Guild Wars 2

I play WvW on Ehmry Bay and Jade Quarry servers. On Ehmry Bay it is often the case that once we start losing due to lack of numbers there is no way to catch up. Reportedly, the upcoming Desert Borderlands map addresses this issue by using a giant cannon mechanic in the center of the map, similar to the sPvP Skyhammer map. Like many players, I play many parts of the the game, including sPVP. It’s been my experience in hot-join sPvP matches that a room full of happy players tends to lose 25-50% of its population when Skyhammer shuffles into the rotation [I’m sure Arenanet has more accurate metrics for this kind of behavior]. My feeling is that this happens because the mega-laser imbalances combat and discourages many otherwise happy players. Given that:

How do you think a server like Ehmry Bay will fare when they are already losing a Desert Borderlands match and need to compete for control of a Skyhammer that will decimate their already compromised defenses?

Do you believe that an under-populated server will be able to fend off 1 or more servers that have greater populations in an item collection race (as required by the Desert Borderlands map)?

Do you think Arenanet made the decision to use the Skyhammer mechanic in WvW because the map is “more popular than other sPvP maps” or rather that it was an expedient mechanic to implement in the time given for design?

I don’t think that main problem of Skyhammer is the cannon… I think it’s all the spots where you can fall, including the cannon platform… so it’s no longer a PvP but a contest who fall first (or get pushed off)

Although the “Golf” meta can be annoying, it can be countered with stability or smart positioning. It is also an equal opportunity obstacle to avoid. Conversely, the cannon allows a single player to deal major damage to multiple opponents, enabling a single, skilled player to hold a point against an entire team. There are no counters or evasive moves that change that fact.

If every keep and tower on an Ehmry Bay map had its outer door breached simultaneously our server would be unable to counter or recover quickly, due to our limited numbers.

I realize this isn’t a problem on other, more populated servers; but, it is a reality for mid to low population servers in WvW.