Guild Wars 2

Drakz.7051:

And thief with a rifle like a sniper xD as their ranged weapons have short range right now and could do with a long range weapon.

Add in a true stealth that breaks when entering combat, not after a few measly seconds, and I would be so so so so happy. Could even have it so that the tougher the mob, the better their chance of seeing you? Or also work in Line of Sight? Example- If you are in the mob’s field of vision, they have a chance of spotting you moving in stealth. Stand still (OMG DONT EVEN BREATHE!!) until they turn away/move on, and then you could start moving again. But Vet’s, Champs, Leg’s, etc… have a better chance the stronger the mob (Bosses wouldn’t be fooled) of seeing right through your stealth.

(I’ve played Rogues and Thieves for 17 years in various games, and a real stealth is something I miss a lot when just exploring around or whatnot)

NightStalkerT.1983:

More importantly – i think the OP said something about gear not being dropped in normal maps – or world explore. For me, world bosses are a great example where people with specific level of crafting should be getting really good materials – or recipes to make gear.

Fun drinking game my husband and I played a few times… map metas & bosses… look at loot/drops at end of fight/meta:

salvage material: 5 points
blues: 4 points
greens: 3 points
yellow: 2 points
orange: 0 points
pink: -5 points
precursor: -10 points

whoever has the highest total has to take a drink

(Takes some of the sting out of how lousy the blue/green vs anything else drops are at level 80)

Love my Daredevil (Thief)! She is my go-to character when running around Hot, or anywhere really. I will say, until you have the DD Elite completed, DD feels very weak. Switch back to Thief while working on HPs, then go back to DD once the traitline is filled up.

Of all the MMORPGs I’ve played over the years, GW2 is the most solo friendly while also still feeling active, not isolated. (WoW aka.. Candyland, felt very lonely compared to the maps in GW2. ) You don’t NEED a group to travel from point A to point B. There is no KS’ing. See someone struggling? Can hop in without stealing their kill. 7 people can all hop into the fray on a Champ and continue on their 7 different ways after.

Why aren’t we able to change around the order of our skills/abilities? Not just 1-5, but all of them? 1-0?

1-5 bug me the most, tho. What is the reasoning behind not being able to swap around/choose the order of our skills/abilities? I would love to, for example, be able to put every character’s hard CC as #5 (or, comfort and muscle memory reasons.. #6) Even after more than a year in GW2, and not in other MMORPG’s, I still, when the /cough “hits the fan” (sorry but “kitten hits the fan” sounds worse than what it is censoring LOL), want to hit 6 on my mouse.

I guess it is like driving a stick. It’s been about 10 years since I’ve driven a stick, but my left foot still looks for the clutch once in a while.

When I first had someone shout about CC’s, I immediately started looking for something for Crowd Control. (It fit since there were littler mobs/adds running around in the fight) Not seeing anything on my bar that would lock down a mob, I brushed it off as a skill I did not have on that particular character. Why? Because Crowd Control is what CC stood for, for me, since 1999 when I first started playing MMORPGs. After the fight, I asked someone what profs had CC abilities and was told “everyone has at least one”. Hmm… that told me to go looking at the wiki for my characters. Even my husband was confused, because also coming from over a decade in other MMORPGs, he started looking for an ability that sleeps/locks down adds as well.

A tutorial as simple as the dodge one would benefit a lot of people, IMO, and the suggestion to implement tooltips/invulnerability on the first boss in the personal story is brilliant.

Teofa Tsavo.9863:

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

Teofa Tsavo.9863:

Well, if you aren’t among the Chosen, you get nothing.

I will not buy HoT. I guess I’m invisible and unworthy of any future consideration.

Doesn’t matter that I’ve bought gem cards worth far more than the cost of that sorry, single demographic, feature sized “expansion”.

Why won’t you buy HoT? Just curious.

Simple. I am disabled and play with only my right hand and a single usable digit on my left. Why buy a nightmare? Sadly, platforming and vertical have become the norm, and not an interesting option for those who enjoy that. Single demographic. If you can’t/don’t like platforming, go away.

I can play Core, even though I am gated from an increasing number of options/achievements there, I can’t even enter Dry Top in spite of hours spent attempting it before giving up. And no, I refuse to be “carried”, If I cannot do content myself, I won’t.

Although I did raid in WoW, Everquest, AoC and EQ2, I am too slow and imprecise to do group content now, I cannot carry my weight. I solo in Core. I do have 8k ap and rank 250 in wvw, not much, but I try. AP comes very slowly now. I have 13 80’s and now a 52, I bought another slot again because leveling a char is something to do.

I play core because there is still an option on how I can play. I watched hours of HoT footage, and there is simply no options for me there.

/waves Former EQ raider, WoW raider, and Almost-EQ2 raider here!

Very honest question… Have you ever tried a gaming mouse? I’ve thought about your post for a bit, and even watched how I played a few of my toons in game. While my left hand does rest on my keyboard when my demanding dog isn’t wanting to be petted, it is more out of habit & to hit map/inv/chat, etc… I’ve been using the Razor Naga, and the Naga Epic (cordless option) for many years now (over a year here, but for many years in WoW and EQ2). It was weird at first, getting comfortable with it; but once I did, I never looked back.

5 attempts, working with 2 mesmers (who had the patience of saints!!!)

I actually blocked that agonizing dive from memory. I watched the youtube vid and all the memories, agony and trauma came rushing back.

I… I need to go… I don’t have the AR to handle thinking about that dive.

For me personally, it would be Engi. I have tried, and deleted, too many Engis to count. I watch my husband’s bounce around in HoT and throwing out turrets and kits, etc… and I think “oooh.. maybe I’ll try one again.” Yeah, nope.

I deleted my 80 Rev because while it was fun to level with my husband’s, it was very boring at 80 to play.

Those are the only 2 profs that I do not have 80’s of atm. Considering one was boring to level to the point of deletion, I am probably going to Insta my Eng, level the Rev with Tomes and roaming the world, and then park both at the VB flax farm with the rest of my collection of alts.

Loving the Dominator Staff.

If I acquired a Battlestaff, I’d most likely sell it.

It’s been bugged for me as well. First time through LS2.

Asura back then must have had extremely hard heads. Cannot knock him out. Caithe won’t even attempt it!

Attempted “Meeting the Asura” on my Sylvari Daredevil multiple times. Bugs out trying to knock the guard out. Thinking that maybe my character being a Sylvari herself, and/or Daredevil/Thief is messing it up, I went into the story instance with my Human Chronomancer. Bugged at the same spot with the guard.

My Reaper, Evelina

fixit.7189:

Thank you very very VERY much! THis is much more managable and is a most welcome change. +1

The last concern I really have is to put in a grace period for anyone d/c and or crashed of around 3 minutes so players can get back into the zone instance they were previously in. Like last night, where I managed to play most of a 2 hour event, right at the end when the boss was going to die I crashed, re-logged in less than a minute, and was placed in an entirely new instance; I lost all progress and rewards. 2 hours gone b/c of something I had no control over. This happens on a regular basis and is really frustrating me.

Even in a group I stand to not get back into the original instance since the mega server instantly fills my spot the moment I crash.

This issue has been here ever since mega servers was introduced so I beg you to consider putting in a re-log grace period so players effected by a d/c and or crash are not so punished. Thank you.

A grace period would be wonderful, especially in light of the totally normal and expected hiccups that happens with any launch. Makes things very frustrating to lose progress 5+ times a night.

How will hero points that are already spent up to 250 be adjusted?

Horatius.8479:

HP will be refunded, states it in the post. I think this is a great decision, I actually just main my War but for those who have many alts I see it was an issue. Also it does make sense doing most of the new content with the new elites.

They state for points in surplus of 250. I, and a few others, are more interested in points that have been already spent but do not go past the 250 mark.

For example: My Dragonhunter has spent 200 some odd points to open up the 9th ability~ Fragments of Faith. After the change, will she be 50 points from completion with more things unlocked (up to where the new 200 -/+ mark would be)? Or will points already spent not be adjusted?

Curious to know, because if that is the case, none of my 80’s will be spending their points til after the adjustment happens.

I really enjoyed DH in BWE. Compared to other classes I tried out, it instantly “clicked” for me. Between the last BWE and launch I eve had guildies telling me that DH was trash, that druid was THE one to play. They’re pretty quiet now on the Druid front, while my DH is just wandering the jungle every day happy as a clam.

Humans have more surface area?

I love it as well!

I wonder if it is just me, tho, that at a certain part in the score for VB it is reminiscent of Stargate’s score? (Not a complaint, I loved that movie’s score as well)

“Can I have your stuff?” is the gaming equivalent of “Break a leg.” for stage performers.

in 29 pages, this has probably been mentioned…. the level 31 “Elite Skill” has nada on Revenant. Should at least have the pair of Mistfire Wolves.

Having a ball between my 80’s playing in HoT zones and my baby Rev.

I’d say, about a 7-8.

I do wish that Elite specs could be unlocked at a better pace for more functionality. I don’t like the idea of by the time I am practically done exploring is when my spec will be fully operational. I like to learn as I go, not get the final handful of puzzles pieces right at the very end. Maybe I will have to try pvp just so I can play around with the end 2/3’s of my elite specs.

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but the Revenant isn’t listed under professions in the trading post.

For now, easy workaround is just either seeing every armor weight, or popping War/Guard in to show only Heavy.

ScribeTheMad.7614:

No thanks, WoW is that way ->

WoW is so not grindy. At least they have quests.

NeverRest NeverQuest EverCrack EverQuest was the king of grind.

Morfedel.4165:

Brtiva.9721:

Long time ago.

Queensdale, the garrison at about level 6. Player with a small girl avi, she was level 3 . She had apparently run from the farm where we used to water plants at level 2 or 3, for a beginner quest.

Well, she carried a bucket from there it seems, and was running around in front of the garrison where centaurs are located.

As people were fighting centaurs, she was running up to the centaurs and “watering” them. Dumping the bucket of water on centaurs.

Somehow she did not get killed; a huge number of players were there at the time and somehow she did not get hit hard enough to kill her.

Struck me as very funny and somehow cute. Of all the odd things I have seen, that stands out.

“Watering the Centaurs”

That is awesome!

About a month ago in silver wastes, I saw in map chat someone said that they loved something that someone had done at the entrance way point and that she loved us guys for doing it. Curious about what she was talking about I went to the way point, and found that someone or several someones had moved literally hundreds of pieces of rubble from the other fortresses to the way point and dropped them off. So when you came out of the way point, you find yourself surrounded with a gigantic sea of rubble. I’m not sure how long it took for someone to do that, or why, but I have to admit it made me grin lol

That and whoever did it must have been really bored haha

I remember that!

Danikat.8537:

I can’t see how it could be anything else. Unless it was inspired by one of the numerous references to it, in which case they should probably just say it was inspired by the poem. Although the staff itself might be a reference to the Raven Staff from GW1.

I like it. It’s one of my favourite poems, the first one I liked which wasn’t written for kids (I have to admit The Simpsons introduced me to it) and the staff looks pretty cool.

I think it will go well with my rangers pet raven Quoth. Although Quoth, being a reference to the Discworld raven of the same name, obviously disapproves of the continued association between his species and the ‘N word’.

What’s funny to me is that my husband trekked out on his little Ranger just to tame a raven and name it Poe. Has no interest in becoming a Druid wielding a staff.

Diovid.9506:

Gryffenne.8639:

My first one, my explorer, will probably go: Glide >>Bounce >rest of glider skills so that she can get around. From that I will decide what my alts need most.

From your post it seems like you assume masteries are character-bound, though I can’t tell for sure. Just in case: Masteries are not character-bound, they are account-bound.

Yup. I am a caffeine lacking kitten . Will fix that.

My first one, my explorer, will probably go: Glide >>Bounce >rest of glider skills so that she can get around. From that I will decide what my alts need most.

Glide, then Bounce. After that, who knows.

Fix’t because I need more coffee.

Random.4691:

Ya I can’t remember the vid name but the fan that made it is actually head of that department at blizzard now.

That is so awesome!

Love it!

Awesome Job. Reminds me of when players made some video’s for WoW, they actually hired a couple of them.

Some of those fanvids, I used to get friends interested in playing WoW, or returning. That’s so cool that some were hired, a lot of talent in fanbases.

I already have read your posts. Meters aren’t worth it. They are not required. They are not needed. Want a game like WoW, go back to it. Most came here because it was different. The community was different. Can’t it stay different? WoW may have been the most successful MMORPG. But their heyday is long gone. Right around the time gearscore and meters became more used (Mid Wrath) Hopefully, ANet looks at those numbers, not Recount.

No, there isn’t. You’re just so stubbornly blinded by your desire to validate your DPS you are willing to sacrifice the community to get it. This game is not designed that way. Go back to WoW and load up your 30 add ons when you start having meter withdrawals. GW2 will still be here when you get back.

Bringing in meters will change the game from what it is to more akin to a trinity game. Right now, people actually use skill. They dodge, strafe, spend 1 second helping a downed part member get back up. They use their utilities. Bring in meters and suddenly they won’t bother dodging out of the way of a swing or bad stuff. It might make their DPS drop and you can’t have that! They will ignore the downed ally because helping them would lower their DPS. They won’t use mechanics or utilities because again, that might lower their DPS.

So in a year or so, people will be screaming for the “healers” to be buffed more to heal them while they are rooted by their meter addiction. They will need more toughness to withstand hits while they are frozen in fear of their numbers dropping. So X & Y classes, you’re tougher. (oh look, tanks). A & B classes, you can heal better (wow.. we have real healers now!) and the rest? Well, since you don’t use Z utilities, we’re just going to ignore them, mmmkay?

Don’t think it will happen? Look at WoW. For anyone that played before… oh.. let’s say mid Wrath, you could probably rattle off every CC/Utility ability and spell your class(es) used and what they were best used for. Hybrids were actually aware that they had the ability to heal a bit, even in DPS form. People were more prone to move out of the bad stuff, to not face pull, to not scream GOGOGOOMGDIAF!!!!! Mechanics were used in dungeons/raids. From Cata on? Hahahaahhahahahahaa… good luck finding a DPS that knows what their CC abilities are and how to use them. Now it’s all about the holy meter and fastest zerg. Sadly, for years. And Blizzard just started building their game around that simplistic attitude. Don’t move, don’t help, don’t look at anything but your numbers. 90% of the community is so toxic you don’t even want to be around them. And they’re all in the middle. The “Hardcore” players don’t pug. They don’t need to. They sorta keep to themselves, but if you do happen to get one talking, they’re hysterical to chat with. The “casuals” aren’t really interested in pugging and stick to their small, personal guilds. The last thing they would want to do is ask a question in zone/trade chat and they don’t have the patience to deal with the middle group. That is where you find the “elitists”. The ones that give meters, gearscore, the WoW community a bad name. They are most likely the #1 reason anybody here -that is from WoW- wants to avoid meters like the plague. They’re not afraid of the meters. They don’t want the headache to come here. They left it behind in WoW, where it can stay.

With the way GW2 is designed, the meters are not worth the changes that could happen to the community and the game itself.

My first raiding was EverQuest. Started playing in 99, started raiding a couple years later. Was in one of the top 3 raiding guilds on my server. Raided in WoW as a variety of healers and sometimes DPS. So yes, my raiding mentality was born from not having or needing meters and addons. And I still don’t think you need them. I’ve always felt that if the mob dies and we don’t, that’s a win! Then again, I am more patient than some. I’d rather take the time to explain a fight than have to decipher meters as to why we wiped because someone was too afraid to speak up that they didn’t know for fear of being kicked.

I used to chuckle at people in WoW claiming to be big and bad raiders…. with so many addons, they barely could see the game. (What? Are you raiding the Matrix?) They made things easier, I agree. Nothing like hearing “RUN AWAY, LITTLE GIRL! RUN AWAY!” to make you start dancing the Time Warp (…it’s just a jump to the left…). As a healer, I used almost all of the panels of my meter. Usually to shut some moron up (you remember “that guy”. he always said he doesn’t have a meter, but if he ended a fight on top, would beg for someone to post it… oh here is the damage taken or heals received report! Oh? That isn’t what you wanted everyone to see? That you took every avoidable blast to the face and soaked up more heals than the main tank? My bad… which one does your ego need to feed off of again?) or to defend someone getting ripped apart by some egotistical social dunce on a power trip.

I think one of my favorite kicks, that highlights what is so wrong with a DPS meter, was when a raid leader tried using low DPS as a reason to kick me because I was on the same loot table as his buddy. I was main healer and assigned to the tank/raid leader. The next fight, my friend was calling me on the phone and almost dying laughing. I guess he was screaming at the healers and one of them piped up “We wiped because you kicked your own healer.”

Glenstorm.4059:

I for one will be leveling a Revenant the old-fashioned way, despite having more than enough tomes. So I will be revisiting the old zones and slowly completing them, taking my time to learn the Rev mechanics.

Same here.

You also have players like my husband, the Altaholic. He loves leveling new alts and exploring zones.

Can buy a slot (or as many as you’d like) with gems

StinVec.3621:

Gryffenne.8639:

StinVec.3621:

[…]

I’ve been a Razor Naga user for many years, the last one I bought -the Naga Epic- was purchased over 3 years ago. It has so far held up against WoW wear & tear until this past spring when I quit WoW and it has been handling GW2. It’s no longer “Epic” -can’t become wireless anymore- but that isn’t the fault of the product. That blame falls on me for leaving it within reach of a greyhound “puppy” (she was 2) and her gnawing on it. It’s failing at a faster rate now than I would like, but again, it is due to damage it took last year.

I wasn’t really wanting to purchase a Naga Epic Chewtoy again, even tho I do love how it fits my hand. How is the size of the Red Dragon in comparison to the Naga? I’m female, btw. My fingers are as long as my husband’s, but my hand is not as wide as his.

It is slightly wider and perhaps slightly longer. The casing seems to have a bit more bulk to it than the Naga. I love the feel of the Naga’s sleek shape and frame, but I got used to the Perdition’s slightly more bulky feel quickly. I am male, though, but I have very feminine ‘pianist/violinist’ hands.

I’ll take a pic of them side-by-side shortly and edit my post to include it.

---

EDIT:
Pics included. Sorry, they are pretty low-quality pics as I used an old phone.

Awesome! Thank you so much for the pics. Really helps. I think I am going to be purchasing one in the near future now that I can see that it isn’t much different from the Naga, and where it is different, isn’t that extreme.

Regina Buenaobra.6193:

It’s not up to me on whether there will be more videos. Having said that, feedback about how you feel about what you’ve seen is helpful to us.

Well the holidays are coming up!

There are lots of Halloween themed foods, and the candy corn business would love you for bringing new interest to their product

Endless Soul.5178:

DoctorDing.5890:

If one had a mount it would be easier for one to distinguish oneself from the peasants.
(I believe some of them don’t even shower after a hard day scrabbling around in the filth and being repressed.)

Oh you’d be distinguished alright….as the only guy around banging two coconut halves together.

That made this dreary day much brighter for me LMAO

I would LOVE to see the coconuts for April 1st that would be a riot. Announce mounts are coming and have it be that LOL

Regina Buenaobra.6193:

Here we go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjaDmRQdulg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNJiJWExOxo

OMG I loved these! Please let Jennifer know that she is awesome. I am so going to be making the cookies from the 2nd one sometime this weekend. And possibly the skewers, depending on the weather (yeah yeah, I know you can make them in the broiler. Not the same. We’re the type of family that we will shovel snow away from the grill in winter before resorting to making a steak or hamburger indoors)

Will there be more videos?

Still fairly new. Have an 80 Ranger and 80 Necro that I eventually want to get their Elite Specs. On their heels is my Guardian. My goal is to get her to 80 and have the HP waiting for Dragonhunter. Just so hard to play her, knowing what she will be able to become, and stuck with what she has until then. I want to be a Dragonhunter NOW! lol My Ranger isn’t happy about that plan, as it is her Ascended Bow that will be handed over.

So I guess the answer for who am I going to play at release? Whichever of those 3 is best prepared for their Elite Spec that day.

StinVec.3621:

I’ve tried several different kinds of gaming mice, and I must strongly urge you to stay as far away from Razer mice as possible. They had been really good over a decade ago. However, they seem to have gone the route of jacking their prices really high and lowering the quality of the their construction to bare minimum. The internal components are actually designed to wear down unnaturally fast. In games that are click-heavy, such as GW2 and other MMORPGs, this designed failure point is reached must sooner than with other types of games.

After checking out and testing many different gaming mice, I decided to go with the:

• Red Dragon Perdition

I do not see me using another mouse for a very, very long time to come. I do not even need to worry about picking up a back up in case it fails (like I had to with Razer mice) as it is a very high quality and durable mouse that is designed to last, not to wear out within a certain time frame (again, like Razer mice).

It also does not require any software to be running for all of the lighting and keys on the mouse to function, like Razer with its Synapse software which could consume over 100MB of memory. Your settings, sensitivity profiles and everything else is stored inside of the mouse. Even if you do want its software configuration utility running to make quick adjustments to sensitivity profiles or tweak the pulsating light speeds or colors, it will only take up about 700KB of memory.

I highly recommend it.

• NewEgg link for info/purchase
• Amazon link for info/purchase

Cost: $36-39 USD and both have free shipping.

---

Also, this “UtechSmart Venus 50” mouse looks almost identical (but offers more colors) and costs about the same amount. I cannot comment on the durability of this mouse due to my not owning it, but reviews around the net seem good.

• NewEgg link for info/purchase
• Amazon link for info/purchase

Cost: $39-41 USD and both have free shipping.

I’ve been a Razor Naga user for many years, the last one I bought -the Naga Epic- was purchased over 3 years ago. It has so far held up against WoW wear & tear until this past spring when I quit WoW and it has been handling GW2. It’s no longer “Epic” -can’t become wireless anymore- but that isn’t the fault of the product. That blame falls on me for leaving it within reach of a greyhound “puppy” (she was 2) and her gnawing on it. It’s failing at a faster rate now than I would like, but again, it is due to damage it took last year.

I wasn’t really wanting to purchase a Naga Epic Chewtoy again, even tho I do love how it fits my hand. How is the size of the Red Dragon in comparison to the Naga? I’m female, btw. My fingers are as long as my husband’s, but my hand is not as wide as his.

The ones I am wanting their Elite specs the most are the ones I am running around, now, to gather as many hero points as I can before 10/23. That way, if I do need them, I have them, or at the very least, I have more than I would if I didn’t go out collecting them. If I don’t need all the hero points at launch, great. They will be there when I do need them.

gamerinachair.4057:

Gryffenne.8639:

… but I was no Rytlok screaming over the cliff to annihilate everything in my path.

I have no idea why, but this made me laugh for a good few minutes.

LOL I was pretty clumsy. I was imagining her all gung ho to save everyone. Start in like Mighty Mouse “Here I come to save the day!!!” and actually is more like Greatest American Hero faceplanting into a tree.

Kirigato.7183:

Can u guys rank them according to the level of awesomeness and fun

First, to answer:
DragonHunter :P ha, had to! ,
Druid,
Reaper,
Revenant
(according to what I did in Beta, so not much there.)

Before Elite specs:
Necro,
Ranger
.
.
.
.
.
.
Guardian (notice how far down Guard is, whereas Dragonhunter was my fave, although not on your original list)

*and obviously Rev doesn’t exist until 10/23 *

But…
What is fun to one person is not the same level of fun to another. My husband and I both have Necros. We play them very differently from each other. We both have Rangers. I see a ranger as well… ranged. He loathes bows for some reason. Could not get into what I was calling a “fun” profession for map completion/exploring until he tried out axes. To me, melee is almost a foreign concept for Ranger. I am excited for Druids, because I played healer for many many years in trinity games. It bugs me to watch the group dying and there is pretty much nothing I can do to help. So to have a healing spec that might actually make a difference? You bet I am geeked. My husband? The sound he made was similar to a cat hacking up a hairball at the thought of healing. Between his dislike of bows and aversion to healing, he wasn’t that thrilled with DragonHunter, either. He loves leveling a Guardian, tho, where I just wanna get the hero points banked, pop tomes on her and wait to be reborn a Dragonhunter.

Want to be awesome? Even if you went to meta builds and looked for the biggest powerhouse… unless that playstyle is similar to your best playstyle, you won’t perform the same.

For EXAMPLE Let’s say that the best necro is one that uses wells. Forget the pets, forget daggers, give me a staff and bring on the little neon circles of death and destruction! But wait. You love the idea of pets. You love daggers (or an axe) and being right up in the monster’s face, wincing at their morning breath. The thought of minions that you can have do your dirty work for you is awesome to you. You can’t stand Wells. At all. Will you be the best Wells Necro as someone that really gets into that particular playstyle?

My Ranger was very close to being deleted, until I tried out Druid in Beta. Love my druid! Cannot wait to really see what she can do when HoT launches.

If all you want to do is use a longbow for damage you might consider rolling a guardian and taking the Dragonhunter elite specialization.

Heh, my baby Guardian is racing to 80 to be a DH. In fact, that is who my Ranger is going to give her bow to when she picks up a staff!

When I first started a couple months ago, I tried everything. The Ranger eventually became my first 80. Easy-peasy to explore when you don’t know where you’re going or what you’re getting into. Bow and a pet, not much made it to melee range.

And then she sat at 80 in Lion’s Arch. Looking pretty. That was her job. That, and holding stuff.

My Necro was my second 80. She has been a lot more involved at level 80 than my Ranger ever was. She could range, melee, tank…ish and if need be, actually felt like a viable support (sorta healing) for groups. I was super excited for HoT and Reaper.

All that changed with beta this past weekend. Now my Necro is lounging around town while my Ranger is running around getting as many hero points as she can and my Guardian is leveling up to become a Dragon Hunter.

Not a very helpful answer, huh? I guess play what you like, with what’s coming in HoT in mind and what you want to do. Both, from 1-80, are good at soloing and have nice survivability. Both follow in the footsteps of other Rangers/Hunters and Necromancers/Warlocks in many other MMORPGs. Self sufficient. The Loner that graces a group with their presence.

From my limited testing this past weekend, it seems the Reaper will stay on that path just fine whereas the Ranger w/a Staff (Druid) will really shine in group dynamics.

I did not test either of them out in any type of PVP setting, nor do I PvP/WPvP, so if that is your interest, I hope someone will be able to give you an idea of them in those scenarios.

Out of those three, I personally had more fun with the Druid. I used to play a Healer in other MMOs for years, so I was quite curious about the Druid. I have an 80 Ranger that runs longbow & s/a. My druid ran staff & s/a. I used longbow and staff for a little bit, but switched to the melee combo instead of 2 ranged. By myself, the staff was, well, boring. But when I ran with friends, and when I did the Leg Wyvern fight in the canopy, I started to see the staff’s potential. I think one of my favorite things to do was: staff #3 (wisp) —> land/heal, switch weps, axe #5, sword #2 to bounce back away and switch back to staff. The Druid (and the DragonHunter) I got to play when I had more free time on Sunday.

Reaper, I was excited about, playing a Necro. I had limited time to play so she didn’t get too much exposure. Being in a hurry, I felt a bit clunky learning all the new things. My first group event, I sorely missed my DS#4

Revenant, played a bit with dwarven and assassin stance. Definitely something I am going to want to play from the ground up when I have more time. The above 2, I already had a lvl 80 Live side, so I knew the majority of how they worked. I knew most of the utilities without having to read every time to find out what did what. When stuff hit the fan, I could rely on weps swap to save my behind with weps I were more familiar with. The Rev, everything was new, and being on a time crunch this weekend, I just didn’t have the time to figure out how everything meshed together, so like the Reaper for me, I felt clunky. No synergy. But I suspect that was me, not the Rev. I was more or less just hitting 1-5 buttons going “what does this do?” while trying out different utilities. It seemed to have decent survivability, but I was no Rytlok screaming over the cliff to annihilate everything in my path.

Fernling.1729:

What worries me is the fact that there were people in /m talking about how much fun they are having doing it and that they don’t even care about getting no rewards. Are people really so easily entertained? This is the epitome of terrible gameplay.

Worried? You were actually worried because people were having fun when a loot pinata wasn’t involved? Not everyone defines “fun” in an online game as amassing as many pixels to brag about as you can get and scorning anything that doesn’t benefit you. (An online game IS supposed to be entertainment. You can be actually good at a game and still find ways to be entertained)

What amused me was all the whining about no loot in map chat…from the same people in all three maps. 3 hours of whines broken up by those having fun & linking wayponts during invasions.

UPDATE~ used tomes to get to 30. Did the repair. Repair worked.

Just letting you all know that the Liberation bug STILL EXISTS. Just got hit by it. Husband was in control of the instance, at the end I got the same option to complete/continue. No rewards, no way to leave Liberation until he left and I was booted from the instance. Same “You have mail” and an arrow pointing to a, now, nonexistent instance.

My character is 21 atm, so will wait til 30 to see if the repair will work.

That’s really strange, and a bit scary. MY card originally bought my GW2 and my husband’s. We’ve used each other’s cards to get gems. And most likely this weekend his card was going to buy HoT for both our accounts + 1 teen. (Other teen hasn’t decided yet if they want a “full” account or not with school starting)

I hadn’t thought of all f2p accounts causing the lag with their sudden surge onto the servers.

(I did blame our 2 teens that were DLing the client- and every zone they try to enter)

Killed Shatt, looted. DC’d 4 times in 5 minutes. Progress and loot gone