Guild Wars 2

I haven’t really been able to play too much since the expansion came out, but I do talk to people in the game. I’ve figured for months that increasing the size of the borderlands would hit lower-population servers really hard, but now I’m wondering what do you people on those servers see happening?

I’m in T3 right now, and I know some of my friends have transferred up to higher tiers so that they can be with bigger guilds who are actually able to do something with these maps. One of my guilds used to be a roaming guild, and now we’re all spread out on different servers because roaming is quickly dying out. Are other people experiencing things like this as well?

And what about you people on high population or T1 servers? What does WvW look like for you in the new maps? Compared to before?

Not that the servers were really balanced before, but I feel like these maps are not doing anything good for population balance. It’s especially such a shame when Anet finally decided several months ago to try and re-work the population caps for servers, depending on their WvW population rather than overall server population. It’s just mixed messages from Anet, really. Are they trying to help balance WvW populations, or do they not even care? Are there plans for the future to merge servers and fix populations w/ the new maps that way? What’s going on?

Relax.. new BL sucks anyway so what happens is:
Top tier: EBG queues are longer than pre HoT
New BLs: ghost BLs and pvd…
Low tier: EBG you can find action
New BLs: even more ghost BLs and even more pvd…

It’s been fun on the new maps when people are playing, there are a lot of T1 guild still playing the new PvE content and working on getting their Guild Halls upgraded so they can take advantage of the new WvW mechanics. EBG has always have more people playing on it and a bigger wait time to get it, this is because most people who aren’t doing a guild raid just log in here (pre HoT). More or less it’s the unoffical PUG map often with good PUG commanders running it

I play in NA T2 and the EB queue has increased, but the new maps are deserted. Usually noone is there. Then a mapblobb appers, flips everything and moves on to another bl. Then silence till the next blob appeares. Sometimes a handfull of ppl try to get stuff back.

I could imagine, that this feels for the higher tier servers even more strange. Because in the lower tiers are “dead times” more common than in the higher tiers. We simply are not used to “dead” maps, while the lower tiers always had some “dead timezones”

Zioba.6182:

I play in NA T2 and the EB queue has increased, but the new maps are deserted. Usually noone is there. Then a mapblobb appers, flips everything and moves on to another bl. Then silence till the next blob appeares. Sometimes a handfull of ppl try to get stuff back.

I could imagine, that this feels for the higher tier servers even more strange. Because in the lower tiers are “dead times” more common than in the higher tiers. We simply are not used to “dead” maps, while the lower tiers always had some “dead timezones”

And this is exactly how it was before HoT in T2 NA playing after all the NA Prime players went to sleep and before OCX logged on. The new map only increased something that was already going on.

Chaba.5410:

Zioba.6182:

I play in NA T2 and the EB queue has increased, but the new maps are deserted. Usually noone is there. Then a mapblobb appers, flips everything and moves on to another bl. Then silence till the next blob appeares. Sometimes a handfull of ppl try to get stuff back.

I could imagine, that this feels for the higher tier servers even more strange. Because in the lower tiers are “dead times” more common than in the higher tiers. We simply are not used to “dead” maps, while the lower tiers always had some “dead timezones”

And this is exactly how it was before HoT in T2 NA playing after all the NA Prime players went to sleep and before OCX logged on. The new map only increased something that was already going on.

Maybe. But the new BL’s are always like that. Even in primetime. And i guess the only reason why a group shows up in these maps is more that their commander crashed and EB is queued than that they relly want to go there.

The problem is that very few people like the new BL map. ANET was told this would happen before it was released but instead chose to listen to the PvE types who said they would love it.

What is happening now is that you have a really crowded EB and then much smaller groups on any of the BL maps.

I dont think its that bad tbh. I play in t6.

It started off slow with the launch and Halloween but things have picked up. Most of our guilds are back raiding. We normally have an open mic and a couple guilds on EB and everyone else is on the borders just like pre hot.

Having actually gone round the borders they arnt all that bad once people start playing there. Sure sometimes you can jump on a border and run into no enemys but thats just how it goes, it was like that pre hot as well.

On JQ, BL maps usually empty and can be k-trained. EB will have a queue. You’ll often be outmanned on the borderland maps, and I’d wager that the same is true for YB/BG.

zhonnika.1784:

On JQ, BL maps usually empty and can be k-trained. EB will have a queue. You’ll often be outmanned on the borderland maps, and I’d wager that the same is true for YB/BG.

I dunno, I am on JQ and we have had some solid 3 way battles in the borderlands on 3 seperated nights this week.

It seems to me that as players are starting to finish their PvE stuff for GHs and ESs, the BLSs are starting to compile a decent amount of players from both us, and the competitive servers.

zhonnika.1784:

On JQ, BL maps usually empty and can be k-trained. EB will have a queue. You’ll often be outmanned on the borderland maps, and I’d wager that the same is true for YB/BG.

It is, and you see it with wild fluctuations in scoring. JQ will hold a giant tick, then later BG will tick huge, and still later you see YB ticking large. Rinse, repeat.

And what about you people on high population or T1 servers? What does WvW look like for you in the new maps? Compared to before?

On JQ during 8am EST till at least 12pm EST there might be 10-15 players in EBG. (Outside of the few days a couple guilds rally and run 15-20-ish?)

On the new BL’s, almost no one during those times, unless the rallying guilds go to the new BL’s.

Pre-HOT:
There would be 30ish non guild rallied players. As well as 2-3 guilds running about 20-30ish. (Also about 15 or so scouts through out the maps, and havoc squads.)

I can’t comment on other times though for JQ. Since I only play end of OCX-Sea, and since HOT I haven’t bothered staying up late to play through early EU.

It’s still a bit early to really compare, due to players still grinding their MP/HP/Guild levels and upgrades.

T3, BL’s are dead waste unless a commander wants to K-train. Never hit for fun or anything like that, just karma and loot, then move on.

After the new borderlands 7-9 out of 9 weekly matches in EU have been total blow outs. Just more proof that the new maps are actually lead to even more imbalance.

The new auto pilot upgrade system needs to go. It was much better when human interaction + supplies from dolyaks were required for upgrades.

And of course I want the old Alpine borderland back. I have had fights in the new borderland, but zero fun fights besides 1 vs 1 duels, which you can have on any kind of map given the right opponent. The new map simply isn’t fun to play. Eternal Battlegrounds is now the only place to be in WvWvW.

After the new borderlands 7-9 out of 9 weekly matches in EU have been total blow outs. Just more proof that the new maps are actually lead to even more imbalance.

The new auto pilot upgrade system needs to go. It was much better when human interaction + supplies from dolyaks were required for upgrades.

And of course I want the old Alpine borderland back. I have had fights in the new borderland, but zero fun fights besides 1 vs 1 duels, which you can have on any kind of map given the right opponent. The new map simply isn’t fun to play. Eternal Battlegrounds is now the only place to be in WvWvW.

Deniara Devious.3948:

*

The new auto pilot upgrade system needs to go. It was much better when human interaction + supplies from dolyaks were required for upgrades.

And of course I want the old Alpine borderland back. I have had fights in the new borderland, but zero fun fights besides 1 vs 1 duels, which you can have on any kind of map given the right opponent. The new map simply isn’t fun to play. Eternal Battlegrounds is now the only place to be in WvWvW.

This.

1) The new BLs are basically a PVE zone. “oooo scarier guards and tougher bosses!”
2) The upgraded camps make it hard for low pop servers to flip ANYTHING. It also makes the tactic of drawing off some of a larger force by hitting camps more difficult because you need to send more people. When your prime time zerg is 15 people, having to send 3 instead of 1 to flip a camp is a major issue.
3)The new meta-event rewards PvE in WvW at a ridiculous level. I am actually for PvE events helping in WvW as it gets more of the community out into the BLs. However, the current event is way to over the top. Really? Blow up both doors on keeps??? Why even bother with siege.
4) The lay of the land and fortresses are annoying as hell. Not only is it tiresome to run around these mazes, it also make 2/3 of the map a narrow choke point. It used to be part of the WvW game to pick areas to fight, to choose choke points and such. Now every 20 feet there is a chokepoint. The new “choose the field of battle” is to try to run to guards and let the PvE mobs help win the fight.

The BLs are just terrible for WvW. They would make great PvE zones, but as a WvW sandbox, they are really, really, really bad.