I paid $60 for this game the same as i’ve paid $60 for many, many games. I’ve left many PC based MMO’s for many reasons, here are a few. DAOC i left the first time because of the TOA ExPac release created unbalanced WvW, the second time because it became dated and stale after 5 years of continuous play. Planetside i left because they released Mech Warriors, and that changed the WvW play style drastically in a direction i didn’t like. Warhammer i left because it was a dying game with dwindling player base leading to empty WvW servers, and also it was bought out by EA and after that there was little communication to the player community creating a sense that there was little reason to expend time there. Rift i left because after a year of playing and completing all the PVP leveling and PVE top end raiding, all i had left was PVP and dev’s decided to hit classes hard with the nerf bat, ie: my cleric’s healing was reduced by 50% in PVP. Its my understanding in my circle of friend who PVP’d @ rift that a lot of them left for similar reasons. PVP only class nerfs were heavy handed, and seemed to me and my friends that Rifts Offical position was to equip all classes with nerf bat’s and let them swing at each other for hours to avoid player’s crying about dying and whining about phantom over powered classes. Tera i left because it had no WvW combat, and even sPvP was a new concept to them and they were having trouble implementing even the basic player vs player concept. So on Tera i heard about GW2 game that had everything i have been looking for in a MMO for the last 5 years.
GW2 has a solid core for WvW combat and sPvP combat. It is very well thought out, and has cleverly designed maps that push individuals into large zergs, but still has room from small team and guild based action. I have seen and participated in both over the last two months. I have found that the Blackgate Alliance small team tactics and TC’s small team tactics to be well thought and fun to implement and counter. Blackgate commanders seem to be particularly adept at combining both the zerg and small team tactics to create an explosive attack style. Utilizing the small teams i’ve been with they have taken down keep doors, while our zergs have kept the enemy busy elsewhere, then they would call in the zerg to finish off the keep. I’ve had so much fun joining the Alliance Mumble and helping out with either the zerg, or the small teams, that i can imagine only a few reasons why i would leave GW2.
Why would i leave GW2 for another game? The reasons are the same as the ones i posted above about my previous games:
1: Dwindling player base, this can be brought about by a variety of reasons. If there is no enemy to fight in WvW, there is no reason for me to stay. Pretty strait forward.
2: Lack of game problems be addressed or lack of communication to the player base (me) that such problems are being looked into. For example the culling/rendering bug that was being worked on, but no one bothered to keep the WvW community updated, just about made me leave.
3: Over the top class nerf’s. Don’t get me wrong, nerfs come as part of playing an MMO with player vs player combat. Over the top nerfs come about due to excessive politicking by players who find it easier to get a class nerfed into the ground, than to develop a counter. For this example i use the thief, who i do not play, (i WvW with my glass cannon elementilist and my warrior). The thief seems fine, their stealth abilities in PVE used by the Thief and some PVE mobs, seem fine, in WvW there is the perma stealth bug that should be looked into.
I thank you for reading my opinion, and i invite our WvW community to list the reasons why they left other WvW MMO’s, and invite ANET to use this post to help them avoid fate of so many other MMO’s in a crowded gaming market.
Shaniquia Johnson – Frozenuggz [KnT] Blackgate
