Guild Wars 2

Hello. Let me first state that in Guild Wars 2, I mainly play on the PvE side of things. I would say that I’m a veteran player in terms of MMOs, and that I am a decent player in terms of PvE content. My Guild and I achieved the Dungeon Master title long ago before any of the dungeon changes/nerfs, and none of us took too much interest in the SPvP side of things.

However, I’ve recently been playing a bit of SPvP more with some of my Guildmates, and we’ve got a better grasp on it now. Originally we didn’t like SPvP because of the single game mode, but we’ve gotten over it. Now that ArenaNet has finally decided to let players actually keep the finishers they earn from their ranks, it’s gotten me a little more excited to play SPvP.

And this is where I start my actual discussion and critique of this portion of Guild Wars 2. What is up with the SPvP level/rank progression system? It is so poorly designed and absolutely frustrating! The game has been out for almost a year and nobody has even hit the max rank. The time it takes for a player to play enough SPvP and go through the ranks is entirely way too much, even if all you play is SPvP it feels like it takes a ridiculous amount of time to level.

I know that I’ve heard the developers on the livestreams always mention how the system is pretty bad, and that the time it takes is incredibly superfluous. However, I’ve yet to see any changes at all to make it a better progression. I think what seems to be the most frustrating thing is that they have now done exactly this (make it easier to gain ranks) twice now for WvW, and it still has yet to be touched in SPvP. It makes me not really want to play SPvP for very long periods of time, and I’m only in the lower levels.

I guess that’s really all I had to say about the system. What do you guys think?

Coming from a somewhat veteran of GW1, I can tell you that “ranking” up there was comparably slow. You got a nice emote for doing so, but aside from that you got nothing but a title and some bragging rights, which is pretty much the same as in this game. I did well enough that I didn’t need to rank up in order to play with high-ranked/good players, since my playing level was on par to compete for the most part. I guess that’s why I don’t really care that much about the rank system in this game except for the greater ability to customize my character’s appearance.

That said, if your biggest gripe is the ranking system, and not the current meta/balance in general, I think you should look deeper into the various toxic elements this game’s design has brought upon itself, some of which are because of relics from GW1’s past.

Leuca.5732:

Coming from a somewhat veteran of GW1, I can tell you that “ranking” up there was comparably slow. You got a nice emote for doing so, but aside from that you got nothing but a title and some bragging rights, which is pretty much the same as in this game. I did well enough that I didn’t need to rank up in order to play with high-ranked/good players, since my playing level was on par to compete for the most part. I guess that’s why I don’t really care that much about the rank system in this game except for the greater ability to customize my character’s appearance.

That said, if your biggest gripe is the ranking system, and not the current meta/balance in general, I think you should look deeper into the various toxic elements this game’s design has brought upon itself, some of which are because of relics from GW1’s past.

I have issues with the balance and meta, of course, but those are getting worked on after being talked about. PvP Progression is what I made the thread about, and it’s what I would like it to stay about.

AlietteFaye.7316:

Leuca.5732:

Coming from a somewhat veteran of GW1, I can tell you that “ranking” up there was comparably slow. You got a nice emote for doing so, but aside from that you got nothing but a title and some bragging rights, which is pretty much the same as in this game. I did well enough that I didn’t need to rank up in order to play with high-ranked/good players, since my playing level was on par to compete for the most part. I guess that’s why I don’t really care that much about the rank system in this game except for the greater ability to customize my character’s appearance.

That said, if your biggest gripe is the ranking system, and not the current meta/balance in general, I think you should look deeper into the various toxic elements this game’s design has brought upon itself, some of which are because of relics from GW1’s past.

I have issues with the balance and meta, of course, but those are getting worked on after being talked about. PvP Progression is what I made the thread about, and it’s what I would like it to stay about.

Well you should then that PvP rewards are being worked on. In fact is one of their top priorities

Quickfoot Katana.8642:

AlietteFaye.7316:

Leuca.5732:

Coming from a somewhat veteran of GW1, I can tell you that “ranking” up there was comparably slow. You got a nice emote for doing so, but aside from that you got nothing but a title and some bragging rights, which is pretty much the same as in this game. I did well enough that I didn’t need to rank up in order to play with high-ranked/good players, since my playing level was on par to compete for the most part. I guess that’s why I don’t really care that much about the rank system in this game except for the greater ability to customize my character’s appearance.

That said, if your biggest gripe is the ranking system, and not the current meta/balance in general, I think you should look deeper into the various toxic elements this game’s design has brought upon itself, some of which are because of relics from GW1’s past.

I have issues with the balance and meta, of course, but those are getting worked on after being talked about. PvP Progression is what I made the thread about, and it’s what I would like it to stay about.

Well you should then that PvP rewards are being worked on. In fact is one of their top priorities

That’s what I mentioned in the OP. They are aware of it, and they say it constantly on their livestreams, but nothing has changed. WvW XP and rewards have been overhauled twice now. The game is supposed to focused on SPvP as an “esport” game, but it seems to focus anywhere but SPvP mostly.

AlietteFaye.7316:

Quickfoot Katana.8642:

AlietteFaye.7316:

Leuca.5732:

Coming from a somewhat veteran of GW1, I can tell you that “ranking” up there was comparably slow. You got a nice emote for doing so, but aside from that you got nothing but a title and some bragging rights, which is pretty much the same as in this game. I did well enough that I didn’t need to rank up in order to play with high-ranked/good players, since my playing level was on par to compete for the most part. I guess that’s why I don’t really care that much about the rank system in this game except for the greater ability to customize my character’s appearance.

That said, if your biggest gripe is the ranking system, and not the current meta/balance in general, I think you should look deeper into the various toxic elements this game’s design has brought upon itself, some of which are because of relics from GW1’s past.

I have issues with the balance and meta, of course, but those are getting worked on after being talked about. PvP Progression is what I made the thread about, and it’s what I would like it to stay about.

Well you should then that PvP rewards are being worked on. In fact is one of their top priorities

That’s what I mentioned in the OP. They are aware of it, and they say it constantly on their livestreams, but nothing has changed. WvW XP and rewards have been overhauled twice now. The game is supposed to focused on SPvP as an “esport” game, but it seems to focus anywhere but SPvP mostly.

Newsflash: They are aware of pretty much everything PvP needs, but they dont have the manpower, resources to pull it off in any reasonable timeframe we would like. GW2 PvP features is like playing a permanent waiting game.

This new patch announced at August 20th: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/august-20-2013/

Please tell me if you can find anything about PvP in that announcement. That just goes to show their priorities.

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

Quickfoot Katana.8642:

AlietteFaye.7316:

Quickfoot Katana.8642:

AlietteFaye.7316:

Leuca.5732:

Coming from a somewhat veteran of GW1, I can tell you that “ranking” up there was comparably slow. You got a nice emote for doing so, but aside from that you got nothing but a title and some bragging rights, which is pretty much the same as in this game. I did well enough that I didn’t need to rank up in order to play with high-ranked/good players, since my playing level was on par to compete for the most part. I guess that’s why I don’t really care that much about the rank system in this game except for the greater ability to customize my character’s appearance.

That said, if your biggest gripe is the ranking system, and not the current meta/balance in general, I think you should look deeper into the various toxic elements this game’s design has brought upon itself, some of which are because of relics from GW1’s past.

I have issues with the balance and meta, of course, but those are getting worked on after being talked about. PvP Progression is what I made the thread about, and it’s what I would like it to stay about.

Well you should then that PvP rewards are being worked on. In fact is one of their top priorities

That’s what I mentioned in the OP. They are aware of it, and they say it constantly on their livestreams, but nothing has changed. WvW XP and rewards have been overhauled twice now. The game is supposed to focused on SPvP as an “esport” game, but it seems to focus anywhere but SPvP mostly.

Newsflash: They are aware of pretty much everything PvP needs, but they dont have the manpower, resources to pull it off in any reasonable timeframe we would like. GW2 PvP features is like playing a permanent waiting game.

This new patch announced at August 20th: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/august-20-2013/

Please tell me if you can find anything about PvP in that announcement. That just goes to show their priorities.

Judging by this:
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/a-look-at-upcoming-pvp-changes/

I can’t say PvP is not among their priority, but the devs are really avoiding things that are hard to fix.

they are good with keep doing new stuffs in PvP. We’ve got Skyhammer. IDC how “pro-players” claims the map is bad, I ABSOLUTELY love Skyhammer as a competitive map.

BUT aside from the insanely imbalanced meta, lack of PvP progression has been voiced for over an year since Beta. And EVERYTHING is said, but NOTHING is done about it

current reward/time-investment structure is worse than Lineage’s Korean type of grindfest……hell even Diablo 2 feels more rewarding!

I am Rank 30 atm and the progression feels stale already. Remember that this huge rank gap, unlike the smooth curve of PvE Level, MULTIPLIES for every 10 ranks…

Imagine what players that are 40, 50 or even 70 are thinking….I’m utterly surprised they are not quitting this game

For me progression in pvp is becoming better at combat… Not.. Grinding >_<.

Thats what it is, grinding. The other day i saw a rank 50ish engineer, i got in conversation and dueled him… Al he really did was spam grenades and he had no idea how to counter me :P.

We need some sort of rating that showe actual skill, not a rank that shows hoe much someone has grinded >_<.

Theplayboy.6417:

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

And even less for max Gladiator title. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone maxed Gladiator. Highest I’ve ever seen was r10. I think the “Rank” system in this game is fine. I said it in another thread earlier, but PvP Titles/Rank isn’t something you just get in a week, month, or a year. It’s not something for casual players, it’s for those that are going to stick around for awhile, if not the long-haul. It’s these players that deserve it, not someone who plays 1-hour a day farming nodes through matches.

If this bothers you, then you should probably look elsewhere if the way PvP is handled here irritates you. It’s probably not going to change, and I hope it doesn’t.

Copestetic.5174:

Theplayboy.6417:

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

And even less for max Gladiator title. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone maxed Gladiator. Highest I’ve ever seen was r10. I think the “Rank” system in this game is fine. I said it in another thread earlier, but PvP Titles/Rank isn’t something you just get in a week, month, or a year. It’s not something for casual players, it’s for those that are going to stick around for awhile, if not the long-haul. It’s these players that deserve it, not someone who plays 1-hour a day farming nodes through matches.

If this bothers you, then you should probably look elsewhere if the way PvP is handled here irritates you. It’s probably not going to change, and I hope it doesn’t.

Problem is that in GW1 those ranks were only achievable by actually good players, since winning in a row rewarded incresingly more points. In GW2 thats not the case. Everyone gets points rewarded regardless of skill. And that is not right by any means.

Quickfoot Katana.8642:

Copestetic.5174:

Theplayboy.6417:

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

And even less for max Gladiator title. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone maxed Gladiator. Highest I’ve ever seen was r10. I think the “Rank” system in this game is fine. I said it in another thread earlier, but PvP Titles/Rank isn’t something you just get in a week, month, or a year. It’s not something for casual players, it’s for those that are going to stick around for awhile, if not the long-haul. It’s these players that deserve it, not someone who plays 1-hour a day farming nodes through matches.

If this bothers you, then you should probably look elsewhere if the way PvP is handled here irritates you. It’s probably not going to change, and I hope it doesn’t.

Problem is that in GW1 those ranks were only achievable by actually good players, since winning in a row rewarded incresingly more points. In GW2 thats not the case. Everyone gets points rewarded of skill. And that is not right by any means.

Which is why I think this node nonsense should be done away with. It’s being abused, and makes Ranks mean absolutely nothing.

the problem with rank is that it is trying to do 2 things at the same time

• it is a reward mechanism
• it is a measure of player experience

a measure of player experience should in fact take an almost impossible amount of time to “max” or indeed not even have a maximum. that would be just fine. however tying rewards to it is pretty stupid. especially when these rewards have equivalents in pve that are much easier to get.

And especially considering the skin-pool for PvP is significantly smaller than in PvE.

Adding up:

Slower rewards + lower number of rewards = a beautiful crappy system

Copestetic.5174:

Theplayboy.6417:

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

And even less for max Gladiator title. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone maxed Gladiator. Highest I’ve ever seen was r10. I think the “Rank” system in this game is fine. I said it in another thread earlier, but PvP Titles/Rank isn’t something you just get in a week, month, or a year. It’s not something for casual players, it’s for those that are going to stick around for awhile, if not the long-haul. It’s these players that deserve it, not someone who plays 1-hour a day farming nodes through matches.

If this bothers you, then you should probably look elsewhere if the way PvP is handled here irritates you. It’s probably not going to change, and I hope it doesn’t.

…

Theplayboy.6417:

Copestetic.5174:

Theplayboy.6417:

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

And even less for max Gladiator title. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone maxed Gladiator. Highest I’ve ever seen was r10. I think the “Rank” system in this game is fine. I said it in another thread earlier, but PvP Titles/Rank isn’t something you just get in a week, month, or a year. It’s not something for casual players, it’s for those that are going to stick around for awhile, if not the long-haul. It’s these players that deserve it, not someone who plays 1-hour a day farming nodes through matches.

If this bothers you, then you should probably look elsewhere if the way PvP is handled here irritates you. It’s probably not going to change, and I hope it doesn’t.

Did you even read my post before responding? Doesn’t appear that you did….. You even bolded where I said " I think the time it takes to rank up is fine". If anything maybe you should be the one to look elsewhere, it doesn’t appear you’re adding anything here. I don’t think people should be able to gain Rank in Hotjoin Period. I believe rank should be a prestige tPvP Incentive Only.

Gladiator in GW1? Who gives a flying kitten about the RA title? Are you high? The only meaningful PvP Titles are the Champion and Fame Titles. Gladiator titles in GW1 are about as impressive as Legendary Weapons in GW2 (meaning they aren’t impressive at all).

You took that what I wrote in a way I didn’t expect. I was pointing that out to the OP, more so than someone else who believed the ranking was fine along with myself. It’s nice to know that people will automatically assume one is always trying to patronize or come off as aggressive. I bolded the important part to expand.

And yes, I agree that Glad wasn’t “ranked” as highly as GvG and HA Titles. Regardless, it took a long time to get, and while based on luck, ( or a good sync ) was still impressive near the 7 year mark. It was nice to see players who stuck with it through the years.

For those that don’t know, RA ( Random Arenas ) was the equivalent of HotJoin+Team Death Match-nodes with it’s own exclusive Title track. Well, not really exclusive, as you could gain points for Gladiator through Team Arenas, but they did away with that.

Copestetic.5174:

Theplayboy.6417:

Copestetic.5174:

Theplayboy.6417:

I think the time it takes to rank up is fine. In GW1 less than 10 people hit max Fame Dragon Rank 15 and they dedicated over 5 years to get it. What I don’t appreciate is the fact that people can rank up in Hotjoin win or lose. I believe you should have only been able to rank up in tournament play AND only gain rank points when you win. Only the truly sPvP dedicated should hit the higher ranks.

I watch all of the live streams and SotG and no point have they ever mentioned Rank Progression. They only talk about the rewards in general. I think they are specifically referring to items and gear that can be used outside of the HotM and sPvP in general.

And even less for max Gladiator title. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone maxed Gladiator. Highest I’ve ever seen was r10. I think the “Rank” system in this game is fine. I said it in another thread earlier, but PvP Titles/Rank isn’t something you just get in a week, month, or a year. It’s not something for casual players, it’s for those that are going to stick around for awhile, if not the long-haul. It’s these players that deserve it, not someone who plays 1-hour a day farming nodes through matches.

If this bothers you, then you should probably look elsewhere if the way PvP is handled here irritates you. It’s probably not going to change, and I hope it doesn’t.

Did you even read my post before responding? Doesn’t appear that you did….. You even bolded where I said " I think the time it takes to rank up is fine". If anything maybe you should be the one to look elsewhere, it doesn’t appear you’re adding anything here. I don’t think people should be able to gain Rank in Hotjoin Period. I believe rank should be a prestige tPvP Incentive Only.

Gladiator in GW1? Who gives a flying kitten about the RA title? Are you high? The only meaningful PvP Titles are the Champion and Fame Titles. Gladiator titles in GW1 are about as impressive as Legendary Weapons in GW2 (meaning they aren’t impressive at all).

You took that what I wrote in a way I didn’t expect. I was pointing that out to the OP, more so than someone else who believed the ranking was fine along with myself. It’s nice to know that people will automatically assume one is always trying to patronize or come off as aggressive. I bolded the important part to expand.

And yes, I agree that Glad wasn’t “ranked” as highly as GvG and HA Titles. Regardless, it took a long time to get, and while based on luck, ( or a good sync ) was still impressive near the 7 year mark. It was nice to see players who stuck with it through the years.

For those that don’t know, RA ( Random Arenas ) was the equivalent of HotJoin+Team Death Match-nodes with it’s own exclusive Title track. Well, not really exclusive, as you could gain points for Gladiator through Team Arenas, but they did away with that.

Ahhhhh. Sorry, please disregard my post!