Guild Wars 2

Paul.4081:

Just made a new Charr to experience the game again with FoV max and a bit of 1st person.

My Opinion after 5 minutes. Mind numbingly dull. No unlocking skills, nothing, just 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,1 afk, just a why am I playing this feeling

Anet, when you do free and reduction weekends do you honestly think new players will rejoice at this mundanity?

NPE is an example of how the proud can’t admit they are wrong.

They’re too busy giving off shows that state, mostly, redundant and vague information. It’s almost as if they gave up on the game to make a different one, that they don’t even bother to try and answer these concerns and pleas.

GW2 status: abandoned.

Rhialto.8423:

This system makes me not want to roll new alts. I’ll stick with the 5 grandfathered characters I have right now.

Too bad, it would be fun to try a Thief, Engy, or Ranger.

I’m having the same issue right now. Lots of stuff to do on this game by playing different races/professions. Would love to. But while this is in effect? Nope.

Right now I’m just logging for dailies and Tequatl. As soon as some games come out or others get out of beta, I’m out. Having more fun playing modded Minecraft ALONE than being treated like a newborn.

(6 months and counting since this is in effect; for all intended purposes, silence is akin to a giant middle finger from the team; if they somehow found the time to say they screwed up with trait changes and PS, you’d think they had some time to let us know the something over here – which means they don’t give a flying hoot)

As far as I’m concerned, this would be improvement. Good idea.

I double checked. If you go here http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Level_rewards and drop the 41-50 list, you’ll notice that fine salvage kits unlocks at 43. It is not telling me about it. It is allowing me to use.

While anyone is there, please read the unlocking by level. We had that stuff from level 1.

I’m sorry, kind of double post here.

So now I’m paying attention to the level unlocks on the wiki. I have the urge to delete the game from my computer. No expansion for me like this.

I won’t go into details, but… Fine grade salvage kits only at level 44? Are you people serious? What kind of dumb person allows this? Have you considered not having a bunch of yes-men around you? I recommend pulling a Hemingway. The game is now a long, boring and forceful tutorial up to level 23. I did not pay for this kind of shabby treatment.

Shaaba.5672:

Have a new guardian and I’m doing the last heart for map completion in the beginning zone. I get downed, but think, np – There’s not much health left on this guy, I’m a guardian – I got this. Except not really. I don’t have my downed skill 3 opened up yet and I get really really close, but ultimately die. At level 17 I still don’t have all my downed skills unlocked? That’s just … not right.

Of course not. At level 17 you’re still to dumb to have access to 2 out 3 possible skills on your downed state (not counting 4th skill; I have no idea why not lock that one too. It’s not like you need to be alive to play the game how you want). It’s too overwhelming, I tell you. You just got access to weapon swapping, so more skills will make your brain melt or something.

Why not lock the whole game until 80? Skills, traits, personal story… Everything. That way we can say it’s truly an NCSoft game. Grind away.

Edit: I went to check, since I refuse to level anything with this new system, I had no idea. Apparently, you only get skill number 3 at level 22. Underwater skill 5 is only at 23, when before I could get it… Well, by playing the game…

Fluffy.1932:

The Problem: Too much of the game’s content is locked out to new players.

Since the changes in the September 2014 Feature Pack there has been content locked out to new players that shouldn’t be locked out. This confuses players who want to jump into the content right away and makes there appear to be less content than there actually is. Much of what is unlocked in the first 15 levels or so feels arbitrary and unnecessary.

In other words: the game was good as it was. Good point.

Fluffy.1932:

The Solution: Have much of the content currently unlocked in the first 15 levels be available from the beginning.

• Specifically, I think that everything necessary for map completion should be unlocked right away. This means Vistas, Skill Points, and Points of Interest.
• I also feel that traits should be accessible earlier so that players can get that feeling of progression earlier. Level 20 might be a better place to unlock traits.
• Overall, all content that gets locked out with the leveling system should be reconsidered. Every level does not need to bring some mechanical change to the game. Getting purely item rewards and stat gains succeeds in making players feel rewarded for leveling up.

1st point: again, game was good as it was.
2nd point: they say they are reviewing the dumb trait changes, so I’ll hold my tongue, but your suggestion seems to make more sense that the current system.
3rd point: agree. Not only that, but the actual stat leveling only happens on certain levels. Meaning you see your level go up, but for all practical combat purposes, you are as you were. The item bonuses are just shinny stuff we’re thrown to ignore how bad the changes were. Also, we can’t salvage the items, so they’re pretty useless, considering we get a lot of stuff either from mob killing, or Renowned Hearts.

Bottom line: trait changes and NPE were a waste of time, money and resources. To make it worst, they are wasting more time, money and resources to try and save face rather than just reverting the whole changes. In less than a month the trait changes will be around for a year. A year of a broken, dumb system. We can expect at least as much time for the leveling to be fixed…

Astral Projections.7320:

Well, since we don’t know the numbers, it’s always possible that in spite of the veteran’s complaints about how it’s affecting them that it’s doing what it was intended to do, retain new players longer. That’s one possible reason why ANet hasn’t changed the NPE in spite of numerous posts by non new players.

Ok, fair enough.

But what I and other people have been advocating is the OPTION to chose which way you want to level up.

It would be better than throwing people away. As you said, the people that go may justify the people that it retains. I’m not a manager, but if I could effing easily retain both groups, would it not be the right approach to take?

Edit:

Vayne.8563:

Really this is what it’s all about. Are more new players staying than old players leaving over the NPE.

I think that people who hate it really hate it…but I think their feelings about it make them believe they’re greater in number than they are (just my opinion here). In other words they dislike it so much that they can’t conceive of that not being the most common reaction.

I don’t think most older players love it. I think most older players don’t really give it much thought one way or another (again my opinion).

But the real question has always been how the NPE affects the players that say came in on the $10 sale, again as compared to how many people will actually leave because of it.

You’re absolutely right, it may be a matter of perspective. They refuse to even let us see the numbers, over proving either faction right or wrong. Proving either faction right would either force them to take action and correct/add option, or demonstrate they don’t give a hoot about what old player-base may think or want.

Ashen.2907:

Actually the NPE was made for new players and ceterans alike. Perhaps it was originally inspired by a desire for new player retention but a decision was made for it to target veterans as well.

Had an option to toggle it off for vets been included this would be a different matter but, as it stands now, the only option to avoid it is to skip the early levels..

If it was fueled by a desire of player retention, then it was a very poor job. No consideration whatsoever for anyone that bought the game.

Instead of implementing a sorry excuse of a lunar festival (I say this for two reasons: almost nothing was added; the dragon ball arena is soooo laggy) they would have spent time and resources in a much better and efficiently patching this as soon as possible.

Preferably before the expansion…

Cherine.3184:

Fine, hold some hands and show people how to play, but test it out first so it’s done/designed/implemented properly, and include an opt in/out

Yes, please, thank you.

It’s just want most of us want (at least what appears to be the case in this thread). Cater who wants to be catered, and leave the rest of us to play as it was.

naiasonod.9265:

[sic]

After reading your post I had the urge to bawl while hugging you while stabbing these people in the eye with a mechanical pencil.

I feel like printing your post on a stone slab and bashing them in the head with it.

My guildies were talking about the expansion and the new profession, randomly asking if people were thinking of leveling one. I am not touching a new character with a 10 foot pole until the trait, leveling and personal story system are fixed. And by fixed, I mean either back as they were, or with a turn off button.

They weren’t even in a state that would warrant the amount and “quality” of these changes.

Vileste.7148:

[sic]

The popup are intrusive and uncalled for. I did not want the kitten system for my first character, and I sure as hell don’t want it for any that would come after.

As for the example you’ve given, I guess I wouldn’t mind a way to simplify those popups. Why so much grandeur? Are they supposed to make me feel like I saved the world each time I successfully escort a kitten dolyak?

Also, the dreaded content guide. Took me a while to actually find out that you could turn it off. It was unnerving. “Play how you want! But it’s better if you go over there just because I like ordering you around”.

But this post is actually sort of a positive feedback on the content guide.

Because I’m not forced to take it. I can turn it off. Now be good sports and make an option to fully turn it off. So I can play properly and pretend these dumb changes fell down some stairs or died (slowly) in a fire.

shadow.6174:

Paul.4081:

You shouldn’t be allowed to add/change things in a game if you don’t play it. Rolling a character and standing around in LA is not enough.

So… what do you mean with it? Even playing a game for a few minutes is already enough to give opinions/suggestions/etc, even though the less you know it, more chances you have to get a reprehension for saying things that you don’t know about, just that.

I think he’s referring to whoever has any weight on decisions that affect the game, such as this one. It took me a bit to come to this interpretation, as the post had no background context I could grasp.

Vayne.8563:

Unided Dyes are worth 50 silver now and it would be out of range of the rewards for such low level characters.

Silly me, of course. That would ruin the prices. How about a random dye from a large pool, instead?

Mo Mo.1947:

Other than that I really enjoy the level up rewards. Skill points could maybe come more gradually instead of in chunks? I really like the other rewards. As an alt-aholic it’s really nice to have progressively better gear given to me for free as I level. Means I have to buy less gear myself as my characters level up.

1 skill point per level was ideal, yes. And the rewards are mostly eye-candy, I think, for you get a lot of stuff just from killing mobs. And it will just clutter your inventory since you can’t even salvage the stuff. It is a bit pointless, pressing further on the matter, since you can buy cheap, efficient gear from Renowned Hearts after you’ve completed them.

Oh, another thing, at a certain level (I forget which) you get to chose 1 dye out of 3. After 3 characters it’s trash, since the TP is flooded with those particular colors. Might I suggest an unidentified dye instead of 3 predefined choices?

Update: I got a friend playing since the 75% discount weekend. He’s been busy, so has not really been playing much. He played GW1, so he was very excited to continue a game on the same world. To see the changes over 250 years.

And then he started… Profession mechanics locked out to the point that I had to throw him into arenas so he can get the feel of professions (walk him there, actually, because as a new player, he is obviously treated as too dumb to press a button and teleport to the sPvP lobby). So that he can understand differences on those professions that existed in GW1.

The point to keep in mind is: we’re talking about a new player that has played similar games (MMORPGs) before this game; we are also talking about a person that does not have any special needs. In sum, a normal, “mmo veteran”, human being.

He was looking to find vendor and TP NPCs. He was shocked that he had been locked out because he was too low level (he was level 2). He asked me if it’s always like this and if there is any other option. I told him, yes, showed him how to get on the Mist train and, at my advice, he’s mindlessly grinding until level 30. Because I suggested 30, or otherwise he’d max it to 80 over there (I haven’t got around explaining trait acquisition; I’m thinking of buying him a bottle of scotch so he won’t be too upset).

I dread each question that he may ask next, because all answers I’ll be giving are “you’re level isn’t high enough”.

End game since level 1, eh?

Money making is not a sign of experience, as you’ve stated; that’s not the way to go.

And just because I have 5 character slots, I am in no way obliged to use them. I don’t want special privileges, but I should not be at a disadvantage for having chosen not to use them. What? You buy a game and should be forced to play it because you can?

Keneth.6490:

You can get 30g a day without doing anything hard. If you don’t want to invest a tenday into getting your commander’s tag, you don’t deserve it.

Thank you so much for your valuable input and thread derailing. People that were lucky to get a commander tag for 100g and get it upgraded to the account version for free don’t deserve, by your line of thinking. It was just as easy to get those 30g.

Some of us have no reason to get an account-wide all at once and/or can put 200g to better use.

Keep on topic.

Edit: forgot to quote…

Post your concerns here: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/NPE-Feedback-Merged-Please-read-1st-post/first

I’m very sorry you had to play the game in this sorry state. Some of us don’t even level alts normally, anymore. Those that still do just use scrolls or Mist trains. Some, like me, that actually want to experience proper leveling, just don’t level alts anymore.

Edit: grammar and coherency

I’m not sure if this has been said before, if so I apologize.

I’ve recently been entertaining the idea of buying a commander tag. The problem? 300g.

Previously commander tags were 100g. However, now, they are 300g but all your characters can use it. One time buy. Ok, fine. But right now, for various reasons irrelephant to this thread, I am playing only one character. So how about this:

On the commander trainer you get another item. A commander tag that only works on the character that uses it for 100g (not sure if previously it required honor badges, but the cost for the 300g version is minimal and makes no difference). Also, if you buy one of those, you are locked out of buying the 300g version. An achievement is introduced to keep track of the number of “tags” you’ve bought (doesn’t need to give AP, just for us to keep track). Once you’ve reached 3 items bought, reaching the 300g cost, you get it unlocked for account. Or just buy the 300g version right away.

It is my opinion that people that people can be useful while just paying 100g at a time (a considerate amount) rather that to be forced to buy something they might not fully take advantage of.

Anyone got anything to add or change to this idea?

HandOfKane.5409:

Meh I dunno… I would very much prefer that all players got the choice of the “off button,” regardless of how new they are. It’s much easier for us to help new players if we’re all on the same page (as evidenced my the many posts where people have complained about trying to teach new players about SPs and vistas without knowing that the new player couldn’t see them, for example.)

Of course, the best solution would bee to trash the new progression (except the level-up rewards I guess) and restore the starting zones to how they were before (with the dodge tutorial) Then focus on actually making proper tutorials akin to said dodge tutorial (since even many of the harshest NPE critics agree that the dodge tutorial was the one good thing added).

Yes, of course, option for everybody. If the new player has played previous MMORPGs or simply if he likes to discover things, makes sense that everyone gets “the button”.

Sorry for not being clear.

Edit: typo

Vayne.8563:

Shadow, I think you’re far overestimating how many people are affected by this, or feel affected. You talk about speed of leveling. The first 15 levels are, and have always been, meant to be a tutorial. After those levels you can level as slow as you want with barely any interference at all from the NPE.

Yes and no. They were always meant to be a tutorial, yes. But right now, since the leveling for the first 20 levels was hastened, the tutorial goes onto further levels. Which, I just began to wonder, if the level cap is not to be raised, what is the point to make things go faster toward the level cap?

Vayne.8563:

I think most people do see that there was an initial overreaction, and that’s not unusual for this particular fan base.

But unlike the trait changes, most people accept it and have moved on. There are a handful of people that think it’s godawful.

There is no overreaction on being paying costumers at a restaurant and having our half eaten (delicious) meal thrown against the wall, and be forced to eat moldy bread.

The trait change? Are we talking about that OTHER abomination? Nobody moved on with the trait change. Not even bloody close to that. Everyone in their right mind was upset about that. They already made a new thread because the previous one derailed, but here is proof that there will be change: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Game-Updates-Traits/4733414

Time will tell if it’s for the better. I won’t bother linking info regarding personal story screw up, because that one is to be fixed, as well. Official statement. Go ahead, look it up.

So traits and PS botch, both to be fixed. 2 down, 1 to go.

Vayne.8563:

People are making this sound like it affects their entire game forever. It affects a few levels in the beginning, for a short period of time.

Well, maybe because it does affect the game forever. It is a massive game changer and not only were we not asked about it (great idea on all that no disclosing…), but we can’t turn it off, either.

Edit: misquote

Ok, ok, we’re derailing this thread over personal discussion which amount to nothing.

And I say personal discussion referring to when you go back and forth with what each one said.

Now, on the interest to get matters back at hand, let me see if I got this straight from most of the thread, but particularly from page 25: they “yays” go in favor of getting new players, even if that effects negatively the old players because the company gets more money. Great, that’s how companies work, they want money. Nothing new or strange there.

They did not properly analyze the target market, for most people have at least played one MMORPG and/or do not suffer from severe kittenation. The hand holding and speed in which you reach level 20 goes against the company’s policy of “play how you want”. If the game was designed to be “end game” since level 1 (where the player can do almost anything, except some dungeons and some other minimal things), level gating everything is saying that they (the company) either don’t know what they’re doing or lying through their teeth. For a game based on exploring I am honestly not sure how rushing and throwing you to max level as fast as possible, any kind of incentive to exploration.

Limiting your option (by the grade of level gating implemented) and forcing you to use scrolls and (for example) mindless Mist trains to level, in my opinion, is not the action that enforces “free choice”. But alas, people like it and it can be dealt with. Given, of course, that you have more options.

Then we have the “nays”. My kin. The “kill it before it lays eggs” faction.

We are far more tolerating than you might think, actually. We don’t tolerate this system, hell naw. It’s awful. This, of course, is a matter of opinion. Our opinion. Same way as the “yays” have the right to theirs.

But, unlike the “yays”, I think (prove me right or wrong) that we would tolerate the “yays” to keep their hand holding. We. Don’t. Give. A. Hoot. We really don’t. Want to be carried like a baby and gated throughout the whole thing? Sure thing. Click here for “yes”, and get out of my face. Go. Be free little simpleton. Be free.

In exchange for our (“nays”) tolerance and your (“yays”) freedom (note: NPE freedom may have conditions applied) we have just one tiny request. An option. A way out. A godkitten If and End If on the kitten game code.

The lack of this option is why I think that the management don’t know what they are doing. In giving an option, you would get new players and keep the old.

Edit: this train wreck has been on for over five (5) months. No news. No “we’re working on it”. It’s not unexpected. They always push forward without looking back. The game still has bugs and exploits from when it came out. They do not learn from their mistakes, and proof is that they are able to fix and change issues such as this and choose to do nothing. Such a disappointment…

Can we have anything at all? There is still a small part of me that hopes for an “off” button so I can level new characters. Whichever the decision may be, I just want closure…

If you’re in an European server, then gw2community.com does three daily kills of the sucker. Join their TS (no registration required, info on site) 30mins before the spawn time, on the Tri-wurm channel 1 and listen.

They kill the 12.25, 16.55 and 19.55 wurms. Server time.

I feel that the iteration process that got us to this sorry excuse for an “improvement” was sort of like inventing the wheel. I’m trying to come up to a good analogy regarding the first and current game experience for new players, so bare with me for a bit. It goes something like this:

At first the wheel was invented, and it was good. It allowed you to go wherever you wished, provided that you could look at it and think a bit before actually starting to move. You couldn’t just sit on the wheel now, could you?

Then some salesman though “I need to sell more carts, but everyone already has a wheel… I know! I’ll make it square, so it’s different and everybody will want one.” This is where we currently are in the game – the square wheel.

So we’re stuck with this wheel, having previously tried the round wheel. New buyers of the wheel hear of the mythological “round” wheel in awe.

We were promised a review of the design of this square wheel.

Having seen things happen in various things along my life regarding changes for the worst, I can give you a glimpse of the future.

The salesman will not admit to his square wheel to be faulty. He will never admit to incompetence, poor decisions, bad ideas or anything of the like. The salesman and his product are perfect (this last sentence is sarcasm, in case you might be wondering).

Instead, he will blame you for not using it properly and being so dense about it. Eventually sighing and going “well, if you’re having such a hard time with it (all the while assuring you it’s your fault), I suppose I can do some smoothing on the edges”. And he will smooth, and smooth, and smooth edges until he returns to the round wheel (still saying it’s square and better, because he refuses to admit he is wrong).

Actually this is a hopeful wish. That things return to how they were and that they still call them “new”.

I hope someone (a lot of someones) get fired over this. Someone said getting people fired over this solves nothing. I partially agree. While it does not solve this predicament, it gives fair warning for the remaining employees that screwing up does not go unpunished.

And this was a major screw up…

Lone Gamer.4291:

Hey, I’m going to play Guild Wars 2 and i’m just wondering about what class is best for me. Just want some suggestions,

I usually play Archer type classes in games, I like killing stuff as fast as possible and im not a fan of the generic warrior class.

I’ve tried a Thief/Assassin (whatever its called) to level 7 and i couldnt kill crap.

So any reccomendations on a class that might suit me?

Thanks!

The issue may not be you or the thief class. The new leveling system locks you out of leveling normally. You only actually “level” on certain levels where you get stat boosts, so you’ll feel weak with all classes until you reach a certain threshold.

Have you considered spellcaster professions? Try elementalist.

Also, I went to GW1 wiki, read a bit about previous professions and found the dervish. Scythe wielder. We could get a scythe upgrade on the staff as necromancers have.

Dawdler.8521:

New weapon, pffff…

The only thing a Warrior need is dualweilding greatswords. They can remove all the other weapons

Giggled and remember WoW’s Fury Warrior.

I wants

Corana.9837:

[sic]

I like almost everything you posted here. Good organized constructive criticism.

The one thing I disagree is with the story’s current gating system that you listed as a good thing. I’d prefer it how it was, unlocked at all times, with the recommended level on red, should you be below it. Also, the exotic reward seems a bit too much, since you get to pick a Pact rare weapon. But i could live with that.

Someone argued that people would not give up on this system because of the (flashy and pointless) loot rewards you get on some levels. Might I point out that mobs within the story instances used to drop loot? Right. They did. Might as well leave those fake rewards behind and put it how it was.

You know. When it was good?

shadow.6174:

Nilkemia.8507:

(Seriously, they think we don’t know how to use dodge?)

Well, at times it feels like some ppl doesn’t know, given how many players die several times in events with huge AoE effects clearly warning them to dodge. But well, it can be due several reasons too.. what we could say…

I don’t honestly remember if previous to the NPE there was a functioning way of informing players that dodging was possible. If there wasn’t, then the current dodge tutorial is the only thing that came out as good.

The game was interactive and very friendly to learn. Before the NPE the learning curve was similar to WoW. Now it can be compared to EVE: The Second Genesis.

Attachment bellow to illustrate.

Edit: wrong use of quote system.

NaotsuguLH.8915:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

You can also buy the Watchwork Mining Pick which gives a chance to drop watchwork sprockets too. Only perma mining tool worth buying beyond animation desires.

I said I had this lol. And I agree.

Your original post said you had the mining pick, which can give you a random Sprocket when you mine any node.

Svenlana the Viking asked you if you had your personal node in your home instance. It is sold by laurel vendors. If you have it, then it’s either sprocket farming, or shard farming. Like other people said: killing Aetherblades and doing Not So Secret jumping puzzle.

Happy farming

fadeaway.2807:

can someone give me a tldr? I haven’t done the personal story past the claw island part and was actually looking forward to finishing it one day. Did they remove it?

They changed the order and removed an important part of it. I’m not sure for how long you’ve been playing the game, but it also important to point out that before this change you had a chapter of story to do every other level or so. Now they’re just clustered in piles and gated to every 10 levels.

I think, regarding story changes, this is the TL;DR.

Nilkemia.8507:

I want Apatia, Tonn, and that mesmer back, please.

I want the game how it was before April 2014…

reapex.8546:

However, Colin did state Personal Story and Living Season 1 will be repeatable.

What? When and where did he say this? I stopped playing the game (stupidly) right before this started and I’m regretting it deeply.

I would love if this came to be.

I don’t know if you’re aware, being a new player, but you can be in up to 5 guilds at any given time. You will only be able to have one “active” at any given time (representing).

While representing you have access to that guild’s chat, bank and perks.

Why join 5 guilds? That is up to you. For example, say that you like every aspect of the game, i.e., dungeons, WvW, sPvP, world bosses, roaming, chatting, RPing, etc.

It is very hard to find a guild (I think) that does all those things. And I say this particularly because of WvW. You see, you can join any guild from any server and play with those guys on any map. Except WvW. You can only fight by the side of the people from your own server.

So it makes sense to be able to have a guild for WvW (if you’re into it) and at least one more guild for anything else.

Maps that count towards World Completion still show. Southsun, Dry Top and Silverwastes don’t show.

Feonix.4790:

[sic]

This.

This is the problem. We didn’t need to be convinced to play. To hold on a bit. We didn’t have to “wait until it gets good”.

Of course there were and always will be things locked by leveling. But we didn’t feel them. Suddenly something on my skill bar changing, I go see what happened: new skill slots. How do I get skill points? Oh, I see I’ve been getting 1 per level; no problemo. My hero icon lights up, I go see what it is: I got trait points to spend. Don’t know what traits are? Google, wiki, ask guild. And so on.

The story got squashed into batches, because everybody has ADD. My skill points and stats got squashed into batches because I, as a new player, need to feel my class is weak as a twig until i figure I’ve been being starved for stats. I unlock untility slots but they’re useless because I am neither given points per level, nor am I allowed to do challenges because I am incompetent.

With the current system even if I was allowed to do challenges, I would fail fighting challenges because my stats don’t grow with my level.

Truth be told, the new information system is downright useless. It says what we can read about just by looking at UI. It does not provide any additional information. And honestly, it’s information we pick up by trying and moving around. We had a bit of freedom. Quite a lot actually. Unlike the current system, where you can’t try almost anything because you didn’t level.

Edit: added “We had a bit of freedom. Quite a lot actually.” for coherency.

VodCom.6924:

Mental Paradox.3845:

How hard can it be to make the NPE toggleable? Say, once you’ve reached level 80 on ANY character on your account, your new characters will be able to play without it.

Or just a toggle option in “options”.

“Play how you want” was the credo, right??

Toggle it and say bye bye to the rewards ? Who would do this ?

Honestly? The rewards are kind of meh, if you know what to do. It’s pure goading.

But if that is a choice I’d be confronted with: yes. I would toss them aside in a heartbeat.

Constructive criticism. Now that something that should be seen more often on this thread. But it’s hard to give constructive criticism on something that was, by what I think may be the majority, hailed as good. Something that was received well by critics and was one of the high points of the game, when it came out.

Constructive criticism right now is “put it back like it was”. I never thought to myself, until this is was in effect, that the leveling could be improved. They managed to get it mostly right on first try. I’m sure there may have been posts giving good ideas for improvement, but I cannot, for the life in me, think what kind of advise (from players) led to this.

I see this as a change that was put from the higher management. People who only see number, played 5 minutes (if any at all), never played other games and made decisions based on mostly ignorance (gameplay-wise). If they actually had played other games to compare, I can assume the directives given were equivalent to “can you make it more proactive?”(a favorite from managers, along with pearls like “no-brainer” or “value-added”), or classics like “can you make it more like WoW?”.

A game that is fundamentally different than any other before seen, that has success by being different, is changed to be just another brick in the wall. I’m not going on name calling mostly because I like my forum privileges. But most of you can pull from memory some adjectives for these people.

Majic.4801:

I’m trying not to sound glib; I honestly don’t know. With so may months having gone by, it’s hard not to feel like they expected N% of players to quit over the NPE but considered it worth that cost in exchange for perceived benefits to new players.

Which sort of dovetails with your final comment: they need to bring in new players. I’m all for that.

Exactly. But the behavior doesn’t make much sense. Sure they get more money in their pockets from selling a copy. But the long term (greater) gain from the Gem Shop (because, let’s face it: the temptation is there and most of us end up giving in) is gone:
1- Buy game
2- No likey
3- Leave
4- ???
5- No profit

Edit:
I wanted to buy more slots. I wanted to level more characters. I’ve been itching for months. But I won’t. Not like this. It just saddens me…

Healix.5819:

You can refund the gems by contacting support.

Exchanging gems is locked to prevent new accounts purchased using stolen cards from dumping gold into the economy. It should take around 72 hours to unlock.

Even if he bought the game at 23:59 on Saturday, his 72h period should be ending in about 13h. Dunno what he’s doing right now, but if he can wait, no need on contacting support or whatever.

I was just extrapolating and giving “worst case scenario” on how long it would take. You’re new to the game, so I’ll fill you in a bit on why I said that.

There have been some changes that increased leveling through the first 20(?) levels. Still there are people that say it should be faster. Keep in mind that are items that give you, instantly, enough experience to level once and others give just 5% of a level. And still people want it faster…

I’ll turn off lights, sure. But not my monitor, PC tower and modem. I can manage without anything else.

Ok, this was during the double xp event, so let’s say normally, he would take 70h.

Can I hear someone say that the game should be faster to level through?

Majic.4801:

Old Player Experience

About 90% of the grief the NPE has caused could have been prevented by simply “grandfathering” the accounts of existing players so they would not have to contend with all the restrictions being foisted on them after playing for as long as two years without them.

I’m interpreting this in two ways: by “grandfathering” are you saying completely excluding old players from the new leveling system? Or giving them a choice? They are trying to improve the game (I hope), and a complete exclusion from old players would punish new players (unless they were given one of two choices).

By allowing old players to try (again, as a choice) out a new system, old players would give far less angry feedback. It would be more constructive than this. Something on the lines of “I don’t like what you’ve done in X, tune it and I will proceed with testing”. Bordering on beta testing, I think.

Majic.4801:

GW2 is an outstanding game, but is plagued by bad decisions such as these and what seems to be a growing unwillingness to listen to what existing players are actually telling them.

It’s not that they’re unwilling to listen (and I say this in light of the info we got recently over the trait changes). I just find the process of tuning to be somewhat slow. And this is due to my (and other players) ignorance on how our feedback is analysed and processed. No argument on being a bad decision, only because it was force-fed to us.

Majic.4801:

antics such as the Great Trait Nerf and the NPE Fiasco have already pushed a lot of otherwise enthusiastic players away from the game.

I’ve been seeing too much of this. It is saddening. Specially when it’s people who buy and immediately drop the game. It is frustrating in a way that makes them say “I don’t care how good the rest of the game is, but I’m not putting up with this”.

Majic.4801:

Here’s hoping we’ll begin to see a greater sensitivity to how destructive sudden sweeping, ill-conceived changes can be to the existing player base, and greater care taken to avoid them except where absolutely necessary.

It is necessary whenever they want to bring new players. And that is at all times. Remember, we don’t have to pay for anything else other than the copy of the game. Let them make profit and bring more people.

Regarding PvE? If you’re a fan of world bosses, and in case you’re guild isn’t very big, I’ll leave this treat here for you: gw2community.com does 3 daily organized Triple Trouble runs, every day (12.25, 16.55, 19.55).

Join their TS (info on website; Tri-wurm channel 1) about 30mins before the event to learn how it will work; they will explain every time. Until they tell you to be ready, just do whatever you want (events, slacking). If they have enough people, they can do more that one event at the same time.

If you don’t have that Great Jungle Wurm Slayer title, it’s a great way to get it; it’s how I got mine.

I don’t know how it was back when you played, but now people farm Silverwastes (new zone) map for champ bags and karma (as well as other nice rewards – read Dulfy’s guides for info).

You have champ trains, world boss trains (just get into a party and run them down; again, Dulfy boss timer), Orr trains and other stuff the game had previously. With the megaserver system, you’ll see a lot of people everywhere you go. No more lonely roaming.

For what I know, elementalist is pretty much on top of the food chain, at least for PvE, in dungeons.

Good places to get builds: dulfy.net and metabattle.com.

Once upon a time, you were able to see and do skill challenges since level 1. You also gained 1 skill point per level (instead of getting several bunched in level tiers). But Arena Net’s policy is that you’re too dumb to perceive everything all at once (God forbid reading, eh?) and since last September this is how you’ll be leveling.

Have fun, though. The game has much to offer besides the leveling system (excluding exploring as you level; that’s still fun). Vayne already told you most, if not all, ways of getting skill points.

This has frankly been frustrating for everybody. New and old players.

The story maiming, level gating and disorganization. The dumbed down, limited gameplay. I wanted to level all my alts to 80, but I am not touching them until this is fixed. I was even considering throwing my money for extra character slots, but you won’t be seeing a penny for that until I can play “how I want”.

And how I want to play, is how I was allowed before this… I want to explore again, without being treated like I can’t breathe unless I’m listening to a track with “inhale, exhale” on loop. I want to slowly unlock my skills. If I want to level faster, I have several options: mist trains, experience booster, tomes, writs (feel free to insert more ways).

It honestly feels like you pushed this into the game, knowing that it was beyond idiotic, and tried to make up for it with experience boost for the first 20 levels. And went to the trouble to include even more ways of gaining experience added into the dailies.

I am locked out of weapon swap until level 17, for Pete’s sake. Are you afraid I might cut myself by having an extra sword on my hip?

I’ll tell you something you did good in all this mess: the dodge tutorial. Simple and efficient. Simple and efficient, like the game once was. Now it is just confusing and frustrating.

If (and I shudder that there is an “if” rather than a “when”) you are planning to fix this mess, might I suggest before the expansion? You had a merry increase in players with the past weekend’s promotion. I will assume most of them are capable, intelligent, human beings. Katiekaboom.1980 gave us the example of 2 people that left the game nearly as soon as they picked it up. Of course you got the dough in your pocket, but if wanted more (I’m looking at gem store items) you could have put a simple option at the start, like I said in a previous post.

Just give us the choice to play how we want. Just that. You don’t have to write much more code. You have the previous code.

I’ve seen people who like the changes. I’m not saying you take away their option. I would be behaving like you, saying “no, trust me, this is much better”. You gave us a different view (albeit forcefully), and some people actually liked it. Keep it, then. But please put back the previous one, as well.

Knighthonor.4061:

Beldin.5498:

Vayne.8563:

I do believe (as in this is my belief), that most players log into the game, kill some stuff, farm some stuff and log off, without ever visiting the forums or ever being aware of the deeper issues.

That doesn’t mean that’s said on the forums has not value. But it doesn’t mean that what’s said on the forums has absolute value either.

Just for the numbers .. our german CM postet a while ago that only 1% of the player
post at the forums, and 7% read them.

So really 1% only post .. and i think it don’t really need much proof to say that people
go to the forums either if they have problems with the game like bugs, or simply that
they dislike parts of it .. or they are really dedicated to the game and those are more
often the so called “hardcore” gamers.

I hear this argument all the time. So tired of it. It’s BS!
SWTOR forum had lots of bad talk. But was the the vocal minority? Because that game went F2P within a year after release…
What about Warhammer? That game shut down. Guess that was also the vocal minority on the forum there giving feedback that wasn’t praise.
What about Rift, or Darkfall, etc?

I guess the developers had a reason to ignore that “vocal minority”,,,, and we see that results of it…

He who is silent, when he ought to have spoken and was able to, is taken to agree.

If a player is sad or happy about anything and doesn’t share it on these forums, then the company is sure to assume all is well and base their changes in models and sale numbers.

However people do express themselves, as few as your numbers may suggest. If only 1% of the people go to vote for anything or anyone, all the remaining 99% can not place blame on the choice: they chose to stay silent.

If the company chooses to ignore the player input (as little as it may actually be) then people may very well stop playing; the ones that speak and those who stay silent. Nobody here pays a subscription nor are we forced to play this. If we stay and complain it is because we see reasons still to play. Reasons that are already there or can be made to be.

If we see that our voices are ignored then, well… Life goes on. And so do we.

Edit: grammar correction.