Guild Wars 2

Aleksander Suburb.4287:

- you lose beastmode when entering water.

Seriously?

Not impressed with Soul Beast, but it’s not really my playstyle. Will stick with Druid. On a side note, I like that tree pet. Hope it’s easy to find in the expansion.

jheryn.8390:

Well it is good you guys are making conclusions based on a demo that is only part of a map without all events, meta’s and who knows what else.

That’s kind of the point of a demo: to sell the game.

Part of the purpose of a beta is to test specs. Period. This was a huge failing with the previous tests. To the point, we had one day to test druid, for example.

One.

It’s also a selling point for those of us on the fence. Again, I’d like to know if the nerfs to ranger will be worth it if the new elite is awesome.

Again, we won’t know in PvE for the time being. That’s the reason for the complaints here and elsewhere. Well . . . one of the many reasons.

Same. Not crazy about it so far, but will play a little more before I decide.

Color me unimpressed so far, but I’ll do more testing. Kind of surprised we can’t transfer our current character(s) like with HoT’s demo, unless I’m missing something, but sure.

I’m also going to presume most of these changes were brought about because of the upcoming expansion and new elite spec. But, again, I want to see these in effect before I make an overall judgment.

Sorry, but I didn’t like it. Pretty much for all the reasons already mentioned. Hope this isn’t a preview for the expansion.

mysticsicness.7598:

I am editing this post because I figured out the trick, though I still believe the dev that created this achievement to be a sadist. You need to get 25 stacks of the debuff, then the hands will give alacrity instead, which makes this doable. Just stand by the door and afk until you have 25 stacks, then enter the fight.

Thank you!

Edit: Yeah, trying to get this achievement with a healing ranger/druid was all but impossible. Got him to 50% before he instantly healed. Went for the fearful achievement instead afterwards.

Thank you for posting this. +1 to you and Djinn.

Yep. But the reasons are long and involved. Let’s just say more than a few feel a little more freedom commenting there than here. Again, the reasons are long and involved, but I’ve gone there as well . . . as little as I now play and post about this game these days though.

Agreed. It’s like they put a bigger and bigger hurdle to jump almost every patch. It’s why ranger players fear patches. Yet still, those of us that remain, seem to overcome to generate even more hatred in PvP. I suspect this hatred is because good ranger/druids are hard as hell to kill in PvP for the rather slower PvP players. We just won’t roll over like other classes if played correctly.

Again, all this ‘balance’ is based around PvP in a mostly PvE game . . . but that’s another topic.

Ah. Thanks, Fluff. Was wondering since I wasn’t seeing any changes in PvE.

If this is as bad as it looks, I’m done with the game now. Absolutely ridiculous. This patch pretty much killed my shout, healing, smokescale build.

And all based around PvP . . . again.

I seriously don’t know what they’re thinking anymore.

Fluffball.8307:

Wow, a few brutal nerfs there. I kind of suspect this is in prep for the next expac bringing a bunch of new stuff that they’ll want us to use instead of the old staples.

I suspect you’re right, but this patch is just overkill.

Edit: From what I just experienced, it’s not so bad. I’m honestly wondering if these changes are PvP only. Shout build is still viable.

I must admit, I’m rather surprised they locked this behind raids. Kind of figured it be another legendary crafting journey or something. Hopefully, for those that want it without raiding, there will eventually be another method to gain these armors.

My apologies, but it’s ugly. At least, that’s my opinion. And it seems that opinion is shared by more than a few people here and elsewhere.

Don’t get me started about trench coats again. . . .

Shovel Face.4512:

Making the ugliest looking Armors they could make. Another trench coat for medium. Why am I even surprised?

Must agree and thought the same thing. Seriously? Trench coats . . . again? And locked behind raid content? Lovely. Well . . . now I know I won’t bother.

Please, no more content locked behind raids. Or at least gives casuals another route to gain said content or achievements.

Really not loving this direction for the game.

God, I hope you’re wrong, Ill. But I get the feeling you may be right. . . .

The trailer is impressive, but I’m a little worried that this is the second-to-last episode for the season. So in another three months or so, the last episode will see release around August or early September. Hopefully, the expansion will soon follow a few months after that.

The game can’t take another content drought.

Blude.6812:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Ardenwolfe.8590:

Xenon.4537:

I think the next expansion will decide the future of this game. It’s very critical to make up for the shortcomings of HoT. The content was good but there just wasn’t enough of it and a LOT of missed opportunities in the story. We only got 3 real maps and people were expecting a lot more than that. If the next expansion doesn’t go above and beyond then I expect a lot of people will be leaving.

I worries me that these forums seem way less active than they used to be. The front page used to cycle through topics in less than an hour. Now I can post a new topic and get no replies and it will still be on the front page two days later. There are threads on the front page of class forums that are more than a week old and you can’t reply to them without checking the bypass bump box.

A lot of people say the game is great, and maybe it is. But the audience is definitely shrinking…

This.

Reddit seems pretty busy. Maybe it’s a forum thing more than an audience thing.

That could be a big factor, a forum that is broken and isn’t going to be updated (not that it couldn’t be changed but Anet doesn’t seem to want to address it), very limited interactions with Devs , and a system of moderation that some may feel to be over zealous. I imagine there are lurkers that just don’t interact here anymore.

You win.

That’s a fair argument if you consider the continued subscription price . . . should those players continue to play for the entire year.

That said, I think the last time I played a WoW expansion for the continued year was with the second expansion . . . if that long.

So, again, it’s based on each player’s personal experience.

Again, remember our experiences with earlier MMO expansions. And I’ll say it . . . a lot of our new players are first-timers from World of Warcraft. Now compare the content released from those expansions to Heart of Thorns.

Now, immediately, the argument will be, “Well ANet is a smaller company.” And this is true. But they also charged us for little content at big company ‘a lot of content’ price.

That’s the issue a lot of players had with this situation. So much so, reviewers and blogs blasted ANet for it. And to bring this back? That’s the reason for the current radio silence, again if I had to speculate.

Either way, I really hope ANet blows us away with the next expansion. I’ll gladly pay sixty dollars for an amazing expansion. But like others before me, I’m not prepaying for anything they produce until I see what I’m getting first.

The true test will be the betas . . . that’s when we’ll really know which way the wind blows for the future of Guild Wars 2.

This was true . . . after the leaks. And after their official public relations blitz. But for the longest, as I recall, people refused to believe it. Honestly, I’ve never seen an expansion with fewer maps and content. And I’ve been playing MMOs and the like for a long time.

I laughed at the time, but some even suggested that ANet worked on the expansion for over three years . . . since the game’s launching. And defended that position viciously.
While I agree personal expectation and speculation is one thing, common sense and experience tells what an expansion should also be as opposed to what it isn’t.

Therein lies the reason for the silence, I think: better to be quiet than criticized.

But that’s just my opinion.

zealex.9410:

gw2 is known for doing things in its own way why would that change for an expac?

Perhaps because they sacrificed a huge amount of content before and after the expansion for the little amount of content given? The near year-long content drought didn’t exactly keep people around either.

If I recall correctly, the entire point of the expansion was because people weren’t satisfied with the amount of content given via Living Story or World. While I see people now grasping at Wooden Potatoes’s notion of features as opposed to content, features wasn’t the demanded item from the people. It was content. That’s what all the hype was about on the forums . . . content.

Rewriting history isn’t going to change that for the people who were there and remember otherwise.

I’m not saying I agree or disagree with their method of promotion, or lack thereof, but I am saying it may be logical to be more careful given how past promotion failed to deliver on expectation.

Regardless, people tend to buy expansions for the new content . . . not features. But, again regardless, that’s another topic.

The hype is lacking because ANet is holding the next expansion close to their vest. After all, they don’t want people quoting them again when something doesn’t deliver as promised.

Besides, we’re assuming the expansion is close to being done. The opposite might be true instead. That’s a sound reason not to hype anything at this point.

Ayrilana.1396:

https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/world-of-warcraft-starter-edition

While terrible games going F2P have garnered more attention in the headlines, I wouldn’t go as far as to assume that any game going F2P means that it’s not doing well.

Are you seriously arguing that giving your game away as opposed to selling it doesn’t mean you’re losing business and revenue? Even in your example that’s the case.

But, again regardless, that’s another topic for another thread.

Ranger is the best solo class in the game for PvE. Necromancer and mesmer are also good, but the ranger is still best for solo play in PvE from level one to level eighty. And that class does everything you mentioned with ease.

I see you want to quibble on the example and not the point. Regardless, a game doesn’t go free-to-play because it’s doing well. But, again, time will tell for Guild Wars 2. Whether those of us who remain will remain to see it is another topic.

It also told a lot of those people not to bother with Justice League and Wonder Woman. Especially given their experience with Dawn of Justice too. Heart of Thorns also sold a lot of units. But does anyone seriously believe ANet will sell as many with the next expansion given our past experience?

That’s kind of the point of the Suicide Squad reference.

It’s also the reason I cannot wait for Guardians of the Galaxy 2! A great product sells the follow-up product without much external hype needed.

virus.4370:

Hype and Communication is OK..but content draws people the more great content you have..the more people will cover it.?..if it wasn’t for gws1 ..i would have never got gws2 it wasn’t the hype,bloggers, and youtubers, it was all gws 1 that made me pick gws 2. gws 1 never hyped, it was all about content and story.

Bingo. Word-of-mouth creates the biggest buzz. You can have fantastic trailers and hype, but if your product fails to deliver . . . well . . . people will let you know.

Looking at you, Suicide Squad.

Yes, they were all copy and paste jobs. Some the same for the last three years, if I recall correctly. Slightly different rewards in others. And giving a new color to a skin two or three years old as a reward isn’t exactly impressive.

And yes, new stuff does keep players interested and hyped. The sudden influx of returning players when Living World is updated with a new map and story proves this out. And their exodus when they’ve gobbled it up does the same.

Regardless, it’ll all be moot if the next expansion doesn’t deliver.

nsleep.7839:

I don’t think the issue is the lack of communication or lack of hype. This game, with its current content release schedule, is just not working.

Big patches every three months isn’t working, they need to spread the content a bit, like, last big patch we got Caladbolg quest line, Bastion of the Penitent, the fourth episode of the LW3 and everything that came with it, and some fractal changes.

That’s it, they released it all in one big package, people are done with most of that now and now we’re waiting for the next release because there’s nothing fresh or different to do for a few weeks now. I literally only login to do Fractals because I happen to need relics at the moment and raids at reset and maybe when people I know call me to fill a group.

I try to avoid debates and discussions on this forum these days, but I’ll say this . . . you nailed it. The problem isn’t the lack of hype. The problem is the lack of interest. And the sudden change with how the game releases content is also a problem.

If you attracted your audience by doing something one way, and then you suddenly go in another direction . . . a direction other MMOs have done and your audience wanted to avoid? Yeah, you’re going to see your audience leave for other pastures.

The number one reason I’ve stuck with Guild Wars 2 was their ability to continually add new content on a rather frequent basis. I’m not interested in waiting months or years for an expansion much less new content. Been there, done that, and left those games because of it. And once an audience is gone, it’s near impossible to bring them back.

Yes, the lack of hype isn’t helping, but the lack of content in and after the expansion isn’t helping either.

The bottom line is this: Hype is nice, but we want results. Given what happened with HoT before and after, silence is the better course. The next expansion will make or break Guild Wars 2 . . . and there’s no getting around that.

Why they put themselves in this position in the first place, especially given their earlier success with a different model, is still beyond me. But here we are . . . and time will tell if they survive it. Guild Wars 2 is the MMO I’ve played the longest, and even I can see they’re in trouble.

Hype isn’t going to save them, but an amazing expansion might.

Xenon.4537:

I think the next expansion will decide the future of this game. It’s very critical to make up for the shortcomings of HoT. The content was good but there just wasn’t enough of it and a LOT of missed opportunities in the story. We only got 3 real maps and people were expecting a lot more than that. If the next expansion doesn’t go above and beyond then I expect a lot of people will be leaving.

I worries me that these forums seem way less active than they used to be. The front page used to cycle through topics in less than an hour. Now I can post a new topic and get no replies and it will still be on the front page two days later. There are threads on the front page of class forums that are more than a week old and you can’t reply to them without checking the bypass bump box.

A lot of people say the game is great, and maybe it is. But the audience is definitely shrinking…

This.

As always, a delayed but finished and working product is better than a rush but unfinished and non-working one.

Thank you for the heads-up.

AliamRationem.5172:

Any chance you want to extend the Super Adventure festival to cover the gap a bit better?

That sounds reasonable to me too.

Agreed. That experience in Tribulation, to get this achievement, cured me of achievement hunting and any desire to enter Tribulation mode ever again.

And I do mean . . . ever.

Zaxares.5419:

1. You can actually feed the cat through the wall of the gong tower, negating the need to climb up inside it. To reach the outside of the gong tower, follow the same route as you would normally take to reach W2-2’s Raccoon Kingpin.

Wow. Where were you yesterday? This would’ve saved me a ton of time.

Oh? Might finally get those last two achievements then. Thanks.

Again, that’s what happens when you ask your designers and programmers to focus more on an expansion.

Cuts have to come from somewhere.

Strictly speaking, that’s not true given Super Adventure Box always returns around April. Yes, it’s limited time, but most events and their rewards are.

Besides, as Ill said, it’s fluff . . . much like some minis and seasonal crap you can only get from Black Lion Chest and which cannot be sold on the Trading Post.

I’m more unhappy about that than some home instance fluff that requires time and patience as opposed to RNG.

But maybe that’s just me.

Kal Spiro.9745:

That was a seriously tough trip, but I got my Beedog… cat

Yep, finally got it today. I never want to repeat that again. Ever.

Found one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FST0DHDYrbs

I’d love it if someone would post a video of this. I swear I’ve seen this cat on my first play-through, but I cannot find it for the life of me now.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you for posting this.

It’s true through salvaging . . . until you hit the 250 cap. If I had to guess, that’s what these players are talking about. And I’ll also guess those players haven’t realized they’re getting nothing despite the ‘achievement’ showing up each time they do it. I see those points scroll past every other day. I know I’m getting nothing despite this, but I’ll bet they don’t.

If I had to guess.

Blaeys.3102:

In my opinion, it can almost all be linked back to how they have chosen to include raids in the game.

So, how did raids change the “identity” of the game? I admit they are only one small piece. They dont really detract from the development of other content. And, they are fairly well done (most of them).

The actual problem comes from the average players’ desire to experience the entire PVE picture – from the ambient creature sitting idly half way through a jumping puzzle to the last boss in the last raid wing.

A year and a half ago, players could experience every element of the PVE game without compromising how they played. Every profession, every build and every stat set was reasonably feasible in every part of the game. And, in the one area where more difficult content was being added (fractals), there was a scaling system.

Raids changed that. For the first time since launch, there was a part of the game that forced players to “optimize” their characters. There was no scaling or any real way for many players to retain their character’s identity and still have a reasonable chance at experiencing the content.

This single change has had huge repercussions in how players perceive the game and the direction it is now going. Now, the only players who get to experience it all are those who are willing to (at least partially) homogenize their builds, stat sets and playstyles.

And that is bad.

NOTE: I do not see challenging content or even raids as bad things in the game. It is definitely needed and fills a much needed niche. It is the lack of scaling (easy, hard mode) that creates this issue. Players who feel excluded from PVE content they perceive as endgame (especially when it relates to story) will grow (are growing and have grown) disillusioned with the game.

Well said.

Thank you for posting those numbers, Wondrouswall.

For me, it’s the change of overall philosophy and lack of constant updates. More than anything, the updates kept me interested for years. And then the expansion came. And then the content drought. And then the copy and paste job for events.

It’s ironic. The very reason I didn’t stick with other MMOs and stayed with Guild Wars 2 is now the reason I’m playing other games more instead of this one.

How it went from the champion of casual games to a grindy, raid infused, PvP will balance everything MMO mess is beyond me.

And I’m hating it.

For this veteran? It’s true. The game’s held my attention for over four years, I believe. Like I said before, once I hit the AP cap, my interest instantly dwindled. I also said it appears the numbers back Rauderi’s opinion.

I’m not here to argue. I only offer my opinion. And that was my experience.

They’re also the overall sales for the game itself as well as gem store items.

Why are the numbers low? People are either not buying the game and expansion, not buying gem store items, or both. Seems both. As to why?

Well . . . that’s another thread.