Guild Wars 2

You know the rules and we understand how you’re feeling.

Just make sure to never give up and don’t let your team mates down. Make sure you don’t run around and desert them.

Don’t be too ~shy to say it. Just know the game and keep playing it.

Is anyone else getting server errors?

I just got a server error after accepting a queue. Now I cannot get into the game.

Is this just me, or is it happening with anyone else?

Low Ruby is the way it is because the other divisions are easier to climb out of due to lack of tier loss. Even bad players who play a lot can get a couple of lucky games to get out of tiers.

Since Ruby can’t be dropped, this causes an effect where a lot of people end up in low Ruby. This wide range of skill is contributing to the frustration.

I also agree with buffing reward tracks and using special titles etc as rewards for climbing. Legendary shouldn’t be the only devision that’s rewarded.

I’ve grown to enjoy skyhammer in unranked, but I’d love to see it reworked to make it useable in ranked.

I do think skyhammer was overdesigned with too many gimmicks. Deaths on the map tend to feel cheap, which I think is the overall problem. ex: You win a 1v1 then get knocked off the map by the guardian’s down ability. It doesn’t feel good.

Take some notes from the design of Temple of the silent storm. It has areas u can be knocked down to, but they aren’t near points. You can’t die just from falling. The floor doesn’t suddenly disappear. There are items that can give you an advantage.

I think skyhammer can work, but give it more entrances. I think falling can work, but don’t make it automatically death. I think jump pads can work if they feel a bit more responsive. The design of the points could work if the points were a bit further apart.

Hullo Ladies and Gents. Your friendly, neighborhood PvPer with a special reminder!

Legacy of the Foefire is one of the most commonly played map in PvP. It’s simple to grasp and has few gimmicks, save one.

THE LORD.

He looms in the distance with his 150 point promise. He looks so tantalizing. Just imagine the thrill of killing him solo. Just imagine that 150 points you can gather for your team.

BUT…

Did you know this can hurt your team? Us solo-queuers are like a herd of cats, don’t leave us alone without good reason!

Want to solo lord toward the beginning of the game? Please don’t leave us 4v5 to attempt a risky lord.

Succeeded in killing the lord early? If the enemy is smart, they’ll all push lord at 350 without repercussion.

Want to push the lord at the right time? Make sure your team is on board with your decision or you’ll find yourself dead in no time!

Remember, only you can prevent lord throws.

(this has been a message from the community of average solo queue players)

I completely understand the negative reaction to dropping ranks. Still, it is the only way I can see to make the system a ranked ladder while not running into the MMR nightmares of this season.

Still, I understand people wanting the rewards. If the system were in place, I think making reward tracks to complete the meta in ranked or unranked could be helpful. There could be other titles and rewards for those who want the ranked ladder experience.

Season 1’s ranked system was already a reward track in disguise, so why not implement more reward tracks for more casual PvP players.

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my analysis of the Guild Wars 2 ranked system thus far and suggestions to improve it.

This is long but I have categories for those who want to scan for the TL;DR version.

A little background before we begin:

I offer a fairly unique perspective as someone who joined the game just before Heart of Thorns launched. I didn’t start to PvP until right before season 1 ranked.

Season 1 :

Pro 1: Amber offers incentive for users to try ranked (all seasons). I figured I’d play through amber for the rewards since I wouldn’t be penalized for losses. I got hooked. I think this is a great way to introduce players to ranked.

Con 1: Rank has more to do with perseverance then skill. Players were queued for games near their skill level (MMR). I climbed because I slowly improved from a low MMR to a mediocre MMR. I used autotarget, I clicked on my abilities most of the season, and played only necro in ranked. I made it to diamond. My rank had nothing to do with comparing me to other players and I had no idea that was the case.

Pro 2: Ranked games felt appropriate for skill level. This leads to the pro of this system. As a trend, my games felt winnable. This is not to say every game was fair and balanced, but I felt my match ups reflected my skill level. This became more so when the system for queuing with others changed part way through the season. I only solo queue.

Con 2: AFKs and MMR tanking. This was a major issue last season. Players could purposely tank their MMR for easier wins. On top of that, other players on their team would lose pips even if a user was DCed or Akitten.

Season 2:

Con 1: The wait for ranked. It was about a month between season 1 and season 2 of ranked. As someone who loved the climb and competition, I found the wait to be brutal. I think most people agree there must be a better way to handle this.

Pro 1: Rank more accurately reflects skill. Players in season 2 are not matched with opponents by MMR like in season 1. Players are matched with team members based on MMR and opponents based on pip rank. This forces players to play against players in their tier rather than at their MMR level. Low MMR no longer gives you an advantage, it gives you a disadvantage. This leads to the next point.

Con 2: High MMR gives you an advantage/Low MMR gives a disadvantage. I was served a giant slice of humble pie when i hit sapphire as my face was slammed into the ground game after game. I couldn’t help but wonder, what is the MMR difference between these matches? Were my matches even winnable from a statistics standpoint? How frustrating must it be for a new player to get on a team full of pro player MMR? How frustrating must it be for pro players to have to play against those with much lower skill to progress?

Pro 2: Inability to rank up from MMR tanking. Losing will get you a lower MMR and get you paired with progressively worse players on your own team. MMR tanking can only hurt players.

Con 3: RAAAGE. I’ve seen more rage this season in GW2 then anywhere else in the game. The combination of a more skill based rank and the potential for unfair games over and over has caused a bad attitude from a lot of people.

Pro 3: Increase in skill from a competitive ranked system. I know I’ve already improved a great deal in a short amount of time. I no longer feel like I can just keep making the same mistakes over and over. I had to really think hard about what I was doing wrong and how I can carry harder. This helped me eventually climb to ruby, where I currently stand.

My thoughts for further improvement

I think that season 2 is a step in the right direction but further changes need to be made to improve the player experience. Here are my thoughts to improve the system

1. Placement matches. I know this hurts the more casual feel of the ranked PVP compared to other PVP games but there is a reason they exist. Creating a system where strong players rank up quickly by stepping on low rank players has consequences, ie extreme frustration for the average player. Placement matches can put players in more fair matches based on their history and further determine their skill. Then they can be placed in a rank more suited to their skill range and climb from there. Tier rewards can be obtained all at once this rank up happens. There could even be a neat animation as you gain the pip tiers and climb.

2. The ability to drop ranks. I know this seems like it would only increase the rage of players, but no one likes to be outclassed over and over in their matches. As much I like the fact I cannot drop, I have to admit, I think it’s unhealthy for the game. There’s always a chance that someone gets placed higher than they should be. If the game decreases their rank as they lose, they will get placed in more fair games for them. If they are good enough to climb, they will climb.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Add a preseason to break up the lull between seasons. You can still play within your rank and climb or fall in regards to MMR. Perhaps disable rewards for tiers and titles during this time.

2. Players can drop ranks except in Amber and Emerald (see below for more info)

3. Add titles/rewards based on where you ended the season. I think titles, icons, outfits, etc. could be dispensed to show your dedication to ranked and where you ended the season. Legendary is not the only rank that matters.

4. Use MMR to set up games and dispense pips like in the first season, but make the following changes to leagues:

Amber rank: Player is in their placement matches
– Player gets pips on completing games, win or loss.
– There will still be reason to try ranked.

Once completed, players will place into ranks emerald – legendary
– Users can lose all ranks except emerald since it will be the lowest

These are my thoughts for a better system that would incorporate the pros and cons of all seasons. Of course, I’m just a player and I’m sure there are plenty of things I’m missing. Still, I wanted to throw my opinion out there due to the love of the game.

Happy playing!