Before I hit my observations, here’s a little background on my play experience with GW2:
I have been playing GW2 since it’s release, actually started with Guild Wars. I am primarily a PvE player, but spend a bit of the time I have to play in PvP (PvP Rank108/League Skill Rating 1040 [Silver 2]) and WvW (WvW Rank 375). This just follows the old adage, “jack of all trades, master of none”.
When GW2 was initially released, it was advertised as “play as you want”. Having come from Guild Wars, I appreciated that they had attempted to move from classes having specific roles (e.g. War=Tank, Monk=Party Heal, etc.), and invited us to choose a character to play as we wanted and ENJOY the world they had worked so hard to create.
Having started with PvE, I came late to WvW (at first just to get Map Exploration achievement) and later to PvP.
Onto my Observations:
Server Combinations:
Being on a smaller server (IOJ), we constantly find our server allied with a different larger server. So once we get used to playing with a larger server, our reward to to be given to a different larger server. The problem with this is that it makes it difficult to establish a lasting relationship, since we have no control over who we will be allied with next, nor exactly when that change will be. Relationships work in two directions, so it is difficult for a larger server to know who they can depend on. All in all, it is hard on alliances.
Small guild vs. Large guild and WvW guilds vs. non WvW guilds:
I am primarily from a small guild, and am the most experienced WvW guildmember. So, when I go WvW, it is usually on my own and I tend to roam, but have joined squads and participated with ad hoc groups in accomplishing objectives. I try to call out situations as I see them, but apparently lack the WvW credibility to be taken seriously (yes, I know the difference between map chat and team chat, and try to use them appropriately). Frequently, I see someone who is regularly in map/team chat ask why no one called out something, which I HAD called out.
Regardless of environment, small guilds are at a disadvantage and GW2 seems to favor large guilds, which translates to WvW even more so along the line whether one’s guild is more WvW focused (advantage again to larger guilds, who statistically can have more WvW-focused members).
Playstyle/Participation:
Recent changes to WvW now punish players for their playstyles. Gone is the ability to Roam. Gone is the ability to participate outside of a zerg. Builds are also important, but when dealing with a zerg, builds don’t matter – ganked will always be ganked.
The biggest impact to this comes from changes in the decay timer and what counts as participation and how it is valued. In the grand scheme of things, one can argue that this is not true. One can still play the way one wants – which is true, however the perception is not.
Anet has introduced a system of measurement/feedback that informs players that all they have done doesn’t count, because their participation is either at ZERO due to decay or because they are below Tier 3 (also due to rapid decay) from not being in a zerg and/or on a winning server. So instead of feeling like one is helping, one feels like “what’s the use?” – and leaves.
So the current system of measurement/feedback discourages players from participating (or even try WvW for that matter) instead of encouraging them. And every five minutes in WvW we are reminded of how we are not participating.
By definition, this is a punishment, not a reward.