Guild Wars 2

I’m wondering what everyone thinks could be easy to do improvements and fixes for a better WvW experience. Please note 3 and try to be brief so the feedback is easier to digest for dev eyes.
(Culling doesn’t count, since it’s not an easy fix and being worked on anyway)

1) Name plates of dead players greyed out for much better overview.
Seriously, how much spamming of skills on nothing would that avoid? It would also likely improve frame rates for everyone.

2) Profession symbols for enemy players.
Small and easy change for big impact on overview. This would make planning for an impending engagement so much more doable.

3) More stuff to do for smaller groups.
Might not be an “easy” fix, but I feel that steamrolling around with a 50 man zerg is not the most interesting form of PvP.

Remove JP from wvw, or make it so access is only once per 50 enemies killed.

Fix culling so that I can at least see the thief that just rofl stomped me and finished me from stealth.

Add portable cannons and remove trebs – cannons cannot be placed, moved to or built inside any keep or tower.

Fix the outmanned buff so it actually gives something that is useful.

Culling

Culling

Lag.

Xolo.3580:

3) More stuff to do for smaller groups.
Might not be an “easy” fix, but I feel that steamrolling around with a 50 man zerg is not the most interesting form of PvP.

IMO there’s plenty of this already. For example, 10 of us just ran around a map for an hour flipping supply camps and draining supply from towers for our main group. We just did a 2 golem rush on a tower near their spawn, and when the enemy zerg responded our main force already had 5 rams at the inner gate in their keep. We took that keep, when we had previously tried 2 times in the last 2 hours.

1.) Prioritize stealthed targets in culling so they always render after stealth ends.

2.) Remove the Glicko system. It’s too hard for servers that are clearly the next tier material to have a chance to get in that tier, because they have to win by massive amounts and the server above them has to lose by massive amounts. It also makes the matches more stale than they have to be by keeping matches the same.

3.) Make badges loot from taking keeps/towers/supply camps and remove them from Jumping Puzzles.

1) Remove every downed ability that allows people to actually move from where they are laying as well as the ability for people to move while downed under water.

2) Fix the longstanding exploitave entraces to the side keeps, disable and track those using third party game hacks, ban all those proven to have hacked over the last month.

3) Close transfers to the top server in every tier.

fix the current match up. 3rd place gets dropped down a tier, first place moves up a tier. That way we dont have scenarios of fighting the same server week after week.

1) Culling (though you said easy! lol)
2) No Rally’s on the death of PvE Mobs in WvW
3) Siege Weapons need internal timers (IE: they don’t last FOREVER… like 1hr or something):
- Repair Seige ability
- Deconstruct Seige ability (giving some supply back, but not all)

1) Culling
2) Bugs and Exploits
3) More upgrades and rewards for upgrading

Easy changes:

1. Winner of a tier goes to the next tier up loser goes down regardless of rating.
2. Orbs brought back with PvE benefits.
3. Make the minor changes needed to stop people using the exploits to get into Hills and DB.

Visible despawn timer on seige

In no particular order -

1) No badges in WvW JP, put them in as dalies/rewards for objectives <- SERIOUSLY READ THIS A-NET
2) Fix downed states (Same hp on down as SPvP, no rally on killing a random deer, DR on # of ressers ->healing… also make vapor form not go through keep/tower portals)
3) Remove badges from bags until we have auto loot. Instead reward them for goals/per X # of kills.

For those mentioning culling its clearly not an easy fix.

morrolan.9608:

For those mentioning culling its clearly not an easy fix.

^

1. remove ALL reviving
2. remove ALL rewards and costs
3. allow only level 80 in

1. Remove the rally mechanic
2. Fix the siege despawn timers (why do my superior trebs despawn after 10 kittening minutes and flame rams sit there all day?)
3. Lower per-server map cap to 80 per map

1. Slightly modify glicko so that winners always gain points and losers always loose points. Allowing movement in tiers but also enabling the creation of rivalries.
2. Structures keep lords are only targetable for 15 mins following registered full breach of structure or whilst structure remains breached.
3. Combine EU and US servers so that coverage becomes less of an issue and skill is now paramount for promotion. With a 30 min overlap of time over each start and finish time of w3 and closing down during the 11 hours downtime ( you are able to represent w3 on the opposite world during your servers downtime)
4. Xfering servers is only for pve, once you set home w3 server you can’t change even for money.

Dayra.7405:

morrolan.9608:

For those mentioning culling its clearly not an easy fix.

Nevertheless, it is the most important one.
A PvP where you never see your opponents before either you or them are dead is superfluous.

I agree with that, it should be anets top priority.

1.) Siegerazaer NPC should be disabled if your server is leading in points.

2.) If your server is leading in points, everyone in your server gets a server bonus of +33% MF, +33% Exp Gain, +33% Karma Gain, +33% Influence Gain, +33% Gold found on drops and +33% more tokens gained from dungeons.

3.) A new Outmanned Buff called “Desperation Buff” should be introduced for the 3rd place server. It activates when the the 3rd place server’s score is equal to or below 50% compared to the 1st place server’s score. “Desperation Buff” gives the losing team +150 attribute buff, + 25% HP/Attack/Armor Increase and a 100hp/sec regen while in WvW. (maybe this buffs are a little too much, but somewhere along these lines.)

This suggestions is focused on encouraging players to join the WvW effort.

-Different color dots on the map per guild/party/“Squad” with a possibility to filter.
-Team kick/invite
-Universal map marking and drawing with filters.

1) give a reason to use actual war tactics [scouting,tactics,etc.]

2) have a way to make it so that a small group has an advantage that a zerg cannot

3) give the out manned buff something useful

The funniest part of this thread is the only thing that you all have mentioned that they say they war working on is the one that is not easy.

-on disconnect, don’t go to Lion’s Arch but where you used to be (no more 5 minute loading screen on every patch disconnect as everyone loads Lion’s Arch at once)
-siege account bound
-condition damage on siege weapons (I don’t always run a condition build but when I do I wonder why I have to sit there hitting oil for 80 damage)

1. Decrease armor repair costs to encourage roaming parties and soloers rather than staying with the zerg 24/7. Siege already drains enough money as it is.

2. Make the outmanned buff give stat boosts like it should have from the start, rather than the worthless MF boost.

3. Make secondary objectives (owning quaggan nodes, allying with the dredge/hylek) worth more and harder to flip. They don’t need to give points, though that would be cool, but make owning them actually worthwhile. Currently, it seems that the “allies” you get to help you only slow down a 2 man capping team. They are incredibly weak with very generic abilities. Make them all veterans, or maybe a champion. Just something so that they are harder to take down than the moas next to them.

At the same time, make them more difficult/time consuming to flip so that gaining them as allies actually makes a significant change in the area. If they are the locals, they should have an impact on the area, and gaining their loyalty (which changes way too often as of now) should mean something. If you gain the loyalty of the locals in enemy territory, they should make holding said area more difficult to defend. Things like telling their chieftain to direct their attacks against a certain landmark to either distract or reinforce your troops gives a tactical choice that gives more depth to the game.

Okay, the third one is more complicated, but very cool at the same time, imo.

Make commander a title that is earned, not just a toy for egomaniacal trading post heroes.

Guild commander icons that can only be seem by the respective guild.

Remove or reduce aoe caps and retaliation to prevent stacking.

45% higher crit chance when attacking bookahs, because they’re large and easy to hit :P

Charr tank, bazooka’s, grapling hooks, disable stealth finishing moves

1) Give us back the Orbs to have as an objective, just make it have boosts to Karma, EXP and Magic Find (etc.) instead of anything affecting combat prowess.

2) Slightly improved Commander functionality. Make /supplyinfo work at a larger radius for one, at least the size of a supply camp capture radius (for those not aware, that is a different command from /squadinfo). Make it possible to join a squad from the mini-map. Make map icons (Attack/Defend/Rally) placed down by Commanders, visible to players joining a squad after their Commander had placed them. I may have missed this being implemented as such already, so ignore it if it works like this; if a player joins a squad, they should see what their Commander draws on the (mini-)map. Being able to visualize tactics with drawing arrows, circles and so on, can be really helpful. Again, haven’t really paid attention to if it works like this, but if it does, ignore this as well; pings (red circle) should be visible to all members of a squad. Make a little UI element and/or chat command to make it possible to Show-/Hide all Commander icons/Show only your Commander (this should allow you to see all Commander icons even if you are in a squad as well).

3) Not easy; replace all enemy opposition with generic duplicated character models (same generic low-details armor, same (server) colors, same everything, with the only difference being one for male and one for female characters and probably some generic weapons models too), that are loaded client-side until information about how a character actually looks can be sent to the client from the server.

In smaller engagements, this should instantly load in the oppositions actual details, but in larger scale battles, when culling is a fact of life, the server should be able to delay and limit the data sent on everything but the skills used, x/y/z-positions and otherwise required information for showing what is going on in the battlefield.

The generic “default” model should help improve on framerates, as well as overall culling from not having the information about where a character, with this and that combination of equipment and dyes, are positioned. Prioritize the positioning of the enemies and their skills used, load generic client-sided details otherwise. Implement anti-cheating memory checks on the details loaded client-side, if this is not in place already. Could probably revert all defeated enemies to the generic models as well, if the client had gotten around to loading their player models.

I wouldn’t like seeing a universal army uniform being forced on a player for WvW, as I appreciate that I am able to use my PvE gear and desired looks for this PvP-part of the game, but having a generic “uniform” to load before the server is able to provide the variety of different combinations of equipment and dyes data, should hopefully help, at least to some extent, with reducing the invisible-enemies-are-killing-me issue.

1. Imbalanced population point scaling
2. Fix exploitable terrain
3. Bring back orbs with non-combat benefits. Extra points would even be fine (around +10 value).

morrolan.9608:

Easy changes:

1. Winner of a tier goes to the next tier up loser goes down regardless of rating.
2. Orbs brought back with PvE benefits.
3. Make the minor changes needed to stop people using the exploits to get into Hills and DB.

This ^
As much as I love fighting Blackgate, I would prefer if the teams changed each week determined by who wins or loses.

not sure if these are my best 3 suggestions but will give brief reasons after each
1. Improved Grouping UI – Kick Feature/ Squad layout (see their hp, minimap location, etc)
2. Remove AoE cap for siege AND/OR Boost Cata & Treb player dmg – I am perfectly ok being 1 shotted by a giant flaming boulder, I should feel terror and look to the sky when I hear the ‘krashink-WHOOOSH’ sound. Siege ISN’T SCARY right now!
3. Overflow Queue – When the map you want is queue’d you instead join another map that isn’t full similar to current Overflow (Queue for EBG and enter blue borderlands and entered in EBG queue.)

Honorable Mention (4th) Really like Aberrant’s idea of scrapping badges in puzzles and just giving them in a WvW daily.

1. Remove Catapult 2
2. Remove Trebuchet 2
3. Remove Boiling Oil 2

or
1. Remove jumping puzzle borderland
2. Remove jumping puzzle eternal battleground
3. Implement badge reward for capturing and defending.

1: Nerf brakeout events. Only in your own borderland if you hold no keep/tower and you should be able to take two towers with it just one. And give it a decent 30 min or more cooldown.

2: Upgrading keeps etc is to expensive on a single player. Allow us to use either guild influence or badges of honor or something else, and invent some system where people can help out throwing in 10 silvers each for upgrades or somthing. Playing on a low populated server and atleast we really feel this as things never get upgraded the way its currently like.

3: Remove or increase AoE cap.

1.) Add an option to replace nameplates for enemies/allies with a small icon of the team’s color, or allow us to remove them altogether. Sometimes I run into a zerg, and can’t even see players because the nameplate text is blocking them.

2.) Add a shared cooldown to mesmer portal usage. By this I mean, when one player uses the portal, all other players have to wait 1 second before they can use it. Kinda like the Nydus Worm in Starcraft 2. Using portals to sneak into locations is fine imo, but portal bombing 30 people to an opponent’s back lines is a bit lame.

3.) Remove rally on death of PVE mobs.

In order to shut up all PvE haters out there: Remove the Gift of Battle as req for legendaries (500 Badges of Honor, thus making people who PvE for it come into WvW).

Now for actual stuff:

1 – Make defending a point less boring and more rewarding… Why would i sit in tower for hours to protect it if i will gain nothing, and the steamrolling zerg will get all the fun/profit?

2 – Make the Neutral NPC camps a real use, or remove them… We don’t need more useless stuff. That also include the Skritt and Centaur camps in the Borderlands.

3 – Make a Daily/Monthly WvW achievment (you did one for sPvP, can’t be that hard) in order to reward people who are being active in the battlefield…

4 – Since people from Europe can play on American servers, and people from America can play on Europe Servers, unite both brackets… I don’t have an issue with the people from other continents, but it seen senseless to me that if all servers are on equal situation to be separated as they are. (Not really an issue though…)

1. Reintroduce Orbs, make them give +chance to loot Badges/gold to owners instead of stats.
2. Make guild claiming more important, introduce guild boons.
3. The hidden nicknames concept was a failure, remove it altogether.

Only reason I don’t like these kinds of threads is that I see dozens of things I want to argue against, but that’s not the point of these threads.

Remove ‘superior’ class of siege weapons.

Remove JPs completely, or make them a seperate instance which does not use tickets from each of the main maps (this can resolve a lot of quarreling and frustration).

Fix terrain exploits. Hurry up about it.

Opc.4718:

To those who want small groups to have an advantage over large groups – there already is. No orange crosswords. You’d be surprised how many large objectives you can flip while your main zerg is busy creating a distraction.

Uh what? Have you not seen how incredibly little it takes to get orange swords? I’ve literally been running around solo and died to a group and it put up swords where I died. kitten near anything over a 1v1 throws up swords.

dreztina.4820:

Opc.4718:

To those who want small groups to have an advantage over large groups – there already is. No orange crosswords. You’d be surprised how many large objectives you can flip while your main zerg is busy creating a distraction.

Uh what? Have you not seen how incredibly little it takes to get orange swords? I’ve literally been running around solo and died to a group and it put up swords where I died. kitten near anything over a 1v1 throws up swords.

Your problem is obviously due to playing Number v Number. If you do Number v Door u can be super saiyan stealth all day long with 5 people like the MLG pro tower snipers.

If anyone still hasn’t figured out the orange sword mechanic, >5 people in the same map “zone” in combat mode = orange swords.

1) culling
2) exploits
3)need larger groups, at least for guilds

1)Work on better class balance (got rofl stomped by a perma stealth thief, seriously I come back after 3 months and no balance changes?)

2)Adjust the boost on lower players so that while they aren’t on the same stats as the now seriously geared out 80s, they are closer. New players will just get rofl stomped and quit the game if they came for wvwvw with the current imbalance. New players will just feel useless and I doubt many want to grind out 80 levels, fractles, dungeons, and whatever else just to feel at least moderately useful in what should be a fun pvp mode.

3)exploits that have been in for months need to be fixed.

Seriously what exactly have the teams been doing the last 3 months? Other then the power creep the game feels no different coming back now. After only a few days…I want to leave again. >.>

Too many to list…Uhh, let’s see, besides basic bug fixes and exploits :

1. Give better rewards / Progression / Rankings…something to give WvW an incentive besides flexing your server’s ego and mediocre buffs
2. More things to do for small groups, though in the end we’ll all just get squished by The Zerg. Maybe change the mechanics in some way so it’s less rewarding for Zergs? -shrug-
3. Remove the Anonymity. I hate feeling like another face in the crowd. It gives people a chance to make a name for themselves. Sounds lame, but I really miss that (knowing your enemies).

Roziel.5720:

Seriously what exactly have the teams been doing the last 3 months?

I think many of us feel by now that they don’t even have a WvW team, or if they do it’s a part-time intern they keep locked in a closet with a magic 8-ball to determine what design changes they implement.

Docherty.8372:

Roziel.5720:

Seriously what exactly have the teams been doing the last 3 months?

I think many of us feel by now that they don’t even have a WvW team, or if they do it’s a part-time intern they keep locked in a closet with a magic 8-ball to determine what design changes they implement.

We’re working on this feature to give you advance notification of new WvW builds so you don’t waste 10 golems. It’s really hard to do. Be patient pls~

1. Remove Jumping Puzzles. Sick of people using up slots and not actually helping to WvW.

2. Visible Seige Despawn timers.

3. Culling.

Haven’t read all the posts to there might be duplicates…but anyway:

- Fix “bug dead mesmer in keep and ress on other side of the door”-exploit. And all those other exploits/hacks…
- display the name/tag of claiming guilds.
- make dolyaks invulnerable as long as the guards are alive.

morrolan.9608:

Dayra.7405:

morrolan.9608:

For those mentioning culling its clearly not an easy fix.

Nevertheless, it is the most important one.
A PvP where you never see your opponents before either you or them are dead is superfluous.

I agree with that, it should be anets top priority.

It’s also something that could have been avoided. It didn’t need to be a problem for the players or the devs if they never implemented it. The very concept of it screams shouldn’t have been put in. None the less here are my 3.

1.) Remove downed state or balance it across classes. Things don’t have to be the same for PVP and PVE you did it in GW1 do it here too.
2.) Increase max targets on AOE.
3.) Diminishing returns or immunity from CC. Nothing worse than being locked down until your dead. Especially when you’ve already burned your utility skill to get out of it.

1. Mobile artillery. In short siegeweapons that can move around on the battlefield, ofc slower then running but movable. This would/could increase diversity immensly.

2. Remove looting, if you play the game as a melee you will miss out on a huge chunk of badges. badges should be autamatcally rewarded, why not thru some sort of daily achivement system.

3. Add one or two more spawnpoints on a couple of maps, some maps “offers” a great deal of running. An alternative to this could be that some professions has a spawnpoint as their eliteskill. So basically set up a temporary spawnpoint.

Ofc i would like to see culling fixed first but thats not a easy thing to do.

1) Remove free server transfers.

Players should not need more than 1 free transfer to settle into the game once they start. WvWvW guilds are a flippant bunch. Many of them change servers to exploit weaker ones, then switch again when the games start to average out.

2) Mesmer Portals, party members only.

There’s no reason a single mesmer should be able to port an entire zerg. Limit the mesmer’s portal in WvWvW to only work with the members that are already in that player’s party.

3) Increase the outmanned bonus.

I’ve seen far too many matches where servers are at the mercy of a ridiculous difference in players. Either boost the outmanned team’s bonuses to acutally be worth a sniff. Increased fluff buffs are a joke. Give bonuses that matter.

1. Remove combat symbols when killing pve mobs.
2. Make most pve mobs neutral (yellow).
3. Remove rally on pve mobs.

Xolo.3580:

1) Name plates of dead players greyed out for much better overview.
Seriously, how much spamming of skills on nothing would that avoid? It would also likely improve frame rates for everyone.

I would alter that to dead enemy players, Trying to rez someone on a battlefield is bad enough now without extra confusion, but it is a good option.

Loot bags drop into your inventory and you double click to open them. In the heat of battle it is very easy to miss a loot bag, some drop through the surface so that you have to be standing close in order to detect their presence.

No ‘finish them’ from stealth. You must be visible for this and stay visible afterwards for a minimum of 5 seconds.

Nurf some of the highest dps builds, or put a maximum rate on damage someone can suffer. Losing 24K health in under 2 seconds from a pair of Thieves attacking from stealth is nasty.

I also agree with Dayra, neutral mobs should not be auto-targeted – ever. It is far too easy to hit something out of view you can’t see, especially with culling.