts?

Edit: Added quote

If you’re going to make them baseline and give them to everyone than whats the difference if no one has them ?